No Substitute For Prayer

 Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

If you need one thing in this life, you can perhaps substitute something else, but there is no substitute for prayer—not eloquence, intellect, energy, enthusiasm, nor intention. There is no substitute for prayer.

I believe the greatest resource in the world is prayer. We think if somehow we could harness lightning, somehow tap into the resources of the mighty tides of the ocean as they ebb and flow, we would have awesome power. But the greatest untapped resource is not earthly energy, it is prevailing prayer.

I don’t have a failure in my life except that of a prayer failure. I don’t have a sin in my life that proper prayer wouldn’t have avoided. I don’t have a need in my life that cannot be met through prevailing prayer. What fools we are if we don’t pray!

GROWTH THROUGH PRAYER

 There is nothing more important than prayer to help you grow as a Christian. You see, when you abide in the Lord Jesus Christ and He abides in you, then you are growing as you pray.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t answer your prayer immediately? Because He wants you to grow some more. Sometimes we come to God and we say, “God please do this.” But there is something God wants us to do first.

Prayer is the way of developing our spiritual walk. We pray, then go back to God and ask, “Why didn’t You answer my prayer?” And the Holy Spirit tells you that there is sin in your life. The Holy Spirit tells you that you have been selfish or jealous or prideful, or more.

Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

If God were to just answer our prayers automatically, then there would be no growth. But if we never had to pray, there would be no dependence. The wisest thing we can do is to learn how to pray. Prayer is God’s way of bonding us to Him.

BE IMITATORS OF GOD—WALK IN LOVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2023.

SUBJECT: BE IMITATORS OF GOD—WALK IN LOVE!

Memory verse: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13 vs 34.)

READ: Ephesians 5 vs 1 - 7:

5:1: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

5:2: And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling aroma.

INTIMATION:

Love concerns the attitude of one toward another. Love is the essential nature of God. It can be known only from the actions it prompts. For instance, God’s Love is seen in the gift of His Son as a propitiation for the sins of the whole world: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (First John 4 vs 9 - 11.)

Love has its perfect expression among us in the Lord Jesus Christ. God’s love is obviously not the love of complacency, or affection, that is, it was not drawn out of any excellency in its objects—not of any good in us; “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5 vs 8.) It was an exercise of the Divine will in deliberate choice, made without assignable cause save that which lies in the nature of God Himself. God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us, in accord with His nature.

In respect of love used for God, it expresses the deep and constant love and interest of a perfect Being—God—towards entirely unworthy objects—us, exchanging what is of limitless value with what is completely worthless! It produces and fosters a reverential love in us towards the Giver—God, and a practical love towards us that are partakers of the same, and should put a desire in us to help others to seek God.

Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments; “If you love Me, keep My commandments.’ (John 14 vs 15.) Self-will, that is, self-pleasing, is the negation of love to God. Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered; it ought to have no boundaries.

Love seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15 vs 2), and works no ill to any (Romans 13 vs 8 - 10). Love seeks opportunity to do good to all, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6 vs 10). See further First Corinthians 13 and Colossians 3 vs 12 - 14.

Our memory verse embodies the concept of walking in love. For the Bible says, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor, therefore; love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13 vs 8 - 10.)

Love is considered something we owe, because we are permanently in debt to Christ for the lavish love He has poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in turn. Because Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbor. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15 vs 13.) We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love; listening, helping, encouraging, giving, and so on.

Walking in love fulfills the law. For the Scripture says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6 vs 2.) Look around you today, and you will definitely find someone that needs your love—your help, and seize the opportunity to help the person, and thereby walk in love.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are love and our loving Father, and Your love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us. Give me the grace to walk in love for You and my neighbor, fulfilling Your law, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 12, 2023.

SUBJECT: GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4 vs 30.) 

READ: Ephesians 4 vs 25 - 32:

4:25: Therefore putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” For we are members of one another.

4:26: “Be angry, and do not sin”; do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

4:27: nor give place to the devil.

4:28: Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

4:29: Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

4:30: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

4:31: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

4:32: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

INTIMATION:

Grieving the Holy Spirit is willfully thwarting his leading by disobedience or rebellion, tossing aside the gifts the Holy Spirit gives. When you do this, you bring sorrow to the Spirit by the way you live. In our memory verse, the word grieve is used as a verb, meaning: “to cause to feel grief or sorrow.” In other words, the Scripture is exhorting us not to cause the Holy Spirit to feel grief or sorrow as a result of our choices. We grieve the Holy Spirit by not allowing ourselves to be led by Him, but choosing our own ways instead. We grieve the Holy Spirit by not obeying Him.

The Holy Spirit is given to us as our Helper; He is our Leader, Empowerer, Encourager, Advocate, Intercessor, Standby, Strengthener, Counselor, Comforter, Revealer of the truth, and gift-giver. He brings wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and the fear of God (Isaiah 11 vs 2). He also brings abundance (Isaiah 32 vs 15). Therefore, grieving the Holy Spirit puts you at risk of losing His services in the afore-referenced areas.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and knows the things of God; “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no man the knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” (First Corinthians 2 vs 10 - 11.)

He reveals the deep things of God, and empowers with the knowledge of the things of God, and encourages us to walk in that knowledge with His help. He is our master Counselor, and is on standby; ever ready to assist us if we cooperate with Him. If we grieve Him, He withdraws His assistance, and consequently, we grope in the dark, walking out of the path of life ordained for us, thereby making mistakes and wrong choices that are unpleasant to God.

It is noteworthy that a Christian cannot lead a fulfilling life, pleasing to God, and in accord to His precepts without the help of the Holy Spirit. We cannot overcome sin without the help of the Holy Spirit, therefore, it is very important how you respond when He speaks to you. When you realize that you cannot live a life of overcoming sin. “Victory over sin” means that you do not commit conscious sin—that which you know would be sin at that time when you are tempted. It doesn’t mean that you are without sin, but that temptation is overcome before it can become sin without the help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it becomes very important to you how you respond to the Holy Spirit when He speaks to you. 

You  have to listen to His voice! We live in a fast-paced society, and most of us live a fast-paced lifestyle, with fast travel, fast communication, fast access to a wealth of information, etc. If in the middle of this you do not consciously “set your mind on the things of the Spirit,” you will not be able to hear His still, small voice in your heart of hearts. When you do not listen to Him, you end up grieving the Holy Spirit, because He has so much to tell you that will bring you joy and happiness, and lead you to a life of freedom from sin.

Sin is anything that goes against God’s will and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey these laws. 

The lust to sin dwells in human nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful tendencies that dwell in all people as a result of the fall into sin and disobedience in the garden of Eden. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “The Helper,” and also said: “When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16 vs 13.) All Christians are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, He who did no sin. You need to be led step by step because you cannot find the way by yourself. The Spirit will never force you—He wants to lead you into a life of victory, the happiest and most fulfilling life a person can ever live. The Holy Spirit will always lead you on a path of humility because He knows that is the only access road to an overcoming life. 

You grieve the Holy Spirit by not allowing yourself to be led, but choosing your own way instead. God gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit and the flesh—our human nature—are in total opposition to each other. So you cannot live according to your natural inclinations and at the same time obey the Spirit. That is why we read in the passage today, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God … let all bitterness, wrath, anger, loud quarrelling, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.” You grieve the Holy Spirit by not obeying Him.

The good news is that the Holy Spirit is also the One who gives us power to obey and power to overcome all these tendencies in our nature! When God sees your sincere desire to obey Him, He will send His Holy Spirit to help you do just that. Jesus told His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Just like a thirsty person in the desert drinks deeply from a spring of fresh water, you must drink deeply of God’s Holy Spirit—be filled with His Spirit—if you want to live an abundant Christian life.

God’s Spirit is in His Word. When you drink deeply of this fountain and of the spirit of faith that is in the Word, you will have power in temptation to overcome sin and do God’s will instead of your own. We grieve the Holy Spirit by wandering around in the desert of our own thoughts and ways, too busy or too lazy to drink from the fountain of faith and power that is in God’s Word.

Therefore, grieving the Holy Spirit is totally unnecessary! He knows that we are weak, and that we don’t even know what to pray for in the right way, but He is there to help us in our need, and to pray for us so that we can find God’s will and do it. (Romans 8 vs 26 - 27.) Then we will truly experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit as well as His power.

Prayer: Abba Father, ever loving and compassionate Father, give me the grace and empowerment never to grieve the Holy Spirit, my great source of help in all things pleasing to God, in Jesus‘ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

REAL WEALTH

 Many people think they are wealthy when they’re not. It’s a strange thing. There was a program on television called “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” Have you seen it? A better name might be “The Lifestyles of the Rich and Foolish.”

Now, why do you think I’d make such a statement? Because I believe that money doesn’t make a man rich. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, said, “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

One day, a man of modest income said to a man who was very rich, “I have more than you have.” The rich man said, “How is that so?” He answered, “Because I have all I want, and you don’t.” A rich man is a poor man when he tries to find satisfaction in what he has. A rich man is a poor man when his wealth increases his worry.

If you set your goal to be wealthy, you’re going to have difficulty. When wealth is your goal, then money becomes your master rather than your servant.

God’s Word says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11, 2023.

SUBJECT : UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM!

Memory verse: "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13 vs 11.) 

READ: First Corinthians 2 vs 6 - 16 :

2:6: However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

2:7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

2:8: which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

2:9: But as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

2:10: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

2:11: For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

2:12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

INTIMATION:

The mysteries of the kingdom are the knowledge that is outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, and can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a mystery implies knowledge withheld; it’s Scriptural significance is truth revealed. Hence the terms especially associated with the subject are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.” 

The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage; “the mystery which has been hidden from all ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints” (Colossians 1 vs 26). The mystery is used of: (a) spiritual truth generally, as revealed in the gospel. (b) Christ, who is God Himself revealed under the conditions of human life, and submitting even to death, but subsequently raised from among the dead, that the will of God to co-ordinate the universe in Him, and subject it to Him, might in due time be accomplished, as declared in the gospel.

(c) the Church, which is Christ’s Body, that is, the union of redeemed men with God in Christ. (d) the rapture into the presence of Christ of those members of the Church which is His Body who shall be alive in the earth at His Parousia—His second coming. (e) the operation of those hidden forces that either retard or accelerate the kingdom of God. (f) the cause of the present condition of Israel. (g) the spirit of disobedience to God. (h) the ways of God in grace.

These mysteries; the secret or hidden truths of the kingdom reign of God were being revealed to those who were willing to listen and learn. However, for those who would not listen to Jesus, the truth concerning the kingdom reign would not be revealed simply because they would not listen to Jesus. 

God revealed the eternal plan of salvation to all men through Jesus. Through the grace of the gospel that was revealed on the cross (Titus 2 vs 11), God is able to establish our hearts in Christ Jesus. Therefore, it is upon the foundation of the event of the death of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection for our hope that we spiritually stand justified before God (see First Corinthians 15 vs 1 - 5). Upon the foundation of the fact of the gospel event we are emotionally assured that we will be raised in the end to walk with Jesus in a heavenly environment. 

Before the world was created, God had planned the events of the cross and resurrection. The mystery of the gospel (mystery of the kingdom), however, was not revealed to man until the coming of Jesus. Neither was it revealed to Satan. If the gospel event had been revealed to Satan, then he surely would not have moved the people against Jesus to have Him crucified. The fact that Jesus was crucified is evidence that Satan had no idea that the cross was indeed the plan of God to make Jesus the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. 

The mystery (also known as the mystery of Christ) was the eternal plan of redemption that God has now revealed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It was not revealed in times before the coming of Jesus. It has been revealed in these times in order that men might understand God’s plan that all men be reconciled to Him through Jesus (See First Corinthians 2 vs 10 - 13). The mystery of Christ (God) is God’s plan of grace that was revealed on the cross for the salvation of all men. It was unknown until it’s revelation to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. 

The humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ in other to accomplish His mission on earth reveals the heart of the gospel “the mystery of godliness” (the secret of how we become godly). Jesus incarnation (Manifested in the flesh—Jesus was a man) is the basis of our being right with God. His resurrection showed that the Holy Spirit’s power was in Him. We can’t please God on our own; we must depend on Christ. As a man Jesus lived a perfect life, and so He is a perfect example of how to live. As God, Jesus gives us the power to do what is right. It is possible to live a godly life through following Christ. 

God’s “hidden wisdom” was His offer of salvation to all people. Originally unknown to humanity, this plan became crystal clear when Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that He had power over sin and death and could offer us this power as well. God’s plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven’t heard about it. 

All Christians ought to open their mouths for Jesus. It is the obligation of those who have been washed with the blood of the Lamb to proclaim to all an answer for their problem of sin and death. The fact that one has been saved out of his spiritual death in sin by the grace of God obligates him to proclaim the mystery of Christ to others. With the knowledge of the grace of God comes the responsibility of sharing God’s grace. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You have revealed Your eternal plan for our redemption through Jesus Christ Your Son who came as a propitiation for our sins. Endue me with the revelational knowledge; my eyes of understanding being enlightened to know the reason and hope of Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Servant Leadership Of The Husband

 Did you know that God held Adam responsible for Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden? That's because Adam did not lead and maintain his home as a servant leader. If you are a husband or father, do you think that you are the dictator of your home? If so, then you have a lot to learn. 

When a dispute erupted among the disciples about who was the greatest, Jesus said, “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. (Luke 22:26-27). Jesus then demonstrated His leadership by washing His disciples’ feet (see John 13:11-17). A leader serves. 

Your wife is not there to serve you. You are there to serve her. Ephesians 5:21-23 says, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body."