CRAVE FOR THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 02, 2023.

SUBJECT : CRAVE FOR THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

Memory verse: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart I will send Him to you." (John 16 vs 7.) 

READ: John 16 vs 12 - 15:

16:12: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

16:13: However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

16:14: He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare to you.

16:15: All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine, and declare it to you.

INTIMATION:

How are you guided or driven? Who, and what guides or drives you determines how purposeful your life will be. Everyone is guided or driven in life by something. What guides you determines the driving force in your life. Many of us are driven by life's circumstances they face at a time. Some are driven by a problem, a pressure, or a deadline. Some by painful memory, a haunting fear, or an unconscious belief. 

There are several circumstances, values, and emotions that can drive your life. But your ultimate, and God ordained guide is the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of God Himself. When you are driven by circumstance(s), it unfortunately leads to a life outside God's purpose because these are the works of the flesh. The most common ways people are driven, outside God's purpose for their lives include the following:

1. Driven by guilt.

Many people are driven by guilt. They spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding their shame. Guilt driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. They often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging their own future.

2. Driven by resentment and anger.

These category of people hold on to hurts and never get over them. Instead of releasing their pain through forgiveness, they rehearse it over and over in their minds. Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past.

3. Driven by fear.

Many people are driven by fear. Their fears may be a result of a traumatic experience, unrealistic expectations, growing up in a high-control home, or even genetic predisposition. Regardless of the cause, fear-driven people often miss great opportunities because they're afraid to venture out. Fear is a self-imposed prison that keeps you from becoming what God intends for you to be.

4. Driven by materialism.

Many people are driven by materialism. Their desire to acquire becomes the whole goal of their lives. The drive to always want more is based on the misconception that having more will make them more happy, more important, and more secure, but all three ideas are untrue. Possessions only provide temporary happiness. It's a myth that if I get more, I will be more important. Self-worth and net worth are not the same. Your value is not determined by your valuables, and God says the most valuable things in life are not things—possessions!

5. Driven by the need for approval.

Many people are driven by the need of approval. They allow the expectations of parents or spouses, or children or teacher or friends to control their lives. Others are driven by peer pressure, always worried by what others might think. Unfortunately, those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it. One known key to failure is to try to please everyone. Being controlled by the opinions of others is a guaranteed way to miss God's purposes for your life.

These aforementioned forces, and many others, which are the works of the flesh, can drive your life, but all lead to the same dead end: unused potential, unnecessary stress, and unfulfilled life—life outside the God’s purpose. Nothing matters more than knowing God's purpose(s) for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing it; not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure. 

It’s only God, through His Holy Spirit indwelling the believer, that will reveal His purpose for your life. The Spirit-driven life is a purposeful life in accordance with the will of God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God who knows the things and thoughts of God, and only Him can lead you accordingly. If your life is not guided or driven by the Holy Spirit, you are completely walking toward a dead-end, away from the will of God for you. Therefore, we should be concerned about how much of us the Holy Spirit has. Submit yourself daily to His leading and draw constantly on His power to be in tune with God’s purpose for your life. 

Those who seek a spiritual relationship with God will seek God’s direction through the inspired word of God. Therefore, those who are led by the Spirit depend on God. Those who have turned from depending on themselves, that is the works of the flesh, have turned to depend on the direction of God. Thus, the fruit of the Spirit is brought forth in the lives of those who seek direction from God for moral attitudes and behavior. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5 vs 22 - 23.) The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control—we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to His: We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law—to love God and our neighbors.

Because the God who sent the law also sent the Spirit, the by-products of the Spirit-filled life are in perfect harmony with the intent of God’s law. A person who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit fulfills the law better than a person who observes the rituals but has little love in his or her heart.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I call Him my senior partner because He is my Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Standby, Strengthener, Counselor, Comforter, Empowerer, and Encourager. Strengthen me in my inner man through the leading of the Holy Spirit to live for You, dedicated to You in all aspects of my life, in Jesus’ great Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 01, 2023.

SUBJECT : ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD!

Memory verse: "Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3 vs 5.) 

READ: John 3 vs 3 - 9:

3:3: Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

3:4: Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? C an he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”

3:5: Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

3:6: That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

3:7: Do not marvel not that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

3:8: The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes, and where it goes. So is every one who is born of the Spirit.”

INTIMATION:

The Kingdom of God is the sphere of God’s rule; it’s the sphere in which, at any given time, His rule is acknowledged. God has not relinquished His sovereignty in the face of rebellion, demoniac or human, but has declared His purpose of establishing His Kingdom. God calls upon all humans everywhere, without distinction of race or nationality, to submit voluntarily to His rule. Speaking generally, references to the Kingdom fall into two classes, the first, in which it is viewed as present and involving suffering for those who enter it (Second Thessalonians 1 vs 5); The second, in which it is viewed as future and is associated with reward (Matthew 25 vs 34), and glory (Matthew 13 vs 43).

The fundamental principle of the Kingdom is declared in the words of the Lord, “The Kingdom of God is in the midst of you,” (Luke 17 vs 21), that is, where the King is, there is the Kingdom. Thus at the present time and so far as the earth is concerned, where the King is and where His rule is acknowledged, is, first, in the heart of the individual believer, and then in the churches of God. 

Entrance into the Kingdom of God is by the “new birth,” for nothing that anyone may be by nature, or can attain to by any form of self-culture, avails in the spiritual realm. And as the new nature, received in the new birth, is made evident by obedience, it is further said that only such as do the will of God shall enter into His Kingdom.

Jesus stated what is necessary for the inclusion of the kingdom reign of Jesus in the heart of men, and thus, one’s participation in the community of God. The condition is the ‘new birth,’ the birth of the spirit by being regenerated by the power of God. The condition will be the manifestation of one’s response to all that God has done in order to bring one into a covenant relationship with Him. 

Based on the redemptive work of Jesus, God the Father forgives us, and sends the Holy Spirit to wash away our sins and continually renew us. All who welcome Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives are reborn spiritually, receiving new life from God—the new birth. Through faith in Christ, the new birth changes us from the inside—rearranging our attitudes, desires, and motives. 

Being born of God makes you spiritually alive and puts you in God’s family. When one is born of the Spirit, he or she is spiritually rejuvenated by the Holy Spirit through the sacrificial blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1 vs 7). In new birth, the Spirit does the work of sanctification without the perception of men. One must be born of the water of baptism, at which point, one is renewed by the Holy Spirit. Born of water is the response of the individual to the grace of God. 

What Jesus is saying is that unless one truly repents because of obedient faith, and is immersed into Christ, he or she cannot participate with Jesus in the kingdom of God. One is thus born anew in baptism by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Born of the Spirit is the work of God in the spirit realm beyond our understanding. The Spirit does His work to bring us forth from the grace of baptism pure of sin because we have relinquished by obedience to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the new nature You have imparted to me though my obedient faith in what Christ wrought for us in redemption. Give me the grace to live according to Your will, to avail me entrance to Your kingdom, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Our Weakness Reveals His Worth

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

God’s design for suffering is that it should magnify Christ’s worth and power. This is grace, because the greatest joy of Christians is to experience Christ magnified in our lives. 

When Paul was told by the Lord Jesus that his “thorn in the flesh” would not be taken away, he supported Paul’s faith by explaining why. The Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God ordains that Paul be weak so that Christ might be seen as strong on Paul’s behalf. 

If we feel and look self-sufficient, we will get the glory, not Christ. So, Christ chooses the weak things of the world “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:29). And sometimes he makes seemingly strong people weaker so that the divine power will be the more evident. 

We know that Paul experienced this as grace because he rejoiced in it: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10). 

Living by faith in God’s grace means being satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. Therefore, faith will not shrink back from what reveals and magnifies all that God is for us in Jesus. That is what our own weakness and suffering are meant to do.

Suffering That Crushes Faith

 “They have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.” (Mark 4:17)

The faith of some is broken instead of built by suffering. Jesus knew this and described it here in the parable of the four soils. Some people who hear the word receive it at first with gladness, but then suffering makes them fall away. 

So, affliction does not always make faith stronger. Sometimes it crushes faith. And then come true the paradoxical words of Jesus, “The one who has not, even what he has will be taken” (Mark 4:25). 

This is a call for us to endure suffering with firm faith in future grace, so that our faith might grow stronger and not be proved vain (1 Corinthians 15:2). “To the one who has, more will be given” (Mark 4:25). Knowing God’s design in suffering is one of the main means of growing through suffering.

If you think your suffering is pointless, or that God is not in control, or that he is whimsical or cruel, then your suffering will drive you from God, instead of driving you from everything but God — as it should. So, it is crucial that faith in God’s grace includes the faith that he gives grace through suffering.

GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JULY 31, 2023.

SUBJECT : GUARD YOUR INTEGRITY!

Memory verse: “The just man walks in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Proverbs 20 vs 7.) 

READ: Matthew 5 vs 33 - 37:

5:33: Again, you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shalt not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

5:34: But I say to you, do not swear at all, neither by heaven; for it is God's throne;

5:35: nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

5:36: Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

5:37: But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.’

INTIMATION:

Integrity denotes honesty, uprightness, morality, and wholeness. Therefore, a man or woman of integrity is known for honesty, uprightness, morality, and wholeness. 

Integrity is more valuable than wealth, but most people don’t act as if they believe this. In a bid to get what they want they compromise their integrity in order to achieve their aim. They will pay any price to get what they want thereby falling into various temptations, and indulging in many forms of compromises— ritual and devilish sacrifices to acquire wealth, lying, cheating on people, and employers, invading taxes, stealing, withholding tithes, refusing to give, and so on.

Many compromise their honesty to achieve their objectives. Dishonesty is a difficult sin to avoid. It is easy to cheat if we think no one else is looking. But dishonesty affects the very cure of a person. It makes him or her untrustworthy and untrusting. It eventually makes him or her unable to know himself or herself or relate with others. Don’t take dishonesty lightly. Even the smallest portion of dishonesty contains enough of the poison of deceit to kill your spiritual life. If there is any form of dishonesty in your life tell God about it now.

Christians should live with such a character of life that whatever they say should be understood as truth. They should be good for their words. If a Christian makes a promise, it should be assumed that he will keep that promise. A person with a reputation for exaggeration or lying often can’t get anyone to believe him or his word alone. Always be honest so that others will believe your simple yes or no. 

By avoiding lies, half truths, and omissions of the truth, you will become known as a trustworthy person. Truthfulness seems so rare that we feel we must end our statements with “I promise.” If we tell the truth all the time, we will have less pressure to back up our words with an oath. Making casual oath is common to many in normal conversation in order to establish integrity or credibility. Integrity and credibility of the Christian should be based on the behavior of one’s life, not on casual statements continually made in conversation. The statement of Christians should be considered true and correct without the necessity of making oaths in order to reinforce what they say. 

Our integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details we could easily ignore. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little we have), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s kingdom. Heaven’s riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. 

See that you maintain your integrity in all matters, whether big or small. Never try to get away with anything. Be a man or woman of integrity whether you have or not. We should guard our integrity. A reputation for honesty is worth far more than the money we might gain by compromising it.

Parents who behave themselves with integrity will leave an example for their children to do likewise. One of the best things parents can leave for their children is a heritage of integrity. Your life circumstances, whether rich or poor, should never cause you to compromise your integrity. 

When we know and love God, we realize that a lower standard of living—or even poverty—is a small price to pay for personal integrity. Do your actions show that you sacrifice your integrity to get what you want? What changes do you have to make in order to get your priorities straight? 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to guard against any form of compromises in my life that will eventually hurt my integrity and cause me to lose Your approval, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

HOW TO ATTRACT GOD’S CARE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JULY 30, 2023.

SUBJECT : HOW TO ATTRACT GOD’S CARE!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ: Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children.

INTIMATION:

God is concerned about every human being He has created, and He is not willing that any should perish. God is concerned and interested in you personally and in every detail of your life. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers are human condition. His mercy takes everything into account. 

God will deal with us compassionately. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet and this is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness when our sin is forgiven. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.

Subjects of the Kingdom are the objects of God’s care. He will take care of those who seek Him first. Therefore, we attract God’s care when we put Him first in our lives. Putting Him first means to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, to serve and obey Him in everything, and to turn to God first for help. Subjects of the kingdom desire that the will of the Father be done on earth in their hearts as it is done in heaven. God’s righteousness comes through one’s submission to His will. Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, must always be first. 

If you desire to attract God’s care, He should be first in all things. You must desire to commit yourself to the Lord and delight in Him. To commit yourself to the Lord means entrusting everything—your life, family, job, possessions—to His control and guidance. We should trust in Him, believing that He can care for you better than you can yourself. 

We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us. To delight in the Lord is to experience great pleasure and joy in His presence. This happens only when we know Him well. Thus, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight. 

One must take the initiative to keep oneself in the love of God. Those who have made their hands dirty by becoming a friend of the world, must repent. If one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in his heart. Those who love activities and possessions of this world do not love the Father, for they are obsessed with the things of this world. 

God wants us to yield completely to Him; being totally devoted to Him. He desires that we daily lay aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. This is because He has good, pleasing, perfect, and best plans for us. Therefore, devoting yourself to Him is reasonable, and the most proper thing to do. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is for an intimate relationship with You, with total commitment to Your will, and putting You first in everything in my life. Give me the grace to serve and obey You in everything, and that nothing takes the first place in my life outside of You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Suffering That Strengthens Faith

 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2–3)

Strange as it may seem, one of the primary purposes of being shaken by suffering is to make our faith more unshakable. 

Faith is like muscle tissue: if you stress it to the limit, it gets stronger, not weaker. That’s what James means here. When your faith is threatened and tested and stretched to the breaking point, the result is greater capacity to endure. He calls it steadfastness.

God loves faith so much that he will test it to the breaking point so as to keep it pure and strong. For example, he did this to Paul according to 2 Corinthians 1:8–9,

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

The words “but that was to” show that there was a purpose in this extreme suffering: it was in order that — for the purpose that — Paul would not rely on himself and his resources, but on God — specifically the promised grace of God in raising the dead. 

God so values our wholehearted faith that he will, graciously, if necessary, take away everything else in the world that we might be tempted to rely on — even life itself. His aim is that we grow deeper and stronger in our confidence that he himself will be all we need. 

He wants us to be able to say with the psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26).

House of Joy Ministry celebrate her 20 years annversary of ministry to over 500,000 souls world wide through Gospel of our Lord Jesus on August 4th, 2023 also double my birthday. Join us on +2349016233784 on WhatsApp or on https://miheanyi.blogspot.com. Menu botton.