THE DANGER OF SENSE KNOWLEDGE FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MARCH 23, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE DANGER OF SENSE KNOWLEDGE FAITH!

Memory verse: "Therefore they said to Him, 'What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will you do?" (John 6 vs 30.)

READ: John 20 vs 24 - 29: 

20:24: Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 

20:25: The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

20:26: And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

20:27: Then He said To Thomas, “Reach your fingers here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

20:28: And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

20:29: Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet they believed."

INTIMATION:

One of the greatest dangers that we face as believers is sense knowledge faith. Until we see or feel we are not convinced. That is no faith, but only walk by sight, and not by faith (Second Corinthians 5 vs 7). God our Creator knows how humans are ruled by their senses, and in His great grace came down into the realm of the senses in the person of Christ to associate with us. Christ was offered as a sacrifice in the full glare of the people, therefore, they saw Him die on the cross, buried, and on the third day rose from the dead, and appeared among the disciples; let them see Him, hear Him, and feel Him, to satisfy their sense knowledge. 

God allowed the early believers to see signs and wonders because they were babes, just newborn in the Christendom. They new nothing of the finished work of Christ. None of them believed or knew about His substitutionary work until the revelation was given to the apostle Paul. God works through the inspired written testimonies of those who actually experienced the life and resurrection of Jesus. He has set forth these testimonies in written form in order to produce faith (John 6 vs 30 - 31). It is this record of His miraculous manifestations in history (the Bible) that must be consulted in order to grow in faith (Romans 10 vs 17). 

So many people in the world today will hardly believe anything until they see the proof of that thing. Even in the Christendom many are in this category. These are the believers ruled by their sense knowledge. Until they see signs and wonders and miracles, they will not believe. Such people hardly have divine encounters because of their unbelief. 

The Scripture says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11 vs 1). God demands that we accept His Word as it is, the very Word of God; and that we act upon it, independent of any feelings or any evidence that the eyes can see or the ears hear or hands can touch or mouth can taste or nose can smell. 

Christians are not empirically directed. Guidance by the sense will never take one beyond the limits of the material world. Only through faith can one escape the confines of this world in order to be directed in life by that which is beyond this world. We have many today that cannot believe beyond what their senses register, and are denied the blessedness of believing without seeing. 

Thomas was a sense knowledge believer. He had to see in order to believe. His senses had to be satisfied. But remember the word of Jesus to Thomas; “Do not be unbelieving, but believing," and “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Remember, "All things are possible to him who believes." ( Mark 9 vs 23.)

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word is forever settled in heaven. My complete faith in You and Your Word, and my complete trust is in all Your has declared, and no lies from the pit of hell can take this away from me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

THE SOURCE OF GOD’S GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MARCH 22, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE SOURCE OF GOD’S GRACE!

Memory verse: "Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5 vs 2.) 

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 8 - 9:

2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

2:9: not of works, lest any man should boast.

INTIMATION:

We gain entry into the realm of God’s grace through Jesus in whom we must have faith. Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward man that was made possible by the sacrificial offering of Jesus on the cross. God demands our obedient response to Him by faith. Therefore, the application of grace in one’s life must be based on the condition of obedient faith, which is our response to the grace of God. And without faith it is impossible to please God. It is in exercising of our faith in our obedient fellowship with Christ that plugs us into the source of God’s power—His grace. 

If there is anything the devil tries to do, is to keep people out of fellowship with the Lord. Satan knows that once you are connected to the source of divine power, it is finished for him. Fellowship with the Lord is what ensures a victorious and peaceful Christian life. But without fellowship with Him, one will struggle the entire time he or she is here on earth as a Christian, even though you will be saved because your name is in the Book of life. 

Though the free gift of our salvation is not based on our fellowship, rather on the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for our sins. But without fellowship in obedient faith one will not partake of the riches of the glory, and the exceeding greatness of His power—His grace.

Do you know what happens when you are in fellowship with God—spending quality time with Him? You become a custodian of His grace—the power of God to help you meet your needs and solve your problems. As soldiers of the cross, you and I are not supposed to be afraid of our enemy—the devil. Instead, we are to ‘be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might—His grace,’ knowing that we are plugged into the ultimate power source, the power that can make and destroy. 

When the spirit of fear comes along, rather than shaking like a leaf, we are to be bold as a lion, and remind the devil that ‘God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind’ (Second Timothy 1 vs 7). 

The devil comes against those who are doing damage to his kingdom, those who are doing something for God as His ambassadors. How then do we withstand the devil? By girding on the full armor of God; taking the shield of faith, and by wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, by which we can quench his fiery darts (Ephesians 6 vs 13 - 17). 

Being strong in the Lord, in my considered opinion, is being strong in fellowship with God. And it’s only after being strengthened in fellowship with obedient faith that you can properly access the whole armor of God. Therefore, you should come apart with the Lord (fellowship with the Lord) privately before you come apart publicly. Spend time with God so you can remain stable as you deal with the daily affairs of life.

Being in fellowship with the Lord does not mean that you will be in a room with God all the time. If you will give twenty or thirty minutes of sleep in the morning in order to get up early and seek His face, God will honor that sacrifice. It you are willing to turn off the television for thirty minutes in the evening and spend some time in fellowship with the Lord, you will be richly rewarded. 

However, God is a Loving Father, He will not require more of you than what you are able to give Him. He is not an ogre who is out to make you miserable. He just knows what you need in order to have that abundant, enjoyable, victorious life. When you fellowship with the Lord, you learn to quickly follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my all. I thirst to be in Your presence at all times. Endue me with the spirit of faithful obedience to You in all things that I may have fellowship with You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2024. 

SUBJECT : PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!

Memory verse: "Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17.)

READ: Luke 18 vs 1:

18:1: Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray, and not to lose heart,

18:2: saying, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man.

18:3: Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’

18:4: And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 

18:5: yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.”

18:6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said.

18:7: And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He bear long with them?

18:8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

INTIMATION:

Prayer brings us before God in communion with Him. Humbly being at all times in the presence of God is the secret to continual triumph of the believer, hence the reason to pray at all times. Though we cannot spend all our times on our knees, but it is possible to have a prayerful attitude at all times. 

Emphasis here is not on a continued action of prayer, but on a continued attitude of prayer. This attitude is built upon acknowledging our dependence on God, realizing His presence within us, and determining to obey Him fully. Then, we will find it natural to pray frequent, spontaneous, and short prayers. In other words, the Christian should be in s state of mind that he can at all times take part in the action of praying to the Father. Consistent prayer means keeping our requests continually before God as we live for Him day by day, believing He will answer. 

It is the desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. Prayer is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. To persist in prayer does not mean endless repetition or painfully long prayer sessions. Jesus’ lesson in the passage we read today is that if an unrighteous and unconcerned judge would act upon the persistent requests of a pleading woman, then certainly the persistent pleas of the righteous to a concerned God would attract His response to the pleas of the righteous.

Faith is essential to prayer. Faith is the recognition of the faithfulness of God, and engenders our committing ourselves and our matters to Him. Sometimes you think that God will not hear you because you have fallen short of His high standards for holy living, but if you have faith, and have trusted Him for salvation, you should know that God has forgiven us and He will listen to us. 

When we live by faith, we are not to give up. God may delay answering, but His delays always have good reasons. Faith shouldn't die if the answers come slowly, for delay is not denial, and that may be God's way of working His Will. As we persist in prayer, we grow in character, faith, and hope.

God not only welcomes us in prayer, He is waiting for us to pray. We, the godly—those who are faithful and devoted to God—should know that God is waiting for us to approach Him in prayer and should be confident that God listens to our prayers and answers at His own time (which is usually the best timing for us). 

Some other times you grow tired of praying because it seems God is not answering you, but a Christian's persistence in prayer is an expression of faith that God answers prayer. Always be confident, and know that God is present, always listening, and always answers in the best ways known to Him. 

A praying attitude is not a substitute to regular times of prayer, but should be an outgrowth of those times. Too often we pray glibly and superficially. Serious prayer, by contrast, requires concentration. It puts us in touch with God’s Will and can really change us. Without serious prayer, we reduce God to a quick-service pharmacist with painkillers for your every ailment. 

However, the Holy Spirit, being the sole interpreter of the needs of the human heart, makes His intercession therein. Inasmuch as prayer is impossible to man apart from His help (Romans 8 vs 26), believers are exhorted to pray at all seasons in the Spirit (Ephesians 6 vs 18; Jude 20). 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace for persistent prayer, as a demonstration of my absolute faith, and dependence on You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BELIEVERS WORTH TO GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MARCH 20, 2024.

SUBJECT: BELIEVERS WORTH TO GOD! 

Memory verse: "They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him." (Malachi 3 vs 17.)

READ: First Peter 2 vs 9 - 10:

2:9: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

2:10: Who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

INTIMATION:

The love of the Father marked the believers out for the position of sons and daughters way back before the morning stars sang their first anthem, and they are made to the praise of His glory. He planned that the believers should be holy without blemish before Him. He marked them out for the position of sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself; and they are the marked ones. They have been chosen by God as His very own, and His jewels, a special treasure to Him above all people, and the believers are to Him a kingdom of priests, as Christ has made them kings and priests to God that they shall reign on the earth. 

He has blessed them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1 vs 3). They are rich in Him, and have His fullness. They are sufficient in His sufficiency. All that He has they have. Believers are what He says they are. And the Father has told them that they are in the Beloved. The Father sees them as His own righteousness in Christ Jesus. "And you are complete in Him," and this completeness is over and above all that the believers can ask or think or desire. 

The believers have been called to represent God to others. They are united with Christ as members of His body, and they join in His priestly work of reconciling God and people. God has given them eternal life in Christ. Their eternal life with Christ is certain because they are united in His powerful victory. God’s incomparable great power is available to help the believers. 

Now, look at the conclusion of the whole matter about the believers as the apostle Paul puts it: “....We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8 vs 37 - 39.)

These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scriptures. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: hard times, persecution, illness, imprisonment, and even death. These sometimes cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But apostle Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can separate the believers from Christ’s presence. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we believe these overwhelming assurances, we will not be afraid nor moved in our anchor in Him.

Now, as a believer, you know your worth to God in Christ. You see your vast responsibility. You can pray for you now know how. Take your place in Christ. Dare to act your part. Dare to let God use you. Dare to let love reign in your life. Dare to be in your daily life what He says you are. Dare to do what He says you can do. Dare to confess that you are what He says you are. All is yours. Use them. As you act on the Word, the Word reacts in You; it builds up in you, and so you grow in Christ. Believers are partakers of His Nature, of His very substance and Being.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are awesome, merciful, and compassionate. In all the world there’s none like You. Your love for me is unparalleled and unfathomable. You have blessed me with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places, and made me partaker of Your divine nature. Forever You are my God and Father. I am persuaded that nothing will ever take away my love for You, in the mighty Name of Jesus’ I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MARCH 19, 2024.

SUBJECT: WHAT HAS THE LORD SAID?

Memory verse: "So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue: for you shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” (First Samuel 30 vs 8.)

READ: First Samuel 23 vs 1 - 5:

23:1: Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

23:2: Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and smite these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go, and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

23:3: But David's men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”

23:4: Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

23:5: And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

INTIMATION:

What has the Lord said in that matter? What has He said in your situation? What has He said in that your endeavor? Such aforesaid questions are the anchor of a wise decision, and action. Inquiring from the Lord puts us on a safe drive to God ordained destination. It makes us triumphant in all our life’s endeavors. 

This truth is known from ancient times. God is the source of all truth. Whoever seeks the truth from Him will receive it and will be preserved from error. This is His promise. Knowledge of this led the faithful of ancient times to enter into communion with God when seeking the truth and the right ways. 

They inquired of God by means of human expedients, and were answered by Him through the same channels. They were well aware that the ‘good spirit world’ in the service of God is the agent of His will, and that to consult the spirit beings of God's Kingdom is equivalent to inquiring of God Himself. They were equally well aware that there is such a thing as an ‘evil spirit world,’ and their daily experience had taught them the possibility of communicating with this also. 

David was a classic example of a man who was extensively used to the practice of inquiring from God, and the results are known to all Bible scholars. David sought the Lord’s guidance before he took action. He listened to God’s directions and then proceeded accordingly. This is the way to go by all believers in God. This privilege is given to us by God Himself. He said, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33 vs 3.) 

David’s trust and confidence in God’s guidance among other things is unparalleled in the Scriptures. David fought his battles the way God instructed him. In each instance he; (1) asked if he should fight or not, (2) followed instructions carefully, and (3) gave God the glory. He never, at any point, tried helping God like King Saul. 

For Christians, we can err in our “battles” by ignoring these steps of David, and instead; (1) Do what we want without considering God’s Will, (2) do things our way and ignore advice in the Bible or from other wise people, and (3) take the glory ourselves or give it to someone else without acknowledging the help we received from God. All these responses are sinful.

Wisdom demands that rather than trying to find God’s Will after your action, or having to ask God to undo the results of our hasty decisions, we should take time to discern God’s Will beforehand. We can hear Him speak through the counsel of others, His Word, and the leading of His Spirit in our hearts, as well as through circumstances. 

For instance, David knew he would become king (First Samuel 16 vs 13; 23 vs 17; 24 vs 20), and although the time seemed right when Saul was dead, but David still asked God if he should move back to Judah, the home territory of his tribe (Second Samuel 2 vs 1). Before moving ahead with what seems obvious, he first brought the matter to God, who alone knows the best timing. This should be the pattern of all believers in Christ.

Only those who put their whole faith in Him and who look up to Him for help, will God allow to inquire of Him. But all those who hold communion with the evil one—the devil and his cohorts, and who look for help from the spirits of the abyss, God will reject. It is not the half-hearted, not those who today turn to God and tomorrow to the devil, not those who today pray and devote tomorrow to wickedness that God will answer. This was the truth in olden times, and it is still the truth today. 

Prayer: Abba Father, the end is known to You from the beginning. Endue me with Your excellent spirit that I may seek You, and Your counsel at all time, before any moves of mine, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!