LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY MAY 04, 2024.

SUBJECT : LIVING BY THE WORD OF GOD!

Memory verse: "And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” (Luke 4 vs 4.)

READ: Matthew 7 vs 24 - 27: 

7:24: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock,

7:25: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

7:26: But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand,

7:27: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

INTIMATION: 

The Word of God is the message from the Lord, delivered with His authority and made effective by His power. The Bible is the custodian of God’s Word, and is inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. It is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. The Bible is entirely authoritative for our faith and life, and our safeguard against false teaching, and is our source of guidance on how we should live. Knowing the Bible verses is an important step in a Christian's life. It is the sword of the Spirit we engage in spiritual battles. (Ephesians 6 vs 17.) A word-dry Christian is a powerless Christian. 

Real life is accepting, and abiding in the Truth—the Word of God. It is total commitment to God and living by every word that comes from Him. It transforms us, and makes us into what God wants us to be, and gives us everything we could possibly need in living for Him. Jesus said in John 6 vs 63, "....The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." Life was in the words of Jesus, and that life was the light of men. Anyone who embraces the word and lives the word embraces the light which is the life of men. The word is only living in the lips of the believer, not in the book nor on the written page.

How can we live by the word of God? (1) Recognize our need for it. (2) Agree that God alone can truly satisfy us. (3) Pray for God’s presence, wisdom, and direction as we read. (4) Savor the relationship you have with Him through Christ. (5) Practice what He teaches you. The prevalence of the Word in your heart and in your mouth guarantees a successful Christian life (Romans 10 vs 8). The Word needs to become to you as real as day and night. Dominating events in your life is as close as the Word is to your heart and mouth—believing is in your heart and speaking out is in your mouth. 

When the Word prevails over us, we are sufficient in all things, not because of our abilities, but because of His power Christ—the Word—working in us. Not because we are obeying the law, but because of His grace (His Spirit) working in us. We are what He says we are. We can do what He says we can do. He is what He says He is, and no Word from Him is void of ability to be made good in us. 

The Spirit of God uses the Word to make us like the Son of God. To become like Jesus, we must fill our lives with His Word. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. To be a healthy disciple of Jesus, feeding on God's Word must be your first priority. Jesus called it "abiding." Many believers, because the Word does not prevail in them, live as common men. Disease and sickness prevail over them because they do not walk in the light of the Word. It is the Word in our lips that is active. 

Jesus is the Word (John 1 vs 1), He is the truth (John 14 vs 6), and He is God. Therefore, in Him is God, the Word, and the truth. Abiding in His Word, is abiding in Him, and in the truth. In our day-to-day living, abiding in God's Word includes three activities, namely; accepting its authority, assimilating its truth, and applying its principles. You must accept the authority in the Word. The Bible must become standard for your life: the compass you rely on for direction, the counsel you listen to for making wise decisions, and the benchmark you use for evaluating everything. The Bible must always have the first and last word in your life.

Many of our troubles occur because we base our choices on unreliable authorities: culture ("everyone is doing it"), tradition ("we have always done it"), reason ("it seemed logical"), or emotion ("I just felt right"). All four authorities are the works of man, and they are defective, and imperfect like man himself. What we need is a perfect standard that will never lead us in the wrong direction. Only God's Word meets that need. 

God's Word is the spiritual nourishment you must have to fulfill your purpose in life. Therefore, never take it for granted. You should consider it as essential to your life as food (Job 23 vs 12). The Bible calls the Word of God milk (First Corinthians 3 vs 2; First Peter 2 vs 2), bread (John 6 vs 48), solid food (First Corinthians 3 vs 2), and sweet dessert (Psalm 119 vs 103). This four-course meal is the Spirit's menu for spiritual strength and growth. Crave for it like no other food, because in it all other things exist.

Practicing obedience to the Word is the solid foundation to weather the storms of life. It is likened to building on the rock, a solid foundation, and the builder is considered wise. And everyone that hears the Words and do not do them, is likened to foolish man who built his house on the sand. The hearer must become a doer or else the entire structure that he builds will be destroyed.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word endures forever, it is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. O Lord, give me the grace to live my life rooted in the nourishment of Your Word, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

JESUS MEETS ALL OUR NEEDS - MAY 03

 JESUS MEETS ALL OUR NEEDS - MAY 03

Matthew 14:16, "But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat."

MATTHEW 14:15-18

The disciples were using natural reasoning and recognized that they didn't have the ability to minister to the multitude's need for food. Jesus did have the ability and the willingness to minister to their needs, so the multitude did not need to depart. All of their needs could be met through Jesus.

The same thing is true today. Some disciples today are sending the multitudes to the world to meet their physical needs (finances, health, counseling, etc.) and proclaiming that God only meets spiritual needs. But, "they need not depart." The Lord is willing and able to heal our bodies, prosper us financially, or counsel us from His Word in any area of our life where we might have need.

Before we can be a blessing, we have to be blessed (Gen. 12:2). One of the purposes of God's prosperity in our lives is so that we can be a blessing to others. The Scriptures instruct us to walk in God's love towards all men, believers and non-believers alike. Jesus told us to love our enemies (Mt. 5:44). In Galatians 6:10 Paul places a priority on helping fellow Christians. This does not diminish our responsibility to show God's love to non-believers. Instead, Paul is simply saying "charity must start at home." It would be hypocritical to step over hurting brothers and sisters in the Lord to find unbelievers to minister to.

God didn't just give us something that He had; He gave Himself. And what was God's motive for giving? It wasn't because of His need, but ours. He was motivated out of love for us (Jn. 3:16). In the same way, we should be encouraged to give unselfishly of ourselves. Pray for Divine appointments, to be used of God to touch someone's life today.

LET HIS WILL BE DONE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY MAY 03 , 2024.

SUBJECT: LET HIS WILL BE DONE!

Memory verse: "So He said to them, “When you pray, say, Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Luke 11 vs 2.) 

READ: Matthew 26 vs 37 - 44:

26:37: And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

26:38: Then He said to them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even to death. Stay here, and watch with Me.

26:39: He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.

26:40: Then He came to the disciples, and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with me one hour?”

26:41: Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

26:42: Again the second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

26:43: And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

26:44: So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

INTIMATION:

Why the will of God in one’s life, it is the greatest and most profitable achievement anyone could make in life. God created all things, and for His predetermined plans and purposes. Our ability and resourcefulness to fall in line with His predetermined purposes for us is the greatest thing ever to happen to anyone. God wants us to carry out His will for us, therefore, our desire should be to do God’s will. It is human nature to make our own plans and then ask God to bless them. Instead, we should seek God’s Will to be done in our lives.

By constantly thinking about the Lord and His way of living, we will gain insights that will help us make right decisions and live the way God desires. Communicating with God allows Him to counsel us and give us wisdom. God created us as free moral beings, and does not usually stop us from making our choices, even wrong choices. He lets us choose independent of Him, even though He knows that in time we will become slaves to our own rebellious lifestyle of making our choices independent of Him, and lose our freedom not to sin against Him. Life without God is slavery to self, and it is worse than slavery to sin.

When you follow God’s guidance, you know you are where God wants you to be whether you’re moving or staying in one place. When we really want to do God’s Will, we must accept all that comes with it—even the pain. Those who patiently and persistently do God’s Will find eternal life. And to know God’s Will does not mean we must hear His voice. He leads in different ways. When you are seeking God’s Will, (1) make sure your plan is in harmony with God’s Word; (2) check your own motives to see if you are seeking to do what you want or what you think God wants; (3) pray for God to open and close the doors as He desires. (4) seek advice from mature believers.

God allows people to participate with Him in carrying out His Will. Your task is not just to sit and watch God work, but to give your best effort when work needs to be done. God fulfills His Will despite the defenses people try to erect. God can use anything; pain, suffering, even an error, and so on, to bring His Will to pass. This is good news for God’s followers because we can trust Him to work out His plans and keep His promises no matter how desperate our circumstances are. No one enjoys pain, but a faithful disciple wants above all else to please God. Our desire to please God should overshadow our desire to avoid hardship and suffering. 

God appreciates immensely those who strive to do His Will, and rewards such people exceedingly. What does it take to be able to say, “as You will”? It takes firm trust in God’s plans; it takes prayer and obedience each step of the way. In the passage we read today, Jesus accomplished God’s Will in His life, and God also highly exalted Him, and gave Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth (Philippians 2 vs 9 - 10). 

Though Jesus agonized greatly on the suffering that laid ahead in accomplishing God’s Will, but that didn’t deter Him. Though the human side was very sorrowful, the divine side knew that the plan of God that was foreordained before the world was created must be carried out. Jesus’ strength to obey came from His relationship with God the Father, who is also the source of our strength. So, our strength to do God’s Will comes from our relationship and fellowship with Him.

You are physically somewhere right now. He had a purpose in placing you where you are right now. All you need to do is to find out His will for you where you are. Instead, of praying, “God, what do you want me to do next?” Ask, “God, what do you want me to do while I’m right here?” Begin to understand God’s purpose for your life by discovering what He wants you to do now! Our circumstances at anytime does not change God’s Will for us. God can use us in any circumstance to do His Will. While we might pray for a change in our circumstances, we should also pray that God will accomplish His plan through us right where we are. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to do Your Will. Give me the grace to accomplish this desire in my life, that I may earn Your approval and the crown of life You have preserved for those who have done Your Will, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

REST AND RE-FIRE - MAY 02

REST AND RE-FIRE - MAY 02

Mark 6:31, "And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat."

MATTHEW 14:13-21; MARK 6:30-44; LUKE 9:10-17; JOHN 6:1-14

Jesus often separated Himself from others so that He could spend time with the Father. Here, we see Jesus calling His disciples apart for rest and leisure. Many zealous Christians have neglected the needs of their physical bodies and have, therefore, cut their ministries short through death or severe illness. Likewise, many have failed to take the time to be still and know God (Ps. 46:10). This will also cut your ministry short through non-effectiveness. One of Satan's deadliest weapons against those involved in ministry is busy-ness. We must balance our time ministering to others with our time of being ministered to by our Father. If the devil can't stop you from "getting on fire" for God, then he'll try to stop you by getting you "burned out."

Remember, the reason Jesus and His disciples were going to this remote place was to get away from the multitude for awhile and rest. This rest was not optional, but rather, a necessity. Jesus and His disciples were taking a much needed vacation. However, the multitude followed them and their vacation ended even before it began. Surely, Jesus and His disciples were just as disappointed as you or I would have been. But instead of anger or bitterness, Jesus was moved with compassion.

Later on in the evening, Jesus went up into a mountain and prayed until the fourth watch (3 to 6 a.m.). The Lord intends for us to take care of these physical bodies as can be seen by Jesus' actions in taking His disciples aside for rest. But when this purpose was frustrated by the demands of the ministry, Jesus gave priority to the spirit man and stayed up all night praying and getting the spiritual rest He was needing. We should follow His example and always put the needs of the spirit ahead of the needs of the flesh.

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CRAVE FOR MORE GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY MAY 02, 2024.

SUBJECT: CRAVE FOR MORE GRACE!

Memory verse: "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4 vs 6.) 

READ: James 4 vs 5 - 6:

4:5: 5 Or do you think that the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealousy”?

4:6: But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

INTIMATION:

Grace is the free, and unmerited power of God available to sinful humanity to meet our needs without any costs to us. it is received by believing rather than through any human efforts. Everything we are, and do, and have is by the grace of God. As believers, we are one hundred percent helpless in leading life according to His precepts without the grace of God. In Ephesians 2 vs 10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The simple and uncomplicated nature of God's grace, and being a free gift, make many people to miss it. There is nothing more powerful than grace. In fact, everything in the Bible—salvation, the infilling of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with God and victory in our daily lives—are based upon the grace of God. As believers, without grace, we are nothing, we have nothing, and can do nothing good. If it were not for the grace of God, we would all be miserable and hopeless. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle James reveals that there is so much more to grace. The verses in Amplified Version of the Bible is quite revealing. It says, "Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says. The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcomed] with a jealous love? But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace (continually) to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it)."

Therefore, grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the evil tendency within us. What evil tendency is James referring to here? The evil tendency is to turning away from God and looking to our selves or to others, rather than simply asking Him to meet our needs. That is a tendency of the flesh; the evil tendency of being worldly. Incidentally, it is not the way God wants us to react or lead our lives. God demands our reliance on, and obedience to Him in all the things we do. Much as He created us as free moral human beings, and allows us a choice, He still demands we choose His ways, and not ours.

The remedy to this evil tendency is found in James 4 verse 6 which tells us that in the midst of all our problems and frustrations, God gives those who humble themselves to ask from Him more and more grace, more and more power of the of the Holy Spirit, to meet or overcome this evil tendency and all others fully. That is why God sets Himself against the proud and haughty who think they can handle things on their own without Him, but gives grace continually to the lowly, to those who are humble enough to receive His grace by simply asking for it.

God wants to help us meet our needs or overcome every evil tendencies within us. He wants to give us His grace. He wants to give us the power to overcome our wrong motives and intentions, if we will be humble enough to ask for it and receive it rather than trying to handle everything ourselves by our own power and in our own way. 

Hear what the Scripture says about the humble, and the proud; "For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly [bringing them into fellowship with Him]; but the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes [only] at a distance." (Psalm 138 vs 6. AMP.) "Though He scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, yet He gives His undeserved favor to the low [in rank], the humble, and the afflicted." (Proverbs 3 vs 34 AMP.)

You and I should start each day by saying, "Here I am, Lord, ready for whatever You have for me to do. I empty myself, as much as I know how, to allow Your grace to flow in my life, to cause me to be able to do whatever it is that You desire for me. I cast myself totally upon You. I can be only what You allow me to be, I can have only what You will for me to have, I can do only what You empower me to do, and each victory is to Your glory, not mine."

Prayer, Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of humility and total obedience to You in all things, that I may receive from You more and more grace to live for You, and overcome every evil tendencies that may arise in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

NO PEACE FOR THE WICKED - MAY 01

 

NO PEACE FOR THE WICKED - MAY 01

Luke 9:7, "Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some that John was risen from the dead."

MATTHEW 14:1-12: MARK 6:14-29; LUKE 9:7-9

Others may have thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead, but as can be clearly seen by looking at Matthew's account and especially Mark's record, Herod was convinced of this personally. This illustrates Herod's own conviction of the sin John had rebuked, his guilt and torment over his even greater sin of beheading John, and his fear of John and the God he represented. As revealed in Mark 6:20, Herod once listened to John gladly. It is certain that John was preaching his favorite message of, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For Herod to hear him gladly, he must have been under deep conviction from God.

Herod feared his wife and the opinion of others more than he feared God. Herod was not as Festus, who told Paul he was mad for speaking of the resurrection from the dead. Herod knew the truth personally, was exceedingly sorry, and yet chose death - both John the Baptist's and his own spiritual death. Apparently, seen in this instance, Herod lacked peace after his fatal choice.

According to the world's mentality, peace is the absence of problems. However, God's peace is not dependent on circumstances. It is dependent only on God Himself who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). A Christian can have great peace even in the midst of terrible problems because his faith is in God. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee" (Isa. 26:3). Let His peace rule in your heart today. Trust Him.

THE BELIEVER’S ULTIMATE STRENGTH IS IN CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY MAY 01, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE BELIEVER’S ULTIMATE STRENGTH IS IN CHRIST!

Memory verse: "But If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8 vs 11.)

READ: Romans 6 vs 4 - 6:

6:4: Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ were raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

6:5: For if we have been untied together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 

6:6: knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

INTIMATION:

The believer’s oneness with Christ is the source of his ultimate strength. He is recreated in Him, and has a perfect union with Him. That new man has taken the place of the old man. There is a vital, and absolute union between his spirit and the Spirit of Christ. It is as vital as the branch is vital in its union with the vine. You bear Him, and He bears you.

The believer can enjoy his new life in Christ because he is united with Him in His death and resurrection. The believer’s evil desires, his bondage to sin, and his love of sin died with Christ. Now, united by faith with Him in His resurrection, he has unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin's hold on him or her.

Many don't understand this freedom from sin. The power and penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross, where He nailed it, disarmed all principalities and powers, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2 vs 14 - 15).  The believer’s "old man," his sinful nature, died once and for all, so he is freed from its power. The "body of sin" is not the human body, but our rebellious sin-loving nature inherited from Adam. 

Though our body willingly cooperates with our sinful nature, we must not regard the body as evil. It is the sin nature in us that is evil. And it is this power of sin at work in our body that is defeated when we embrace Christ. We are now conscious of sin, and try to avoid it. And even when we fall into sin, we regret it. 

God does not take the believer out of the world or make him or her robot; he will still feel like sinning, and sometimes will sin. The difference is that before the recreation, the believer was a slave to his sinful nature, but now he can choose to live for Christ. His conscience pricks him when he desire to sin, or when he sins, and consequently, he  desires to confess, and incidentally ask for forgiveness.

God has made the believer what he is through Christ, and he recognizes what he is and gives place to the new thing. That way he glorify Him. Never demean yourself in negative confession. When you do that you rob Him of the glory in His finished work in you, and you give place to the adversary's dominance. You must never do it. You must get used to being what you are in Christ. 

Though it is hard for many Christians, who are used to magnifying weakness and failure, instead of magnifying their union with Christ, and their utter oneness with Him. They are used to glorifying the devil when confronted with negative circumstances by attributing it to him—the defeated foe. Instead of commanding the circumstance in the Name of Jesus to succumb to their inherent authority in their union with Christ, and their dominion over Satan and his cohorts.

Remember Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd (that is Jesus); I shall not want." In personalizing it now the prophecy is turned into reality. I boldly say, "I do not want. He kept me to live in the midst of fullness instead of in the desert place. I am drinking deeply of the water of life, the drink that satisfies. I am walking in the green pastures of His fellowship. I am enjoying the fruitage of His wonderful love life. I am one with Him, His ability is my ability. I am with Him, and thrive in His strength. With Him I can do all things."

Visualize yourself in Him. It is always a struggle to get away from the old pictures that you had before in your mind, the old sin nature that has dominated your mind, especially out of the early teachings of sin and the consequences of it. Break away from such thoughts by waging a battle day by day against such thoughts. Now enter into the victory of the battle that is won in Christ. 

Now look at this, "What would you do if sin had never been?" As a believer, your focus should be on this question. Why? Because this is the picture you ought to see. The Father acts toward the believer as though he had never sinned. The Father acts as though sin had never been as far as he is concerned. When He recreated you He forgot all about your past. Why? The new creation has no past. It is a "now creation." This is the victory. There are no theories here that cast a dark shadow over the past life, but they are all wiped out. Now we are in the Beloved.

Beloved, now we are the sons of God, (First John 3 vs 2). He is our Father, and He cares absolutely for us. First Corinthians 1 vs 9 states, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord." Let us personalize it: "My Father is faithful to me. He has called me to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. He has called me to fellowship with Him." 

Fellowship means eating together, bearing up under pressure together, drinking from the same cup. He has called me to drink with Jesus, to live with Jesus, to share with Jesus in the saving of lost men and the building up of the Body through the Word.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the privilege of sonship, haven made me one with Christ. Give me the grace to live like Him in delightsome obedience to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!