What Kind of Prayer Pleases God?

 “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)

The first mark of the upright heart is that it trembles at the word of the Lord. 

Isaiah 66 deals with the problem of some who worship in a way that pleases God and some who worship in a way that doesn’t. Verse 3 describes the wicked who bring their sacrifices, “He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man.” Their sacrifices are an abomination to God — on a par with murder. Why? 

In verse 4 God explains, “When I called, no one answered, when I spoke, they did not listen.” Their sacrifices were abominations to God because the people were deaf to his voice. But what about those whose prayers God heard? God says in verse 2, “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” 

I conclude from this that the first mark of the upright, whose prayers are a delight to God, is that they tremble at God’s word. These are the people to whom the Lord will look. 

So, the prayer of the upright that delights God comes from a heart that at first feels precarious in the presence of God. It trembles at the hearing of God’s word, because it feels so far from God’s ideal and so vulnerable to his judgment and so helpless and so sorry for its failings. 

This is just what David said in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” The first thing that makes a prayer acceptable to God is the brokenness and humility of the one who prays. They tremble at his word.

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY EVANGELIZE TO ALL PEOPLE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JUNE 16, 2024.

SUBJECT : HOW TO EFFECTIVELY EVANGELIZE TO ALL PEOPLE!

Memory verse: "Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." (First Corinthians 10 vs 33.)

READ: First Corinthians 9 vs 19 - 23:

9:19: For though I am free from all men, yet have I made myself servant to all, that I might win the more.

9:20: and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law;

9:21: to those who are without law, as without law, (not being without law toward God, but under the law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law.

9:22: to the weak became I as weak, that I might win the weak: I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

9:23: Now this I do for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you.

INTIMATION:

Zealous preaching and advocacy of the gospel require important principles generally accepted for reaching a wider audience. These principles employable in effective and efficient service in ministry, require paying adequate attention to your peculiar environment, and circumstances surrounding you at anytime. These principles are: (1) Finding common ground with those you contact; (2) avoiding a know-it-all attitude; (3) making others feel accepted; (4) being sensitive to their needs and concerns; and (5) looking for opportunities to tell them about Christ. These principles have remained valid as all-time techniques in soul winning.

The aforementioned principles call for Christians being all things to all people. You must learn how to assume the level of your discussant for effective communication between you people. It is, most times, not effective to assume either an inferior or superior position with the other party. Though, it is not an easy task, but you necessarily will come to the level of your discussant. If you feel inferior, you might be rejected, and if you feel superior you might be scaring the other party. 

In the Bible passage we read today, the apostle Paul shares his experience and techniques in ministry. He said, though he was free of the demands and expectations of everyone, he voluntarily became a servant to any, and all in order to reach a wide range of people; religious, non-religious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized, and whoever. He said, though he didn’t take on their way of life. he kept his bearings in Christ, but he entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. He became just about every sort of servant there is in his attempts to lead those he met into a God-saved life. He did all that because of the sake of the gospel. It not that he just talked about it, he was actually in on it.

The apostle Paul was willing to sacrifice his rights. He was willing to sacrifice his right to the material things of life. He was willing to sacrifice his right to maintain his own culture. He was willing to sacrifice all that was necessary in order to get the job done of evangelizing the world. God calls on all evangelists to do no less in obedience to the great commission. The apostle Paul was willing to make any sacrifice that was necessary in order to share with the unbelievers the reward that comes from the result of obedience to the gospel. That reward is eternal life in heaven. The sacrifices of his personal life, therefore, were small in comparison to that which we will receive as a result of God’s grace.  

There is no gainsaying the fact that a shared interest or a common denominator remains the best form of attracting others to a discussion. For instance, current happenings in any society, such as politics, natural disasters, great events etc, are common grounds of engagement in discussion, with reference to the peculiarities of your environment. 

In engaging others in a conversation, avoid a know-it-all attitude; listen to the parties, and appreciate their line of discussion. Always make them feel appreciated and contributing. Even when they may not have the facts or have informed wrongly, find a smart way to pass on the right information to them. For instance, don’t say outright, “You are wrong,” rather say, “But I thought it is this or that.” or, “I also learnt it is this or that.” In so doing the person feels accepted. An outright, “You are wrong” is snobbish and suggests rejection.  

In the course of the discussion, be sensitive to the need and concerns of the other party. For instance, your discussant might be on worries about the state of the economy, leadership style or quality, rising insecurity due to crime in the society or political grandstanding of some politicians that are often not actualized. Show your concerns, and sincerely proffer some solutions. At this point, you are penetrating his conscience, and will easily find your way to introduce Christ to the person Who is the ultimate solution to any concerns and problems.

We limit ourselves to the other person’s conscience because we are to do all things for God’s glory. We do what is best for others, so that they might be saved. We should also be sensitive to the meaning of our actions to new souls who are sorting out how to renounce sinful ways from the past and live for Christ. Our actions must be motivated by God’s love so that all we do will be for His glory. Keep this as a guiding principle by asking, “Is this action glorifying God?” Or “How can I honor God through this action?”

Effective soul winners are hardly offended, and without oversensitive consciences. Believers must not project their standards onto others. Many believers who have been Christians for years are still oversensitive and judgmental of others. Instead, be guided by God’s love nature, and showcase it in your relationship with others. We should try our best to be considerate of everyone’s feelings in all we do.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of servanthood that I may be humble and selfless, adopting Your nature of love in all I do to win souls to Your kingdom, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Serve God with Your Thirst

 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)

What if you discovered (like the Pharisees did) that you had devoted your whole life to trying to please God, but all the while had been doing things that in God’s sight were abominations (Luke 16:14–15)? 

Someone may question this and say, “I don’t think that’s possible; God wouldn’t reject a person who has been trying to please him.” But do you see what this questioner has done? He has based his conviction about what would please God on his idea of what God is like. That is precisely why we must begin with the character of God revealed in Scripture.

God is a mountain spring, not a watering trough. A mountain spring is self-replenishing. It constantly overflows and supplies others. But a watering trough needs to be filled with a pump or bucket. So, the great question is: How do you serve a spring? And: How do you serve a watering trough? How do you glorify God the way he really is?

If you want to glorify the worth of a watering trough, you work hard to keep it full and useful. But if you want to glorify the worth of a spring, you do it by getting down on your hands and knees and drinking to your heart’s satisfaction, until you have the refreshment and strength to go back down in the valley and tell the people what you’ve found.

My hope as a desperate sinner hangs on this biblical truth: that God is the kind of God who will be pleased with the one thing I have to offer: my thirst. That’s why the sovereign freedom and self-sufficiency of God are so precious to me: they are the foundation of my hope that God is delighted not by the resourcefulness of bucket brigades, but by the bending down of broken sinners to drink at the fountain of grace.

By all means we should seek to please God, now and forever. But woe to us if our whole life proves to be based on a false view of what pleases God. The Lord is pleased not by those who treat him as a needy watering trough, but as an inexhaustible, all-satisfying spring. As Psalm 147:11 says, “The Lord takes pleasure . . . in those who hope in his steadfast love.”

Virtuous Woman

 MY WEDDING NIGHT

It was my wedding night. I was so tired, I needed a bath and a rest. We had danced so much my back was aching.

My husband was beginning to have funny ideas. He was beaming like a new born baby.

Well, I wouldn’t blame him; any man in his position would not joke with this night because I was a warrior during our courtship”.

No… no hugging, no pecking, no holding, no touching, no tapping current, no weather for two, Sexual purity till marriage was top on my list.

The Knock came. I was thinking, half past eleven (11:30pm). Is that room service, I wondered. Then, with eyes popping. I heard my mother in-law’s iron like voice: “Tise, Micheal, open the door”. Micheal jumped up from the bed, rushed to the door and opened it for his mum. My Mother in-law walked in, sat down majestically and asked us to sit down too.

“Tise, I don’t know if anyone ever told you? There is a curse on my husband’s family line.

The men in their family don’t prosper, their wives are the ones who work, and provide for the families.flameschannel.

This is because, according to the story that I was told, one of their forefathers killed the only son of a great herbalist and the herbalist placed a curse on every son in their lineage, that their hands will never produce nor bring forth anything good also, their sons must always lose a son amongst their children”

I watched in amazement as my mother in-law kept telling the story. Then, she concluded by saying: “In essence, I have just come to let you know that your marriage is not a land of fun but of war”

Why? Why didn’t she tell me this before now?

Well, in order not to waste her time, I also gave her my history. I said,

“Mum, I am sorry, I also did not tell you this before now. I came from a family that fights for those we love. My Father (Jesus Christ) actually died while trying to save His people. My family line does not operate under curses because we are operating under a covenant of blessings – John 1:12-13. Therefore, anyone who is fortunate to marry any one in my family becomes automatically BLESSED! So mum, for my sake, your son can not operate under those curses again”.

My mother in-law was shocked, to say the least, as I could tell what she was thinking. Then, it made sense to me.

My Sisters in-law always had this gloomy look on their faces and the two of them actually lost their sons.flameschannel.

“Mum, you need to go and rest. My husband and I need to produce two sons this night because in my family line we conceive immediately our husbands meet Us”, I concluded.

My mother in-law stood up with caution and silently walked out.

At that moment, all the tiredness vanished as I took Michael’s hands and looked him straight in the eye.

“Listen, I don’t care what you or your ancestors have done, but for my sake, you will prosper with these hands”, I said.

Listen, Paul and some criminals were on a ship and there was a shipwreck.

The soldiers wanted to kill all the criminals to prevent them from escaping, but the Army Officer stopped them for the sake of saving Apostle Paul.

Michael, for Paul’s sake, the lives of other criminals were preserved. “So Sweetheart, because you are married to me, because we are in the same ship, yes, this relationship called marriage, for my sake, you cannot be punished for your ancestors’ Sins”, I assured him.

That became my prayer plea to God from that day forward. I kept praying to God to save my husband, my sons for my sake.

To the Glory of God, I have 4 sons none of them died. Now, they have sons and daughters of their own.

For my sake, my husband’s destiny changed for the best.

You see, women are always great assets to change powers; not assets for sex only.

It doesn’t matter what challenge that man of yours is facing at this point in time with you on his side praying, ancestral curses will fly out of his life.

Women are destined for that; good women are a great blessing to the men.

When a good woman comes into a man’s life, many good doors of success, prosperity, joy, love, etc open & ancestral curses break down & disappear.

Good women diffuse ancestral curses like a diffused bomb.

Woman, always pray for your man (husband) friend; your prayer works for him; your prayer can save his life from shame …

Your prayer can set him free from bondage.

God bless you

The Honeymoon That Never Ends

 As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:5)

When God does good to his people, it is not so much like a reluctant judge showing kindness to a criminal whom he finds despicable. It is like a bridegroom showing affection to his bride. 

Sometimes we joke and say about a marriage, “The honeymoon is over.” But that’s because we are finite. We can’t sustain a honeymoon level of intensity and affection. But God says that his joy over his people is like a bridegroom over a bride. And he doesn’t mean it starts out that way and then fades.

He is talking about honeymoon intensity and honeymoon pleasures and honeymoon energy and excitement and enthusiasm and enjoyment. He is trying to get into our hearts what he means when he says he rejoices over us with all his heart. Jeremiah 32:41, “I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.” Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

With God the honeymoon never ends. He is infinite in power and wisdom and creativity so that there will be no boredom for the next trillion ages of millenniums.

TRUST NOT IN YOUR RICHES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JUNE 15, 2024.

SUBJECT : TRUST NOT IN YOUR RICHES!

Memory verse: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (First Timothy 6 vs 17).

READ: Luke 12 vs 16 - 21:

12:16: Then He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

12:17: And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

12:18: So He said, ‘I will I do this: I will pull down my barns, and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

12:19: And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.”

12:20: But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

12:21: So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

INTIMATION:

Riches are entrusted to us by God—the Owner of the world and everything therein (Psalm 50 vs 12). The Lord ensures this by giving us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8 vs 17 - 18). The primary purpose of bestowing on us riches is for us to serve Him with them. He told Abraham, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12 vs 2.) The only condition God attached to Abraham’s blessing after fulfillment is that ‘he will be a blessing.

Consequently, riches comes with great responsibility. If you have been blessed with riches, then thank the Lord. Don’t be proud and selfish and trust in your riches. Use your riches to do good. Be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share. No matter how much riches you have, your life should demonstrate that God controls the wealth that He has placed under your care. Remember, you wouldn’t have received anything if He didn’t give you (John 3 vs 27).

In the passage we read today, Jesus told the story of the rich man, whom God has blessed, and expecting to be a blessing to others. Instead, he became selfish; planned to keep all his riches to himself, expanded his storage to accommodate all his crops and goods, he would then relax and enjoy his riches. God saw that as foolishness. He called the man a fool who had forgotten his source and relied on his riches for pleasurable years ahead. God saw him as a poor man for laying up treasures for himself. 

The rich man died even before he could begin to use what was stored in his big barns. The man carefully and skillfully planned his pleasurable life and retirement leaving God out of his plan. Planning for retirement—preparing for life before death—is wise, but neglecting life after death is disastrous. If you accumulate wealth only to enrich yourself, with no concern for helping others, you will enter eternity empty-handed. Jesus challenges us to think beyond earthbound goals and to use what we have been given for God’s kingdom. Faith, service, and obedience are the way to become rich toward God. 

Just like the rich man, many of us plan what we intend to do or achieve, leaving God out of the plan. We may subsequently come to Him for help to actualize our plans. It is good to have goals, but goals can disappoint us if we leave God out of them. There is no point in making plans as though God does not exist because the future is in His hands. The beginning of good planning is to ask yourself such questions as: “What would God want me to do today? What would God say of this my plan? When you ask such pertinent questions, it indicates that you are seeking God’s guidance, and approval. 

Again we can ask, “What would I like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will I react if God steps in and rearranges my plan?” We can plan ahead, but we must hold on to our plans loosely. If we put God desires at the center of our planning, He will never disappoint us.

We have heard of so many rich people dying of one thing or the other. Even among the rich, many near—incurable sicknesses abound such as cancer, high blood pressure etc. In the midst of their riches, survival from the illnesses is very slim, which indicates that their riches couldn’t help them. But we have heard of so many miraculous healing and deliverance among the poor who put their trust in God. 

We should not trust on the created riches, but rather on Him who created them. The Creator controls all circumstances and determines events and purposes in our lives. Riches are only means to an end, and not an end itself. God demands that we please Him in all things, not to please ourselves. Pleasing God is accomplished by all acts of obedience to Him. Strive to serve Him with the riches He put under your care. Ensure to be a blessing when you have been blessed. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. You bless us to be a blessing. Endue me with the spirit of trust in and obedience to You, and that I may bless others after being blessed by You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BACKSLIDING

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 14, 2024.

SUBJECT : BACKSLIDING!

Memory verse: "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10 vs 29.)

READ: Hebrews 6 vs 4 - 8:

6:4: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Ghost,

6:5: and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come,

6:6: If they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

6:7: For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;

6:8: but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.

INTIMATION:

Falling away from faith in Christ—backsliding—is disgraceful. Backsliding, in the context of our discussion, is falling back to sin. When people, after receiving the Good News, and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, deliberately return to evil ways, is abominable. It is refusing the freedom that comes from knowing the truth. For Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8 vs 32.) 

The Scripture describes such as a foolish act of one repeating his folly, just as a dog returns to his own vomit (See Proverbs 26 vs 11).

Jesus gave an analogy of the backsliding scenario, He said, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of the man is worse than the first.” (Luke 11 vs 24 - 26.)

In the passage of the Scripture above, Jesus was illustrating the unfortunate human tendency of backsliding. In many people the desire to reform often does not last long. They are lured by the fantasy of their old worldly ways. Consequently, Satan draws them back to the world, and their last state is worse than the first—prior to accepting Jesus Christ.

It’s not enough to be emptied of evil, we must then be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s new purpose in our lives. Just cleaning up one’s life without filling it with God leaves plenty of room for Satan to enter. Ridding our lives of sin is the first step. We must also take the second step: filling our lives with God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Unfilled and complacent people are easy targets for Satan.

In like manner, the apostle Peter analyzing backsliding says, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ”A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.” (Second Peter 2 vs 20 - 22.) 

The apostle Peter was speaking of people who have learned about Christ and how to be saved but then reject the truth and return to their sin. These people are worse off than before because they have rejected the only way out of sin, the only way of salvation. It is like someone sinking in quicksand who refuses to grab the rope thrown to him or her. When you reject Christ’s offer of salvation, you reject God’s most precious gift. You ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit, the one who communicates to us God’s saving love. 

There is no other acceptable sacrifice for sin than the death of Christ on the cross. If someone deliberately rejects the sacrifice of Christ after clearly understanding the gospel teaching about it, then there is no way for that person to be saved, because God has not provided any other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them (See Acts 4 vs 12).

The sacrifice of Christ is tied with the Holy Spirit; therefore, to scorn Christ’s sacrifice is to insult the Holy Spirit by arrogantly rejecting Him. The Holy Spirit is a person, not just a force or influence. To reject him is to cut off the means of God’s acceptance. This is equivalent to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; the only sin that cannot be forgiven men (See Matthew 12 vs 31 - 32). 

Prayer: Abba Father, by my strength I cannot prevail. Endue me with the spirit of absolute commitment to following Christ that I may not return to my past worldly ways, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!