DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JULY 06, 2024.

SUBJECT : DO NOT ENVY THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED!

Memory verse: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37 vs 7.)

READ: Psalm 73 vs 3 - 9; 13 - 20:

73:3: For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

73:4: For there are no pangs in their death: but their strength is firm.

73:5: They are not in trouble as other men; nor are they plagued like other men.

73:6: Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.

73:7: Their eyes bulge with abundance: they have more than heart could wish.

73:13: Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocence.

73:14: For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.

73:15: If I had said, “I will speak thus;,” behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your children.

73:16: When I thought to understand this, it was too painful for me;

73:17: Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.

73:18: Surely You set them in slippery places: You cast them down to destruction.

73:19: Oh how they are brought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.

73:20: As a dream when one awakes; so, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.

INTIMATION:

We observe in the world that sometimes the wicked prosper, leaving all the godly people wondering why they bother to be good. We also observe that the wealth of the wicked looks so inviting that faithful people may wish they could trade places. But these two themes or observations come to unexpected ends, for the wealth of the wicked suddenly loses its power at death, and the rewards for the godly suddenly takes on eternal value. What seemed like wealth is now waste, and what seemed worthless now lasts forever. Don’t wish you could trade places with evil people to get their wealth. One day they will wish they could trade places with you and have your eternal wealth.

We should never envy evil people, even though some may be extremely popular or excessively rich. No matter how much they have, it will fade and varnish like grass that withers and dies. Those who follow God live differently from the wicked and, in the end, will have treasures in heaven. What an unbeliever gets on earth may last a lifetime, but what the believer gets from following God lasts forever. 

At a point, in the passage we read today, the psalmist wondered why he had sought to walk righteously in his life, because the result was his oppression. He complained until he went to the sanctuary of God. It was there that he understood that the end of the wicked was doom. Though their lives seemed glorious, their end was destruction.Thus the psalmist was willing to sacrifice the seemingly glorious life of the unrighteous in order to avoid their end.

Many people have asked, “Why does the wicked prosper?” One may question the prosperity of the wicked, while the righteous suffer, but our questioning should not turn into envy of what the wealthy possess. The righteous must content themselves with God who is in control and working all things together for good for His people (Romans 8 vs 28). In God’s long-range plans and purposes, we should realize that God is doing right, even when you don’t understand why He works as He does. 

The nature and life of the wicked who prosper is full of arrogance because they are well fed, having a life without trouble. They go unchecked with their oppressive conduct and unscrupulous dealings. They have more than one could desire. And because they are arrogant in their speech, people often turn to them for leadership and counsel. They continue to prosper regardless of their unrighteous behavior. All these make the righteous worry.

Worry, envy, and impatience are tools of the devil to ensnare the righteous. The righteous must keep in mind that the wealth of the wicked is only temporary in the sense that in death the wicked will lose all their wealth. Therefore, one should not sacrifice his contentment by envying those things that will eventually pass away, both at the time of death and at the end of the world (See Second Peter 3 vs 10 - 16).

It is obvious that all those who call upon God in their need will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways. Remember God knows what we need and our deepest needs are spiritual. Even though many Christians face unbeatable poverty and hardship, they still have enough spiritual nourishment to live for God. If you have God, you have all you really need. God is enough.

If you feel you don’t have everything you need, then ask yourself: (1) Is this really a need? (2) Is this really good for me? (3) Is this the best time for me to have what I desire? Even if you answer yes to all three questions, God may allow you to go without itvto help you grow more dependent on Him. He may want you to learn that you need Him more than having your immediate desires met. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I know Your thoughts for me is of good and not of evil to give me a future and a hope. In You I live, move, and have my being. Endue me with the spirit of contentment with all You do for me and have allowed me to have, that I will never envy the wicked and evil doers and their wealth, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Give God Your Revenge

 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

Why is this such a crucial promise in overcoming our bent toward bitterness and revenge? The reason is that this promise answers one of the most powerful impulses behind anger — an impulse that is not entirely wrong. 

In many cases, real wrongs have been done to us. Therefore, it is not entirely wrong to feel that justice should be done. What’s wrong is to feel that we must make it happen and that we may feel bitter until it does. This would be a deadly mistake.

During my seminary days, Noël and I were in a small group for couples that began to relate at a fairly deep personal level. One evening we were discussing forgiveness and anger. One of the young wives said that she could not and would not forgive her mother for something she had done to her as a young girl. 

We talked about some of the biblical commands and warnings concerning an unforgiving spirit. 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32)

If you do not forgive others . . . neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15) 

But she would not budge. So I warned her that her very soul was in danger if she kept on with such an attitude of unforgiving bitterness. But she was adamant that she would not forgive her mother.

The grace of God’s judgment is promised to us here in Romans 12 as a means of helping us overcome such a deadly spirit of revenge and bitterness. 

Paul’s argument is that we can be sure that all wrongs will be dealt with by God and that we can leave the matter in his hands because vengeance belongs to the Lord. To motivate us to lay down our vengeful desires he gives us a promise: “I will repay, says the Lord.” 

The promise that frees us from an unforgiving, bitter, vengeful spirit is the promise that God will settle our accounts. He will do it more justly and mercifully and more thoroughly than we ever could. He punishes all sin. Nobody gets away with anything. He punishes it either in Christ on the cross for those who repent and trust him, or in hell for those who don’t. Therefore, we can back off and leave room for God to do his perfect work.

THE POWER OF SPOKEN FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JULY 05, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE POWER OF SPOKEN FAITH!

Memory verse: "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak," (Second Corinthians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Matthew 8 vs 5 - 13:

8:5: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,

8:6: saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 

8:7: And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

8:8: The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

8:9: For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

8:10: When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 

8:11: And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

8:12: But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

8:13: Then, Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

INTIMATION:

There is great power in the word of faith you believe, internalize and speak out. God is so faithful to confirm or perform His Words spoken in genuine faith. It takes our believe in that word of God and genuine confession of the Word in genuine faith in the Owner—God. 

The passage we read today is about the faith of the Roman soldier, a 'Centurion.' I have always enjoyed meditating on the Bible story of this Roman soldier, and his faith. This Bible story sets forth all the ingredients of triumphant faith—the power of spoken faith—in action. The centurion believed and spoke out his faith. He knew Jesus has authority over all things, including demons, and can exercise His authority from anywhere, just as he can, as a soldier, over his subjects, and it is done. We, 'believers,' should do the same. 

The centurion believed in his heart and spoke it with his mouth, exercising the power of spoken faith, and Jesus highly commended him. In fact, He called it the greatest faith He had seen in all Israel. Let us all, therefore, as 'Believers,' speak with the same spirit of faith in the word. 

Our memory verse is the spoken faith of the anonymous psalmist in Psalm 116 vs 10, "I believed, therefore I spoke." He believed in God, spoke out to the LORD in his time of distress, and the LORD heard his voice and his supplication: "I love the LORD, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Shoel laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I implore You, deliver my soul!"....For the LORD delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling....I believed, therefore I spoke." (Psalm 116 vs 1 - 10.)

In this quotation of Psalm 116 vs 10, Paul the apostle emphasized the courage of the one who has the faith to speak forth in the midst of persecution. He thus defines true faith. If one truly believes, then he will speak forth the word of God. Apostle Paul’s fundamental argument is that the faith one must have is not worth having if he is not willing to die for it. God is responsive that you can always reach Him. He bends down and listens to your voice. He is near, listening carefully to every prayer and answering each one in order to give you His best.

The apostle Paul, in Romans 10 vs 8 - 10, says, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Salvation is the greatest of all God's gifts, and the opener of all other blessings of God. And it is obtained by us through believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths that Jesus is the risen Lord of our lives. Salvation is as close as our own lips and hearts. 

When we learn to speak the Word and not the problem, we are on the road to absolute victory. But we are defeated the moment we allow ourselves to start listing our burdens instead of counting our blessings. God is the Creator and Master over all things. He has given us the carte blanche to 'ask and receive, seek and find, and knock and the door will be opened to us.' But we must have faith in Him, and that faith must be spoken out. 

Jesus Christ said, "the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness." (Romans 8 vs 12.) Many Christians will miss the kingdom because of not confessing their faith. Therefore, if you believe, then speak it.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so faithful to Your promises, and cannot deny Yourself. I hold tightly to You, my Redeemer and Savior. You have given me a mouth and wisdom which all my adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Help me to always declare boldly my faith in You at all times. As I believe so will I speak, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JULY 04, 2024.

SUBJECT : MIRACLES CAN DECEIVE!

Memory verse: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which He was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived." (Revelation 13 vs 14.)

READ: Exodus 7 vs 10 - 12; 19 - 22:

7:10: So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

7:11: But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.

7:12: For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

INTIMATION:

Miracles can deceive. In this era of hardship in the world, many are using magic and sorcery to deceive many that are desperate for a solution, and the feebleminded. Although miracles can help us believe, and show proofs of God’s power, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. True signs and miracles point us to Jesus Christ, but miracles alone can be deceptive. That is why we must ask with respect to each miracle we see: “is this consistent with what God says in the Bible?”

Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love, and authority. But in the Book of Revelation chapter 13, we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive. The second beast here gains influence through the signs and wonders that he can perform on behalf of the first beast. The second beast orders the people to worship a statue in honor of the first beast—a direct flouting of the second commandment (Exodus 20 vs 4 - 6). Allowing the Bible to guide our faith and practice will keep us from being deceived by false signs, however convincing they appear to be. Any teaching that contradicts God’s Word is false. 

In our contemporary society today, many are being deceived by false prophets with their satanic manipulations of performing miracles. Their targets are the money of such people, and they often succeed in making fortunes from them, while drawing them farther away from Christ. According to Scriptures in Revelation, the beast that comes from the earth is identified as the false prophet: “And I saw three unclean frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” (Revelation 16 vs 13 - 14.) He is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit. He seems to do good, but the purpose of his miracles is to deceive.

Because the beast, the Antichrist, is a false messiah, he will be a counterfeit of Christ and will even stage a false resurrection (Revelation 13 vs 14). People will follow and worship him because they will be awed by his power and miracles (Revelation 13 vs 3 - 4). He will unite the world under his leadership (Revelation 13 vs 7 - 8), and He will control the world economy (Revelation 13 vs 16 - 17). 

People are impressed by power and will follow those who display it forcefully or offer it to their followers. But those who follow the beast will only be fooling themselves: he will use his power to manipulate others, to point to himself, and promote evil plans. God, by contrast, uses His infinitely greater power to love and build up. Don’t be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. When Jesus returns, he will reveal Himself to everyone (Matthew 24 vs 23 - 28).

In the passage we read today, we saw Pharaoh’s magicians, who duplicated Moses’ signs in Egypt. God performed a miracle by turning Aaron’s rod into a serpent, and Pharaoh’s magicians did the same through trickery and sorcery. Their feats involved trickery or illusion, and they used satanic power, since worshiping gods of the underworld was part of their religion. Ironically, whenever they duplicated one of Moses’s plagues, it only made matters worse. If the magicians had been as powerful as God, they would have reversed the plagues, not added to them. 

Although miracles can help us believe, it is dangerous to rely on them alone. Satan can imitate some parts of God’s work and lead people astray. Pharaoh focused on the miracle rather than the message. We can avoid this error by letting the Word of God be the basis of our faith. No miracle from God would endorse any message that is contrary to the teachings of His Word.

The Scripture in Second Thessalonians 2 vs 9 - 10 says, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” The lawless one will use “power, signs, and lying wonders” to deceive and draw a following. Miracles from God can help strengthen our faith and lead people to Christ, but all miracles are not necessarily from God. Christ’s miracles were significant, not just because of their power, but because of their purpose—to help, to heal, and to point us to God. 

The ‘man of sin’ will have power to do amazing things, but his power will be from Satan. He will use this power to destroy and to lead people away from God and toward himself. If any so-called religious personality draws attention only to himself or herself, his or her work is not from God. Be careful and wise!

Prayer: Abba Father, open my eyes of understanding to differentiate between the true prophets and the false prophets, that I may not be led away from You by their false miracles, signs, and wonders, In Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When Will I Be Satisfied?

 “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

Imagine being able to enjoy what is most enjoyable with unbounded and increasing energy and passion forever. 

This is not now our experience. Three things stand in the way of our complete satisfaction in this world. 

Nothing in this world has a personal worth great enough to meet the deepest longings of our hearts. 

We lack the strength to savor the best treasures to their maximum worth. 

Our enjoyment of things here comes to an end. Nothing lasts.

But if the aim of Jesus in John 17:26 comes true, all this will change. He prays to his Father about us, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” God does not love the Son the way he loves sinners. He loves the Son because the Son is infinitely worthy of love. That is, he loves the Son because the Son is infinitely lovely. Which means that this love is totally pleasure. Jesus prays that this pleasure that God has in his Son will be the same pleasure we have in the Son.

If God’s pleasure in the Son becomes our pleasure, then the object of our pleasure, Jesus, will be inexhaustible in personal worth. He will never become boring or disappointing or frustrating. No greater treasure can be conceived than the Son of God. 

But add to this what Jesus prays for; namely, that our ability — our energy, our passion — to savor this inexhaustible treasure will not be limited by human weaknesses. We will enjoy the Son of God with the very enjoyment of his omnipotent Father. 

God’s delight in his Son will be in us and it will be ours. And this will never end, because neither the Father nor the Son ever ends. Their love for each other will be our love for them, and therefore our loving them will never die.

Prayer for Healing

 Today, we're for divine healing because our God  is our Healer His name is Jehovah Rapha.

Psalms 107:19-20

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivers them out of their distresses. He sends forth His word and heals them and rescues them from the pit and destruction. [II Kings 20:4, 5; Matt. 8:8.]

May you receive your instant  divine healing as you pray in faith.

PRAYER POINTS

1. O' Lord, have mercy upon my life and let my sins be washed in the blood of the lamb that was slain.

2. I overcome every sickness, pain, disease by the blood of the lamb. I declare that I

have been washed through the blood of Jesus!

3. I declare that by the stripes of our lord Jesus Christ, I am healed!

4. O' Lord, my healing is in your hands alone. I command every sickness in my body manipulated by the devil to receive fire in the name of Jesus!

5. O God visit every part of my body now and perform the surgery that doctors of this world cannot understand in Jesus name!

6. I invite Angel Raphael, the healing Angel to come down and assist in the divine

surgery taking place in my body now in the name of Jesus!

7. I command every sickness to hear the word of God that this body of mine is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, disappear in Jesus mighty name!

8. I cast out any sickness in my body without consideration for their names, for it is

written, I shall decree a thing and it shall be established. Therefore, I regain my sound health in

Jesus mighty name!

9. Whatever God has not planted in my body, be uprooted and be disgraced now in the name of Jesus!

10. O' God arise and let the enemy of my health be scattered in Jesus name!

11. I bind and I cast out any sickness in my body without consideration for their name, for it is written I shall decree a thing and it shall be established therefore I regain my sound health in Jesus name

12. My body is a temple of God therefore sickness and infirmity whither in the name of Jesus

13. I declare it loud and clear by the stripes of our lord Jesus Christ, I am healed in the name of Jesus

14. Oh God arise and let the enemy of my health be scattered in the name of Jesus.

15. Son of David, Lord Jesus have mercy upon my life and let my sins be washed in the blood of the lamb that was slain in the name of Jesus.

16. Whatever God has not planted in my body, get out and be disgraced now in the name of Jesus.

17. Oh God visit every part of my body now and perform surgery doctors of the world cannot understand in the name of Jesus.

18. I am healed by the power in the blood of Jesus.

19. Thank you, Lord. I am healed by the power in the blood of Jesus.

May you testify in Jesus Name 🙏 🙏 🙏.

COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JULY 03, 2024.

SUBJECT: COVET EARNESTLY THE SPIRIT OF GIVING!

Memory verse: "For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (Second Corinthians 8 vs 12.)

READ: Mark 12 vs 41 - 44

12:41: Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much.

12:42: Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrants.

12:43: So He called his disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury:

12:44: for they all put in out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.

INTIMATION:

Giving is love in action and love is the common thread that runs through every human being. Love is the nature of God, hence the Scripture says “God is love” (First John 4 vs 8). This nature of God fully manifested in His giving—giving of His only begotten Son to the world as a propitiation for our sins. The true spirit of giving is the true nature of human beings bestowed on us by God through love. Love only grows by sharing. You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others. (Proverbs 11 vs 24.) 

Christianity is not about receiving, but about giving. Those who come to Jesus must check their motives lest they are motivated to associate with the people of God in order to see what they can receive. The true Christian lives to give, not to re­ceive. Every day he prays, "Lord, open my eyes that I may see opportunities to serve, and make my heart willing in the day of Your power." So let us go on giving and praying, fulfilling God's plan now, as it was fulfilled before our day.

The spirit of all giving is love. When one gives grudgingly, or of necessity, there is little regard. The heart must be right with God to make giving a pleasure to the giver, and acceptable to the Lord—the ultimate receiver and final rewarder. To the true Christian, giving is a very part of his life. To him it is meat and drink; it is joy and peace. Every offering is a new privilege, every call a new opportunity; and to plan for these offerings, to deny self to meet these oppor­tunities, is a part of the richest Christian experience.

The spirit of giving produces inward joy and spiritual growth. God’s gift of grace should move us to willingly respond to the needs of others. As God responded to our need of salvation through His free gift of grace, we should learn that godliness response in the same way to the physical needs of others. Christians who do not sacrificially contribute do not understand what they have received through the cross of Jesus, nor what they will receive in eternal glory. 

Our giving is a reminder of the blessings God gives us and gave to us through Jesus Christ." We find in John 3 vs 16, three thoughts that should be the foundation of all our giving. God's motivation for giving was love; he gave himself in the person of Jesus; and God gave in response to our need. Giving can inspire great positive change and healing in a world that deeply needs it. Spiritual and religious leaders espouse the blessings of giving for a reason—it has the power to immediately shift one into a state of grace.

Though sacrificial giving attracts the grace of God, but Sacrificial giving must be responsible. The apostle Paul says that we should give of what we have, not what we don’t have. He wants believers to give generously, but not to the extent that those who depend on the givers (their families, for example) must go without having their basic needs met. Give until it hurts, but don’t give so that it hurts your family and/or relatives who need your financial support. 

Your willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount you give. You should give in response to Christ, not for anything you can get out of it. How you give reflects your devotion to Christ. Christianity is of little value to those who are not willing to sacrifice for their faith. Through sacrifice comes growth. But those who are not willing to make sacrifices for their faith will experience little spiritual growth. As believers, we should consider increasing our giving—whether money, time, or talents—to a point beyond convenience or calculation.

Too often, poor believers complain about their economic situation, and thus, they neglect to manifest the spirit of giving what they have. However, those Christians who realize the tremendous gift of grace that God has given to them, and the eternal glory that is yet to come, will give out of their poverty. The spirit of giving is based on the concepts that Jesus taught on giving; since we have freely received God’s gift, freely we should give to others. If we violate the principle, then we will not grow spiritually in the favor of God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, I earnestly covet the spirit of giving that I may visibly manifest the love of God shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit to others in meeting their needs to the best of my ability, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!