What We Were Made For

What We Were Made For

 Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18)

The greatest good of the good news — the gospel — is the enjoyment of fellowship with God himself. This is made explicit here in 1 Peter 3:18 in the phrase “that he might bring us to God.” That’s why Jesus died.

All the other gifts of the gospel exist to make this one possible. 

We are forgiven so that our guilt does not keep us away from God. 

We are justified so that our condemnation does not keep us away from God. 

God is propitiated so that his wrath doesn’t stand between us and God as our Father.

We are given eternal life now, with new bodies in the resurrection, so that we have the capacities for being with God forever and enjoying God to the fullest. 

Test your heart. Why do you want forgiveness? Why do you want to be justified? Why do you want the wrath of God to be propitiated? Why do you want eternal life? Is the decisive answer, “Because I want to enjoy God now and forever”?

The gospel-love that God gives is ultimately the gift of himself. This is what we were made for. This is what we lost because of our sin. This is what Christ came to restore. 

“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

THE PRAYER GOD WONT HEAR!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 15, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE PRAYER GOD WONT HEAR!

Memory verse: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear." (Psalm 66 vs 18.)

READ: Isaiah 59 vs 1 - 3:

59:1: Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy; that it cannot hear.

59:2: But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

59:3: For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity. 

INTIMATION:

Iniquity is sin, implying the perversion of heart, and wickedness of purpose. Sin is defined as a moral offense or shortcoming. It is a rebellion against God's laws, a perversion of heart. Sin is a reproach to any people as well as to God. It offends our Holy God and separates us from Him. Because God is holy He cannot ignore, excuse, or tolerate sin as though it didn't matter, therefore, sin cuts people off from Him, forming a wall to isolate God from the people He loves. Our sins makes God angry and forces Him to look the other way. 

When we are involved in iniquity or sin, we build a wall of separation between us and God. The Scripture says of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness...” (Habakkuk 1 vs13.) When we are involved in sinful and wicked deeds, we cause our separation from the Holy God, and our prayers are not heard by Him. These are times when we bear loads of grudges, resentment, envy, hatred, anger, un-forgivenesses , and like emotions. The loads of such emotions are very heavy and costly to our relationship with God, because they are iniquities before Him whose eyes cannot behold iniquity.

Our confession of sin must be continual because we continue to do wrong. But true confession requires us to listen to God and want to stop doing what is wrong. We may not be able to remember every sin we have ever committed, but our attitude should be one of confession and obedience. Though we may have been dragged into such emotions by wrongdoing to us by another, but these emotions hurt us more than they hurt the one who has wronged us. This is because, if our faith is strong and our prayer is persistent, there is only one thing that can stand in the way of answered prayer—getting what you say—and it is un-repented sin. What a terrible condition for a Christian to be in, to be unable to talk to God! 

When we understand what our resentment does to us, we see how much better it is for us to allow our enemies to get away with their cruelty, even murder, and forgive them, rather than hold a grudge and cut ourselves off from God. God knows the heart of our enemy, and repays accordingly without needing any helps from us. The Bible tells us that vengeance is God's business not ours: "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12 vs 19). God takes vengeance on our enemies because He is just, and because He loves us.

An unforgiving spirit is so destructive that we are warned that when God does take vengeance on our enemies, we ought not be happy that He did; "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him" (Proverbs 24 vs 17 - 18). 

Once you understand the destructiveness of "getting even," you will be able to ask God to keep you from resentment in all its forms. In Matthew 5 vs 39 Jesus commanded us, "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also." Jesus is suggesting that our response to injustice should not be arc tor demanding our right, but to give it up freely! According to Him it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Jesus said in Mark 11 vs 25; "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." Only in so doing that you receive what you ask in prayers.

When you study the exploits of Paul and Barnabas in Antioch in Acts 13 where they preached and taught, you will appreciate how the two steadfast and spirit-filled servants of God handled the resentment of Jews against them. They preached and the Gentiles heard and were glad and glorified God, and all those who believed received the Spirit and were ordained to eternal life. The Jews, however, incited the devout men and women against Paul and Barnabas and drove them from the city. They left, and they were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit, and never had any desire for retaliation. The Spirit-filled life doesn't seek revenge but joyously reflects the presence of God within.

Prayer: Abba Father, keep me from resentment of all forms. Cleanse me from secret faults, and keep me from presumptuous sins that they may not have dominion over me. Endue me with the spirit of forgiveness that I may forgive all that offend me and stand blameless before You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Victory Over Enemies

 Today, we're praying against our enemies in any form. You shall be victorious as you pray in Jesus Name 🙏🙏🙏

PRAYER POINTS

1. Father I thank you for giving me eternal victory in Christ Jesus amen.

2. I declare that I have victory of all demonic oppression in Jesus name

3. I declare that I have victory over sin in Jesus name

4. I declare that no man shall stand against me successfully all the days of my life in Jesus name

5. I declare that I have victory over all my enemies in Jesus name

6. I declare that every strong man in my life and family is disarmed and destroyed now in Jesus name

7. I declare that wherever my name is called, I shall be victorious in the name of Jesus

8. I declare that no man shall prevail against me in any matter in Jesus name

9. I declare that I shall be victorious over those who are too strong for me in Jesus name

10. I declare that the mighty hand of God will continue to grant me supernatural victory in Jesus name

11. Oh Lord, I bind every strongman trying to bring me down in Jesus name

12. Father grant me divine tactics and strategies to continue to defeat and subdue the enemy in Jesus name.

13. I bind and paralyse the strongman employed or delegated to disgrace me, in the name of Jesus.

14. Let all the affairs of my life be too hot for my enemies to manipulate, in the name of Jesus.

15. O Lord, grant me supernatural wisdom to subdue all my enemies in Jesus name.

16. O Lord, let all my adversaries be put to shame in the name of Jesus.

17. O Lord, I declare that I shall come out victorious in every court case I have with my enemies in Jesus name.

18. I close every negative door that the enemy might want to open, to harm me in the name of Jesus.

19. You satanic agents, I command you to clear out from the pathway to my victory in this matter, in the name of Jesus.

20. I cancel any demonic decision and expectation targeting my life, in the name of Jesus.

21. Father, let all my enemies be on there knees as I rule over them victoriously in Jesus name.

22. Let the fire of the Holy Spirit purge my life from any evil mark put upon me, in the name of Jesus.

23. Let the Lord confuse the tongues of those gathered to do me harm, after the order of the builders of the Tower of Babel, in the name of Jesus.

24. Let my adversaries stumble and fall, in the name of Jesus.

25. I command every evil power and vessel sitting on my destiny to be violently overthrown, in the name of Jesus.

26. I pursue, overtake and recover all my blessings from the hands of my enemies, in the name of Jesus.

27. Let every counsel, plan, desire, expectation, imagination, device and activity of the enemy against this my life be rendered null and void, in the name of Jesus.

28. I terminate every journey into bondage and unfruitfulness designed for me by the enemies of my life in the name of Jesus.

29. I bind every money-consuming demon attached to my finances, in the name of Jesus.

30. Father thank you for giving me all round victory in Jesus name.

Don’t Underestimate Your Prayers

 Topic: Don’t Underestimate Your Prayers

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. – 1 Timothy 2:1-2

That verse is clear, isn’t it? The instruction is plain. Yet even in these tumultuous days when our nation is so desperately in need of God’s guidance, most of God’s people don’t do what that verse commands.

Why not?

I believe it’s because most of us are overwhelmed by the problems we see around us. How could my prayers make a dent in the national debt? we think. How could my faith affect foreign policy?

In other words, we fail to pray because we fail to realize just how powerfully our prayers can affect this country.

It’s time we caught hold of that. It’s time we realized that if we’d just be obedient to 1 Timothy 2:1-2, there’s no council of any kind on earth, no king, no president, no congress, no anything that could overthrow God’s purpose for His people.

God has called us to intercede. He has commanded us to pray for those in authority. He has given us His Word, His power, His Name, His authority and His faith. We have all the tools necessary to pray effectively for our government and its leaders.

I urge you to intercede. It is your responsibility as a believer to get involved in the affairs of your country. God wants this great land of ours, and the only way He’s going to get it is through His ambassadors—you and me.

Pray for your nation. Every day. And never again underestimate the world-changing power of those prayers.

Scripture Reading: Daniel 2:1-30

This message was written by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, the leader of the Kenneth Copeland Ministries (www.KCM.org) that specializes in teaching principles of bible faith – prayer, healing, salvation and other biblical topics.

Flatimes Notice Board: Until you are born again, God ever abiding presence will never be with you. You must be born again to enjoy continuous victory. Please say the displayed prayer below in faith:

Lord Jesus, come into my life. I accept You as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I believe in my heart You died and rose from the dead to save me. Thank You Lord for saving me, in Jesus’ name Amen.

THE DUTY OF A BELIEVER TO PRAY ALWAYS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 14, 2024.

SUBJECT: THE DUTY OF A BELIEVER TO PRAY ALWAYS!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: Acts 12 vs 5 - 10:

12:5: Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

12:6: And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

12:7: Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off from his hands.

12:8: Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals”, and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 

12:9: So he went out and followed him; and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

12:10: When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city; which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and went down one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.

INTIMATION:

Praying is a duty assigned to every believer. Apart from the specific functions God created us for in the body of Christ, one common function of all the members of the body is communing with our Father in prayers. Therefore, every believer ought to take their place in the duty of praying always. 

Since prayer is a common denominator for all believers, we all should develop the lifestyle of prayer. The most effective way of developing a lifestyle of prayer is praying at all times. How can anyone pray at all times? One way is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. Another way is to order your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. You don’t have to isolate yourself from other people and from daily work in order to pray constantly. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. 

It’s wrong to think you are not called or set apart to give your life to prayer. It’s a demand on all believers in the body of Christ. And it is for this reason that Jesus said in our memory verse, ‘Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.’ The apostle Paul advised all believers thus, “Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). You may not have been set apart by the Spirit for other special ministries, but not in prayers, because it’s one of the only two ways (the Word and prayer) of getting acquainted with the Lord. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle Peter was arrested by King Herod and put in prison after he has killed James, and saw that it pleased the Jews. It was the Easter period, and he  intended to bring him to the people after Easter to be killed also. However, constant prayers was offered by the church to God. Consequently, God sent His angel to deliver him from the prison. If the church had failed in its prayer duty the King would have succeeded in his plot to kill him. 

It is noteworthy that believers need no specialized gifts to be functional in the body of Christ. The prayer duty requires no specialities. If anyone thinks that because of lack of training or for lack of one thing or the other, he or she has no place in the body of Christ, the fellow is deluded by the enemy. We all have a place, and with the place comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes a reward or demerit. Know it now that if you don't take your place in the body of Christ, and begin to function, the body of Christ is weakened.

Therefore, one duty that you will ever perform for your family, the church, all Christians, your nation, your friends, your enemies etc, is your prayer duty. Take up your responsibilities now! Do you realize that there are people who will be utterly lost unless you take your place in your prayer duty. Unless you do your part, some people will cry against you through eternity. There are men and women who are defeated and are breaking down in their businesses, homes, and spiritual lives because we haven't prayed. Or better still, because you haven't prayed. You have been occupied with your pleasures and your dreams; while men and women, staggering under the burdens you should have carried are breaking down.

It is for this reason that God said in Ezekiel 22 vs 30, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." The wall spoken of here is not made of stones, but of faithful people united in their efforts to resist evil. God is looking for us to take our places, stand in the gap for others, the nation, Church, our families and so on. He needs us to pray, to be in constant communion with Him, knowing that our requests are only made to Him through prayers. Give yourself to meditation, prayer, and study of the Word. The most important thing in life is to be in the Will of the Lord. Life will not mean much outside the Will of God.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of prayer and supplication at all times, that I may take my place in the body of Christ, communing with You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Character – Existence With Positive Conviction

 TOPIC: Character – Existence With Positive Conviction 

SCRIPTURE: And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 24:16.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: People who lack character like Esau gain things that are temporal and lose things that are permanent.

Seeds Of Destiny For Today 2023 MESSAGE:

It has been established that character is one essential ingredient of life and destiny. Your destiny is at the mercy of your character. To live right is to go up in life.

Now, what is character?

Character is existence with positive conviction, not for consensus.

People of positive character have positive conviction; they don’t live by consensus. Character is living for positive purpose, and not for pleasure.

Character is purposeful existence, and not pleasurable living. It is existence that is purpose-driven, and not pleasure-driven.

There are people whose lives are driven by pleasure. So, they can do anything as far as it makes them happy. Character is living not just for the immediate, but for the ultimate. There are those who live with only today in mind. But people of character live with tomorrow in mind.

Also Read: Open Heaven 13 August 2024 – Ask In His Name

People of character don’t go for temporary gain and end in permanent loss. People who lack character like Esau gain things that are temporal, and lose things that are permanent.

A man of character will sacrifice today’s gain for tomorrow’s profit, he knows what it means to delay gratification.

Character means living thoughtfully instead of thoughtlessly. People of character are thoughtful while people without character are thoughtless. To live with character is to live thoughtfully; you weigh your options and embark on the most profitable course of action.

Beloved, are you a person of quality and positive character?

My counsel is, do not live for temporal gains like Esau? Make up your mind to avoid anything that will affect your character and destiny negatively.

Remember this: People who lack character like Esau gain things that are temporal, and lose things that are permanent.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Make up your mind to be a person of quality and positive character.

Avoid the temptation of living without integrity.

PRAYER: Lord, I ask that You make me a person of quality conviction. I receive the grace to live right Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

CHASE AFTER ‘A LIFE WELL LIVED.’

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY AUGUST 13, 2024.

SUBJECT : CHASE AFTER ‘A LIFE WELL LIVED.’

Memory verse: "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." (Acts 13 vs 36.)

READ: Acts 13 vs 20 - 23:

13:20: "After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.

13:21: And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

13:22: And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' 

13:23: From this man's seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior - Jesus -.

INTIMATION:

God created all things to serve His purposes. You and I are created for some purposes. Those who lived purposefully for God were remarkably acknowledged by Him, and that is, "A life well lived." In our memory verse, the Bible strikingly said about David, "But David, after he had served his own generation by the Will of God, fell asleep..." David, in his generation served remarkably in the Will of God. He had, "A life well lived."

In the passage we read today, It is then not surprising that God testified of David, called him a man after His own heart. The Scripture said, "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My Will."

There is no greater compliment than the statement, ‘He had served his own generation by the Will of God‘. Imagine such epitaph chiseled on your tombstone: That you served God's purpose in your generation. My prayer is that people will say that about me when I die. It is also my prayer that people will say it about you, too. The phrase is the ultimate definition of "A life well lived."

A life well lived is all about purpose-driven life, doing God's Will in the world that earns you eternal glory—to live with Him forever. God created you, at this time in history, for a purpose. Neither past nor future generations can serve God's purpose in this generation, but only we, in this generation, can. Like Esther God created you "for such a time as this." (Esther 4 vs 14.)

God is looking for people whose heart is loyal to Him, to serve His purpose. The Bible, in Second Chronicles 16 vs 9, says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him...." Will you be a person God can use for His purposes? Will you serve God's purpose in your generation? Will God say of you, "He will live his life well, serving My purpose in his generation."

Any Christian chasing after, "A life well lived," would have the counsel of the apostle Paul recorded in First Corinthians 9 vs 24 - 27;

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Paul said that he ran straight to the goal with purpose in every step. His only reason for living was to fulfill the purposes God had for him. He said, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1 vs 21.) He was not afraid of either dying or living. Either way, he would fulfill God's purposes. If he lived, it is for good to others whom he labors to teach the ways of Christ. And if he died, he would join Christ to live in eternity with Him. Either way he wins.

The sports race illustration used by the apostle Paul above, explains the required purpose and discipline for believers. As Christians, the required life takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation. We are running toward our heavenly reward. The essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study and meditation, and worship, equip us to run with vigor and stamina. Don't merely observe from the grandstand; don't just turn out to jog a couple of laps each morning. Train diligently as your spiritual progress depends upon it.

One day history will come to a close, but eternity will go on forever. When fulfilling your purposes seems tough, don't give in to discouragement. Remember your reward, which will last forever. The Bible says, "For our light afflictions, which is for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (Second Corinthians 4 vs 17.) Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." 

Imagine what it is going to be like one day, when we have achieved, with all of us standing before the Throne of God presenting our lives in deep gratitude and praise to Christ. Together we will say, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for You have created all things, and for your pleasure they are, and were created." We would praise Him for His plan, and haven achieved, according to His plans and purposes for us, would live with Him forever!

Prayer: Abba Father, eternity with You is my utmost desire. Help me in my quest for a life pleasing to You, according to Your plan and purpose, and that I may come boldly to the Throne of grace, and obtain mercy, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!