THE JOY OF THE LORD

 THE JOY OF THE LORD

"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10" 

Devotion : Nehemiah gathered the Israelites and asked Ezra, the scribe, to read the book of the Law to the children of Israel. Whilst Ezra was reading the Law to the Israelites, the Word of God touched their conscience and they began to weep. After Ezra had finished reading the book of the Law, Nehemiah consoled the people and said that day was holy unto the LORD, so they should not weep nor mourn. Instead they should go their way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to the needy for the joy of the LORD was their strength. Beloved God does not want you to mourn or weep at hearing the Word; He wants you to celebrate the Word so that His strength can be imparted to you. All that He wants you to do when you fall foul of His Word is confess your sins and continue to celebrate His Word. When God is happy, His strength is released to us to function in His kingdom. Dearly beloved, what did you learn from this devotional? Share your thoughts here!

THE BELIEVER’S ERROR OF SELF-CONDEMNATION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23, 2020.

SUBJECT: THE BELIEVER’S ERROR OF SELF-CONDEMNATION! 

Memory verse: "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8 vs 1.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 17 - 19:

5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; Behold, all things have become new.

5:18: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

5:19: that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing 

their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

INTIMATION:

Guilty conscience is a deep feeling of self-reproach which stems from a belief that one has done wrong. Consequently, one this results to self-condemnation under the weight of our sins. Such conscience or self-condemnation hinders our faith life in Christ. This problem of guilt feeling results in the inability of the believer to stand in the Father's presence without the sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. With such complex, the believer harbors doubt in his or her mind. And obviously, the doubter cannot ask in faith, and consequently, receives nothing from the Lord (James 1 vs 6 - 7). 

However. the fact is that a believer has the right to stand in the Father's presence and make his or her petitions known to Him without any sense of condemnation. Here are few things that every believer should know: that believers are actually “new creations”—brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore; “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (Second Corinthians 5 vs 17.) Believers are created, and living in vital union with Christ, and have received into his or her spirit the life and nature of God. The old things have passed away. These old things are spiritual death, union with Satan, and slavery to sin. Consequently, the believers’ sins are all remitted. 

The new creation is the product of God, created in Christ Jesus. The new creation is born from above, born of the Holy Spirit, through the Word. And the new thing stands un-condemned before the Father, and reconciled with the Him. The moment that we become new creations, we become the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God means the ability to stand in the Father's presence without sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. We are at that moment sons and daughters of God.

At conversion they do not merely turn over a new leaf; they begin a new life under a new Master—Jesus Christ. The Master has sacrificed His life for the believers to make them right with the Father: “For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21.) When we trust in Christ, we make an exchange: He takes our sin and makes us right with God. Our sin was laid on Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is given to us at conversion. It would be an abnormal thing if He should recreate us, impart to us His own nature, and leave us under the blighting curse of condemnation, unable to stand in His presence without the sense of guilt and inferiority. 

Sin has been preached to us so long and we have been told so often that we are unworthy and unfit, and this has kept us with a sense of inferiority which has been destructive to a faith life. It is noteworthy that no man can work with God as long as he is under condemnation, and we should realize that God has given us His own righteousness in Christ Jesus so that we can fellowship with Him. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you so much for the unparalleled privilege of Your adopting me as Your son, an heir, and joint heir with Christ. Thank You my Father for the privilege of imputing to me Your righteousness in Christ, that can stand before You without any sense of condemnation or inferiority, in the mighty Name of Jesus I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

BE HUMBLE

 BE HUMBLE

"LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: Psalms 10:17" 

Devotion : We serve a living God and a wonderful God! The opening scripture says God hears only the desire of the humble. We should be quick to realize that the scripture did not say the prayer of the humble but the desire of the humble. It means that before we pray, we should have a desire in our heart so that our prayer will be specific. Now, after the humble person has prayed his desire to God, God hears and prepares the heart of the humble person to receive the answer to the prayer. Why must God prepare the heart of the humble person to receive? He prepares his heart to receive so that after he has received the answer, he will give God his glory. Secondly, God prepares his heart so that he can wait patiently for the answer. Finally, God prepares the heart of the humble person to receive so that the humble person can become a channel of blessing to others. Dearly beloved, are you humble? Are you a channel of blessing to others? Share your comments here!

YIELD YOURSELF TO THE LORD!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 2020.

SUBJECT : 

YIELD YOURSELF TO THE LORD

!

Memory verse: 

"

Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you

."

 (Second Chronicles 30 vs 8.)

READ: Romans 6 vs 12 - 19:

6:12: Therefore Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should it in its lust. 6:13: And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God, as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under law but under grace.
6:15: What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
6:16: Do You not Know that to whom you present yourselves servants to obey, you are that one’s slavery whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience to righteousness?

6:17: But God be thanked, that though you slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were  delivered.
6:18: And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
6:19: I speak in human terms because of the weaknesses of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as selves of uncleanness and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

INTIMATION:

To yield to the Lord means obey Him first, submitting our bodies, minds, wills, and emotions to Him. His Holy Spirit must guide and renew every part of us. Only then will we be able to temper our stubborn selfishness. Yielding to God is sacrificing your life or suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. Yielding to God is for soldiers of Christ, not for cowards. Likewise it does not mean giving up rational thinking. God would not waste the mind He gave you! God does not want robots to serve Him. Yielding to God is not repressing your personality. Rather than its being diminished, yielding enhances it. The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become, because He made us. He invented all the different people you and I intend to be. 

God wants us to yield completely to Him; being totally devoted to Him. He desires that we daily lay aside our own desires to follow Him, putting all our energy and resources at His disposal and trusting Him to guide us. This is because He has good, pleasing,  perfect, and best plans for us. Therefore, devoting yourself to Him is reasonable, and the most proper thing to do. Also, for Him to have given His only Son to make our new life possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for His service.

God is the Owner and Sustainer of your life. He designed it for worship to Him, and if you fail to worship Him, you will eventually create things (idols) that are gods to you, and you give your worship or life to them. God also allowed the freedom of choice. You are free to choose what to yield to, but you are not free from the consequences of that choice. There is freedom before worship, but no freedom from the consequences after worship. 

Remember, when you yield to the Lord, you become a living sacrifice, and the problem of a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar, so you may have to re-yield your life several times a day. You must make it a daily habit. Don’t be tired or ashamed. He understands you, and sympathizes with your weaknesses (Hebrews 4 vs 13). Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." 

Yielding to God is best demonstrated in obedience. You say, "yes, Lord" to whatever he asks of you. To say, "no, Lord" is to speak a contradiction. You can't call Jesus your Lord when you refuse to obey Him. Yielded people obey God's word, even if it doesn't make sense. For instance Peter demonstrated the act of yielding to the Lord when he obeyed the instruction of Jesus: after a whole night of toiling without success, "Master, we have toiled and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." (Luke 5 vs 5.) 

God requires our obedience with the whole of our hearts. To obey from the heart means to give yourself fully to God, to love Him “with all your heart, will all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22 vs 37). It’s noteworthy that our efforts to know and obey God’s commands can best be described as”halfhearted.” However, God wants to give you the power to obey Him with all your heart. And counts such obedience to us for righteousness. How do you rate your heart’s obedience? 

Prayer: Abba Father, I completely yield my whole heart to You. Do with me whatever pleases You. My utmost heart desire and prayer is to be a vessel of honor for your use as it please You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

THE SLUGGARD AND THE DELIGENT

 THE SLUGGARD AND THE DELIGENT

"The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. Proverbs 13:4" 

Devotion : In the opening scripture above, the sluggard and the diligent man are contrasted. Sluggards are people who are habitually lazy; in fact, they are so lazy that they make excuses not to work and do not sow during seed time. Therefore, at harvest time, they have nothing to harvest. Such people will desire but have no means to satisfy their desire because they are poor. The diligent, on the other hand, are people characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort; indeed, they are busy working and sowing during seed time. Hence, in the harvest they are busy harvesting their crops and saving some against a rainy day. Such people desire and are able to meet their desires because they are financially sound enough to afford anything. God gives more grace to the diligent to continually enjoy success so they can be a channel of blessings to others. Dearly beloved, are you a sluggard or diligent? What makes you think so? Share your comments here!

MY NAME

 MY NAME

"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John 14:14" 

Devotion : Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He is God; the express image of the Godhead bodily, Hebrews 1:3. Why did Jesus Christ ask His disciples to use His name? He asked them to use His name because He will depart from them to heaven and using His name will be similar to having His physical presence with them. He will also be the power behind the name to do whatever they asked. The Holy Spirit will also be present to respond to the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Believers in Christ Jesus should love using the name of Jesus Christ, because it is the only name exalted above all other names to get things done, Philippians 2:9. Dearly beloved, do you love using the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? If yes, why; or If no, why not? Share your thoughts with other readers!

YOUR PART IN GOD’S BLESSINGS!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21, 2020.

SUBJECT : YOUR PART IN GOD’S BLESSINGS!

Memory verse: 

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments."

 (Psalm 112 vs 1.)

READ: Psalm 34 vs 4 - 14:

34:4: I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
34:5: They looked to Him, and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
34:6: This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
34:7: The angel of the LORD encamps round those who fear him, and delivers them.
34:8: Oh taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
34:9: Oh fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
34:10: The young lions lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
34:11: Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
34:12: Who is the who man desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
34:14: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

34:15: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

INTIMATION:

Blessing is a fortune, grace, or gift from God. He promises great blessings to His people, but many of these blessings require active participation on the part of the people. For instance, the passage we read today says; He will set us free from fears, deliver us from trouble, guard and defend us, show us goodness, supply our needs, listen when we call on Him, and redeem us. But we must do our part. We can appropriate His blessings when we have the fear of the Lord in us, seek Him, cry out to Him, trust Him, refrain from lying, turn from evil, do good, and search for peace, are broken-hearted, and serve Him. 

Many blessings are available to us—honor, prosperity, security, freedom from fear—if we fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands. If you expect God’s blessings, you must revere Him and gladly obey Him. The Bible often connects the fear of the Lord (love and reverence for Him) with obedience. King Solomon said that the conclusion of the matter on the whole duty of man is to “Fear God and keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12 vs 13). David said that a person who fears the Lord doesn’t lie, turns from evil, does good, and promotes peace. 

To fear the Lord is to give Him deep respect, reverence, obedience, and honor. We demonstrate this attitude by humility and genuine worship. Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church. It includes obeying God in the way we speak and the way we treat others. We do all as a result of recognizing His awesomeness. In order to be God’s child, one must have a right attitude toward God that results in a life-style of obedience to His will. If one will see good in his or her life, then he or she must submit to the will of the Lord. Obedience to God begins with humility. We must believe that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings. God wants our obedience more than anything else. 

When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we will discover that He is good and kind. Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6 vs 33.) Seeking first the kingdom of God is His will, and if you do, He will shower all His blessings on you! When we begin the Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He is. Great blessings come to those who obey His commands, but severe punishment comes to those who disobey Him. This punishment may come swiftly or over time, but it will come. 

Certain things keep us from God’s ultimate blessings. These include; ungrateful hearts, not worshiping or submitting to Him, hardening our hearts, trying God’s patience because of stubborn doubts. Don’t harden your hearts, but reject the glamour of sin and anything else that would lead us away from God.  Along with God’s blessings comes the responsibility to live up to His demands of fairness, honesty and justice. 

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of complete obedience to You, that I will do Your will at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!