Live Confident in God’s Sovereign Power

The immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe . . . (Ephesians 1:19)

The omnipotence of God means eternal, unshakable refuge in the everlasting glory of God no matter what happens on this earth. And that confidence is the source and power of radical obedience to the call of God. 

Is there anything more freeing, more thrilling, or more strengthening than the truth that God Almighty is your refuge — all day, every day, in all the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life?

If we believed this, if we really let this truth of God’s omnipotence get hold of us, what a difference it would make in our personal lives and in our ministries! How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God! 

The omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ.

The omnipotence of God means reverence, recompense, and refuge for his covenant people. 

I invite you to accept the terms of his covenant of grace: Turn from sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; and the omnipotence of God Almighty will be the reverence of your soul, the recompense of your enemies, and the refuge of your life — forever.

ATTITUDES THAT INHIBITS GOD’S GRACE IN OUR LIVES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023.

SUBJECT: ATTITUDES THAT INHIBITS GOD’S GRACE IN OUR LIVES!

Memory verse: "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11 vs 6.) 

READ: Psalm 37 vs 8 - 9; 39 vs 1 - 2; Philippians 2 vs 14 - 15:

Psalm 37:8: Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.

37:9: For evil doers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

39:1: I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.”

39:2: I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up.

Philippians 2:14: Do all things without complaining or disputing,

2:15: that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

INTIMATION:

There are several things that can keep us from receiving the grace of God. One of these is ignorance, not knowing enough to call on the Lord, asking Him to pour out His grace in time of need. The prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...” (Hosea 4 vs 6.)

Others are; worrying, complaining, murmuring, anger etc. They can never mix with grace. Many times the mistake we make is griping and fussing from daylight to dark, at the same time we are trying to activate the power of God in our life to help us solve our problems. Many times the reason we are not able to tap into the grace of God is simply because our attitude is all wrong. We cannot expect God to intervene on our behalf in a situation if we are constantly grumbling, angry with ourselves, or with others, fault-finding, complaining, murmuring, nit-picking, jealousy and envy. 

All these bad attitudes are very destructive emotions. They reveal a lack of faith in God, believing that God loves us and is in control. We should not do all that. Instead, we should trust in God, giving ourselves to Him for His use and safekeeping. When you dwell on your problems, you will become anxious and angry. But if you concentrate on God and His goodness, you will find peace and inner strength to tarry.

Like King David, resolve to always keep your tongue from sin; not complaining about anything to anybody, even when you have reasons to complain. Instead take your complaints directly to God. We all have complaints about our job, finances, and other unfavorable situations in our lives, but complaining to others may make them think that God cannot take care of us. It may also look as if we blame God for our troubles, and it may result into our turning away from Him. Take your complaints directly to God, turn to Him in times of troubles, for only Him can take it and provide an answer.

There is no way to receive God's grace while seeking sympathy from others or fellowshipping with self-pity. God will heal our wound if we don't seek others to nurse them. Many times we want the power of God to come upon us and solve some problems for us, but at the same time we want all our friends to feel sorry for us. For instance, if we are having financial problems, we may go into our prayer closet and cry out to the Lord, "O Father, please help me. I'm in over my head financially, and I need Your help so bad. I'm trusting You to help me, because without You I have no hope. Lord, You are the only One who can save me!"

Then, as soon as prayer time is over, you get on the phone telling your friends, co-workers, and relations, how tight it is for you and family, how hard you have worked and nothing is happening, how your husband or wife has not been helping and is idle, how underprivileged you are, how nobody is helping you, on and on. You want God to help you, but you also want everybody else to feel sorry for you. If we want to receive God's grace, we have got to learn to depend upon Him totally and not upon others' sympathy or our own self-pity. 

It is not wrong to share your burdens in a balanced way and with right motives. But beware of seeking pity. God never leads us where He cannot keep us. His grace is always sufficient for us—in any and every circumstances of life. There is no sense in our griping and complaining, worrying and finagling, constantly trying to figure out things, working ourselves up into a stew and getting all frustrated and confused. If we do, it shows that we have no faith at all in God's abiding grace.

Our lives should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will “shine as lights” in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s Word, and a magnet for His grace. Don’t let dissensions snuff out your light. Shine out for God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, the earth is Yours and all its fullness. My needs are known to You from the very beginning because You are my Maker. My sufficiency is in You. Give me the grace to always to develop the right attitude of total dependence on You in all things, in Jesus’ Name I prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

PRAYERS TO RECEIVE REVELATION

 PRAYERS TO RECEIVE REVELATION

You are the God who reveals secrets, Lord, reveal your secrets to me (Daniel 2:28).

Reveal to me the secret and the deep (Daniel 2:22).

Let me understand secrets kept from the foundation of the world (Matthew 13:35).

Let the seals of your Word be broken (Daniel 12:9).

Let me understand and receive revelation of your will and your purpose for my life.

Give me the spirit of wisdom and revelation and may the eyes of my understanding be opened (Ephesians 1:17).

Let me understand heavenly things (John 3:12).

Open my eyes to witness the wonders of your Word (Psalms 119:18).

Let me know and understand the mysteries of the Kingdom (Mark 4:11).

Let me speak revelation to others (1 Corinthians 14:6).

Reveal your secrets to your servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).

Let the hidden become manifest (Mark 4:22).

Hide your truths from the wise and prudent and reveal them to children (Matthew 11:25).

May your arm be revealed in my life (John 12:38).

Reveal to me what belongs to me (Deuteronomy 29:29).

May your Word be revealed to me (1 Samuel 3:7).

May your glory be revealed in my life (Isaiah 40:5).

May your righteousness be revealed in my life (Isaiah 56:1).

Allow him to receive visions and revelations from the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:1).

Give me revelations in abundance (2 Corinthians 12:7).

May he be a good steward of your revelations (1 Corinthians 4:1).

Let it speak of the mystery of Christ (Colossians 4:3).

Give me your hidden wisdom and that I may understand it (1 Corinthians 2:7).

Do not hide your commandments from me (Psalms 119:19).

Let the wisdom of God speak in mystery (1 Corinthians 2:7).

Make known to me the mystery of the gospel (Ephesians 6:19).

Make me know the mystery of your will (Ephesians 1:9).

Open your riddle with the harp (Psalms 49:4).

Make me understand your parables, the words of the wise and their riddles (Proverbs 1:6).

Lord, light my lamp and illuminate my darkness (Psalm 18:28).

Turn darkness before me into light (Isaiah 42:16).

Give me hidden treasures and closely guarded secrets (Isaiah 45:3).

Let your lamp shine over my head (Job 29:3).

My spirit is a lamp of the Lord that searches the depths of the heart (Proverbs 20:27).

Life Hangs on the Word of God

 He said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46–47)

The word of God is not a trifle; it is a matter of life and death. If you treat the Scriptures as a trifle or as empty words, you forfeit life.

Even our physical life depends on God’s word, because by his word we were created (Psalm 33:6; Hebrews 11:3), and “he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

And our spiritual life begins by the word of God: “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18). “You have been born again . . . through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).

Not only do we begin to live by God’s word, but we also go on living by God’s word: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3).

So our physical life is created and upheld by the word of God, and our spiritual life is quickened and sustained by the word of God. How many stories could be gathered to bear witness to the life-giving power of the word of God!

Indeed, the Bible is “no empty word for you” — it is your life! The foundation of all joy is life. Nothing is more fundamental than sheer existence — our creation and our preservation. 

All this is owing to the word of God’s power. By that same power, he has spoken in Scripture for the creation and sustenance of our spiritual life. Therefore, the Bible is no empty word, but is your very life — the foundation and kindling of your joy!

A PRAYER-LESS CHRISTIAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023.

SUBJECT: A PRAYER-LESS CHRISTIAN! 

Memory verse: "For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable to all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” (First Timothy 4 vs 8.)

READ: First Timothy 2 vs 1 - 4:

2:1: Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, interceptions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2:2: For kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

2:3: For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

2:4: who desire all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

INTIMATION:

There is no denying the fact that the lack of prayer is the undoing of some members of the body of Christ. A prayer-less Christian is a weaponless, powerless, and defenseless Christian. He or she is a toy in the hands of the devil and his agents—the demons. A prayer-less Christian is very far away from God and cannot seek Him. Prayer is the master key to godliness. It should be as natural as breathing and as enjoyable as eating. It will be as unconscious as our communication with each other. While doing all these we must not lose the fact that we are communicating in fellowship with someone superior to us but has given us the privilege to come to Him. 

Let us take a cue from the prayer habit of our Messiah Jesus Christ. The Scripture in Mark 1 vs 35, gives us an example of the importance of prayer to Jesus: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” If prayer was important for Jesus, then it must be important for His followers. Jesus was a man of prayer. He taught prayer, not as a slavish duty, but as a glorious privilege. I use to wonder why He needed to pray. But He needed that because He took His human form, and lived the human life. I am convinced that He didn't draw upon the secret resources that belonged to Him during His earthly ministry, more than it is possible for us who live and walk in His Name. 

Pray, even if you have to get up very early in the morning to do it. It’s vitally important to: (1) seek the Lord before your busy schedule takes over your thoughts; (2) withdraw from noise and demands so you can focus on God; (3) take Jesus’ attitude of regular communion with the Father; (4) reflect on the priorities Jesus had for His life; (5) determine to pray on a more regular basis, not just in times of crisis. Outside of God we can do nothing. Jesus emphasized this fact in John 15 vs 5, when He said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in Him, Bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

We seek God through prayer and His Word. Believing that God exists is only the beginning; even the demons believe that much (James 2 vs 19 - 20). God will not settle for mere acknowledgment of His existence. He wants a personal, dynamic relationship with you that will transform your life. Those who seek God will find that they are rewarded with His intimate presence. God finds it easy to reach us as we constantly visit Him. Our visit to the Lord is fellowshipping with Him in prayers. By constant visit, we make ourselves available for His use. We will be in that prized inner-circle with Him; one of the trusted ones.

Although God is All-powerful and All-knowing, He has chosen to let us help Him change the world through our prayers. How this works is a mystery to us because of our limited understanding, but it is a reality. The Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first. Because God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it, especially because God encourages us to do so. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for the privileged invitation to constantly commune with You in prayer, knowing that without You, I can do nothing. Give me the grace to live a prayerful life in communion with You at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Jesus’s Pursuit of Joy

[Look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Does the example of Jesus contradict the principle of Christian Hedonism? Namely, that love is the way of joy and that one should choose it for that very reason, lest one be found begrudging obedience to the Almighty or chafing under the privilege of being a channel of grace or belittling the promised reward.

Hebrews 12:2 seems to say fairly clearly that Jesus did not contradict this principle.

The greatest labor of love that ever happened was possible because Jesus pursued the greatest imaginable joy, namely, the joy of being exalted to God’s right hand in the assembly of a redeemed people: “For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross!”

In saying this, the writer means to give Jesus as another example, along with the saints of Hebrews 11, of those who are so eager for and confident in the joy God offers that they reject the “fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) and choose ill-treatment in order to be aligned with God’s will.

It is not unbiblical, therefore, to say that at least part of what sustained Christ in the dark hours of Gethsemane was the hope of joy beyond the cross. This does not diminish the reality and greatness of his love for us, because the joy in which he hoped was the joy of leading many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

His joy is in our redemption, which redounds to God’s glory. We share the joy with Jesus and God gets the glory.

GOD’S LOVING DISCIPLINE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2023.  

SUBJECT: GOD’S LOVING DISCIPLINE! 

Memory verse: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Revelation 3 vs 19.)

READ: Hebrews 12 vs 3 - 11:

12:3: For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

12:4: You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

12:5: And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons, “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

12:6: For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.

12:7: If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?

12:8: But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 

12:9: Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?" 

12:10: For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best for them, but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness.

12:11: Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it

INTIMATION: 

God deals with His children as a parent deals with his or her child. Discipline is for correction, education, and growth. Discipline is for the purpose of molding our characters in order that we will be prepared for eternal dwelling. While in persecution, therefore, one must remember that the love of God is being manifested in one’s life because God is using trying times in order to mold one for eternal dwelling. God wants no spoiled children in heaven, and those discipline is necessary in order to train our minds to be able to dwell with Jesus who suffered the same tribulations. 

Discipline proves you are a member of the family of God. Anyone who rejects the discipline of God is considered illegitimate by God Himself. Jesus was the Son of God, but did nothing He was not instructed to do by His Father in heaven. Yet Jesus suffered in God's boot camp (Hebrews 5 vs 8). God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from pain. Therefore, we should respond to discipline (chastening) gratefully, as the appropriate response we owe a loving Father.

God’s purpose in discipline is not to punish but to bring people back to Him. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for our spiritual growth. For instance, if you are lukewarm in your devotion to God, He may discipline you to help you out of your uncaring attitude, and He uses only loving discipline. You can avoid God’s discipline by drawing near to Him again through confession, service, worship, and studying the Word. Just as the spark of love can be rekindled in marriage, so the Holy Spirit can re-ignite our zeal for the Lord when we allow Him to work in our heart.

It is a blessing to be disciplined by God when we do wrong. At times God must discipline us to help us. This is similar to a loving parent disciplining his child. The discipline is not very enjoyable to the child, but it is essential to teach him or her right from wrong. Also, it’s never pleasant to be corrected and disciplined by God, but His discipline is a sign of His deep love for us. When God corrects you, see it as proof of His love, and ask Him what He is trying to teach you. Realize that God is urging you to follow His path instead of stubbornly going your own way. 

Discipline sounds negative to many people because some disciplinarians are not loving. God, however, is the source of all love. He doesn’t punish us because He enjoys inflicting pain but because He is deeply concerned about our development. He knows that in order to become morally strong and good, we must learn the difference between right and wrong. Correction is a vital part of discipline, and discipline means “to teach and to train.” 

It’s difficult to know when God has been disciplining us until we look back on the situation later. However, not every calamity that happens to us comes directly from God, of course. But if we rebel against God and refuse to repent when He has identified some sin in our lives, God may use guilt, crises, or bad experiences to bring us back to Him. Sometimes, however, difficult times come when we have no flagrant sin just like Job. Our response then should be patience, integrity, and trust that God like Job also. 

In trying or difficult situations don’t try to second-guess what God is doing. Rather, in an act of spiritual discipline, raise your hands in the darkest night of your life and praise God in heaven for the victory that you can only see through the eyes of faith. Then and only then will you see the miracles of God's provision. A man on his knees can see more and farther into the future than a man on a mountaintop. Trials force us to pray with an intensity that causes God to incline his ear toward our cry.

Prayer: Abba Father, I desire Your loving discipline to put me on the right path, and mold me to Your child worthy of eternity with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!