THE BANE OF COMPROMISED FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 12, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE BANE OF COMPROMISED FAITH!

Memory verse: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” 

 (Revelation 2 vs 14.)

READ: Second Peter 2 vs 15 - 16:

2:15: They have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

2:16: but he was rebuked for his iniquity; a dumb donkey speaking with man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

INTIMATION:

Compromised faith gives up part of something it believes in. Obedience to rules of engagement is incomplete. A right relationship with God is based on our faith—the heartfelt inner confidence that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. This occasions sincere and complete obedience to His laws. Unfortunately, the cares of this world—possessions, pleasures, power etc—have continued to be a bane of many having a right relationship with God, thereby compromising their faith in Him. Lack of faith in God leads to many problems. This, invariably, happens when we take over from God, trying to make His promise come true through efforts that are not in line with His specific directions. 

The passage we read today, is about Balaam, one of those noteworthy Old Testament characters who, though not one of God’s chosen people, was willing to acknowledge that the Lord was indeed a powerful God. But he did not believe in the Lord as the only true God. His faith in God was compromised. His story exposes the deception of maintaining an outward facade of spirituality over a corrupt inward life. Balaam was a man ready to obey God’s command as long as he could profit from doing so. The mixture of motives—obedience and profit—eventually led to Balaam’s death. Although he realized the awesome power of Israel’s God, his heart was occupied with the wealth he could gain in Moab. 

Balaam entered his prophetic role seriously, but his heart was mixed. He had some knowledge of God, but not enough to forsake his magic, and turn wholeheartedly to God. Although the earlier stories recorded in Numbers 22 vs 1 to Numbers 24 vs 25 portrayed Balaam as obedient to God, but eventually his evil motives and desire for money won him out (Numbers 25 vs 1 - 3; 31 vs 16). He couldn’t resist the tempting pull of money and idolatry. Haven compromised his faith, he used religion for personal advancement, a sin that God does not take lightly. And he caused the children of Israel great harm. 

The consequences of Balaam’s compromised faith to the Israelites was recorded In Numbers 31 vs 16, the Scripture says, “Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Poer, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.” And in the Book of Jude, the Scripture says, “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.” (Jude 11.) 

Jude gives three examples of men of compromised faith who did whatever they wanted: Cain, who murdered his brother out of vengeful jealousy (Genesis 4 vs 1 - 16); Balaam, who prophesied out of greed, not out of obedience to God’s command (Numbers 22 - 24); Korah, who rebelled against God’s divinely appointed leaders, wanting the power for himself (Numbers 16 vs 1 - 35). These stories illustrate attitudes that are typical of those who compromise their faith in God—pride, selflessness, jealousy, greed, lust for power, and disregard of God’s will. Their outward appearance and actions—pious, church attendance, prayer, good deeds—do not reflect their inner convictions and commitment to God. 

Our society is adorned with the likes of Balaam; people who have compromised their faith: pastors, prophets, apostles, teachers, and laity. The cares of this world have a great pull on such persons, that they pick and choose what, and what not, to believe or obey in God’s laws. Many believers live through the same process. Who and what we are will somehow come to the surface, destroying any masks we may have used in order to cover up our real selves. Outwardly we appear pious, but inwardly harboring sinful desires. Efforts spent in keeping up appearances would be much better spent on finding the answer to sin in our lives. We can avoid Balaam’s mistake by facing ourselves and realizing that God is willing to accept us, forgive us, and literally make us changed people from within.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of un-compromised faith in You, that I will have an unfettered right relationship with You, never to put anything first before You in anyway. in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

We Can Do Nothing

 We Can Do Nothing

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

Suppose you are totally paralyzed and can do nothing for yourself but talk. And suppose a strong and reliable friend promised to live with you and do whatever you needed done. How could you glorify this friend if a stranger came to see you? 

Would you glorify his generosity and strength by trying to get out of bed and carry him? No! You would say, “Friend, please come lift me up, and would you put a pillow behind me so I can look at my guest? And would you please put my glasses on for me?” 

And so your visitor would learn from your requests that you are helpless and that your friend is strong and kind. You glorify your friend by needing him, and by asking him for help, and counting on him.

In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” So we really are paralyzed. Without Christ, we are capable of no Christ-exalting good. As Paul says in Romans 7:18, “Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.” 

But John 15:5 also says that God does intend for us to do much Christ-exalting good, namely bear fruit: “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” So as our strong and reliable friend — “I have called you friends” (John 15:15) — he promises to do for us, and through us, what we can’t do for ourselves.

How then do we glorify him? Jesus gives the answer in John 15:7: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” We pray! We ask God to do for us through Christ what we can’t do for ourselves — bear fruit. 

John 15:8 gives the result: “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.” 

So how is God glorified by prayer? Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that he will provide the help we need.

BE HOSPITABLE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD

FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 2024.

SUBJECT : BE HOSPITABLE!

Memory verse: “Di not neglect to entertain strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13 vs 2.)

READ: Romans 12 vs 9 - 13:

12:9: Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

12:10: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

12:11: Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12:12: Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

12:13: Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

INTIMATION:

Being hospitable is a disposition of receiving and entertaining strangers and guests with cordiality, kindness, and generous liberality, and without expecting any reward. Being hospitable is about focusing on the other person, understanding their needs and offering to help them to meet those needs. When you do that, people become comfortable with you. When someone is comfortable with you, they will share more, opening the opportunity to learn from one another and they will begin to look for ways to help you should you need something someday. 

Hospitality is the act of being hospitable, and it is a characteristic of those who have understood the principle of love. It's a way to show love. One’s brotherly love must extend beyond those he or she personally knows. It must extend to strangers; those who are passing through one’s area. It’s foundational in building relationships. Being receptive, respectful and open to others say, “you are important to me.” If you let others know you value them, they will most likely have a similar feeling about you.

A person’s reputation is largely connected to his hospitality—the sharing of home and food. Even strangers were to be treated as highly honored guests. Hospitality also prompts you to remember what you have to offer. Meeting another’s need for food or shelter is one of the most immediate and practical ways to obey God. It is also a time-honored relationship builder. This thought should be on our minds the next time we have the opportunity to meet a stranger’s need.

Hospitality of the early Christians was a means by which the evangelists could go forth and preach the gospel. When one is hospitable to a fellow brother in Christ as he passes through, he may be entertaining a messenger of God as he went on his way preaching the gospel. In so doing one may unwittingly entertain angels of God which is tantamount to entertaining God. In the Bible, three Old Testament people unwittingly entertained angels: (1) Abraham (Genesis 18), (2) Gideon (Judges 6), (3) Manoah (Judges 13). 

Some people say they cannot be hospitable because their homes are not large enough or nice enough. But even if you have no more than a table and two chairs in a rented room, there are people who would be grateful to spend time in your home. Giving hospitality is very important today because so many people struggle with loneliness. In our self-centered society, we can show that we care by being hospitable. 

Christian hospitality differs from social entertainment. Entertaining focuses on the host: The home must be spotless; the food must be well prepared and abundant; the host must appear relaxed and good-natured. Hospitality, by contrast, focuses on the guests’ needs, such as a place to stay, nourish in food, a listening ear, or just acceptance. Hospitality can happen in a messy home. It can happen around a dinner table where the main dish is as simple as a canned soup. It can even happen while the host and the guest are doing chores together. Don’t hesitate to offer hospitality just because you are too tired, too busy, or not wealthy enough to entertain.

We would benefit from inviting people to eat with us—visitors, fellow church members, young people, those in need. God wants us to be generous, and hospitable with non-Christians. It allows you to meet interesting people and gain a broader perspective. When you are approachable and engage with others, they will open up and share their knowledge and insights, and through such friendship some may be won to Christ. 

Are there visitors in your church with whom you could share a meal? Do you know single people who would enjoy an evening of conversation? Is there any way your home could meet the needs of traveling missionaries? Hospitality simply means making other people feel comfortable and at home. This makes us happier as children of God doing His will.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of hospitality—showing kindness and generous liberality without reward—to guests and strangers. Help me to lead a love life that is very pleasing to You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Best Passage Ever

 Best Passage Ever

God put [Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25–26)

Romans 3:25–26 may be the most important verses in the Bible.

God is wholly just! And he justifies the ungodly! Really? A just judge acquitting the guilty!

Not either/or! Both! He acquits the guilty, but is not guilty in doing so. This is the greatest news in the world!

“[God] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He takes our sin. We take his righteousness.

“By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Whose flesh? Christ’s. Whose sin condemned in that flesh? Ours. For us then? No condemnation! 

“[Christ] bore our sins in his body on the tree.” (1 Peter 2:24)

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

“If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:5)

If the most terrifying news in the world is that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his own righteous character to preserve the worth of his glory by pouring out his wrath on our sin . . .

. . . Then the best news in all the world (the gospel!) is that God has decreed and enacted a way of salvation that also upholds the worth of his glory, the honor of his Son, and the eternal salvation of his elect. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.

CHASE AFTER ‘A LIFE WELL LIVED.’

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 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!

Prayer for Peace

 Today, we're praying for God's  peace in our hearts, homes and around us.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

May you enjoin divine peace as you pray with us. AMEN🙏🙏🙏

PRAYER  POINTS

1.  - Oh Lord endue me with the Spirit of peace in Jesus name  - Oh Lord 

2.  - Father have mercy on me and forgive me for all my complainings in Jesus name

3.  - I reject the spirit of confusion in Jesus name

4.  - Shower me with your peace in the midst of my trials in Jesus name

5.  - I reject the spirit of sorrows in Jesus name

6.  - I shall never lack inner peace in my life again in Jesus Name.

7.  - I reject the Spirit of fear in my Life in Jesus name

8.  - I reject the spirt of murmuring and complaining in Jesus name.

9.  - The financial failure and embarrassment that others fear will not befall-me, in the name of Jesus.

10.  - I break every evil covenant that has brought fear into my life, in the name of Jesus.

11.  - I bind and cast out every fear of losing my anointing and salvation, in the name of Jesus.

12.  - I bind and cast out every fear of compromising my faith, in the name of Jesus.

13.  - Let the fear of missing the rapture go back to the bottom of the pit, in the name of Jesus.

14.  - Let the fear of not being able to overcome any weakness in me dry to its roots, in the name of Jesus.

15.  - Let the fear of committing unpardonable sin be washed out of me by the blood of Jesus.

16.  - Let the fear of being ministerially stunted get out of my vision, in the name of Jesus.

17.  - The fear of not being spiritually fulfilled will not germinate in my life, in the name of Jesus.

18.  - The fear of backsliding I have nursed or nurtured up in my life will not come upon me, in the name of Jesus.

19.   - I recieve the grace to be peaceful in the midst of the storms of Life in Jesus name.

God’s Wise Mercy

 God’s Wise Mercy

We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:23–24)

Over against the terrifying news that we have fallen under the condemnation of our Creator and that he is bound by his own righteous character to preserve the worth of his glory by pouring out eternal wrath on our sin, there is the wonderful news of the gospel.

This is a truth no one can ever learn from nature. The truth of the gospel has to be told to neighbors and preached in churches and carried by missionaries.

The good news is that God himself has decreed a way to satisfy the demands of his justice without condemning the whole human race. 

Hell is one way to settle accounts with sinners and uphold his justice. But there is another way. God provided another way. This is the gospel.

The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God. There it is. The gospel. Let me say it again slowly: The wisdom of God has ordained a way for the love of God to deliver us from the wrath of God without compromising the justice of God. 

And what is this wisdom? The death of the Son of God for sinners! “We preach Christ crucified . . . the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23–24).

The death of Christ is the wisdom of God by which the love of God saves sinners from the wrath of God, all the while upholding and demonstrating the righteousness of God in Christ.