Daily Voice Devotional with Niyi Adekunle: Recent Episodes
Niyi Adekunle
It started as a simple daily voice note of faith and encouragement to a few people in Lagos, Nigeria when the COVID 19 pandemic hit the state.
Now evolved into a NEW DAILY EXPERIENCE to multitudes around the world...
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday, 10th November
Do Great, Do it Together 3
One person can start something amazing alone, but it cannot be made great all by oneself. Great achievements are made with the help of other like-minded people. God had this great plan for the children of Israel and He called Moses to lead them. Though Moses had different excuses due to his human limitations, God raised an helper for him.
Exodus 4: 14 – 15 (NLT) says, _Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both on what to do_
Here, God was telling Moses that he wasn’t going to lead alone as his brother Aaron would give a helping hand. Sometimes when God calls us, all we see are our limitations, but trust me God has already positioned people around, to help us. All we need to do is to step out and trust that God will bring these people our way.
Paul was going to this city and he encountered some problems. The angel of the Lord appeared and told him not to be afraid because the people that would help him were there. Wherever God sends anyone, He already provide a company of people that are willing to work and lend their support. All we need to do is to recognise them and understand that we cannot do it alone.
I trust God that as we are beginning to round up this year and planning for the next year, we will see God bringing the right people our way. The partnership of Moses and Aaron brought the whole nation of Egypt to the new. I pray God will bring those partnerships that will usher us into newness and greater achievements in the name of Jesus.
God bless and keep you.
Enjoy the rest of your
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Tuesday 21st September
Forgive and forget - A Myth 2
What does myth mean? A myth is a statement that is baseless or story-based facts that are not true. It could also be a hear-say story. When people based their lives on myths, their performance in life become limited and they easily get into trouble. It is interesting to see that people often quote scripture out of context or use same to suit their purposes. These people fit perfectly into what Paul describes in Roman 1 vs 25 about turning the truth into a lie. When Satan tempted Jesus, he twisted scripture in order to deceive Jesus. We must be watchful of subtle but dangerous religious statement that appears real, pious, and true. They only have the appearance of truth but have no truth substances.
Luke 11 vs 27-28 (ESV), says; 27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” What we see in the bible passage above was Jesus attempt to demystify a nice statement that was erroneous. Jesus busted the myth embedded in the woman’s statement. Jesus wanted people to know the actual blessing is for those who are the doers of the word not the womb.
Paul understood the damage caused by myth beliefs. He warned Timothy in his letter to him in 1 Timothy 1 vs 4 (NLT), saying 4 Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.
Paul warned Timothy here sternly. He said, do not listen any discussion around myths. When people began to peddle such rumour, do your best to stop it. It was quite important for Paul to issue such warning given the antecedents of Jews and Greek culture of his days. Myths belief is of no use. It robs people of their authentic beliefs and ability to maximize what God has for them. Jesus said, anybody who hears this word of mine and do them, will be compared to the house that stands on the rock. Thus, statements like forgive and forget is a myth and if our belief system stands on it, they will crumble in the day of test. Forgive and forget is not practical. God did not expect us to do that.
I pray that God will help you to be an active student of His word. May the Holy spirit expand this in your heart so that you can build your life on true word of God that is unshakeable.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Monday 20th September
Forgive and forget - A Myth 1
Is it possible to forgive and forget?
One of the devastating effect of man’s fall is religion. Man is creating his own avenue at returning back to God. The has resulted in creating rules, procedures, practices, and expectations. This in turn had created false hope and expectation. It has made man appear pious on one hand but added additional weight to man’s problem on the other hand. What Jesus offered us through salvation is relationship. It is the relationship to share God’s divinity through obedience. It does not create false expectation and hypocrisy. Jesus said Luke 11 vs 46 (TPT), Jesus responded, “You are also hypocrites, you experts of the law! You crush people beneath the burden of obeying impossible religious regulations, yet you would never even think of doing them yourselves.
Jesus confronted religious class of His days accusing them of placing burden on the people. The issue Jesus had with them was that while proclaiming the extra practices, they do not implement those practices. In essence, the Pharisees, the teachers of the Law and Sadducees were all good giving extra meaning to the scripture. In this way, they had found was of making unnecessary demands of the people whereas they do not practise the same. By doing so, they made people’s life miserable. In the present day, there are many religious statements that sound pious and appear to be real, but they are not necessarily right and true. One of such statement is heaven help those who help themselves. Another one is the voice of the people is the voice of God. When we pay adequate attention to these statements, we find out that they are not accurate using Bible as a standard reference.
One religious statement that could get into trouble is this concept of forgive and forget. The statement appears real, right, and correct. But how scriptural is this statement? Did God actually give this commandment? Can it be traced in the Bible? The magnitude of this statement could make us to feel dejected as though we are breaking God’s law especially when we struggle with “forgetting” part of the statement. How practical is forgive and forget? Is it God’s standard?
We will pay attention to these kinds of questions throughout this week. We must not give room to Satan to steal our freedom through lack of knowledge. We have freedom in Christ. The Bible says it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. We will be trusting God to give access to this understanding so that we can unravel it. God will never ask to do anything He cannot do by Himself.
I pray that you will learn to walk in this new light of forgiveness, as will gain understanding in Jesus name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of the day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Thursday 16th September
Free yourself, forgive others 4.
One of the important elements of life is to learn to forgive others so that we could be free from all the consequences of unforgiveness. The advantage of forgiving others is enormous. It affords us enjoyment of a life free from health and spiritual consequences of unforgiveness.
Interestingly, we cannot run away from human relationship, it is an essential fabric of our existence. We must therefore, commit ourselves to understanding the dynamics of human relationship. The lack of this understanding drives us to the point where either get hurt or put ourselves in a position where we will have to deal with toxic emotions. This may lead to us carrying the weight of bitterness and unforgiveness throughout our lifetime.
Jesus said in John 2 vs 23-25(TPT);
23 While Jesus was at the Passover Feast, the number of his followers began to grow, and many gave their allegiance to him because of all the miraculous signs they had seen him doing! 24 But Jesus did not yet entrust himself to them, because he knew how fickle human hearts can be. 25 He needed no one to tell him about human" nature, for he fully understood what man was capable of doing.
This scripture is emphasizing the essence of understanding the human relationship. Jesus, the God in human flesh knew all men. He loved all men and was willing to do anything to be of help. One of the things that set apart was that He did not entrust His life to anybody. Jesus had full grasp of human relationship.
Now there are three things we can learn from the story of Michal and David. The first thing we must know and be aware of is that people have right to be wrong. We must recognise people's right to exercise the power of choice. They have right to exercise that will at any time. Therefore, do not expect that people will return back the favour you have offered them. Sometimes, they can and sometimes, they may not.
Secondly, you are complete in God. People may give you positive compliment, that is good. You do not need to attach your life to anybody to live a fulfilled life. Depend on God.
Finally, defeat bitterness. Bitterness could be worse than betrayal. We cannot run away from the issues of life. Issues will always come up. Michal did not understand the dynamics of the issues between her and David. She was over-powered by bitterness and became worse for it.
Human beings will always be human beings. We have the capacity to protect ourselves from unforgiveness when we truly understand human relationship and not to put ourselves in position where we are consistently hurt.
I pray that the Lord will give us strength to be objectivs and do the right thing in every relationship.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Tuesday 14th of September
Free Yourself, Forgive Others 2
One of the things that makes forgiving people difficult is because most of the people that hurt us are very close to us. They are people we love and value. This is the basic dynamics of unforgiveness. We feel hurt most when the source of our hurt is from people we love and cherish. However, holding on to the wrong done to us will only hurt us more. The depth of the pain is understandable considering how much we have invested emotionally in such associations or relationships. Releasing these people via forgiveness is one of the best things we can do for ourselves as holding these people in our hearts in unforgiveness will not make them suffer.
The Bible talks about two characters that held onto unforgiveness and it did not end well with them. The first was Saul the first king of Israel. God rejected him because he was disobedient and this led to God choosing David and an evil spirit took over Saul. Let's look at 1 Samuel 16:21;
"David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much and chose him as the man to carry his weapons."
In the scripture above the Bible gives us details into how close David was with Saul so much so that David kept guard of Saul's armour. The Bible tells us that Saul loved David, but along the line David became an Enemy of Saul. This began when David slew Goliath and the people sang the praises of David more than the did of Saul. This sparked up the hatred in Saul which led to him dying a miserable death while hunting for David.
The second character is the daughter of Saul Michal. Samuel 18:20 the Bible says...
"In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it."
Saul and Michal had both fallen in love with David. David married Saul's daughter, but as the hatred for David by Saul increased, David had to abandon the wife and run for his life. At the later end of their life Michal had developed resentment and bitterness for David. This bitterness led to her being the only woman recorded in scripture that didn't give birth because God made her barren. The father and daughter lost out completely because of unforgiveness and refusal to release David in their hearts.
Friends, our lives will be better when we free whoever we know that we are holding something against in our hearts. Let's release them in our hearts and walk in freedom from bitterness and anger. May we experience the God-given grace to work in the liberty that Christ had already purchased for us through his blood in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 13th of September
Free Yourself, Forgive Others.
You free yourself when you forgive others.
I have heard and seen people say "I will never forgive him or her," and I realise that most times such statements are made from anger and pain. The problem is that no matter how angry one is, nothing justifies staying in unforgiveness. More danger looms over the one that stays in unforgiveness.
Holding on to unforgiveness, is like piling up emotional stones in one's life. At some point it will definitely weigh one down and even begin to tell on one's health. Sincere people will confess that unforgiveness physically tells on their bodies and in some cases, causes stomach upsets. This is as a result of negative emotions at work; it locks one up and makes one a prisoner.
It is important that we realise as quickly as possible that whatever God has said in His word isn't to His benefit, but to our advantage. Not forgiving those who have wronged us won't make God less of who He is or make Him lose His throne. It will only make us succeed in punishing ourselves. Therefore when God says that we should forgive, the first beneficiary of forgiveness is us. In Mark 6:4 (NLT) Jesus said...
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."
In the scripture above, two things are pitched against the one who doesn't forgive. Firstly, that person will carry heavy emotional baggage around & secondly, God will not forgive the person's sins. So the crucial question is; "Is holding people in unforgiveness really worth it?"
I truly know from the depth of my heart that we all want to be free, and that we don't want to carry unnecessary baggage in our lives. The way to go about it then, is to free ourselves by forgiving others.
I pray that God will give us the grace to release and forgive anyone that we are holding anything against for any reason Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Thursday 9th of September
Watch out! Offenses Ahead. 4
We have established the fact that offences are the breeding ground for unforgiveness. The presence of anger and provocation, is therefore a conducive environment for unforgiveness. However, it is important to note that we have the power to overcome whatever comes our way, including offences.
This brings us to the subject of choice; we may not be in control of how and when offences will come, but we can choose not to allow it rule us. We can choose not to allow offences complete its cycle by sowing the seed of unforgiveness. Cain the brother of Abel in the Bible is a classic example of someone in this situation. Here is what God told him in Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT)
“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Cain and Abel his brother made sacrifices to God. God receives Abel's sacrifice and rejects Cain's sacrifice. This infuriated Cain and in anger and unforgiveness, he kills his brother Abel. But before Cain murdered his brother, God called on him to watch it, telling him that offences were trying to take hold of him but that he should resist it and master his negative emotion.
God is clearly saying to us, that offences can and will come. The problem is not in offences coming, but in our ability not to allow it pull us down. We are all emotional creatures and we are permitted to be offended but the Bible teaches that we should not allow it to take us down and affect other areas of our lives. We are to be on guard and overcome it lest we walk the rough road of unforgiveness.
My prayer today is that no matter what is causing offences and the grievous pain it brings into our lives, God will strengthen us by the power of His Spirit to subdue and master it, so that it will not take the best of us in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday, 8th August
Watch out! Offenses ahead 3
Offences are the traps that Satan uses to pull us into unforgiveness. One of the major assignments of a believer, is to fight against anything that will make unforgiveness to grow in his or her heart. Never forget that offences are a breeding ground for unforgiveness. So the believer is to fight it off by not allowing Satan to sow the seed of offence in his or her heart.
There are many reasons for and sources of offence. Jesus said that offences must surely come, but woe to whom from which it comes. Paul and Barnabas had a good share of offence in their earthly ministry. The book of Acts records a group of people who dedicated themselves to destroy the ministry of Paul. They followed him to all the cities he preached just to bring chaos and trouble. 2 Timothy 4:14 (NLT) says . . .
"Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done."
Of all the Paul's Offenders, Alexander stood out to Paul. He master minded a lot of Paul's offences, so much so that Paul had to commit him into the hand of God for judgment. Paul never held anything against him but quickly left him to the judgment of God.
It is also important to note that offences can come from people knowingly or unknowingly. When Jesus was about to be crucified, the Jews accused him falsely and did all sorts of painful things to him, but in Luke 23:34 the bible says . . .
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Here is an innocent man who has been lied against, spat on, scourged, and beaten, yet Jesus said "father forgive them because they don't know what they are doing." The truth is that many people offend us and they honestly don't know. Therefore, whether offences come intentionally or not intentionally, do not allow offences to fester or take root in your heart because the root of bitterness will defile you and cause you more harm.
I pray God will give you strength and grace to resist offences in anyway it manifests itself in Jesus name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle*
Tuesday, 7th of September
Watch Out! Offences Ahead 2
Watch out because no matter what, offences will come. We can try to pray them away but as Jesus said, it will surely come. The question is where exactly does it come from and how?
Let us read our bible from Job 5: 6 – 7 (NLT),
6 But evil does not spring from the soil, and trouble does not sprout from the earth
.
7 People are born for trouble as readily as sparks fly up from a fire.
The bible here is saying that evil doesn’t just grow and trouble doesn’t just come from anywhere, it is built into the fallen nature of our world. The fact that we are living in a broken world makes offence part of our living reality. The bible says that just as surely as sparks fly out from fire, we can be certain that offences will come in life. The moment we know this, we have a head start. This is why we need to watch out. Offences will come unannounced from places we don’t expect. Its source makes no difference because Jesus has told us how to deal with it. We might not be able to stop birds from flying over our heads, but we can stop them from building a nest on our heads. We cannot stop offences from coming but we must ensure that no matter how it comes, it doesn’t lead us into unforgiveness. Unforgiveness is like cancer, it is evil and drags us down. "Offence" is what the devil uses as a hook to pull a person into unforgiveness.
I pray in the name of Jesus that anywhere the devil is using offences to get you it will fail. Watch out! Offences ahead. You will not be a victim in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Monday, 6th of September
Watch Out! Offences Ahead 1
We must watch out because “offences” are just ahead. If you are not dealing with one right now, you must have dealt with it at some point in your life and will still deal with it in the future. Whether you pray or fast you will still have to deal with offences. Offence is a breeding ground for unforgiveness. The moment you have offences you need to tread carefully because unforgiveness is not very far away. We must get ready to deal with offences because if we don’t, we might find ourselves walking in unforgiveness.
Let’s read from Luke 17: 1 (NKJV),
Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offences should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
Here it says offences will surely come. No matter how spiritual and good you are to people, reasons for offences will surely come. No matter where it is, make up your mind that offences will not allow you to get into unforgiveness. The moment we do not prepare and offences come, especially unannounced, they take us off our guard and we begin to struggle with unforgiveness.
I pray in the name of Jesus that when the time and season comes, and offence comes your way you will have the wisdom and the strength to deal with it.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Daily Voice DevotionDVD With Niyi Adekunle
Friday 3rd of September
The Force of Forgiveness 3
The basic understanding of the word “force” is that it is the energy or power that can be used to subject something to change. So, anything that can influence anybody is a force. Hence, forgiveness is a force. Forgiveness is a force because it can bring changes to our lives. In the same way, unforgiveness is a force that can also cause changes. Therefore, God encourages us to use the force of forgiveness so that it can bring positive changes to our lives. When we do not forgive, we risk a lot of trouble. Unforgiveness is dangerous to us and those around us.
Hebrew 12: 15 (TPT) says;
"Watch over each other to make sure that no one misses the revelation of God’s grace. And make sure no one lives with a root of bitterness sprouting within them which will only cause trouble and poison the hearts of many."
When we do not forgive, we allow bitterness start from within us. This bible verse says unforgiveness cuts us off God’s grace and power. The root of bitterness then begins to grow inside of us, poisoning our system to the point where it will trouble the heart of those around us.
We can see that unforgiveness is foolishness because it can cause trouble for us and those around us. It can be a root cause of mental, emotional and health challenges. I have had a doctor say that one of the causes of cancer is unforgiveness.
It is imperative to leverage on the force of forgiveness to help ourselves. We are not helping anybody when we forgive them, we are helping ourselves as individuals. So, let's use the force of forgiveness starting from this new month to move our lives forward and avoid failure in the grace of God.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend!al
Daily Voice DevotionalDVD With Niyi Adekunle
Thursday, 2nd September
The Force of Forgiveness.
A lot of us think that forgiveness is for the weak and powerful people deal with people. The truth is this; It takes a lot of power to forgive, to anticipate an error that people would do against you and before they do it, to release them in your heart so when they do it, it is not difficult to forgive .
Understand that human beings naturally are designed to revenge. When somebody does something wrong to you, your natural response is to get back at him and make them feel bad. But one thing is this; God designed all of us to forgive, just the way He designed the world with the capacity to forgive. He created every human being with the capacity to forgive one another. Jesus said, the offence will surely come, but even though offence will surely come, you must be ready to forgive.
Never hold a sin against anybody; believe me, this takes a lot to do. Under the Old Testament laws, the talk is about , “an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth". It is just natural to lash out when somebody does something wrong against you. But under the new covenant, we are called to a higher level of life, higher level of power and a higher level of control. If somebody slaps you, don't slap back, what do you do? Turn the other cheek and let them give you another slap? Now, it doesn't mean that you should just turn your cheek let someone slap you again. It simply means you have the power of response. You can control yourself and say, “instead of slapping the person back, instead of taking revenge, I will control myself.” God has created in all of us, the capacity to forgive one another.
Let's read the book of Matthew 6: 15 (NLT), “But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.”
The Bible is saying here that because God has designed you with the capacity to forgive others, the moment somebody offends you and you refuse to forgive them, God also would not forgive you. Why? Because he knows you have what it takes to forgive. So, we are talking about this amazing force of forgiveness, but understand this;
The power of forgiveness is designed into our world.
The power of forgiveness is also in you so you can choose to forgive.
Jesus said it somewhere in the book of John, that whoever you forgive He forgives too. And when you forgive people, you are releasing them. May God give us the grace to release as many people as possible who we’ve held in unforgiveness. And once you release them, God also releases you. May you enjoy supernatural release this month in Jesus' name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Tuesday 31st, August
Maximizing the Life of God in You 9
If we want to profit from the life of God, we must learn to engage it deliberately and the key to maximizing this life is by stirring it up. We must constantly engage this life until we become until we delivers everything God has made available for us by His life. In Revelation 5:12 we have a list of some of the benefits the life of God makes available to us.The summary of what the life of God provides for us is the good life.
3 John 2 (NKJV),
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
The word prosper in the scripture is not just about money, it means having a good journey. It means fulfilling your destiny in life. John is communicating through Holy Spirit that God want us to have a good life. God want our life’s journey to go well. He wants us to be in good health as our soul proper. The prosperity of soul is directly related to our physical health. As important as it is to God that we develop an intimate relationship with Him in order to maximize the fullness of His life, He also desire that we live in good health.
What is the point accumulating wealth with a failed health. Remember Job, the devil attacked his health terribly. His life was miserable to the point of death. When God restored his health, his wealth was also restored, and everything went back to norma even better. God does not want is to leave our health unattended. Yes, Jesus has paid the price for our health, but that doesn't mean we should be careless about our it.
If or when our health is challenged, remember that healing has been made available for us in Christ and through the life of God in us we can access by faith. As we stir up the life of God, it has the ability to supply energy required for healing. With the world grappling with a global epidemic, you must be aware that the life of God in you is able to keep you and shield you. It does mean that we have to be careless. However, the bibles say, the spirit of a man is able to sustain him and bring him to health when the health is challenged. God has made provision for our health. He has made provision for our healing. All we have to do is to enforce the reality of that wellness through the blood of Jesus and the life of God we have already.
Stir up that life and release the life of God to enforce your healing and health.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 30th August
Maximizing the life of God in you 8
We have said that to maximize the life of God in us, we must stir it up, which means using it til we take advantage of everything that God has given us. God's idea was that we should have abundant life here on Earth and not just in heaven.
Living the life of God comes with its benefits, and these benefits can be seen. in Rev. 5:12 (NLT) we read something very interesting;
And they sang in a mighty chorus:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
What you just read at the benefits of maximizing the life of God in us, it is a life of power, riches Wisdom, strength, longevity, wellness, and vitality. It is a life of honour which means good standing in the society and respect in the community. It is a life of Glory, a life in which you are seeing the manifestation of your potential and the life of God in you. It is simply a life of blessing,. This is the picture of of a person living in the fullness of the life of God. This is the exceptional life that we all want to be part of, and God wants you to live in it.
Abundance of Life takes away reproach and makes people not to call a pity party for you and treat you like a victim. The apostles had a pretty share of a pity party when Jesus was crucified. But when the Holy Spirit came on them, the people who pitied them saw how bold they stood to speak the word of God. These Apostles manifested so much of the life of God that the people could not stop them. They knew how unlearned and ignorant these men were. It could only be something more than the natural that would make men who were cowards some days ago, become bold as Lions. The life of God was working maximally in their lives, giving them boldness tell the people that the life of God had come into them.
I pray that your life would command attention, you would be a Victor and not a victim, you would not be a source of reproach but a source of envy and glory to God in the name of Jesus.
God bless you,
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday 1st September
The Force of Forgiveness.
A lot of people think that there's nothing powerful about forgiveness, but it is one of the most awesome and powerful forces in the world. Forgiveness is something that can hold you down and something that can release you into your destiny.
Forgiveness is very interesting; it's a compound word in the sense that it's made of two words. The first word is “Fore,” which means to be ahead or to be in front. The other word is “give,” which means to contribute, to share or to release. So, you bring the word together as “Forgive.” It simply means to give ahead or to anticipate an error done against you and to release the person before the offence comes.
There's a possibility of somebody offending you so, you anticipate it. Instead of not forgiving this person and allowing the person to carry that guilt and pain, you should forgive that person. This is what forgiveness is all about! The powerful thing is that God designed forgiveness into the human system, into the human world, even before sin came.
If you read in the book of Revelation 13: 8 it says, “the lamb of God was slain before the world began.”
This means even before God designed the world, before He designed man, before He made man, before m an sinned, Jesus Christ had paid the price for our sins i.e. God had through foreknowledge anticipated the sin of man and had made provision for that. God was truly thinking ahead and released man . This takes power and this is what forgiveness is all about.
I pray in the name of Jesus in September, and for the rest of the year, whatever is keeping us from forgiving anyone, the Lord would give us the grace to forgive and release them. I pray in the name of Jesus that this season will be a season of release for you releasing the destiny that God has assigned for you in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Tuesday 24th, August
Maximizing the Life of God in You 2
The life of God in us can only be a blessing to others and bring fulfillment to us as we use it. We maximize the life of God in use by using it to it full potential.
Imagine you have a cup of tea, you add some sugar and milk but you don't stir it.
You will not enjoy the real taste of that tea because the sugar and milk would have settled down in the cup. But when you stir it, the sugar and milk get well mixed with the tea and you create a new taste that wasn't there before. The stirring makes a demand on the constituents of the sugar and milk as they are released into the tea it's a completely different experience. This is how the life of God in us works.
2 Timothy 1 vs 6-7 (NKJV),
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Paul was speaking to Timothy about how to maximize the gift of God in his life, his advice to him was to STIR IT UP. Until it is stirred up, it can't be maximized. When we stir up the gifts of God in use by use, we place a demand of the life of God and the abilities of the Spirit on the inside of us. The "mixing" of this life releases heaven's abilities, and bring great blessings.
Paul said in the book of Hebrew, that Word of God brings no benefits when not mixed with faith. As powerful as the Word of God is, without "mixing it" it's power is not released.
We should not just be satisfied with having the life of God in us, we must go on to maximizing that life by using. And to do this we must conquer our fears. That's why Pau also said, " God has not given us the spirit of fear but of wisdom and sound mind"
We must stop worrying about the outcome of using the gift of God in us and just use it and leave the outcome to God..
I pray in Jesus' Name that you will overcome fear and begin to exercise your faith in the life of God.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Saturday 28th August
Maximizing the life of God in You 6
What defines a person in life and their results is their mindset, how they think. Your thinking ultimately controls your life. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus begin His ministry by calling people to repentance. It was a call to a new way of thinking. He wanted people to begin thinking like heaven would want them to think.
In the yoruba language, the word "repentance" is IRONU PIWA DA" which literally means " stirring you inside to change your conduct on the outside. It's about deep thinking that brings about great changes.
Thinking is one of the ways to stir up the life of God in us. When we think through an issue in line with the word of God something snaps inside us that brings light into our lives concerning the situation.
Luke 15:17-19 (NKJV)
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
In the story we see a young man who takes his inheritance from his father and heads off to a life of independence and recklessness. After squandering all his wealth he ends up in a deplorable state feeding pigs and longing to eat from their food.As he began to think about his life in his lowly state, he asked himself some deep questions and in the process he came to his senses. Those thought provoking questions brought about his liberation. He understood that his father's servants had a more dignified life that he had. He decided to return to his father to take up the position of a servant but was received and celebrated in his position as a son.
When we meditate deeply in accordance with God's Word it quickly transforms us and brings us that change we seek.
I pray that you will go beyond casually reading and listening to the Word of God but fully engage yourself with it at a deeper level through deep thinking or meditation till it produces in your life in Jesus' Name
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Sunday 29th August
Maximizing the life of God in you 7
One of the reasons why God blesses us is so that we can be a blessing to other people. God said to Abraham the father of faith, “I will bless you so that you will be a blessing. Today God has blessed us with gift, talents, abilities and most especially God has blessed us with His life - Zoe. We become a blessing to others with our gifts and the life of God by serving them
The gifts, talents and abilities that God gave us are to be used in the service and for the benefit of others. The beautiful thing about service is that the more we serve with our gift, they become better and the gifts just keeps developing. If we sit down and do nothing, we refuse to use our abilities to serve in church, school, office, community and home, we will not benefit from those abilities and we would not maximize the life of God within us. When we commit to a life of service, we give God the permission to activate the gifts and abilities in our lives.
1 Cor 12:4-7
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
The gift of the Spirit that God gives us is not really for our benefit but for the benefit of others. As we use these gifts to serve others it brings joy and fulfillment to our lives. Everyday we have boundless and simple ways of serving others and being a blessing to them; you can serve by give your time and skill to help somebody in need, you can use your ability to assist in a church or in an organization, you can share your testimony to encourage someone and bring them to a personal relationship with Christ and the service opportunities just goes on and one.
Never turn down or avoid an opportunity to serve, doing that is denying yourself the opportunity for improvement and advancement. If you find yourself in a place where you have to stretch, and make certain sacrifices in order to serve, don't let it pass you by, serve. Very few things stir and trigger the life of God and the abilities of God in us a s sacrificial service. The tea bag doesn't release its flavour until hot water is poured into it. Service is sometimes unpleasurable, but don’t be afraid of the pain of service, it always comes with the gains later.
Maximize the life of God and the gifts of God in you through service, don’t just wait to be called on to serve, get out of your comfort zone and find people or places you can serve and watch the floodgate of blessing you would have opened.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Saturday 28th August
Maximizing the life of God in You 6
What defines a person in life and their results is their mindset, how they think. Your thinking ultimately controls your life. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus begin His ministry by calling people to repentance. It was a call to a new way of thinking. He wanted people to begin thinking like heaven would want them to think.
In the yoruba language, the word "repentance" is IRONU PIWA DA" which literally means " stirring you inside to change your conduct on the outside. It's about deep thinking that brings about great changes.
Thinking is one of the ways to stir up the life of God in us. When we think through an issue in line with the word of God something snaps inside us that brings light into our lives concerning the situation.
Luke 15:17-19 (NKJV)
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
In the story we see a young man who takes his inheritance from his father and heads off to a life of independence and recklessness. After squandering all his wealth he ends up in a deplorable state feeding pigs and longing to eat from their food.As he began to think about his life in his lowly state, he asked himself some deep questions and in the process he came to his senses. Those thought provoking questions brought about his liberation. He understood that his father's servants had a more dignified life that he had. He decided to return to his father to take up the position of a servant but was received and celebrated in his position as a son.
When we meditate deeply in accordance with God's Word it quickly transforms us and brings us that change we seek.
I pray that you will go beyond casually reading and listening to the Word of God but fully engage yourself with it at a deeper level through deep thinking or meditation till it produces in your life in Jesus' Name
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Thursday 26th August
Maximizing the life of God 4
In physics we have different forms of energy, when the energy is stored up unused it’s potential energy but when the energy is in motion and in use, it’s called kinetic energy. God doesn’t want His life stored up in us like some form of potential energy, He wants His life in us to be put to work and stirred up. When the life of God in us is put to work, others can “…see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.”
Nicodemus observed the life of Jesus and it was clearly an extraordinary life, it wasn’t the kind of life that he was used to. He came to see Jesus in the night and asked Him the secret of His exceptional lifestyle, Jesus told him the secret was the life form on the inside of Him. The life of God, Zoe, when truly lived out will catch the attention of others.
Acts 11:26 (NKJV)
And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Barnabas was on a visit to follow up the churches of Christ in a region. He got Saul and took him with him to Antioch. They stayed with the believers there for one year teaching them the Word of God. The believers in Antioch were so stirred up that the life of God in them became evident to people in their community and they began calling them Christians, meaning their conduct was like Christ’s.
It is good to have the life of God in us, but we must ensure the life of Christ in us is not just stored up in us but it becomes our lifestyle. Until we live out the life of Christ in us daily, we cannot say we are maximizing that life.
May God give us the grace to live out the life of God as our daily lifestyle in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday 25th, August
Maximizing the Life of God in You 3
Maximizing the use of any device we have is not automatic, it is something we have to learn and we learn now to maximize this life by using it. When we begin to take advantage of the life of God in us, it blesses others, brings glory to God and we get fulfilled in the process.
Nicodemus saw Jesus taking advantage of this life and it was glorious and exceptional. He wanted to understand the secret behind it so he went to see Jesus at night to ask Him. Jesus explained to him that the life of God was the driving force behind His exceptional lifestyle but Nicodemus was struggling to understand what Jesus was saying. Jesus was surprised at the level of Nicodemus’ ignorance that He said in John 3 vs 10(NIV) “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
Let’s assume you have a smart phone with capacity to surf the internet, stream movies, take and edit pictures and a lot more. However, all you have been able to do with that phone is to send text messages and probably make phone calls. We can conclude that you are under-utilizing the functions and capability of that phone, a lot of us believers are like that. God wants us to maximize His life in us, it is not enough to be carriers of the life, we must use it and maximize its use by stirring it up. That way, we are making continuous demand on it to produce.
2 Timothy 1 vs 6-7 (NIV),
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
God’s gifts in us must be stirred up if they will produce maximally. This stirring is not a one off thing but a continuous thing. The Devil will put all sorts of obstacles in our way to ensure we neglect the gifts in us but we must forge ahead and keep stirring. One major obstacle we must be mindful of is fear. In the parable of the talents, the servant that didn’t use his talent said he was held back by fear. He wasn’t sure of what the outcome of putting the life of God in him to work and since he didn’t want to be called a failure, he ended up doing nothing. We must never allow fear, pride or any other thing to hold us back from using God’s life and abilities in us. Remember, what you do not use, you cannot profit from.
I pray that God will give us the courage to keep using the and releasing the life of God in us in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Monday 23rd, August
Maximizing the Life of God in You 1
What do you do with the life of God inside you?
It is one thing to have the life of God, it is another thing entirely to maximize the life. By maximizing the life of God, we mean making the most of life by using it. What we don’t use, we stand the risk of losing it? So, the question is this, how are you maximizing the life of God in you by using it?
Matthew 25 vs 24-28 (NLT),
24“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest in it.’28“Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.
This is a popular bible story usually called the parable of talents.
The master of these servants was going on a long trip. He gave his servants some money. He gave one five bags, to another two bags and to the last, one bag. The servant with five bags used his money and made gains with it, he ended up with ten bags. Likewise, the servant with two bags of money, he used it and got two more bags making 4 bags altogether.
The last one who received only one bag did not use the money but kept it and returned it to his master intact. He claimed he was afraid he might lose it while using it, so to avoid that, he just kept the money and gave it back to his master intact. His master judged him as wicked and lazy and he lost the money he was given and it was given to the man with 1o bags of money because he had learnt how to use his master’s gift in his care.
Whatever gifts that God has given us is meant for use. When we are not using it, we are not maximizing it and ultimately lose it. The life of God on the inside of us can only grow when we use it. What you don’t use, you can lose and ultimately you do not profit from it.
I pray that God will give us strength, grace, and courage to begin to maximize the life of God on the inside of us in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Saturday 21st, August
The Reality of the Life of Christ 6
We were introduced to this man called Saul in Acts 7. Saul was the supervisor over those who stoned Stephen to death but he did not stop there, he kept looking for Christians all through Jerusalem breaking into their homes and locking them in jail. Saul was a terror amongst the Christians and a very zealous Pharisee defending the cause of Judaism. But when Saul met God, his life witnessed a complete turnaround.
Acts 9:21-22 (NKJV),
21But all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.
Saul (who later became Paul) was going to Damascus to arrest the Christians there and bring them to Jerusalem to be jailed. On the way, he met Jesus in a spectacular way and he ended up blind after that encounter. God then sent Ananias to him, Saul got saved and his sight was restored. The experience transformed Saul’s life to a new being, his change was so radical that people who knew him almost didn’t believe he was the same person. They were amazed at his life and the way he went about conducting himself. Your life in Christ should be amazement. Some things in your life should defy human understanding. If everything in your life can be explained by human logic, you have not truly experienced this life of God.
The life of God in Saul’s life was so real that when he was bitten by a poisonous snake he simply shook it off. People around thought he was an evil man and would soon die. But the life of God inside of him was real. He shook off the snake and he did not die. He was simply fulfilling the scripture that said, you shall tread upon poisonous snakes, and nothing shall harm you. Paul lived in the reality of the life of God so much that it was evident to those who saw him.
I pray in the Name of Jesus that you will receive this life and as you grow in it.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Friday 20th August
The reality of the life of Christ 5
Thousands of years ago, before Jesus was born, there was a prophecy about the birth of the Messiah. When the prophecy was about to come to pass, an angel came to a young lady called Mary and told her that she was going to give birth to the Messiah. This news was impossible to believe because she wasn't married. But by the help of the Holy Spirit and the life of God in her by the Spirit, she had the capacity to handle this situation, and she brought forth Jesus.
Luke 1:34 & 35 (NKJV)
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”
And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
The angel told Mary how this impossible situation was going to happen through her. He said that the Holy Ghost will come on her and the power of the highest will overshadow her. Besides having the capacity to conceive and carry the pregnancy of the Messiah, Mary had to deal with the additional pressure of the shame and reproach of being pregnant outside wedlock. Her fiancé Joseph was embarrassed by the situation and was already contemplating putting her away quietly. But then because of the life of God that came upon her, she was able to successfully handle this very challenging phase of her life and fulfil God’s purpose for her life.
The life of God in us is real, yes, it is spiritual but it is practical and tangible with clear evidence that we can relate to. May the life of God in you give you the capacity to handle and overcome life’s pressures in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Thursday 19th, August
The Reality of the Life in Christ 4
A song we sang years ago says " ...the Spirit of the Lord in the life of a man is something more than gold."
When we carry the life of God on the inside, it more than gold. We literally have everything that we need for life and godliness. It is one thing to experience the life of God, it is another thing to express it so that we can take advantage of it.
We have talked about Saul and how he experienced the life of God and express that life.
Simon was an interesting characters before Jesus changed his name to Peter. He was unreliable, unstable and fearful. Peter seemed to know how to say the wrong things at the wrong time. But in spite of all these, Jesus saw a rock in him. Jesus saw someone who was dependable and could withstanding the cause of the gospel.
Luke 24:49 (NLT), 49
“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
Jesus warned Peter during the last supper that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crows. Peter swore and denied that such would ever happen. Jesus assured Peter that He had prayed for him. Peter denied Jesus. He went to the extent of saying that He had never knew Jesus. After three years of following Jesus, Peter was still unreliable. But Jesus did not worry. When Peter encountered the power of the Holy Spirit, everything about him changed. The fearful and timid Peter stood in front of the whole nation to address them. When Peter waited for the power of Holy Spirit as instructed by Jesus, he (Peter) became the carrier of God’s life and everything about Him changed. The Peter that denied Jesus before a little girl, stood before the elders of Israel and fearlessly accused them of killing Jesus.
When Peter was arrested by the Jewish leader and jailed, the leaders observed something unique about him and John. They could see that they were unlearned and untrained but they couldn't not deny the practical change that the life of God had on them.
He was not the same fearful and timid
My prayer that just like Peter had experience changes that could not be denied, you too will experience the same in the Jesus name.
Your experience will be evident for all to see in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday 18th, August
The Reality of the Life in Christ 3
The life of God on the inside of us comes with practical realities that makes great changes possible for us. Anywhere and everywhere, we see the Holy Spirit in action operating with freedom, what usually accompanies such life are remarkable changes. The Old Testament saints did not have privilege of being a carrier of Holy Spirit as we do today. The privilege of experiencing Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was reserved for saints like Kings, Priest and Prophets. For these saints, Holy Spirit dwells on them on the outside. It was a not permanent experience for them. For us however, we this unique opportunity of being the carrier of the life of God on a permanent basis. This is something unbelievable if we truly understand what it means.
1 Samuel 10: 6-7 (NLT),
6 At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7 After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you.
The story was about Saul when his father’s donkey got lost. He met with Samuel who prophesized that he would become the first king of Israel. Saul had no idea how that would happen, but Samuel gave him accompany signs. Samuel told Saul he would prophesy in the company of the prophets and that Holy Spirit would come upon him to change his person. Samuel said when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, do whatever you need to do because God is with you. When Saul finally experienced what was prophesied about him, the timid and fearful Saul did what could be described as impossible. Saul prophesied. He had the capacity to do what he cannot do as mere man. When people around saw him, they were amazed and could not believe the changes that had taken place.
The power of Holy Spirit is there in us to enable to do what we are unable to do before. We must not just experience the power of the Holy Spirit, but we must learn to express it. We have the power and ability to do the uncommon. We can cast out demons, speak in new languages and express the live of God for people to see. We cannot just wait. We must express it.
These are some of the realities of the life of Spirit of God can help to achieve.
I pray that we will have the courage to begin to do what power of Holy Spirit inside has empower us to do. May we experience complete transformation in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Tuesday 17th August
The reality of the life of Christ 2
The reality of the life of Christ is the reality of Zoe, and the good news is that this life has been made available to us through salvation and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. When we are born again by the Spirit of God, the life of God takes over and makes us a living wonder. If everything in your life can be explained in logical terms , it means you have either not experienced the life of God or you are not allowing that life to be expressed through you.
Zechariah 3:8 says "...they are men that people wonder at..."
The life of God in us should cause people to wonder and be amazed at our lives.
No wonder the Bible records in Acts 2 that people were amazed at what happened to the apostles; the Holy Ghost fell on them and empowered them to speak in tongues. The people present on that day were from different nations and they all heard the apostles speak about the wondrous works of God in their native tongue. These people also knew that the apostles were Galileans and they marveled when they heard them speaking foreign languages fluently.
Mark 16:17- 18 (NLT)
"These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
Jesus wanted His disciples to know that the life of God in them came with practical evidence and He listed some of the evidence they should look out for in those verses.
The life of God in us Zoe, empowers us to overpower and drive out demons, to speak in new languages we never learnt, we will be unharmed by physical dangers both on our bodies and those that go into our bodies like poison and we will put your hands on the sick, whether people or things and they will recover. These are some of the things that follow the lives of those who carry inside them.
Friends, if you are a child of God, these signs should manifest in your life because you have the life of God inside you. I pray you begin to see the reality of this life in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Monday 16th August
The reality of the life in Christ 1
This week we would be talking about the reality of the Life in Christ. Friends, Zoe- the Life in Christ is real and tangible. When you look at the life of Jesus we can see how unique an abnormal his life was. His life was abnormal in the sense that it was out of the normal. His life was so out of the normal that we could see strange happenings before he was born. Angels came to announce his birth, wise men came from the east looking for him, shepherds had a supernatural encounter with angels, singing and informing them about his birth. His mother began to ponder in her mind what manner of child this was.
As though it wasn't enough, at age 12 Jesus was found debating with doctors of the law about the scriptures. He had the ability two reason at the same level with doctors of the law. This guy was loaded! when he began his ministry, he was healing the sick, raising the dead, performing all sorts of mind-blowing miracles. He walked on water, and his disciples saw him calm the troubled storm by his words. Nicodemus affirmed that nobody had ever seen anything like that before. When Jesus was crucified, the Centurion who witnessed his death said "truly this man is the son of God". When he was buried, he rose from the dead on the third day. His Resurrection was so unbelievable, that the apostles could not just understand what kind of man Jesus was. This 33 year-old-man wasn't a normal person .
Friends the life of God makes us "abnormal", because the life we have is from above, we are expected of God to live above normal lives
John 3:7-8 (MSG)
You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”
This scripture perfectly captures the way the life of everyone who is a Believer should be like. Our lives should be unpredictable, because we are born by the Spirit and our lives should be beyond human explanation. We should be taking advantage of this life in christ, but we are deficient in the knowledge of it. This is the reality of the life in christ and it should be our new normal.
My Prayer is that as we understand this life, talk about it, and mediate on it, we would begin to leave in the practical reality of this life in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy your week.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Sunday 15th August
Different types of Life 7
If you have an exotic car packed in your garage, and you can't drive it, that car is useless to you until someone who knows how to drive comes along to drive it.
Therefore Nothing is truly yours until you understand it. It is our understanding that gives us the ability to use and enjoy what we have. The Ethiopian eunuch while on his way to Ethiopia from Jerusalem, was reading the scriptures but he did not understand it. It took Philip the evangelist, who understood the scriptures to explain to him what he was reading. Until you fully understand something it is of no use to you
Jesus while ministering with his disciples faced the little challenge of rejection from one of the cities he went to preach. Some of the apostles, asked him in Luke 9:53-55; let's see what it says.
But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.
Jesus rebuked them because he was particular about them understanding the power and life that they were carrying inside them. The disciples knew that they had something inside them but they just didn't understand it, and because they didn't understand it, they will not be able to function properly in it. If we don't understand the life of God inside us, we cannot take advantage of it. Psalm 82:5 says "...they walk on in darkness..."
A man who is ignorance of what he has will keep walking In Darkness. Psalm 49:20 (NKJV)
A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, is like the beasts that perish.
Many Christians who have the life of God in them don't know that they have honour; and because they don't know this, they don't desire to grow in this life. From the scripture above there is really no difference between them and animals. At most, they have become mere men. God want us to release the life of God he has invested in us so that he can fill the Earth. Scripture says the Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God, as the waters cover the sea. This will only happen when we release the life of God inside us to flow out into the world.
My prayer for you is that you take out time and study these words, and from there grow into maturity in the life of God. As you do this, life will open up to you and you will see that you are more than a mere man.
God bless you and make his face to shine upon you in Jesus name enjoy your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Saturday 14th August
Different Types of Life 6
After the Fall of Adam, there was a sharp difference in his behaviour and attitude. Adam used to be in charge of everything because God gave him the authority over all things that he had made. Adam took responsibility for his environment and directed the activities in the garden. But immediately after the Fall, we could see how Adam changed. He had fears, he was also scared for his life and everything was overwhelming him. In this state it is right to say that Adam was literally malfunctioning. He began to hide from God, make excuses, blame other people for his woes apart from himself. This is to show us that there was a clear difference between the kind of life God gave him and the life he was reduced to after the Fall.
When the life of God is in a man, it affects the way he functions and the authority he functions with. When man fell he was reduced to nothing and his value was mere dust. All he had was a natural life that Satan could manipulate and snuff out of him at will. His life became so delicate and ordinary that anything could take him out. Paul spoke to the Corinthian Church, telling them that the way they live their lives wasn't the way they were supposed to leave. He made them understand that they were behaving below the standard of life that a person who has the life of God in them should not be living. So in 1Corinthians 3:3 (NKJV) he said..
"for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?"
Now these people were believers who had the life of God in them, but he saw their manner of life, and immediately cautioned them, because there was a disconnect between the life of God that was in them and their lifestyle. The way they were behaving could only be interpreted to mean that they were living their lives like mere human beings. Having the life of God in you, separates you from others; you are not a mere human being. Yes you live in a body, but you are more than a mere human being. Psalm 82:6-7 says
I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High.7 But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler."
The psalmist clearly states in the scripture above, that because you are children of God, you are god's. A child of a lion is a lion. A child of a goat is a goat. This also applies to children of God. If we don't understand that we are gods, we will suffer the same fate of mortal Men and that fate is death. Many Christians don't understand the life of God in them, many don't learn about it, or grow in it that is why they are struggling like mere mortals. Paul makes two fascinating statements in scripture..."Chirst in you the hope of Glory" and "we have these treasures in our earthing vessels so that be excellency of power and glory can be of God."
Friends there is something glorious and powerful on the inside of you, which makes you more than a man. May the Lord give us grace to dig into this life and leave in the fullness of it.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Friday 13th August
Different type of Life 5
God gave us the opportunity to share in the life he has, by giving us the Holy Spirit. Today, Zoe lives in every believer and thus sets us above all forms of life.
Now for every life, there are functions and authorities that have been delegated to them. God created all things, man inclusive and he gave him the authority over all that he created. This means that Adam had control over every single creature that God had made. That ability Adam had was powered by the life God gave him and this life determined his ranking in the spheres of things. However, when man fell, he fell below the devil therefore the devil was able to rule over him. Life comes with its functions and authorities allocated to it. Therefore, with Zoe- the life of God, there are things we can have, and there are things we would be able to do when we fully understand it.
Think of a tree and a mammal of which according to biology, human beings are classified under. They all have different live functions. For example, mammals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Trees in return release oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. Why is this so? God has put in the tree the innate capacity to perform this function. Now for us humans, we share two types of life-divinity and humanity. Apostle Peter calls it "partakers or sharers of the Divine nature." Most people forget that the life of God is inside them, and that makes them live like human beings alone, recognizing only human nature. This is what 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) tells us.
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.
Let me give us a little background to this scripture. The Corinthian church was a church that had all kinds of Carnal and fleshly activities going on within them. They were involved in lots of things that didn't give glory to God; they displayed things that were not right for Christians and believers to do. So, Paul was reminding them that they were believers and that they literally house God in the person of the Holy Spirit, in their bodies as temples. He charged them to allow the Holy Spirit inside them to show forth his beauty and fully express himself through their bodies and their spirits. He wanted them to fully Express Zoe-the life of God, not just through their spirits but also through their bodies. Paul wanted them to express to the fullest the authority and functionality of Zoe. It is when men see us manifest the full authority and functionality of the life of God that God is glorified. May the Lord give us the grace and strength to allow the life of God -Zoe find expression through us.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Thursday 12th August
Different Types of Life 4
Apart from the fact that the life of God is the highest form of life, what is so spectacular about man having the life of God inside him? The answer to this question will mean a lot to you if you truly understand the implication of it. The answer is that man is the only being that God the creator of the universe can comfortably live inside. The making of man is so mysterious that the bodies of man can accommodate God.
When a believer carries Zoe, he or she is in other words housing God. This is the major thing that singles out man from all other beings. Prophets and other Old testament saints wanted to have this life, but they couldn't. The best they could have was the Holy Spirit come upon them and when he was done working with them he left them. But now we have the life of God living in us through the power of the Spirit.
Nicodemus was fascinated by the life Jesus lived so when he inquired of Jesus, Jesus let him know that the source of his life was Zoe - the life of God.
1 Peter 1:10-12(NLT) says...
This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
All the Old testament saints saw the vision of Jesus, prophesied about him, longed to witness the life of God, desired to have it, but none could experience this life that we have today. The life we have is so unique that even angels are fascinated about the idea of God living in a man. It is an all-time wonder for them because all through creation, no other being created by God has had the opportunity of hosting God in the form of the Holy Ghost, within their bodies.
There is a song we sang back in the day that says "something more than gold, the Spirit of God in the life of a man is something more than gold." This is exactly what eternal life is. If we truly understand it and we live in the reality of the new Life in Christ, nothing is truly compared to it.
Angels are watching, saints of old are watching, and they are thrilled over the life we have today. I pray that God will give us wisdom to understand it and live in the fullness of this life, in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy your day
Tuesday 10th August
Different Types of Life 2
We have discussed the different life forms in the physical, today we will consider the different life forms in the spirit world. God had uniquely separated all life forms into different categories with distinctive features. In the physical we have the animal kingdom, plant kingdom and the Protista kingdom. This same thing applies to life forms in the spirit world. In the spirit world it is categorized into two; the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness; the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. In these kingdoms we have different life forms. The highest of all life forms, be it in the physical or spiritual realm, is the life of God - Zoe. Next to Zoe is the life God that was in man Adam before he lost it. Today we have access to that life albeit at a higher level in Christ. This is followed by the angelic life in heaven. Then the fallen angels which includes Satan and all demonic forces. Lastly is the life of mankind in the fallen state.
Let’s look at some scriptures that give us insight into these life forms.
Psalm 8:3-5 (NLT), When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
In the order of ranking, God is the highest life form followed by Man. According to verse 5 of the above scripture, man is made a little lower than God.
Revelations 12:7-8 (NLT), Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven.
Satan initiated a war against God in heaven, but it was Michael and the other angels that stopped them and threw them out of heaven. God is way above the devil, He can’t descend so low as to fight with the devil, so the angels had to deal with the situation. Michael and the angelic host of heaven are higher than Lucifer and his demonic host, so they were cast out of heaven. Let’s stop overrating satanic power, his greatest power is the power of deception.
Hebrew 1:13-14, And God never said to any of the angels, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet."14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
Angelic life is lower than the life of God in the believer, that’s why the angels are assigned to service the believers, God’s own children.
It is important to arm ourselves with the understanding of the different life forms in the spirit and our God given position in this. A better understanding will help us walk in a greater level of dominion.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 9 August 2021
Different Types of Lives. 1
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This month our focus is on “The Fullness of Life” but this week we will be looking at The Different Kinds of lives
We must understand that life is in levels and there are different forms of life. In my high school biology class, we were taught about life forms, and we were taught there were three kingdoms; the animal kingdom, the plant kingdom and the Protista kingdom where you have amoeba, fungus and so many others. And what they said was that all these things were different life forms. Back in Nigeria, we were told that all these were represented with characters like “MR NIGER D.” All these are different life forms but even at that they all still live. Interestingly, God created all these things this way to teach us a lesson.
The bible says in Roman 1:20 (NLT),
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
Everything about God can be seen in nature and the same thing in the things God has made you can see that life is in levels. Even though they are all lives, but they are in levels. When was the last time you went for the ceremony of a tree? We don’t do that! But when it comes to humans, it takes another kind of life it takes all the different. Now we know it is wrong to kill; when you are a human it is murder or manslaughter, but we kill roaches and rats, and we just move on with it. Why? Because life has taught us the life is in levels.
So, some lives are more valuable than others and this is one major lesson we learn in the physical world. We all have different lives from the physical world but they are all in levels. God created it that way to teach us a lesson. I pray we understand that in Jesus name!
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 8th August
The Fullness of Life 8
Whatever captures the mind will influence and directs one's life. What does this really mean? Hebrews 11:15 says
And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
Whatever holds your mind holds your life. God in his infinite mercy did not just leave us to ourselves and imaginations. He didn't just leave us to figure out things on our own. He gives us something to focus our minds on, so that we can have an idea of how much his power can produce.
Abraham received God's promise of a child, yet his wife Sarah could not have a child because she was barren. God did not stop there; God called Abraham out of his tent and asked him to number the stars in the heavens. Obviously Abraham lost count, then God said to him that his descendance will be like the uncountable stars of heavens. God used that analogy to anchor Abraham's mind on the reality of the promise of God, giving him a picture of what he should focus on. Another example is virgin Mary. She also received a word from God of an impossible case of immaculate pregnancy. Angel Gabriel told her that her aunt who was said to be barren was already six months pregnant. God had to give Mary something to focus on to build her faith. All God was doing was to give Abraham and Mary a picture to hold onto in their minds while waiting for the fulfillment of God's word.
Now when we talk about the fullness of life, what picture comes into our minds? A smart person would say that if Jesus is the abundant life as we claim, why did he die young? He had no family, he had no wife, he had no children. Definitely His life shouldn't be a good definition of an abundant life. Obviously this is not the definition of the life we want for ourselves. Let's look at Galatians 3:13 through 14
13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
So what do we call the fullness of life? Here is my own formula:
Jesus + Abraham.
The Bible says that God had blessed Abraham in everything. He enjoyed long life, prosperity, respect and influence in his community. He had a good kid and he was a friend of God. Abraham also had challenges but he overcame them. Life was generally good for him. However, the Bible says that we received the promise of the HolySpirit in us. Here lies the advantage that we have in Christ; Abraham didn't experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit, neither did any of the prophet experience it. Therefore if you desire to walk in the fullness of life prosperity, influence, increase, etc, take a look at Abraham. Understudy him then add the advantage of the Holy Spirit in us as a result of our Union with Christ. In Hebrew 11, scriptures tells us that in all our patriarchs of faith experienced, they couldn't be made perfect because they didn't experience the in-dwelling of the Spirit as we experience today.
In summary, combination of the life of Abraham and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, is what sums up to be the abundant life. This is the picture that God wants us to hold in our minds about the abundant life of God. May we live in the reality of this in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Saturday 7th August
The Fullness of Life 7
Automobile companies make their cars in models and versions. A 2000 model of a Lexus jeep will be significantly different from a 2020 model of the same Lexus jeep The difference will also determine the price of the both cars. The price of a 2020 model will be more expensive than a 2000 model. When you probe into the reason for the difference in price, the dealer will tell you that the 2020 model has more features that are more exquisite and different from the 2000 model.
What is the similarity between the fullness of life and car models? There is actually a similarity in the two concepts above. Sometimes when Christians try to describe or explain what God did for us in Christ Jesus, they end up saying that what God did was to restore man back to the life that Adam had. But then, there's a world of difference between the life of Adam and the life of Jesus Christ the last Adam. Scripture clearly calls Adam the first Adam and Jesus the last Adam. Whilst Adam the first had a great life, Jesus the last Adam was a new and improved Adam.
Nicodemus met Jesus one night and said to him "...no man can do these things you do except God is with him..." It is important for you to note that this statement came from a very notable religious leader in his days. Some security officials were sent to arrest Jesus. When they got there, they were captivated by him and his words. They went back to the authorities, and said... John 7:46 (ESV)
"...No one ever spoke like this man..."
Jesus was absolutely nothing like anyone had seen before.
Paul the apostle had a unique revelation about Jesus which he expressed in 2nd Corinthians 5:17
"If any man be in Christ he is a new creation..."
Another version of that scripture put it this way...
" If any man is in Christ he is a completely new kind of species that never existed."
We must understand that this new Life in Christ is not about God taking us back to the life of the first Adam; but what God did was far more greater and exquisite. This was why Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15:45
"...And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit..."
Friends, we draw our lives from Jesus and we are locked in into this life. Don't forget, if you are in Christ you are a new creation. Explore this new life enjoy its possibilities and begin to live in the reality of it.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 6th August
The Fullness of Life. 6
Jesus came so that we can have life and have it in its fullness. That life offers us God’s peace, joy and power. The life we are talking about is more than anything man has ever experienced. “The Fall” , like we had established earlier, brought mankind as low as the dust. Every attempt by man to experience that kind of life again has failed. God, however, offered us something more superior through the blood of Jesus. No blood, human or animal could atone for the sin of mankind because the life that was in the first Adam was above them all.
Hebrew 10:4-7 (NIV), 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’'
Since the life that the first Adam lost was from God only the life of God could truly restore man. This is why Jesus came, God put on flesh, came into the world, lived a sinless life and gave up His life for mankind, so that we can experience the life of God.
While celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples, He said, “…this is my body that is broken for you and my blood that is shed for the forgiveness of your sin. It is the testament to the new covenant in My blood”. This was beyond what the blood of animals could do, it required the very blood of God. That blood gave us access to the life of God, the very essence of life, the fullness of life. The Greeks call it Zoe- the very life of God. This life is more than what the natural mind can fully comprehend.
I prayed in the name of Jesus that the price that God paid for us will not be in vain, may we grow in our knowledge and experience of God's fullness in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 5th August
The fullness of life 5
Mankind would have been completely helpless without the fullness of life; glory to God forever more!
The Fall of Man simply emptied man of every single strand of life that he had, but Christ came to change all that by bringing the fullness of life to us. We had said in previous days that man had been longing to get back his life, and he has searched for it in many earthly things but yet hasn't been able to find it; but Jesus came and made this grand offer
John 10:10
The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.
This is exactly what Christ came to offer. The fall destroyed the heritage of man and literally killed him. God's life in him was gone and when God's life in you is taken away, you are dead, and your life is meaningless. Friends and co-heirs in Christ, God lifted us up to sit in heavenly places with Christ. But here is where the story gets even more interesting; the life Jesus offered us is far greater than the life Adam had. You definitely would ask how and why? Jesus is God in the flesh he was the word that became flesh and dwelt with us, and he gave us his very spirit and life. That life is called Zoe, which is the very life flowing through God
2 Corinthians 15:45
The first Adam was a living soul but the last Adam was a life giving spirit.
What God gave us is like an engine that drives the whole body. Friends this is the life we have received from God, and this life can only come to you when you surrender to Jesus. This life is called Eternal life.
In summary, we fell down to the state of dust where everyone and everything wants to trample on us. But Jesus gave us life and took us all the way up, far above where Adam began, to sit with him in heavenly places. Many haven't come to understand the implications of what Jesus did by giving us this life in full. However can you just imagine you and I being containers and vessels carrying the very life of God. Think about it today, and may God give us understanding of this very life, In Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 4th August
The Fullness of Life 4
When we were kids, we had this poem we used to recite about Humpty Dumpty. One of the lines in the poem says, "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall..." This quickly reminds me of the Fall of Man; like Humpty Dumpty it was more a greater fall. The human mind cannot even begin to imagine how great the fall of man was and the extent of its consequences. So, when we talk about the Fall of Man, where exactly did he fall from?
Let's look at Psa 8:5 (NLT)
Yet you made them only a little lower than God.
The above scripture gives you an idea of where Man fell from. The man that God made was made to be slightly lower than God. Man was a wonder, even to angels. God was the ultimate and the next life to God was the life of mankind. The Fall of Man reduced man to almost nothing. So how low was this fall?
Genesis 3:19 (NKJV)
In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
From the scripture above God gave man a new definition and that definition was DUST. This was how low man had been reduced to by sin. The moment man ate the fruit in disobedience, the God part infused in him was taken away, leaving him as lifeless as a carcass. God having a perfect understanding of what life is, said that man will die, and die they did because he had separated his life from them. To push this further when God cursed The serpent, God said to The serpent "dust shall you eat..." Meaning that man fell below Angels demons and became a victim of almost everything in this world. This is exactly what the fall meant.
Friends, we fell so low, so much so that everything sees us as a prey. This is why we need the fullness of life. Life without Christ is empty, but thank God for Jesus. Today we can have access to God through Jesus who gives us the fullness of life.
Today I pray that if you don't know Jesus, you should come to know him; and if you've come to know him, I pray you grow in this understanding and walk in the path that God has destined for you.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday August 3rd
The Fullness of Life 3
When you say that something is full, you are invariably saying that it can be half full or empty. This is what Jesus was saying in Matthew 11:28-30, he was talking about restoring your life to the fullest. Jesus knew that we had life before, but we lost it.
How did man lose this life? Remember God told man not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of Good and evil, stating that the day he ate of it he will surely die. Man did not understand the statement until she had a first-hand experience of death.
Lets look at Genesis 3:6-12
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
The story above summarises how death came into the life of Man. God warned man that the consequences of eating the fruit would be dead. But man did not have the capacity to understand what God meant. Shockingly, they were still alive even after they had eaten the fruit. They were moving, talking, breathing and carrying out other activities of life. The reason for this is because God's definition of death it's not the absolute withdrawal of life from the physical body. It was another kind of life; a life separated from God. This is what death really means. Any life that is not connected to God is defined as dead, meaning that death has laid hold on that life. It is this death that shuts us out of the fullness of life. In this state we begin to see our emptiness and nakedness. We begin to live a very low life, a life devoid of grace.
This is the emptiness that mankind has been on the quest to fill up with money, drugs, power sex etc. Unfortunately the life we seek can't be filled with any of these, except the life of God. Jesus comes to offer this life again by saying, "I have come that you might have life and have it to the fullest."
I pray that God will give us the wisdom and Grace to live at the level of abundant life in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Monday 2nd August, 2021
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for bringing us into this special month of August. It will be a moment for all of us in Jesus name. We are still talking about the fullness of life. The fullness of life.
Life is a concept that we all talk about and believe that we have. Life however can be a mystery because we can live same life not knowing what we are talking about. We have previously read from Matthew 11 vs 28-28 where Jesus promised to help us recover our life. But what exactly was Jesus talking about? How can you recover what you hold? Jesus is talking about higher quality life of life. The life of God that give meaning to our existence. This is the kind of life Jesus talked about. The expectation of human beings are not less either. We seek better quality of life. This clearly explained why people will migrate from developing countries to developed natons. What we are looking for is better quality of life. The reason why people are moving up and down is because we lost something vital in our existence. What exactly has changed to cause the quality of life to degrade? What exactly has changed? Let read Genesis 2 vs 16-17 (NLT), 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
God introduced something foreign to man through commandements and instruction. God defined the boundary of existence for man in the garden of Eden but man defied that boundary. Death came in through man's fall. Death gave new meaning to man's life. With the new reality, man has new quest. Man's pursuit changed. Instead of experiencing the life of God, man had to battle with death. This new form of life came with new reality. Since then, man had tried to understand life either religion, money, sex or drugs. Unfortunately, the quest had led man farther awy from God. But Jesus offer us solution. He said, I have come so that you may have life and in fulless. He said, learn from me and I will make you recover your life.
My prayer is that you will experience the life of God to its fullness in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday August 1st
The Fullness of Life 1
I would like to welcome you to the month of August. August means special; therefore may this month bring to you the important things you seek, in Jesus name.
This month we will be talking about the fullness of life. Life can be very challenging, life can be a drag. Sometimes we exact so much energy just to live a very simple and average life, and this comes with its pressures. However this is not the way God wants us to live our lives. This is the primary reason Christ came on Earth. He came to save us from struggle, deliver us from death, and give us abundant life.
Let's look at Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
This particular translation makes it extremely simple to comprehend. Many people are very busy looking for life in many things; some in their jobs, husbands, wives businesses,children, relationships and even religion. But they still feel like they are missing something; they feel like something is dying. They know that something is off but they just can't place their fingers on what the problem is. However, Some know what to do, but they just choose not to do it.
This has led to many losing their lives. Jesus said "come with me and I would recover your life." You may ask, am I dead? Why should my life be recovered? Jesus lets us to know that there is life at another level and that life is what he wants us to experience. It is a life of rest; a life that is unforced. The message translation calls it "an unforced Rhythm," meaning a life that flows with grace, a life of love peace, and the life of rest in this world of trouble.
Jesus desires that we keep company with him, Walk with him closely, so that we can learn how to live this life to the fullest. Therefore, in this month of August,we would be learning how to live the fullness of life in Christ Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 31st July
Steps to Supernatural Intervention 6
Today we would be looking at the place of the mind in experiencing the supernatural. Remember that Jesus told the Jews in Matthew 13:15 how they needed to align their eyes, ears and minds to attract the supernatural intervention of God. He said that they would have to repent to receive transformation and healing. This healing will not take place if their eye, ears, and minds are not completely yielded to him.
Now the mind being a very interesting part of the human being doesn't just change overnight. Something has to be done to it; it is called the RENEWING of the mind.
Romans 12:2 says...
"Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of Your mind..."
Now Paul is saying that for you to experience the power of God in your life, and the change that you want to see, you must renew your mind. This process would demand that you yield your mind to the things of God. The reason you need to yield your mind to God is so that you don't cut yourself off from the transforming power of God.
2 kings 5:9-14
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,[a] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!
Here is the story of a very powerful army general by name Naaman, who needed supernatural intervention. But something was going to become a stumbling block to his miracle. what was it? Naaman had a premeditated or preconceived thought pattern in his mind of how his miracle was going to happen. This mindset almost made him lose his miracle until his servant presented to him another mindset or thought pattern. If the instruction from Elisha was from God, then he will have to yield his mind and thoughts to God's word. The moment's Naaman yielded his mind to God's word, the miraculous happened instantly in his life.
If we are going to walk with God we cannot come with preconceived notions. We cannot determine to God how we want him to intervene in our lives. We cannot use our minds to create expectations that God must yield to. Instead we must yield our minds to him, so that he can move in our lives.
Isaiah 1:18
"... Come now let us reason together..."
By reasoning with God we get to a place where we yield to him, and we can cause the supernatural to flow in our lives. As we come to the end of this month, my prayer for you is that your eyes, ears and minds Will be completely aligned to the Will and the word of God. God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 30th July
Steps to Supernatural Intervention 5
The fact that we have a role to play in attracting the supernatural cannot be overemphasized. In Matthew 13:15 Jesus began to explain to us the roles that the ears, the eyes, and our minds play in attracting the supernatural.
Yesterday we focused on the ears, and how it influences supernatural intervention. However today, we would be looking at the eyes and how it influences the supernatural. What you see, affects three things in your life; it affects what you believe, what you say, and what you think. This is the reason why we should keep guard over the things we allowed to go through our eyes.
2 kings 6:15-17
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
This is an interesting story of two people who looked at the same thing but so different things. Elisha's servant saw the forces and the armies of Syria surrounding them, and he panicked. He immediately reported to Elisha about their current position. In clear terms, they were surrounded and there was no way humanly possible they could come out of this crisis. But Elisha in response to the report prayed; "Lord, open his eyes that he may see..." What was Elisha talking about? He was talking about the eyes that really matter, which is the eyes of the spirit. The moment God opened his servant's eyes, his perspective changed completely. The fear that gripped his heart immediately seized. There is something that you will see about your situation that will change your perspective for life. This explains the prayer of Paul for the Ephesian Christians in...
Ephesians 1:17
"... That the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened..."
This is the prayer I pray for you from my heart today, that God will cause the eyes of your understanding, mind and spirit to be enlightened, in the name of Jesus so that you can see that which he has prepared for you. When you see that which he has prepared for you, you will be at peace, and you will walk in the fullness of your destiny.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day, and have a wonderful weekend.
Steps to Supernatural Intervention 4
Man can never be excluded from his rule in attracting Supernatural intervention. James 4:8 says...
"Draw near to me and I will draw near to you..."
So God was simply saying "do something about our relationship and you will see what I will do in response to what you have done."
Let us look at Mark 5:27-28 (NIV)
When she heard about Jesus she came behind and touched his garment what she said "if only I touch his garment I will be made well".
The Bible gives us a little background about her condition. She had spent all she had, visited all the doctors she knew just to find the solution, but to no avail. At this point all hope was lost and she did not know what the future holds. But the Bible says that she "HEARD". Something entered her ears and that thing triggered a cause of action in her life.
Another interesting story in the Bible is the story of the blind Bartimaeus in Mark chapter 10. The Bible said that he "heard" that Jesus was passing by; what he could not see with his eyes, he picked up with his ears. The moment he heard that Jesus was coming he began to shout "Jesus thou son of David, have mercy on me. "Jesus (the supernatural) heard him, minister to him, and changed his life. A common denominator between the woman with the issue of blood and blind bartimaeus is that they both "HEARD" and that brought supernatural intervention in their lives.
Friends what you hear is extremely important. Jesus in Matthew 4 said "be careful the things you hear..." because the things you hear will affect your life. The laws of the spirit works a lot with the things you hear. Do you want to see God move and intervene in your life, look out for the things you are hearing because the things you are hearing is entering your heart and bringing about change. If what you are allow into your heart is positive, it will bring about positive change and vice versa.
May God give us Grace to be good custodians of the things that enter our hearts in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Steps to Supernatural Intervention 3
The supernatural doesn't just work because we love or know God. There are laws and these laws have to be obeyed or worked out for us to attract the supernatural and for it to find expression in our lives. These are also known as laws of the Kingdom. Furthermore, these laws work based on our knowledge and understanding of them. To attract the supernatural, we must take out time to study the laws of the Spirit of life according to Apostle Paul. These laws work within our hearts and set our minds in the right state to receive supernatural intervention and restoration.
Matthew 13:15 (NIV)
For these people's hearts have become callous, they hardly hear with their ears and their eyes are closed, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts and turn, and I will heal them.
Human beings are programmable beings. The things that go into our eyes, ears and hearts have a way of reconditioning our lives. Jesus was addressing the rebellion of the people which was based on the corruption of their senses. Something was wrong with their information reception channels. Their eyes were blind to the laws, their ears were deaf to the laws, their hearts which in other words is their minds, could not understand the laws either. If all these were not the case, it would have led to a transformation of their spirit, giving occasion for the supernatural in their lives.
If we want to see the supernatural, we need to be intentional about it and cooperate with God by focusing our eyes, ears and hearts (minds and thoughts) on the things that God is saying. When we do this, a drastic change is initiated in our hearts which automatically brings a change on the outside.
God desires to move us to the next level, but we must walk with Him, yielding everything about us to Him; our eyes, our ears, our hearts and thoughts totally. When this is done you will see how His power will flow into our lives. When we focus on these things, we will see new dimensions of the supernatural in your lives in Jesus’ name.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Steps to Supernatural Intervention 2
The Supernatural do not always have to come with spectacular experiences. God’s conversation with Job, as simple as they were, was a supernatural experience. God asked him Job 38:33,"Do you know the laws of the heavens, can you set up the dominion of God on the earth."
God was asking Job if he had mastered the laws of the kingdom and if he could use it to advance his cause on the earth. Job understood what God was saying because in Job 29, Job spoke of a time when he had access to God’s secrets. With all that Job knew, he was still a victim of fear. He had agitations and anxieties about evil befalling him and in Job 3:25 he said, "…that which I feared most has come up on me..."
Job feared God but also was terrified that the devil could come through his children and bring calamity on his life. That law worked just as he thought and brought great suffering on Job and his family. According to spiritual laws, fear attracts the devil, just as faith attracts God. Job became a victim of the law he did not understand. Apostle Paul had and understanding of these laws and he said in Rom 8:6 (NKJV)
For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and Peace.
Apostle Paul was exhorting us on the need to be careful with what we focus on. When we focus our minds on things that are not in line with God and his Kingdom, it will lead to death, a separation from the Person and power of God. But when we focus our minds on the Word of God and the things of the kingdom of God, we experience life and peace.
Job became a victim of the law of sin and death; he was betrayed by his fears because he didn't understand the laws and how they worked. If we are going to experience the supernatural interventions of God, we must guard our hearts. What is going on inside of us is more important than what is going on outside.
May God give us grace and strength to guard our hearts, so that the force of life that comes from the kingdom of God will flow out and produce the supernatural in our lives in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Monday July 26th
Steps to Supernatural Interventions 1
It is very important that we understand the supernatural and how it works, it’s God’s desire for all His children. God asked Job a question that gives us an insight into the operation of the supernatural acts of God on the earth.
Job 38:33(NKJV)
Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the Earth?
In the New Living Translation it says,
Do you know the laws of the universe, can you use them to regulate the Earth?
The laws of the heavens are the laws of the kingdom of God, they are the laws that create the supernatural on earth. Jesus understood these laws and we see how He used it to demonstrate His mastery on earth. He was able to superimpose the laws of the heavens over the laws of the earth and operate the miraculous. That’s why we could see Jesus walk on water, feed thousands of people with 5 loaves and two fish. The Gospel of John 6 said, before he fed the thousand, He already knew what to do even though He didn’t have enough food.
Do you know what to do to release God's supernatural ability in your life?
Do you know how to use the laws of the heavens to control things on the earth?
The ability to understand and operate the supernatural with precision is what helps us walk in complete dominion on the earth. The good thing is that this ability can be learnt.
In school we can all be in year one but at different levels; someone is in year one in preschool, another in year one in primary school another in year one in secondary school another in year one in university. All are in school; all are in year one but all have different levels of understanding and mastery. There is mathematics or numeracy at all these levels but the mastery of concepts and laws are different. The same thing applies with supernatural laws. As we grow, through the different levels we begin to gain a deeper understanding of the laws of the heavens and the steps that we need to take to bring about supernatural intervention. This is why we all don’t have the same level of mastery over the supernatural because we are not at the same level. But the good news is that we can all learn.
I pray that God will make our spirits sensitive so that we can begin to learn more and more about the laws of the heavens.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday July 25th
Science, Scriptures and the Supernatural 7
God designed us to live a supernatural life, if not for the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the supernatural life would have been our normal way of life. Because of our original roots in the supernatural, humans still crave the supernatural experience. This craving is expressed in our desire to explore the unknown, attempt new things and the box office ratings of movies with supernatural undertones. Jesus alluded to the fact that the believer is destined for the supernatural when he said.
MK 16:17 says
"These signs shall follow those that believe..."
Many have the false belief that the supernatural life is meant for the clergy or some special class of believers. No! It is meant for everyone that believes. The bible says that the secret things belong to God but the things revealed are for us and our children so that we can profit from them. And Proverbs 2:7 says “Sound Wisdom is laid up for the righteous…” This Wisdom is laid up for us so that we can discover them and take advantage of them. The supernatural acts of God are usually a pointer to what He wants man to accomplish. Consider these encounters.
When God delivered Israel from the Egyptians by taking them across the Red Sea, that supernatural encounter gave the idea that man can go across the sea. Today with the help of science and technology man has been able to cross the sea using ships, bridges, airplanes and even submarines.
In 2nd Kings 3, Solomon displayed supernatural wisdom to solve a very complicated problem in his days. Two women were in contention over the motherhood of a baby. Solomon had the responsibility of proofing the identity of the real mother without any witness. He instructed that the baby be cut in two and divided to both of them, one agreed to his decision and the other said she’d rather give up the baby to the other woman than watch the baby die, only a mother would agree. That’s how Solomon was able to determine the true identity of the mother. The idea of proving the identity is done today by DNA test and other tests but Solomon by the supernatural wisdom of God demonstrated that ability first.
A man was reading the Book of Ezekiel about “wheels within wheels” This divine insight gave him the idea to design shopping trolleys with wheels within wheels so that they can move easily in all directions. George Washington Carver, the great scientist said that God showed him how he could make over 400 items out of the peanut. Both men got inventions from supernatural encounters.
Discoveries in technology, art and science are simply God’s work that He allows mankind to find.
It’s time to believe God for supernatural ideas that will lead to new discoveries in all areas.
God bless you. Enjoy your day
Saturday July 24th
Science, Scriptures and the Supernatural 6
Yesterday we established the fact that a God-Man partnership is necessary to operate in the supernatural. When God was making man, He put the spirit of man in an earth molded body and with God’s breath man became a living being. In this process of creation, God was showing a principle that if He’s to manifest his glory on the Earth it must be a partnership with man. We see another example of this in the ministry of Elisha.
2 kings 6:5-7 (NLT)
5 But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”6 “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. 7 “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.
An axe head has just sunk into the river. Elijah takes a stick which naturally should float, and throws it into the river at the spot that axe head sank. The stick sinks, and the axe head begins to float. This certainly is a miracle. But how did all these take place? Elisha did something in the natural before the Supernatural happened. First, he got a stick and threw it into the river; God did not do any of those things for him. When Elijah did what he could do, God did the supernatural act He couldn’t do by causing the stick to sink and the axe head to float. What Elisha did was a practical, repeatable action and it ushered in the supernatural.
In 2Kgs.3, Elisha was consulted by the king of Judah over a battle that he was about to fight, he went in the company of the idol worshipping king of Israel. When Elisha saw the king of Israel, he was angry and in that state of mind he could not access the supernatural and get direction. To access the supernatural wisdom, he asked for a musician to play some music. Everyone knows that there is a science to the art of music, as the musician began to play, he was able to receive inspiration from God. The supernatural came from what God said, but by a “scientific action” Elisha re -conditioned the atmosphere to become conducive for God to work.
Like we asked yesterday, what are the “ordinary things” as we partner with God to perform then supernatural in our lives?
May God open our minds in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Friday 23 July 2021
Science, Scriptures and the Supernatural 5
1 Corinthians 12:10 talks about the gift of the spirit and one of the Gifts Apostle Paul spoke about is the working of miracles, not the waiting for miracle, the wailing for miracle but the working of miracle. Miracles are worked out. There is a partnership between God and man that works out the supernatural in our lives. All through the gospels, we see Jesus working miracles with the Father.
Luke 9: 10 17 (NLT),
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida.
11 But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
12 Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”
13 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?”
14 For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
15 So the people all sat down.
16 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.
17 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
There’s no way 5 loaves and two fishes can feed 5000 men without counting the women and children, except by a miracle, and that’s exactly what happened. And there was something systematic, a somewhat scientific approach to this miracle.
First, they had some method of stock keeping for them to know what they had left. They took a sample of the crowd to know that they had about 5000 men. They organized these people by getting them to sit down in groups of 50s. Jesus then took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave His disciples to distribute to the crowd, that’s when the supernatural happened. Some simple practical and repeatable activities were done and the supernatural took over from there.
My question to you is this; what are the practical repeatable actions you can take that would lay a foundation for the supernatural? This is how miracles are worked out. May God give insight in the Name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday July 22nd
Science, Scriptures and The Supernatural 4
The dictionary defines science as a particular discipline or branch of learning, especially one that deals with measurable and systematic principles rather than intuition or natural abilities. In other words science is not guesswork but something based on laid down principles and guidelines. Everything that is science has some procedure to it.
The Bible clearly is not a book that was written without procedures and well tailored guidelines. It is not a book of someone's intuition. Paul being a doctor of the Jewish law has this to say in Romans 1:20 (NKJV)
For since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things he has made even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse.
Here Paul tells us that we see the essence of God in every creation of his. If we take our time to observe, we will definitely see the hand and touch of God imbedded in the very fabrics of God's individual creations. It therefore means that as we look keenly into God's creation by studying them, we can begin to appreciate the systematic complex investments of a higher intelligence.
In the book of Genesis we can see and appreciate the manifold Wisdom and mercy of God, in that he needed to clothe man because he was naked. So God killed an animal and from there he made clothes for them. This was a show of expertise and dexterity. God knew the right dimensions to produce what fits. Secondly when God was about to save Noah from the flood, God asked him to build an ark; and God gave him specific dimensions with which he was to build. Anything outside God specification, would have been wrong. Another figure in scripture that applied the systematic approach was Luke the medical doctor. Apart from being a doctor, he was a prolific writer and we can see that in his approach to detailed writing, with which he wrote the Acts of the apostles and the Gospel of Luke. However these were not just writings but we could see the power of God flowing out from his writings showing at the presence of the supernatural in those written words are very real.
God wants us to maximize everything that he has provided for us in this Life, by understanding how science, scriptures and the supernatural work together. This understanding with Birth a revival in the world that would put Jesus at the Pinnacle of influence in every area of society; whether it be in the arts sciences, politics and industry. Science, scripture, and the supernatural working together would bring the glory and power of God to manifest here on Earth to God's glory.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Wednesday 21st July
The Supernatural Today 9
There is nothing new under the Sun, everything that is happening today has happened before, it might just be in a different form.
The tension between science, scripture and the supernatural has been on even in the Bible days, different societies had their beliefs about science and the supernatural. This tension was clearly seen in the Greek and Jewish communities. Apostle Paul was a trained Pharisee before his conversion, to be a Pharisee was like being a doctor of the Jewish law. Paul was vast in knowledge both in the ways of the Jews and in the beliefs of the Greeks. The Jews believed in the supernatural but the Greeks believed in logic, physical evidence. He alluded to this tension in 1 Cor. 1:21-24 (NLT)
God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The Jews had their background in the supernatural works of God. They are the custodians of the oracles of God. Their forefathers witness great supernatural signs and wonders that God did amongst them so it was part of their heritage. The Greeks on the other hand want a logical explanation and physical evidence for everything before they believed. But Paul made them understand that these two positions did not have to conflict because they both have their roots in Christ.
In Christ, there is a strong ground for the wisdom and the principles of science and there is a place for the demonstration of the power of God with supernatural signs and wonders. In reality, Christ is a confluence of science and the supernatural, of wisdom and power. It is interesting to know that the scriptures also have two parts to it, the written Word of God also known as the Logos in Greek and the living and spirit Word of God known as Rhema in Greek.
For the Christians, believing and excelling in science, scriptures and the supernatural should not cause any tension or create any problem, it is part of our heritage as children of God.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Tuesday July 20th
Science, Scriptures and the Supernatural 2
For centuries, science has been trying to uncover the wisdom that is hidden in creation. That is the basis on which science, scriptures, and the supernatural work together because God is the Lord over all of them and works through all of them
King Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth in his days; and Daniel was an administrator under him, but he was also a prophet of the Most High God. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue made up of different precious metals. The most majestic kingdom was the head, which was made of gold and it represented Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. He engaged the services of magicians, astrologers, soothsayers, wise men and sorcerers to assist him in solving problems in the kingdom. In those days, kingdoms engaged every kind of knowledge available to solve problems and to advance their kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar knew about the power and greatness of the God of Israel, that’s why he trained some Hebrew boys in the ways of Babylon so he could also take advantage of their abilities.
The wise men from the East that came to visit and worship baby Jesus must have had some scientific abilities in star reading and geography. The Bible says that they saw his star from the East and travelled to Israel to worship Him. Some theologians say they came from as far as China. God used their abilities to locate Jesus and worship Him. We see the same thing with Pharaoh, he also engaged the services of wise men, astrologers, sorcerers, magicians in directing the affairs of his kingdom. When all the knowledge of Egypt failed, he heard about Joseph and his special abilities given him by the Hebrew God, he didn’t hesitate in engaging him. Those great civilizations thrived by using knowledge from any source that was available.
The wisdom that God gave King Solomon gave him insight into various aspects of life including science, human behaviour, plants, animals, geography, conflict resolutions, poetry etc. In 1king 4:29-33, we see the vastness of the wisdom that God gave Solomon, nobody was able to match him in wisdom in his time. To shut ourselves away from science is to shut ourselves out from an aspect of God’s wisdom.
God is the fountain of all knowledge and He has concealed useful and valuable information in creation for us to discover. These discoveries come through science, arts, natural observation, sometimes people stumble on them by chance and some go through satanic means to find these things. As long as we do not seek knowledge through satanic means, we are not out of line with God. The God that we serve is God over all, he is the God of science, scriptures and the supernatural. To maximize our walk with Him we need to be opened to all His fountain of Knowledge and this includes science. May God give us understanding
God bless you, enjoy your day
Science, Scriptures and the Supernatural.
Monday 19 July
This week we are talking about the place of science, scriptures and the supernatural.
There is the erroneous belief that science, scriptures and the supernatural don’t agree. Some believe if you really believe in science, you cannot believe the account of scripture and the supernatural but that is not true.
Bible verses like 1 Tim 6:20, KJV
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
Have been misinterpreted to mean science is in opposition to scripture, which is not true. A more accurate interpretation of this verse of scripture can be seen in The Living Bible translation of the same scripture which says;
Oh, Timothy, don’t fail to do these things that God entrusted to you. Keep out of foolish arguments with those who boast of their “knowledge” and thus prove their lack of it.
Professor Allen J. Dunckley, author of the book, "Scripture and Science: Conflict or Confirmation? Gave detailed scientific evidence to show that science actually confirms scriptures and is not contradictory to it.
Dr. Henry Morris in his book, “Men of Science, Men of God” a biographical account and testimonies of 101 Christian scientists who believe the Bible and its account of God's creation, disprove the lie that a true scientist cannot simultaneously be a true man or woman of God. This compilation of Christian scientist is from the 15th century to the 20th century, some of the notable Christians in this book can be called founding fathers of different areas in science and they were also very strong Christians. I am convinced that the God of the scriptures is also God of science and the one Who does the supernatural.
I pray God would open our minds to understand to see that the God of the bible, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the same Lord over Science, Scripture and the doer of the supernatural. The three can work together when we yield ourselves to God.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday July 18th
The Supernatural Today 7
The Bible says that we should be followers of those who through faith in God and patience, obtained what God promised. God still does the supernatural today. In the last few days, I have been sharing the testimony of my brother and his wife, how God intervened and they had their first child after eight years of marriage. I visited a family earlier today to rejoice with them as they received something they have been trusting God for over the years. I know it was a journey of faith but now that the expectation has become manifestation, what a joy!
No matter your situation today, don’t give up, God’s Word will come through for you in Jesus’ Name. The Word of God is seed and seeds don't die. Once they are planted, they are bound to spring forth.
There were times the doctors gave my sister-in-law reports that gave very little hope; but the hope of scriptures never left her and husband. As they worked with the doctors and the Word, their desire came.
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
According to Bola’s testimony as they planned on having an In vitro fertilisation (IVF) part of the preparation was to run routine pregnancy tests before carrying out the IVF procedure. A few days later, the nurse called her from the hospital to tell her that her test result came in positive. She had an initial panic because she couldn’t imagine it was the pregnancy test, she thought it was for HIV. When she finally realized it was for pregnancy, it was a mixed feeling of joy and awe. To further convince herself she went out to buy her own pregnancy kit and ran the tests 3 times and it was positive, the Word of God came through for them. But God wasn’t through with them, a few months later she went to the hospital to complain about some discomfort in her stomach, after a series of tests, she was confirmed pregnant for her second son. Now she was sure she had had enough, so she used contraceptives to ensure no more babies, but guess what a few years later she had a daughter, even with the contraceptive. Talk about JEHOVAH OVER DO! The God Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think.
Some will say, all these are mere coincidence. Not a problem, I love when coincidences happen regularly as I hold on to the Word of God.
I stand in agreement with you today that there would be an outbreak of the supernatural in your lives from now in the name of Jesus. May Christ by His Spirit pleasantly surprise you and turn all your expectations in line with His Word into manifestations in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday July 17th
The Supernatural Today 6
Sometimes life serves us with some situations that are very difficult to handle, and we must remember to always show understanding and compassion when people go through these difficult phases. It’s not the time to begin lectures on why they need more faith, prayer and fasting. It’s a time to stand together and believe God for a supernatural intervention.
I began sharing the story of how God intervened supernaturally in the life of my brother and his wife as they stood in faith for a baby for 8 years. Bola and Deji, did all they had to do medically, at a time she was taking between 45 – 55 injections every month coupled with prayers and confessing God’s Word but the babies were just not coming. She said it was as if her body was rejecting and rebelling against the medications. Yet in the midst of this seeming hopeless situation, God began to move. While attending a retreat that was organized for women believing God for their children, the Word of God came to her from,
Genesis 1:28 (NLT)
Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
The pastor made them understand what God said in that verse was directed at their spirit and not their bodies. The moment she understood this, she knew that no matter what was happening in her body, the light of the Word that had entered her spirit would affect her body. Proverbs. 18:14 says. “The spirit of a man can sustain his body…” They held on to the word of God and as their faith grew, they saw heaven’s intervention
Desperation is good when it drives us to God. There are several examples of people in the Bible whose desperation drew them to God. The woman with the issue of blood was a very good example. She knew where to direct her desperation and it paid off. TAKE YOUR DESPERATION TO GOD AND HOLD ONTO GOD'S WORD.
The same God that intervened in the Bible days still intervenes today. Search the scriptures, stay with it and watch how God will rewrite your story.
God bless you and keep you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 16th July
The supernatural Today 5
I had a conversation a few days ago with this businessman who was owing the bank some hundreds of millions of Naira. Not knowing what to do, he cried to God and God gave him some specific instructions which he obeyed. A few days later he made some major sales in the hundreds of millions, he paid the money and in a very short time he was out of that situation. This is a clear case of supernatural intervention, by following divine instruction a solution came to a problematic situation.
We all handle situations in different ways, it’s important that we don’t trivialize people’s challenge especially when we don’t really understand their situation. One of the greatest qualities Jesus had was his ability to show compassion to people who were going through difficult situations. We all need to emulate this quality. Sometimes people around us could be going through what is a very hard time for them but to us it might be a simple issue or we just might not understand because we have never been in that situation, no matter what we must learn to empathize with people. The desperation of a situation can make some people breakdown completely and they desperately need God to step in and step in fast.
Genesis 30:1 NLT,
When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob "give me children or I die."
Faced with the challenge of barrenness Rachel’s heart was full of pain, in her frustration she directed her anger and pain at her husband Jacob. There is a Yoruba adage that says “Eni to kan lo mo” meaning” It’s the person that is affected by a situation that really know what it feels like to be in that situation.”
If we can really understand people's pain, we won't trivialize their experience while we try to comfort and encourage them in a difficult situation.
Different cultures attached different levels of importance to delay in child birth after marriage, in the setting Rachel found herself, it was so intense that she even considered death if she wouldn’t have children. This position is still prevalent in many African culture today, delay in child birth after marriage or to be childless can put a lot of pressure on the marriage especially the woman. In spite of this, one thing I have come to know- God really intervenes. A case I know firsthand is my brother and his wife, the children did not come in the first 8 years of their marriage, it was tough but today they have 3 love children.
You may be facing a desperate situation today, be encouraged God still intervenes in people’s lives today and He will show up for you in Jesus’ Name
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day
Thursday 15th
The Supernatural Today 4.
Sometimes in the early 90s, I witnessed what was like my very first supernatural encounter. It was in a church service and two rows behind me was a man who suddenly screamed and was behaving in a strange way, apparently, he was demon possessed. We were listening to a simple message that had nothing to do with demons, the man came under the influence of the Word of God began to manifest some strange behaviour and not long after was completely delivered. It was my first time of see such a thing up close. Remember that Jesus, during His earthly ministry went around teaching, healing and casting out demons. Casting out demons is obviously a supernatural act of God. Over the years, I have seen many more supernatural interventions; barren of many years becoming mothers, cancer healed, ovarian cyst disappeared and people who God rescued mordaciously from kidnappers besides those I have experienced in my own life.
It’s important we emphasis this again, the supernatural acts of God, even today are a product of the word of God, any supernatural act that cannot be traced to the Word of God should be discarded.
Acts 14:8-10 (NLT),
8 While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting 9and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed. 10So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
The Word of God is what provokes and releases the supernatural. There was a case of young man I know. He had issues with his academics and was on the verges of being expelled. He went in there to pray with the word of God in the book Isaiah 54. God gave him victory over that situation and was able to complete his studies. Another woman I know who ovarian cysts, He believed the Word of God that whatever God had not planted in her body would be uprooted, she went back to the same hospital where she got the initial diagnosis and they couldn’t find that cysts again.
That you have not experienced the supernatural doesn’t invalidates its existence. God still intervenes supernaturally in people’s lives. The bible says they heard and were healed. There is a place for hearing and place for believing the supernatural. Jesus said to a lady “If you believe like Jesus said, you will see the glory of God.”
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 14th
The Supernatural Today 3
There would be skeptics, people who will not believe the supernatural even if it happens right before their eyes. Thomas, one of Jesus’ 12 apostles, was also a skeptic. He told the other apostles that he wouldn’t believe Jesus was resurrected until he had personal and physical proof. There are still so many people like that today, they have chosen not to believe in the supernatural intervention of God whether simple or spectacular, it makes no difference. Some actually believe in God, they just don’t believe the supernatural is for today.
John 9:24-28 (NLT),
24 So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, [a] because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” 25“I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” 26“But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” 27“Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” 28Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! 29 We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
It’s amazing how people get angry and emotional about God and His supernatural acts. That was the situation with these religious leaders and the blind man that Jesus healed. They kept probing the man and his parents about Jesus, the man that healed him and the supernatural act of healing that the man received which was quite evident to them. The man that was healed said to the religious leaders, “I don’t know the theology of His divinity or if He’s an evil man or not. This I know however; I know I was blind but could now see.” People can argue about this for eternity but a man with experience is not at the mercy of a man with unbelief. Our job is not to convince anybody about the reality of the supernatural today, that’s the work of the Holy Spirit, all we can do is to be a witness of the supernatural that we have seen and heard and trust God to do the rest.
The bible says, let God be true and every man a liar. The fact that the religious leaders didn’t believe, didn’t stop the blind man from experiencing the supernatural, in the same way, whether we believe or not won’t change the fact that God still does wonders today. He still intervenes in people's lives and circumstances. He also wants to intervene in your life too, all He’s asking for is your cooperation through faith.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your week.
The Supernatural Today 2
There are many people that say we do see the supernatural power of God as it was seen before in the bible days and in the early church but the truth is this, the supernatural acts of God are still happening today. So, if you are one of those who think God has put a pause or a complete stop entirely on the supernatural, don’t worry you are not alone.
Judg. 6: 14-14 NLT
12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
Gideon was going through a very difficult period in his life just as the nation of Israel was going through very hard times because of the Midianites that kept raiding their land at will. Gideon had an angelic visitation and as the angel gave him this heavenly message, Gideon was quick to tell this heavenly messenger that he wasn’t impressed by God and how he felt God was treating them as a people. He said to the angel, “Yes, God had been involved in their lives sometime in the past but as far as he was concerned God now had abandoned them. As of today, His supernatural interventions and miracles are no longer a reality”.
A lot of people are like Gideon today and understandably so. They believe God used to do mighty things in people’s lives before, especially the Israelites but as of today, 2021, we are on our God is not doing those kinds of things again. People have become very skeptical about God and the supernatural, even Christians. The angel didn’t bother answering Gideon, all he said was “God will use you, just as you are to deliver Israel…” Then Gideon will know whether God still intervenes supernaturally in people’s lives or not.
God doesn’t do anything on earth without the cooperation of people, His eyes are running throughout the earth today looking for those who will believe Him enough to work with Him so that He can manifest the supernatural in their lives and use them as channels of bringing His supernatural interventions to others.
The Supernatural Interventions of God is real and it is for today.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 12 July
Supernatural Interventions Today 1
Since the fall of man, human beings have gradually but steadily become drawn away from God’s Supernatural Intervention in their lives. From Adam & Eve hiding from God and making clothes of leaves for themselves to Abraham having a child from Hagar instead of Sarah or Moses thinking he could deliver Israel from Egypt by fight their way out as to God using a simple rod. Even in the early church, Apostle Paul was frustrated over the fact that some of God’s people had a problem believing God Supernatural act can raise the dead.
Acts 26:8 NLT Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead?
Even today, there some Christians who don’t in God’s Supernatural intervention in people’s lives, especially when it is spectacular. Some say such spectacular manifestations ended in the era of the early church. But the bible says in
Heb. 13: 8, NLT8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Whatever He did yesterday, He can do today and He can do forever. But we must believe Him for it. The Supernatural Interventions of God is for today and it still happens today.
Sunday 11 July
Supernatural Intervention 11
The supernatural interventions of God does not always have to be spectacular. Some times it’s as simple as the simple salvation experience, prayer, giving or the still small voice talking to Elijah. Sometimes its as spectacular as Jesus’ walking on water, the dead being raised or the cripple walking. The truth is that in the kingdom of God, anything that proceeds from Rhema is supernatural, whether simple or spectacular they are still supernatural acts and they are nonetheless powerful.
The seed for the supernatural whether simple or spectacular is the Word of God.
Lk. 8:11 NLT11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word."
Anything we call supernatural that is not firmly rooted in the Word of is fake.
We must stir our faith afresh to be more conscious of God’s supernatural interventions develop our faith for it and appreciate God for His Supernatural involvement in our lives.
Saturday 10 July
Supernatural Intervention 10
Supernatural Interventions of God is not just about God coming into our lives with His power to help us get out of trouble with some miraculous act, even though He does that.
Supernatural Interventions is simply about God, as a loving Father being involved in our lives. That’s always being His plan even before the fall. So, whether things are going well in your life or not, God wants to be involved. That’s why we call Him Emmanuel
Matt.1:23 NKJV23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” (The Almighty God involved in every area of our lives). Even when there is the new heaven and earth where there is no evil,
Revelation 21:3 NLT3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them."
We might not use the exact term “Supernatural Intervention of God” then, but its basically the same thing- God, our Loving Father being actively involved in our lives
Friday 9th July
Supernatural Interventions 9
People are generally fascinated by the supernatural because we are all spirits and there is a craving deep within our spirit to connect with our roots in the supernatural.
Acts. 8:9-11 gives us the account of a sorcerer named Simon, he had everyone in the city under his control by his powers, he was called the great power of God. Everyone, rich, poor, young, old, male and female were spellbound by him, the simple truth is that people are generally amazed at anything supernatural. Jesus’ ministry was not an exception, crowds followed Him everywhere, even the very erudite Nicodemus who was in the top echelon of the society came to see Him because there is an attraction we have for the supernatural.
Even Hollywood is not left out, of the top 3 highest grossing movies 2 of them have supernatural storylines. We all have a curiosity and some sort of quest for the supernatural, extraordinary life, it’s in our imagination and dreams and deep within our spirit we know it.
Let's look at Acts 9:3-5 (NLT)
"And as he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him and he fell to the ground; and he heard a voice say to him Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me? Who are you Lord? Saul asked, `I am Jesus the one you are persecuting."
Saul was a staunch pharisee and religious activist who didn't believe in Jesus nor recognized His Lordship. On his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus and his response to Jesus when He called him was, "Who are you Lord?" Why did he use the word LORD? It was Paul's spirit responding, his core being recognised the LORDSHIP of Jesus.
Years after Paul's conversion he went to Athens and saw that the people were very religious on one of the many altars was the inscription “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD", the people knew deep within them that there was a being or something above and beyond them and they addressed this supernatural being as the unknown god. Today we see this crave for the supernatural expressed in our different religions and beliefs; Buddhist, Islam, Christianity, Hindus to Atheism etc. They all are trying to connect to a supernatural being or disconnect as the case may be. Just as a baby instinctively knows how to suckle from the breast of the mother and the digestive system knows how to transform the milk into energy, the human spirit also instinctively gravitates to the things of the spirit and can relate with the supernatural because it is built into the core of our spirit.
My prayer is that God satisfies your quest in your spirit for the supernatural in the name of Jesus. May He reveal Himself to you in new and powerful ways in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 8th July
Supernatural Intervention 8
The term SUPERNATURAL refers to something beyond the natural. Many expect the spectacular when it comes to explaining or experiencing the supernatural, but this is not always the case. When we talk about INTERVENTION, it simply means involvement. So, when we talk about supernatural intervention, we are simply saying that God wants to be involved in your life. Sometimes this involvement can be spectacular, sometimes it can be simple but all the same it's about God getting involved in our lives.
There are Christians who believe that God can intervene and He does intervene in people’s lives; they just find it difficult to believe that He will intervene in their lives. They read about the mighty acts of God in the Bible and they are inspired, but that’s where it ends. They believe the supernatural ended with the early church.
Jesus had an encounter with the Sadducees, one of the religious sects at the time of Jesus. They believed in God and the law but they didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead. All they believed was in earthly realities. This led them to ask Jesus questions that showed lack of understanding of life after death, the question was meant to prove that there was no resurrection or the supernatural but their attempt didn’t succeed.
Matthew 22:29 NLT,
"Jesus answered and said to them you are mistaken not knowing the scriptures nor the power.
God has no problem raising the Dead. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they all live because God is the author of life, centre of life and the giver of life. It is from there that the life we live flows. There is the natural life that ends with death and there is the eternal life, very life of God that never ends. It is just like we have the Logos, which is the natural written Word of God and the Rhema which is the revealed, spirit Word of God. It is this Rhema that God uses to birth the supernatural in our lives.
I pray that you will encounter the God of the supernatural again as we go beyond the Logos to Rhema in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day
Wednesday 7th July
Supernatural Intervention 7
In academia the first degree is called the bachelor's degree. The second degree is called the master's degree. Then the third degree is the PhD. Now from basic mathematics we know we have 360° so, I thought, if our first three degrees are what culminates in what we call PhD, then we are still largely ignorant. If you subtract 3 degrees from 360 degrees you will have 357 degrees out there. The simple truth is that there are many more things that we don’t know out there. In the May 2011 edition of space.com, it was reported that all the stars, planets and galaxies that can be seen make up just 4% of the universe, the other 96% are made up of things unknown to astronomers. This unknown is referred to as dark matter.
If there is still so much out there to discover, is it possible some things are just beyond the limits of our five senses? Is it possible that our spirits can access much more than is available in creation that what our physical senses can? I believe so, God designed life to be discovered in the spiritual or supernatural realm first before we bring the experience into the physical or natural realm. The fall of man in the Garden of Eden was what caused the reversal, where people on the natural level are struggling to believe and experience the supernatural.
Apostle Paul was a man that ascended the level of natural knowledge before experiencing the heights of the supernatural through Christ. Based on a good understanding of the two he said
1st Corinthians 15:19 NLT,
And if our hope in Christ is only for this life alone, we are more to be pitied than everyone in the world."
If our confidence is only in this three-dimensional, natural world, then we are in a very sorry state. Anyone whose complete confidence is only in this natural world is to be pitied because even the thing we see clearly is a strong evidence of the reality of the unseen. (Rom. 1:20)
My prayer for you is that the Holy Ghost will unveil the supernatural depths of God to you so that your life will be maximised to its fullness as God designed it to be in Christ.
God bless and keep you
Enjoy your day.
Tuesday 6th July
Supernatural Interventions 6
Bible accounts and stories are not just “make believe”, fictional stories, they are accounts of real people with historical facts that can be verified. Several bible truths have been authenticated by science and archaeological discoveries. Bible personalities like Joseph and Daniel are two out of the many others.
In the story of Joseph, Pharaoh had a dream that nobody could understand or interpret. At that time, Pharaoh was the king of the most powerful nation in the world, he had the wisest crop of men around him including; magicians, sorcerers, astrologers etc. Pharaoh consulted them to interpret his dream but all their attempts failed, until Joseph showed up on the scene. By the help of the Spirit of God, Joseph didn’t only interpret Pharaoh’s dream, he also gave him the solution to the problem Pharaoh saw in his dream. When Pharaoh heard all that Joseph had said he asked "Can we find such a man as this in this Kingdom in whom the spirit of the gods dwells?" At that moment Pharaoh made Joseph the Prime Minister and decreed that all his people will be ruled by Joseph. Pharaoh’s decree brought all the powers of Egypt and their gods under the control of Joseph and the God of the Hebrews.
Daniel’s experience was similar to Joseph’s. King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that was troubling him. He assembled all the wise men of Babylon and demanded them to tell him the dream since he had forgotten it and to also tell him the interpretation of his dream. None of the wisemen of Babylon had a solution to the king's problem but Daniel by the help of his God had the answer for the king. When Nebuchadnezzar heard the dream and interpretation as given by Daniel, he prostrated before Daniel and said,
Daniel 2:47 NKJV,
"The king said to Daniel surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and he is the revealer of mysteries for you were able to reveal this."
When it comes to the supernatural, God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ is in a class of His own. No power or force comes close to Him. He is the source and sustainer of everything and the supreme Spirit over all spirits.
Hebrews 12:9
"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us and we have paid them respect; shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the father of our spirit and life."
God is called the Father of all spirits, that includes Lucifer. IF GOD SHUTS DOWN, EVERYTHING SHUTS DOWN even the devil and all his operations. The supernatural intervention of God is the ultimate power.
When it comes to supernatural interventions, we don’t need to look beyond God through our Lord Jesus. May you see Him afresh in His power in Jesus’ Name.
Christ and you will see the way God will radically transform your life.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Supernatural Interventions 5
Monday 5th July.
There is no doubt that the supernatural are real, however we need to understand what kind of supernatural influences we are opening ourselves up to. There are the supernatural realities of the Kingdom of God and there is also that of the Kingdom of Darkness, we must not allow ourselves to be confused or deceived. It is important that we never forget that there are negative and positive supernatural influences and interventions. 1John 1:5 says, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all…” But darkness will always try to imitate the light.
1Cor 11:14-15
But I am surprised even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, it is no wonder that his servants disguise themselves as the agents if righteousness, in the end they would be get the punishment that their wicked deed deserves.
Paul was calling our attention to the reality of the negative supernatural so that we don’t get deceived. Many people whose desire for supernatural interventions from God have been deceived and gotten supernatural interventions from the kingdom of darkness thinking it is from God and this has brought them into unimaginable bondage.
King Saul was a victim of such deception. In his desperation to get direction from God which was not coming because of his disobedience, Saul went to a witch to help him call up the spirit of Samuel supernaturally so he could ask him for direction. What the witch usually did was to conjure another evil spirit pretending to be the person from the dead and would give a false message. The witch had taught the same lying evil spirit would do the same thing but God allowed the spirit of Samuel to really appear to the utter surprise of the witch and he rebuked Saul for his wrong action in seeking the supernatural intervention of God through a witch. (1 Sam. 28)
In our desire to experience the supernatural we must be mindful of the deception of the devil. Apostle Paul in 2 Thess. 2:9 spoke about lying wonders,
I pray that God will give us the grace for discernment as we follow God by His Word in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day
Sunday 4th July
Supernatural Interventions 4
We have discussed the difference between the natural and the supernatural and it is clear that what brought mankind down to natural life was the fall in the Garden of Eden. When God created Adam and Eve, they operated as divinity and lived as spirit beings in a human body. After the fall mankind dropped from the spiritual height that God had placed them to the natural where he came under all physical elements of this world. Since then, the human race has been trapped and living within the limitations of the physical world.
The universe that God created is beyond this physical world, it extends into the unseen, supernatural realm world and in that realm, there are no limitations like that of this physical world that we live in. When we have a good understanding of this supernatural, unseen realm, we can leverage it to our advantage.
It is important we understand that not all the supernatural forces in the spiritual realm are godly forces, Lucifer the fallen angel and a host of other fallen angels also exist in this supernatural, unseen realm, and just as we had to differentiate between the natural and spiritual, it’s important we understand the difference between the positive supernatural and the negative supernatural, between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan
Exodus 7:10-12 (NLT)
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent! Then Pharaoh called in his own wise men and sorcerers, and these Egyptian magicians did the same thing with their magic. They threw down their staff, which also became serpents! But then Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs
This display in the court of Pharaoh gives us a clear picture of these two kingdoms. Moses and Aaron represent the kingdom of God while Pharaoh and his sorcerers represent the kingdom of darkness. We see the supernatural abilities in both kingdoms as they were both able to turn dead sticks into living snakes but the power and glory of the Kingdom of God is seen in the fact that Moses’ rod (serpent) swallowed up all the other rods (serpents) put together. This was to establish that the kingdom of God rules and reigns over all other kingdoms.
Understand that in the supernatural realm there is the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness and both exert powers but we can be rest assured that the Kingdom of God rules over all other kingdoms and if you are a child of God know that "…greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world".
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Saturday 3 July
Supernatural Interventions 3
We are still talking about “The Supernatural Interventions of God.” My prayer is that this month will be a new experience of supernatural encounter in your life in the name of Jesus. In our study yesterday we discussed Nicodemus’ encounter with Jesus as he tried to understand this supernatural life. Having observed the miraculous evidence that followed Jesus, he wanted to know the secret. Jesus said that secret was not in anything He was doing but a function of how He was born. This response confused Nicodemus the more. Jesus told him the was the natural birth and the was the spiritual birth, this spiritual birth by the Holy Spirit was the secret to the supernatural in His life.
John 3: 6 (NKJV),
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Jesus showed Nicodemus the root of the supernatural life that compels supernatural interventions. The natural birth produces natural results and the spiritual birth by the Spirit produces supernatural results. This birth by the Spirit is our initiation into the Kingdom of God which in turn qualifies us for Supernatural Interventions as our birthright. The fall of man from the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom was what made a spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit necessary. The fall dropped man from the supernatural realm of the kingdom of God to the natural realm which is under the control of Satan. God is limited in what He can do when we remain in the natural realm. The natural way is not the way of God but when we rise up to the realm of the Spirit in the Kingdom of God, the possibilities are endless.
In Galatians 4:21 -31, we see how Paul was explaining to the Galatians God’s disapproval for things that follow the natural instead of the Spirit and gave the example of Ismael and Isaac. Ishmael is a product of Abraham and Hagar’s natural attempt to get what God had promised but God did not approve of this natural way. It was not until Abraham stayed with the promise of God and produced Isaac with Sarah that God gave His blessing. This was the same lesson Jesus was teaching Nicodemus centuries later, “…that which is born of flesh is flesh and that which is born of spirit is spirit.”
The platform for the supernatural is life in the Spirit. I pray the Holy Spirit gives you greater understanding of this so you can develop and deepen your spiritual walk in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day!
Friday 2 July
Supernatural Interventions 2
Throughout the month, we will be talking about the Supernatural Interventions of God. It is important as believers that we understand that the God we serve is a Supernatural Being and He wants to do mighty things in our lives.
What do we mean when we say something is supernatural? Supernatural is the combination of two words; Super and Natural. The word “Natural” means, usual, ordinary, routine, physical things we see every day. But when “Super” is added to it, it means something extraordinary, unusual, miraculous, illogical, it is something that’s not in line with the normal order of things.
Let’s read from John 3: 1 – 6 (NLT),
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you. 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you; no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
Nicodemus saw Jesus and the miraculous evidence that was part of His life and said to Him, “Master, the Supernatural thing we are seeing in your life cannot be ordinary.” And Jesus said “Yes, they are not ordinary, it is the function of my nature, where I am from…”. The Bible says, “except a man be born again… of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” The first birth is the natural one we are used to while second birth is by the spirit. This spiritual birth gives you access into the kingdom of God where you can experience the supernatural. All this was quite strange to Nicodemus but he couldn’t deny the supernatural things he had seen in the life of Jesus.
The supernatural is something that is out of this natural world. It is not physical or human, it is above our natural, human world but that is where God really wants us to function especially if you have been born again.
I pray in the name of Jesus that this will be the beginning of a new and deeper journey into the supernatural for you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday 1 July
Supernatural Interventions
Welcome to the month of July. This month, we will be talking about the “The Supernatural Interventions of God.”
Sometimes as believers, we forget that our Christian experience is nothing short of the supernatural, from the beginning to the end. When was the last time you heard of a virgin giving birth to a child? Or how often have you heard about someone who died and resurrected and never died again? They are not your normal everyday natural occurrences, they are supernatural.
It’s interesting to know that in spite of all the supernatural encounters in the Bible, the word “supernatural” is not mentioned once in the Bible, particularly in the King James Version. Just like you won’t find the word “rapture” or “trinity” in the Bible but the concepts are clear in the scriptures. Another instance of this is in the Book of Esther, there is no single mention of “God” in that book at least in the King James Version of the Bible, yet the Supernatural acts of God cannot be taken out of the book of Esther. Even though you won’t find the word “Supernatural” from Genesis to Revelation, yet the bible is chronicle of the supernatural acts of God as He intervenes in people’s lives on earth, from Abraham gave birth to Isaac or Jacob having an encounter with an angel that changed his name or Joseph who had the ability to have dreams and interpret them, to Moses who performed miracles with his shepherd’s rod. So, we cannot talk about the Bible without talking about the supernatural.
The truth is this; we cannot talk about the God of the Bible and say we don’t believe in the supernatural. We cannot say we believe in the Bible but not in the supernatural. So, all through this month, we want to awaken consciousness to the reality of the Supernatural and the supernatural interventions of God.
My prayer for you and your households is that starting from this month you will experience this supernatural like never before in the Name of Jesus.
Welcome to the month of July!
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day
Wednesday 30 June
The Force of Favour 10
Nothing else can help you go through trying times like JOY. Joy cannot be over emphasized as the secret to navigate through the challenges in life.
2 Cor. 4:17-18 NKJV,
For our light affliction. Which is for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal
If we go through all the things recorded about Paul that he had to go through, it will shock you that Paul defined all his ordeals in life as “LIGHT” This man was beaten, stoned and left for dead, people betrayed him, accused him falsely and as a matter of fact, he wrote the scripture quoted above from prison. But this did not break him. He was still strong. Many people haven’t gone through a tenth of what Paul went through, yet Paul calls his trouble LIGHT. Many have said that God has left them and some are even tired of life. Look at Paul and see how he handled his troubles. There must be something extraordinary that made Paul view his troubles from a different point of view. Paul didn’t only call his affliction LIGHT, but he said that his troubles were working out something far better, that outweighed all his afflictions.
Paul was careful not to look at his environment, he knew what exactly to focus on. His focus was on Jesus who according to
Hebrews 12:2 NKJV
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Paul also taught about the fruits of the spirit, and one of what he mentioned was JOY. This teaching has taken a strong root in him, so much so that it was difficult to discourage him. People who live a life of joy never die, even when life brings a lot of challenges their way; also, long after their death, their stories remain a great inspiration to many.
My prayer for you is that, whatever you are going through, by the help of the Holy Spirit, it will work out something greater in your life, in the name of Jesus Christ.
God bless you and enjoy your day
Adeniyi Adekunle
Tuesday 29th June
The Force of Joy 9
The bible encourages us to be followers of saints who in time past obtained the promises of God through faith and patience. These people went through challenging times just as we do today and all came out victorious. If we learn the things, they learnt and do the things they did, we will enjoy victory just as they did.
David is a classic example of this.
David had a very adventurous life, with many ups and downs, but we can't help but see the role the force of joy played in his life. His life seemed normal until he was anointed king, that’s where real trouble started in his life. He had trouble with his family members, the king who was also his father-in-law wanted him dead, his children hated themselves and one of his sons ousted him from the throne. His life was full of tension, wars, betrayals and pain considering all he had gone through there was really no reason for him to be joyful. This man however, was a great singer, one who loved to praise God, he’s known as the sweet psalmist of Israel writing some of the most inspiring and encouraging Psalms in the bible.
What was David’s secret?
Psalm 126:5-6 NKJV
5 Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.6 He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.
David understood how to focus on the joy of at the end even in the midst of problems, he had personal, firsthand experience so he knew how to focus on the joy of reaping in the trying times of sowing. He was a grateful man who kept a light heart void of offense. When he had the opportunity to kill Saul but he didn't because of what he understood about the ways of God. He saw God in the midst of his storms, in fact he saw God in everything he did and based on this he was confident that everything would turn out well.
If we walk with the Lord like David did, we can be sure that the victory of the Word that he enjoyed would be a living reality in our lives also.
God bless you, and enjoy your day.
Monday 28th June
The Force of Joy 8
The atmosphere we find ourselves in plays a strong role in building the force of joy in our lives. Looking at our immediate environment, we can see how the world is plagued with problems. All the bad news has the capacity to create negative energy around us. We must do everything to the joy in our hearts.
Hebrew 12:22-24 NKJV
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels. 23 to the [a]general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
In the above scripture Apostle Paul was talking about coming into an environment that has the power to release the forces of heaven into our lives. If there are negative forces draining our energy around us, it is our responsibility to come to this place that Paul was talking about, is the presence of God. This place of corporate fellowship with other believers is also the place where we can draw inspiration from saints of old who have gone before us. These people had challenges like we have today and they kept the force of Joy intact in their lives.
Is. 51:2, NKJV
Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.
It is therefore wise to look to the lives of these saints that have gone ahead and observe, learn and follow their examples so that we can maintain the force of joy in our lives. Never underestimate the importance of keeping the right company while at the same avoiding a negative atmosphere that can drain our energy and discourage us.
May God give you the strength to seek out the places and people that will help you keep and maintain your joy.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 27th June
The Force of Joy 7
A well cultivated atmosphere triggers the free flow of joy and divine grace in our lives. However, it's worrisome that lots of people have not come to that place where they are strong enough to withstand the challenges of their environment.
According to the parable of the sower by Jesus, while the sower sow his seeds, some fell by the roadside and were picked up by birds. Some fell on rocky grounds, sprouted but were not well rooted so they withered away. Others fell among thorns and were choked as they grew.
The joy, grace and power of God does not just grow in us because were christians, we have to dutifully ensure the environment is right, readily cultivated and inviting for the joy of the Lord to become strong, stable, and well rooted in us and in return, we're strengthened and firm on our feet regardless of the challenges life throw at us.
Acts 9:39-40 (NLT)
39 So Peter returned with them; and as soon as he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. The room was filled with widows who were weeping and showing him the coats and other clothes Dorcas had made for them. 40 But Peter asked them all to leave the room; then he knelt and prayed. Turning to the body he said, “Get up, Tabitha.” And she opened her eyes! When she saw Peter, she sat up!
When Peter arrived, he immediately understood the environment was filled with distorted emotions. So he told everyone to leave the house as he took charge of the environment (like Jesus did with the daughter of Jairus) and then he was able to instill the atmosphere of joy which helped him draw strength from God and Tabitha was brought back to life.
Whatever is dead around you is still lying dead because you haven't created the atmosphere for it's revival. Do what you have to, pray, fast, excuse some gathering, whatever makes your environment more conducive for God's move and as you do so, watch as God will do wonders in your life.
I declare in the name of Jesus, as you engage your environment in attempt to make it right for the joy of the Lord, nothing around you will be dead again in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Saturday 26th June
The Force of Joy 6
Creating a controlled and enabling environment for the manifestation of God's joy in our lives is a core necessity, and like we established yesterday, we must be deliberate about cultivating the atmosphere to enable the joy and power of the Lord to thrive in us.
2 Kings 3:14-15 (NLT)
14 Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I wouldn’t even bother with you except for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now bring me someone who can play the harp.” While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha.
Elisha felt enraged at the sight of king Joram of Israel for the sins of his parents and in that moment he was clouded and unable to connect with God. But he understood the need to make the atmosphere right for God to take charge, so he requested that someone play the harp to cushion his rage and then, the power of the Lord came upon him.
To experience the manifestation of God, we must be sensitive to our environment, make it right, conducive and habitable for the spirit of God. This Elisha understood and quickly retracted his steps, took control of his environment, and then the power of the Lord came upon him and rescued the situation.
You have a duty to protect and guide your space and by doing so, you'll secure God's availability every time you call.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 25th June
The Force of Joy 5
We are still talking about the force of joy, and like we said yesterday there are roles that must play to enable the manifestation of that which God has promised us.
The question is, are you cultivating the right environment to enable God’s joy to take root and blossom in you?
Just like planting a seed, the seed requires the right mixture and proportion of sunlight, water, humidity and a fertile soil to help it germinate and eventually bring forth its fruits. In essence, the fruit does not jump on the seed, there are some basic and measured factors that help the growth process and eventually make harvests delightful.
The point here is that you need to control your environment until the joy of the Lord is flowing consistently in your life. You do not leave anything to chance, you have to create an enabling environment for the joy of the Lord and be deliberate about the things you allow in your space. In a seedling environment, nothing is left to chance, everything is controlled until the seed can survive on its own. Until you get to that point where the joy of the Lord flows freely in your life, you cannot leave anything to chance.
Mark 5:35-36 (NLT)
35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” 36 But Jesus overheard[a] them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
Jairus’ daughter was sick to the point of death and he came to Jesus for help. Though Jesus assured him that everything would be fine, by the time He got to Jairus’ house, his daughter was dead. Immediately Jesus overheard them, He took control of the situation. He told Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just have faith” as Jesus understood the power of faith and joy. Jesus dispersed the crowd because He needed to create an enabling atmosphere for the joy and power of the Lord to take charge. People laughed at Jesus, but He was not bothered. The important task at hand was to take charge of the environment and in that controlled environment, the strength of the Lord was seen at play as Jesus prayed for the girl and the dead girl arose from her sleep.
Even Jesus knew He could achieve little if the environment was not controlled. If you want to see the joy of the Lord in your life and the power of the Holy Spirit, learn to control your environment.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Thursday 24 June
The Force of Joy 4
Nothing in the kingdom of Gods just happens; whether it is joy, peace, or any blessing from God, nothing just happens. There are things we must do to ensure the things we desire come to pass. In Jesus’ teaching about the parable of the Sower, He was making us understand that works in the kingdom of God works in line with the law of the farm or the law of sowing and reaping. You need to initiate a process to see the things you desire come to pass. There must be the planting of the seed before the reaping of the fruit.
Galatians 5: 22 - 23 (NLT),
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Fruit don’t just grow, they are planted and cultivated in a field, farm or a garden. So, if we want to reap the fruit of joy, we must cultivate it. The joy of the Lord is not a function of church attendance or being involved in church activities. It is not a gift of the Spirit; it is a fruit. To get a fruit, you need the seed, the soil, the environment and there is a conscious effort that is involved in making sure the seed becomes a fruit. If you will see the fruit of joy grow and mature in our lives, we must be intentional about cultivating it and not leave it to chance.
I pray the Lord's strength and wisdom be released to you afresh so you can take responsibility for cultivating the wonderful fruit in your life in the name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Wednesday 23 June
The Force of Joy 3
In science we learn that oxygen supports burning, so if there's no oxygen the fire cannot burn. The atmosphere around us will either allow the divine forces of the kingdom of God to thrive or it will kill them.
The eagle doesn’t just fly anyhow; it waits for the right atmosphere. The eagle works with the wind, when the wind is of the right speed and in the right direction the eagle just spreads its wings wide and glides on the weight of the wind. The force of the wind just keeps bearing it up and taking it on to its destination. This is how God wants us operate, He wants us to use the power of the right atmosphere to ride to our place of destiny.
Romans 14: 17 (NKJV)
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The atmosphere of the Kingdom of God is made up of intangible forces; the forces of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
What is righteousness? It speaks of order and right alignment with God. Peace represents completeness, nothing missing or broken and everything functioning in perfect unity. And the last one is joy in the Holy Ghost, an atmosphere of celebration, jubilation and of gladness. When you read about heaven in the book of Revelation, we clear that it’s a place of unspeakable and continuous joy. So, we can say that a third of the atmosphere of heaven is joy. Jesus said in the book of Luke 17: 21, “…the kingdom of heaven is within you.” If the kingdom is within you and joy is part of the kingdom of God, then you are to carry this atmosphere of joy everywhere you go. If you have joy everywhere you go, then you have strength and ability everywhere you go
From time to time, the devil will bring things to depress and make you sad but when you remember that heaven is in your heart, the atmosphere of joy, peace and righteousness are in your heart then understand that whatever cannot conquer heaven, cannot conquer you. When Lucifer and his fallen angels wanted to invade heaven but could not succeed, they were repelled by the atmosphere. It made it impossible for them.
I declare in the name of Jesus that as you fill your heart with the atmosphere of heaven, just as the forces of hell could not run over heaven but were cast out, the powers of hell will not be able to overrun your life in the Name of Jesus. We cast out everything that is not of God in your life in the name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Tuesday 22 June
The Force of Joy 2.
Yesterday, we began talking about the importance of atmosphere and the power of places. He created light and the firmament before anything physical was created because He knows the power of atmosphere and that environment is important when it comes to developing people. The garden of Eden, an atmosphere of joy, celebration and delight was the ideal atmosphere for the force of joy to thrive. When someone is down and discouraged comes into such an atmosphere, it is easy for that person to be energized by the positive forces already available in that atmosphere.
Psalm 16: 11 (NKJV), "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
The Psalmist said God’s atmosphere is charged with joy., joy in all its fullness. No wonder God is the Almighty because He lives in the fullness of joy and remember; the joy of the Lord is strength. So, the fullness of joy is the fullness of strength and ability. If we want God to be present with us with all His ability, we must live in an atmosphere of joy at all times. God is only drawn to an atmosphere of joy, that was why it was easy for Him to visit and spend time with Adam in the Garden of Eden. There is an atmosphere where the force of joy flows easily, learn to cultivate it and carry it with you at all times and you can be sure of God’s mighty presence at all times.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 21st June
The Force of Joy
This week we are talking about the force of joy. A force is an influence or power that can make things, in that case, joy is a force because it can make things happen in our lives.
Some have asked “How do we stay joyful when life is painful and stressful?” Earlier in the series, we differentiated between joy and happiness. The joy of the Lord isn’t dependent on outside happenings. The bible says that the joy of Lord is our strength and we draw this strength as we interact with the Holy Spirit. This fellowship with the Holy Spirit releases divine forces into our lives making us function in a way that is above the natural human being. The story of the three Hebrew boys readily comes to mind. By divine enablement, they were able to go through situations that destroyed others and come out unharmed. There was an atmosphere that they carried that was different from every other person. There are certain environments where forces like joy thrive in and there are environments that they don’t.
God understands the power of the environment that was why He invested the first 5 days of creation to prepare the place for the people (Adam & Eve) He created on the 6th day will stay. God did this because He knows that people can be programmed by places. Your environment matters.
Genesis 2 vs 15 (NKJV), 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
God was so deliberate about the environment and atmosphere around man that He put in a Garden called Eden. Eden means delight or pleasure. Eden was an environment of celebration and joy; it was an atmosphere where the force of joy could flourish. If we truly want the joy of the Lord to thrive in our, we must be mindful of the atmosphere around us.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Sunday 20 June
No Joy, No Victory 7
A happy Fathers’ Day to all the fathers out there in the name of Jesus.
I pray God’s strength and grace will keep you in the name of Jesus. May God the father of all fathers show Himself strong in our lives in the name of Jesus. May God help our nations overcome the scourge of fatherlessness in the name of Jesus. God bless you!
Still drawing lessons from the story of David and his wife Michal. Did you observe that Michal was called the daughter of Saul rather than the wife of David? (2Sam. 6:20-23) After the ark of God was returned to the city of David with great celebration, David blessed the people and returned home to bless his family also. The first person to meet him as he came in was his wife Michal and she would have been the first to receive the blessing. Michal was full of bitterness and instead of receiving the blessing from David, said things that brought a curse on her. When there is no joy in our lives, we don’t see when good comes. Michal didn’t see David as God’s representative whose blessing can change her life. Instead, she saw a shameless commoner who didn’t understand the dignity of royalty. If she was humble enough to receive the blessing of God from David probably it would have brought a complete restoration to their relationship and other areas of her life but that wasn’t the case.
Joel 1: 12, It says, “...there is no productivity and everything is dry because joy is dried up in people’s hearts.” When there is no joy in your heart, there will be no victory and Michal was a victim of that. Not only was she the only woman recorded as childless in the bible, her name was never mentioned again as David’s wife. The price of a joyless life is more painful than we can imagine, we must avoid it.
My prayer is no matter what you’ve gone through, no matter who has disappointed, betrayed or caused you pain, that you’ll forgive them and embrace the joy of the Lord and secure the bright future that a joyful life brings..
God bless you.
And to our fathers; Happy Father’s Day!
Saturday 19th June 2021
No Joy, No Victory 6
Years ago, I listened to a message by Dr. Jerry Savelle titled “If the Devil Can Steal Your Joy, he can keep your goods”. I totally agree with that statement. The bible says, the Devil comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. However, if you do not allow the devil to steal your joy in the midst of whatever is happening to you, he cannot steal from you, and if he has, he must return whatever he has stolen. This was something Michal didn’t understand, and it cost her heavily. Yes, a lot of things that were rightfully hers seemed lost but she was at least “back in the game”. She was back with her husband and back as his wife and for these she could be grateful and joyful but she chose to be bitter and hold her husband in contempt, the contempt in her heart was what eventually condemned her.
Hebrew 12 vs 15 (NLT) 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Offense and bitterness operate like a married couple and the children they give birth to is nothing but trouble. Cain had a similar experience, after he became offended and bitter because God rejected his offering. God however corrected him and warned on the implications of staying offended, for this he could have shown gratitude to God and thereby kept his joy but he chose to stay bitter and ended up killing his brother. God banished him from His presence and he was cut-off from the lineage of Adam. His end was similar to Michal’s. Bitterness truly troubles many especially for people that allow bitterness to take root in them.
In Luke 17:1, Jesus said reasons to get offended will always come, but we must determine in our heart that offense will not overcome us. We must jam them out so that they don’t jam us out of God's presence. Remember, in God’s presence is fullness of joy.
May the fullness of God’s joy bring full restoration to your life as you chose to keep rejoicing in Jesus Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
No Joy, No Victory 5
We began discussing the story of David and his first wife Michal and we saw how bitterness and negative emotion in her heart jammed the flow of joy in her life. Let’s take a deeper look at their stories and see other lessons we can learn.
2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23 (NLT),
16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him. 20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” 21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 Do Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
The story of Michal and David is a classic on love gone sour. Michal had made investments in David’s life before he became king and she must have been expecting some form of recognition and appreciation from David especially now that he had become King but nothing of such happened. Instead, she had to compete for a place in her husband’s heart alongside other wives and concubines. As his first wife this situation naturally created a lot of ill feeling in Michal towards David. Unknown to her, the negative emotions she was having towards David also created a negative effect in her, it was cutting off her joy. When there is no joy there can be no strength and when there is no strength there can be no victory.
In spite of all that happened between Michal and David, she could still choose to rejoice. Over what you might say? She could choose to be joyful when she was finally reunited with her first love. She could be joyful that God had kept herself and David alive to see again. She could be joyful that her place as the first wife was undisputable. Tough as all this might be, it would have served her better than being bitter. If you think very well about any situation you find yourself, you’ll discover there’s always something to be joyful about.
Take time to carefully think about your life, I’m convinced you’ll discover things to be joyful about. Let the joy flow freely and watchout and see how God would move in your life.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 17th June
No Joy, No Victory 4
Being joyful or sad is a choice, nobody can force joy or sadness on you, it’s a choice you have to consciously make for yourself. God said to Israelites, “I have set before you, life and death...”. He then encouraged them to choose life. There will always be more than enough reasons to be sad, but no matter what we must choose to rejoice.
2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23 (NLT), 16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him. 20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” 21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
This is a very painful story. Michal and David started their journey together when King Saul promised to give out the princess in marriage to David for killing Goliath. For David, Michal was a trophy for his prowess at war but for Michal it was true love for David (1 Sam. 18:20) Michal was the first wife of David, she saw the rage and jealousy of her father towards David and she took sides with him against her father, even helping him escape through a window when her father sent soldiers to their house to kill him (1 Sam. 19:11-12)
The separation of Michal and David adversely affected their relationship, Saul married her off to another man and David on his part never came back for Michal, nor is there record that he made attempts to reach her, beside his many episodes with other women. All this must have offended Michal, making her very angry and bitter. Reuniting with David after he became king obviously didn’t resolve all the pent-up anger and negative emotions. Note, negative emotions are “joy jammers” they shutdown the flow of joy. Michal understandably had reasons to be bitter but she could have also chosen to be joyful. She ultimately became a victim of her bitter experiences.
May you be free from all bitterness from the past and overflow with the joy of the Lord in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your days.
Wednesday 16th June
No Joy, No Victory 3
Some people look at life and wonder what is there to be joyful about? Afterall, things are not working as well as they should. “I do not have a job, no spouse, no money and so on. Jesus said in Matthew 25:29,” …to everyone who has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but to him who has not, even what he has will be taken away…” It is a principle of life that once you acknowledge what you have, more will follow. When you don’t appreciate God for what you have because you claim it is little, even that little will be taken away.
Deuteronomy 28:47-48 (NKJV), 47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.
This is a tough one.
With all that God did for the Israelites during their 40 years sojourn in the wilderness; feeding, clothing and protecting them besides freeing them from 430 years of slavery yet they murmured and complained. They chose not to remember what God had done for them in the past. They worshipped God out of a sense of duty and drudgery not with joy and excitement. The result of their ingratitude was heavy, God said, “…since it is difficult for you to serve Me in spite of all I have done for you, I would allow your enemies to oppress and victimize you. You would serve them in hunger, lack, nakedness and in want of the basic things of life.” This is what their life of ingratitude brought upon them.
Joy is a choice that we must make every single day. There are many things happening in your life right now that you can choose to rejoice over, there is always some good that you can truly laugh about. Joy is a choice just as sadness is a choice but the price paid for being sad is too costly spiritually, emotionally, medically and in every way you can imagine. You must resist sadness and gloominess the way you resist the devil. May the joy of the Lord flood your heart afresh in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 15th June
No joy, No victory 2
A lot of us complain about the challenges and frustrations around. We pay so much attention to the wrongs and distortions going on in our world but the truth is this; There is little or nothing you can do about the things around you.
Like they say, "You can't do anything about the birds that fly over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair".
This explains that we do not have direct control over the things that go on in the world but it's totally up to us whether or not to allow those situations to settle in our heart thereby affecting our state of mind.
Therefore, it's important we guard our hearts and make sure it's filled with the joy of the Lord which ensures the pressure of life does not rush in on us and take us down.
Joel 1:11-12(NKJV)
- Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.12. The vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.
The trouble in the world is not the reason for your sadness, you are sad because you made that choice. Of course, the trouble and distress in the world is real but it's down to our choices, whether we want to settle with the trouble around us or stay above the chaos.
No matter the challenges and demands in our world, we must guard our hearts. The Bible says " Guard your heart above every other thing because out of the heart flows forces that change and transform lives" and one of the forces in your heart is the force of joy. Ensure you guard it. Why? When there is no joy, there will be no victory.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Monday 14 June
No Joy, No Victory
We’ve been talking about Joy and all through this week, we will talk about the fact that if there is no joy in our lives, there will be no victory.
Yesterday, we spoke about the connection between joy and the anointing and the fact that the anointing is what destroys the yoke of the enemy on our lives. We also read the story Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20) how enemies came against him but by engaging joy and praise he had victory.
The simple is this; once there is no joy, victory is not in sight. Some so many people who came to meet Jesus; there was a case of this woman who was going to bury her son, she was already a widow and she was crying. The first thing Jesus told them was this; “weep not.” Why? Because it represented pain that if he was going to do something about this, she needed to stop weeping.
Also in Revelation 5 where John was talking about the fact that there was nobody in heaven that was found worthy to open the scroll. He said the elders came into the meeting and said, “weep not, the lamb of God has prevailed. If you going to see a great thing happen in your life, there must be joy in your life; you must stop the pain, sorrow and grief.
Joel 1:11 –12 (NKJV);
11 Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.
12 the vine has dried up, And the fig tree has withered; The pomegranate tree, The palm tree also, And the apple tree— All the trees of the field are withered; Surely joy has withered away from the sons of men.
Everything was in a bad shape and there was no productivity. You will even think everything looks bad because of bad weather or situations. He said, “No, the reason is that joy was withered from the heart of men." So, the problem was really what was going on around; the problem lied within.
When there is no joy within us, there is no productivity and ultimately no victory around us. No matter what is happening, don’t let anything rub you of your joy. Whatever robs you of your joy has robbed you of victory. May the Lord give us wisdom and grace to guard our joy so we can guard our victory in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Sunday 13 June
This Mystery Called Joy 7.
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for this Sunday and I trust your day is going well.
A close study of the bible reveals a connection between Joy and Anointing? The anointing of the Holy Spirit is simply God’s enablement on our lives that helps us do what we cannot do naturally. There is a direct connection between the joy of the Lord in our lives and the level of anointing we walk in.
Isaiah 10: 27 (NIV),
27 In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.
The King James’ Version and some other versions used the word “anointing” instead of the word “fat”. So, the verse reads “…the yoke will be broken because of the anointing”
Oil is actually fat at a hotter temperature. The anointing is likened to oil and so is joy. A yoke is the old English word used to describe a wooden or metal contraption used to hold two cows together so they can pull a plough. The yoke weighs down on their neck, restricting their movement and is very uncomfortable and a burden for these animals. Prophet Isaiah was saying, “there is sometimes like an invisible yoke on people’s neck making life unbearable and uncomfortable, but whatever the yoke is, when you grow “fat” it will be destroyed. And remember, the anointing which can be likened to oil, is fat at a hotter level but not only that the Prophet Isaiah also talked about the “oil of Joy”. Just as the yoke is broken when we grow fat, the yoke is broken when the oil of joy increases in our lives.
King Josephat had 3 strong nations attack his kingdom, he was frightened, tired and cried. The burden of the situation weighed him down, not knowing what to do, he declared a national fast. The instruction that came after the fast looked foolish but they did what God instructed. The initial jolt of fear gave way to joyous faith as they marched out to face their enemies. When the heaviness, hopelessness and sense of helplessness disappeared, the anointing appeared and destroyed the enemies and they were victorious.
I challenge you to go out joyfully this week irrespective of the situation that is burdensome to you and watch how the anointing of joy will break and destroy every burden in your way in Jesus’ Name.
“For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you…” Is. 55:12 NKJV
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Saturday 12th June
Rejoice - Joy Reloaded 6
Gratitude as we established yesterday is the key to keep our joy afresh. Let's consider water for example, "stagnant water stinks but moving water stays fresh all the time".
The only way to stay positive and in the right direction is to be grateful. Our acts of gratitude generate positive energy that moves us to the point of divinity where we can see and operate in an uncommon reality and unique direction with God.
Gratitude always provokes movement.
Luke 1:41-44 (NKJV)
41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Elizabeth said "the moment I heard your voice, the baby in my womb leapt for joy". As we can see, gratitude became contagious between Elizabeth and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Gratitude would always cause right movement.
It is important that we begin to exercise the act of gratitude. When we do not exercise it, our sense of gratitude becomes deaden. We become indifferent and lose that important aspect of our life. It is therefore important to engage in the act of gratitude in order to keep the oil of gladness afresh.
Gratitude has the capacity to lift us up to a higher level where we can see God in midst of our trouble. Mary the mother of Jesus could have reflected how miserable her life was. The threat of divorce from her husband (Joseph) and all that. But because she chose to stay grateful to God, her reality was that she was blessed above all women. Elizabeth saw the same and even the child in her womb could feel the impact of joy.
I pray in Jesus name that you will carry such an atmosphere that moves people around you to live for joy and glorify God, and that atmosphere that resonates with you will become solutions for people around you in Jesus name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Friday 11th June
Rejoice - Joy reloaded 5.
Stagnant water stinks but moving water stays fresh. Just like we have to drain the oil out of the engine of a car when it has lost its viscosity and freshness and fill it with fresh oil; we must ensure the oil of joy within us stays fresh. Rejoicing is how we reload and refresh our joy supply and gratitude is the key to rejoicing.
When you can look at the situation challenging you and you can still break into praise, that’s what joy is all about. Gratitude is that bubbling in your heart that spirit based on those inner conversations you have that shows you how much God has done in spite of the challenges. If you want to keep the oil of joy in your life fresh, you must be able to recount the things God has done regardless of how challenging the situations.
Romans 4:18-20(AMPC), 18 [For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, So [numberless] shall your descendants be.19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered the [utter] impotence of his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or [when he considered] the barrenness of Sarah’s [deadened] womb.20 No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God,
Never forget, “Faith does not deny, it simply sees a higher fact based on God’s Word”. Abraham clearly saw the odds against himself and Sarah having a child, his age and the deadness of Sarah’s womb but it made no difference because he was completely focused on God’s Word. He kept his faith and joy fresh by continual praise, and we know how the story ended – Isaac was born.
Gratitude means to appreciate and to appreciate is to rise. As Abraham was appreciating God, he was rising higher to a new level. Gratitude elevated him and moved him to a place where everything was fresh and new.
Keep the oil of joy in your life fresh by consciously practicing gratitude, not only will your joy be reloaded, you’ll keep rising in your consciousness of your divine nature.
God bless you and have a lovely weekend.
Thursday 10th June
Rejoice - Joy Reloaded 4
Apostle Paul wrote most of the books in the New Testament, despite writing from prison he always spoke of the importance of joy. In every chapter in the book of Philippians, he said something about the need to rejoice.
When we talk about “REJOICING IN THE MIDST OF PROBLEMS” some think we are saying pretend or deny the reality. No! Believers are partakers of God’s divine nature and we can choose to live from our humanity or divinity. Faith doesn’t deny facts, it simply believes in a higher FACT. Our divine nature allows us to see more than what is obvious to the human eyes. The law of gravity is a scientific fact, anything that goes up must come down, however, there is a higher law called the law of lift, this law is what allows planes to fly in the air without coming down. So, there are truths and there are higher truths. Paul understood this so well that he was able to use it to his own advantage.
Colossians 1:24a (NLT), I am glad when I suffer for you…
Why, Roman 5:3 (NLT), We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
The word “know” used in Romans 5:3 means to see or understand. Paul clearly understood this. When Jesus was going to be betrayed and go to the cross, the pressure of the situation was almost weighing Him down, His humanity couldn’t bear it but He pulled strength from His divine and just rose to a higher level where He could deal with the situation.
Joy helps us see beyond the current situation, as we show gratitude, it gradually clarifies our vision so that we can see the situation as God sees it. This was what happened in the life of Paul that made him more than a conqueror.
I pray that God will open your eyes to be able to operate at your divinity level. May the Spirit of God accomplish the same in your life in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Wednesday 9th June
Rejoice – Joy Reloaded 3
Bob Fitts the renowned song writer and worship leader said in one of his songs, “...I will rejoice because I’ve made my choice to rejoice in the Lord”. All of us face the daily “frictions” and if we are not careful, these situations can leave us with “wears and tares”. To avoid this, we must make a decision everyday to rejoice in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 11:24-29 (NLT), 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
We’ll also read Romans 5:3 (NLT), 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.
One cannot but marvel when we read the things Paul had to endure in his walk with God. Our faith-walk as Christians starts from the spirit and becomes manifested in the physical. Paul had taken time to cultivate his spirit - walk with Jesus so it was easy for him to see from that realm. Paul didn’t see the many challenges he went through as set-backs, he saw them as opportunities for development in the things of God. As he sat in his prison recounting all these experiences, Paul ended up praising God!
Paul was still in prison as he was recollecting and recounting these experiences, yet he was expressing gratitude to God. Some other person would have been bitter and angry, saying “Lord is it not enough, with all I have suffered I’m still in prison. Is it not just better You kill me?” Nothing of such came out of Paul’s mouth but joyful praise. We sing the song “Count your blessings…and it will surprise what the Lord has done.” Paul literally counted his problems, he recollected difficult moments and he could still see how much the Lord had done for him.
Paul understood the mystery of rejoicing and it was evident in how he handled difficult situations.
God bless you. Enjoy your day
Tuesday 8th June
Rejoice - Joy reloaded 2
Like we said earlier, rejoice simply means to reload your Joy. Your joy is always full and overflowing. May this be your experience in Jesus’ Name.
Let read 2 Corinthians 11 vs 24-29 (NLT), 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
Also, Colossians1:24a,
I rejoice when I suffer for you…
Who is this man called Paul?
Looking at Paul’s life, it is evident that he had experienced a lot of life’s frictions, the problems he encountered were more than what most people have to deal with today. It is amazing how he was not depressed with the tool these situations must have taken on him. In the midst of all the trouble, Paul was still rejoicing! He had experienced so much trouble, betrayal, hunger, pain and persecution, yet he said, “I rejoice in my suffering…”
Studying the word “rejoice”, one of the meanings is “to be cheerful, optimistic, confident and calm, all these attributes are evident in Paul’s life. He clearly had a deeper understanding of joy and this affected how he handled and overcame the many challenges he faced in life.
May the Holy Spirit give you a deeper understanding of what it is and what it takes to say rejoicing in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Monday 7 June
Rejoice- Joy Reloaded 1
This week; we are “REJOICE” which is simply joy reloaded.
When I think about the word “joy”, I usually think of it in the form of oil. And oil is this liquid that has some viscosity, freshness, thickness and stickiness because of these qualities it is used in holding back the effect of ware and tare in metals that results from friction.
Isaiah 61: 3 (NKJV),
To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Here the bible likens joy to oil just like we said earlier. Life, like two metals in contact, can be full of friction. Daily we rub against people and situations that are not pleasant. This friction from rubbing together can create all sorts of wear and tare which negatively impacts our lives. Just like ware and tare can knock a car engine when it has no oil or when the oil is not fresh, so it is with human beings. If we lack a fresh supply of the oil of joy in the midst of the continuous friction of life, it can knock us out. The way to keep our joy fresh is to always REJOICE- reload your joy!
When the oil in your machine is no longer fresh what do you do? You drain it out completely and put in fresh oil with good viscosity and stickiness. If the oil is not fresh and still in the engine, it will adversely affect performance, it will ultimately run down the engine. Knowing the impact that fresh oil has on performance the Psalmist said in Ps. 92:10-11 (NLT)
10 But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil. 11 My eye also has seen my desire on my enemies; My ears hear my desire on the wicked Who rise up against me.
We keep the oil of joy fresh when we rejoice continually. We keep rejoicing, we can get knocked down but we cannot be knocked out, we will be victorious.
As you go through life, may you have victory over the frictions of life that will want to weigh you down in the name of Jesus. May the oil of joy in your life remain ever fresh in the Name of Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Sunday 6 June
This Mystery Called Joy 6.
To many, joy is not a powerful kingdom quality like faith, love or holiness because a joyful person is usually upbeat, happy, energetic and passionate. They might not have the serious, somber look but joy is amazingly powerful and most people don’t know. That is why it is a mystery.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NLT)
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
This clearly a picture of a failed farm project, yet this man is excited and celebrating God and he gives us the reason. He said, “My life is detached from things and connected to God, my power source. As long as my connection with God is intact, everything will work out fine” And he left nobody in doubt of his power source, he said, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength!” And the Book of Nehemiah 8: 10 says, “…the joy of the Lord is my strength”. So, if joy is strength and Habakkuk said “…The Lord is my strength.” Then we can also say, “The Lord is my Joy.” How can you say “The Lord is my joy?” When Moses asked God how to answer when he is asked who sent him to deliver the Israelites, God said to him, say “I AM THAT I AM sent you” (Ex. 3:14) God is saying, “I can be to you whatever you want me to be at whatever time as long as it’s in line with His nature.
God is our joy, the Almighty God is the All-sufficient One, so if we have the joy of the Lord, potentially we have everything we need. This is what Habakkuk knew, that is why he wasn’t discouraged in spite of the failure of the farm, he was sure everything would work out well. And he was right, by the time we read the end of the story, everything was alright.
He said, “God makes me sure-footed; he makes me stable, secure and makes everything balance out. He caused me to walk on my high places.
When God is your joy and you are always joyful, you will discover that everything that bows to God must surely and eventually bow to you.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 5th June
The Mystery Called Joy 5
James 1:2-3 (NLT), 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
How can the bible tell us to consider pains and troubles as an opportunity for great joy? James wrote this epistle to saints from Jerusalem who were running around for safety because of the crisis of their time, they had death threats, persecution and all kinds of hardship and James, a leader of the church had the audacity to tell them to count it all joy, that seems quite insensitive. James knew something about this mystery called Joy. He knew that joy works mightily in the midst of difficulty and hopelessness. We saw this in the Book of Habakkuk that we’ve been reading all week. Remember, joy has the ability to detach us from the troubles around and connect us to a power source of Joy which is Christ Himself.
As we go through these times of difficulty joyfully, our faith is being tested and our patience is growing. And it’s by faith and patience that we obtain all that God has for us. Joy is not just that force that makes things happen, it creates an atmosphere where great things are possible. James understood this, that is why he is charging these Christians in difficult times to stay joyful. Joy fuels our faith and patience even though we don’t see this happening physically. We are tempted to personalise problems when we are going through them, you hear people say “…this my sickness…” “...this is my cross…” The more we personalise these situations the more they persist. Self-pity, self -doubt if left unchecked just makes the situation worse, Cain was a victim of such an attitude.
When God rejected Cain and the offering, instead of asking God the reason for the rejection so he can make corrections, he became angry and began wallowing in self – pity. He took the rejection personally because he lacked the capacity to separate issues that had to do with his performance and his person, even in his angry state God still came to him and was advising how to handle the situation but all he could see was the negative, why? He was sorrowful. This eventually led him to sin by killing his brother and that resulted in God cutting him off and banishing him from His presence. This is the danger of being sorrowful.
I pray that your revelation of joy will grow in the name of Jesus, that no matter what you are going through, this time will be used to grow your faith, patience, and endurance in the name of Jesus. You will come out stronger and better as your joy grows in the name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Friday 4th June
This Mystery Called Joy 4.
Joy can sometimes be puzzling and very challenging to define because of the way it works. In the context of God’s kingdom, joy can be likened to a self-powering device that inspires us to keep going forward and this is because joy is rooted in God. It has nothing to do with happenings around, so people around you cannot understand it because it defiles present realities. The kind of joy we are discussing here depends completely on your relationship with God. When are able to draw this divine energy called joy from God, it helps to see, speak and act differently in the face of problems?
In 2Timothy 2:9 though in prison Paul was able to separate issues and see what was working to His advantage. Paul said, “though I am limited to a place because of my imprisonment, God’s Word is not in prisoned”. And based on this, he was joyful; his God given assignment couldn’t be stopped by his imprisonment.
Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT), 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
Looking at this passage carefully, you will see how the writer was able to separate and isolate the issues going wrong. He was clear on what was happening to the fig trees, the vine, the fields, and the flock, the failure of these things had had economic consequences and that was where it ended. Even at that he was alright personally, his relationship with God was intact, for that he was joyful. He could see that there was failure with his possessions on the farm, but he had no failure in his relationship with God which to him was a greater possession. That possession of the joy of the Lord empowered with the right internal attitude that ultimately secures victory.
In the midst of life’s challenges, don’t be afraid to admit the things that are not working but look beyond them to the things that are working for you in Christ. Praise God for the things that are working and watch how the force of joy will begin to change the things that are not working and cause them to work by the power of God. May the joy of God flow from your heart and bring about changes in your life and circumstances in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Thursday 3 June
This mystery called Joy 3
Joy is indeed a mystery. How can you be excited in the midst of pain? How can you be celebrating God, when it's clear that everything around you is going wrong? Like we said earlier, there's a difference between happiness and joy. A lot of times people confuse happiness and joy, but there is a world of difference between the two. Happiness is from the things happening around you. But Joy is a function of what is going on within you, it's an outflow of the Spirit of God particularly, when we're talking about joy in the context of the kingdom of God.
When you’re really God-full, then you cannot but be joyful. When you’re full of God, you will be full of joy. Why? Because the force of joy, flowing from the inside of you makes you see everything differently and makes you come to a conclusion that the average person will not come to. With all that was going wrong in Habakkuk’s, his conclusion was, "I'm excited and I'm celebrating my God." He could say this because joy detached him completely from all these things and he could see a better reality.
In the book of Hebrews 11: 19 the Bible says concerning Abraham “accounting that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead…” The word “accounting” here means to separate or segment things, particularly internal and mentally, and come to the right conclusion. So, when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was able to a segment in his mind and see God's dealing in his life and his conclusion was that God can be trusted. Abraham knew God had his best interests at heart, though God told him to kill Isaac, he knew some way somehow, God would still bring Isaac back to him.
Your ability to be joyful in the face of a difficult situation is a function of how much trust you have in God. The force of joy flowing God to us is able to lift you above current realities even when they are negative. Even though everything was going wrong outside, this farmer was able to conclude and say, I will still REJOICE IN the Lord my God, I will be JOYFUL IN the God of my salvation'
May the force of joy be a reality in your life in Jesus’ name and may it cause you to see and understand issues from God’s perspective in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 2nd
This Mystery Called Joy 2.
Joy has the capacity to make you celebrate in the face of pain, you can keep advancing in the face of trouble when joy dominates your life. Chaos and confusion don’t have what it takes to stop you when joy is present in your life. So, what exactly is this thing called joy?
In trying to understand the exact meaning of joy from different people and sources, my discovery confirmed the fact that love is indeed mysterious. Many believe joy and happiness are the same, even some dictionaries use joy and happiness interchangeably. The word happy is from “hap” which is also the root for the word “happen”. The word “hap” could mean; chance, fortune, situation, coincidence or luck. It generally carries the idea of some external impact acting on a person or a particular situation. For example, you may be happy because you secured a new job or excel in a particular examination. Joy on the other hand has absolutely nothing to do with all that is happening externally, it’s all about what is happening within.
Habakkuk 3 vs 17-18 (NLT), 17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The picture shown in verse 17 of this passage is not a pleasant picture at all. How can anyone be joyful in such a state? How can you be talking about joy in the face of hopelessness? Happiness has to do with pleasant external factors while joy does not. In Romans 8, Apostle Paul spoke two types of hope; the hope that disappoints and hope that does not make you ashamed. Jesus also spoke about two types of peace; the peace that the world gives and the peace that He gives. Clearly the joy expressed in God's kingdom is different from the joy that the world talks about which is the same as happiness. When it takes external factors to be pleasant before you are excited, lively and jubilant then you are happy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
If life always serves us pleasant events, how wonderful it would be, but the truth is that a number of times, the pain and disappointments that life brings can be quite mean. That is when we need to reach within and pull on this mysterious gift from God called joy.
I wish you happiness in your life but I pray that you will experience the continuous flow of joy in your life in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle
Monday 31st May
Watch and Pray 8
As important as it is that we watch while praying, it is much more than just looking around at anything that catches our attention. There is a way God expects us to watch.
Luke 17:20 (NLT), 20 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs.
Another translation says the kingdom of God does not come by physical observation.
Jesus established here that the watching that matters in the Kingdom of God is beyond physical observation. The primary way with which we watch is by the Word of God and the help of the Spirit. This watching we are talking about starts from the spirit before it’s manifested in the physical. If we watch things only in the physical, Satan will take advantage of us. The bible says those that are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God. The place to begin our watch is in the spirit by the Word.
In Romans 4, from Abraham's experience, he did not watch his own old body or Sarah's dead womb. He strictly focused on the promise of God’s Word and God transformed Abraham's hopeless situation into a living testimony.
2King 3:17 (NLT), 17 You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water...
God is saying to you that as you commit to watch in the spirit through the word, you may not have any physical evidence of victory, but once you have the evidence of faith in God’s Word, victory is sure. It’s time to settle down and begin to learn and relearn how to watch by the Word. Elisha’s servant panicked because he was watching from the physical but the moment God opened his eyes in response to Elisha’s prayer, what he saw as he watched made him completely unperturbed by the problems that seemed to surround them in the physical.
May God touch your heart and eyes afresh so that you will operate in His power and wisdom as you watch and pray in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day
Sunday 30th May
Watch and Pray 7
God answers prayers, never forget that but the first place where we experience the power of prayers is in our life - our attitude. We watch by the word of God as the word begins to change our attitudes. I pray that you will experience a change of attitudes and feelings in Jesus’ name.
I king 18:42-45 (NLT),
So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. 43 Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. 44 Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, “I saw a little cloud about the size of a man’s hand rising from the sea.” Then Elijah shouted, “Hurry to Ahab and tell him, ‘Climb into your chariot and go back home. If you don’t hurry, the rain will stop you!’” 45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel.
There had been no rain in Israel for three and half years. Elijah knew what God promised in His word and what to do when the heavens are shut and there is no rain - PRAY
13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chron.7:13-14 (NKJV)
Elijah had told King Ahab to leave immediately if he didn’t want the rain to stop him. It was difficult for the king to believe since there had been no rain for over 3 years besides, there was no sign of rain when Elijah gave this message to the king as he spoke from the conviction of his heart and he backed up his conviction with prayer. As a man of prayer, Elijah knew the principle of effective prayer. As he prayed, he sent his servant to be on the watch. Initially the servant didn’t see anything but Elijah kept him on the watch, eventually on the 7th watch, he saw a little dark cloud and Elijah knew the rain had come.
A lot of us pray passively, we would have given up after praying and watching for a while without seeing anything. When we pray with faith and expectation, we will see the evidence of our prayer, no matter how small. Prayer without expectation is the reason some pray in and by the time they finish praying, they have absolutely no recollection of what they prayed about, how then can you watch when you can’t remember what you prayed about. Prayer must be with expectation and when you are expectant you watch.
As you watch, may your eyes be opened to see what will stir up faith in your heart and bring you into a new level of abundance in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 29th May
Watch and Pray. 6
God is doing wonderful things in our lives and it is important that we are able to see them. The only way to see these important things God is doing in our lives is when we pay adequate attention.
Genesis 24:12-14,21 (NLT), 12 “O Lord, God of my master, Abraham,” he prayed. “Please give me success today, and show unfailing love to my master, Abraham. 13 See, I am standing here beside this spring, and the young women of the town are coming out to draw water. 14 This is my request. I will ask one of them, ‘Please give me a drink from your jug.’ If she says, ‘Yes, have a drink, and I will water your camels, too!’—let her be the one you have selected as Isaac’s wife. This is how I will know that you have shown unfailing love to my master.” 21 The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether or not the Lord had given him success in his mission.
Abraham sent his top servant Eliezer to get a wife for his son Isaac from his ancestral home, it was a difficult assignment because he had strict instructions not to take Isaac back there and the wife must be willing to leave her home to another country to marry a man she had never met. Abraham prayed to God for guidance and Eliezer was sent off on his journey.
When Eliezer got to the place, he prayed that God would lead him to the right lady for Isaac. In his prayers, he listed specific things he expected to see in the lady God had chosen for Isaac but he didn’t stop there. After he prayed, he began to watch the ladies coming to the well and as he spoke to them, he also watched for the criteria he had listed. To his amazement as he spoke to Rebekah and watched, she met all the conditions he had set and more importantly, she was Abraham’s relative.
Most people are disconnected from their prayers, because after they have prayed, they have no recollection of what they have prayed about so it becomes impossible to watch. We are not mindful of what we are praying about so there’s nothing to watch because we have been careless and non - attentive. If we truly want answers to our prayers, we must be mindful of them. God is always working to bring answers to our prayers but it is our responsibility to watch out for them. Eliezer’s prayer was connected to his watching. He prayed and also watched and he wasn’t disappointed.
I pray that God will give you the grace to be more sensitive and keenly aware in the place of prayer so that you can see what God is doing for you and in you in Jesus' Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Friday 28th May
Watch and Pray 5
We are still looking at the life of this wonderful woman of faith called Hannah
1 Samuel 1:16-18 (NLT)
Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
For years, Hannah had been going to the temple of God at Shiloh to pray to God for a child but nothing seemed to be happening. At this time, she was looking at her husband and her mate Peninnah and the more she looked at them the angrier and more frustrated she became. Her prayer wasn’t making any difference because she was watching people and not God. But this time was different, she was completely lost in prayers as she poured out her heart and her pain to God. Eli the priest saw how she was praying and was convinced she was drunk.
Eli approached her and scolded her because he thought she was drunk. On answering him and telling him her problems, Eli prayed for her and immediately her countenance changed and she wasn’t sad again. From that moment, she took her eyes of her husband and Peninnah and began watching out for the answer to the prayers of Eli. God honoured her "praying and watching" and she gave birth to a beautiful son - Samuel. As long as she was watching the wrong things and the wrong people, nothing happened. But the moment she changed her focus and her attitude changed, she became pregnant.
Peninnah mocked her, Eli wrongly accused her but she wasn’t discouraged, she kept watching out for the prophetic word spoken by Eli. The moment God's word can change your attitude, situations that used to cause her anxiety, fear and anger no longer affected nor troubled her. When this happens, that is the sign that your miracles are on the way and that's exactly what happened in the life of Hannah.
I pray in the name of Jesus that every wrong picture you're looking at, be it people, places, or anything outside of God's focus for your life, may you receive grace to do away with such pictures now in the name of Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 27th May
Watch and Pray 4
It's important that we pray, but it's equally important that we are alert so that we do not miss the essence of our prayers.
1 Samuel 1:9-20 (NLT)
Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the lord. And she made this vow: “O lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the lord, his hair will never be cut.” As she was praying to the lord, Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the lord. Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the lord for him.”
Looking at the story of Hannah, we see how desperate she was to have a child and all she did to get this child. She had been praying for a while and God answered her prayers and gave her a son. So we see that prayer really changes things but the first thing that prayed that changed wasn’t Hannah's status to that of a pregnant woman, the first thing prayer changed was her attitude. The bible recorded she was no longer sad nor cast down again after Eli prayed for her. Sometimes we miss God because we are looking at the wrong places for God’s response to our prayers. Remember, when on the watch out for God’s response, the first place to look is within us and not around us.
May God redirect our attention to look at the right places and the right things in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Wednesday 26 May
Watch and Pray 3
I usually tell people, “watch and pray so you don’t fall.”
When Jesus was going to cross, knowing how tough things would get, He called some disciples and told them to pray with Him. Jesus moved forward a bit and began to pray. After a while He came to check on His disciples and they were all asleep. He woke them up and gave them a warning saying “watch and pray so that you don’t get into trouble.” They did not heed Jesus’ warning and that night marked the beginning of trouble for them.
When Judas came with the mob to capture Jesus, His disciples began to fight and eventually ran away. That same night that all His disciples deserted Him, Peter swore thrice that he didn’t know Jesus. They had no strength to stand in the time of trouble because they didn’t take heed to Jesus’ warning to “…watch and pray so that they won't fall…” Jesus on the other hand was praying and keeping watch all through the night, so when trouble came, His response was different. An angel came from heaven to strengthen Him and the mob could do nothing to Him until He gave Himself to them.
John 18: 4 – 6 (NLT)
4 Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.5 “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.) 6 As Jesus said “I am he,” they all drew back and fell to the ground!
After being strengthened by the angel through watching and praying, He was able to withstand all that happened till he went to the cross. If He didn’t surrender to them, it would have been impossible for them to lift a finger against Him In fact, He said He could summon 144,000 angels to battle on His behalf but He yielded to His captor so that the scriptures could be fulfilled. Ezekiel 2:2 says, “…the spirit entered into me when He spoke to me and stood me up on my feet.” When we watch and we pray, God’s Spirit energizes us to stand against the challenges of life.
I want you to be able to pray and be more prayerful. Importantly, I want you to learn how to be watchful. When you are watchful, God will show you mighty things. He will give you instructions that are crucial to your victory.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 25th May
Watch and Pray 2
God is not a wicked Father that loves to see His children suffer without providing guidance, the challenge most time is that a number of us don’t know how God communicates so we usually miss Him. As humans, we have several modes of communication we use in talking to one another, we have written, spoken, sign language, body language etc. Effective communication takes place when both parties understand the mode of communication being used. God also has different means of communication He uses and it is our responsibility to learn these various modes of communication.
Let's consider a few ways that God uses to communicate with us.
Hebrew 1:1-2 (NLT), Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.
God speaks in different ways, but everything He says must be in conformity to the Son Who is the Word. Let’s see how God communicated with people in the past as they watched out for what He was communicating.
Habakkuk 2:1 (NKJV) I will stand my watch, And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected.
Habakkuk didn't just hear what God was saying, he saw it.
Acts 9:10 (NLT), Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!”, “Yes, Lord!” he replied.
God spoke to Annas in vision.
1 Timothy 4:1, Now the Spirit speak expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
Today, God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit living in us.
Jeremiah 33:3, Call on me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you did not know.
We can see some of the different ways God communes with us. Do not expect God to speak to you the same way all the time, we must be on the watch for the way He chooses to communicate with us per time and learn to understand Him better. It is also important to note that God will NEVER say anything that is not in agreement with His written Word.
To watch effectively, we must be open to the different ways God communicates with us and we must master them so we don’t miss out on the things God is communicating with us.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Monday 24 May
Watch and Pray.
One of the most frustrating things about prayer is when we pray and we don’t get any response, it could be very discouraging. Prayer is meant to be a dialogue, the moment it seems like nothing is happening from God’s side we tend to switch off. The truth is this, many times God is communicating back to us but most people don’t know how God communicates. In John 12;29, Jesus was talking to the people and a voice spoke from heaven, though the people heard the sound they didn’t know what it was, some said it thundered, another group said the angel of the Lord was speaking to Him. But Jesus told them, “…that voice that spoke, was for your sakes”. God was communicating to them but they missed it. Why? Because they did not know how to watch out for what God was saying.
Jesus understood this, and he gave this timely advice to His disciples when they went to pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Mark 14: 38 (NIV)
38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
What does it mean to watch? To watch means to be alert, sensitive and attentive to what is going on. God speaks to us in different ways and if we are not careful to know how, we will miss it. So first He said “be on the watch out for what God is communicating to you. Secondly, when we don’t watch, we miss out on what God is saying and as a result we might fall victim to all kinds of unpleasant things. So, it is important to understand that the advice that Jesus gave to His disciples back then, is as relevant to us today. It is a wonderful thing to be prayerful but that is not enough, we must also be watchful.
I pray that this will be the beginning of a new and deeper level of sensitivity in your walk with God in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Sunday 23rd May
Fighting Prayer 7.
We said earlier that fighting prayers has two dimensions; the first is when we are speaking to the situation or thing and exercising our authority over any situation. In the second type, we are talking to God and drawing strength from Him for victory in life’s battles. There are times we know the will of God and what to do but the devil puts so much pressure on our mind that it is very difficult to do the things we know we should do. Apostle Paul spoke about this struggle with this in Rom. 7.
Jesus found himself in a similar situation in the Garden of Gethsemane just before going to the Cross. He was clear on His mission on earth and He had told His disciples about it over and over again. But hours before the Cross, he was under immense pressure as the devil shot all sorts of negative ideas to His mind. He told His disciples that His soul was to the point of death but Jesus knew the way to handle a situation like this was through prayers, fighting prayers. To re-align His will in line with the Father’s was warfare and He by this type of fighting prayers He accomplished that. This kind of prayer is usually called prayer of dedication or commitment. Let’s read what the bible says about this encounter in Jesus’ life.
Luke22:40-44(GNB),
When he arrived at the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41Then he went off from them about the distance of a stone's throw and knelt down and prayed. 42“Father,” he said, “if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me. Not my will, however, but your will be done.” 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44In great anguish he prayed even more fervently; his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Through prayer, Jesus drew strength from God to overcome the weakness of His human will. carnal will was to abscond from the cross. God responded to His prayers by sending an angel to strengthen, He fought off temptation through intensive prayer. The Bible says in the book of James, “… is anybody is afflicted, let him pray…” Prayer should not be reserved for times of trouble, we must develop the culture of prayer so we are ready to pray at all times.
As Jesus enjoyed the supply of grace and strength through the power of prayer, I pray that you will experience the same as you renew your attitude to prayer in Jesus’ Name.
God bless and enjoy the rest of your day
Saturday 22nd May
Fighting Prayers 6.
God always wants us to win in life and we win by the application of divine wisdom especially in spiritual warfare. The wisdom of God, prayers and exercising of our authority in Christ will always guarantee us victory. So wisdom in fighting prayers equals victory.
Acts 16 vs 16-18 (GNB), 16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a young servant woman who had an evil spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes. 17She followed Paul and us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They announce to you how you can be saved!” 18She did this for many days, until Paul became so upset that he turned round and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her!” The spirit went out of her that very moment.
When it comes to fighting prayers, there are two ways we can go about it. The first approach is when we speak to the situation by taking authority over that situation and commanding it to comply in the name of Jesus. This is also called the binding and loosing prayer. Here, we are not speaking to God but we are exercising our authority over a particular situation that is opposing our purpose in Christ. The bible describes a situation like this in the 10, Jesus was hungry and He saw a fig tree afar off, He went there hoping to find figs but there was none. Jesus cursed the tree and it withered.
We also see Apostle Paul’s encounter with the girl with the evil spirit. She had used the spirit of divination to announce Paul and his teams’ mission to the people and she did this for days. Agitated in his spirit, Paul exercised his authority over the situation by casting out the spirit from the girl and she was delivered from that evil spirit. As long as Paul tolerated the situation it persisted and the evil spirit kept following them. God allowed the evil spirit to follow Paul and frustrate his spirit and long as Paul allowed it, why? It was Paul’s responsibility to take authority over that spirit not God’s, He has defeated the devil for us and given us authority over all the powers of hell.
It is important as believers to know when to pray to God and when to exercise our authority of the situation. May God give us the wisdom to know when and may we have the courage to issue divine command so we can be in control as God has purposed in Jesus’ Name
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 21st May
Fighting Prayers. 4
Any situation or circumstances in which the powers of hell are opposing you in order to ridicule you or cause you to function below your redemption right, is warfare. When we find ourselves in situations like this, we must fight to win.
Settle this in your mind, THE DEVIL WILL NOT SIT AROUND WATCHING YOU ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF YOUR INHERITANCE IN CHRIST, HE’LL DO ALL THAT HE CAN TO FRUSTRATE YOU. If you don’t want this to happen, you must use all the spiritual weapons God has provided and stop him.
In John 8:1-11, Jesus was confronted with a very tricky situation which was meant to be a trap. A woman caught in adultery was brought to Him to decide her fate, according to the law of Moses she was to be stoned to death. Now, When Jesus saw what was happening, He didn’t respond to the Pharisees’ question. He kept quiet and began writing on the ground. I believe He was engaged in friendship prayer, communicating with God to know how to respond to the situation, this was a classic warfare situation that demanded the wisdom of God. By the time Jesus responded to the Pharisee’s question, they all left the woman alone. This shows the power of wisdom in warfare prayer. To live a victorious Christian life, we must know how to combine friendship prayer with fighting prayer.
Psalm 144:1 (NLT), Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.
Luke 14:31 (NLT), “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?
We must never rush into spiritual warfare; it could be counterproductive. It takes wisdom to win in warfare, so settle down first and get wisdom from your counsellors. The greatest counsellor is the Holy Spirit. There are lots of things God wants to show that can help us win, so He said, “…call upon me, I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know”. Learn to engage the Holy Spirit before moving into spiritual battle.
Holy Spirit, I pray for everyone today in one form or warfare situation or the other, let Your mind be revealed and help your people walk in victory in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 20th May
Fighting Prayer 4.
Some people believe that fighting is the real kind of prayer, the one that secures victory. As important as fighting prayer is, just like friendship prayer, it can be ineffective if we don’t know how to do it. Like Peter, toiled all night and caught nothing, it is possible to engage in warfare prayer and end up defeated because of lack of understanding. A number of prayer warriors have become weary warriors because they are expending energy in the wrong direction. Winning at war takes more than having weapons. That is why the Bible says that my people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). You can have all the weapons in this world and still lose the battle. Engaging in warfare requires both wisdom not just weapons.
Psalm 78 vs 9 (NLT), The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.
The children of Ephraim were armed but still turned backs in the days of battle. They were armed and trained for battle but they could not stand in the days of battle. We must have the wisdom and insight from the word of God to be effective in prayers. We must become skilful in using God’s Word so our fighting prayer can be effective.
Let read Prover 20 vs 18 (NLT), Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.
The scripture above is emphasizing the place of wisdom in warfare. Don’t just run into spiritual warfare. Get some insight, get divine perspective, get heaven’s light before confronting the forces of darkness in prayers. It is important to use the Word of God when engaging in fighting prayers or spiritual warfare. This is what makes our warfare become potent.
May we never become weary warriors or frustrated fighters as we contend with the forces of darkness in Jesus Name. May God grant you access to the wisdom and insight needed to win in life’s battle’s in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Fighting Prayers.3
We have established that fighting prayer is one of the platforms that God has given us to exercise our God given authority to contend and conquer the powers of the enemy. The devil will do everything to ensure that we do not live in the fulness of our inheritance in Christ. Satan will sit and watch us enjoy all the benefits of redemptions; he will do everything possible to prevent you from enjoying these rights. The bible says in Luke 16:16 that we must press our way into the realities of the Kingdom of God, one of the ways in which we press is through fighting prayer.
1Timothy 1:18 (GNB), 18 Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command, which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you. Use those words as weapons in order to fight well.
Paul was teaching Timothy how to make prophetic words a reality in his life. Prophetic words become practical reality when we take the words of scripture and enforce them through prayers. When the enemy tries to put sickness on your body, you take the words of scriptures and enforce your right to sound health. You must enforce the Word of God in every area of your life that the devil is challenging you, whether business, family, or peace of mind. You enforce what God has spoken about you through His word in fighting prayer, this is the good fight of faith. It must be clear to you that you are not praying to win. You are praying to secure the victory that Christ has already won for you at the Cross.
It’s time to do away with passive Christianity and become intentional and intense in the spirit, fighting prayers will help in this regard.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Tuesday 18 May
Fighting Prayer 2
We have an enemy out there, an enemy of the Cross, God, Christians and mankind. He is the devil and the only way we can have victory over him is to contend with him and conquer him by exercising our authority in Christ. The process of doing this through prayer is what we call “Fighting Prayer;” some people call it “spiritual warfare” but for this discussion we are calling it “Fighting Prayer.”
Even though we are in Christ and He has given us the victory through the cross, we still have the powers of hell to contend with. Some Christians believe there is nothing like spiritual warfare and there are others who see the devil in everything and exaggerate his abilities but positions are faulty. The truth is, the devil is a defeated foe but if we are ignorant of our authority and what Christ has done for us, the devil will take advantage of that. So, we must continually grow in our understanding of the authority we have in Christ and exercise it over the powers of hell. And Fighting Prayer is a platform to do that.
Ephesians 6: 12 (NLT),
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and evil spirits in the heavenly places.
Apostle Paul is saying that we are in a fight but we are not fighting against human beings. We are in a fight with the forces of darkness. Using Fighting Prayer, we call God into our battle; get His partnership, get angelic assistance of and exercise our dominion of the kingdom of darkness so we can walk in the victory that God won for us in Christ.
By God’s grace and mercy, all through this week, we will be discussing this and I trust God that as you understand and practice this type of prayer, you will come into a new level of authority, power and victory over the forces of darkness in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 17 May
Fighting Prayer.
Last week, we spoke about Friendship Prayer and the summary of friendship prayer is that it is the prayer that helps us build intimacy and companionship with God. Fighting Prayer on the other hand is the prayer by which we deal with contentions from the forces of darkness by exercising our authority in Christ. Every human being created by God is hated by the devil, whether you love God or not. God loves people so the devil believes by oppressing, tormenting and destroying human lives he is getting at God.
Matthew 6: 13 (NLT), “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”
Here we can see Jesus helping us understand the reality of spiritual warfare, the forces of evil that strive to destroy us. God has made a way for us in Christ to be rescued and resist the powers of the evil one and prayer is a major part of that.
While praying, Jesus says we should pray like this, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom comes; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
God desires that His Kingdom come on the earth, this happens when His will is done. and His will be done on earth is through believers. The devil will not sit down and watch us establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, he will put up every opposition he can put up. Paul understood this by experience, he said in 1 Corinthian 16: 9 (NKJV),
9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
God opened a wonderful door to advance His Kingdom, as Paul worked to take advantage of this opportunity he met with satanic resistance. But by exerting his Kingdom authority in Christ, he was able to overcome the plans of the enemy and press forward in the things of God.
This week, we will be looking at how to use the power of prayer - Fighting Prayer to contend with and conquer all the forces of hell in the name of Jesus by the wisdom of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. May God give us deeper understanding in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Sunday 16 May
Friendship Prayer 7
Friendship Prayer is amazing and powerful, it is one of the best ways to build oneness and intimacy with God.
There is a song that says, “What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sin and grief to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”
When it comes to Friendship Prayer, God wants us to discuss everything to Him; there is nothing small or big. Paul was writing in Philippians 4, he said, “be anxious about nothing but in everything…make your request known unto God”. God wants to know everything about you; whether it is a slight headache, health needs, financial need, education, job, business needs or concern about tomorrow, whatever it is; our heavenly Father wants us to discuss it with Him in prayers.
Luke 6: 12 (NLT)
12 One day soon afterwards Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13 At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:
What kind of prayer was Jesus praying all through the night just to choose 12 apostles out of His many disciples? I believe He was discussing each person with God. “Lord, You want me to pick Simon? Isn’t he rather impulsive for this task?” God probably would have said “Simon is impulsive now but being with you will change him so much and he will lead the team after You leave.”
“Father, I should pick Judas Iscariot, why? He’s bad for this mission, a betrayer! The Father must have said, “Judas is crucial to Your purpose, yes he will betray You but that is in line with Your purpose.” They must have been having this back-and-forth discussion all through the night and when Jesus clarified everything, He made His selection. This selection process was important to Jesus and the father was available to discuss it all through the night with Him and it was called prayer.
Let’s take advantage of God’s invitation of intimacy and friendship; let’s learn to bare our hearts out to Him in prayers, listen for His response and let watch out how everything will be transformed by our loving Father and friend through the power of Friendship Prayer.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 15 May 2021
Friendship Prayer. 6
Yesterday we discussed Abraham and his relationship with God, from Genesis 18: 17 - 28 we saw how God told Abraham about His plan to destroy a city and how Abraham through his friendship with God interceded for the city. In this account we see Friendship Prayer being demonstrated. Abraham was able to talk to God about the situation; he asked God on their behalf to spare the land. Friendship prayer helps build intimacy with God and gives us access to God’s heart.
The Bible says in the book of Psalm 25: 14 (NLT)
14 The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.
God established friendship with mankind based on covenant, people like Moses, Abraham, and Job feared God and as a result He revealed His secrets to them. In Yoruba language we call God “Kabiyesi” meaning the one that cannot be questioned. But in friendship prayer Abraham was questioning God about His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah in a way most people would think was impossible for a man to do. He asked God questions and God answered him, clarifying His position to Abraham a man! In other bible accounts we see people like Moses, Job, Mary and a host of others asking God questions and God answering them. Why? Because He knows the heart of these “His friends”; He knew they were not asking questions out of a heart of dishonour but from a heart that truly wanted to understand Him more. Some might think that friendship prayers make us take God for granted, that is not true at all, rather it helps us understand and revere Him more.
I pray in the name of Jesus, that we will consciously desire and develop new levels of intimacy with God where we can really open up our hearts to Him and grow till the point where He can begin to show us His secret.
God bless you. Enjoy your day!
Friday 14th May
Friendship Prayer. 5
As we said, friendship prayer is that kind of prayer that helps us build intimacy with God. The life of Abraham stands out as one who practiced friendship prayer because of his intimacy with God. In fact, the bible says in James 2: 23 that Abraham was God’s friend. Let’s look at an account of His friendship prayer with God.
Genesis 18: 17 – 28 (NLT)
17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. 18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”
Here we see a typical prayer session that Abraham was having with God. There was an issue on God’s mind and God had to discuss it with Abraham, He said “Abraham, I want to destroy this city because of their sin. What do you think about it? Abraham then begins to talk to God, trying to dissuade Him from destroying the righteous with the wicked, this is called the prayer of intercession. It is interesting to see intercession flows out of friendship prayers, and God actually listened to the case Abraham made the city because of the intimate relationship He had with Abraham.
I pray that we will crave a new level of intimacy with God that is demonstrated in an active friendship with Him.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 13th May
Friendship Prayer. 4
The foundation of Friendship Prayer is intimacy, it is that close companionship with God where can talk to him freely as a father and he can talk to us freely as his children. The idea of intimacy with God runs is all through the Bible. Under the Old Testament, after the fall of man, they could not relate to God as the father but some like Enoch, Abraham and a couple of others were still developed intimacy with God, Job was one of them. Most people remember Job for his suffering but not a lot know about his deep friendship with God.
Job 29 vs 4-6 (MSG), 4 Oh, how I miss those golden years when God's friendship graced my home,5 When the Mighty One was still by my side and my children were all around me, 6 When everything was going my way, and nothing seemed too difficult.
Here we see the secret of Job’s phenomenal life, he lived in Eastern part of the world which was the centre of civilization at that time. Job was a righteous and very rich man. He had an intimacy with God defined everything in his life. Job’s friendship with God automatically made him an enemy of the devil. Satan did all he could to destroy Job, killed his children, wreak havoc on his businesses, attacked his health and made his life miserable. But the good news is - God Never Abandons His Friends!
Job maintained his friendship with God even through his difficulties, he said some things wrong in a bid to justify himself before his friends. The moment God showed Job his mistakes, he owned up, his relationship with God was back on track and God brought complete restoration to Job’ life, even better than it was before. God stepped in for Job as a friend would in a time of need. A major key to Job’s restoration was his friendship with God.
I pray for you that you will experience seasons deep friendship with God in the name of Jesus. We are under a better covenant than Job had so we can expect to have it better with God than Job did. I encourage you to practice friendship prayer, spend quality time in the presence of God and watch the power of God transforming your life.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday 12th May
Friendship Prayer. 3
I believe friendship prayer is the highest form of prayer and it is the most effective way to pray. Friendship prayer brings you into a deeper level of relationship with God and from that depth you are able to pray the will of God more accurately.
Our relationship with God is based on a covenant. Romans 8: 15 says we have the spirit of adoption whereby cry out to God saying, “Abba Father”. Abba is a pet name, an informal name for Father, like “Daddy”. So, our relationship with God is first informal as “Daddy” but on the formal side, He is also our King. We need to know Him as both, but what really gives the advantage is knowing Him as Father and friend.
John 15:15 (NIV), I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
When we relate with God as a friend, we He opens His heart to us as. In a family setting, children can grow to become friends with their fathers. I had such a relationship with my father. Though my dad was a military officer and you’d expect him to be tough, he had a friendship relationship with his children. We related with ease, laughed and joked together. There was no feeling of terror or trepidation around him and we could share heart to heart on issues. God is a father like that.
Though God is the almighty, the king of all the earth and a consuming fire, He is still “daddy”. He hates sin but He loves you and desires your friendship. If you check through the Bible, people who had great impact had friendship relationships with God, they spent quality time with God. This same principle applies today.
Friendship prayer is very important, it’s an invitation into God's inner chambers where we He shares His secrets with us. Jesus put it this way, “When our relationship with God become the first priority of our life and we seek above every other thing, He adds all the other good things of life to us”
I trust God that as you focus on friendship prayer, your life and prayer experience will be revolutionized in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 11th May
Friendship Prayer. 2
How do you get babies or toddlers to learn how to talk? Did their parents have to teach them how to speak? Did they have to learn rules and regulations about speaking, the right and wrong way to ask for things etc? I do not think so. Babies and toddlers learn how to talk instinctively and by interacting with their parents. The point of contact is interaction. So also, it is for us as Christians.
As God’s children, our prayer should evolve out of interaction with God and not out of prayer rules and religion. God is our father. The reason why most people struggle with prayer is because their first introduction to prayers came out of rules and regulations and not a love relationship. The purpose of our prayer as we established already is fellowship or friendship, prayer from this position is life transforming. The bible says that walking with the wise will make you wise. If you want to become like Jesus, just hang around Him long enough and you’ll be like Him. If you want to be like God, you have to hang around God long enough and you’ll begin to learn His ways.
This is the basis friendship prayer.
If your little child just calls out to you, I’m sure you won’t first analyse the call to see the type of call it is before you respond. However, as that child grows and develops, he or she begins to understand how to speak with parents. The same principles apply in our prayer to God, a lot of believers are still children in their spiritual development but we don’t realize it.
Acts 4 vs 13 (NLT), The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
As we spend time with Jesus, pouring out our heart before Him and waiting for His response, we begin to learn from Him. We this foundation is laid; we can then begin to learn the other about the types of prayer and the rules of prayer. Let’s leave the technicalities out especially for beginners and for now just become friends with God by spending more time in His presence, and watch how this habit will transform your life.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 10th May
Friendship Prayer. 1
Prayer is communicating with God, is not a monologue but a dialogue. The primary purpose of prayer is to fellowship with God.
Let read Ephesians 6:18 (NIV), 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Here, Apostle Paul helps us understand that there are different kinds of prayer; the prayer of petition, supplications, intercessions, or deliverance. As much as it is important to understand these different types of prayers, the foundation for effective prayer is learning to spend time with our loving Father and just pouring our hearts out to Him.
When our prayer is focused on the laws and the technicalities of prayer, it becomes a dry, tedious, and boring exercise. Friendship prayer is just about building a love relationship with the Father, it’s about knowing Him, His way, Words, His voice etc. Friendship prayers help to avoid the pitfall of making prayer a religious activity that is devoid of the life and fellowship of God. It helps us to overcome the struggle in the place of prayer where we worry less about what to say because we are enjoying His divine presence. It is the place where we truly enjoy pouring out our heart before Him without limitation.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve enjoyed unlimited access to God through relationship, God and man had regular fellowship together. Obviously, that was prayer, God enjoyed the presence of Adam and Eve while they were also learning from God. As this fellowship grew deeper, man became more and more like God. If we truly want to transform our prayer experience, we must take out law and religious order and develop it on the platform of a love relationship where we truly befriend God.
I pray that you will enjoy the transforming power of friendship in prayer.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 9 May
I want to pray but what do I say? 9
This is an age long question. People have been asking the question for decades and many are still asking today. Jesus’ disciples too asked a similar question because they wanted to be more effective and see more results in the place of prayer. They said to Him, “…Lord we can see your prayers are different from ours, teach us how to pray the way John taught his disciples.”
Let’s read Luke 11: 4 (NLT)
"...and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation."
Here we can see in the second part of the verse that Jesus acknowledged the reality of temptation and the evil around us in this world.
When Cain and Abel gave their sacrifices to God, for some reasons Cain and his sacrifice were rejected while God accepted Abel and his sacrifice. Cain was angry and he began to nurse some negative emotions towards his brother. God saw this and said to him “…sin is around you and it is trying to take advantage of you but you must take control of it.” Cain didn’t listen and he fell for the temptation and fell out of favour and fellowship with God. It is important that we are alert to the reality of evil and temptation in the world and ask God for the strength to overcome the temptations around us.
Prayer gives us the strength to overcome temptations and conquer the evil around us. There are some who do not believe in the reality of the forces of hell, but Jesus acknowledged the reality of demons and how they work to hurt us and draw us into sin by temptation.. In fact, if we read the gospels, one of the things that Jesus did a lot was to cast out devils.
I pray that God will release His angels to strengthen you and His Spirit to keep you so that you can walk in victory over temptation and all the powers of hell in Jesus Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day!
Saturday 8 May
I want to pray but what do I say? 8
All this week we’re looking at all the different “prayer point” that Jesus gave in the prayer model He gave to disciples, they are not statements He expected them to say verbatim, they were meant to be a prayer guideline to help them structure the things to say when they prayed. The guideline He gave them then is still applicable to us today.
Luke 11: 4 (NLT)
“…and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
The first part of the verse says “…and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sins against us…” Sin is one thing that we don’t like talking about today but it is the thing that separates us from God. To keep our relationship with God intact we must not condone sin in our lives. And when we sin by His sacrifice on the cross, we can receive forgiveness when we ask.
Aside from sinning against God, sometimes as human beings we offend one another. Just as God forgives us, He expects us to forgive one another. This is so serious that Jesus said if we want to pray and we remember we have something against our fellow human being, we should settle with the person before praying. Knowing how difficult it can be forgiving people that offered us, His disciples asked Him how many times they must forgive people, Jesus said 70 X 7 times (LK.17).
Jesus was simply saying that we must never stop forgiving people if we want God to forgive us and answer our prayers.
Asking for forgiveness is a sign of humility and granting forgiveness to those who offend us is a demonstration of love and maturity.
I pray in the name of Jesus that you will have the humility to reach out to your heavenly Father and ask for forgiveness when you sin and strength and grace to forgive all those who offend you. As you do, you’ll experience a new level of intimacy with God and greater effectiveness in the place of prayer.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Friday 7 May 2021
I want to pray but what do I say? 7
This is a question a lot of us have asked in one way or the other. Everybody wants to have a rich relationship with God but how do we build this relationship; how do we talk to this God, what do we say when it’s time to pray.
Luke 11: 3 (NLT)
3 Give us each day the food we need
Jesus told them to pray saying; “…give us each day the food we need.” Why is Jesus telling them to pray like this and what does this mean? Remember the first thing He taught them was to pray to the loving Father. Every responsible and loving father is concerned about the well-being and the welfare of his children and this was what Jesus was teaching them here was that Father’s commitment to providing their needs.
Jeremiah 29: 11
"'For I Know the Plans I Have for You' Declares the Lord, 'Plans to Prosper You and Not to Harm You, Plans to Give You Hope and a Future. '"
God thinks about you and your welfare every single day, He is concerned about your daily sustenance so ask Him. Now the word “food or bread” used here is not limited to food alone. It means everything you need for life and godliness; it means everything you need to sustain yourself to live a balanced and well-adjusted life every single day.
Don’t be afraid to ask your Father for what you need. Jesus said “…if you being evil know how to give gifts to your children, how much your Heavenly Father.” God wants you to be able to ask Him for the things you need daily; if it is wisdom, strength, patience, courage or food; whatever you need He said ask that your joy be renewed.
Understand that your Father is interested in everything that is important for your daily welfare especially as it is in line with His will. Ask Him, the thing you need to make it through every day.
And I pray as you ask, you will find wonderful answers from our loving Father in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 6 May 2021
I want to pray, but what do I say? 6
God wants to hear you and I know a lot of us have things to say to God but sometimes the process of prayer can be very complicated, particularly if we are young believers or have not been taught well about prayer. All this week, we've been discussing some basic things we need to know when it comes to prayer. We’ve learnt that prayer can be taught. Secondly is that prayer is to the Person of God our loving Father. Yesterday we spoke about adoring, appreciating and acknowledging His name because His name carries His ability and authority, so you can understand why we pray in the name of Jesus.
Now let’s read again in Luke 11: 2 (NLT)
Jesus said, this is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.”
When He said to pray “May your kingdom come soon.” It means we are agreeing and working with God to see His rule and reign on the earth. In Matthew 6 Jesus said “…Your Kingdom come; your will be done…”. The way we see His kingdom come is when God’s will and values are done in our lives, homes and communities. God created mankind to extend the values of the kingdom of God on earth, just as it is in heaven. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, that plan was messed up but though Christ it is back on track. When God’s will is done on earth just as it is in heaven, that’s how His kingdom comes.
May you see the manifestation of God’s kingdom is every area of your life as you give Him freedom to work through you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of the day.
Wednesday 5th April
I want to pray, but do I say? 5
Prayer is a very powerful exercise and it can equally be very frustrating. All the same, prayer, is one of the most important aspects of our covenant walk with God. That's exactly why we're taking time to talk about it all through this month.
Luke 11:2 (NLT)
Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon.
Here we see Jesus teaching the disciples the prayer model with which they should pray.
Firstly, He taught them to understand the person of the Father. Secondly, He taught them to pray; "…may your name be kept holy", and you wonder what that means in the context of prayer.
Years ago, I met with a highly placed individual who gave me his complementary card, signed it and wrote the date on it. He then told me to take it to the CEO of a top telecoms company in Nigeria. I initially thought he was overrating himself, but to my surprise, when I got to the CEO and showed him the card, he acted promptly on the request. All he saw was the card and signature representing this man, and he conferred the same regard and respect he would have conferred on the man if he were there physically. A name is a representation of person, that’s why we pray in the name of Jesus.
Jesus taught them to pray that God's name be kept holy, adored, appreciated and respected, how? By lifting up, recognizing and appreciating of His ability and authority in our lives, praising Him and making Him know that we acknowledge His supremacy over all. Doing this influence how we relate with Him, it marks our mind with His greatness.
Perhaps, you're still wondering what to say when next you want to pray, here is a guide;
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Pray to the person of the Father
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Acknowledge His ability and authority far above every other person or being.
These are important parts that should be contained in our prayer.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 4th May 2021
I want to pray but what do I say? 4
Praying can be tough when you do not know what to say, as a new believer in the Christian faith, I remember how I struggled to pray for five minutes. My problem got compounded when I was invited to join a prayer group where I would be expected to pray for at least one hour. In my attempt to increase my prayer time, I listed out some prayer points in my note, but it added only a few extra minutes to my time of prayer. My real problem was that I had never really learnt how to pray.
Luke 11 :1-4 (NLT), Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.
In this simple prayer pattern that Jesus taught His disciples, one of the first things He made them understand was that our prayer is directed at a Person. He took prayer out of the realm of religion and showed that it was about a relationship, not just a relationship with anyone but a relationship with God. This is something completely new to the disciples. He went on to let them know that the prayer wasn’t just to God, but this God is also our Father. For the Jews, it was a taboo to call God their Father, they even attempted to stone Jesus once for saying that, yet He taught them to pray to God as “Father”. It’s important we realize that we are praying to an intelligent, living Person, the God of all the earth and this God is also our loving father. So true prayer is actually, fellowshipping with our loving father.
I pray for you that you will have a fresh revelation of the person of God as your Father. May God be real to you in the place of prayer as Father who cares and enjoys it when you talk with Him.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 3rd May 2021
I want to Pray but what do I say. 3
What exactly is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God. Effective prayer is a two - way communication, it is not a monologue. It is one thing for us to talk to God and another thing entirely for us to be able to listen to Him communicate back to us.
Luke 11:1-4 (NLT), Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.
The reason the disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how pray was not because they had not been praying, it was because of what they observed in Jesus’ prayer that was clearly absent in theirs. disciples came from Jews culture that has strict regulation regarding prayer. They saw the intimacy of Jesus’ prayer, they saw the transforming power and even though prayer was already part of the Jewish worship, the things they saw in Jesus’ prayer were not part of their traditional prayer culture.
When they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus’ response was a proof that they asked a very important question and Jesus actually taught them how to pray. He taught them to pray in a way that was different from how they had always prayed traditionally. He gave them a prayer model that we often refer to as the Lord’s prayer. Jesus taught them a prayer model to guide them in their prayer to God.
In the prayer model that Jesus gave them, He said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy”.
From this, it is clear that we are communicating with a Person. Our prayer is not to a lifeless object it is to a Person. It is not praying to an unknown entity or a random deity, it is to a Person, an intelligent Individual and Jesus called this Person – Father, not just His Father but “our Father ''.
I pray for you in Jesus name that you will see the Person of the Father as you pray, in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 2nd May 2021
I want to pray but what do I say? 2
What exactly do you say when you pray? When Jesus prayed in the Gethsemane, he scolded His for not being able to pray with Him for one hour. Knowing what to say when you pray is one of the ways to improve your prayer life.
Let read Luke 11:1-4 (NLT), Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.
The disciples of Jesus had observed how different and effective Jesus’ prayer was. They saw something in Jesus that they did not have and they wanted that special thing they saw in Him as He prayed. So, they asked Him, “Teach us how to pray as John the Baptist taught his disciples. The first lesson here is that prayer can be taught.
Jesus’ disciples were Jews, so they already had a practice of prayer in line with the Jewish religion. So, they had been praying long before they met Jesus. The Jews maintain strict prayer times each day in line with the laws of Moses, so why were they asking Jesus to teach them to pray?
They noticed that Jesus’ prayer was different from the way they prayed. They must have seen the intimacy and the attitude of communion in His prayer which was obviously missing in theirs. They could see the result of His prayer and they wanted to experience what He experienced in prayer, so they asked “Lord, teach us to pray…”
As we continue in this discussion on prayer, we will learn some things about prayer that would help us be more effective in prayer. When we learn how to pray effectively, prayer could actually become a pleasurable and rewarding exercise. May this be your experience in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and a happy Sunday.
Saturday 1st May 2021
Prayer.
Prayer is such an amazing spiritual exercise and gift that God has given us to communicate with Him. It is also one of the most misunderstood activities in our walk with God. Having been Christian and serving as a pastor for a while, I’ve seen people’s attitude to prayer. Prayer services are usually the least attended event in most churches.
I remember when I first started my walk with Christ, I was invited to join the fellowship’s prayer group, I asked a friend who was already part of the group what exactly they did in the prayer group. When he told me they usually prayed for one hour and above, I almost passed out! My prayer time was about five minutes at that time so I could not understand why some people could pray for one hour. However, my friend Kola Salako taught me a few things to help me improve on my time of prayer.
What is prayer? Prayer is simply talking to God. Once we understand this, it takes all the unnecessary drama out of prayer. Prayer is based on relationship not religion. It is based on fellowship and not formula. If you can understand this, then prayer becomes much easier to practice.
The disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray in Luke 11:1-4, so prayer can be taught, prayer can be learnt. I pray that this month will be a month of learning and developing in the place of prayer for you in Jesus’ name. I pray that your will experience elevation in prayer on the basis of relationship and fellowship and may your prayer life move to another level in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 30th April
The Power of Repetition.
2 Kings 13:19 (GNB)
This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, “You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times.”
During the king’s visit to Elisha in his old age, just before he died, Elisha gave him a prophetic instruction; "take the other arrows and strike the ground with them". The king took the arrows and struck the ground three times and stopped, this got Elisha angry. Three strikes were fine but it wasn’t enough to secure permanent victory. Elisha expected the king to keep striking the ground repeatedly until he was told to stop, that would have guaranteed total victory.
As said in an earlier study "repetition is simply about time investment." The more we repeat a particular process, the more time we invest into it, the more effect we can get and the more mastery we develop.
Romans 10:17
"Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God".
Paul was saying here that "Faith comes by hearing God’s Word repeatedly".
And in Luke 24:49, Jesus said, “…But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
For both the development of faith and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, there is need for investment of time, repeated exposure to the Word and continuous immersion in His presence. All these are the by-products of investing time with God.
Never forget this, the power of repetition is the investment of time to develop mastery. The Is. 40:31 says; “…they that wait upon the Lord (those who commit time to stay with Him) will renew their strength, they'll mount up with wings as eagles, they'll run and not grow weary, they'll walk and not faint. Those are some of the benefits we enjoy when we stay with God, immerse ourselves in Him over and over again.
May you exchange strength with God’s in the name of Jesus. May His life flow through you at a new level as you engage the power of repetition to develop mastery in the things He has called you to do in Jesus' Name.
God bless you, and may you end the month of April victoriously as you triumphantly enter the month of May in Jesus’ Name.
Thursday 29 April 2021
The Power of Repetition 4
A lot of us have the wrong concept of repetition and it started when we were children. My first understanding of the word "repetition" or "repeat" was related to not doing well in an exam and based on that you are told to repeat the class. Even though the reason you are told to repeat was to strengthen your understanding of the subject at that level, in our minds, to repeat meant you were not intelligent, and a lot of us have taken that idea into adulthood. So instead of repetition being an opportunity to develop mastery, for a lot of us when we hear repeat or repetition it has to do with failure or lack of intelligence.
2 kings 5:14 (GNB)
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.
Naaman was a general in the Syrian army and he had leprosy. A little girl that worked in his house said to him " if you go to Israel, there’s a prophet there who can heal you". So, he went to see Elisha and Elisha sent his servant Gehazi to tell him to go dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. Initially, he was angry because he felt that the rivers in Syria were better than Jordan and he’d rather bath there. But he eventually went to Jordan and did as he was told by the prophet.
The first time he dipped himself in Jordan nothing happened, went in second time nothing happened, fifth time nothing happened, sixth time nothing happened, the seventh time, as he was coming out his skin was completely changed, the Bible says his flesh became firm and healthy like a little child.
God literally renewed him. Through those immersions, he was investing time, each immersion was time spent in the water and like we said earlier, when we talk about repetition, it's about the investment of time. What did this investment of time do for Naaman? It renewed his youth, it renewed his skin, it renewed things about his life and took his shame away.
As we repeat our time of immersion into God's word, we allow the Word of God to deepen its effect on our lives and the same renewing effect that the River Jordan had on Naaman manifests our lives. It would make you strong, it would give you a new perspective to life and make you a new person.
May that be our experience in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 28th April
The Power of Repetition 3
In the story of creation, the most common term used was “God said”. Have you ever considered why this was so? Everyday day of creation, God had to say something before creation happened. Why didn’t He just say everything at once “Let there be sky, sea, Land, sea and air animals, plants, sun etc”? He went through the daily repetition of speaking because He wanted us to be deeply impacted by the power of words in the process of creation.
Joshua 1:8 (NKJV), This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
The first part of this verse says, “you shall meditate on it day and night”. To meditate means to ruminate over a subject matter over and over again. It is to rollover an idea of thought over and over again in the mind. God wants us to think about His Word repeatedly. He wants us to keep His words in our mind continuously, day and night.
Psalm 1 2-3 (MSG), Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month. Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.
The word chew is used as meditation in this bible passage. To chew is to eat something continuously and that is what meditation is, thinking over God’s Word, over and over again. When we meditate on the word of God continually, it transforms our life. It takes your life from the struggle realm and replants in the Garden of Eden.
If you want to develop mastery in any area of your life and move in a new direction, practice the law of repetition, especially when it comes to the word of God.
May the power of repetition work for you in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 27th April
The Power of Repetition 2
Bruce Lee, the martial arts legend once said, “I do not fear the man who can do 10000 different kicks, but I fear the man who can do one kick 10000 times. Bruce Lee is simply talking about the expertise one would have developed after practicing a single kick 10000 times.
The power of repetition is simply time commitment. Repetition allows experience things at a deeper level, because of the lingering effect of repetition. Someone rightly said “Repetition is the law of deep and lasting impression”. This implies that the more we repeat something, the deeper it goes into our system and the longer it lasts. If you want something to make an indelible mark on you, you must go beyond the casual “touch and go”.
Philippians 3:1 (GNB), In conclusion, my friends, be joyful in your union with the Lord. I don't mind repeating what I have written before, and you will be safer if I do so.
Apostle Paul said repetition is a good thing!
Gladwell Malcolm talked about how to develop mastery in his book Outliers. He spoke about the 10000-hour rule. That is, to become outstanding in any area of life we must have practiced the skill repeatedly for 10000 hours. It is this commitment that brings out mastery in us.
As Christian, we can be involved in a lot of spiritual activities, but to develop mastery, there is a deliberate process we must commit ourselves to. Jesus set this example as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. The wordings of His prayer were basically the same but He prayed it over and over again intentionally and with intensity. By the time He was through praying, He was infused with so much power and strength that He was able to go to cross successfully.
I pray that as you commit time to experience God through prayer and His Word repeatedly, that the power of repetition will impress and impact you on a mighty and deep level in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Monday 26th April
The Power of Repetition.
Repetition is powerful and awesome in our lives. It helps us to develop mastery. When we go over something over and over again, that process helps us to develop mastery. It infuses us with power and allows our spirit to gain a deeper level of insight and knowledge. Besides, repetition helps us to develop discipline and reap investment of time. Repetition is investment of time. This is because we are taking time to rehearse, learn and relearn what we have already learnt. Thus, what happened during repetition is our ability to invest enough time over a particular activity until we become lord or master. In this regard, repetition is a powerful tool knowledge acquisition.
Philippians 3:1 (GNB), In conclusion, my friends, be joyful in your union with the Lord. I don't mind repeating what I have written before, and you will be safer if I do so.
Apostle Paul is re-emphasizing the power of repetition here. He said, I do not mind repeating myself over and over again because it is good for you and your faith can be safeguarded through repetition. Some of us have a wrong attitude towards repetition. We feel it is a waste of time. However, repetition has a way of making knowledge to sink deeper. It helps to gain deep insight and proficiency over a subject matter.
Look at how ocean water could break down a big rock or mountain. By continuously hitting the rock, water has the ability to penetrate a mighty rock and become stones. Water has the ability to consume or grind out a rock. The stones and pebbles that you see in the water are the effect of ceaselessly splashing water on a mighty mountain. This continues for a long period of time until the rocks and mountains give way. It continues until the rocks succumbs to the repetitive power of water splashing. In effect, the water that seems inconsequential, weightless, and formless could actually break the powers of mighty rocks. What we see here is how powerful repetition could be. It is as if nothing is happening on the outside. However, given time, the effect of repetition becomes powerful. This is where the power lies. This is where the mastery is attained.
I pray for you in Jesus name that God will give you grace and strength to have a positive attitude towards repetition. God will give you the ability to stay consistent and repeat what is needed in order to gain mastery.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 25th April
Courage to Start Again 7
In the book " Life is Tremendous " by Charles Jones, he said this;
" You'll be the same person you are today in the next five years except for the people you company with and the book you read."
By this he meant that your life will be influenced by the people you company with and the materials (books, CDs, etc) that you consume. Do you want to boost your level of courage? Then consume courageous content, consume articles that would inspire and motivate you.
Genesis 33:1-4 (GNB)
1 Jacob saw Esau coming with his 400 men, so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two concubines. 2 He put the concubines and their children first, then Leah and her children, and finally Rachel and Joseph at the rear. 3 Jacob went ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms round him, and kissed him. They were both crying.
When Jacob eventually met Esau and the 400 horsemen with him, it was a different experience altogether. The same Esau who vowed to kill Jacob after the death of their parents was full of seeing his twin brother. What changed between the time that Jacob received the news of Esau’s coming and when they actually met? Jacob had separated himself to have time alone with God and that encounter transformed him, he was literally changed from Jacob to Israel. Jacob was the man Esau wanted to kill, Israel was the new man he met, he saw God's favour, peace and presence on him and he was at peace with him. That's what the presence of God can do in a person’s life.
I pray that God’s presence will touch and transform you into a new person, that He will infuse with courage to rise up, go after your dreams and conquer in the name of Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day
Saturday 24th April
Courage to Start Again 6
We have had some time to discuss the life of Moses and his past struggles. The first time Moses tried to execute his God given dream, he failed woefully that he had to run away from Egypt. He had become so deflated and disillusioned over his forty stay in Midian that he could not see God bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Everything God said about sending him back to Egypt to deliver Israel was met with a series of excuses.
Regardless of all Moses was saying, God did not give up on Moses, He kept talking to him and reasoning with him. As Moses stayed with God, things began to change. He changed so much that he not only had the courage to return to Egypt and deliver Israel, he became a man who was feared by Pharaoh and the whole of Egypt.
Let read Exodus 7 vs 1 (GNB), The LORD said, “I am going to make you like God to the king, and your brother Aaron will speak to him as your prophet.
What a word! Moses that was so terrified by just the thought of Pharaoh was now seen as a God by Pharaoh. The tides had been turned. If you read further in the same book of Exodus, Pharaoh literally bowed before Moses and asked Moses to bless him. This is what happens to us when we hang around God long enough, His presence transforms lives, especially when we allow His presence to fill our spirit and mind. His presence flushes out every element of fear and excuse, creates a new person out of the old and breaks one out of obscurity. That is exactly what happened to Moses.
I pray that you will experience the transforming power of God in your life as you commit to investing quality time with God.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 23rd April
Courage to Start Again 5.
To the person that has jaundice, everything appears yellow!
Problems have a way of shading our perspective. We all have challenges and that is not the issue, the issue is how we go through these challenging seasons. We will either allow problems to define use and keep us down or we allow God's Person, Presence and His Word permeate our minds and elevate our person.
For 40 days Goliath threatened the army of Israel and no one could accept his challenge and fight him. David came to the camp of the Israelites just once, heard this challenge by Goliath and he rose up to it. Why? David had not been keeping company and dwelling on the problem like the rest for 40 days. While they all focused on Goliath, David had learnt to keep his focus on God. What he had seen of God's greatness and power couldn’t allow him to see Goliath. Everything about Goliath seemed to disappear in the light of God’s presence.
The lyrics of a song says:
" Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look to His wonderful face, and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim at the light of His glory and grace."
When we turn our focus on Jesus, allowing His presence and power to fill us, the so-called problems of this world will become insignificant before Him, that's what happened to Gideon. As he hung around God, all the problems, as real as they were, became as nothing.
Judges 5: 15-16 (GNB)
15 Gideon replied, "But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family." 16 The Lord answered, "You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man."
God said to Gideon “All those Midianites will become nothing to you, they will all be wiped out as if you are fighting only one man.” Why? God said “I will be with you and I will help you".
My prayer for you today is that you'll value the invisible and the intangible presence of God in your life, you'll value it enough to pursue it above every other thing in Jesus’ Name. The transforming power of God’s presence will transform you as it did Gideon in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 22nd April
Courage to Start Again 4
Judges 6:11-16 (GNB)
11Then the LORD's angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a winepress, so that the Midianites would not see him. 12The LORD's angel appeared to him there and said, “The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!”13Gideon said to him, “If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? What about all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the LORD used to do — how he brought them out of Egypt? The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites.” 14Then the LORD ordered him, “Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you.” 15Gideon replied, “But LORD, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family.” 16The LORD answered, “You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.”
It is difficult to inspire and encourage people who have discouraged and defeated, that was Gideon’s situation when God met him. He was not impressed by all the testimonies he had heard about God, as far as he was concerned, God had abandoned them. But God never abandons His own. In spite of his pessimism about God and His ability to deliver, God kept speaking to him.
God kept speaking positive words of power to Gideon till his heart was filled with pictures of possibilities.
God told him he was a great man, he told him He would empower him to conquer the Midianites and deliver Israel. God told him He would be with him and help him. These words inspired Gideon and broke the hold of fear and discouragement that he had been under before.
I believe anyone one can break out of the hold of fear, discouragement and defeat, rise to a new level and start again. Never underestimate the power of inspiration. Gideon was literally soaking in everything God was saying to him and the words he was consuming, consumed fear and defeat and made a new man out of him. When you consume courageous content as if your life depends on it, you can never be down and out. You must consume courageous content until it roots out fear completely. “Feed on the Word of God, inspiring books, videos and audios, biographies are also very helpful.
I pray for you that God will connect you with the right resources; people, books, audio and videos that will transform your life in Jesus’ Name
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 21st April
Courage to Start Again 3
Finding the strength to start again is quite tough when one has been through a series of disappointments. It’s very demoralizing and saps our energy. However, without the courage to start again, it is impossible to progress.
Let read the book of Judges 6 :11-16 (GNB), 11Then the LORD's angel came to the village of Ophrah and sat under the oak tree that belonged to Joash, a man of the clan of Abiezer. His son Gideon was threshing some wheat secretly in a winepress, so that the Midianites would not see him. 12The LORD's angel appeared to him there and said, “The LORD is with you, brave and mighty man!”13 Gideon said to him, “If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? What about all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the LORD used to do — how he brought them out of Egypt? The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites.”14Then the LORD ordered him, “Go with all your great strength and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I myself am sending you.” 15Gideon replied, “But LORD, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family.”16The LORD answered, “You can do it because I will help you. You will crush the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.”
Gideon’s life had been characterized by failure, fear, and frustration, Midianites had oppressed Israel for years and there seemed to be no end in sight. Even when God called him, he could not believe God. When God brought him the message of deliverance from Midianites, he had become so defeated and discouraged that he was totally skeptical. He doubted God, himself and even God ‘s ability in him.
“You become what you associate with”. This is a proven law of life.
God disregarded all of Gideon’s negative responses and kept speaking to him. As he stayed around God, listening to what He had to say, gradually the unbelief, fear and self-doubt began to disappear. Courage rose up in him and he went on to deliver Israel, fulfilling his God given purpose. In fact, Gideon made it to the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrew 11. It does not matter where you are today change begins when you begin to hang around God.
My prayer is that you'll rise above your present challenges and cultivate the habit of spending time with God, you will see how your courage will begin to rise and you will come into a new season of victory.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 20th April
The Courage to Start Again
The journey of starting again is never an easy one. Finding the inner strength to start again usually requires drawing inspiration from a person or purpose higher than us. The reality of past failure experiences can be so powerful that it grounds people completely.
Whether it’s Moses heading back to Egypt to deliver God’s people or Joshua mobilizing the people to cross over Jordan and take the promised land or even Winston Churchill defending Great Britain from German invasion, all of them had to draw strength and inspiration to go all the way from a person or purpose higher than themselves.
Deuteronomy 31 vs 6 (NLT),
6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
This bible passage is reminding us that God’s Person and presence is our source of courage and without courage we cannot accomplish anything great. Joshua was about to embark on the greatest assignment of his life. To get the people moving toward their purpose again, he had to refresh the mind about the realities of the promised land and help them understand that the victories they enjoyed under Moses were really about God not Moses. This task was impossible for Joshua without God, but Moses helped him and all the people focus on something higher than themselves - God and His purpose.
I want you to elevate your mind and see beyond the current struggles and past failures. God is higher than the highest and He is for you, discover His purpose for this season of your life and you will find the courage to start again.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 19th April
The Courage To Start Again
Starting again after a project failed or fell through can be a herculean task, it seems to take all the strength out of our system. But the interesting thing about failing and stating again is that, it is what God expects of us. He expects us to be able to start again, even after multiple failures.
Prov.24:16, NLT
16 The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.
The godly man is able to keep starting over and over again after series of falls or failures, why? Courage. The one who falls and is unable to start again is called a wicked person.
Courage is an indispensable weapon in the arsenal of anyone that will achieve anything great in this life, without courage we can do nothing
During the second world war, Germany had ravaged most of Europe and they were closing in on Great Britain. As Prime Minister, Winston Churchill had the responsibility of mobilizing the nation and getting them prepared for war. In spite of the odds being against them, Churchill said as he closed his speech to the audience at Harrow School on the 29th of October 1941.
‘…never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.’
This sounds like something taken out of the scriptures. God doesn’t want us to give in or give up to anything.
As we begin to get new and regular doses strength and courage, we’ll go to a new level of victory and accomplishment in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and have a great week.
Sunday18th April
The Fear of Starting Again 7
From our discussion yesterday, we learnt how Jacob went into panic as he was told that his brother Esau was riding out to meet him with 400 horsemen. Based on Esau’s threat earlier that he was going to kill Jacob for taking his birthright, all he could see was the massacre of his household. He had forgotten that God was the One that told him to go back home and had promised to keep him and his family. In his confused and helpless state, he cried out to God,
Genesis 32:11-12 (NLT) 11 O lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count."
Yes, there was a promise from God, but the fact of the moment was that Esau was coming with his men and as far as Jacob was concerned that could spell nothing but disaster. The fear of starting again in his home country seemed deem but Jacob took his fears to God in prayer and God delivered him.
One thing that stands out clearly from the story of Jacob even that of Moses and Joshua is how fear disappeared once God is brought into the situation. The bible says;" perfect love casts out fear". Perfect love is God and when you stay around Him long enough, He dispels every trace of fear in you so that you can do what God has called you to do. It doesn't matter what you've attempted and failed at in the past, confront your fears and progress with God.
Revelation.21:8 says the fearful are among those that will experience the second death in the lake of fire. So, we must not allow fear to take root in our life.
I pray for the grace to conquer and overcome fear: fear of failure, fear of people or whichever will fill your heart in the name of Jesus. By the power of the Word and the Blood, you'll overcome every fear confronting you and you'll be a testimony in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
The Fear of Starting Again 6
I’ve always asked myself, why does God always make us go through things that will challenge us so much, almost to our breaking point till we become fearful? To show that He knows what is going on He then says Fear Not” Why? Because He knows that we're actually
Jacob had left his father's house because Esau had threatened to kill him once their parents were dead. He felt cheated out of his birth right even though he had traded it out to Jacob long before then and he was furious that he finally got the blessing too. As a result of Esau’s threat Isaac advised Jacob to go and stay with his uncle Laban. After God had prospered Jacob in Laban’s house, God told him to return to his home country.
Returning home was good news to Jacob, the only problem was that there was a death threat by his brother waiting for him. As he drew closer home, he sent some of his servants to Esau with gifts and to let him know that he was returning home with his household. The servants returned and told Jacob that Esau was coming with 400 horsemen with him, as soon as Jacob heard this, he began to panic. His mind had painted the picture of his household being massacred and he was full of fear.
Genesis 32:11-12 (NLT)
11 O lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 12 But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”
Jacob couldn’t understand how God would make him a promise yet, he’s confronted with a life-threatening problem at the same time. He had used all the sense he knew and was at his wits end, and he told God plainly” “…I’m afraid…”
Sometimes God gives you a promise or prophecy just like He gave Jacob and it collides with a problem. He said to Jacob “Go back to your home country and start over again and I’ll bless you and your descendants…” Yet as he was obeying God, a seemingly insurmountable problem arose - Esau! When problems and the promises of God collide, FEAR NOT! When you refuse to fear the problem, you give the promise the opportunity to thrive and deliver your victory. That was exactly what happened to Jacob.
May God give you the strength to stand strong on His promises even in the face of life’s problems in Jesus’ Name.
Enjoy your weekend.
Friday16th April
The Fear of Starting Again 5
The greatest leader the Israelites had seen in recent times, Moses had just passed on. The nation was in national mourning and confusion. How will we get to the promised land they must have been thinking? God has instructed Moses to anoint Joshua as the new leader of the people, the one to take them into the promised land but most of them couldn’t see how that could happen without Moses. Joshua himself was fearful, but God encouraged him; "…my servant Moses is dead, and it's time to get the people moving again, face your fears and move on ahead. It's your time". This is the summary of what God said to Joshua.
Joshua 3:7 (NLT)
The lord told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses.
That's exactly what God is saying to someone today. You might be coming after a great leader, morale might be low, people might be doubting your abilities but God is saying to you, “It’s time to start again. It’s time to go beyond your fears, no matter how great your predecessor was, know that the greater God lives on the inside of you”.
Joyce Meyer wrote a book Titled "Do it afraid" meaning in spite of your fears, just do what you have to. Take advantage of God's presence in you, confront and conquer your fears and you'll see the great things God has ahead of you, just as Joshua later discovered.
I pray for you that the hold of fear will be broken over your life in the name of Jesus. This season that is pregnant with possibilities will work for you in the name of Jesus, you will excel and prosper in your new position, venture and organisation as you start again in Jesus’ name.
Your greatness is now in Jesus’ name.
God bless you, have a lovely weekend.
Thursday 15 April
The Fear of Starting Again 4
Have you ever had the responsibility of leading a discouraged people after a great leader has just left the scene? Have you had to motivate and move an audience to action by your speech after a great speaker had just spoken leaving the people on a somber note? It is a very awkward place to be and that is exactly where young Joshua found himself.
Moses, Israel’s larger than life leader and deliverer, the one who single handedly brought the most powerful nation and its king to its knees as he led God’s people out of bondage had suddenly gone up the mountain to die. Moses… die? Nobody could believe it. It wasn’t unusual for him to go away into the mountain for extended periods, maybe this is just another episode, he’ll be back they thought.
His young assistant Joshua was the new leader appointed to continue his mission of taking the people to the promised land. But even Joshua couldn’t believe that Moses wasn’t coming back. God had to personally tell Joshua that Moses was dead and wasn’t coming back. God instructed him to start from where Moses stopped and take the people to the promised land. Joshua couldn’t believe what he was hearing, how in the world would he be able to lead the people to complete an assignment that Moses started. He had no problem with being Moses’ assistant but to take over Moses’ position…that was beyond him. (Josh. 1:1-3)
Josh. 3:7-11, NLT
7The LORD told Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. 8Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
9So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the LORD your God says. 10Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 11.Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River!
God said all this to Joshua because He knew he was struggling with the fear of starting again after a great personality.
Are you struggling with fear of leading a new team, organisation or project, especially after a legendary and loved leader? Have no fear and go after it, give it everything you’ve got and trust the presence of God with you. The same God that helped Joshua and gave him victory will do the same for you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Wednesday 14th April
The Fear of Starting Again 3.
The fear of starting again is real whether it's from a natural source or fear induced by Satan, he tries to build a stronghold to keep people down especially after a failed project.
Peter was an experienced fisherman and had gone fishing overnight but caught nothing. As He was clearing up to return home after a disappointing outing, Jesus stepped into his boat and preached a sermon from there. After preaching He asked Peter to go fishing again in the Sea of Galilee.
Luke 5 vs 4-6 (NLT), 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
Peter couldn’t imagine going back fishing that day again, it was the wrong time of the day, he was tired, he was still thinking of the economic implications of going another day without a catch when Jesus gave this instruction. Jesus didn’t just tell him to go back into the sea to catch fish, Jesus said he should go in deeper!
After his initial hesitation and resistance Peter did as Jesus said, he went fishing again, and the result was unbelievable. He caught so much fish that his net began to tear and his boat began to sink because of the number of fish that was caught. This is what can happen when we overcome our fears and try again.
Most people that we celebrate today as achievers had experienced failure at some point but they stayed persistent, believing, tried again and eventually succeeded. Maybe you have experienced economic failure like Peter, or you’ve worked so hard at a venture, a relationship or a program in school and have nothing to show for it. Are you tired and worn out, “washing your nets” to pack everything up?
Jesus said, “Get back in there and try again. Go deeper, try harder.” With faith in God, you will experience a breakthrough that will make all the losses and failures of the past inconsequential in Jesus' Name.
Stay strong and stay focused.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 13th April
The Fear of Starting Again 2
We started looking at the life of Moses yesterday and we see that his first attempt at delivering the Hebrews failed. Yes, it was God’s purpose for him to deliver them but was it the right time and was he following God’s method?
Moses was at this time a great leader in Egypt with chances of being the future Pharaoh and one failure brought everything down reducing him to a nobody, a non-entity leading sheep in Midian. [Act. 7:22-29]
Exodus3 vs 9-11 (NLT), 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
Failure wasn’t Moses’ real problem, it was the fear that came as a result of the failure, it literally redefined him. Fear made him doubt himself, it buried his dream and drained his strength. We must never allow that to happen to us. We must confront our fears, we must not allow the mistakes of yesterday to overcome us. Moses gave all the excuses he could give, and as he stayed with God, he overcame his fears. God isn’t holding our past failures against us, we mustn’t hold it against ourselves.
I do not know what is holding you back today. I want you to go back to your God given dream. You were convinced of years ago, why must the fear of failed attempts rob you of it? You can start again. Get back on your feet and trust God to help you. Never let the fear of failure have the final say in your life.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 12th April 2021
The fear of starting again.
One of the major problems when it comes to starting again is the fear. Moses knew God had called him to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt, his first attempt at that got him in so much trouble that he lost his place in Egypt and ran away as a fugitive.
Starting life afresh in Midian as a shepherd employed by his father in-law was a major downgrade from his former exalted position as the prince of Egypt. For 40 years he wallowed in regret and self - pity, he had gone from leading the army of the greatest kingdom in the world to leading an army of sheep in a little village. One day as he was leading his father-in-law's sheep in the back mountains, God’ called out to him from a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. God wanted him to go back to Egypt and deliver the Israelites. Moses immediately turned down the offer.
Exodus 3 vs 9-11 (NLT), 9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. 10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses had lost his faith in this “deliverer dream”, he had lost faith in himself and he had clearly lost faith in God, Whoever He was. How could he start something again at age 80 when he failed at it when he was 40? As the whole scenario of his failed attempt in the past flowed through his mind, fear also followed. The fear of Pharaoh, of Egypt or the Israelites, fear from everywhere flooded his mind and paralysed him completely.
How is fear of the past holding you back? Are the failures of the past paralysing you from starting again? We know Moses eventually rose up to the occasion and the rest as they say is history.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that God will give you victory over fear and give you grace to start again with the dream He has given you.
God bless you, enjoy rest of your day.
Sunday 11 April 2021
The God That Starts Again. 6
Years ago, I heard the story of this young man who was in a relationship with a young lady during the Nigerian civil war. There was a raid on their area and as they were escaping, the lady was hit by a bullet and she eventually died in her fiancé’s hands. This man did not start another relationship again because each time he got into the relationship, he was held back by the thought of his late fiancée and he just could never move past it in his mind.
Sometimes people have these mental or spiritual blocks that keep them from starting again. Understand that no matter what has happened in the past, we can start again bigger and better. We can start again in spite of the mistakes of the past, we can start again even if our initial attempts didn’t turn out well, we can move into our present and future with power and possibility.
Mark 8: 23 - 25 (NLT)
23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand…he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”24 The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.” 25 Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored...”
Jesus, the sinless One laid His hands on this man and he wasn’t completely healed; it didn’t turn out perfectly. Jesus said “Can you see?” and he said “I can see but I see men walking like trees.” Jesus was evaluating his work by asking the man if he could see. In the story of creation, we saw that God daily evaluated His work, when it met His standard, He said it was good. So, feedback is very important in all we do. So, when the blind man said he couldn’t see clearly, Jesus went over the process again and the man began seeing clearly. If Jesus saw nothing wrong in laying hands on a man again, who couldn’t see after laying hands on him the first time, then we can start again better if it didn’t go well the first time.
I see God moving you into a new season as we conquer everything holding us back from starting again in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy your Sunday.
Saturday 10th April
The God That Starts again. 5
All of God’s purpose on earth involves people. Sometimes the people choose to deviate from God’s purpose and when this happens, He usually starts again, He maintains His purpose but He changes the people. This can be quite painful considering the investment God must have made in those lives. It is important to remind ourselves of this truth again:
GOD NEVER CHANGES HIS PURPOSE, BUT HE CAN CHANGE THE PEOPLE .
1Samuel 13:13-14 (ESV)
And Samuel said to Saul, you have done foolishly, you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you for the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever but now your kingdom shall not continue, the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over His people because you have not kept His commandment.
Gods had purposed to give Israel a king after they demanded on, His plan was for the house of Saul to rule forever but for Saul's continuous disobedience and nonchalance made God reject him and his household and look for another man – David. God ended His partnership for kingship with the house of Saul’s and started again with the house of David.
I pray in the name of Jesus that we will never lose our place and be replaced in God’s purpose in Jesus’ name.
Judas was another person who lost his place in God’s purpose. Though he was with Jesus from the beginning he eventually lost his place because of greed.
May we never be among those God will replace in Jesus’ Name. The wisdom to stay humble and teachable we receive now in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you, enjoy your weekend.
Friday 9th April
The God That Starts Again
At creation God said, "Let us create man in our own image and likeness…male and female, He created them". Our God is a God of relationships because it takes relationships to increase, multiply, extend our reach and manifest in a bigger and better way.
It's disheartening to see that some of us give up on relationships especially when things don't go according to plan. But we said earlier in this series, "Persons can change but God’s purpose never changes". Its important we say this again, GOD NEVER CHANGES HIS PURPOSE, HE MAY CHANGE THE PEOPLE HE’S WORKING WITH AND HIS PLANS BUT NEVER HIS PURPOSE.
Assuming London is my destination and I’m flying from Lagos, I can fly directly to London or connect London through another country. I could also decide to land at Heathrow or Gatwick Airport. Though I may follow different routes, my destination is still the same, maybe with a little time difference. Relationships can be likened to the destination; people are like the different route.
Some of us have given up entirely on relationships with people because we encountered some very difficult people. This might sound tough but it’s through; THERE ARE NO RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS< THERE ARE ONLY PEOPLE PROBLEMS.
God had a loving relationship with mankind and He placed His blessing on him. After, He didn’t give up on relationships, He simply moved His loving relationship to another man, He went on to Seth, then Noah and finally He settled with Abraham (Abram).
Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
The lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you... I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”
Abraham was God’s channel to bring His blessing on mankind. God had experienced several disappointing relationships with man, but He never gave up on His relationship with man. That relationship eventually brought Jesus.
No matter how bad your experience has been with relationships, past or present, that’s not a justification to give up, be it a business or love relationship with wisdom and guidance, you can start again.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Thursday 8th April
The God that Starts Again. 3
When I look at the story of creation, I am amazed at the turn of events. For example, in Genesis 1:1, the bible says that God created heaven and the earth. In verse two, the bible says that the earth was without form and void and darkness covered the face of the earth. In verse three, we see the work of recreation of the earth.
Some archaeologists and theologians believe the account of creation as recorded in Genesis 1:1 was actually a recreation of the earth. It is believed that somewhere between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:3 there was a problem that caused the destruction of the earth but God started again with Adam. In Genesis 6, we can see another destruction of the earth and sparing only the household of Noah.
Genesis 6 :17-18 (ESV), 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
In the story above, things had gone so bad after Adam and Eve fell that God decided to wipe out all humans and animals He created and start again. God decided to start a new human race from the lineage Noah. So, God started again He began a new earth project. In the book Revelations chapter 21, God said He’ll still create a new heaven and a new earth.
If God could restart “Project Earth”, you can start again. You can start that project or work again in a better, smarter, and bigger way. You must understand that starting again is not a weakness. It is not foolishness. If starting again is not a deviation from God’s plan for you, if the situation demands you start again, please start again.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that God will give you the wisdom to know what to do when things are not going right and the strength to start again if you have to.
Bless you and the rest of your day.
Wednesday 7th April
The God Who Starts Again 2
Sometimes, we have a wrong concept of God. Our idea about God in most cases is that of a person who can’t relate with our realities. God fits into every situation and into every single day reality. God is current, He’s in our past, and also in the future. He fit perfectly into every situation.
Jeremiah 18 :4 (NLT) 4 But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
God told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and see the work he’s doing. While the potter worked on a clay, the jar he was working on wasn't turning out as desired. The potter simply reworked into another jar. God then told Jeremiah, “Just as the potter stopped the jar he was making before and reworked the clay into another jar, so God was doing to the house of Israel.” Just like the potter started another again with the piece of clay he was working on, our God also starts things over again.
Understand this, God never changes His purpose but can change the person. God's purposes never change. Even though the potter changed the type of jar he was making, he didn’t change his plan of making a clay jar.
It’s important we understand that God has no problem with us starting things all over again, especially if what we are doing is not turning out as purposed. When we start again, we can start better, smarter, and bigger. In the bible, we see that God started so many things again. You too can start again. You can start pursuit in any area of life again - your education, work, and even your relationship again.
You do not have to give up because problems come along the way. If God can remake something and start again, you can also start again.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 6: THE GOD THAT STARTS AGAIN
God designed the world with human beings in it and unlike all His other creations, He gave human beings a will. With the will, they had the power to chose Him or reject Him and they were free to go against His plan. Anytime mankind went against His plan, it was His responsibility to start again, finding a way to carry out His plan in spite of human rebellion.
He knew quite well the implications of giving mankind freewill, He stood the risk of His purposes being delayed or possibly derailed many times and He knew He would have to start again on some of His ventures yet He still went ahead to create mankind with his will. He understood the demands of His actions because “… the works were finished before the foundation of the world.” Heb. 4:3.
God did all this to help us understand: IT IS ALRIGHT TO START AGAIN.
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
Eph. 5:1(NLT)
By doing this He established the fact that life on earth would demand you starting again from time to time, especially as you pursue your purpose in life.
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It is not wrong to start again
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It is not a sin to start again
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It is not a sign of weakness starting again
Our God is the God that starts again and as beloved children we should be like our Father and learn to start again when we have to start again.
It takes power to start again
May you receive fresh grace to imitate God in all you do in Jesus Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Monday 5th April
The Power to Start Again 5 – Death is not the end
For century death terrorized the human race. Nothing and no one seemed immune against its power. It’s caused a lot of pain and sorrow to its victims and their loved ones. At the death of Lazarus, Jesus saw the utter hopelessness and helplessness of people in the face of death, this reality hit Him so much that He wept. (Jn. 11:36).
Death is the end of life; it is the expiration and cessation of life supporting activities. Death is cold, unresponsive and mean but Jesus tamed, tortured and defeated death.
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had[g] the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)
Death is no longer the end, the grave and hell is not our destination, especially for those who have made Jesus Lord of their lives. Jesus is the first begotten from the dead, not the only begotten from the dead (Rev. 1:5). In Christ, we are all destined to conquer death.
So, understand that death no longer has the final say in your affairs; be it over your life, your work, marriage, business, education or whatever pertains to you.
May this Easter mark the end of the torment of death in and around your life in the name of Jesus. May everything around you begin to enjoy newness of life in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day!
Sunday 4th April:
The Power to Start Again 4 – Nothing Is Shocking
Happy Easter Sunday.
The sacrifice of Christ is the “shock absorber” for every human problem that can ever happen on earth. God saw it all before it happened, the betrayals, the wickedness of man, the advancement of evil yet He continued with the work of creation. He knew He’d have to start over again yet He continued, why? Because Jesus, the Lamb of God was killed to pay the price for all our wrongs even before the world began.
The worst sin, the greatest mistakes, unimaginable problems, all have been prepared for with solutions provided before the world was made. Your issues can never make headline in heaven. Nothing you do can shock Him. Nothing you do can make Him stop loving you. (Rom. 8:38-39)
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Is 1:18. (NIV)
They killed God (Jesus in the flesh), but he forgave them and gave them a new start. You too can forgive, you can put the past behind and have a new start in your relationship, work, occupation etc.
Don’t condone sin in your life, it ultimately ruins destiny. If you sin, confess it and move on with God
Prayer: Lord Jesus, let your blood clean all my wrong, let it speak for me and give me access into new beginnings in Christ in Jesus name.
Saturday 3rd April:
The Power to Start Again – “…from the very beginning”
In the classic 1965 movie, Sound of Music, Maria the governess of the house taught the Captain’s children a song that said;
“Let's start at the very beginning, A very good place to start…”
The wisdom in the song for me is that – the beginning is always the best place to start, even when you are starting again. We said yesterday that Easter is actually the story of God starting again. He started with the first Adam in the Garden of Eden, there was the sin problem that tried to derail God’s plan but He implemented another plan, the plan of Redemption and Jesus Christ, the last Adam pursued and perfected that plan. As we celebrate this Easter, let us remember God’s bigger plan and the fact that we can celebrate because God started again.
Why did God’s “Start Again Plan” work out so well? It worked out well because right from the very beginning God designed it into the system, He built the earth to withstand the worst of human errors and yet start again and all this He did even before creating anything.
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made. Rev. 13:8, NLT
The Lamb of God had paid the price for all human error before the world began. God foresaw that the first Adam would fail, He saw that a lot of things would go wrong, yet He went ahead with creation, because in Christ He had made provision for us to be able to start over again and again and again. Easter is a demonstration of God mercy to mankind.
May you enjoy His mercy today and always.
Good bless you, Enjoy your day.
Friday 2nd April:
The Power to Start Again - The Tale of Two Adams
All over the world Christians celebrate this week as Easter and today is specifically as Good Friday.
The story of Easter is the story of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the story of the triumph of life over death, of love over hate, of righteousness over sin and of the blessing over the curse. More importantly Easter is a reminder to us that even God Almighty believes in starting again.
God created the first human male specie and gave him responsibility over the Garden of Eden, this first man was called Adam. Adam and his wife disobeyed God and lost their fellowship with God and control over the Garden and the earth. God almost immediately implemented the plan to get mankind back. He told Satan that, even though it seems he has won by making mankind fall into sin and separation from God but the offspring of the woman that he deceived would destroy his plan, that offspring is Jesus the last Adam. (Gen.3:15) This is where the story of Easter begins, it’s the tale of two Adams.
“Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].”
1 Cor. 15:45 AMPC
God wasn’t afraid or ashamed to admit that something went wrong with the first Adam, No! He simply confronted the issue addressed it and started again. So that we are not in doubt that God started again, the scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as the last Adam. Your last attempt at doing what God told you to do might not have worked, start again. That is one many lessons of Easter. God bless you, enjoy your day
Thursday 1st April
Power to Start Again
The operation, mindset and values of the Kingdom of God are completely different from that of this world. What the world celebrates can be shameful in the kingdom of God and what is considered wise in the Kingdom of God can be considered foolish in this world.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
Is. 55:8 NKJV
When we receive an assignment from God and we encounter challenges or failure in the process, God doesn’t expect us to abandon the assignment, He expects us to press on and start again. In this world, to repeat could mean something undesirable or shameful. The earliest concept of repeating that most people have is that of repeating a class in school or repeating an assignment in class. The ideas of repeating in that context carried a sense of punishment but in the Kingdom of God, to repeat or start again is commendable.
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It means an opportunity to start in a better way
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It means the ability to stay focused and undeterred in the face of challenges.
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It means having an opportunity the develop mastery
So, let go of every negative idea you have about starting again, especially when it’s in an area you are sure God has ordained for you. In this world, starting again can be painful and shameful, in the Kingdom of God is powerful and highly commendable.
I pray that the Lord will enable you to stay on course with your God given assignment undeterred and give you the strength to begin again if you have to in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you and enjoy your day!
Wednesday 31st March
A lovely Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. Today is the last day of the month of March and we are grateful to God for his help and grace that have kept us. We pray that God who has kept us this far will continue to keep us all through the year in Jesus’ name.
God has designed your life to bring glory and honour to His name. You are a living testimony regardless of your current circumstances. You are a winner.
When I think of the many challenges I’ve had to deal with and how I responded to them, I can truly say that God has been faithful. My responses were not perfect, I remember times when I asked such questions as “God why me?” But through It all God has always come through for me. So armed with this understanding, when I face challenging situations today, I can rest and trust God’s faithfulness.
As long as we are in this world, life’s test and trials will keep coming., that’s the simple reality. However, having experienced God’s intervention in the past, we can count on His faithfulness in the present and future.
Luke 1:46-49 (NLT), 46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. 47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! 48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. 49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.
In this passage we see Mary responding with faith to a prophesy given by Isaiah about 700 years before. She took a big risk in believing despite all the immediate consequences, which included being stoned to death. Even Joseph, her fiancé could not understand what was happening at that time. His initial plan was to separate from her quietly but that would have exposed her unnecessarily.
Mary stood her ground in faith and God stood with her. Today, generations after her still call her blessed. Her light affliction worked out an eternal weight of glory for her. Sometimes, it is risky believing God and staying true to the Word, but you must take a stand. You must dare to belief and take side with God. Mary’s situation was turned around by the mighty hand of God because she believed.
I challenge you to believe the word of God. I challenge you to use the building blocks we discussed to build your own testimony. As you do all that we have discussed and stay with God, you cannot but end up a living testimony.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 30th March
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I trust that your day is going on well.
I have often wondered why it seems impossible to keep our challenges completely secret. I’m not implying that people know every detail of the challenges you are going through but somehow people just know things are not going too well. Bad news has a way of traveling fast. Usually, the last thing anyone wants when going through a challenging season is unnecessary focus and attention. But that’s is exactly what the devil wants, he wants us in the spotlight so people can see us so they can talk about us, gossip and ridicule us. All this is meant to put us under pressure and make us do things we should not do. But God is all wise and He is always ahead of the devil. When we stay true to God, what the devil planned for evil, God will always turn it around for our good.
Luke 1:57-58 (NLT), 57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 Ands when her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
This was the story of Elizabeth and her husband Zachariah. That they had a very godly background wasn’t enough to immune them from life challenges. Elizabeth’s problem was well known in the neighbourhood. Elizabeth had felt lonely, dejected and probably wondered at times if God was on her side. In her condition, some were genuinely concerned while other mocked her. However, when God turned her situation around, those who have mocked her came to rejoice with her.
A few days ago, I held an interview with my friends Wole and Lolade Olusola. They spoke about how they went through several years of financial and emotional difficulties, they became the object of shame, pity and ridicule, this went on for years but today they are singing a new song. God gave them the wisdom and strength to turn everything around.
God is still in the business of turning things around for His people. He is still giving people amazing testimonies, people who were once consider as nothing God is making something out of them.
I declare in Jesus name that you are next in line for testimony. This season shall mark a season of mercy and testimony for you in Jesus’ name. Do not be discouraged or become despondent. You are a living testimony in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of today.
Monday 29th March
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is the last Monday in the month of March and the last working week of this month ad we thank God for His grace and help.
The bible says God is the One that calls the end from the beginning. He knows the end from the beginning. God does not start anything that is destructive! He has a great plan for our life. The bible says, God’s thoughts for our lives are thoughts of good and not of evil. The reason why God allow us to be here on the planet is because He has good intentions for us, if we stay with God and cooperate with Him, our lives will turn out well no matter the challenges we face. This is what it means to be a living testimony - a life that brings glory to the name of God in spite of the challenges.
1 Samuel 2:1-4 (NLT), Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. 2 No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. 4 The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.
The above bible passage was Hannah prayers of thanksgiving. Hannah had experienced a lot in life. She had been childless for a while, as a result she was an object of scorn and ridicule. Hannah’s trust in God was tested. Even Eli, the priest in charge of the temple mistook her for a drunkard while pouring her heart out to God in painfully in prayer. God saw Hannah’s heart and turned her story around. She eventually had a son called Samuel who was one of the greatest judges in Israel. God made Hannah to rejoice again. Her son Samuel became the one who ordained the first two kings of Israel.
We must understand that these testimonies happened in Hannah’s life because she took sides with God even in the face of life’s tests. She stayed with God and He fought her battles, giving her a testimony that permanently silenced her mockers. Her life had become a great testimony. This is what happens when God turns your story around.
I pray for you that as we end this month in few days that God Himself will answer every opposition on your behalf in the name of Jesus. I pray that your life will become a living testimony of His grace and glory in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 28th March
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus.
God has designed everyone to be a living testimony and when we allow Jesus take the Lordship of our lives, we really begin the journey with Him at our side.
One of the thing God frowns at is judging people, especially based on their past. When we judge people it’s easy for us to condemn those that God hasn’t condemned. Guilt and condemnation have no place in the lives of God’s people. God doesn’t even want you bringing yourself under guilt and condemnation. When we give room to guilt and condemnation, we give the devil the liberty to oppress us and usually we don’t rest it because we believe “we are suffering for our sins”
With what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have no right to stay under guilt and condemnation anymore nor should we hold people’s past against them when God has exonerated them
Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho, but in her prostitution, she still had some regard for God. She protected God’s people when the came to spy the land of Jericho and that singular act changed the course of her forever. Let’s see some things the bible say about this great woman.
Joshua 6:25 (NLT), 25 So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day.
Hebrew 11:31 (NLT), 31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
Rahab the prostitute’s life changed so much that she was among those commended for their faith in Hebrews 11. She even went on to be listed in the lineage of Jesus.
Matthew 1:5 (NLT), Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.
Rahab the prostitute became the mother in-law of Ruth, the mother of the great man Boaz and the great grandfather of King David. In her past was prostitution but in her future was God’s divine purpose. If God condemned people and cancelled them based on their past, we won’t be talking about Rahab as the inspiration she is today.
Never judge people based on their past, never disqualify people based on their past and never disqualify yourself based on your past mistakes. Once you have made your peace with God, the same life that was once a mess, can become a message of God’s grace and faithfulness, a living testimony of God’s transforming power. If God can do it for Rahab, He can do it for anybody including you.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 27th March
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today and we are still talking about living testimony. What do we mean by a living testimony? We mean that God has designed every life to be a testimony of his grace, power, goodness, and a testimony of His wisdom.
The journey to a life of testimonies is full of twists and turn. Remember, God is a God of patterns, he moves us from evening to morning, from night into day. You may be in a night situation right now, stay with God, hold your peace and your day of celebration is just around the corner, a testimony is going to break forth in your life in Jesus’ name.
There is a story of a woman in the Bible called Naomi. Together with her husband and two sons, they travel to another country in search of greener pastures. Initially things were rosy for them in the new country, life was good. Suddenly things began to fall apart, then her husband died, then her two grown-up sons too. Naomi was left with the responsibility of taking care of her daughters’ in-laws – Ruth and Orpah.
Naomi later decided to return home because life was tough abroad. She informed her daughters in-laws that she was returning home. Ruth decided to follow Naomi while Orpah opted-out. On retuning to Bethlehem, life did not improve, at least not immediately. Naomi felt so bad that she changed her name to Mara which means bitterness. She felt she had on the receiving end of God’s wrath. However, God had nothing to do with her problem, in fact, it was God that provided way of escape. In the middle of all her troubles, God turns her story around for good.
Let read Naomi story from Ruth 4:13-17 (NLT),
13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the LORD enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the LORD, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!” 16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.
At last, God turned the situation around for Naomi.
I pray for you that there would be an outburst of testimonies in your life in Jesus’ name. May your testimonies cause your neighbour to of testify to the glory of God in Jesus name. Remember, you are destined to be a living testimony.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 26th March
A beautiful Friday to you in the name of Jesus. I pray that your life will witness God’s grace and power in Jesus’ name. You are a living testimony.
In Genesis 1:5 (NIV), the bible says God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
I used to wonder why the bible said “evening and morning” and not “morning and evening”. Then I later understood that God set things in pattern, He moves us from darkness to light. Evening time represent darkness while morning represent breaking of day or light. So, in life, God moves us from darkness to light, from challenging situation to a great testimony.
We might be in a challenging situation now, but the bible says, weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Regardless of how dark things are for you right now in your marriage, legally, on the job, in school or whatever you are going through, I pray that joy and celebration comes your way now in Jesus’ name.
Sarah’s life was evening like, a long night season. In the beginning everything seems good for Sarah. She had a happy marriage and life. However, things took a dramatic turn when she began experiencing delay in child’s birth. Despite God’s promises, she had to wait for twenty-five years. The child finally came. Let us listen to what Sarah to say had in Genesis 21:5-7 (NLT),
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
Sarah became a living testimony and she’s is still a testimony till today. Major religions in the world today still consider Sarah a respected icon in their faith, especially the Jews, Islam or Christians. Isaiah 51: 2 (NLT) says,
Yes, think about Abraham, your ancestor, and Sarah, who gave birth to your nation. Abraham was only one man when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation.”
We still draw inspiration from Sarah today, we learn from how she conducted herself through the many years of challenges but God turned things around and she became a living testimony and she’s still a reference point of God’s faithfulness today.
I pray for you in Jesus name that God will cause you to laugh and give you reasons to celebrate just as He did for Sarah. You will no longer be scorned and ridiculed, rather people will appreciate and celebrate you in Jesus’ name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend.
Wednesday 24th March
A wonderful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus.
I want to say a big thank to everyone for all the prayers, calls and messages on the 1 year anniversary of broadcasting our Daily Voice Devotional (DVD). To God alone be all the glory for the testimonies and impact of the messages, we humbly ask that you’ll continue to pray for us that God’s Word would continue to find free expression through us in Jesus’ name.
We are able to do all we are doing because WE ARE NOT ALONE. God is with us and you have also in your different way been with us. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:10 “…woe to him that is alone…” God said concerning Adam in the Garden of Eden, “… it not good for man to be alone”. Solitude and seclusion might be necessary sometime to be alone with God and for self-evaluation, however, we must not make a life of loneliness or seclusion a culture. God created us to relate with one another.
In the book of Ephesians 3, Apostle Paul spoke about God being the Father of the family in heaven and on earth. As believers we have our family of faith in heaven and another one on earth and they are both there urging us on, so we are not alone.
The Bible says in Hebrew 12 vs 1-3 (NLT), Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
Take a moment to reflect on this bible passage, let it dawn on you that our family of faith in heaven and our fellow saints on earth are cheering us on. However we must stay away from sin and lay aside every weight like bitterness, anger and other vices that can slow us down in our race and deny us from wining the prize and keep our testimony.
We must keep our eyes on Jesus and not get distracted, we are not alone. God is routing for you. Jesus is routing for you. Holy Spirit is routing for you and the great cloud of witnesses are routing for us. When thing begin to look too tough, think about Jesus, think about the hostility He endured. He did not let the situation get at Him or derail Him. Today, He is seated at the right hand of God.
May God strength you not to be weary. May you go from strength to strength in Jesus name. We will celebrate your testimony together in Jesus ‘name.
Never forget, you are not alone.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 23 March 2021
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today; we thank God for the gift of life and today is a very special day to me.
Today makes exactly one year that we started our daily voice devotional so this is the 365th broadcast we are doing today and we are grateful to God. I want to say thank you to everyone who have been following us, may God fulfil your heart desires in Jesus’ name.
Please help us say a word of prayer and thanksgiving to God.
Somebody says "Pastor Niyi, did you think you'll be doing this for this long when you started?" Absolutely not, I thought it was going to go on for a few weeks but that's how God works with. He doesn't show us the full picture, He just starts and we just move on with Him one day at a time.
You are not alone, we still talking about that. Don't let anyone convince you that you're alone, the challenge you're going through now, whatever it is, don't let anyone make you feel you're alone. He is special to you, unique to you. People have gone through it; people are going through it now and people will still go through it in future.
One of the lessons I've learnt in my life is that my challenges and problems will never make headline in heaven. There is nothing God hasn’t seen it before, in fact He saw it before it happened and He knows you can handle it.
I read a story many years called footprints. It was about this person who was complained to Jesus saying, "…at the most difficult period in my life, you left me alone.” Jesus said "No, I did not leave you alone. We were walking on the beach together when you saw two sets of footprints. When you saw only a set of footprints, that wasn’t because I left you, that was when things were so tough and you were so weak that I had to carry you.”
It's important we understand that if we don't see or feel Him, He is still there. What he said is this "I would never leave you nor forsake you.”
Luke 1:56 (NLT)
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.
It's one thing to seek the right company, it's another thing entirely to stay with the right company. Mary stayed with Elizabeth until her faith was developed, until her strength was developed, until her courage was developed to stand alone.
Sometimes we leave place our place of help too early. One thing the bible emphasises a lot is the place of staying and standing till we a well endued with heaven’s strength. Reading the of John 15, we see how Jesus spoke about the importance of abiding. When He was ascending back to heaven, He told them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There's something powerful about staying there with God and in the right company until your strength completely renewed, until your vision is clear, until your courage develops and you can stand on your own.
So, I want to encourage you, don't just seek the right company, stay in the right company until you have the fire and the power to go on your journey. Your testimony is a must if you stay with God and the company or the right people.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 22nd March
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today. It’s another Monday and the beginning of another working week. We trust God that it's going to be a wonderful week and a great day for you in the name of Jesus.
You are not alone, that’s what we’re still discussing.
When we go through challenging times, it is important we know that we are not alone but sometimes we might need to seek out the right company. Yes, God is with us and He would never leave us nor forsake us but we need to seek out the right company. We need to get people that we can talk to, we need to get people that can stand with us in prayer and in faith, people who will encourage us and keep pushing us on. Not people like Job's friends who were just there to accuse and discourage him.
Luke 1:39-42 (NLT)
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.
Now when the angel Gabriel came to give Mary the news that she would have a child without a man, all the things she was hearing was difficult for her to comprehend. The angel then said to her " …you might think these things are difficult to believe but your Aunt Elizabeth is in the 6th month of her pregnancy, it might be difficult, but with God nothing is impossible”.
Mary was in that phase of her life where she needed to know something about this God Who could do impossible things and she ran to Elizabeth's place, why? She went to seek her company, her counsel and to be in an environment where her own faith and confidence can grow in this God who does the impossible.
When you have issues that you need help in resolving, don't wait for people to come to you. They might come which is great but if not, seek them out. Even the Lord Jesus when He was going to the cross, He called some of His disciples and said "guys, my soul is sorrowful to the point of death, come and pray with me". He was the one that called them into His company.
You need to seek the company of likeminded people, likeminded believers that can stand with you at those times of tests and trials and believe me, when you keep the company of those kind of people, you cannot but come out victoriously.
I pray the Lord will give you wisdom and open your eyes to see these people and connect with them in Jesus’ name.
God bless you!
Enjoy your day.
Sunday 21st March
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for today and we thank Him for His goodness and His love towards us.
Today we’d like to remind you that you are not alone!
When going through challenges and it been ongoing for a long time, one of the effects it has on us is the tendency to isolate ourselves. We don’t want people “nosing” into our private affairs. They tell us things like, “have more faith”, “you are not praying and fasting enough” and some of things only make you feel worse and you just want to be alone. Though sometimes it might be good to stay off, but we must still allow a few trusted people into our space. When we isolate ourselves from people completely, we have put ourselves in a position where the devil can easily destroy us.
God wants you to stand with Him and He wants you to stand with other believers and you ask Why? Because there’s power togetherness!
Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV)
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It’s like precious oil poured on the head, running down the beard, running down Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.
The place of unity, the place of fellowship and friendship with those who love you and those who are of the same spirit of faith is a place of safety, life, a place of blessing and strength. That’s why the devil wants to cut us off from other believers, he doesn’t want us to take advantage of blessing of fellowship.
I pray in the name of Jesus that this will be a season of unity for you, a season of fellowship, friendship and a season of divine connection with other like-minded believers in Jesus’ name. As you get into fellowship and stay in fellowship, the strength of God and the power of blessing will flow afresh into your life in Jesus’ name.
God bless you; enjoy your day.
Saturday 20th March
A lovely Saturday to you in the name of Jesus, God is good and His mercies endure forever.
You are not alone!
God did not design us to be alone. Yes we could have seasons of isolation, giving our self to prayer, but He did not design us to be alone. So don’t let anyone convince you and don’t convince yourself that you’re alone, especially in those seasons of tests and trials.
Usually when we go through the tests and trials of life, we are bound to ask questions; what did I do wrong, is it because I sinned? And people also say a lot of things behind us. But remember the story of Apostle Paul after the shipwreck happened and they landed on the island (Malta). Paul was bitten by a viper in the process of fetching woods to make fire and in response to this; people said he was an evil man, so bad that God wants him dead. But because of the fickle nature of humans, when they saw that he didn’t die, they said he was a god.
When you face the challenges of life, do examine yourself, but do not think it’s because something is wrong or that believers are not suppose to go through such things you’re going through. Every one of us goes through challenges of life, not because of sin or being spiritually weak. By all means, examine yourself as always but understand it’s not strange.
1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange is happening to you.
Peter could say this because of the many things he’s been through. According to Him, it’s nothing strange when we experience these things as believers, so quit beating yourself and asking question.
When the disciple of Jesus saw the man who was born blind, they asked; “Lord, who sinned? This man or his parents” So Jesus explained to them that the challenges in life is not because of sin but because we live in a funny world and out there there’s a devil trying to cause more trouble. So as believers, though sometimes it’s what we’ve done but a lot of times, it’s just that we have an ongoing warfare and these things will come against us.
So understand this and don’t let the devil or people convince you by the things they are saying, stand strong in God, understand that these things happen to everyone and determine in your heart that you’ll come out victoriously and once you keep that in mind and stand with God, that will be your testimony in Jesus name.
God bless you; enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 19th March
A lovely Friday to you in the name of Jesus.
You are not alone, that is the focus of our discussion.
In midst of life situation, you must remember and understand that you are not alone. I cannot overemphasize this - You are not alone. The devil’s strategy is to make you believe that the test or challenge you are experiencing is unique to you, he wants you to wallow in self-pity, make you lose focus and believe that nobody has ever gone through what you are going through.
1 Peter 5 vs 8-9 (AMP) that, 8 Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable], knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone.]
Don’t allow Satan to convince you to isolate yourself. God want you to understand that He would never leave or forsake you. God is with you even when He seems quiet. There are also other believers who are willing to stand with you and support you, especially those who have experienced and overcome what you are experiencing. Do not go through life alone. Do not convince yourself that you are alone.
There are two giants of faith in the Bible who thought they were alone in their time of testing. The first person is Elijah. When he received a death threat from Jezebel, he panicked and told God he wanted to die because he was the only one left standing for God. God surprised him when He told him He had other seven thousand (7000) people that were still faithful to Him. John the Baptist was the second. He felt abandoned while in prison he began to question and doubted Jesus’ was the Messiah. Elijah and John the Baptist lost it in the critical moment because they believed.
I pray for you that God will open your eyes to see the help that God has already made available by His Spirit and in other believers in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 18th March
A beautiful Thursday to you in the name of Jesus. I trust your week is going on well. “You are not alone” – this is our focus for this week.
When we are in a season of test and trails, sometimes we believe we are the only ones having such a challenging time and the Devil will do all he can to get us to believe in such a position. But in reality, no matter how challenging the situation - you are not alone. Every one of us face the test of life at one point or the other, you just might not know because some are better at hiding or handling it more than others.
1 Corinthians 10 vs 13(AMP), 13 No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].
What God is saying is that despite your current struggles and challenges, your situation is not peculiar to you. Some people have faced such in the past, some people are currently experiencing similar situations while others will still face such in the future. So do let anyone or anything make you believe that your problem is unique to you alone. The scripture also says that in the midst of test, God will make a way of escape.
Whatever the challenges you are facing now, God knows that you can handle and He will NEVER allow you to be tested beyond your current capacity. Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah and Sarah, all went through seasons of test that seemed unbearable but they all came out with great testimonies.
Trust God’s faithfulness. God is with you and there is a way of escape in your present challenge.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 17th March
A lovely Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for all that we’re learning and we thank Him for that which He has written concerning your life. We’ve been looking at the building blocks for a testimony and today we’ll be talking about courage.
Courage is so important when it comes to expecting and experiencing the testimonies that God has in store for us. The tests and trials of life can make people ostracize us, ridicule us, say terrible things about us and even avoid us altogether. You must understand that the path to testimonies is full of obstacles, ridicule, betrayal, and misunderstanding and if one isn’t careful, all this might lead to self-doubt. This can be a very trying period of life and you will need a good dose of courage to make it.
Luke 1:34-38 (NLT)
Mary asked the angel, “but how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the son of God. What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.” Mary responded, “I am the lord’s servant, may everything you have said about me come true.” And the angel left her.
The news the angel gave to Mary was unthinkable and troubling, “…you’re going to have a child, without a husband…”. Under the law of Moses, to be pregnant without a husband was punishable by death. Knowing all this, Mary’s response to all that Gabriel said was; “…be it unto me according to your word.” It takes a lot of courage to take that position. That courageous stand earned her an unforgettable place in history.
As we follow God’s destiny for our lives, life’s tests will come, it would be tough and it could be long. At that time, we’ll have to make a choice either to compromise our stand or to take a courageous stand. If we’re going to see our dreams come true, if we’re going to live in the reality of the testimony God has written and settled concerning us, we must be strong and courageous, we must not turn aside or deviate. If we stay through it like Mary did, we’ll see the manifestation of our testimony.
I pray that the Spirit of God will fill your heart with courage on a new level in Jesus’ name.
God bless you; enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 16th March
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for another day, and we trust God your work is going-on well. We're still talking about building blocks for our testimonies. The building block we are discussing today is the building block of joy.
Life’s tests are not comfortable and desirable to anyone, they are tough, challenging, and discouraging and they can they persist for a long time and it’s important that we are careful at such times. This is because life test can make you to become angry and bitter, sad and offended. Once you are in that position, you put yourself in a place where enemy can take advantage of you.
The Bible says in Romans 14:17 (NLT) 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If you want the Holy Spirit to move around your life and you want God to walk with you, they must live in an atmosphere of joy.
Sadness almost robbed Hannah the birth of her testimony, but the moment resisted sorrow with the spirit of joy, her story changed for the better.
1 Samuel 1 vs 16-20 (NLT), 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.” 17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.” 18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the LORD for him.”
Hannah had been expectant for a child for a long time, her situation was compounded because Peninnah the second wife of her husband had no difficulty having babies. Even though Hannah was very committed to her religious activities like prayers, and worship in the temple, she also unrelenting in her complains. She had several arguments with her husband and was bitter towards Peninnah. All these negative attitudes just shut her system down and she could just conceive!
The day her attitude changed and she gave up her fights with her husband and bitterness toward the second wife, every other thing changed. When her facial expression lightened up and there was no more sadness in her heart, the hold of barrenness was broken and she conceived and gave birth to Samuel.
God stays in an atmosphere of joy and God can only work with those who are full of joy.
The Bible says in Joel 1:12 (NLT),
“The grapevines have dried up, and the fig trees have withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees — all the fruit trees—have dried up. And the people’s joy has dried up with them.”
When people’s hearts are no longer joyful, then their lives become empty and stressful.
May the joy of the Lord flood your heart by the power of the Holy Spirit today and may the joy of the Lord be your strength and cause you to produce that which He desires for you in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 15th March
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today and we are still talking about the building blocks for testimonies. What are the blocks we need to put together to ensure that the testimony that we are building becomes a reality? We had discussed some of these blocks in the last few days. Today, we will discuss the building block of patience.
It's important we understand that no great building can be built overnight. You can't build anything great and strong that will outlive generations overnight. It takes some time. Patience is therefore required.
Habakkuk 2 vs 2 (NLT) says, 2 Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
If you cooperate with God, the dream and the testimony that God has planned for your life will surely come, it may seem delayed, but wait for it. It will surely come. The essential ingredients that we need to engage to ensure that we are to wait is patience.
What is patience? Patient is the ability to stay constant and steady even in the midst of pressure. When things are going out of control around you and time seems to be running out on you, but you are still stable and steady. Engaging the building block of patience helps you overcome the pressure.
Hebrew 6:12 (NIV) says, 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Faith is important but you also need patience. Patience really pays wonderful dividend. When we look at the life of Sarah and Elizabeth, we see the crucial part patience played in their lives. Despite of God’s promise, Sarah waited for twenty-five years before she received Isaac. The same goes for Elizabeth, even though she was advanced in age she waited for God to manifest His promise and John the Baptist came.
My prayer for you that the Lord will give you grace and strength to cultivate this force of patience and see all that God has promised you delivered in the name of Jesus.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 14th March
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for today and we thank God for His love and for His care.
We are still talking about building blocks for testimonies, how we build the foundation for the manifestation of the testimony that God has designed for us. We’ve discussed a number of those building blocks earlier and but today we’ll be looking at this building block called love.
When it comes to walking with God, there is no single factor or principle that can take the place of the other, they are all important in their own way and they function in their own place. It’s like an integrated circuit, everything is connected in one way or the other and to take one out can stop the whole system. So if there is a problem our “love block”, it could affect the whole building.
Love is so important that Jesus said we settle our love walk with other humans before making prayers, or service to Him. When going through a season of test and trial, it’s easy to become offended, angry, critical and not show love others. But that’s exactly when we need to ensure that we are walking in love.
Galatians 5:6 (NLT)
For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.
Physical activities are good but what is more important is what’s going on in your spirit, your heart must be filled with love, why? The faith in your spirit expressing itself through love.
Hebrews 13:1-2 (NLT)
Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Love was expressed here by being hospitable and being kind to strangers.
The story of Abraham in Genesis 18:1-15, is a reminder of how by welcoming three men into his home and being hospitable to them brought him and his wife closer to their testimony. Abraham didn’t know that the men he was entertaining were like the trinity, they were heavenly beings. After his kindness to them, he was told; “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife Sarah, will have a son!” That’s the power of love literarily connected him to his testimony.
We must take every opportunity we have to be of service to others, we must be hospitable and jovial, not allowing our tests and challenges make us angry and bitter. Then you’ll see how God works in your life.
My prayer for you is that as God sends your destiny helpers your way, you will not miss them in the name of Jesus. In whatever form they come, may you will not miss them and may you be kind and hospitable to them in Jesus name. This is your season of testimonies!
God bless you; enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 13th March
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus, it’s a lovely day and we thank God for His help and His grace. We are still talking about the building blocks for testimonies.
Every life created by God was designed to be a winner, to be victorious, healthy, wealthy, and to live a fulfilled life. Everyone here on earth today including you has been designed by God to be a testimony and that’s the record of heaven concerning your life. But God expects us to bring those unseen realties as recorded in heaven to a place of physical manifestation here on earth, and the building block that answers to that is what we call Faith .
Faith is that block that helps us connect with the unseen realities in heaven and bring them to physical manifestation on earth.
Hebrews 11:1 (AMP)
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as the real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
Here the bible states in clear terms that faith deals solely with the unseen. Whatever you’re trusting God for (a husband, a child, a job etc) in your life that is yet to be seen, that’s exactly what we’re meant to use our faith for. God expects us to go into the His word which gives the record of the unseen realities as reported in heaven, lock and develop our faith for these realities, build our convictions and capacity for it and by faith begin to experience these realities in the physical realm.
Our conviction is much more on those things we do not see in heaven than those we see on earth and as we lock our mind and spirit into those things, it begins to pull them into our reality here on earth.
When faith fully takes hold of you, it affects you so much that it changes your conviction, your conversation and your conduct. The moment you begin to see these changes, you’ll soon find yourself living in this reality of the unseen, though it has not manifested in your physical space yet, it’s only a matter of time before that which you long for becomes real in your life.
Remember the story of Hannah (the mother of Samuel) in the bible; she was without child for many years despite going to the temple and praying regularly. But the moment she heard the word of God as spoken to her by Elias the priest and she received it in her heart, she rose up with her countenance changed, conceived it in her spirit, changed her conversation and her conduct, then she conceived and gave birth to Samuel.
My prayer for you is that the same faith will enter your heart today in the name of Jesus, whatever it is that you cannot see in your reality but is recorded in God’s word for you, as you begin to work on your faith, confessing and declaring it, it will become a reality in your life in the name of Jesus.
The building block of faith is important if we’re going to see our testimonies become reality.
God bless you; have a wonderful day.
Friday 12th March
A great day to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for another weekend and we trust God that your day is going well. I pray God’s strength, wisdom, peace and rest will flood your mind in the name of Jesus.
This week we’ve been talking about the building blocks for testimonies and we exemplified this in the lives of Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah. We said the major building block for testimony are the tests we go through. They are usually very challenging, distracting and discouraging. But if we know how to handle them and go through them with the right attitude we’ll come out victorious.
1 Corinthians 10:13(NLT)
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptations to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
I trust God that no matter what you are facing now, as you begin to take advantage of these building blocks and God will help you find a way of escape in the name of Jesus. God is the architect and designer and all we have to do is follow the design, putting each block where it out to be. Without seeing the design it’s easy to become despondent, frustrated and hopeless. Why? Hope is critical when going through life's tests and hope is an important block when it comes to building our testimony. It’s important we never lose hope in the midst of our challenges,
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
Hope is an active and living expectation of a preferred or desirable outcome and it works in hand with your faith. Just like the design of your dream house you have pasted on your wall, the more you look at it, the more hopeful you become that one day, this dream will become a reality.
Psalm 27:13
I would have fainted, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
The Psalmist was saying here; I had so many challenges and I would have given up but my hope of seeing what God has said, kept me going. It’s important you never lose hope.
Sometimes, there seem to be no hope anywhere in the natural, when this happens, we must understand that there is a living hope we can find in the Word of God.
Romans 4:18 (AMP)
[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been promised, so [numberless] shall your descendants be.
At this point in Abraham’s life, there was no human reason to give him hope, not from the experts , nor his body or Sarah’s. The only place he had hope was in what God said to him. When you get to that point in your life where you can’t find hope anywhere, go into the Word of God, look upon His promises, think about it deeply and meditate on it continually until it births supernatural hope in your heart. Stay rooted in this hope and you’ll see it deliver your testimonies to you in the name of Jesus.
No matter what don’t give up hope, God is on your side.
God bless you and enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 11th March
A lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus, I’m sure your week is going well. We are still talking about building blocks for testimonies.
In the first week, we said God has designed every life to be a testimony. You might be going through a series of tests and challenges now but understand this, before you showed up; God designed your life to be a testimony.
This week, we’ve been talking about the building blocks we need to use to build our testimony into reality. Though God has settled this in eternity, we need to build these realities into time. We need to engage these building blocks and build these testimonies into our lives. Also, we mentioned that the major building block that God uses in building testimonies in our lives are the tests we go through. Though we want to avoid these tests but remember, these tests are the foundation for the testimonies that come into our lives.
Sarah the Abraham was having difficulty having a child. They waited for decades but nothing happened. At age 75, God told Abram that he’ll have a child, but after waiting a while Sarah somehow convinced herself that she wasn’t the one meant to bear her husband the promised child. She introduced Abram to a younger lady called Hagar who later got pregnant and gave birth to a child and this further complicated Sarah’s situation. Sarah’s season of test made her count herself out because of her age but God never counted her out.
Genesis 18:11-13 (NLT)
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master-my husband-is also so old?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘can an old woman like me have a baby?’
Sarah never doubted God’s ability, she simply could not picture herself being the recipient of the kind of blessing God had promised them. That is the same test a lot of us go through when we’ve waited long for something that God promised. We begin to give ourselves all sorts of reason why we cannot live in the reality of the testimony God already designed for us.
I pray in the name of Jesus that God would turn every painful situation around for you in the name of Jesus. May He will renew your youth and your mind as He did for Sarah. She later said, “those who hear my testimony will laugh with me.” God will cause men to celebrate your testimony with you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you; enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 9th March
A wonderful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for this lovely day and we thank God for what He’s doing in our life, remember every life is testimony including yours.
Yesterday we started talking about the building blocks for testimonies, if we’re going to build anything; we need the right materials or the building blocks. Also we said the major building block God uses when it comes to building testimonies in our life are life’s tests. Somebody said the word testimony means tests are many and in reality, testimonies come from the tests of life.
Life’s tests are those situations that are challenging, a lot of times they are humiliating, they can be very distracting and discouraging. But it’s in the midst of all these things that God begins to work out His beauty, His power, His wisdom and His grace in our lives especially when we handle the tests of life according to His word.
Let’s look at the life of this young lady called Mary again. Can you imagine yourself as a young lady in a small communal environment? You become pregnant without a husband, and you tell people God is the father of the child. According to the law, any woman found to be pregnant without being married should be stoned to death. So you can imagine how challenging this period must have been for Mary and how challenging it was for her fiancé Joseph.
Matthew 1:18-20 (NLT)
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, to whom she was engaged was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, the son of David” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.”
Mary was probably going through some emotional and mental pressure and it became so bad that Joseph was disappointed and was planning to put her off quietly. God sent an angel to Joseph explaining the situation to him and gave him perspective so he could provide Mary with the covering and support she needed at that time.
I don’t know the situation in your life today, but I pray that God will give you the grace and strength to go through it, God will send to you the right people, the Josephs that would provide cover and support for you in the time of testing so you can come out successful in the name of Jesus.
No matter what God has said to you, the challenges and tests of life will come, and I pray you will not fail in Jesus’ name.
God bless you; enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 8th March
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today, for another wonderful work week and to all the women out there we say "Happy Women’s Day". Today is international Women's Day and if you've noticed, all the principal character we've been using are women - Mary, Elizabeth and Sarah. Why? God recognises and honours women and we appreciate them too.
This week we’ll be talking about “The building blocks for testimonies.”
If you are involved in any type of building, maybe a house or even the immune system of your body, there are certain things that are important and are required to be used. Whether you'll call them building materials or call them building blocks, they're required things that you need to build anything that will last.
Sometimes the materials used for building are not the things we like, but it's not a function of what we like or not; if it’s important for the building to stand, then we go with it. For instance, I learnt that one of the materials used in making a vaccine is the virus or bacteria that is causing the problem. The virus or bacteria is weakened, used in creating the vaccine which is then inject it into the body. The body then develops its immune system and be able to resist that virus or bacteria.
Just as medical experts inject virus that is meant to be undesirable into our body to build our immune system, God also uses something that we find undesirable to build our testimony, that thing is called tests. The tests of life, the challenges of life, the trials of life are the major building blocks that God uses to bring testimonies into our lives.
Nobody likes test and that's the truth. When we were in school and they say there would be a test most students are not happy. Why? Tests can put you in a very difficult situation; test can be very challenging, humiliating, distracting and discouraging especially when you don’t know how to handle them. But the truth is, these tests of life are the thing that help us develop. If we know how to handle them, life’s tests help us discover ourselves, they help us discover the reality of God, the truthfulness of God's word, His covenant and that's why it's important we learn how to handle tests in our life if we want to build a life of testimony.
The Bible says in James 1:2-4 (NLT)
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
God says, count it all joy, be excited when you face the tests and trials of life because it’s the way God works His testimony out in our lives. He said if you endure the tests and have the right attitude, you'll come to that point in your life where you'll be perfect, completely developed in your faith and will lack nothing. That is God's desire for you, to come to that level in life where all your needs, all the desires of life are richly provided, your life becomes a testimony. But guess what? The pathway to that lifestyle is through life's tests.
I pray God gives us the wisdom and grace to go through the test successfully and come out victoriously in Jesus’ name
God bless you and keep you.
Have a wonderful week.
Sunday 7th March
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today, it’s the first Sunday in the month of March and a good time to attend church service. I encourage you to make time to fellowship with other believers to worship God be it online or in person, it has great benefits. The Bible says that we should not forsake the assembly of others.
All this week we have been talking about the fact that every life and I mean every single life is a testimony; regardless of what you are going through, what you have gone through and your current circumstance, God has designed your life to be a testimony. In God’s mind, you are a testimony of God’s faithfulness, love, power, and His grace.
We said earlier that God’s responsibility is to design our life before we appear on earth, our responsibility is to discover His design for our life and build it into reality here and now. We cannot leave our responsibility of building to Him. Pains and frustrations always follow when leave the responsibility for our destiny entirely to God. It is a partnership. God has his part as the designer, and we have our part as the builder.
Saint Augustine said that “Without God we cannot and without us, God will not”. What he meant is that without God we can do nothing, we are helpless. Without God, all our attempts in life will not bring the true fulfilment we desire. Also, without us, God will not do anything. God will not do anything without engaging some human partnership. Yes, He is almighty and can do anything He wants to do, but He has chosen to limiting Himself to do nothing on earth without human participation. So, God need you to build out on earth what he has settled in heaven.
Hebrew 8 vs 5 (NLT) says, 5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”
When God asked Moses to build the tabernacle for His worship, He showed Moses the original design. He showed him the blueprint and everything that should be contained in the tabernacle. God told Moses that what He has showed him was a copy of the original tabernacle in heaven. What Moses built on earth was a design of the original in heaven. Do you know that your life started in heaven? Until God finishes a thing in heaven, he doesn't start it on earth. Your life had been designed and completed in heaven and It was good, precious, and wonderful, if not you would not be here on earth. To build God’s design of your life on earth, you must commit to walk with God, stay with Him in prayer, in the word and depend absolutely on the Holy Spirit.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that this month you will begin to live in the reality of that which God has made you to be before time began in the name of Jesus. May the power of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of God and the grace of God enable you to walk boldly into the reality of your destiny and will see it fulfilled in Jesus’ name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 6th March
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today and we thank God for His grace. We thank God for this month of March. And we trust God it will be a glorious month, full of testimonies for all of us in the name of Jesus.
"Every life is a testimony", that been our focus for this week. We thank God for all we’ve discussed so far. We equally appreciate all your feedbacks and I pray that God will cause our lives to be great testimonies to His glory in Jesus’ name.
Your situation may be like Mary with an impossible dream from God or you are like Elizabeth whose hope seemed deferred because of a great but delayed dream or maybe you've given up like Sarah did when she thought she was struggling with a dead dream, whatever the situation, God can still bring a testimony out from it if you trust Him. Where the case seems dead, delayed or impossible is not the issue, what is important is what God has said to you about the situation and your willingness to cooperate with Him to bring about the manifestation of your testimony.
In the field of engineering before a device can be produced, it has to first be designed, after that you have the construction. When it comes to our lives, God is the one responsible for the design, we are the ones responsible for the construction. No matter how grand the design God has made for your life, if you don’t partner with Him by carrying out the construction, nothing will happen.
Psalms 119:89 (NKJV)
89 Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NKJV)
Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.
God's word is settled in heaven and the Psalmist further assured us that "He exalts his word more than His name". Even though God’s Word is settled in heaven, we have the responsibility of working it out on earth. Yes thee vision is from God, He showed it to you but it's now your responsibility to take it and run with it until it becomes a living reality.
Every life is a testimony and everyone that comes into this world has been designed by God to be a testimony but the construction bit, the building bit that is our responsibility. So, we must take time, go courageously, follow God's design and build it into reality.
I trust God that this season will be your season of building and bringing your dreams to life in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 5th March
A beautiful Friday to you in the name of Jesus. We are still talking about the fact that every life is a testimony and that is good news. Sometimes the challenges of life could make us believe that life is a struggle and we are bound to be victims. But No! God’s intention for everyone is to live a victorious and purposeful life.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
For the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
God has made His plans known to us in His Word, so whatever experience you’re going through that does not conform with this declaration is a deviation from God's plan. God's plan for you is good and beautiful, His thoughts towards you are precious.
We've spoken about the life of Mary and Elizabeth and the testimonies God made of their situation, today we’ll talk about another woman called Sarah. Sarah is a woman known all around the world because she gave birth to Isaac at a time when everybody thought her case was over. Unlike Elizabeth who struggled with delayed expectation, for Sarah it was a case of dead expectation.
Romans 4:19 (NKJV)
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.
The womb represents her future and her hope, yet, it was dead. But in spite of this situation God declared her life a testimony.
Genesis 17:15-16 (NLT)
15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
This was God’s declaration about a woman who’s been counted out. Though still barren at an old age and her womb was called dead, that wasn’t God’s design for her life. In God’s mind, her life was designed to be a testimony to billions of people around the world, but the situation at that time looked nothing like that. God changed her name and called her Sarah; He gave her a new identity and a new status. He called her “the mother of nations”, and not just a nation. God said Kings, nobility, royalty will come now from a woman whose expectation was called dead. Why? That’s what God recorded about her in His book before she showed up on earth. She was designed to be a testimony even though she had a lot of tests in her life.
Based on what God had said concerning her which she believed, she began to go through a renewal process. Her youth was renewed and she got rejuvenated. Her whole-body system changed to the point where she could mother a child and carry a pregnancy full term and gave birth to a son. She got restored so well that a king saw her in her 90s and took her as a wife. She was that beautiful because God had renewed her life.
No matter where you are today, you might think your expectation is dead like Sarah, but the same God who renewed her so much and brought newness out of her is bringing newness out of your life in the name of Jesus. Remember, our God is the One Who brings the dead back to life.
I pray for you today in the name of Jesus that whatever is dead, God is bringing it back to life for you in Jesus’ name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 4th March
A great day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today. It’s a lovely Thursday and we thank God for His grace.
Throughout this week, we have been talking about the fact that every life is a testimony. No matter what is happening in your life currently, no matter what has happened, understand that God has designed your life to be a testimony and that is a reality in the mind of God irrespective of what you are going through now.
All we are trying to do is to help you understand what God has already done for you. And how to ensure that what He has do become a reality in your life on earth.
Today, we will be talking about a lady called Elizabeth. Unlike young Mary, Elizabeth had her own challenges. She was advanced in age, she was married; she was a good woman but life was just challenging. She had expectations but so many delays. Like the Bible says in proverbs; hope deferred makes the heart sick. She had a lot of things delayed. She was trusting God for a child and the child did not come. She loved God; she was a good woman from a good home with a decent life and was holy but no one understood why this delay happened in her life. Her husband was a priest but things were not just happening. She had become a ridicule and everything was going wrong.
So for her, she could not imagine there were any good happening in her life but long before she was burn at all, God had designed a story that included her but she didn’t know.
Let’s read in Isaiah 40: 1 - 3 (NLT), it says;
1 I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD .
This is a prophecy by Isaiah and the prophecy was about John the Baptist and we know Elizabeth and husband, Zachariah later became the parents of John the Baptist. God had a plan for this child and the womb that God had chosen to give birth to this special child, the forerunner of Jesus Christ was Elizabeth but there was a delay.
Sometimes in our life when God has written things about us, there could be delays but when we understand that God love us and our lives are a testimony, we understand that every delay, every situation is only working things out for our good.
Apostle Paul wrote it in Romans 8, it says; “for we know that all things work together for good for them that love God and for them who are called according to the purpose of God.
Once you are sure you love and you’re sure you are working in His purpose; sometimes there could be delays in your life but understand this; the God you are committed to will not allow you to be denied.
Your life is a testimony and I pray in the name of Jesus that what ever delays you are experiencing in your life will turn out to be a great testimony in Jesus Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day.
Wednesday 3rd March
We thank God for this lovely Wednesday, for this month and we trust that everything is going-on well for you in the name of Jesus.
All through this month we are discussing “Building Your Testimony” and this week our focus is on the fact that EVERY LIFE IS A TESTIMONY. No matter what is going on and regardless of your current situation, your life is a testimony.
There is a story of a young girl in the Bible. A simple and ordinary girl, her life seems so insignificant and inconsequential initially. Nobody took notice of her, but God had designed her life to be extraordinary and amazing things we scheduled to happen in her life. Her name is Mary. Her status as a testimony had been settled by God even before her great grandparents met. About 700 years earlier, Prophet Isaiah spoke long before it even before Mary was born.
Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
At the time when prophet Isaiah gave this prophetic declaration, there was a challenging situation in Israel and King Ahaz gad to be in seclusion. Prophet Isaiah gave this prophecy from God in response to that situation saying a virgin girl shall conceive and give birth to a child and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
Mary aligned her life with God and this prophecy came to pass centuries later. Remember when the angel Gabriel came to her and gave her the news of God’s plan for her life? Her response was, “I'm the handmaid of the Lord. Be unto me according to your word”. Mary’s life could have been so ordinary, it could have just been basic and boring but she was a testimony waiting to happen.
The question I have for you today is this, do you know what God has said about your life? Do you know what he has settled about your life years and centuries before you came? I do not have all the detail but have I have an idea. The Bible says they are precious, beautiful, and wonderful plans. When you begin to align your life with the thing God has designed and said concerning you, it will rewrite the story of your life completely for the better
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
“For I know the plans I have for you”, says the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”
What we see in Mary was an ordinary life that aligned with the plans of God and resulted into an extraordinary life. There is something extraordinary about you, and like Mary do not worry yourself about how it would happen, just stay with God, walk with Him, stick to His design for your life and see what great testimony He will make out of you.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of the day.
Tuesday 2nd March
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for bringing us into this month. We trust God this week will be a great one for you in the name of Jesus. Once again, throughout this month, we will be talking about building your testimony. God has designed you to be a living testimony.
Every life, including yours regardless of your current circumstances is designed by God to be a living testimony and everyone that shows up in this world is already a winner. Why? God does not create losers or anything bad. His intention for you is good and not evil. The challenge so many times is that when we come into this world; we just want to do thing our own way. We deviate from God's plan.This deviation most of the time bring lots of pain and can sometimes be unbearable. Once we align with God’s purpose and plan, life becomes beautiful.
David said in Psalm
139:16-17(NLT), 16You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
Amazingly he says before I was born every day of my life was recorded in your book. Before I lived, every moment of my life was designed and the thoughts You have about me are all precious. The simply means that before anyone came into this world and that includes you, you were a winner already! Everyone that shows up in this world shows up as a winner, a conqueror and as a testimony. According to science, the odd of conception is one sperm out of about five million sperms and you are that one that made it, so you came into this world a winner. Is it that incredible?
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Don't let the situation. don't let people and don't even convince yourself that you are anything less. You are a winner and testimony. That is the reality of your life regardless of where you are and what is going on now.
Understand this, every life is a testimony and that includes yours too.
God bless you and have a wonderful day.
Monday 1st March
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for bringing us into the month of March, the third month of the year. We thank God for His help, it's important we don't take these things for granted.
God has kept us and we are grateful to Him. I declare this will be a month of marching forward for you in the name of Jesus. In every area of your life, you will see progress, you'll see advancement, you'll see promotions in the name of Jesus; it will be a month of consolidation, it will be a month of elevation for you in the name of Jesus.
Throughout this month, we'll be talking about “Building your Testimony”. What do we mean building your testimony?
Every life was designed by God to be a testimony and every single day of your life is an opportunity to work with Him to build the reality of that testimony into time. God has already settled it in eternity but we have to work with Him to build that into reality in our time. Throughout this week, we'll be talking about the fact that every life is a testimony. EVERY LIFE IS A TESTIMONY, no matter who you are, no matter what you've been through.
A testimony is something that gives proof or evidence to support a position and, in this context, when we say a person is a testimony, we mean a person who has seen the goodness and faithfulness of God and their life. When somebody's life is an evidence of the reality of the power of God, a reality of the covenant, when the person is victorious, when the person is more than a conqueror then we say that person is a testimony.
If we remember the story of Jesus, in Luke 2:28-33 (NIV), it says;
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Jesus’s parents were amazed at was being said.
This man Simon was a worshipper of God; he had been in the temple for years, on seeing this baby Jesus, he began to declare things to show that this is not an ordinary child; this is a special child, this child is a testimony. The story of Moses is also similar.
In Hebrew 11:23 (NLT).
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.
Can you imagine these little children who had not really started living out their lives were seen as testimonies? Simon saw Jesus and saw a testimony; the parents of Moses saw him and saw a testimony.
If children can be testimonies, even without doing anything, how much more adults who have already started living out their days actively?
There is more than enough biblical evidence to proof that we are all designed and created in this world to be testimonies no matter the current situation.
trust God that before we get through this series month, you will see that God has made you a testimony and may you reflect that reality in your life in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Sunday 28th February
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus. Today is the last day of the month of February. We thank God for His help; we thank God for His grace that has kept us this far and we thank Him so much for His love.
And all this month we’ve been talking about love and as we end this today, we’re discussing the power of love over fear. Love is Fearless!
1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
“There is no fear in love but perfect love cast out fear because fear involves torment but he who fears has not been made perfect in love”
1 John4:18 (MSG)
“There is no room in love for fear, well informed love banishes fear; since fear is crippling, a fearful life is the one that is not yet fully formed in love”
In the world we live in today where there’s so much uncertainties, wars, rumours of war, economic fears and all the other things that breeds anxiety and fear, the bible says perfected love casts out fear. Love that is mature and well developed banishes fear from our heart. When you truly love God and love people you can be sure that no matter what come your way, love would always conquer and when you live that way it’s such an amazing feeling of freedom, it’s such a feeling of power and rest,
Walking in well-developed love means you have yielded yourself to the Person of love which is God Himself and by doing that, you are yielding fully to the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3 “…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, there’s liberty…” The Spirit of the Lord is the Spirit of Love and where you fully submit to the Spirit of love, you cannot stay not under the hold of fear, you cannot be under the crippling control of fear because you live your life knowing that you’ve yielded completely to love.
So my prayer for you is that as we go on this year, as we go on into a new month tomorrow, that the love of God will banish every form of fear from your heart in the name of Jesus. I pray that you’ll move on, you’ll march on the month of March fearlessly, victoriously and conquering in the name of Jesus. In the places that fear has held you back, I break that hold today in the name of Jesus. You will experience the Person of love and the Spirit of love in a new way, you will walk in love and have greater capacity to love in the name of Jesus. May you be more confident of who you are, confident of God’s love for you, and may you be an agent of love everywhere you go in the name of Jesus.
God bless you, enjoy the rest of your day.
Saturday 27th February
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. God is good and He’s good all the time, we thank Him for His grace and for His love and all this week we’ve been talking about “Love is Living.” To experience that power of love in your life, to see the power of love change the life of people and change your life you must let the love of God flow through you and flow to others. That’s exactly what it means when we say love is living. Today we want discuss living our love by serving others.
Jesus, said “I’m in your midst as one who serves” and we know that Jesus is the full expression of God and Jesus said He serves, since God is Love, we can say Love serves. Yes, we serve God, but whatever we do in term of serving God is because He served us first and He’s still serving us. If you want to grow in love, you want to experience the love of God and you want people to experience the love of God we must learn to love others by serving them.
Luke 22:25-27 (NLT)
“Jesus told them, in this world, the kings and great men lord it over their people yet they call them friends of the people but among you it will be different, those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank and the leader should be like a servant ; who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table of course, but not here, I am among you as one who serves”
Jesus was saying to them, “Even though I’m your leader, even though I’m the greatest, even though I’m your Lord, I am love personified yet I express that to you by serving you”.
It’s important we learn to serve others. When I was much younger, I had that mindset that once you have become big, once you are the leader, once you are the head of the home, the head of the organization, you’re in charge, you’re the class captain or you are in a position of leadership, others should serve you. It’s called “The Big Man mentality in this part of the world. But it’s a different mentality when we come to Christ, he expects the leaders to show love by service and that’s leadership. But it’s not just for those in leadership, we must learn to serve one another.
Matthew 20:28
“For even the son of man did not come into this world to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for men”
Jesus said, I didn’t come into this world to lord over people and have everyone bow to me, He said “I came to serve and give my life for many”.
Let us factor service into all we do, service in love, service to people, service to our organization, service to God, service to our nation and believe me when we do this;
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It makes you a better person because when you serve you get better.
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You add value to other people’s life
Love is serving. May God give us grace to express love by serving others in Jesus name.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
My guest is Monike Charles- Binitie and our discussion is centred around Love Wins - Looking for love in all the wrong places. You can watch on Facebook @ Pastor Niyi Adekunle Page or Niyi Adekunle YouTube channel. You can also listen on DVD with Niyi Adekunle Podcast Platforms on SoundCloud, Apple Podcast Google Podcasts, Spotify and Anchor FM.
Friday 26 February
A lovely Friday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for today. The bible says this is the day the Lord had made, we will rejoice and be glad in it, so I pray in the name of Jesus, today will be a day of rejoicing, a day of gladness, may the joy of the Lord be your strength in Jesus name.
We’re still talking about love and about the fact that love is living. What we mean by that is that the power of love is not unleashed or experienced until we live it out of love. We must live in such a way that the love of God flows out from us to benefit other people. And one of the ways we live out love is by living a life of sacrifice, love is sacrificing.
Anywhere you see true love, there is always that element of sacrifice. What does sacrifice mean? It is going above and beyond the call of duty, not by compulsion but because of the love that you have for this person, organization, or for your nation. Everybody may be doing just what is expected of them and probably stopping at level 5 but because of your love for your organization, you push yourself, deny yourself some pleasure and take your work up to level 10, that’s what we mean by love is sacrificing.
There’s the story of these lovely ladies in the book of Ruth, Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. Things happened and Naomi had lost her husband and two sons who were married to Orpah and Ruth. Things had become tough so Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem her home country. Her daughters-in-law also decided to follow her back. She did everything to discourage them but they persisted, she told them of the bleak future ahead of her and made them understand that there was no guarantee of getting a husband in Bethlehem. Finally, Orpah went back but Ruth remained resolute on her stand to stay with her mother-in-law.
Ruth's determination was so strong that she said to her mother in law “I know that all you have said is true, there’s nothing waiting for you back in Bethlehem. If I follow you, I might just be as lonely but I’m willing to sacrifice my life to be with you. Wherever you go I will go, your God will be my God, where you live is where I will live and where you die I will die, I’m going to make that sacrifice for you”. And we know how the story ended, things turned around for Ruth, she got happily married and became the great grandmother of King David and in the lineage of Jesus. Her sacrifice for her mother-in-law that she loved paid off.
2 Corinthians 8:3 (AMP); says,
“For as I can bear witness, they gave according to their ability and yes, and beyond their ability and they did it voluntarily”
The Corinthian church gave out of their need and they gave above and beyond their ability, that’s what sacrifice is all about. When you do this sincerely, the love of God, the grace of God, and that which you sacrificed comes back to you in another way and usually, it’s a greater and better way.
May God give us the grace to live love and live a life of sacrifice in Jesus' name.
God bless you, enjoy your weekend.
25th February 2021
Thank God for today, it’s another lovely Thursday and we thank God for what he’s doing in our lives.
We’re still talking about love and the fact that Love is Living. When we allow the Person of love live in us and we allow Him flow through us, that is what love is living is all about, it is allowing love flow from the inside of us to our neighbours, to our friends, to those around us and even to our enemies. It is by doing this that we see the power of love and the ability of love to change lives begin to really be unleashed.
Yesterday we spoke about the fact that love is giving today we want to talk about the forgiving dimension of love. Love is not just giving, Love is Forgiving. True love forgives people and we must learn to forgive people. In what we popularly call the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray “…forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us…” From time to time we will offend ourselves, from time to time we’ll do wrong, maybe knowingly, sometimes unknowingly, but we must make it a point of duty to forgive people. You know what Jesus said? If you don’t forgive others, neither will you receive forgiveness. (Matt.6:15)
One of my mentors told me many years ago about a lesson he learnt from his own mentors, he called it the law of advance forgiveness, and what is the law of advanced forgiveness? It is the ability to think of the worst thing a person can to you and you think of how you’d respond. If yours response is not consistent with that of love and forgiveness, re-condition yourself, simulate that situation to the point where you can respond with forgiveness. That’s what the law of advanced forgiveness is all about. Forgiveness can be difficult, sometimes very painful, but if we really want to live in love we must forgive.
You remember the story of the lost son in Luke chapter 15, he came to his father after he had messed up everything and with everything he did, the father still forgave him. Again, there’s a story in John chapter 8, the story of the woman that was caught in adultery.
John 8:10-11(NLT)
They brought this woman to Jesus, she was caught in adultery, according to them in the very act and Law of Moses says she should be stoned to death. They asked Jesus, “What would you say we should do to her?” Jesus said to them “The person that has no sin let him throw the first stone.” All of us have sinned in one way or the other, we are just enjoying the grace and mercy of God. Obviously, none of them could stone her. Jesus Who had the right to stone her because He was without sin did stone her too, instead He asked her a question, “Woman, where are your accusers, is there nobody condemning you?” She said “No one Lord”. Jesus said “Neither do I condemn you, go and don’t sin again”. Jesus said, I didn’t come into the world to condemn people but to save them.
And just as it is important to forgive people, we must also learn to forgive yourselves. Some of us are so hard on ourselves and we don’t forgive ourselves. Understand this, you’re human and sometimes you miss it and sin. Whatever it is, confess the sin before God, make peace with the person you have offended and leave the matter under the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus. Feeling bad about it, punishing yourself for your past wrong and refusing to forgive yourself might make you feel you are “atoning for your sin” unfortunately your atonement by your works and feeling are not acceptable, only the finished work by the blood of Jesus. Once you have confessed it let it go and don’t stay under the burden of guilt and condemnation.
Let the blood of Jesus be enough for you to forgive others and to forgive yourself, this is one of the was to live out love.
God bless you, enjoy your day.
Wednesday 24th February
A beautiful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today, we thank Him for the gift of life.
All through the month of February we’ve been talking about love and this week we are talking about “Love is Living.”
What do we mean by this? That the true power of love; the way we unleash love, the way people understand love is when we live it out. We talked about it yesterday that if you don’t know how to live it out you should look at the life of Jesus, the gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. See the way Jesus lived, the way He touched people, see the things He did and do likewise.
Like we said, you might not be able to raise the dead and open blind eyes but Jesus touched people in simple ways. The hungry He fed, to the person who felt condemned, He spoke love and that’s just the way we live out love.
One of the best ways we can live out love is by giving. Why? Love is giving and the truth is this; we can actually claim we love people without giving them. You can give people things without loving them but there is no way you truly love without giving. If you truly love, it will flow out in the fact that you give.
Popular scripture, John 3: 16 (NLT) says
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
God loved the world so much and what was the evidence...He gave. There is no way in this world, we talk about true love and not talk about the willingness of Love to give and share. Every single day presents an opportunity to give. And “giving” is not always tangible things like money or physical gift and all that.
There are intangible things you can give out. A kind look, a word of encouragement, a text message; something that just gives somebody a boost for the day in this world where there are so many discouraging things. There is nothing like giving somebody a kind word and look that encourages.
I pray that God will help us in every single day to find ways of giving people in love. And I trust God, as we do that, love will come to us in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Tuesday 23rd February
Hallelujah! Praise God!
We thank God for a lovely day. Today is Tuesday the 23rd of February and we thank God for the gift of life. We are talking about “Love is Living”
What is the essence of love? How useful is love if it is not lived out? Jesus was telling his disciples that if they had salt and the salt had lost its taste and wasn’t changing anything , then it was not good for anything and it should be thrown out and trampled under the feet of men.
It’s the same thing with love. Why talk about love when it cannot change people’s lives; when it cannot make things better for other people. The only way love can change people and make things better is when we live it out. The only way we can live out love is when we allow the Person of love live in our lives. Remember God is love, Jesus is God and Jesus came to show us how to live.
We read in the gospel of John “in the beginning was the word and word was with God and the word was God.” This word is the person we call Jesus.
The gospel of John 1 : 14 (MSG) says,
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
This scripture is talking about Jesus the son of God who became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood and how people saw Him and how He lived with their own eyes. God is counting on you to be the Jesus that moves into neighbourhoods and live out love out in it. How do we do that? Just look at the life of Jesus and what he did.
Remember what the Bible says about Jesus in Hebrews 1:3; “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven”
Again Colossians 1:15 says ;”The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
So if you want to see how love is lived out, look at the life of Jesus. See Him in the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Look at how He lived love out; how He touched people. Every act of Jesus was love being lived out. Every action he took was out of love.
So how do we live out love? Look at Jesus and simply do what he did. You might say “oh I can’t open blind eyes, I cant raise the dead.” Start by loving people, by giving, by hugging, by greeting them, offering a listening ear or by showing them the kindness of God. This is how we do it; one day at a time, to somebody across your table, or in your neighbourhood or office, somebody in your room; greet them, say something good to them, refuse to act negatively. These are simple ways we can show love. Like we said, if you don’t know what to do about living out love, look at Jesus and be the one living out love in your neighbourhood.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Monday 22nd February
Hello, we thank God for this beautiful Monday and we thank God for what He is doing in our lives.
All throughout this month, we’ve been talking about love. We started the first week talking about the different meaning of love, the general concept we have about love, what our culture says about love and the misconceptions.
The second week we spoke about the Person of love and the fact that love is actually a person. The reason it so difficult to define love is because God is love. Love is not just a concept; It is a person.
The third week we spoke about the different shades of love. We spoke about 7 different types of love as obtained in the Greek language, the meaning in English and how it applies to us.
This week we will be talking about the fact that love is living
Why is love living? Because love is a person.The power and beauty of love is useless until it is lived out. It is by living out love that we unleash the mighty power of love.
Apostle John wrote in 1 John 3: 18 (NLT)
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.
It is the action follow our profession of love that is the living love. There is an example also in the Epistle of James where he said if someone comes to meet you and he is hungry and all you do is pray for the person and you don’t give the person the food needed, he said you’ve not demonstrated love. Yes you prayed for them but give them something to show you are doing something about their condition. This is what love is all about.
Jesus came and told His disciples; He said “by this shall all men know that you are my disciples when you love each other.” It is not because you call yourselves my followers but when you show love. This is how people will know you are my followers and Jesus is our perfect example in living out love.
So the question is this; how are you living out love? What can you do practically to live out love?
I pray God will give us that wisdom to take that practical step to live out love in our daily life in Jesus Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your week!
Sunday 21st February
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus. In the past few days, our focus has been on the different shades of love especially as it is in the Greek language. In English language word love is simply love but in the Greek language, there are seven different words that communicate the word Love. In the last few days, we have discussed six of these different expression.
Today, we will discuss the last one called Agape. Agape means unconditional love, it is the type of love with no strings attached and it’s a very special kind of love. Sometimes people feel that Agape is weak but his is not true. It is because we do not understand what Agape is. This kind of love can be tough. This is the kind of love that God has for us. The Bible says, there is no greater love than this for a man to lay down his life for his friend. The Bible says again that while we are still in sin, Christ died for us. Agape is the Love God has for us and He wants us to have this kind of love for one another.
Agape love is the pinnacle of love. It is the summit of love. In Matthew 22 vs 37-39(NIV), the Bible says,
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
If we check the story of prodigal son in Luke 15 we will see the power of Agape. The son had demanded for his inheritance from his father. Though he got it, he eventually squanders them on wasteful living. He returns to his dad in repentance and was forgiven. His father asked the servants to treat him well, clean him up and gave him the place of honour. His elder brother felt that his dad had not treat him as well as he was treating this “bad son” and was offended. The response he got from his father was astonishing. The father said, the love I have for you is not because of the things you do or the things you do not do. The fact that you are my children, I love you all unconditionally. That is agape! It is an unconditional love.
A rich young rule came to Jesus and asked what could I do to inherit eternal life? The guy flaunted his credentials, I have been keeping on the law since I was young he said. The Bible says that Jesus looked at him and loved him. Jesus loved him in spite of his ignorance, he thought God’s love and acceptance was by keeping the law. In love, Jesus told him, go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor. The love that we see in action here that made Jesus respond to the arrogant rich young ruler is agape! It is unconditional. It appears impossible humanly. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can practice it.
I pray in the name of Jesus that God will help us to experience and express the love in its different shades at the right place at the right time and in the right proportion. I pray that the shades of love will beautiful our lives, families, organization and nations in the name of Jesus.
I pray the power of love that never fails will be real for all of us in Jesus name.
God to bless you.
Enjoy your day.
Saturday 20th February
A lovely Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today and we are still talking about the different shades of love.
Today we will discuss the fifth and the sixth shades of love - Philautia and Ludas. We talked about Pragma and Storge yesterday and we said Pragma is an enduring love. It is a love that grows over time. Ludas means playful love. The issue with Pragma is that if care is not taken, enduring love it could become endurance of love. God doesn't want us to be in relationships where we are merely enduring ourselves He wants us to enjoy our love relationships especially in marriage, that is why Ludas, the fun and play love is very important.
Ludas is they kind of love people in a love relationship mean when they say they have butterflies in their tummy or they talked about their heart racing with excitement or they feel the good chemistry between them. It is the type of love where you are still dating your wife after many years in marriage. It comes with open and public display of affection. You can hold hands, laugh and have fun together. That is what Ludas is about.
In Genesis 26:6, the Bible says regarding Isaac and Rebekah,
And it comes to pass, when the days have been prolonged to him there, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through the window, and saw and behold, Isaac was playing with his wife Rebekah.
Let read same scripture from NKJV version:
Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife.
The type of love we see here is Ludas. It didn’t matter that Isaac and Rebekah had been married for years, they were still able to play together show love for each other publicly. No matter how old your marriage is, do not endure love. Enjoy love in each others company.
Philautia on the other hand is love of self that results in a healthy self esteem or self worth. We have discussed how good it is to love other people. However, it is also very important to love yourself. The Bible says in Mark 12 :31 (NLT),
“The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
It is important to love yourself. Yes you should to love God and your neighbour but don’t neglect yourself - love ourselves. You must treat yourself well, have good health and healthy self-esteem. Respect yourself. It is important.
Daniel and his friend were taken as captives to Babylon and because they were from the royal lineage he wanted them to be trained in the Babylonian way and serve in his kingdom. He gave his offices instructions to ensure Daniel and his friends ate the same food from the kings table. Daniel knew the food was dedicated to the Babylonians gods before preparing them and they were not as health as the strict diet they followed as Jews, so he decided not to eat the food.. The Bible says that Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with king’s food ( Dan. 1:8) Daniel knew eating the kings food would not help his relationship with God and it wasn’t good for his health. It take some self love to live well and eat well and Daniel obviously had this for himself.
Part of true love is to truly love self. Some people believe it is wrong to love themselves, no It is not, it is not evil. A healthy and balanced love for yourself is an important aspect of love that you must never forget.
God bless you and have a great weekend.
Friday 19th February
Praise God! We thank God for this lovely Friday. I pray it would be a wonderful weekend for every one of us in the name of Jesus.
We are still continuing our discussion on the different shades or expressions of love. We spoke about the 7 kinds of love recognised by the Greeks which we also see their instances in the bible, and yesterday we began to look at the different shades of love one by one.
Today we will talk about Storge and Pragma.
Storge is what we can call familiar or the family love. It is something close to Phieo, but not exactly. Phileo is the love between friends but Storge goes deeper than that. It is the love between family. The love that parents have for their children and the children for their parents. We saw this kind of love when the prodigal son experienced when he met his father. When the prodigal son demanded for his inheritance and messed up his opportunity, his father still took him back because of Storge.
We see Storge demonstrated again when Jarius. He was the leader of synagogue and normally he should not be seeing Identifying with Jesus not to talk of bowing to Him publicly. But because of the love he had for his daughter, he humbled himself and met Jesus publicly worshipping Him. It was the love of the parent for his dying child that made him do that. It was Storge the family love. (Mark 5 vs 22-23)
The next type of we will talk about love is Pragma. The word pragmatic was derived from the Greek word Pragma. This type of love is enduring or lasting. It is the love that grows over time. It is the love that develops between a husband and wife after many years of marriage. It is not the honeymoon kind of love. It is much deeper than that. This type of love endures because it’s been tested over time. Imagine when you have been married for 20 years or you are still able to maintain your love for each other.
This kind of love we see expressed between Abraham and Sarah. As they grow older, the love they have for each other made them protect each other. In Genesis chapters 11 and 20 we see how they protect each in the face of threat from King Abimelech and King of Egypt. These kings wanted Abraham’s wife. Abraham told Sarah to tell people that she was his sister. It was the pragmatic thing for Abraham and Sarah to act in that way to preserve their lives and love.
In Jacob and Leah story, we saw the same thing. Leah wasn't Jacob's wife of love, it was Rachel. But after Rachel's death, the Bible talked about Jacob and Leah keeping themselves in love till the end of their days. After the death of Rachel, he grew to love Leah and they stayed that way till the end of their lives. Pragma is a type of love that grows over time. It is enduring love.
What shade of love are you expressing or experiencing? Pragma? Eros? Storge? Or Phileo?
God bless you and have a lovely weekend.
Thursday 18th February
A lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus. It’s a lovely day and we are still talking to you about love. All through this month of February, we’ve been talking about love and we’ve been talking about the different aspects of love, the meaning of love, and the person of love.
Yesterday, we spoke about the 7 kinds of love that we see in the Greek language and that is also captured in the Bible and today we begin to talk about these different kinds of love again in details.
So today we will talk about two of them. We will talk about the “Eros” and “Phileo.”
“Eros” is the general love people talk about. It is the romantic love; it is the love that is full of passion, intense sexual desire for someone else. It’s that passionate feeling that sometimes, if you don’t know how to control it can get you into trouble. This is what Eros is all about.
So a lot of times when we hear most of the songs about love, power of love and the show of passion and ecstasy, they are usually talking about Eros but in the English, like we said yesterday, they are all communicated as love. Eros can be a dangerous thing when not kept under control and within the confines of marriage.
There is a painful story in the Bible that show how terrible Eros can be when not practice as God intended.
2 Samuel 13: 12 - 15 (NLT)
12 “No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. 13 Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.”14 But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. 15 Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. “Get out of here!” he snarled at her.
Amnon had spoken to his friend on how much love he had for his sister, Tamar and how he was so much in love and love sick. He devised a plan with his friend pretending he was sick and he asked that his half-sister Tamar would bring food for him. In that process, he raped her and the so called love he had for her was immediately turned to hatred. Why? It wasn’t real love; it was just the passion of Eros and Eros like we said is just that sexual desire and once the passion was gone, the love was and it turned to hatred.
The other love we want to talk about is “Phileo” and this one is the friendship love; the fondness we feel for people. It’s that affection which is devoid of the sexual desire or passion of Eros. It is just that love, that admiration, that desire you have for somebody to do well in life.
This was the kind of love we saw between Jonathan and David. Some people that didn’t understand the different shades of love have insinuated the possibility of sexual passion but that is absolutely untrue. They just loved themselves and wanted to see each other do well. It was the Phileo kind of love, this was the same kind of love Jesus had for Lazarus.
In John 11: 36 (NLT) it say this;
36 The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him!”
Jesus went at the grave of Lazarus and when people saw Him weeping, they said; “see how much he loved him.” The love they were talking about there is “Phileo.”
So there is the Phileo and Eros and they are both shades of love. We need to begin to ask ourselves what kind of “love” we are talking about when we talk about love.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Wednesday 17th February 2021
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for this lovely Wednesday and we pray that it will be a winning Wednesday for you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about The Different Shades of love and by that we mean the different manifestations or expressions of love.
There are different roles we play and in each we relate with people that we need to show love but we cannot love everybody the same way.
It is frustration and you're setting yourself up for trouble when you think you can love everybody the same way. But once you know the love demands of different things and you give what each role demands then you are good.
Yesterday we discussed “Love” in Greek and in English. We discovered that the English language has just one word for “Love” and that's everything. But in the Greek there are different meanings to love and we want to look at a few of that today.
Paul in Ephesians 3: 18 - 19 (NCV) said;
“And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God.”
I pray you will be able to know that love, then you can be filled with the fullness of God. Christ love is expansive; it’s bigger than the whole “I love you” we say and the Greeks have different expressions of this word called love.
And reading the Bible, we will find out that there are different languages communicating the different kinds of love.
The first one we see in the Bible today is the word “Eros” and it simply means romantic, passionate or sexual love.
The other one is “philia” (some people call it phileo) and it simply means affectionate love or the love you have for friends.
Another one is called “Storge” which simply means familiar love or the love we have in the context of family; the love of parents to children.
Another one is “Pragma”. From this word we get the word “pragmatic” and it means enduring love; practical love, love that we develop over time.
Another one is “Philautia” which simply means self love, self compassion or self esteem.
And the sixth one is “Ludas”. It simply means playful love.
The final one we have which is the popular one is “Agape”.
We have these seven different kinds of love and we see expressions of them in the Bible. All these kinds of love we can show to the people we relate with.
Like we said, God doesn’t expect us to have the same expression of love with everybody but if we know the different kinds of love then we know the different kind of expressions we have and then we know the one we need to give to the different expressions.
I pray God will give us wisdom that will not muddle things up in the name of Jesus and we will give to every relationship the due love it demands.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Tuesday 16th February
A lovely Tuesday to you in Jesus name.
We are still talking about love and this week our focus is on The Different Shades of Love.
Love has shades and what do we mean by that? We means there are different expressions of love and that's because we have different relationships with different people. And there are different expressions of your person.
The Bible says different things about the Person of God. For instance, God is love, God is holy and God is a consuming fire but it is the same God.
Dr Myles Monroe said "When the purpose or the intent of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable". When we do not know the love commitments or demands that the different relationship needs, then we can get into trouble because we can abuse ourselves or abuse relationships.
You need to understand the purpose of each relationship and the love demand that it requires. We must be careful to separate the love demand of the person from the purpose of our relationship with the person. Wisdom is to know the shade of love to express to the relationship with respect to purpose and not person.
Another thing we need to understand is the limitations of English language with respect to expressing some words.
The New Testament of the Bible was written in Greek and the word “love” in Greek has a number of meanings.
An example is in John 21 : 15 - 17 (KJV)
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
In this passage, Jesus spoke about “love,” Peter responded using the word “love” too, but in the Greek the words used for 'love" are not the same. The word Jesus was using was the word “Agape” which is different from the word Peter was using which was "Phileo", but in English they are both called love.
Jesus was talking about love- Agape and Peter was talking about love - Phileo. Peter finally got angry when Jesus decided to use the word “phileo” for him rather the word “agape” He had used earlier because He knew it was a different shade of love. He knew Phileo was a lower shade of love to Agape.
In the Greek there are different shades of love and we can see the different shades of this love expressed in the Bible.
As we continue this week, we will to look at the different kinds of love the Bible talks about and the commitments required for each.
Understand this, God’s love for you is the highest kind of love because you and I are the crown of his creation.
May the love of God make a difference in our life in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 15th February
Lovely day to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today. It is the beginning of another week.
This week we will be talking about the different shades of love. What do we mean by the different shades of love? It simply means the different expressions of love. Yes we talk about love but love is expressed in different ways.
Love is a person, and just as a person could have different roles and expressions, so it is with love. For instance, some people know me through this devotional and podcast, so they could say I am pastor and a podcaster. They are not be wrong but that is not a complete expression of my person. I am also a father, a husband, a son, a brother to some people, a pastor, a friend, a podcaster and an author and so on.
All these expressions of my person have people connected to them and I have some level of love commitments all of them. The truth is I cannot love everybody the same way and believe me, God doesn’t expect me to.
Now if we don’t understand this we can get confused and get in trouble. So you think that the same commitment of love you have to your wife is what you must have with your mum, of course not. We must understand the different roles and the different love commitments that each role demand.
My mum and wife are very strong personalities. In the early years of marriage, it caused a lot of tension for me as I struggled to balance the personality clash that resulted from time to time. God gave me the wisdom to handle the situation and it was knowing the love commitment each role demanded and expressing it as such. They both understood it and I have never had to deal with that situation again.
Jesus understood the place of demand and how express his commitment Himself to the different roles. They tried tempting Him in this regard once but they were surprised at His understanding.
In Mark 12: 15 - 17 (NLT) it says;
15 Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”
Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin, and I’ll tell you.” 16 When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” Caesar’s,” they replied.17 “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
He said “Caesar has his place and God His place. What is Caesars’ I know and I give it to him and what is God’s I know and I give it to Him".
When we understand the different shades of love, then we'll know the love commitments or shade to give to the different relationships in our lives.
As a father, shouldn't confuse the love you need to give your wife to your daughter and you don’t confuse the love you need to give your business partner to your staff.
When you understand this and you give each role the love it demands, it keeps you safe.
Jesus' example shows is that if you don’t understand this, you will be trapped.
You will not be trapped in Jesus name.
May the wisdom of God to act right in this area be yours in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 14th February
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today, for His grace and love. We thank God especially for His love that covers our sins. We thank God for His love that speaks better things for us. I pray in the name of Jesus that we will experience the love of God in a new way. I pray that this love will become a fountain flowing with new life and flowing out of us to become blessings to others in Jesus name.
We are still talking about the Person of love. 1 Corinthians 13 vs 8 says,
Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
It says love never ends. In the bible KJV version, it says love never fails.
Last week we discussed the of power of love and we saw how powerful love is. Songs of Solomon 8 :6-8 emphasized the power of love. It says many waters cannot quench love and that love is as strong as death.
When you experience true love, it is not weak, it is powerful. We saw how Apostle John was transformed after he experienced the power of love. It became impossible to destroy him, all attempts to kill him failed. He just could not be taken out. Love kept him. Nobody could end his life because love never ends and John had a personal revelation of this love.
Jesus' was love personified. He said, nobody takes my life from me. I have the power to take it and power to lay it down again. When we truly allow the Person of love to affect and influence our life, His love would sustain us. His love would build and hold us.
Theologians tell us that they did everything possible to kill Apostle John, but he did not die. They threw him inside a boiling pot of oil but did not die. Why? Love never fails. Love never ends. The expression used in the Old Testament was that love is as a strong as death. In the new testament the expression is love never fails and so love is stronger than death. Apostle John was banished to the Island of Patmos, they expected him to die there but instead he saw visions that became the Book of Revelation. Every attempt to end his life failed because love never ends. Love never fails.
This is what happens when we allow the Person of love to fully consume us. When we allow the Person of love to fully take up our life, it becomes impossible for death or anything to take us out. Why? Love never ends. The only requirement is to yield our lives to Him.
My prayer is that you will allow the love of God to influence your life. Open yourself afresh everyday to this Person of love. When the Person of love overflows your heart, then the fruit of love, the fruit of the Spirit that we have discussed will overflow your heart and pour into others. As love flows out of you, much more will come back to you.
I pray this will be your experience in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Have a great a day.
Saturday 13th February
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. God is good and He is good all the time. May you experience the goodness of God, the love and the grace of God in a new way in Jesus’ name.
We have been talking about the Person of love. And we've been seeing the transforming power of this Person of love. Yesterday, we spoke about James and John, Sons of Thunder. The question is, how was John, particularly transformed from this violent, heady, angry, highly temperamental person to whom theologians generally call the apostle of love?
The moment you truly experience the Person of love, it is beyond any explanation and definition and transforms your life completely. I have found out through searching the Bible especially the New Testament that there are no book that talks more about love more than the writings of John. The gospel of John has 21 and The epistles of John (I, II and III John) have 7 chapters altogether and they both have about 40 references to love.
How did this son of thunder become the apostle of love? Keeping company with the Holy Spirit allows us to truly experience the Person of love and it gradually but radically changes your life. When we truly experience the Person of love, we can no longer be love-sick, we can no longer be love starved because the Person love becomes a living fountain, flowing fresh and flowing powerful from within us.
The Bible in John 4:13-15 (NLT) says,
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
The bible passage is the story of a Samaritan woman that Jesus met by the well. She had experienced what she thought was love in different kinds of relationships and had become tired. While listening to Jesus besides the well, Jesus showed her something different. This woman met the Person of love it was something else entirely. Jesus told her, if you really drink from me and experience the Love I want to give, you will never be thirsty again.
When you experience this love it grows until it becomes a fountain, bubbling with fresh love on the inside of you. In the end, you will never need anybody to validate you, because you will know that you are well accepted as a beloved of the Person of Love. You will have more than enough love flowing out of you to others. This Samaritan woman was desperate for this kind of love. She wanted to drink from the life source of love and from the Person of love. She wanted to experience the Person of love because of lack of fulfillment from all the so called love relationship she had been involved in.
Many of us have experienced disappointments in relationship and had different issues and pain with respect to love. Jesus is offering a new beginning. Jesus said, when you experience my life and love, it becomes fresh water, a fountain flowing with new of life and true love. I prayer that will be your experience in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day.
Friday 12th February
A lovely Friday to in the name of Jesus. We thank God for another beautiful day and a lovely weekend ahead in Jesus’ name.
We're still talking about the Person of love and I’ll want us to read some scriptures and we will discuss them.
Mark 3:17(NLT), James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”).
Mark 9:38-39 (NLT) 38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” 39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
Mark 10:35-37(NLT) 35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do us a favour.”36 “What is your request?” he asked.37 They replied, “When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honour next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”
Luke 9:54 (NLT) says, When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”
The Bible verses we read gives us an insight into the personality of James and John, both of them were disciples of Jesus and He nicknamed them the sons of thunder. A thunder is fiery, it looks angry and it’s noisy when it strikes. It also can make people scared when it strikes and the lightening that is dangerous. This was how Jesus described the lives of these sons of Zebedee. Even though they were with Jesus, they seem to have none of the attributes of love that Apostle Paul spoke about in 1 Corinthians 13.
They saw some people doing the works of Jesus Christ, casting out demons. They said no you can't be doing that, you don’t belong to our group. Jesus rebuked them for what they did, being factional and unkind and told them not to do that again. They were quite ambitious and self-seeking. They went lobbying Jesus to reserve the seat at His right and left for them when He set up His kingdom. They were clearly not concerned about what happened to the other 10 disciples.
On another occasion when Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem, they went by a community that didn’t welcome them. The sons of thunder felt insulted by the people and asked Jesus if they could call fire down from heaven and “roast” the people! Jesus said to them, “You guys obviously don't understand that kind of spirit that is in you”. James and John were intolerant and quick to anger and yet they were followers of Jesus.
But by staying around Jesus and being open to the help of the Holy Spirit their lives became transformed. Someone like John was so transformed he became known as the apostle of love. Why? Because he had experienced the love of God. The Person of love transformed him so much it was as if he was a new person.
One of the lessons to learn from this is that we must never judge people and give up on them no matter what they seem like. They may be thunderous, hot tempered, irritating and selfish. Yes, we must not condone such attributes because Jesus didn’t condone it in the sons of thunder but we must also show love by being patient and believing the best of people.
My prayer is that we will experience the transforming power of the Person of the Lord. Just like Jesus made an apostle of love out of a son of thunder, I pray He will make something new and amazing out of us in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 11th February
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today. We thank God for His grace and love. We are still talking about the Person of love.
Now we understand that love is a person and this person is God. So we can now see why it is a difficult to really define love, how in the world do you define God? Yes, we can say different things about God but nobody can fully define Him. He is beyond anything we can ever want to say. One of the major issue with love in today’s culture is that there is generally a wrong concept about love. For most people love is about them; how they feel, what they receive, remember the song “GIVE ME your unconditional love…” But the idea of love is completely opposite to what the Person of Love represents.
God is not the kind of Person that wants to pull all the attention to Himself or wants everything for Himself. The Person of love gives. The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive. The outflow of love is more is more consistent with the nature of love than demanding love. When our concept of love is all about getting love; “love me, hug me, give me, make me feel special” and so on. Even though there is nothing wrong in these ideas, but if this is what we believe about love, then we are setting ourselves up for pain and heartaches.
Ephesians 3 vs 19 (NLT) says, may you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Paul is saying here that when we experience the Person of love, when we experience the love of God, then it makes something out of us, it changes us. As the Lord begins to fill us, it gets to a point where it begins to manifest and overflow with His love. Then we begin to see all the attributes of love that Paul was talking about in 1Corthians 13 vs 4-8 manifest in our lives.
When we begin to see these fruit of love grow from inside of us, then we realize that this love is not about trying to receive or struggling to pull people’s affection towards us, it’s about sharing the overflow of God’s love from within and this is a function of experiencing the Person of love.
When we encounter the Person of love, it never leaves us the same. In Acts 4:13, the religious leaders of Israel spoke to Peter and John. The Bible says they took note the amazing transformation in their personalities and it was clear to them that they had been with Jesus. Experiencing the person of Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus, the spirit of love had evidently changed in their lives.
My prayer is that you will experience this Person of love not just once, but continuously and may you will allow Him to fill you like Apostle Paul said, and make you complete and bring forth His fullness and power in you, so that His love can flow out from you to others. And as it begins to happen, more of His love will always comes back to you.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 10th February
A lovely Wednesday to you all in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about The Person of Love.
God is love, God is wisdom and God is power. Love is a Person and love is God and God is love. We can see why it's so difficult defining love because how do you define God? Do you define it as the Father, do you define it as the Son? Do you define it as the Word? Do you define it as the Spirit? Do you define it as infinity? And in all those things, you're right but you are not fully right because God is much more than all that, and it is the same when we are trying to define love.
How do you explain the unexplainable? That was what Paul was trying to do, having experienced God love and transforming power, he wanted many more people to experience the same thing so he attempted to explain the love he had experienced.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (RSV)
4 Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;
5 it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
In the traditional King James Version, it says in verse 8 "…charity never fails.”
This is Paul's attempts to explain the attributes of love. He was trying to say “...when you experience this love, when you truly experience this unexplainable, undefinable love of God, you will begin to see these things manifest in your life”.
The love of God love truly is beyond definition, it's beyond explanation, it's something that when you experience it in its reality, you would know it.
In verse 9, Paul says this "for we know in parts and we prophesy in parts."
So you see why it is difficult pinning love to a definition, it’s because we know it in parts and that is the way it is with the things of God. So don't feel bad if you experience of love keeps defying conventional definitions. As we continue grow in our walk with God, our understanding of love will keep changing.
I pray in the name of Jesus we would go beyond explanation, we go beyond physical knowledge and open up ourselves to experiencing God and His love in a new way. When you encounter the Person of love, you would know it. You might not be able to explain it but you would know that you know that you know and the evidence of that experience will begin to manifest in your life in a way that cannot be denied.
I pray that would be your experience in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Tuesday 9th February
Praise God and we thank God for today.
We’ve been talking about this thing called love and like we said yesterday, throughout this week we want talk about the fact that Love is a Person. We have struggled and tried to define love, we have tried to say different views on love, but some way, somehow it just seemed to be bigger.
We read Paul’s attempt to talk about love in Ephesians 3:18 - 19 and we saw Paul talking about the fact that this love of God is huge and how we can’t define the length, height, width, depth and how it is beyond human comprehension. So we are trying to unravel this love thing but one thing I have come to understand is that love is actually a person. And the fact that a concept like love can be a person is not new to scriptures and to our world. In Luke 11: 49, he was talking about the wisdom of God and he says “…therefore says the wisdom of God...” So we see wisdom being given the attribute of a person. In Ephesians 3: 10 (AMP), the Apostle Paul gives some attributes of this wisdom. He said,
10 So now through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God [in all its countless aspects] might now be made known [revealing the mystery] to the [angelic] rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Luke 11: 49 refers to wisdom as a person and in Ephesians 3: 10 we see the attributes of this person called Wisdom. It is complicated and how it has many sides, it has infinite variety and numerable aspects. So how do you define something like that? How do you describe something that is complicated and many sided?
The Bible says in 1 John 4: 8 (NLT)
8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Also in 1 John 4: 16 (NLT), it says
16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Can you see that God is love? He is not like love, He does not just have love, God is love personified and if God is love personified, how do you define Him? How do you explain God? Can you see why we have a big issue trying to explain this. Why? God is beyond explanation. If wisdom can have so many complicated side and mind you Jesus is the wisdom and power of God, then we can imagine how many manifestations love would have and the complicated nature of God’s love to the immature believer.
My prayer is that you would experience this God in a new and powerful way and may His Spirit help you understand the love of God that is beyond understanding in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Monday 8th February
A beautiful to Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are grateful to God for bringing us into another week. This is the second week of the month of February and God is always good. We are talking about love throughout this month and last week we were looking at the different meaning of love. We discussed the general view of love; what people have said, songs, movies, popular saying about love and we tried to see if we could come up with a true definition of love.
At the end of the story of the Good Samaritan Jesus said to the man who asked him the question about neighbour “Who do you think was his neighbour?” It is clear form the question that Jesus asked the man that He expects us to think through things, and all we are trying to do is to think and rethink the things we know about love.
This week, we will be talking about The Person of Love.
Throughout out this week we will be talking about the fact that Love is a person. You can see that we are trying to come up with some agreement about this “love thing”. Love is a person and all throughout last week, we saw how we struggled with the different positions about love.
Somebody that had an experience with love is this man called Paul. In the book of Ephesians 3: 18 - 19 (NLT) he said,
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Paul was talking about the love of God and he said listen, I want you to know “how wide, how long , how high and how deep the love of God is. Then he spoke about experiencing the love of Christ that is too great to understand fully.
If you read Ephesians 3: 19 in the New King James Version, it spoke about knowing the love of Christ that passes knowledge. Can you imagine? How do you know what passes knowledge? That was what we were dealing with last week, we were trying to know something that is beyond human understanding.
You can see that this struggle to fully understand this thing called love is not something that began recently, Paul wrote this almost a thousand years ago and he also spoke back then about the difficulty in fully understanding love. But if there is anything I want you to know and settle in your mind, it is fact that love is a person.
May God help us to understand and experience this love as we continue to think about it in the name of Jesus.
May this week be wonderful for you in Jesus Name. God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Sunday 7th February
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus. It's a lovely day, bright, sunny, at least where I am. I pray it's a beautiful Sunday for you too in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today, for life and love. We're talking about love throughout this month. And we’ve been asking the question, What's the meaning of love?
Definitions are important to life, if you cannot define something, then you cannot properly understand it. But when you define it properly, it becomes easier for you to understand and enjoy the benefits.
All we’ve been trying to do this week is to consider the various ideas people have about love and see it we can really understand this thing called Love. Let read again from the book of Songs of Solomon, Chapter 8:6-7 (NLT), and it says,
place me like a seal over your hearts, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death. Its jealousy as enduring as the grave, love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Verse 7 says, many waters cannot quench love, nor can river drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.
Solomon is a very interesting person. Solomon was the wisest man of his time. He was not just the wisest but the richest as well. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He had money, food, wine and all the good things of life. If we read in the book of Ecclesiastes, which he wrote, he spoke about the fact that there was no pleasure that his soul wanted that he denied himself. He had everything. So, for the man to be saying this about love, he must be taken seriously.
If love was a feeling, he would have experienced it, at least with all the harem of women that he had. If love was about things and money, he must have experienced it. So, for him to write this, it must be because he has insight or experience about these dimensions of love.
What is your experience with respect to love?
I know people who have spoken about heartbreak situation, or broken heartedness. They speak of love at first sight, falling in love, falling out of love and all that. And like we have said earlier this week, if your concept and idea of love is wrong, then it's going to affect a lot of things about your life.
But the moment you get this love thing right, believe me, it would change your life. And guess what? All of us we're created with the capacity to love and the capacity to receive love. Every one of us, even the toughest people. Everybody wants to be loved. But to experience that, we must know what is the true meaning of love.
I pray about you that you will experience this true love before the end of this month in Jesus name.
God bless you. Have a lovely day.
Saturday 6th February 2021
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about love. What we're still asking ourselves the question - What is the meaning of love? What does it mean to you? All this week we have been considering different ideas about love.
Yesterday we read from the book of Songs of Solomon 8 vs 6-7 (NLT). it says,
place me like a sea over your hearts, like a seal on your arm for love is as strong as death. Jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire and the brightest kind of flame. Verse 7 says, many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.
Now, in reading this scripture, it begins to go against some of the things we've heard about love. One of the things about love that is evident from this scripture is that love is strong, love is powerful, love is rugged. With these qualities, love cannot be a transience feeling as some try to make it. It's not something as fickle as that. It is something that can resist death, something that flashes like fire, something that water cannot drown. It did not say just water but many waters. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. Feelings change. You can feel something in the morning and in the afternoon feel different way. It says, if a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, he said his offer would be utterly scorned. So, in a world where love seems go the way of the person who has the largest purse, or the largest accounts, this love ridicules riches. With these ideas about love, It’s clear this cannot be the same love most people talk about
We can all be talking about love but mean something entirely different, this is a common practice in our world. And that's very, very common in our world using the same words but meaning different things. The love we hear about mostly in our songs, the love we see acted out in movies and the love that we read in novels seem not to have the king of kind of virtues stated in Songs 8: 6-7; strong and powerful, impossible to be drowned. Love can throw your wealth in your face.
Like I said, and would still say again, what exactly is the meaning of love? I believe that if we truly understand what love is and we apply to our lives, then it will spare us of a lot of headache. I pray in the name of Jesus as we begin to understand this thing called love, and practice it, we will be able to change the narrative and make our world a better place.
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Friday 5th February 2021
A beautiful Friday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today, it’s the first weekend in the month of February. I pray God’s grace and peace will flood your life in the name of Jesus. We are still talking about our subject “What’s the meaning of Love?”
Song of Songs 8:6-7 (NLT)
6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.
When I was in high school, students used to use portions of the Songs of Solomon to write love letters to one another because there is a lot this bible book has to say about love. This scripture however communicates love as a powerful force, in verse 6 it says, “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death”. Look at the way the words are arranged, love is something desirable but death is not usually desirable, yet the bible puts love and death them together as powerful concepts. People fear death but love doesn’t carry such feeling of fear, yet the bible says “love is as powerful as death”, death cannot conquer death. Then it says that love flashes like fire, just the way we see lightening, it’s like the brightest kind of flame. These description of love depicts something powerful. But generally, when people talk about love and the power of love, such power as this usually doesn’t come to mind because the awesome power of love is tacit, so it is usually underestimated. It goes on to say in verse 7, “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned.” This portion of scripture somehow begins to help us really see the power of love. If love can’t be defeated by death, can’t be drowned and can confuse and disappoint wealth, maybe we need to begin to take a closer look at this thing called love.
The things that love is pitched beside in this scripture are things that we consider “headline issues” in today’s culture. If a soldier escapes a terrible war situation, survives a prisoner of war camp, swims across a mighty river that normally drowns people and having been offered great wealth to turn against his nation and he turned it down and stayed true to his conscience and country, such a person will be the subject of international news. A person who couldn’t be conquered by death, the fear of drowning and the lure of wealth is a powerful and extraordinary person. This is exactly who love is. This means our world has a real misconception about love.
So with this understanding, what will you say is the meaning of love?
God bless you and enjoy your day.
Thursday 4th February 2021
A beautiful Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about LOVE. What's the meaning of love?
I want say a big thank you to all of you that have been sending your comments and feedback. Love is such a dynamic subject that if you ask two hundred people the meaning of love, you'll probably get as many different answers because love means different things to different people.
One of the most powerful things I’ve read about love is in 1 Corinthians 13. And at some point in the passage it said you could give up your body to be burnt and still not have love. When I read that many years ago, I said "That is impossible, how can I give up myself to be burnt and not have love? Giving up my body to be burnt - that's the supreme sacrifice, that’s sacrificial giving. Is it possible to do that without love? You mean I can give all my money, be philanthropic and be nice to people and do all that and not do it out of love? I found it difficult to believe initially, but over the years, I've found out that you could actually do all that and not love.
Years ago, I watched a movie, about a group trying to change the law on that allowed the death sentence in a state in the U.S. To do this, they decide to create a false narrative involving a sexual assault where a man in the group chose to be the one to give up his life. After they carried out their plan, the man was caught, convicted and sentenced to death by the electric chair even though the entire story was a set up. After the man was killed, the other members of the group made the authorities understand that the whole situation was planned and based on the evidence the authorities cancelled the death sentence in that state.
So this man gives up his life so that others don’t have to die of the death sentence, wasn’t that a show of love? The suicide bombers that give up their lives for a cause they believe in, is it not because of love. The truth is that people can give up their live for a cause and it has absolutely nothing to do with love. People can give out their wealth, the skill and so many other things and yet have no love. We generally believe that love is giving but yet some give to the point that they give their lives but not out of love.
These are some of the things that are confusing about love. That some one gives and gives sacrificially, it is not enough to say it is a demonstration of love.
That's why it's important we ask ourselves again and again, “What is the meaning of love?”
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Wednesday 3rd February 2021
Praise God! Thank God for today.
A winning Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. May God's love flood your life and your love life in Jesus name.
We are still talking about LOVE.
What's the meaning of Love? What does love mean to you? What does love mean to people?
Like we said earlier, so much is being said about love, a lot of songs about love, so many movies about love, so many novels about love, so many things about love, yet, so many people feel unloved and so many are love starved. There seem to be an overdose of this thing called “love” in our world, yet a lot of people don't feel loved. Why? Probably because there a misconception about this thing called LOVE.
We've been talking about love in different ways in the last few days, through what we hear in our songs, what we read in our novels and what we watch in movies. The media, whether it's the print or electronic has contributed a lot to what most people call love.
That's where most of us got our first introduction to this thing called love, and if what we got is the wrong concept of love then we set up ourselves for unnecessary heartaches.
One of the things I heard about love back then is that 'love is blind'. Meaning you should not see when you're in love, you don't see anything, all you see is good, you don't see bad.
If you remember the bible story of Jacob. He loved this girl Rachel and he told her father "I want to marry this girl". Her father asked him to work seven years for him and he could have her as his wife. As a result of his love for Rachel, he completed the seven years and Laban gave him his wife. Jacob was so excited about marrying the love of his life, he didn’t think he needed to look at this lady before taking her home, after all he was in love and he now had his dream wife. When he woke the next morning, the passion of love had cleared, he opened his eyes and his dream had become a nightmare. He was looking at Leah and not Rachel. His love was seeing clearly now. In reality, some people have been blinded by what they called love only to later find themselves in a nightmare situation like Jacob.
Some believe if you love them you should not see anything wrong in them or say anything wrong about them. 1 Peter 4: 8 says "…love covers a multitude of sins.”. Love is not blind to the sin or wrong doings; it simply takes positive action on them by covering them not denying it. No, love is not blind. Love sees and sees clearly. Probably love can choose to overlook things but it sees. When you believe in the concept “love is blind” it begins to affect other areas of our lives. If love is blind then love is not objective, it can say “white is black and black is green”. This creates an atmosphere of sycophancy and falsehood. What is love when handle the truth. Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:15 (NLT),
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
When we speak the truth in love we grow in every way. When love sees and speaks truthfully in love about what it sees, we become better people.
So what is the meaning of Love?
Do you believe that love is blind?
I pray that the Lord will give us a deeper understanding of love in Jesus’ Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
Tuesday 2nd February 2021
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about LOVE. What is the meaning of Love?
Yesterday we began our conversation on love. We looked at different things people have said about love. I am sure you’ve watched movies, heard songs and read novels with all sorts of ideas about love. There is this movie called “Coming to America”. Eddie Murphy played the part of this prince that part who travelled to the US to find true love. He finally found a pretty African American lady called Lisa that he truly loved. After their first night out on a date, he was so excited on his way back home and he sang a song which in part said “…to be loved, oh! what a feeling to be loved!” The truth is that the idea in this song captures what love means to most people – IT IS A FEELING.
It is very dangerous when our driving concept of love is tied mainly to feelings. When someone makes us feel good and cherished, we interpret it as love but the moment the person makes us uncomfortable, stretch us out of our comfort zone and demands we are responsible for our action, we usually say such people are not loving.
Many years ago, I had just finished high school and I got my results, and I didn’t make my physics paper which was necessary for someone planning to study engineering. I remember my dad talking to me about how to resolve the situation, obviously he wasn’t excited about it. As he was recounting the experience he had when my brother was going into the university, he said something like “Niyi when my son (referring to my elder brother) finished, he had this result, and I knew what to do.” I lost the central point he was trying to make, and my mind just got hung up the words “when my son…” I wasn’t feeling very good about the situation and because of that I was feeling unloved and began to question my dad’s love for me, even his paternity! I began sobbing and saying in my mind “…is this man saying I am not his son” Who is my real father”? “maybe he isn’t my father.” I began to feel bad and said things like “My father doesn’t love me.” That is usually what happens when we define love primarily as feeling – we do silly things.
Sometimes those who loves you the most will not make you feel good. I remember there was a time our daughter was ill, and she had to take some injections. She was about five years old and she had never really taken injections up until this time except for the once they give them at infancy. The first time she saw the injection she really didn’t know how it would feel but when she took it was really bad, she cried so much but that was just the first in the series of injections she had to take over a 5-day period. The next time we to her in for her injection she was already crying when she saw the nurse, by the time they brought out the injection it was something else, we did everything to calm her down, she just didn’t want the injection again. To get her to take the injection, I had to hold her for the nurse to inject her and I remember she gave me a look that seemed to say “How can my loving father, hold me down for this woman to inflict such pain on me.”
Sometimes the people that love us the most will allow us to feel some pain today but it will make us better people tomorrow. If you believe love is a feeling, I assure you, the feelings you will have most of the time will be terrible and you would have cut yourself off from so many friends because you would believe they are enemies. To discover what love really is, I want us to open our minds afresh and begin to think of love again in line with all we are discussing. Then ask yourself again, what exactly is love?
My prayer that we have a true understanding of this thing called love and believe me if you really do, it will radically change your life.
God bless you and enjoy your day!
Monday 1st February 2021
Praise God! It is a beautiful Monday and we thank God for bringing us into the second month of this year 2021. We are grateful to God for His grace.
It is important we don’t take His love for granted. God has been good to us and we should be grateful. We pray in the name of Jesus that this month of February will be a wonderful one for us. He said the lines are falling on us in pleasant places, we have a Godly heritage. This will be our position this month in the name of Jesus. May the lines of God’s favour, grace and mercy be the boundary that shields every area of our lives and give us peace, prosperity and promotion this month of February in the name of Jesus.
This month of February we will be talking about “Love.”
What is the meaning of LOVE?
Love is one of the most desirable virtue in this world. Everybody needs love. Everybody sings love; there are movies about love, there are books about love. So many things are about love yet our world seems to be starved of love. People don’t feel loved yet there seem to be love everywhere.
I think the reason is because there is lot of confusion about this thing called love. What exactly is this “love” thing?
One of the things that define our culture and the way we live and understand things in our world is music. In the lyrics of our music is one of those places we get our definition of love. If you put something in a song and it becomes popular, that thing may be a slang or an idea and it just becomes a common language that people use around.
I love music and some of the things I have heard about love particularly in those old songs say all sorts of things about love. Donna Summer sang “give me unconditional love”, Luther Vandross sang a song titled “The power of love” and in the song he said “love is a feeling next to none.” And then, someone like Tina Turner sang “What’s Love got to do with it”; she called love a second hand emotion, and said “…who needs a heart when a heart can broken. I remember another one that said “Love is a dangerous game to play.”
When you have all these ideas about love and you sing them, someway, somehow they filter into the mind and people begin to live them out.
For a lot of us, love is just another concept. It could be a feeling, a game or something else entirely. But our question is this - What is love? Have you ever really asked yourself what love is? If it is a game, there must be a winner and a loser. Is it a feeling or is it a second hand emotion like Tina Turner says? What exactly is love?
Throughout this month, that is what we are going to be looking at. I am not saying we are going to be able to answer everything there is to know about love but I want you to really take time to think and ask yourself, what exactly is love?
I pray in the name of Jesus that as you discover love afresh, you will experience the love of God in the way you’ve never experienced before this month in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Sunday 31st January 2021
A lovely Sunday morning to in the name of Jesus. Today is the last day of the month of January 2021. We're grateful to God for how He has kept us.
Understand this, without expectation there can be no manifestation. If you want to enjoy the riches of our redemption, if you want to enjoy the treasures in our heavenly accounts, we must be convinced of the reality of these things. We must have faith that they are there, we must have the right attitude , we must have joy and we must expect that we will receive when we make our requests for withdrawal.
It is important that we expect to receive. A lot of us don't even expect anything when they pray. I have asked people to tell me what they prayed about in the morning and they cannot remember even though I was asking on the same day. I later asked them what they ate the night before and they can remember. They can remember what they ate the night before and some even two days earlier, but they have forgotten about what they prayed about in the morning. And the simple reason is that a lot of us are not praying or making requests with expectation.
John and Peter, we're going to pray at the temple. They entered the gates and saw this man who had been crippled for about forty years. He asked them for money. They said, “Look at us”. And the Bible says in Acts chapter 3:4, he looked at them expecting to receive something. And guess what? He did receive something.
When you look to God in prayers, when you make requests from your heavenly treasure, do you really expect to receive something? It is important we expect to receive from God. Another word for expectation is hope. Hope and faith go hand in hand. The Bible says these three; hope, faith and love go hand in hand.
Romans 5 vs 5 (NKV). It says, now no hope does not disappoint. Why? Because the love of God has been poured out upon our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us.
The hope and the expectation that comes to us through Jesus Christ never, never disappoints, there's a hope that disappoints but not the one from the Jesus. The Bible says in book of Proverbs that, “… hope deferred makes the heart sick.”
The hope in Christ is a living hope. It comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. He said, it is not like the world gives you. This hope never disappoints. When you have this hope in Christ and are solidly rooted in his word. It's never disappoint. Paul understood this clearly and he said in Philippians 1: 20 (NLT), He said,
I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed. And guess what? He was not put to shame.
So, don't stop expecting manifestation from your heavenly account, don't stop expecting to enjoy the treasures of heaven on earth. Don't stop expecting good thing to happen to you this year. Don't stop expecting to win. Don't stop expecting to be joyful. Let your hope stays strong in God. This year 2021 will be the greatest year in your life in Jesus name. No matter what is happening, expect and be hopeful that God will cause you to smile. He will cause you experience restoration, productivity, and advancement this year in Jesus name. And that will be your portion.
Thank you so much for being with us all throughout this month.
I pray that the Lord will keep you and cause you to enjoy the rich treasures of heaven and live in its reality in Jesus name.
God bless you and a great month for February ahead in Jesus name.
Saturday 30th January 2021
A great day to you in the name of Jesus and another lovely weekend on this beautiful Saturday morning. We thank God for everything. We are still talking about making withdrawals from our heavenly accounts.
During one of our previous discussions, we had said that the greatest investments we can make on earth into our heavenly account is investments in people. People are God's greatest gifts. People are the object of God's love. If you want to maximize your investment, invest in people.
Our relationship with people doesn’t just affect our investments, it is also a determinant to if we can make withdrawals from our heavenly account. Imagine this, you want to make a withdrawal from your local bank or investment account. One of the first things you do is you make a request; either you call your banker, send an email or you show up physically, Somehow, you have to make a request. In the kingdom of God, we call this request prayer. And one of the conditions that Jesus, the CEO of the Heavenly Bank puts in place before you can access your heavenly treasury is found in Mark 11:25 (NLT). It says.
“but when you are praying, when you make a request, when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your father in heaven will forgive your sins too”
The Bible says the book of Isaiah that God's hand is not short that they cannot deliver, nor his power limited. But our sins have cut us off from His ability. Where there is sin, we don't see the manifestation of His blessing, we cannot access our heavenly treasure.
God says “You want to access your treasure? If you are making a request and you have a problem with somebody, you are holding grudges, you have problem with people, and you do not love people”. He said nothing is going to happen. He said go and settle your love walk first..
The way you treat people affects your requests to God. Get that!
If you want heaven to respond to your requests to access your heavenly treasure, ensure you walk in love.
Galatians 5 vs 6 (NKV) says,
for in Christ neither circumcision nor circumcision avails anything but faith walking through love.
Your faith, no matter how wonderful it is, will not work if there's no love. Your love walks with people influence how you get things from God. Yes, you love God but God said show it by the way you love people. So, I encourage you today, please and please let us walk in love.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day.
Friday 29th January 2021
A beautiful Friday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are talking about making withdraws from our heavenly account. We have been talking about the forces we need to engage, the power we need to receive and to withdraw. Like we said earlier, there are spiritual security protocols we need to put together to ensure we enjoy our treasure. Couple of days ago, we talked about the place of faith. Yesterday, we spoke about the pace of patience.
Today, I will continue on that and go slightly deeper. Waiting is not always easy. Waiting could be stressful. Sometimes when you are exercising patience, if you are not careful things could go out of control and you go from the place of patience to intense pressure. So it is important we know how to engage the power of patience. How exactly do we wait? How exactly can we be sure that our waiting will not be in vain? There is a winning key, there is a winning wisdom that we can apply so that we can win the war of waiting which sadly a lot of people lose out on.
We spoke about the experience of Saul yesterday. Samuel had told him to wait for seven days before making the sacrifice to God that would guarantee Israel victory in their battle against the Philistines. Sometimes in the midst of the wait, the soldiers became restless and were attempting to leave, about that time the Philistine began to prepare for an attack and there was no sign that Samuel was coming. Most people focus only on the things they can see and as a result they get distracted and lose out.
It is important we learn to know how to wait. The Bible says in the book of Hebrews Chapter 12:2 says, “…looking up to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. He said, who for the joy that was set before him, for the joy that was set before him endured.” He was able to endure. He was able to handle the situation. He was able to wait patiently. Why? Because he set joy before him.
We read earlier in the Book of Isaiah 12 :2, that with joy wet would draw out of the wells of salvation. Joy is one of the best companions of patience. If you do not have joy while you are waiting, you will be frustrated. You will be angry. You will do all sorts of negative things. You will be disappointed ultimately. Can imagine you go to a bank and you want to withdraw your account, maybe some money or some other valuables. Sometimes when you get to the bank, you have to wait. Things don’t always happen as fast as you want. You have to go through some security check. You have to get authorization. Sometimes the I.T. infrastructure may be down. Sometimes somebody could just be proofing difficult. When all this is happening, you don't just get up and begin to scream, shout and throw tantrums. No, you are cool even when you are making demands, you matured about and you are joyful. You are doing other things because you know that ultimately you will get what you want.
Joy is a major companion when we are in that waiting season. Nehemiah 8:10 says “the joy of the Lord is our strength”. You need strength. Jesus earlier, in John 10:17-18, “…I have the power to lay down which is the power to sow or invest and power to pick it up”. You need strength to pick up, to make withdraw, to wait through the period. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength.
I pray God releases His joy specially on a new level on your life today in the name of Jesus. There's a scripture I love so much in the book of Joel 1:12. It says,
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 28th January 2021
A beautiful Thursday to the name of Jesus. We are still talking about making withdrawals from our heavenly account. We are looking at the forces that can unlock the combination to our heavenly treasure so we can enjoy them while here on Earth and even when we get to heaven.
Hebrews 6:12. says we need faith and patience to inherit the promise. Yesterday we spoke about faith and today we want to talk about the place of patience.
What is patience? A lot of us do not like to hear about patience because patience seem to slow things down and demand we must wait. Sometimes things don’t happen as fast as we want. Irrespective, patient is very powerful. Patience is like being steady, being consistent in your stance, even while you're waiting, especially when there is pressure.
The Bible says a book of Habakkuk 2,”…write the vision down, make it plain that the person that may run with it. Though it tarries wait for it, it will surely come…” Understand that your faith and your patience go together. A lot of people think that patience is a passive thing, that patient means you are just wait and do nothing.
Patience is a very active exercise. It may look as if nothing is happening on the outside. But believe me, on the inside, a lot of things are happening. It is like a pregnant woman; they are called expectant mothers because they are in an expectant mode. You may not see anything much happening on the outside but there's so much going on inside of her. The baby's developing, her hormones are changing etc. It is the same thing. When we are patient, things are happening behind the scenes. Things are happening especially within us.
Yesterday I shared an experience I had year ago during one of my travels. I was told I could not be on plane for which my name was on the manifest, I had all the necessary documents and I was at the airport early enough but they said the flight was full. I said, how can the flight be full? I knew some of the officials were trying to play some games with us. So many things were going on in me in that period and there was also a lot going on around me. Some people were shouting and fighting but I just waited quietly. I was not just waiting and do nothing, I was looking, I was reading the situation and in that time I got an idea to walked up to a senior official I saw standing by, I spoke to the person and showed him all my documents . He checked me in personally and I was on the flight. I was waiting but it was not a passive wait. I was working on the situation within me. That's what it's meant when we are patient. It is important we understand that patience is not just waiting and doing nothing, you might not see any activity being done on the outside but on the inside you are praying, you are asking question, seeking God’s wisdom and so on.
James Chapter 1:3-4 (AMP) says,
3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.
King Saul lost his kingdom inheritance. Why? He was impatient. Wait for 7 days was the instruction from Samuel. He was looking at the things outside and they began to shake, he was under pressure and got confused. He went into things he was not supposed to do. If you are going to enjoy the riches of heaven, you must learn to engage the force of patience. And I pray God to give us the wisdom and the strength to do this in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Wednesday 27th January 2021
Praise God. We thank God for today, we thank God for the gift of life, and we thank God that today is Wednesday, the 27th of January.
We continue in our discussion on making withdrawals from our heavenly accounts. We have spoken earlier about the benefits in our heavenly account. In Revelation 5:12, we have a list of those things - power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, and blessing. These are the categories of the benefits that we have in our heavenly treasure. Believe me, everything we need in life someway, somehow comes under these categories.
But to enjoy them, we must engage some forces. Remember Jesus said, “I have the power to lay down my life and to pick it up again”. The power to pick it up, like we said before is the power to receive or the power to make withdrawals.
One of the things we've spoken about is the place of faith. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6, “it is impossible to please God because anyone that comes to him must believe he exists and know that he is the rewarder...”
God rewards, but He rewards when we use faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (AMP)
1 NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
Faith perceives as real facts, it sees as real facts, the things that are not yet revealed to our senses. These things we talk about that are in our heavenly treasure are not revealed to our senses. But by faith, we understand they are real, and convinced of them no matter what.
A couple of years ago, I was traveling and got to the airport and was told I couldn’t travel. I had bought my ticket, I had all my travel documents and I got to the airport on time. I asked why I could not travel? They said, the plane is full. I said, “I'm here early enough, how can the flight be full?”. I asked, is my name on the manifest? They said, yes. It is interesting, they call it the manifest list. My name was on the manifest list that means somehow I had to manifest and arrive at my destination. But the official still insisted some of us couldn't travel. I was convinced that I would be on that flight, I had faith that I will travel. My name was on the list. It was written in there! I just waited awhile and I spoke to another official I saw standing, and guess what? I flew on that flight. Why was I able to fly? Because I had faith, I was convinced I had a place on that flight. I had written evidence with my name on the manifest lists and I had my ticket as proof that I had a place on that flight.
You need to have faith when it comes to living life on this earth. Even though an official told me I couldn't fly, life would tell you so many things you cannot but your faith must be established in the Word of God.
You must be convinced that you have a right to wealth, a right to strength, a right to all the benefits of our inheritance in Christ.
I trust God in the name of Jesus, that the treasures of heaven that are written for you will be yours to enjoy and may your faith work for you in Jesus name.
God bless you
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 26th January 2021
A beautiful Tuesday to the name of Jesus, we thank God for today, and we are still talking about Making Withdrawals From Our Heavenly Account.
We have learnt how to make investments. It's important we learn how to make withdrawals so we can enjoy those treasures here on Earth.
Yesterday, we spoke about the fact that even in the natural, our investments are protected. If you put your investment in the bank, you have precious stones in the bank, there are some security protocols that you must go through. You might have some combination locks to open or some security questions to answer. A couple of days ago, I was talking to my bank officer and they were asking me some questions even though I was trying to access my own account. It was my account, my money but I was questioned.
These security protocols are not there to deny you from accessing your accounts, they are actually there to protect your account, to ensure it is there for you and you alone. So also we have spiritual security protocols that we must engage, these are spiritual power tools that we need to understand to unlock the heavenly treasure combinations are so we can enjoy the treasure.
We'll read a couple of scriptures today to see a few of these spiritual security protocols that unlock the combination of our treasure in heaven.
Hebrews 6 :12 (RSV) says
“so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherits the promise”.
Isaiah 12 :3 (RSV) says
“with joy, will you draw water from the wells of salvation”
Galatians 5: 6 (KJV) says
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availed any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”
Finally, Romans 5 :5 (NKJV)
“Now, hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
In these four scriptures, we see some of the combination that open the locks that opens the treasures of heaven. When we know how to put these forces together, it will open-up the treasure of heaven and we can make withdrawals.
The first one he spoke about is faith. The second one is patience. The third one is Joy. The fourth one is love. And the final one we talk about is hope.
Just like you have a PIN number to your A.T.M. to open your locks, the same way, when we put these combinations together in the right way and consistently, heaven treasure open-ups and we can enjoy them.
Throughout this week we talk about these few forces and how to put them together so we can enjoy them. I pray God will give us wisdom to apply the same in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 25th January 2021
A beautiful day to the name of Jesus, we thank God for today, and we thank God that gradually we're coming to the end of the first month of this year, 2021.
Today is Monday, the 25th of January. And all through this month, we've been talking about Our Sure Investments and that when we settle things with God and with heaven, then we can be sure that every other thing will be added onto us.
We also spoke about our heavenly treasures, the things in our heavenly treasure. We have spoken about how to make investments in our heavenly treasure. And this week, this last week of the month of January, we’ll be discussing on How To Make
Withdrawals From Our Heavenly Treasure.
How do we make withdrawal from our heavenly treasure?
It is one thing to be able to make deposits and to make investments, it’s another thing entirely is to be able to make withdrawals. We understand from the book of Revelation 5:12 some of the things in this heavenly treasure and we have spoken about them. And now that we have an idea of the things that this our heavenly treasure, how do we begin to enjoy the benefits? How do we make withdrawals? We've seen that it takes a level of discipline to make investment - The power of discipline.
What does it take to make withdrawals?
Let's read the book of John 10:17-18 (NKJV)
17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
Jesus was saying “I am sowing my life; I am planting my life. I am investing my life. I have the power to make this investment. Why? It takes power to make huge and consistent investments – The power of delayed gratification and discipline.
The other thing he said is that “I have the power to take it up again”. I have the power to withdraw it, to receive it back. You may know how to sow, but do you know how to reap? You know how to invest, but do you know how to withdraw? Think of how it works in the bank, the fact you have money in the bank does not mean you can stroll at anytime and and in any way just take your money out. There are security protocols you must go through to withdraw your own money or takeout our own investment.
Now the protocols are not put in place to keep your money away from you. It is so that money your money, your resources, your investment are protected for you. The only way you can get it is by knowing the security protocols.
In the same way there are spiritual protocols. If you allow me to use this word, spiritual security protocols, these protocols are attached to our heavenly accounts. It is until we meet the demands of these security protocols, that we can unlock the combination of these heavenly treasure and enjoy our rich resources here on earth.
This week, we will be looking at what these forces are. What are the combinations we need to unlock to enjoy our heavenly resources? Once we know them, we now put them together and open the locks and we can begin to enjoy our heavenly treasures.
I pray that will be your experience this year, starting this week in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your week.
Sunday 24th January 2021
A beautiful Sunday. See you in the name of Jesus.
We've been talking all this week about investing in our heavenly accounts. We've also spoken about the place of discipline because it takes discipline to invest.
Galatians 4 :1, helps us understand that as long as the children, don't come to that place of maturity, they cannot enter into the reality of their inheritance. But with maturity comes the discipline to invest.
We've spoken about the 12 disciplines from Richard Foster's book, Celebration of Discipline, but if you consider the disciplines closely, you will discover that they are all done to benefit people or in the company of other people. What I found out in my life and from studying the lives of others and also from the Word of God is that the greatest investment we can make while on Earth is our investments in people.
Investments in people. Yes.
It is good that we pray, fast and do all those things but if it does not improve people's lives, then it's a waste of time. The Bible says in 1 John 4:20, says, if we do not love human beings that we see, how can we claim we love God, that we don't see? So, if all our discipline is to focus on God and focus on our heavenly accounts, but not benefiting people, then it is useless.
So, Jesus said this in Matthew 25:37-40 (NLT)
“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Jesus was talking about the way people treated Him when He was in need. And His conclusion is – “Whatever good we do to anybody; we are doing it to Him.” So, if you invest goodness, invest blessings, add value to people's life, when you do this, you are investing in a heavenly account.
The truth is, sometimes dealing with human beings can be very challenging, sometimes people can be ungrateful, sometimes they have a sense of entitlement. But you know what Bible says in Ephesians 6:8 “whatever good we do to another person, the same will receive from the Lord.” So, when you are investing in people's life, don't see the people, see yourself as doing it to God so that even if the people are not grateful, if they do not show gratitude, you are not discouraged. Why? You know that God will repay you back.
The story of Mordecai and Esther is very encouraging in this regard. He invested in the lives of so many Jewish people including his little niece, Esther. He might not have received returns on all the people he invested in but the returns from his investment in Esther was huge. It’s not so much about the number of people we invest in, just keep investing in those around you and you don't get discouraged. Keep doing it. If you don't give up, you will reap the harvest in ways beyond your imagination in Jesus name.
Stay Blessed and enjoyed the rest of your day.
Saturday 23rd January 2021
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We trust God, you are beginning to practice the spiritual disciplines. We've been talking about investing in our heavenly account and we're talking about the place of discipline, we have spoken about inward discipline and outward discipline, and today we will be discussing the corporate discipline.
The corporate discipline are the disciplines that bring believers closer together in fellowship with one another and to God, it helps us develop a sense of community. Our Christian faith is about family, so it's about fellowship, is about living together with one another peacefully and we have four practices under this.
The first one is Confession.
Why do you make confession?
It’s important that we ae at peace with God and with one another and confessing our wrongs both to God and to one one another is one way to do that.
James 5:16 (NLT) 16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
From this scripture, we can see the cleansing and healing power of confession. When we confess our sins to one another, it brings peace, wholeness and healing to our life. And in the next part of the verse says the earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power. Why? When there is no sin between us and no sin with God, it is easy for prayer to get answered.
The second one is Worship and what do we mean by worship?
In Acts of Apostles 2: 42-47 gives an idea of what makes up our worship. When we see what the apostles practiced in the early church, praying together, study together, communion, breaking bread, sharing together and doing ministry together all in submission to God, that's what worship is all about. That whole practice of devotion to God is what worship means.
The next one is Guidance.
Guidance can be from God and amongst ourselves. The Bible says in Proverb, “Iron sharpens iron.” There is guidance available when we are together fellowshipping in love, somebody is wiser and some insight, and somebody else doesn't have. We can lean on each other's strength so that we can become better. Always remember, there's guidance in community.
And the final one is Celebration.
The bible says in Acts 2:46 (MSG)
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful
We can see how they practiced the daily discipline of worship in the temple, followed by meals at home, every meal was in an atmosphere of celebration and joy. They were a joyful people. There should be nothing like sad believers , in reality. Yes, we can have brief periods of sadness, but we should not always be sad as believers. God has done everything for us to live in joy. He wants us to live a life to be full of joy and full of celebration.
So in conclusion, let us remember again Apostle Paul’s admonition.
1 Timothy 4:15 (MSG) 15
Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!
May God give us the grace to practice these things in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day.
Friday 22nd January 2021
A beautiful Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus and like we normally say, “thank God, it’s Friday!” But not just Friday, we thank God every single day.
I hope you have begun to practice the “disciplines” we’ve been talking about. These disciplines when practiced would help us mature so we can get the best out of our inheritance through investments we make.
Yesterday, we spoke about the Inward Discipline. Today we will be talking about the Outward Discipline.
The Outward Discipline are the things we practice in the company of people so that through our relationship with others, we can make the world a better place. There are also four practices under the Outward Discipline.
The first one is Simplicity.
Simplicity is a life that is uncluttered and not cumbered with unnecessary things. It is a life that is focused on God and His Kingdom. Remember when Jesus went to visit Mary and Martha, Marta the big sister was very busy doing so many things for Jesus and she came to Jesus and said “don’t you care that my sister isn’t doing anything, let her leave you to come work with me.” Jesus advice to Martha was to simplify her life.
Luke 10:40-42 (NLT) 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
God wants us to live a simple life focused on Him. The good thing is this, when you focus on Him and seek His kingdom first, all other things that people worry about is added to you.
The second Discipline is Solitude.
In Mark 1:35 (NKJV) it says,
35
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
You will see that a lot of times Jesus will pull himself away from the crowd and just look for a quiet place to spend time with God. It is important we have time we detach from life’s pressure, life’s distraction, the hustle and bustle of life just to give ourselves to reflecting on the Word of God and on our lives to recharge. This exercise renews us and makes us better human beings.
The third one is Submission.
Submission simply means living a life that is yielded to God, you are easy for God to deal with, you obey Him promptly and your heart is malleable. God can mould you and shape you easily. This is what it means to be a person who is submitted to God.
And the last one is Service.
Service means that in our community of people, we live a life given to serving one others. We are not focused on everything being for us and about us. It is like having and practicing the fruit of the Spirit so that people can see God’s graciousness in us. We serve one another in love.
So with respect to these disciplines, just like Paul said in 1 Timothy 4: 15 (MSG);
"Cultivate these things, immerse yourself in them, the people would see you mature right before their eyes"
These things are not just things to read and understand. They are things to cultivate and practice.
May God give us grace to do that in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday 21st January 2021
A lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about “Investing in Your Heavenly Account.”
It's important we know that if there's no investment, there can be no return, but when we know that there are returns on every investment in our heavenly account, then we are encouraged to do the same.
We've been talking about the lesson learnt from Richard Foster's book: Celebration of Discipline and the three categories of discipline - inward discipline, outward discipline and corporate discipline.
Today, we'll be looking at the Inward Discipline, the things that we practice that makes our life better, that help us examine ourselves, that gives us a better sense of awareness and helps us develop ourselves.
Now there are four major practices under the Inward Discipline.
First one is Meditation.
What do we mean by meditation? Meditation is just to think about, talk about or mutter about the Word of God and the ways of God so deeply that we receive instruction and direction so we can follow them. That's simply what meditation is all about.
Second is prayer and this is simply talking to God, conversing with God, expressing your mind to God. It's good we do that talking and speaking out. Yes, some people talk about silent prayers in our hearts yes, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever ask of or think but it is good we learn the practice of speaking out audibly to God.
The third one is Fasting.
What do we mean by fasting? Fasting simply means abstinence from certain things, food and other pleasure so we can give our attention to God, to listen to Him, to get His directions and bring our flesh and our body under control.
The last one is Studying. By this we mean learning from books, from the Bible, learning from people and learning from nature. If you read the book of Proverbs, you will see how Solomon and the other writers of Proverbs learned from all sort of things in nature.
Paul said this in 1 Timothy 4:15 (MSG)
15 Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!
He is saying that with regard to the spiritual disciplines of Meditation, Prayer, Fasting and Studying and a host of others, we should cultivate these things in our lives, immerse ourselves and give ourselves to them. He said when you do this, people would see your growth and maturity right before their eyes. Once this happens, guess what? Your heavenly account is getting full.
I pray God gives us the Grace to practice this in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Wednesday 20th January 2021
Beautiful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. May this be a winning Wednesday for you!
We thank God for everything, we thank God for today and for this month.
We are still talking about “Investing In Your Heavenly Account”
How do we make investments consciously in this our heavenly account so we can enjoy its treasure when we need them?
The Place of Discipline is very important when it comes to investing and we will discuss this more today.
Years ago when I was going to do my industrial attachment as an engineering student, I went to the HR office of the company and the officer asked me “What is your discipline.?” That was the first time I heard the word “discipline” used in that context. What was being asked was the course I was studying in school.
Discipline is the training we follow in a dedicated path so that we can come out with a clear outcome. So if we are going to invest and maximize our heavenly account, we need discipline to be dedicated to a set of actions so that we can come out with our expectation.
Incidentally, the word “disciple” which we use a lot as Christians is from the word “discipline” and in Matthew 28 : 19 (NLT) Jesus says,
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
So one of our main responsibilities as believers is to "make disciples". He didn’t say "be disciples", He said "make disciples". Why? Because there is a process to follow in order to come out as a disciple Christ just as there was a process I had to follow to come out as an engineer. So to be a baker, banker or farmer, there is a process you have to go through.
Yesterday, we spoke about the three categories that Richard Foster spoke about in his book, the inward discipline, the outward discipline and the corporate discipline.
Let’s talk about these disciplines. What exactly do we mean by the “Inward Discipline?”
This Inward Discipline talks about private practices that we engage in that helps in self examination and developing personal growth, and brings about positive changes in our lives.
Practices under this category includes, meditation, prayer, fasting and study.
The Outward Discipline are that practices that help improve our public conduct and makes the world a better place. Under this, we have things like simplicity, solitude, submission and service to others.
The last is the Corporate Discipline and by this we mean practices that improve our fellowship with one another and with God to make our lives stronger. Under this, we have activities like confession, worship, guidance and celebration.
To grow, we need to practice all these things, and by doing that we would mature in Christ and be investing in our heavenly account.
May God give us the grace to do this in Jesus Name.
God bless you.
Enjoy your day!
Tuesday 19 January
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are talking about Investing Into Your Heavenly Account. We have already said a lot about our heavenly account but without our investments, we can’t make withdrawals. Another thing you need to understand is that even though the investment is your, as part of the inheritance reserved for you in Christ, it takes maturity to access the benefits.
Galatians 4:1 (NLT) 1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.
Even though the Father has reserved great benefits for us in Christ, we cannot access them until we grow up and mature. And one of the proofs of maturity is our ability to make investment. It takes some discipline to say “I will not do this or that” especially when you can. This is called delayed gratification. Discipline is a major key when it comes to making investment. When everything around us is screaming “buy me, get me...”, it takes discipline to say “I will take something out today and invest it to create a better tomorrow.”
Years ago, I read a book titled Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, in the book he talked about 12 different attributes necessary for effective Christian growth and maturity. These 12 attributes are grouped into 3 categories:
• The Inward Disciplines
(meditation, prayer, fasting, study)
• The Outward Disciplines
(simplicity, solitude, submission, service)
• The Corporate Disciplines
(confession, worship, guidance, celebration)
According to Richard Foster, if we are diligent in practicing these 12 disciplines, it would bring us to a place of growth and maturity in Christ, these disciples also help us make investments into our heavenly account.
As we continue in the week, we’ll be discussing these disciplines in more detail and we trust God that as we do, you will be able to incorporate them into your life so you can grow and mature to the point that you can begin to enjoy the riches of your inheritance in Christ.
God bless you and have a great day.
Monday 18th January 2021
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus. Today is the 18th day of the month of January, we're gradually moving to the end of the month. We trust God it'll be a wonderful year for us. God will crown every single day of this year for us, which His goodness and our path will be flooded with increase and abundance in Jesus name.
All through this month of January, we're talking about your sure investments and each week we talk about something new, and today, and throughout this week, we'll be talking about Investing Into Your Heavenly Account.
Last week, we spoke about exploring your heavenly accounts. Now that we know the things in the account, how do we make investments into this account? Somebody will say, what's the point of making investments again when we already have an inheritance in Christ? That's a very good question. This heavenly account, even though it’s yours, the full benefits are reserved for those who are mature in Christ. If you're not mature enough to handle it, yes, it's yours, but you cannot enjoy maximum benefits.
Galatians 4:1 (NLT) 1 Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.
Though the heir are children and own everything the Father has, as long as they're children, they will still be under the care of tutors until they can show maturity to handle the investments. And one proof of maturity, is the fact that you can be disciplined enough to delay gratification and make investments.
Another challenge is this, making investment in the physical is much easy. But the Bible says we should make investment into a world we cannot see, the kingdom of God. Now, that is complicated for most people. Assuming we can see this heavenly investment, you can see the account on a computer, you can see your investment growing, you get a report every month from heaven that you can read and understand, it might be easier to operate. But this one runs by faith, we're investing in the spirit and if you're not spiritually mature, you will panic because you don't know exactly how it's going.
Galatians 6:8 (NCV) If they plant to satisfy their sinful selves, their sinful selves will bring them ruin. But if they plant to please the Spirit, they will receive eternal life from the Spirit.
Planting like investing.
If you invest your energy into your sinful self or a sinful nature the Bible says it will bring pain and ruin but if you invest in the spirit, you invest in the Kingdom of God, will reap life. And that's what this whole thing is all about
I pray God gives us the wisdom and grace to develop the discipline to begin to invest in the Kingdom of God
God bless you and enjoy your week.
Saturday 16th January 2021
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today and we are still talking about “Exploring Our Heavenly Treasures.”
We read earlier this week in Isaiah 12: 3 that we have wonderful treasures in the wells of salvation and it is with joy that we pull out these treasures from this well. So, no matter what, let ensure nothing challenges and steal our joy so we can enjoy great treasures from the wells of salvation.
Revelation 5 : 12 (NKJV)
12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honour and glory and blessing!"
Like I said earlier, I call this the 7 entities; The Christ Capital. These are divine capital from Christ that bring value, increase and quality to our lives.
Today we will be looking at “Strength and Honour”
When I read this sometime ago, I remembered the movie “Gladiator”. In that movie, the Roman soldiers greeted themselves by saying “strength and honour.” Whether they got it from the Bible I am too sure but strength and honour are one of those things we have in our heavenly treasure.
So, what exactly does it mean when we talk about strength in this context?
Strength talks about vigour, vitality, health and wellness, healing physical health to fullest.. So, when the Bible talks about strength, this is what it means; Everything you need to live your life fulfilled and healthy.
Honour talks about a good social standing, favour and being distinguished. If you read the story of Job.
Job 29:7-8 "Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honoured leaders. The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose in respect at my coming.
Here, he was talking about his life before he had the unfortunate incident of the satanic attack on his life.
When we talk about strength and honour, we are talking about the fact that in your heavenly treasure, God has made provisions for you to live in good health, wellness, vigour and vitality. He wants you to be a distinguished person, enjoying His favour, to have a good social standing, to be respected in your community. These are part of the things God has put in our heavenly treasure.
It is not just enough for us to know these things, it's important for us to explore them, understand them so we can enjoy them.
I pray in the name of Jesus that the strength and honour of God will manifest in our lives in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and enjoy your day!
Friday 15th January 2021
Hello and a beautiful day to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for this lovely weekend that begins today, this beautiful Friday and I pray that the peace of God, and rest of God will be with you in Jesus name.
We are still talking about Exploring Our Heavenly Treasures. The bible says that through knowledge shall the just be delivered, so the more we know, the more we enjoy the benefits we have in Christ. And these heavenly treasure are benefits we have in Christ.
As we understand these things and we fill our hearts with joy, we actually begin to progressively enjoy the different benefits.
Revelations 5:12(NKJV) saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
We’ve been looking at these things for the past few days and today we’ll be looking at Wisdom.
Wisdom isn't just an entity or principle, Wisdom is a person
1Corinthians 1:24(NLT)
But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
He is the wisdom of God, and Proverbs 4:7 says "Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding."
There is wisdom available for you and for me, in our heavenly treasure but if you don't take advantage of it, if you don't know anything about it then you can't enjoy the benefit.
This wisdom is that ability to operate beyond your normal physical senses. The Bible says, ' we have the mind of Christ." This wisdom is a defence, it protect us, it guides us, it leads us, it shows us the way to go and it helps us maximise our way on earth. Paul understood this so well that Peter took note of it.
In 2 Peter 3:15 he said "...our brother Paul has access to wisdom that is beyond the natural. He said God has given this wisdom..."
Paul calls it the many sided, manifold wisdom of God and this is to be through the church in the last day.
Stretch yourself to a deeper level of God's wisdom and watch how it will flow it would begin to flow in your life and distinguish you in Jesus name.
God bless you enjoy the weekend.
Thursday 14th January 2021
A beautiful Thursday to you in the name of Jesus. I'm sure you’re doing well. We thank God for the New Year, we thank God for the month that is going on gradually and we thank God for His grace that is available to us.
We have been talking about Our Sure Investment and as we continue to explore it, let’s understand has been reserved for us in Christ. It is part of the blessing of God, that He has made available for us. So, no matter what has happened in the past, take time to settle down with God, understand that you are coming from a position of strength, not a position of weakness, because of what Christ has done for you.
All through this week, we'll be looking at some of the benefits we have in our heavenly treasure.
Revelation 5:12 (NKJV) 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
These are some of the things laid up for us in our heavenly treasure and riches is one of those things. Riches is one of the things a lot of us don't understand as believers. Some people believe that when you come to Jesus Christ it's a life of simplicity, heavenly consciousness and a life where we make investment in heaven. At the end, we go to heaven and enjoy everything, but there is nothing to enjoy in this life. Some believers are convinced that there's nothing like being rich and enjoying the good things of life here on earth, but that's not true.
Christ died so that we can enjoy riches here on Earth, and even greater riches in heaven. If you see the picture of heaven in Revelation it is a place of increase, wealth and abundance.
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV) says,
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Settle it today God wants you to be rich!
He doesn’t just want you to be rich, He wants you to have more than enough to meet your needs and be a blessing to others. There is a place you come to in Christ, where you understand His purpose for your life, you understand His grace on your life, you understand the place of work and as you begin to trade with these things you will see how wealth and riches begin to progressively manifest in your life.
Psalms 112:3 (NKJV) 3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.
God wants you to enjoy wealth He wants you to enjoy riches. He wants you to be able to have the good things of life; material blessings, financial blessings so that you can live a good life here and enjoy it.
Please note that it is not riches or money that destroys people's lives. The Bible says it is the blessing of the Lord that actually makes rich without sorrow. (Prov. 10:22). But the love of money is the root of all evil.
God wants you to be rich. Settle it in your spirit, that's the starting point. If you have something in your mind that is against you progressing financially or materially, then you are self-sabotaging your God given right to riches.
Understand that the riches are righteousness can go together. And I believe that's God’s plan for you this year.
May God give us greater understanding in Jesus name.
God bless you. Have a wonderful day.
Wednesday 13th January 2021
Hello and a lovely Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. And I'm sure you’re enjoying the year so far.
We've been talking about Exploring Our Heavenly Treasure. It is important we know what's in this treasure, so we can know how to practically enjoy it.
Revelation 5:12 (NKJV) 12 saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"
These are some of the things that are in the wells of salvation. These are some of the things that God has made provision for in our heavenly treasure, like I said yesterday I call them "Christ Capital" these are the capital we enjoy because of our relationship with Christ and our investment in heaven.
Today we’ll be talking about power.
Christ died for us, so we can receive power. That's one of the things in the wells of salvation, that's one of the things we have in our heavenly treasure. This power is not just power to carry heavy things or power to fight. In Greek it is the word "Dunamis" which means the supernatural ability of God, the ability to do extra ordinary things.
Remember when Jesus was going to heaven in Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
This is the power to represent God in everything He's called us to do. It is the power to witness the reality of God’s ability to other people not just to preach. A lot of people think it’s just for preaching or to lead people to Christ. Although this is part of it, it’s much more than that. It is the power to do all that God has called you to do. It is the power to be a better parent, power to be a better spouse, better student, the power to represent God in every way, right from your immediate environment to the ends of the earth, that is how awesome that power is. It's influence, its ability. And God says in that well, you have this power available.
It is important we have faith for these things.
The apostles were hiding out in this upper room when Jesus died but when the Holy Spirit came upon then in Acts chapter 2, the power of God came upon them and empowered them to do the extraordinary. The results of their lives were so great that Sanhedrin said “…there is something different about these people”. They all knew that they were uneducated men but they could not deny what the power of the Holy Spirit had done in their lives.
I pray in the name of Jesus that you'll be able to draw new levels of power, deeper levels of power from the wells of salvation, may experience the reality of this capital is available to you through your investment in Christ in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 12th January 2021
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about Exploring Our Heavenly Treasures. Now that we know that we have a sure Investment in heaven, we want to explore them, we want to know what these treasures are, how to make Investments and how to enjoy the returns from it. We will be looking at all these throughout this week.
Let's read from Isaiah 12 : 3 (NKJV)
Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
Also, Hebrews 6 : 9 (NKJV) says
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.
Isaiah was talking about the wells of salvation. These are wells that are filled with the treasures of salvation. The word “well” there also means a “source.” God says there is a source that brings out the benefits of salvation to us but before we access that well, we must come with joy. Joy is a major requirement for accessing the our heavenly treasures, just like your bank account requires certain verifications before you can access it.
One of the things that is important for us to know this year is that no matter what, we should not let anything steal our joy.
I heard a message many years ago by Dr Jerry Savelle that said, "If the devil cannot steal your joy, he can keep your goods". So, if you allow the devil take your joy away then he has obviously cut you off from the benefits of the wells of salvation.
There are things that follow salvation that God wants to be evident in our lives.” What are some of these things?
We see them in the book of Revelation 5 : 12 and it says;
"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
We will talk more about this later. These 7 things are heavenly treasures, I call them “Christ Capital.” These are the capital we receive for our lives in Christ. These are some of the things that are in these walls of salvation.
Jesus was teaching His disciples in John 13 : 7; he said “if you know these things, happy are you if you do them.”
Now that we are beginning to know these things, it is important we give ourselves to understanding them and practically engaging them in our lives.
God bless you.
Enjoy your week in Jesus name.
Monday 11th January 2021
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for this year and we are gradually moving on in the year and we trust God it will be a wonderful year for you in the name of Jesus.
Genesis 2:19 (NKJV) 19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
The lesson I learnt from this verse is that whatever you call someone or something is what it will be for you. It is important we are careful and deliberate in saying what God wants us to say about a situation.
He said to children of Israel in the book of Numbers 14:28 (NKJV) 28 Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:
God had told them that the promise land was a land flowing with milk and honey but they called it an evil land. The Bible called it an evil report. Why? Because they were saying something different from what God was saying. Anything we report or say that is different from what God is saying is an evil report. Therefore, it important to say what God is saying about our situation.
Call the year good, call your situation good because as you keep saying it that is what it will be for you.
Like we said earlier, all through this month we’ll be discussing “Your Sure Investment.” We want to start this year clearly with God.
This week we will focusing on “Exploring Our Heavenly Treasures.”
It is one thing to know that you have treasures in heaven and it one thing to know what it entails and how to enjoy it. It is just like having a bank account with money in it, that’s not enough. To enjoy what is available to you, you will need to know other details about the account. So, it’s not enough you know you have treasures in heaven, you need to know the nature of the treasure in your heavenly account and how you can operate it. Throughout this week, we will try to look at these things.
Let’s read Isaiah 12: 3 (NKJV)
Therefore, with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
Also let’s read Hebrews 6: 9 (NKJV)
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner.
Prophet Isaiah and the Hebrews were talking about something similar. Prophet Isaiah said there was something called the wells of salvation and to get anything out of this well which was for them, they needed joy; without joy they could not access it.
And the Book of Hebrews talks about things that accompany salvation. From these scripture, it’s clear that there are some benefits that are ours once we receive salvation.
These are some of the things we call the treasures in heavenly places and all through this week, we trust God that as we unveil them you see, understand and begin to enjoy them in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy a wonderful work week.
Sunday 10th January 2021
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today and I am sure you are enjoying yourself. Whatever time zone you are, remember today is Sunday, so you should try to make it to church either online or physically. Fellowship with others is one of the ways we make investments in our heavenly account.
We are still talking about “Your Sure Investment” and will read again from
1 Timothy 6: 17 - 19 (NLT)
17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
We spoke about this yesterday, Paul was showing us that he understood the reality of the heavenly account and he knew how to operate it.
Like we discussed yesterday, even though this verse is addressed to the materially rich, the instruction is applicable to the rich and those who are not as rich. Paul said you should not trust in your financial resources but in the living God. And this is what Jesus meant when He said “Put your trust in heaven”
He also said that God wants you to have everything for your enjoyment. He said one of the purposes of wealth is to do good and be generous to those in need, by so doing you will be laying up in store for yourself treasures in your heavenly account which is a good foundation for the future and you will also experience the eternal life of God.
Paul was explaining this to the Philippians in Philippians 4: 17 (AMP)
17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I do seek the profit which increases to your [heavenly] account [the blessing which is accumulating for you].
He said to the Philippians that he knew they gave him but all the things they were doing was actually to their account and increase that heavenly credit levels.
And then if you read Philippians 4: 19 Paul wrote that “God will supply your needs according to His riches and glory.” This is the result of properly operation your heavenly account.
Paul understood this, Jesus did and the early apostles also did and they enjoyed their reality.
I want you to settle it in your heart that no matter what is happening, there is an investment open for us in heaven. When you are a believer, there is this heavenly treasure that you can start and invest in and it comes with benefits that you can enjoy here in this world and the world to come.
I pray that God will give you great understanding in these things and you will enjoy the benefits that come with it in Jesus name.
God bless you. Enjoy your day.
Saturday 9th January 2021
A lovely weekend to you in the name of Jesus. We thank for today and I am sure you enjoying yourself.
We are still talking about “Your Sure Investment”. All we have been trying to establish in the past few days is the fact that you have an investment in heaven; that you have a heavenly treasure that is real and you can enjoy the benefits here on earth.
We trust God that you will see the reality and enjoy the benefits of your heavenly investment in Jesus name.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NLT) 17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
Now if you read this on the surface, you will think that Paul was actually talking to those that are rich alone but the instruction is applicable to everybody. He understood that there was a treasure in heaven, he understood the reality of this heavenly treasure and he gave them instructions not to trust money but rather trust in God. Why?
Nothing here on earth is secured.
He said use your resources to do good and help those who are in need. This instruction is not only for the rich, it’s for everybody. Whatever the resources you have, no matter the amount and no matter your status in life, you can still do good.
In verse 19, He said by so doing, they will be storing up in their treasure; not earthly treasures but heavenly treasure. Paul understood the reality of this account and not only did he understand it, he also showed us how to operate it.
Philippians 4:17 (AMP)
17 Not that I seek or am eager for [your] gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit [the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account].
He said he was not eager to have their seed. He just wanted their heavenly account to run and have it operational. He wanted them to enjoy the blessing of this account because he was living the reality of that. Paul later gave them the result of operating their heavenly account in Phil 4: 19 “…my God will supply all needs according to His riches and glory. Paul understood his account and he showed us that if you run ours well, we will enjoy the benefits not just in heaven but here on earth.
So, we must understand and be very determined to run this account to ultimately enjoy its benefits. And believe me, these benefits are not only for this world but the world to come.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 8th January 2020
A beautiful Friday to you in the name of Jesus and guess what, it's exactly one week into the new year. Soon it'll be one month, five months, six months into the New Year. So it means that whatever we want to do, let's get to it quickly. We are still talking about Your Sure Investment.
God has a place of security in the midst of a very unstable world. There's a place in Him- where our future can be secured and our investment in Him can be secured.
And the good thing is that these investments not just useful in heaven, we can enjoy the benefits here on Earth.
Matthew 6:19-21(NLT) “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
The Bible says on earth, our investments are open to being destroyed or being lost. It's important we understand that our investments here are not completely safe, except you store your investment in heaven. That means there's an accounting system or a storage or an investment system in heaven, and He said this treasures in heaven is safe and secure. Thieves cannot steal it. moth cannot destroy, economic issues cannot destroy it neither can government policy destroy . For where your treasure or investment is, that's where your heart and desire will be also.
If remember the time of , great economic meltdown or stock market crash, people actually took their own lives, some jump of building some, commit suicide in different ways, some went into depression, Why? Because their treasure is right here on Earth.
But Jesus said, "Even though your treasures are on earth you can secure them by backing them up in heaven".
How do you do that?
By putting your confidence in the things of God. When your confidence is in heaven, then you treasures are secure, no matter what happens here on Earth. Your treasure in heaven is backed up there and you can enjoy the benefits here on Earth.
So we understand when Jesus told this rich young ruler about this treasure in heaven, and said "...sell all the things you have and give to the poor then you would have opened an account for yourself in heaven" The man couldn't see or understand it, so he went away sorrowful.
When Peter asked Him about this heavenly investment, He explained to him and Peter knew that their future was secured and sure
Friends, there is an investment in heaven and this investment ensures everything you have on earth is safe and secure. And you can pull from it enjoy not just when you get to heaven, but right here on earth.
I pray God gives us understanding Jesus.
God bless you and enjoy your weekend.
Thursday 7th January 2020
Hello and a lovely Thursday to you the name of Jesus, we are still talking about Your Sure Investment. There is a place of security for your life and all that is important to you in God. In a world full of uncertainty, it's wise to know where our treasure will be secured, the best place for our treasures both now and in the time to come.
Mark 10:28-30(NLT)
Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said. “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life".
From the story of the rich young ruler we read yesterday, he wanted to secure his future. When Jesus told him the demand, he was sad because he saw it a risky and a loss he didn't understand the reality of the secure treasures in heaven. He misunderstood what Jesus was saying, he felt he had to be poor to follow Jesus and have eternal life.
See what happened, His disciples asked Him what they had to gain seeing they had left everything to follow Him.
Jesus responded to them saying " I can guarantee you, that it's not for nothing. I want to assure you that everyone who has given up everything for me, will receive the rewards now in this world, 100 times much more houses, relationship, property etc. is that you will receive much more 100 times, much more in this world is that. When this begin to happen, people will notice and it will result in prosecution, people will begin to say, all sorts of things about you..
But that's all, you will also have much more in this world.
That is what we mean by a Sure Investment.
Today, whether it's Peter or the other apostles, there are all sorts of things almost everywhere in the world that tied to tied, that still talks about them. Either this built in their names, books written about them or people named after them. It's a sure investment with great returns both materially spiritually and otherwise in God.
When we give everything to God, believe me is not a loss. God is, assuring you that you that there are great returns.
I pray as we begin to organise ourselves this year we'll begin to put this investment in place he way God wants us to and may we enjoy the benefits in Jesus name.
God bless you. Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 5th January 2020
A wonderful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for another day we thank God for this year, 2021, and we are moving right along in the year.
We are still talking about Your Sure Investments and we were talking about the fact that in Christ, there is a place where your investments in this life are secure. We are living in a world of uncertainties, things have become very very precarious and as human beings we need a sense of stability. And what we are learning from the Word of God this month is that there's a place in God, where the things we've committed to Him are safe and secure.
Mark 10:17- 22 (NLT)
As he went out into the street, a man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.” He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!” Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go".
This man was rich, he had a, high social standing in society. But he still felt his life was empty, so many things were not secure even though humanly speaking his life looked together. He met us and said "I need to you to help me, I want to secure my life eternally. I need to inherit eternal life.
Jesus said to him "keep the law" and he said "Master, I've kept the law and this is where am today, I still need something". Jesus then said to him " there is a treasure in heaven, a safe heavenly account, that most of you don't know about. He said "You want to secure yourself in that, sell your possession, give to the poor and you would have secured the future by investing in your heavenly account. This man understood earthly saving system, he understood earthly investment system, but this heaven thing he couldn't understand. He couldn't just imagine it. He said, "Master, I didn't know about this heavenly treasure". This was because he was blind to it's reality , so he went away sorrowful.
There is an account in heaven, there are treasures reserved in heaven, that we can actually use to better our lives on earth and that's what Jesus wanted to introduce this man to. But because he couldn't see it, he could not benefit from it and he went away sorrowful.
There are treasures available to us that is beyond what we know in this world and that is the most secure account we can put our investment in.
This man lost out because he didn’t understand it and he couldn't see it.
I pray in the name of Jesus before the end of this series God will open your eyes to see it, and how to make the investments so that you can enjoy a rich and better life full of security, both in this world and in the world to come.
God bless you enjoy the rest of your day.
Tuesday 5th January 2021
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about “Your Sure Investment.”
God is telling you that in this year 2021, He is your sure Investment. And like we’ve said right from the beginning of this teaching on the 1st of January, I want you to mark your mind and settle it in your heart that God is for you, with you and in you; that no matter what you’ve lost in 2020, God is doing a new thing in 2021.
We read in Malachi 3: 13 - 18 of how God said He will make a difference “again” in your life; that you will return and see the difference between who serves God and who doesn’t. Why?
God has opened the book of remembrance and your name is on it. Since you have chosen to honour and stay true to Him. In spite of the challenges some of us have faced, we are still serving God in truth and spirit. God will show up mightily on our behalf this year in the name of Jesus.
Don’t let fear, anxiety and worry take hold of your heart. Just stay true and faithful to God and you will see how great and mighty He will show Himself on your behalf in the name of Jesus.
We read again from where we read yesterday.
Isaiah 45: 19 (AMP)
I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the LORD, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.
God is showing Himself strong on our behalf. He is boasting in this scripture that you would not serve Him in vain. I love Cece Winans’ music a lot and there is a particular one she sang that says “He’s never failed me yet.” When you truly follow and serve God in truth and spirit, you will find out that God can be depended on. Even when it seems like things are not going the way you expected it to go, understand this that God has never and will never fail anybody and it will not start with you.
He has not failed me yet, so He will not fail you. Stay with Him and watch how great and mighty He will be on your behalf. Trust Him as your sure investment. No matter what you think you have lost in the year 2020, God will turn it around speedily for you in the name of Jesus. Let this be settled in your heart.
Mary asked the angel, Gabriel when he told her she would have a child. She said “…how will this thing happen with all the limitations in have. I have no clue how this will be possible.” She wasn’t given all the details but God still did the impossible in her life because she believed. You don’t need to know all the details just believe and watch God do the impossible in your life.
Just know God and submit yourself to Him and watch how He will turn things around for you this year in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Monday 4th January 2021
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank for you New Year.
Today is first workday of 2021. I know in some places some people are still on holiday but officially today is the first workday and I pray in the name of Jesus, your work will be different this year; you will work from a place of rest in Jesus. Your work will be productive in the name of Jesus. Promotion will attend to you in the name of Jesus. Grace will attend to the works of your hands in Jesus name!
We are talking about “Your Sure Investment” and all throughout this week I want get your mind set and spirit ready to the fact that God has great benefits for you; that it is not vain to serve God and that there are practical benefits in following Him in this world and the world to come.
Isaiah 45: 19 (AMP) says,
I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the LORD, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.
It seems our God was “boasting” about His abilities in this portion of the scripture. It’s like He was beating His chest and challenging the children of Israel of the many benefits in serving Him; that He was not calling them to a fruitless service, or to seek Him for nothing but to get them a just reward. This is what God is saying to you this year 2021.
God is beating His chest and saying no matter how challenging things are, if you walk with Him and truly serve Him in spirit and truth, He will be your sure investment. He is guaranteeing that you will in the place of losses you will experience restoration, increase and prosperity.
Some of us might be saying “if only you know how bad things have been for me.”
If you know the story of Israel, things were also very bad for them. They were kicked out of their own homeland for thousands of years, millions of them we killed under the holocaust. They still suffered many things even after returning to their homeland in 1948. But in spite of all that they have suffered, they still stand out as one of the most respectable nations in the world today. They are a living example of the Psalm that says, “you have prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemy.” They are surrounded by enemy nations but even with that, God has kept His promises to them. They are thriving and moving forward because God has said to them “…seeking Me is not in vain.”
So, if we can see that in physical nation of Israel, how much more those of us who are God’s spiritual children.
I want you to understand and settle it in your mind that this year 2021, you will enjoy God’s great benefits for you. There is a clear place where your investment in God is sure and secured.
In your walk with God this year, let it be settled. God is on your side and He will show up for you in the mighty name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Sunday 3rd January 2021
Hello and a beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus, and I still say to you, Happy New Year, and not just a Happy New Year, may it also be a New You and better You in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for how He's kept us, we thank Him for how He's watched over us bringing us into this wonderful year, 2021. This year started on a weekend and my prayer for you is that it would be a year of rest, it would be a year of relaxation, it will be a year of compensation and a year of restoration in the name of Jesus.
Throughout this month January we'll be talking about “Your Sure Investment”.
The year, 2020 was challenging for a lot of people in so many ways and a lot of people suffered losses in one way or the other. We trust God that this year, as you understand that you have a Sure Investment with God and you play along with these rules, we'll see restoration in every way, in the name of Jesus. Like we said at the beginning of this series, if there's anything I want you to settle early and mark your mind with, it is the fact that there are practical benefits in this world and in the world to come in serving God. If you serve Him in spirit and truth, there are great benefits. And believe me, heaven’s rewards are your most secure investment.
Malachi 3:13-18(NLT)
“You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
What the Holy Spirit is saying here through the Prophet Malachi is that God never forgets His own.
Yes, some of us might have said “Oh we've made losses, things have been so bad in 2020, all the promise of God did not come to pass, we've suffered losses. What's the benefit in serving God? Even the wicked people that don't serve God are having a better life.” But God said "…you will again, this year see the difference in your life, as you commit to God, as you lead your family truthfully, and in spirit to serve Him. God will shock you in the name of Jesus. He said, it will be clear, that you are His special treasure. A book of remembrance is opened before God and if you're truly serving Him, your name is in there.
Watch what He'll do. Like they say, God is blessing your socks of this year!
Get ready be expectant and watch what my wonderful father would do for you.
God bless you, and have a lovely day.
Saturday 2nd January 2021
Hello and a beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus, and I think it's still right to say Happy New Year. We thank God for this year, 2021.
Yesterday we said we'll be talking about "Your sure investment" we'll be talking about that all throughout this month of January. What we want you to understand is this; no matter how challenging the year 2020 has been, people have experienced so many difficulties, they’ve experienced losses in businesses, in their personal lives, some even lost loved ones. What I want you to understand is that God has a sure future, a sure investment for you. There is a place in God where everything you have is safe and secure; yes, there might be uncertainties on earth but in God there is safety and there is sure investment for you.
We'll go on this morning and read Malachi 3:13-18 (NLT)
“You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? From now on we will call the arrogant blessed. For those who do evil get rich, and those who dare God to punish them suffer no harm.’” Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”
I believe one of the things God's going to do this year for those who know how to walk with Him, is that He's going to show that there are practical benefits in serving God, both in this world and in the world to come. Some have said “What are the benefits in serving God”? So what exactly is the benefit of serving You. Those who don't serve You are living well, getting rich, they dare You and nothing happens. But God said "I'm your sure investments", I have opened up the book of remembrance, all your names are written there. You are my special treasure and you will know that there are practical benefits for those who truly walk with Me.
I want us to stay focused on this study and you'll see how God indeed is our strong tower and backbone, our loving Father that brings great restoration in your life.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 1st January 2021
Praise God! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!!
We thank God for bringing us into the year 2021. Today is the 1st of January, 2021 and it is a Friday. We just thank God for His grace and help.
It is as if the world and structure of time just knew that the whole year 2020 had been a challenging one, so it is starting the new year on a Friday - a weekend. And you know, we normally say “Thank God it is Friday” because people usually see Friday as a time for them to relax and get refreshed over the weekend.
In fact, Medical science says most people that have heart attack is usually have it on Mondays because it’s the beginning of the work week, people are always tensed and this situation can have adverse effects on the body, but people feel more relaxed on Fridays.
So, I pray in the name of Jesus as we are starting this new year, 2021 on a Friday, may it be a season of rest, peace, recreation and refreshments for you. May it be a season of thanksgiving all through for you in the name of Jesus. 2020 was very challenging in so many ways particularly because of the pandemic and the many effects of that but we thank God that we are alive and well to see this year 2021.
All through January 2021 we will be looking at “Your Sure Investment.”
A lot of people experienced losses in 2020, financially, relationally, and in many other areas and that can be quite painful, but there is a place in God where you and the things you treasure are secured.
A lot of us don’t know that our walk with God is “Relational” in the sense that there is a bonding part of it, it is “Transformational” in the sense that there is something in God that brings changes to our life. And then, there is also a transactional part of our relationship with God.
What do I mean by a transactional part? It is like a business transaction where based on what we do, God does things in return. This is where we see the law of sowing and reaping.
When we bring these three aspects things together, it makes our relationship with God strong, balanced and robust. So, throughout the month of January, we will be looking at how we can have our investment in God secured.
“Your Sure Investment – what exactly do we mean?
It means the Return on our investment into the things of God is guaranteed.
One of the things I want us to know clearly in this month of January and settled permanently is that there are huge benefits in serving God.
The Bible says in Isaiah 45:19 (AMP)
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a corner of the land of darkness; I did not call the descendants of Jacob [to a fruitless service], saying, Seek Me for nothing [but I promised them a just reward]. I, the Lord, speak righteousness (the truth—trustworthy, straightforward correspondence between deeds and words); I declare things that are right.
I want you to know very early and settle it in your heart; mark your mind and spirit with it that there are practical benefits in serving God.
It is not a loss; it is not pain. There are great benefits and you will see that in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Happy New Year!
We will enjoy our time together this year in Jesus name.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
A wonderful Thursday to you in the name of Jesus. Today is Thursday the 31st of December, 2020, the very last day of this year.
We are grateful to God for giving us life, for giving us peace, for giving us joy, for His grace and showing us His mercy, and we are thankful to you too. To our friends, our loved ones and everyone out there that make up this whole world together. Sometimes we understand ourselves, sometimes we have misunderstandings, sometimes we fight sometimes we hug. That's what living together is all about. We thank you all for everything.
As I've said most of this week, let us take time to show appreciation and thanksgiving to the people who have been there for us.
1 Corinthians 16:18 in the (AMP)
18 For they gave me respite from labor and rested me and refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Deeply appreciate and thoroughly know and fully recognize such men.
Romans 16:3-4 (NLT)
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.
Paul said this concerning Aquila and Priscilla, he didn't say I'm thankful to God for them, which is not wrong. He said, I am thankful to them. It's important we learn and practice appreciating people.
I don't know how it is not other parts of the world but here in Nigeria, when people die, one of the events put together for the dead is called “Celebration of Life”. As commendable as this is, I don't think we need to wait for people to die before we celebrate them, we can celebrate their life while they are alive. Let's not lose this time and opportunity to appreciate people.
I am rich and blessed because of the relationships that God has put around me. In the Yoruba language they say “Eniyan ni aso mi” that is people are my covering or people cover, shield and love me.
I’m grateful to my team at work, and all the teams I work with.
And I want to say a huge thank you to my family. I've been blessed with a wonderful, wonderful family. I love and enjoy family time I love to sit down with my family. I love to play with them, we gist we fight but I'm grateful for my family - my lovely wife Modupe, she's my childhood friend and my lovely wife for almost 20 years, my lovely girls, Molayo and Adeoluwa. Molayo helps with my writing, Adeoluwa comes to check on me. And when I'm in my study working and I say “…please I don't want noise”, they keep it all quiet.
I'm very grateful for my team - Pastor K, Pastor Yinka, Iyayi, all of them, I have a wonderful church I pastor, extremely supportive people, I love you all!
My brother, my sisters, my mother (she worries and prays for me a lot. I tell her the prayer and worry combination is interesting)
I'm very grateful to all those people who care so much as to notice when there is a strain in my voice, and sleepy eyes - Yemisi like Biodun Kolawole and many others, thank you. I am grateful to all my friends and mentors. I'm grateful for the love and favour I enjoy, I'm grateful to you. You have made life worth living.
I can't call all the names but from my heart, I want to appreciate all of you. And I trust God that we'll do great and mighty things together in the year, 2021.
We are crossing over in victory, we are crossing over victoriously and whatever has been lost in 2020, we'll get multiple folds in 2021 in Jesus name.
Let's reach out to those we love, let them know you love them and celebrate their lives. And let's see what great things God will do with us together.
God bless you and have a wonderful, wonderful day.
Praise God and a wonderful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still saying “ Thank You” .
It important in our own life that we say thank you to people who have been with us and made a difference in our life.
Yes, it is important to thank God but He also made it clear that it is important we appreciate and thank people too.
1 Corinthians 16 : 18 (AMP)
For they gave me respite from labor and rested me and refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Deeply appreciate and thoroughly know and fully recognize such men.
Romans 16 : 3 - 4 (NLT)
3 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus. 4 In fact, they once risked their lives for me. I am thankful to them, and so are all the Gentile churches.
So, we are seeing the importance of appreciating people. In fact if we read from Romans 16 in the New Living Translation of the Bible, it is titled “Paul greeting his friends.” From Romans 16 : 1 - 16, Paul was just appreciating his friends in different places, churches and countries for how they’ve helped and supported his ministry.
It is important to recognize and appreciate the people that help and support us as we pursue our dreams.
I have a team that have made this Daily Voice Devotional and and I truly appreciate them. Femi Olaiya started this with me. He called me sometime in the year said the Daily Voice Devotional could be a blessing to more people if we turned it into a Podcast and he made it happen.
The touching thing for me was that sometime in December, Femi had a health challenge and had to be in the hospital for a while and Biodun who wasn't task was was our social media engagement took over and we just ran with it. Most people wouldn’t even have noticed. Femi in spite of his condition was still checking in to be sure everything was fine. I also want to thank Joseph, Tobi and Molayo for helping out with the writing too.
Thank you to all our partners who support us financially, It costs us money to do these things. Some people are shocked when I tell them how much it cost us to do this on different platforms and on radio. I also want to say thank you to you that listen and read DVD with Niyi Adekunle you are helping us make a difference.
Thank you to our dear subscribers in different cities and countries. Believe me we are in every single continent; I saw nations like Guam, Vietnam and a place called French Polynesia, I had never heard of the place before until I went to read about it. We have subscribers in Israel, Indonesia, USA, Japan, Philippines, Ukraine, Benin Republic, Nigeria, the UK, Ireland, Colombia, Russia, Germany, Canada, Australia and many more, we are grateful to all of you.
It is not just my story; it is our story and I want to once more say a big “Thank You” to all of you for making this happen.
May God send you timely help, may God refresh your soul in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for today and we thank God as we’re gradually drawing to the end of the year.
We’re still saying thank you though we’re appreciating God we still want to say thank you to you, to the people around us who have made life so different, who have made life wonderful and worth living, who have been with us through thick and thin we want to say a big thank you to them. Yesterday we spoke on how God loves to be appreciated, God loves us to thank Him and we created in His image and likeness and since God loves to be appreciated it’s just natural that human beings would love to be appreciated too. We also read in 1 John 4:20 and it spoke about if we claimed that we love God who we don’t hear and we don’t see people would say we’re lying; so if we’re claiming to appreciate and thank a God we don’t see and we don’t love people that we see then we’re lying.
It is important we learn to say thank you and sometimes in this culture saying thank you is one of the most difficult things to do but it is important to say thank you and it is important to appreciate people.
We’re going to read 1 Corinthians 16: 18(amplified)
They have refreshed my spirit as well as yours. So fully acknowledge such men and deeply appreciate them. (New Century Version )
They have refreshed my spirit and yours. You should recognize the value of people like these. Sometimes these people aren’t the high and mighty they’re just normal, simple people, but no matter what it is important to appreciate that have brought refreshing into our souls, joy to our lives, that have stood by us.
It’s in the bible that God shows us it’s important to appreciate people and Paul in his letters wrote so many people’s names that were blessings to him and he appreciated them. Other things I feel we should practice for the next few days is to write it down or keep a mental note of people you need to call up, send messages or meet and say thank you.
Thank you for standing with me, thank you for making this year different, thank you for all you’ve done this gear 2020.
Jesus was talking in Matthew 25 from verse 35 and He talked about how He was sick and no one checked on Him, He was hungry and no one fed Him, He was naked and no one clothed Him. Then the people asked when this happened and in verse 40 He said if you’ve done these things to the least if these my brothers and sisters then you’ve done it to me and the lesson I learnt there was that the way we treat people is the way you treat God. So if you express love and show kids to people Jesus says you’re doing that to Him.
Let us go out today and appreciate people, let us tell them thank you and they add value to our lives, people that have brought rest to our soul, people that have stood by us through thick and thin. Even Jesus at the last supper He told His disciples in Luke 22 that you’re the ones who have stood with me in my time of challenges and because of this just as my Father has appointed me a kingdom I appreciate you by appointing you a kingdom also.
So let’s go out and say thank you to people, appreciate them, thank you for their service, let them know you appreciate and love them.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
As the year gradually comes to an end in a matter of few days, it is important that we say a BIG THANK YOU to God and to those who He has used to bless us in one way or the other through the year.
Make it a point of duty to identify such people today and say "Thank You" to them
Have a great day.
Hello and a beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for everything and I hope you’ve not been enjoying the Christmas holidays. It is important during this time to spread love, to be thankful or show kindness.
We’re still talking about “In all things and For all things”.
Let’s read Romans 8:28 (NLT)
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
That is the mystery behind Thanksgiving, that’s why in all things and for all things we can give thanks because as we do that God causes everything to work out for the good of those who love Him and walk in His purpose.
If you love Him you’ll not complain, you’ll not murmur against Him. Yes, you will have times in your life when you don’t know what is going on. You might not have all the answers but you can say like Paul said, “I know Him in whom I have believed…”. No matter how dark the clouds are, no matter how bad the situation is; because I love God and He loves me more, and I am in His purpose. He will make everything work together for my good. Let’s share this message to all those round. It’s a challenging time for a number of people. Let’s help people understand that as long as we walk in love, walk in faith and stay off complaining and murmuring and watch how God will make all things work out for our good.
Share the good news of Jesus and spread the love of God. This year, God will work everything out for us and cause the year 2021 to be the most glorious year in the name of Jesus.
Go around and fill your space with the voice of Thanksgiving. You know the way the whole news of negativity has gone round? Make it a duty to fill your space with the voice of thanksgiving, with the voice of God’s goodness and sound of victory, encourage those around you to do the same and watch the mighty wave of thanksgiving and gratitude go round our world.
God bless you and enjoy your day
Hello and a beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
It’s still Christmas season and today is Boxing Day. It’s not “fighting” day or a day to begin to punch ourselves. It is Boxing Day.
Do you know what Boxing Day is all about?
Boxing Day is about gifts and presents. You put your gifts in boxes; if you have a Christmas tree you can put the boxes under the tree and open them on Boxing Day. Boxing Day is a day of presents and I pray in the name of Jesus as we celebrate Boxing Day, you will have loads of good things from God in the name of Jesus.
The Bible says in Psalm 68:19 that God daily loads us with benefits or gifts. So with God, every day is Boxing Day. But the world celebrates today as Boxing Day remembering the season as one of sharing and spreading love.
As we continue this celebration season today, it is important we remember that some countries, some people are in a lockdown and don’t have the freedom to do the things they will normally this season, our prayers and heart are with you. Irrespective of the situation we are in, let’s be grateful and spread joy of life! Spread loads of good wishes around and let it be a wonderful time to remember
Deuteronomy 28: 47 - 48 (NKJV)
47 “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything,
48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.
This scripture shows us the danger of ingratitude.
When we do not recognize, appreciate and celebrate the goodness of God, when we are not thankful of God’s goodness - “for the abundance of everything,” then we open ourselves to pain, trouble, sickness and diseases.
Really, it is not that sends evil against people, God simply allows it because people open themselves up to these things with ingratitude. In the midst of all the things going on around us, I know there are lots of challenging things going on, but in spite of that, we can still be thankful.
Yesterday, I was happy that in spite of all the challenges, the place lit up, I saw pictures, Christmas decorations and all that.
The light of God is still shining; the hearts of people are still longing for goodness and I am happy that we have not allowed the corona virus and “pandemic” cloud the joy of this season out.
So, let’s send the gift love out; if you cannot send physical boxes, send joy all around the world. Appreciate God for your family, loved ones and friends. Thank God for the things you’ve eaten and the things you are not able to eat. Appreciate God for everything.
Why?
In all things and for all things we can give thanks.
Trust God that it will be a wonderful season for you and that you will close the year in a great way in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Hello and a merry Christmas to you in the matchless name of Jesus Christ.
We thank God for today. We thank God for another Christmas season. Corona virus or no corona virus, Jesus is the reason for the season. We thank Him because He is bigger that corona virus. Before corona virus, He was there, after corona virus, He will still be there. Before we were there, He was there, after we are long gone, He will still be there. So we can rejoice and be glad no matter what because Jesus still Reigns.
We want to thank God for life. We want to thank Him for this season and I trust God that no matter what is happening, He will storm your life with His peace, love and joy in the name of Jesus.
Rise and shine; let the voice of thanksgiving and praise flow out from you to others in the name of Jesus.
Luke 2: 7 - 10 (NLT)
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
I don’t know where you are today, I don’t know what time of the day it is where you are but guess what; there is joy and peace for you. Don’t be afraid! I want to assure you just as the angel reassured the shepherds when they were afraid and confused at their presence. God is for you and things are working for your good in the name of Jesus.
The angel said “I bring you good news of great joy”. That’s God’s plan for you no matter what is happening.
Now, if you go to the beginning of the story, you will find out that the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth was very questionable. The Son of God was going to be born and there was no space for Him, no room available in the inns, nobody even offered their house!
Guess where Jesus was born. The Saviour of world he was born in a manger where animals were kept- donkeys, sheep, goats and all that.
As He was being born, angels were not singing. It didn’t look wonderful and I am sure in the midst of that, people would have been saying “why didn’t God send the angel to make space for Him, why didn’t the angel act as midwives and all that?”
Simple, God chose to identify with people in their lowest estate.
God loves to identify with human beings and He brought Himself as low as possible to let us know that no matter how low you go and how bad things gets, He can identify with you. And from that place He rose up to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and Two thousand years later, we are still talking about Him.
With the many controversies around her, Mary never complained. It was her first child, God’s Son that was born in a manger but she didn’t complain. The shepherds were keeping their sheep on that cold night and in that situation God still came and identified them.
This Christmas season I want you to know that God is identifying with you; no matter how great you are, no matter how low you are, no matter the situation. God is identifying with you and He wants you to know and be assured that you don’t have to be afraid of the future. Only “good” will happen to you.
In all things, for all things, you can give thanks.
You know why?
God has got your back covered.
God bless you and keep you.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Hello and a beautiful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today. Today is Christmas eve and I pray Christmas will be a great experience for us in spite of the Covid 19 situation in Jesus name.
In all things and for all things we will always give thanks.
Isaiah 60:1-2(NKJV):
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
God is saying in the world, a time will come when there’ll be darkness and things will be challenging and if you look at it the year 2020 has been like that.
Russell Nelson spoke about the pandemic in the world and other problems. Problems of hatred, selfishness, human betrayal, inequality and all other things that plague mankind. As we remember Christmas it’s easy to recount our woes instead of focusing and counting our blessings
Yes there’s a lot of trouble in our world but we can still thank God in the midst of this..Some are in the hospital, some are sick, some are dead, some are homeless even before COVID 19 outbreak
Last Christmas myself and my girls went to give out food to the poor and they were shocked at the level of human suffering they saw on Christmas Day!
I made them understand that it had always been there. That's why the bible is telling us to arise beyond the darkness, get up, shine the light. Don’t let any form of darkness cloud the goodness of God out of your life.
Don’t recount curses, loses and pain, count your blessings because God has been good to you.
In this season as we begin to remember Christmas count your blessings. Arise, don’t talk about dark, shine the light and share it around the world, let’s make this Christmas lovely and merry.
God bless you.
Merry Christmas and have a lovely day.
Hello and a wonderful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus and compliments of the season to you!
We want to thank God for everything because through Christ, in everything and for everything, we can give thanks. That’s what we are talking about all through this week. You can release and unleash the miraculous power of thanksgiving and I pray that will be your experience in the name of Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5: 18 (NLT)
18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5: 20 (NLT)
20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The simple lesson here is this; no matter the situation, you can give thanks to God.
There is a story in John 9; Jesus and his disciples had gone into the city and they saw a man who was born blind. The disciples said “what sin made this man blind from birth?” And Jesus said it’s not this man’s sin nor his parent’s but that the glory and power of God will be seen in the man’s life. Jesus then performed the work of God on his life displaying His power and this act healed the man’s blindness. When this happed it resulted in praise, adoration, appreciation and thanks giving to God. t wasn’t so much about how he got there; it was that even in the midst of a bad situation, God can bring His glorious work out. And that is why he says that for everything, you can give thanks.
We’ve been talking about the story Russell Nelson the 96-year-old man from whose life we are learning some lessons about The Power of Thanksgiving.
He spoke about the losses he had experienced, lives lost during operation he did as a surgeon, the death of his wife and the death of his two daughters to cancer and how painful it was. In fact, you can hear the quiver in his voice as he recounted these experiences. Yet, in the midst of all this, he was able to find reasons to be thankful in that whole experience. He said something in the video that that was quite profound. He said that in the midst of trials, we can find things to be thankful for as we learn new things.
The psalmist put it this way Psalms 119:71 (NKJV)
“71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.”
In the midst of the challenges of your life, what lessons have you learnt?
As human beings, sometimes we don’t learn until we go through some challenging and difficult experiences. That is not God’s plan or what He wants but sometimes as human beings, we just don’t learn until we get through these things. But, the lesson is this; in every situation give thanks no matter what.
I pray the Lord will open your eyes, whatever the situation may be, and help you see the seed of thanksgiving and plant them in your heart, mouth and begin to give thanks and rejoice. Do this and watch how God will transform things in your life.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day!
A beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for today and we thank God for the gift of life it’s an exciting week. We’re in the week of Christmas!! And we thank God for how he has kept us in a very challenging year. But in spite of the challenges we have still enjoyed His goodness and mercy, for which we are very grateful.
Throughout this week we’ll be talking about “ In all things and for All things”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 5: 20 (NLT)
And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God wants us to give thanks in every situation, in every circumstance and for everything.
A couple of days ago one of our listeners, a father figure that I fondly call " Baba Bolo" sent me a video message from the President of the Latter- Day Saints, Russell Nelson. In the vedio he spoke about The Healing Power of Gratitude
While listening to that video I learnt many lessons from the things things.
Mr Nelson is an accomplished scientist, a medical doctor, a heart surgeon. He describes himself as a man of science and a man of faith. He spoke about the reality of science when it comes to health challenges of our world and he also spoke about the realities of faith. He spoke about the ills of our world, the pandemic, racism, unforgiveness and the likes.
He said he said both science and faith agree to The healing power of gratitude.
When you have a grateful heart, the healing power of gratitude begins to flow through in your life,
Throughout this week we’ll be taking lessons in gratitude from this 96 year old man. If you listen to his story you’ll find out that in his life he was able to thank God in everything and for everything.
I don’t know what your situation is today, I don’t know what you’re going through right now, nor do I know what you’ve gone through before. But let’s settle this: in all things and for all things we can give thanks. When we do, we'll experience how the Mystery of Thanksgiving turns things around.
God bless you enjoy the rest of your week.
We thank God for this beautiful Sunday, we thank God for what God is doing and we thank God for life. We thank God for his goodness; His love, the sun, rain and weather. Why? It is by His goodness and mercy; it is not our right. God is good and He does good to us.
All through this week, we’ve been talking about “Thankful in Little, Thankful in Much.” If you want to see God lift you up and do great things in your life, show yourself thankful in little things. A heart that is grateful in little, will naturally be grateful in much.
Like I said earlier, this is all about change of levels.
Luke 16:10-12 NLT
“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
God was simply showing us the secret of lifting; the secret of going up and being entrusted with more- be grateful for the little. Your attitude to little shows your attitude to much.
And we’ve seen in the life of David and his son Solomon, how God just kept lifting them.
As we close this year, we know some people have experienced great losses and challenges this year but understand that with God all things are possible. God can lift you no matter how low you’ve fallen this year, no matter how bad this year has been; God can lift you up beyond your wildest dreams.
He took Joseph, a common prisoner, from the dungeon, right down there, he took him all the way up to become a prime minister in the same land he was a slave and a prisoner.
Why?
Joseph was a grateful man. He never complained about his situation.
1 Chronicles 17:7-8
7 “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!
What a legacy!
This is the legacy for those who are grateful in little. God secures their lives forever. This is what God was saying about the life of David.
David was grateful in little and in much, he had grateful heart and God never forgot him. God gave him a lasting legacy. God said “I took you from nothing and made something out of you, but even more, I will make your name famous and you will never be forgotten on the earth. King David is still a celebrated in Israel and around the world today.
You see, when we live this way, with a heart of gratitude all the time, we cannot but be lifted continually.
Yes, you may have challenges from time to time but God’s mighty hands, His power, glory and wisdom will always be seen in them. And all that working together will naturally boost and build you up.
Give your life to celebration, appreciation and thanksgiving for the little things and naturally, you will see how God will bring those big things continually in your life.
God bless you.
Enjoy your Sunday.
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We trust God that you are enjoying your day. As we begin to draw close to the end of the month and the beginning of a new year, we cannot but give thanks to God for all that He has done.
We are still talking about “Thankful in Little, Thankful in Much”.
If you are thankful in little, that act of gratitude naturally makes you thankful in much and we’ve been looking at the life of David, the secret of his divine lifting and how he was able to pass it down to his descendants. Those who learnt the lesson enjoyed the same lifting that David enjoyed.
1 king 3: 7 - 9 (NLT)
7 “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.
8 And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!
9 Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”
After the death of David, there was this tussle of who would be the next king. One of his son, Adonijah, who felt he was accomplished; had a sense of entitlement and felt it was his right to be king. But God chose the little and inexperienced Solomon to be the king after his father.
Somehow, Solomon had learnt a number of things from his father, David one of the things he learnt was that he was a nobody without God.
He offered this great sacrifice and God came to him in the night and said “...ask Me whatever you want and I will give it to you”.
The young man said “I am king today and I know I don’t deserve it. I am a little child, inexperienced but I am grateful for what You’ve done for me. What I ask is that you give me an understanding heart so I can rule your people”.
His request pleased God; he lifted Solomon and made him the wisest, the richest king. Other kings were coming to him, nations were coming to him and under Solomon the boundaries of Israel increased.
Why?
Just like his father, he was grateful in little and God gave him much. Adonijah his elder brother, who had a sense of entitlement lost out completely.
When we have a false sense of entitlement and think that God owes us and we don’t thank Him for little things, God just puts us aside.
In Matthew 5, the beatitudes, Jesus said “blessed are the poor in spirit...”. The poor in spirit is not about material poverty. It is the heart that depends on God. Once you are always dependent on God, you will naturally thank Him for everything.
So we see how God lifted Solomon. He had that grateful heart and dependence spirit. He was grateful for every little thing that God did for him.
It's by God mercy and grace; he doesn’t owe us anything, so for every little thing you get from Him, learn to thank and celebrate Him and watch how He will respond by lifting us continuously.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
A beautiful day to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for today, Friday. We look forward to a lovely weekend in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about “Thankful in little, Thankful in much”. We have been looking at one of the secret behind the greatness of King David and his family.
David was a man who enjoyed divine lifting; God picked him up as a common shepherd boy, he became an assistant to the king, a mighty warrior and later the a king. Today David is remembered as one of the greatest Kings of Israel because he understood the secret of divine lifting and how God changes a man’s level from one level of glory to another. That secret is ability to see God and appreciate God for everything and in everything
When God was talking about this man David, He said"I have found a man after my heart". He’s after who I am, he thanks Me not just for the things I give him but.
When we learn the secret of thanking God no matter whether in little things and in big things we’ll see how God begins to lift us, it becomes a chain of unending lifting. May that be your experience in Jesus’ name.
1 Chronicles 29:13-14(NLT)
“O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!
God had told David about a tabernacle to be built for Him. David had shed too much blood so chose his son Solomon to build it.
But he decided to give things they would need for the building.
David was a man saw God in everything and saw God as everything in his life. Everything he gave he gave because of his love for God and he knew it all came from God in the first place.
David saw God in everything and he thanked Him for everything because he knew God was the maker of everything. As a result of this, God kept lifting him.
Thank Him for your position, thank Him for what you have, for what you give, for what has been given to you. Thank Him for everything.
Don’t forget it's all by His grace and mercy, they are divine benefits from Him and as you do that in little and much, you’ll see how He’ll keep lifting you.
God bless you and enjoy your weekend.
A lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for everything. We are still talking about "Thankful in little, Thankful in much". We got that from Luke 16 where Jesus said, “he that is faithful in little will be faithful in much”.
That you are thankful with the little things, is the qualifier for the next phase and the next level.
You want God to do something in your life; you want Him to lift you, thenbe thankful for where you are today.
A young man in church told me about something they call “Hammer”. He said when people hit it big, it means “I don hammer” in pidgin English. If you want to “hammer” big in life, begin by thanking God for the little “hammers”. Somebody also said, “big shots are little shots that didn’t stop shooting”. When you begin to thank God for those little things, you will see how they begin to gather up and become big things.
As I studied the life of David over the years, I found out that this was the secret of his life. Not just David’s life; it became something that he passed down his lineage.
The ability to thank God for the seemingly little things, to have a heart of appreciation and never trivialise anything God has done.
2 Samuel 7: 18 - 19 (NLT)
18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
God was talking to King David and he was talking to him about the things He has done and things He will do for him later. David began to talk to God in appreciation and said “Lord you’ve done so much already and I cannot thank you enough. I know where you’ve brought me from and seen how far you’ve brought me and still, you are talking of many more things you want to do for me. Is this the way you treat everybody”?
And you know what? The answer is NO! That's not the way God treats everybody. Why?
Because that's not the way everybody relates with God. David thanked God for every single thing in is life.
When he sinned and got forgiven, he thank God.
When things were tough, he thanked God. And because of that, God kept lifting him.
He said, “Lord, is this the way you treat everybody”?
No.
But He'll love to treat everybody that way, if we all can have a truly thankful heart.
You want God to keep lifting you, to treat you like He treated David? Then thank Him like David did.
Somewhere in the book of Psalms it says “Seven times a day I will thank God”.
Thank God for everything and watch how He will keep lifting.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful day to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today and we thank God for all He has been doing for us.
We are still talking about “Thankful in Little, Thankful in Much”
If you are thankful in little, you are thankful in much. It’s about the state of your being and not a function of size. If you are a thankfu person, you'll always be thankful be it with little orwith much.
Like we said a few days ago; some people say “the reason why I am not thankful is because I am waiting for that big breakthrough God will give me. Then you will see I grateful and thankful I can be. All these little things happening is not what I need, I have great needs and I need a major breakthrough”.
Like I said before, God is already checking and testing you with the little He has done for you. The attitude you show with that little is exactly what you will with much.
What are the "little things" we can be thankful for?
The Psalmist gives us an idea.
Psalm 103: 1 - 5 (NKJV)
1 Bless athe Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who cheals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that eyour youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
God says do not forget all His benefits and there are so many benefits we get from Him - little and big benefits. Whatever benefits you get from God, don't ever forget them. Thank Him for those benefits.
He says “who forgives your iniquities (sin)”.
We need to thank Him for the blood of Jesus that cleanses and forgives us.
He said “who heals all your diseases” Be it rashes, sore throat, cancer, HIV, corona virus? Whatever it is, He is the God that heals - thank Him! He is the God that heals, no matter the kind of disease.
"who redeems your soul from destruction"
He's the one who saves you from trouble; the ones you know about and the ones you don’t know about, on the road, in the air, on the sea, on the land, whatever it is. He is the one who protects you and ensures you come out of trouble.
"who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercy"
He's the one who allows people show you love when you don’t deserve it, even when you have done wrong He shows you mercy. We can thank Him for that every single day.
And verse 5 says “who satisfies your mouth with good things”.
Thank Him for things you have to eat and drink. Thank Him for the things that comes out of your mouth words, the songs etc .
Thank Him for the things He satisfies your mouth with and for renewing your wings like an eagle.
There are so many things to praise God for if we really think about it.
When you thank Him for those little things, you set up yourself for greater things.
As you do this, watch how God will keep changing your level higher and higher.
God bless and keep you.
Have a lovely day.
A beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus, we thank God for everything. We’re still talking about “Thankful in little, Thankful in much” if you’re thankful in little you’ll naturally be thankful in much.
Let’s read again from Luke
Luke 16:10-12 (NCV)
10 Whoever can be trusted with a little can also be trusted with a lot, and whoever is dishonest with a little is dishonest with a lot. 11 If you cannot be trusted with worldly riches, then who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you cannot be trusted with things that belong to someone else, who will give you things of your own?
What Jesus is telling us here is that the things we’re doing with the little things, little opportunities we have today is a determiner of what we’ll do with bigger things. If you want God to trust you with bigger things let Him see what you’re doing with little things.
If you’re trustworthy in little, you’ll be trustworthy in a lot; meaning that what you’re doing with the little you have is the same thing you’ll do with a lot. Understand this, you’re already in class going through a test, God is already marking you based on how you’re showing appreciation for the opportunities you have today.
If you remember in Luke 17 the story about the ten lepers, they cried out to Jesus and he said “Go and show yourselves to the priest…” and on their way they were healed. One of them who happened to be a Samaritan turned back and came to thank Jesus. Jesus then asked were there not ten of you that were healed, where are the other nine? Are you the only one that has come to give thanks to God? Then He said to him don’t “…you are now made whole”. His gratitude for the “little healing” he received made God perfected all that concerned him, He made him whole. Be grateful for the so called little things.
The Psalmist says,
Psalm 145:2 (NKJV)
Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
If you look at your life, there is always something to thank God for everyday.
I remember many years ago I heard my friend’s father say a prayer when we traveled together. I had never heard that kind of prayer said before then. He said “Lord we want to thank you for the miracle of sleeping and waking up”. I thought about it and realized he was right. Believe me it is a miracle that we sleep and wake up and we should be thankful for that. There are people that can’t sleep and need pills or a machine to make them sleep. There are people that slept and didn’t wake up.
There are so many seemingly little things you can be thank for every single day and when you understand this, everyday will be a day of Thanksgiving.
You want to see good things happen in your life, you want to move to the next level? Then be thankful for the little you’re seeing today, be thankful for the “tiny blessings” you receive evryday and watch how God will lift you up.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
A wonderful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for a beautiful day and a glorious month of December. I trust God that our eyes that have seen the beginning of this month will see the end in Jesus name. God Who has brought us through this far, will take us through in a wonderful way entering into the year 2021 in the name of Jesus.
Luke 16:10 -12 (NCV)
10 Whoever can be trusted with a little can also be trusted with a lot, and whoever is dishonest with a little is dishonest with a lot.
11 If you cannot be trusted with worldly riches, then who will trust you with true riches?
12 And if you cannot be trusted with things that belong to someone else, who will give you things of your own?
What is the Bible saying here? What is Jesus talking about here?
He is talking about life and stewardship. That whatever you do with little is the same thing you will do with much. Your level of commitment to little is the same commitment to much.
So, if you are faithful and trustworthy with little, you will be trustworthy with much. What you are doing with little is already telling what you will do with much.
Throughout this week, we will be talking about “Thankful in Little, Thankful in Much”.
If you are thankful in little, you will naturally be thankful in much.
I know so many people that have said “what have the Lord done for me; there is nothing fantastic or out of the ordinary. When He begins to do great things for me, you will see how thankful I will be”.
Guess what? God is already checking and testing you out; He is already seeing what you will with a lot. If you cannot thank God for the little you think He has done: if you cannot thank Him for the little money, you will not be thankful with a lot of money. If you are not thankful for a little opportunity, you will not be thankful for a great opportunity. If you cannot thank God for healing a headache, you cannot thank God for healing cancer.
Why?
It is the simple act of thanksgiving; you either have the attitude of thanksgiving or you don’t.
I pastor a church and I remember many years ago, I met one of my mentors who also happened to be a pastor. He told me “everything around you cannot go down at the same time”. Some things will be going up and maybe some things will be going down”.
Then he said, “there will always be something to be thankful about”. He said “maybe your service attendance numbers didn’t increase but somebody gave his/her life to Christ, so be thankful for that. Maybe your offerings were not much but then the message blessed somebody, be thankful for that”. You must always be thankful for something; no matter how little it is.
Years ago as a teenager I learnt a lesson that can never leave me. My dad was talking to somebody who had done something wrong and he said “if the little that is done for you is appreciated, it will encourage the person to do much more.
If you are grateful and thankful for the little you received from somebody, the person is encouraged to do much more.
You want to see God do much more?
Be thankful for the "little things" He's done; they call it "mercy drops". But you know, these mercy drops can actually save your life.
So, let’s take time; think of those "little things". Don’t ever take those things for granted.
When you are thankful in little, you will be thankful in much.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
A beautiful Sunday to you in the name of Jesus. All this week we’ve been talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”. The deeper you think the easier and the better your thanksgiving will be. And like we said yesterday thanksgiving is good for you; it’s not for God’s benefit it’s good for you. It opens your heart it opens your mind, it allows the forces of grace, the forces of life, the forces of change to flow out if your life and change your life.
Today we’ll be read from Philippians 1:3(NLT) and (NKJV).
3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. (NLT)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, (NKJV)
Notice the connection between thinking and thanking in the bible verse. The better you think the easier you thank, that is the direct connection. We also see that the better we remember things, the easier and the better it is to give thanks.
Sometimes when we’ve gone through the challenges of life, we forget all about what God has done and all He’s doing for us. It’s important we take advantage of our memory and use it in the face of life’s challenges. Why?
There is a direct connection between Thanksgiving and thinking.
If we forget the things God has done for us, then we forget His grace, His power and His ability in our lives. Sometimes it is possible for us to forget, but that’s why the Holy Spirit is there to help us remember. It is interesting that one of the assignments Jesus says the Holy Spirit performs in our lives is to remind us of things.
John 14:26 (NKJV) 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
It’s not only the things He has said that the Spirit reminds us of, He also reminds us of the things he has done.
Why does He want to help you remember things?
Because when you remember it’s easy to flow in thanksgiving and when you flow in thanksgiving your mind is open, your spirit is open, you’re not hard hearted and the Spirit of God can flow through you. As we move gradually to the end of this year 2020, which has been interesting and challenging in so many ways. It’s important we understand that one year cannot cancel out the many years of God’s goodness nor can 12 months cannot cancel out many years of God’s goodness and mercy.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will enable you to remember in Jesus’ name. I pray He’ll help you think deep and see the many things God has done.
Remember the hymn “Count your blessings name them one by one and it’ll surprise you what God has done”.
May God bless you and keep you.
Enjoy your Sunday in Jesus name.
A great Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His grace, His mercy and His love.
We’re still talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”. The greater we think and remember what He’s done the easier it is for us to thank God.
The bible says is 2Timothy 3:16 “All scriptures are given by the inspiration of God and they are profitable...” It’s means that every instruction of the scripture is for our good. Whatever God tells us to do is not for His benefit, It’s for our benefit. When God instructs us in the bible to give thanks and live in a life of Thanksgiving, it’s not because it’ll make it bigger or more powerful, its because it makes life better for us.
We’ve been reading Matt 16:9-10, where Jesus spoke to them about the leaven of the Pharisees and they thought he was talking about bread. Mark’s account of the same story is in Mark 8:14-21. In Mark 8:17(NCV) it says,
"Knowing what they were talking about, Jesus asked them, “Why are you talking about not having bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed"?
Jesus told His disciples that they were worried because they had forgotten about the miracle of the 7 loaves for the 4000. He also made them understand that forgetting the things God has done can result in their minds becoming closed.
When we forget about the goodness, kindness and mercies of God and we don’t thank Him, our minds become closed and our hearts become hardened. When our hearts become hardened or closed we cannot see what God is doing. God’s light cannot penetrate our hearts, God’s grace cannot penetrate our hearts and God’s grace cannot flow out of ud.
Proverbs 4:23 says “ Guard your heart above anything else” why? Out of it flows the forces that shape and influence your life".
When murmur and complain we shut everything down, the forces that transform lives cannot flow out. But when we learn to live a life of Thanksgiving, when we remember the things God has done and we begin to thank Him, our minds are opened, our understanding is clear and the forces of life can flow freely.
Thanksgiving opens the mind, opens the heart. It keeps you from becoming hardened it keeps you from becoming closed minded.
It is important that we understand that living a life of Thanksgiving is for our benefit.
2 Peter 1:13(NKJV)says,
"I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you".
He said it’s important I stir you up by reminding you. Remind yourself of God’s goodness, remind yourself of what God has done for you and you find out how life flows through your spirit.
Thanksgiving is good for you.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
A wonderful Friday to you in the name of Jesus and a blessed weekend ahead.
We are still talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”.
Let’s read again from Matthew 16:9-10 (NLT)
9 Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? 10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?
Jesus was trying to help His disciples understand that the reason why they were disturbed, fearful, and worrying about the past was that they had forgotten about the things He had done in the past. It is important that we think and think deeply, when we think deep we’ll remember that there are so many things God has done in our lives. When we don’t and we allow murmuring, complaining and the challenges of our current situation cloud our mind, it shuts down the power of God in our lives. But when we remember and we thank Him, it gives Him the opportunity to do much more.
There is a story in 2 Sam 6:20-23, David had brought the Ark of God back to Jerusalem with a lot of celebration, thanksgiving, and dancing. His wife, Michal looked and him with disdain because in her opinion he wasn’t dignifying his position as the king with the way he was dancing. When he got back home to thank God with his family and bless them, Michal began to scold him for the “undignified way” he was dancing before his subjects. David responded to her saying” I’m dancing before the King of all kings before the God who took a nobody like me and made somebody out of me. I’m dancing the God who lifted me up to replace your father and your father’s house”. What David said to Michal was true, he never forgot that God brought him from leading sheep, a common shepherd boy to leading the nation of Israel.
Saul didn’t do as much wrong as David did, but Saul forgot who he was before God made him king. Saul forgot God’s goodness and mercy in his life and it cost him the throne and eventually his life. Saul lost his place to David because he forgot about all that God had done in his life but David never forgot. Even when David sinned against God, he’ll still go back to God to ask for mercy. And because of this attitude that he had, God kept lifting David. Jerusalem is called the City of David. The Star on the Israeli flag is called the Star of David. Michal his wife and daughter of Saul ended up barren all her life. Since she felt too big and too dignified to remember and appreciate God for all He had done, her attitude made her unproductive. This is what happens when we forget to thank, appreciate, and praise God for all He has done for us.
I pray that as we continue in this season, you will think deeply and remember all that God has done for you and truly appreciate Him for it. The deeper you think, the greater will be your thanksgiving.
God bless you.
Enjoy your weekend.
Hello and a lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”; the deeper you think, the greater your thanksgiving.
I don’t know if you’ve been in situations in your life when you were in deep trouble, things were very challenging and you said to God; “Lord, if you just see me through this situation, I will praise for the rest of my life, if you see me through this, I will never ask for anything again? I will just be thanking you all my life”.
God saw you through that situation, and guess what? You didn’t thank all your life! You still complain and get angry.
I guess God understands; He knows that we are just being humans when we do such things.
The Bible talks about the children of Israel; they complained, prayed, cried out to God to save them from the trouble in Egypt and He delivered them. After delivering them, they complained, whined, murmured, they wanted to go back to same Egypt they were crying to be delivered from.
Sometimes, the reason why we do these things and don’t thank God is that we forget about the goodness, love and care in our life.
Jesus spoke about this in the parable of the sower. He said “The seeds that fell amongst thorns, are those that the cares this world, the deceitfulness and ove for riches and desire for other things choke away the Word of God, so it does not produce in our life”.
It's the same thing in life, sometimes the reality and challenges of life, the hustle and bustle make us forget things God has done for us. It is important we remember things He has done for us.
Matthew 16: 9 - 10 (NLT)
9 Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up?
10 Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?
Jesus had told His disciples; “Be careful of leaven of the Pharisees” and they thought he was talking about the fact that they didn’t hold bread for their journey. And they said “oh it is because we forgot to bring some bread along, that’s why He is saying this”. Jesus said, “What’s the matter with you, bread cannot be the problem. Remember when we didn’t have enough bread; from five loaves, I fed five thousand, from 7 loaves, I also fed four thousand”. He said, “It is important you don’t forget the things I have done in the past”.
If you think through your life, you will discover those times where from nothing, God brought something out, where there seemed to be no way and God made a way, when everybody thought it was over and God gave you a new beginning. It might have been a challenging health situation, relationship and financial situation; it might have even been a situation on the job or a car accident or some things that you never knew how you would have gotten out of it if not that God brought you out. And here you are are today!
If you think deeply, and you stir up yourself by remembrance, you will find out that there are many things God has done for you already.
Let’s not be like the disciples who had forgotten about God’s ability. Let us all train ourselves to always remember, God’s greatness and power at all times. And believe me, if you do at all times, thanksgiving will flow naturally.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Hello a wonderful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus. May you see the wonders of God today in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”. I said something in Yoruba yesterday so I’m going to say it again “Eni toba mo inu ro, a mope da" meaning if you know how to think well you’ll know how to thank well. If you know how to think well, you'll know how to thank well and that’s how I see this yea. If you can think well enough you know that God has been good to you, God has been merciful to you, God has been kind to you.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 8 verse 3(NKJV):
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained.
He’s just saying, "Lord when I consider everything you’ve done, your works in my life, in the creation, in the galaxy, everything I cannot just but give thanks".
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) says,
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Yesterday we spoke about God’s mercy and today we want to talk about His grace.
What is Grace?
Grace is God’ goodness at Christ’s expense.
We’re enjoying His goodness at the expense of somebody else. Paul put it in a wonderful way in
1 Cor.15:8-10 (NKJV):
Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul was talking about the grace of God in his life. He said "I got into this late. People have been moving, People have been understanding and I started late. Yet God’s grace was available to me. I wasn’t supposed to be called to be an apostle, I’m an apostle today and everything I am today is a product of God’s grace and goodness towards me".
If you look at your life and you look at your efforts you'll find out some of the things you enjoy are not direct products of your work. It's not because you’re that smart or you’re that wise or you’re that savvy. God just somehow multiplied your efforts, multiplied His grace on your life and you’re enjoying it. If we think well about God’s grace in our lives and His mercy we cannot but say God we thank you.
Grace is a multiplier, you do something little and great things have come out if it. That’s because of God’s grace.
As we reflect on God’s work in our lives this year think about what grace has done for you, think about His grace and how far His grace has brought you and I’m sure you’ll just keep thanking and praisihng Him.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for everything. We are talking about “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving” - the deeper you think, the greater your reasons to thank God.
In the Yoruba language they say, “Eni toba mo inu ro, a mope da”.
It means, if you can think well enough, you will thank God very well; and that’s why we say “Deep thinking, great thanksgiving”. If you think deep enough, you will have so many reasons to thank God.
Let’s read from Psalm 8: 3 (NKJV)
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
The psalmist was simply talking about the works of God; that when he thinks about what God has done; the galaxies, the Milky way, man and everything, he just cannot but thank and appreciate Him.
We thank Him for life and so many other things He’s done for us. But there are other things he has done for us besides giving us life.
Hebrews 4: 16 (NLT)
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
His mercy and grace are two things that God has given to us so generously.
Let’s talk about “Mercy”
What is Mercy?
Mercy is that attribute of God that ensures we do not get the judgement or penalty we deserve for the wrong we have done or do in life. This year, a lot of us have done so many things that are wrong, we have done so many things carelessly and recklessly. We’ve done so many things that, if for God’s mercy, we should be suffering from the consequences of our actions.
It is like the story of that woman that was caught in adultery in the Gospel of John 8. They took this woman to Jesus and said “We caught this woman in act of adultery. They said the law says we should stone and kill her. What do you say?” Jesus began writing on the floor and said “The person without sin should be the first to cast a stone at her”. By the time Jesus looked up at the woman, all her accusers had gone. Jesus asked, “Where are you accusers”? She said; “Nobody accuses me”. Jesus said “Neither do I, go and sin no more”.
Understand that many things we’ve done wrong that some of us are still carrying the burden of guilt and condemnations. God is saying as He said to this woman “Don’t worry, I’m not accusing you”. God’s mercy is more than enough”.
Hosea 13: 9 (NKJV)
9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.
What’s He saying there?
He said “Israel you’ve messed things up; you’ve caused trouble for yourself but in Me is your help”.
That’s God mercy; no matter how bad things are, even when you have caused the trouble yourself, God said when you come to Me, the blood will available -in Me is your help.
Guess what?
When you think about God’s love and mercy, you cannot but just thank Him.
For the many things I’ve done wrong that Your mercy prevailed, I say Lord thank You.
For shielding me from judgment by Your mercy. I say Thank You.
I don’t know what you think about this, but I am sure, if you think of His mercies you have enjoyed, you can say also say to the Lord, “Thank you”.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
God bless you.
Hello and a lovely Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for another work week and we trust God that it is going to be a wonderful week for us in the name of Jesus. Throughout this month we are talking about The Power of “Thanksgiving” but this week, we want to focus on a new subject, “Deep Thinking, Great Thanksgiving”.
What do I mean by that?
The deeper you think, the greater your thanksgiving and appreciation.If think deeper, you will understand that you have so many reasons to thank God.
LetPsalm 8: 3 (NKJV) says,
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained.
What’s the psalmist talking about here?
He was talking about the works of God, that if we consider His works; the creation of His hands, the things He has ordained. It shows the awesomeness and greatness of God. And what happens, we just want to thank Him.
There is a song we use to sing years ago “Ehen I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me, my very soul sings hallelujah, praise God for saving me”.
When you think of the goodness of Jesus, His awesomeness, mercy, kindness, we cannot but give thanks to God for everything.
Years ago, a young man came to see me in my office, he told me all the problems he had; how he had finished school and there was no job, how life was frustrating; he could not cater for his family and how things were looking so down. He said nothing in his life was working and that he just wanted to kill himself. I said “You are sure nothing is work”. He said he was sure. So I gave him a pen and a piece of paper and said “write down everything you know is not working for you”. And he wrote and wrote and the paper was filled up. I said “All this things are not working”? He said yes. I said “how did you know”?He said he just knew; that he had thought about it and all these things listed were not working for him
I said “it seems your brain is working”, and he looked at me a bit confused. I said “your brain seem to be working well, your hands seem to working since you can write all this, your eyes seem to be working too”. He began to understand what I was saying. I said “the brain you can use to process all these things and write them down, the eyes that you can see with, the hands that you can use to write and a number of other things.” I said “it shows that some things are working for you.
Now, some other things might not be working out the way you want them to work but, obviously, somethings are working well. I told him, if you can think deeply, even in the midst of the challenges you are talking about, God has still been good to you.
I want you take time out to think about the goodness of God. Guess what? The deeper you think, the the more things you will see that you have to thank God for. The deeper you think, the greater will be your sense of thanksgiving.
Why?
You will see the many good things that God has done for you.
I pray God help you find time to think deep, your sense of gratitude rise higher and higher. As you see that, you will see how much God will do.
God bless you.
Have a lovely week.
Saturday 5th December 2020
Hello and a lovely Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust your day is going well. The Bible says it is good to give thanks to the Lord.
We are talking about The Power of “Thanksgiving”.
Thanksgiving has the power to change your life and because the devil knows the power of thanksgiving, he puts so many things ahead of us to make us complain and murmur. In that way, we loose the power; we are blind to the advantages we can get by thanking God and praising Him.
Let us look at Luke 17: 11 - 19 (NCV)
11 While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he was going through the area between Samaria and Galilee.
12 As he came into a small town, ten men who had a skin disease met him there. They did not come close to Jesus
13 but called to him, “Jesus! Master! Have mercy on us!”
14 When Jesus saw the men, he said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”[a]
As the ten men were going, they were healed. 15 When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising God in a loud voice. 16 Then he bowed down at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (And this man was a Samaritan.) 17 Jesus said, “Weren’t ten men healed? Where are the other nine?
18 Is this Samaritan the only one who came back to thank God?”
19 Then Jesus said to him, “Stand up and go on your way. You were healed because you believed.”
Jesus saw these 10 men who had a problem in their life, they had leprosy. They cried out and said “Lord have mercy us”. Jesus said “go show yourselves to the high priest”.
The idea was when you showed yourself to the priest, it meant you were healed. On their way, they got healed. One of them who happened to be a stranger, a Samaritan, came back; he said he wasn’t going to show himself to the priest but to Jesus. He wanted to show his gratitude to God first.
He turned and walked all the way back to where Jesus was and began to thank Him.
What Jesus said to him was quite instructive. “There were 10 of you that were healed, where are the other 9”. He said; “are you the only one that came back to thank God”?
Jesus expected them to show gratitude to God first before we showing off to anybody else. He won’t be offended if we don't nor would He take His healing back. But it opens us up to receiving more from him.
If you read in other translations, what Jesus said to this man that came back, Jesus said “ you were healed before but your faith has made you whole”. What that meant is that he got something much more that the others got.
Learn to always show appreciation. Never stop showing appreciation.
This man could have just said he was only going to show himself to the priest and thank God there, but he came back to Jesus and said “thank you”.
Let us form this attitude of gratitude both towards God and our fellow men. When we do that, it open doors to receive many other things from God.
No matter how good things are now, believe me, they can still get better and thanksgiving is the way.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day!
Friday 4th December 2020
Hello and a lovely Friday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about The Power of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving has the power to change things and make things happen for us.
We will read today from the book of John 11: 39 - 44 (NLT)
39 “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.
But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”
40 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”
41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.
42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.”
43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”
Even in the face of death, the power of thanksgiving can change things.
This year 2020 has been a challenging year in so many ways; death, losses and all sorts of painful thing has happened. And as we move gradually to the end of this year, it is easy to say, just like Martha did, “we give up” It's easy to say “let’s shut everything down” and just go out in pain, sorrow”. But, in the face of all that, Jesus said “don’t shut down the thing yet, open it up, roll away the stone, a miracle can still happen. The lady, Martha said “Lord, it's already a dead issue. He's been dead for 4 days”. You too might have said "things have been so bad in the last 4 weeks, 4 months, 4years; or the last quarter of the year has been so bad". In spite of that Jesus said, “open it up again and if you believe, you will see the glory of God”.
What did God do afterwards?
When they gave him a chance by opening up the grave (situation), what did Jesus do? He looked up and said “Father, I thank you!” He didn’t say; “why did this happen, this is so challenging; I’m looking like a disgraced person right now; oh God, this is my friend, You shouldn’t have allowed this happen”.
No, Jesus didn’t say that; he just looked up and said “Father, I thank you!” After appreciating God, he now looked at the problem and addressed it.
Why?
Thanksgiving had released power from God and Jesus now channelled it to the situation. Guess what? The dead situation turned around and life came forth.
If you can truly, from the depth of your heart, focus on God and thank him for everything that has happened; in this past year and praise Him Then with power and gratitude in your heart from thanksgiving, you begin to speak to situations. You will see how God’s power will turn things around for you.
Remember what Jesus said to Martha; He said “if you believe, you will see the glory of God”. I believe you will see glory of God!
No matter how bad things are, let’s put thanksgiving in our heart, trust God and watch Him do mighty things in our lives.
God bless you and have a lovely weekend.
Tuesday 1st December 2020
Hello and a lovely Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is Tuesday, the 1st of December 2020. God has been good to us, we are grateful to Him for everything. I heard someone quote a Chinese billionaire businessman who said “If you live to see the end of the year 2020, you should declare profit”. In the name of Jesus, you will see the end of this year and many more in Jesus name.
This month, we will be talking about Thanksgiving.
God has been good, even in the midst of all these challenges, we are alive and well. Things have happened; floods have come, winds and the rain has come, it has beaten us, but we are still standing! Some of us fell down but we got back up again and we are grateful to God for everything. I trust God that His eyes that has watched over us and preserved us this far, will see us till the end of the year in the name of Jesus.
The Bible says in the book of Ephesians 5: 20 (NLT)
20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Good things? Bad things? No matter what, give thanks to God.
The Yoruba language is a very interesting language. The word “thank you” in Yoruba is Ọsẹ “pronounced Oshey” . But the word also means “you have done it” or “you did it”. So, in Yoruba language; when you say “thank you”, you are also saying “you did it”.
Now, that is very insightful to me; that when we say “thank you” to God, when we appreciate Him, for things He has done, we are also committing to do more things for us.
You want God to do glorious things in your life this year, you want God to do more things in your life before the end of the year and all the time, develop an attitude of thanksgiving.
Some of us say, “oh I like to give thanks to God but I don’t know how to thank people”. No, we must learn to appreciate God (give thanks to Him) and also, appreciate people.
The apostle, John, was writing in the epistle of John - he said; "if we don't love the people we see, how can we love and appreciate God that we can't see".
We must appreciate God and we must also appreciate people.
As we move into the wonderful month of December and a great Christmas season, let us take time to thank God; appreciate Him for the good things He has done in our life and also appreciate the people that God has brought to our life.
I trust God that the power of Thanksgiving will work great things in our life and we will see God do great and mighty things before the end of this month and this year in Jesus name.
May God bless and keep you.
Have a lovely day!
Monday 30th November 2020
Hello and a beautiful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
It is interesting that today, Monday is the 30th of November. It is the last day of the month and the first working day of the new week, leading us into December. May good things overlap for you in the name of Jesus. May there be an overlap of joy, of victory, of breakthrough, of testimonies in our lives in the name of Jesus.
We’ve been talking about the importance of teaming up and not down. What I mean by teaming down is that, there are relationships you can get into, there are partnerships you can get into that takes everything down.
Few days ago I was watching a video clip on YouTube about what is called “The crab mentality”. There were these crabs in a bucket, as one was trying to climb out, the others went after it, and pulled it down. They were supposed to be a team and normally the other crabs should have helped this other crab to get out of the bucket, and then help each other until they were all out of the bucket. But no, this was a down team, they attacked the crab that was trying to go up and out of the bucket and pulled it down. (I understand that if the crab kept doing that, they will eventually attack it, break its claws, and then, if it doesn’t stop, they killed it.
There are so many people who have gotten into teams that pulled them down, destroyed them and almost ruined their life. That will not be our portion in the name of Jesus.
Let us read Joshua 9: 12 - 15 (NKJV)
12 This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry and mouldy. 13 And these wineskins which we filled were new, and see, they are torn; and these our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.” 14 Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they [e]did not ask counsel of the Lord. 15 So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the rulers of the congregation swore to them.
This is the backstory of where we read yesterday about the Gibeonites. The Gibeonites knew the children of Israel were taking over the land and did not want to be destroyed. They knew the children of Israel were coming and what did they do? They went to quickly make a covenant with them. They teamed up with them and said “We came from a far country and we want to be friends with you, we want to make peace with you...”. But, they were lying. The Israelites looked at their old bread, worn out shoes, and everything looked true, like they came from a far place but it was a deception.
There is something that is very important when we get into teams. The bible says concerning the children of Israel, "they did not take counsel or asked from God".
Don’t just join teams because they look stronger and better so you can take advantage of it.
Take your time to ask God pray, ask God questions. It’s not every thing that looks right that is right. The Bible says, in the book of proverbs that there is a way that seems right but the end thereof is destruction.
There are groups: marriages, business partnerships that have looked right but have ended in great calamity. There are contract that people have signed that looked right but they’ve been very dangerous.
So, when it comes to going into teams, understand that teaming up with anybody is a covenant. Be careful with those you go into covenant with; be careful with those who you team up with.
Give God a chance to guide you. And, as you do that, I trust that you will have one of the best team in the world in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Have a great day and a wonderful month of December ahead!
Saturday 28th November 2020
Hello and beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about “Team Up” and we are looking at the four little creatures who are very wise and very impactful in the way they live.
We will be reading Proverbs 30:24 & 28 (MSG)
24 There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are—28 lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.
Proverbs 30:28 (NKJV)
28 The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, And it is in kings' palaces.
As I began to study these creatures, in different translations of the Bible, some say lizard and others say spider. What is common to the lizards and spiders, they are both small creatures, the lizard is slightly bigger that the spider. But something common to both of them is, their ability to grasp with their hands and move up high walls and then, enter cracks and places you would normally not be able to enter. This is one thing they have in common.
This passage is helping us understand that as vulnerable, small and weak as these creatures may be are easy as they are to catch, they are so smart and sneaky that they can move past palace guards, and they are even able hide on high walls, ceilings and within wall cracks that make them difficult to catch. Understand that no matter how weak you are, you have God given abilities that if used well, can make you outstanding.
And what’s this “ability” God has given you?
He has given you the ability to grasp, the lizard and spider leverage this ability and they find their way into palaces.
Another thing is this; we’ve spoken about all these four creatures - the ants, rock badgers, locusts and lizards or spiders. Lizards or spiders and rock badgers have something in common. They leverage something else outside their normal group, the rock badger use rocks and lizards us wall. The ant and the locust on the other hand TEAM UP with their kind.
The lesson here is this; sometimes you leverage with fellow human being and sometimes you might have to leverage inanimate objects like technology, like using a jack you to lift up a car. The most important thing is this; always partner with people or things that can extend your strength and minimize the effect of your weaknesses.
The Lord wants us to maximize our life and wisdom says, to maximize our life, we must learn to team up with people or things to make us better.
May God give you wisdom and strength to do this in Jesus Name.
God bless you. Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 25th November 2020
A lovely Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about “Team Up” and I hope you are teaming up. It is a good time to begin to reflect, as we gradually move to the end of the month and also the end of the year. Ask yourself “how am I building on my team? What are your thoughts about your team? It is good to evaluate.
We are reading Proverbs 30: 24 - 25 (MSG)
“There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are
ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter.”
Verse 25 (NLT)
'Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer.'
So, the Bible is telling us about these animals; the first set it talks about are the ants (not ant, ANTS). It says ants are generally not strong animals (especially individually). It says even though they are not strong, some way, somehow, they are able to store up food all through the summer and they don’t starve during winter.
What I want you take note of is that the strength is not in the ANT, the strength is in the ANTS; the team of ants, the group of ants working together.
And what they do is this, even though they are small in size, they are strategic enough to know that.
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There is strength in numbers.
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They understand time and seasons.
Yes, they are weak individually but they.
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Understand that together “We are strong”
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Understand timing (“During the cold season, we will be weak and can’t do anything, so let’s leverage our numbers and leverage the summer and store up food”).
So, if you put some honey on the floor or some sugar (or something sweet), you see some number of ants coming and marching on the honey (just going back and forth). You don’t know where they are packing these things to (they just pack them somewhere). They are not going to eat everything (obviously they will eat some and store the rest).
So, even though the ant as a single unit is weak, they understand that when they team up together; their frailty, the fact that they are not strong becomes a strength when they pull together their numbers. And then, they use their understanding of “time”.
I pray in the name of Jesus; that we come to that place where we admit our limitations.
As human beings, we don’t like saying “I have limitations”, you know, like Paul will say “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me” (Philippians 4: 13) which is true. But what the context actually mean is that you can do everything God has called you to do through the strength He has provided for you. If He hasn’t called you to do it, you don’t have the capability for it.
So, understand who you are. If you are an ant; yes, you might be weak as an individual but as a group, you are strong and you have an understanding of “timing”.
Leverage that which God has given you and use it to maximize your life. When the team wins, guess what? Everybody wins!
God bless you and have a great day.
Tuesday 24th November 2020
Hello and lovely Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus. We are talking about “Team Up.”
Why?
Because it is possible to team down. And what do we mean? Every time we get into a team, it has the tendency to take us up or down. And so many have gotten into teams that have taken them down and made life miserable for them. We want to look at how we can get into those teams or become part of those teams that takes us up and not down.
Yesterday, we read about a story in Proverbs 13: 20 (KJV)
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
The fact is, if you want to end up as a wise person, just team up with wise people.
You want to end up a winner?
Team up with winning people and you will end up a winner.
Let's read Proverb 30: 24 – 28 (MSG)
“There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are—
ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter;
marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.”
The Bible is telling us about this little or small creatures, yet he says they are “the wisest of the wise.” They could have looked at themselves and say “oh we are small and disadvantaged ...” but the Bible is telling us here that what they seem to be weak in; in terms of “size”, they made up for in terms of “sense”, (they are wise).
So, it is important you understand that no matter where you are, you have some things working for you.
One of the first things you need to understand when it comes to teaming up and not down is, to “know yourself.” Know yourself, be true to yourself; you are who you are, you are what you are, but you can get better.
These animals are not fighting over not being of elephant size, they are small and fine with it because they are wise.
The Bible says even though they are small, what seems to be a disadvantage to them in size, will make for in sense. So, it is important you understand your limitations and team up with those who are strong where you are limited. Don’t connect or team up with people who have a weakness where you are weak. Look for people who are strong where you are weak and leverage their strength.
All of us have limitations one way or the other. So here am I, doing this podcast, write-ups and all this to get our podcast out. The truth is, the technology behind all this, I have no clue, but God have blessed with wonderful people that behind the scenes, they do all that. I do the recording and they make every other thing happen. We just leverage each other’s strength and by the end of the day everything comes out well because we teamed up.
In my marriage for instance, I am terrible host when it comes to hosting people and all that. I can forget to give you water or something to drink when you visit, I can forget to offer you something to eat but my wife is strong in that, so we team up. My wife the other hand finds it difficult filling forms, give her a form to fill; it might be with her for ten days (ten years) and she might not fill it, but I am strong in that area. That’s the way God has designed life, so we can lean on one another.
Know yourself; know your strength, know your weaknesses and team up in the area of weaknesses, so you can use that to leverage your life.
God bless you.
Enjoy the rest of your day!
Monday 23rd November, 2020.
It’s a beautiful Monday morning to you. We thank God for today, we thank God bringing us far into the year. We trust God for great things in the name of Jesus. We are talking about of the power of Teams and we are talking about “Team Up.” This week till the end of the month, we will be talking about “Team Up”.
What do I mean by Team Up?
It’s not all teams that takes you up. Some teams actually takes you down. Some teams make your life better, some teams make your life worse, but God’s desire is for you to make teams, join teams and be part of teams that will take you up.
The Bible in the book of Proverbs 13: 20 (NLT), it’s says
“20 Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble.”
Or put it another way; team up with wise people and your life goes up. Team up with the wrong people and your goes wrong. So, you can either “team up” or “team down.” A team can either take you up or bring you down.
There is a number of stories we read in the Bible that reminds us of this. If you remember the story of Ruth and Naomi; Naomi was going back Bethlehem and she had her two daughter in laws with her. Orpah went back, but Ruth said “I am going to stay with you, whatever your lot is, becomes my lot, where you live, I live. Your God, will be my God. Where you die, I will die (nothing will separate me from you).”
Even though it looked as if Naomi had no future, Ruth teamed up with Naomi and Naomi's life changed forever. Incidentally, Ruth, who was a Moabite ended up being in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Why?
Because she teamed up; not down! And we see the story of Jonathan; such a painful one. If you read in 1 Samuel 23: 17, it says;
17 “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”
Jonathan and David were best friends and he knew everything that was happening. He said to David, “you are going to be the next king of Israel, I know that and my father knows that; I will be next you. So don’t worry, everything will go well. I am your friend and I will team up with you.” Even though he said that, Jonathan did not follow through on it. Jonathan teamed with his father and instead of the team taking him up, it took him down.
Why?
Because Jonathan never became David’s second in command. In fact, Jonathan ended up dying with his father. (Why? Because he did not team up, he teamed down).
My prayer is that, as we begin this end of the month (maybe the end of this year), the wisdom to get into the right team; whether it’s a marriage team, a family team, business team or career team. Whatever team, let’s be wise and strategic enough to get us into teams that takes us up and not down.
May that be our portion in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a lovely day.
Saturday 21st November 2020
Lovely Saturday to you in the Name of Jesus.
We thank God for today, we are still talking about The Team Triangle; the power of mentorship, being a mate and being a mentee or protégé.
Today, we want to focus on the protégé (How you can maximise the place of a protégé). A lot of people look down on being anyone’s protégé or mentee, rather they want to be a mentor or mate. But that is not the way it is. Everyone starts from childhood and grows up into adulthood.
Jesus said this about the position of a protégé in Matthew 10: 25 (ESV)
25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master…
What is Jesus saying here?
He is saying the future of every mentee and protégé is to be like his mentor i.e. you have a right if you are serving and honouring your mentor as a mentee, you have a right to everything your mentor or master carries.
In Exodus 24: 13 the bible calls Joshua, Moses servant or assistant. And again, if you read in 2 Kings 3: 11, it says Elisha was the assistant of Elijah. In fact, another version says that Elisha was the one that poured water on the hands of Elijah (i.e. Elisha served Elijah).
So, who took over from Moses? It was Joshua!
Who took over from Elijah? It was Elisha.
In fact, the day that Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha and his colleagues (mates) all knew he was going but Elisha served Elijah till the end; he followed him all the way, not because he was a perfect master. Elijah was brash, but Elisha said “…nothing will separate me from you.” And when Elijah was taken up, Elisha mates saw him and said “the spirit of Elijah now rests on Elisha. Now guess, what; they bowed themselves to him.
Every protégé, every mentee today has a right to the grace, has a right to the abilities, has a right to whatever his/her mentor carries. The bible says that “the lesser is blessed by the greater.” When you know how to work with your mentor, not because he/she is perfect, not because he/she gives you money or anything (that’s not their duty; It is that God has placed them there, you honour them, your serve them, you respect them, you adhere to pull grace from them). Doing this, you have the right to carry the same blessing they carry.
Some people say the bible says, “call nobody master or call nobody father on earth.” Yes, it says that but what it means is that nobody is your source; your mentor is not your God, he is just someone that is privilege by God and by your permission to be ahead of you, so you can learn from them, so that you can lean on them, that you can pull grace from them into that which God has called you to do.
Those who know how to use the position of the protégé well; those who know how to serve well as mentees have a right to carry everything that their mentor carries.
I pray God will give us wisdom in this age of “I know it all”, in this age of pride; that we will humble ourselves and let grace from our mentor flow from above and flow into our lives.
God bless you. Have a lovely day.
Friday 20th November 2020
Hello and lovely Friday morning to you.
We’ve been talking about The Team Triangle - The place of mentors.
Today, let’s talk about Mates.
Exodus 17: 12 - 13 (NLT)
12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So, Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So, his hands held steady until sunset.
13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
Moses was a mentor (he was a great man). As he raised up his hands, Joshua was winning but as he got tired, his hands were going down and they began to lose. Two of his friends (His elder brother, Aaron who was also his spokesman and another elder in the land, Hur). When they saw that he was getting weak, what they did was that they took the position of “Mate.”
What do I mean?
They chose to stand beside him. They were not ahead of him; they both stood by him, side by side so he could lean on them.
Life sometimes could get very challenging even for the strongest of us and at these times even though we have wonderful mentors (and it’s great to have people you look up to) and protégés that look up to us. But sometimes, it’s just good to have friends you can talk to. Friends that you on the same level, same phase of life, you share the same experiences and that you can open up and talk. You are not trying to impress anybody; you are just trying to be friends.
It is good we have these kinds of relationships.
Some people complain that life is lonely, leadership is lonely. If it is lonely, it is because you’ve not made yourself available to have friends. Proverbs says he that must have friends must show himself friendly. It is important we go out to make friends.
There is a lovely story about friendship in 1 Samuel 8:1- 4
Saul was David's boss and mentor but himself and Jonathan were best of friends. If you go down the story, they got to the point where they remove each other’s armour and clothes and exchange them. You need that kind of friends that you can side each other no matter what. That you can open yourself up and exchange armours, in the sense that you don’t use your stories against each other; you don’t use your secret against each other. You stand side by side with each other no matter what.
Jesus was talking to his disciples about friendship after years of mentoring.
John 15: 15
15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
So, when Jesus had a challenge going to the Garden of Gethsemane, He called Peter, James, and John. He said, “My soul is sorrowful to the point of death, come and stand and pray with me.”
Mentors are wonderful, Mentees are wonderful, but it is also important that we have friends ; friends that you can be “naked” and not be ashamed with. Friends that you are not trying to impress each other. You are in the same phase and same season of life. Friends that you can exchange ideas together, pray together, stand with each other, and win together (just like Aaron and Hur did with Moses).
May God give us the wisdom to have such friends in Jesus Name!
God bless you. Have a lovely weekend.
Wednesday 18th November 2020
A beautiful Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We have been talking about The Team Triangle and by that we mean the three categories of relationship that has the power to mould our lives.
The three categories of relationship are:
• Relationships with those who Mentor us
• Those who are our Mates
• Those we Mentor - Mentees
(So, the mentors, mates, mentees or proteges.)
When we have a strong relationship with mentors, mates and mentees or proteges, this relationship has a wonderful way of radically changing our lives.
We have been talking about the place of mentors.
Act 9: 26 – 28 (NLT) says,
26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! 27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.28 So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
Mentors do things for us that we cannot do by ourselves.
Saul of Tarsus at this time, but later know as Paul had given his life to Jesus Christ; he was zealous, he had the potential, he wanted to do things for Jesus. He had preached powerfully in Damascus and he came to Jerusalem hoping that the believers will be happy to know that the man that was once a troubler of their faith, a man that persecuted all of them had now join them as a believer. But as he tried to join, every attempt he made was met with resistance. They did not open up to him. They were scared of him. They thought he was pretending.
But in the midst of all that, a man rose up on his behalf; that man was Barnabas.
Barnabas was like Paul’s mentor and he took Paul by hand and extended the credibility he had with the apostles to Paul, he brought him to the circle and spoke on Paul’s behalf. As a result of what Barnabas did for Paul, he was able to get into the midst of the believers in Jerusalem and begin to operate with them as one.
That is the power of “Mentoring”. Mentors do for us things we cannot do for ourselves. It was Isaac Newton that said, “If we have been able to see any further, it is because we have been able to stand on the shoulders of those who have gone ahead of us”.
Mentors are people that allow us stand on their shoulder, so we can see much more, do much more and achieve much more because of the leverage they provide. Mentors give us mileage in life. Like we said earlier it is wisdom to look for mentors and maximize mentoring relationship.
Now the truth is this; not everyone that helps you is your mentor. A mentor is someone you put in that position to influence your life positively, to impact you. Sometimes we know them directly, sometimes we don’t. But either way, there is the permission you give them; whether knowingly or unknowingly that says, “I drop my guards and open up to listen, learn and be influenced by you.”
All of us need Mentors in our lives. I pray God will give us the wisdom to know how to leverage this relationship to advance our lives in Jesus name.
God bless you. Have a lovely day!
Tuesday 17th November 2020.
A beautiful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today. We have been talking about the Team Triangle. We started that, yesterday and we spoke about what the Team Triangle is. We are talking about those categories of relationship that have the power to transform our lives positively and we spoke about three categories of relationship. We spoke about the mentor, mates, and mentees.
The mentors are people that we look up to, that help us up. The mates are our colleagues, and the mentees are people below us that we help up. From the story of Moses, Joshua, Aaron and Hur that we read yesterday in Exodus 17 we saw those three classes of people. Moses as the mentor to Joshua, Aaron and Hur as his mates and Joshua as his mentee.
A couple of years ago I watched a movie titled "Odyssey" this movie was a story of a king he was like a Greek mythology. It was the story of one of those Kings somewhere around Greece and they had a battle to face to fight against the Trojans and he was invited to battle. So Odysseus who was the king left his son with one of his aides and the idea was that I am going for this this battle ensure that you train my son and train him to become the kind of man I want him to be so when I come back my son will turn out exactly the way I want him to be.
Odysseus went for this battle, the battle lasted about 15 years according to the movie when he came back and saw his son, his son turned out exactly the way he had planned for him to be so he could be the king of the country.
The name of the man that Odysseus left his son with is "mentor" and the story is that that's where the idea of mentor and mentorship comes from, that mentor is the man that Odysseus the king left his son with that listen; train him up to become the kind of man, person I want him to be.
Basically, A mentor is a person that trains you to become the kind of person you want to be. He brings out the best in you, equips, trains you, builds up your character, attitude, capacity and basically that's what a mentor is and we all need mentors in life we all need people that can help us ,train us up, help us see things in ourselves that we cannot see about ourselves.
The Bible says in the book of Hebrews 12:2
It says" Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith"
Jesus, like a mentor even though He is more than a mentor but a mentor is somebody you look up to, someone that can start something up in your life and helps you to perfect it, help you finish it up so you can become the kind of person you were destined to be.
Moses had a mentor in the person of Jethro, Joshua's mentor was Moses then Jesus mentored His disciple, Barnabas mentored Paul etc.
If you want to maximize your life you need mentors, great mentors in your life and I pray God will give us the wisdom as we begin to round up this year and time. Wisdom to look out for mentors and if you have them, maximize them so they can help you become the best they can be in life.
Thank you for joining us today.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Monday 16th November, 2020 .
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust your week is going well in Jesus name. Throughout this month, we have been talking about Team Up and not down and by that we mean the power and importance of having the right relationships in our lives
We started with Team Trinity, looking at the fact that the Trinity is a team and see the things we can learn from them. Last week, we spoke about Imitating Team Trinity, which is about the things we can learn as human beings from Team Trinity.
This week, we will be talking about The Team Triangle.
What do we mean by team triangle? We mean those significant relationships that define our lives. There are three major relationships that define our lives.
I have a background in engineering and I learnt that the triangle is the most stable and powerful shape when you are talking about building engineering, where they have to build structures and have joints. They have the triangle at the angle of bridges, in the building etc.
In the same way, if we are going to have stability in our lives and relationships. There are three major relationships we need to have, which we call The Team Triangle is what we will be talking about throughout this week. They are:
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Mentors
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Mates
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Mentees or protégés.
I will read from the book of Exodus 17:8-13(NLT)
8.While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them.9.Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”10.So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11.As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12.Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13.As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
In this scripture, we see these three classes of relationships.
They were going to go to battle, Moses who was the Mentor called on Joshua, the Protégé or Mentee and said "Listen we are going to go to battle and I will stay in the mountain while you engage the enemy on the field." As he was going on the mountain, he called Aaron and Hur. They were his Mates and they were there to help him. They got victory in this battle but how did they get victory? Was it because of Moses on the mountain or was it because of Joshua fighting the enemy on the field or was it because of Aaron and Hur holding on the hands of Moses? I believe it took all of them.
I pray God gives us the wisdom to know the place of Mentors, Mates and Mentees in our lives in the name of Jesus.
We will be talking about this throughout this week and I pray that God gives us more understanding.
Thank you and God bless you
Sunday 15th November 2020.
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today, for His love, mercies, and grace. We have been talking about imitating the Trinity and we are just looking at God and seeing how we can leverage and learn from the things the Trinity have done in our lives
We have spoken the place of purpose, oneness and seen how we can work together as one so we can have a wonderful team like team Trinity.
A major tool when it comes to working as one is something locked up in the Trinity that is easy to miss. If you remember the story about the Trinity and different lessons, we learnt it says "Three personalities make up the Trinity: The Father, The Word and The Spirit. These three agree in one"
The central personality is The Word who became flesh that we call "Jesus". Another meaning The Word communicates is language, communication and when it comes to building teams the place of communication, language cannot be over emphasized.
I will read Gen 11:6 (NKJV)
6.And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.”
God almighty said "The people that are one and have one language" one means of communication that they all buy into. He said "The moment they use that in their team, nothing will be withheld from them, nothing will be impossible to them"
Language is a major tool for building oneness in our teams, if you remember in the book of Daniel when Nebuchadnezzar had taken these boys from Jerusalem and made them slaves in his palace, and he took Daniel and his friends.
In Daniel 1:4 one of the things he said was that he took them to train them in the language and literature of Babylon. He wanted them to understand the language of Babylon. Why? for them to be one and useful to Babylon, they needed to understand the language.
We see that Jesus did the same thing when He was building the new church and He baptized with the Holy Spirit. The first thing that happened to them was that they began to speak in a new language. In Acts 2:4 when the Holy Spirit came upon them the first thing the Holy Spirit enabled them to do was to speak in a new language.
If we want to have great, powerful teams, teams that can really do amazing things then we must understand the power tool of language. We must know how to use words, we must know how to use our communication to build and not to tear down our teams and sometimes communication is not just the things we say, there is the verbal and the nonverbal but it's important we understand whatever medium of communication we are using they must be used as tools to build oneness.
May God empower us by the power of the Holy Spirit to use language to build our teams strong in Jesus name.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Thursday 12th November, 2020.
A beautiful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today, we are still talking about imitating team Trinity. I trust God that as we learn this and we practice it, we will have the same peace, rest and joy we see in the Trinity in Jesus name.
Phil 2:1&2 (NLT)
- Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2.Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Paul was writing to the Philippian church and obviously he was writing about working together, unity and peace and Paul understood this. Why? He had the first team with Barnabas and God selected that team. It was wonderful until they went their separate ways and he knew the pain. He knew what it did to him and now he had dealt with churches that were troublesome like the Corinthian church and he knew the power of working together.
From prison as an elderly man and somebody who had more experience, he was writing to this young church saying " listen, you want to make me happy, learn to work together as one". Understand this, the purpose of any team and every true team is to be able to work together as one.
Amos 3:3 says
"Can two walk together except they agree?".
We can't work together except we agree. So unity, oneness, agreement and the ability to work together is the purpose of every team. Myles Munroe said "When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable" There are so many teams where people are abused, where they abuse one another whether it's a marriage, business or ministry team because the person doesn't understand the central purpose of the team. Paul spelt it out beautifully here. He said "Agree together, walk together. Be of one mind and purpose". That is what makes sure team powerful. Have you heard people say about a football team particularly or maybe some other sports teams? That they are like a well oiled machine.
What do we mean by a well oiled machine? In a well oiled machine there is no cranking and struggles, it's just smooth and that's the beauty of having a loving team that works as one.
By God's grace, I do a lot of work with married couples and I usually tell them. I say " Listen, a witch and wizard that is married together with one purpose and mind. They will enjoy there marriage better than praying and fasting saints who don't agree together" because it's not your praying and fasting that makes you one. It's agreeing together in mind, spirit, purpose and working to make it happen.
Oneness in teams don't just happen. We work to make it happen. Have you heard people say that "Even though marriages are made up in heaven, they are worked out on earth" If you want your team to work, you must work at oneness sometimes you will fight, sometimes we will go off tangent but the idea is that we bring it back together and work as one.
May God give us grace and strength to work as winning teams as we work as one.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 11th November 2020.
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His goodness; love and we trust Him that this year we are finishing well and strong in the name of Jesus. The Bible says " God is the one who crowns this year for us with His goodness and cause our path to drop with abundance and blessings. May that be our portion in the name of Jesus. We have been looking at imitating Trinity, learning from God, learning the dynamics of teamwork from God and it's interesting the things we are learning. Yesterday, we spoke about the fact that we need to be more proactive in getting our teams and initiate things that we saw in Jesus and we just go a bit further in that.
We will read this morning in Luke 6:12-16 (NLT)
"One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus), Simon (who was called the zealot), Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him)"
We see here how important the team selection process is to Jesus and mind you Jesus is still part of the Trinity so we are learning from the Trinity so we saw in our lesson yesterday, how we are to initiate and go out, now we are seeing the power of process. What He did before He went out to choose, because He knew the power of His team and He knew that this was going to be one of the most important, if not the most important team He will have on it because of the responsibility He will give them. The Bible says, " He prayed all night to God" What do you think He was praying about? I think he was praying about these names. Lord should I choose Peter? If I choose Peter, peter is a bit stubborn and brash, what will he do? How about this ? How about that? Lord is this person, right? And He began to ask questions about each of them. Lord should I choose Judas? He said "Choose Judas" but he is going to betray me. He said, "Yes you need someone to betray you, that's purpose" He said "The zealot that one is like a troublemaker, a fighter should I choose him? Yes, you need them." You need the power of love to change their lives and He prayed all through the night asking questions then in the morning He came out, called all His disciples together and He selected twelve from them.
It's important that we don't just take team selection casually. A team like we spoke about yesterday could be a marriage, business, ministry team. The more strategic the team is, the more careful we should be in selecting. Jesus knew the power of this team, so He was extremely careful. This is Jesus, part of the God head. He was extremely careful, praying all through the night to choose them.
The Bible says in Isa 11:3 it said " He will not choose by the seeing of the eyes or by the hearing of the ears only but in righteousness" Why? because we can be confused by the things we see and by the words we hear. That's why it's important just like we see in Jesus we get divine perspective. Somebody that looks useless today, might be very useful tomorrow. Somebody that looks like a star today might just become a cause of scar tomorrow.
Let's take our team selection seriously. That's what we see in Jesus, who is a member of the Trinity. If He took that process well, He had to pray it through the night, we need to do the same.
God bless you.
Have a Lovely day.
Tuesday 10th November, 2020.
Hello and a beautiful Tuesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today, we are still talking about imitating Trinity and what do we mean by that? That God had a team and still has a team by the way you need to have your own team.
Yesterday, we started by talking about importance of team and how we need to imitate God by having our own team. I am sure you know how important it is to work with teams and have your own team.
We see that right from the beginning God created man and woman. We read it yesterday that He created them male and female. "Let us make man and let them" so us in heaven, team Trinity created them on earth.
If we want to maximize our impacts and make something substantial about life we need to work in "thems". We need to work in a team but we must understand that somethings happened after God chose this team for man He brought the woman to man, there was sin in the garden and God said "man what happened?" He said "it's the woman you gave me" and so many people believed that after that God stopped giving people wives or a team but whatever it is you have a responsibility to pick a team or be part of a team and work for the development of your team. God will not take responsibility for that. We need to work together with God to be part of a team to pick a team and to ensure our team grows and develop.
It's important we understand that teams are different depending on the uniqueness and purpose of the team you need to know how to go about that. It might be a marriage, family, work, military or a ministry team like Paul and Barnabas but whatever the uniqueness of your team is you have the responsibility to either choose a team or to work together with your team to ensure it fulfils it's purpose..
Matt 4:17-20(NKJV)
17.From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.18.And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.19.And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.20.And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
God sent Jesus to this world with the assignment of saving mankind. He had gone to this mountain for forty days, He had prayed and fasted and was coming back and He began His mission and his mission was to bring man to God and he began to teach, Repent the kingdom of God is at hand but he knew he could not do it alone and He went out to pick His team and He saw two young men first, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew and He initiated what He wanted to do with them. He said "follow me because I am going make something out of you, follow me and I will make you fishers of men" and they followed.
If Jesus God in the flesh, a member of the Trinity had to go and get His own team, work with his own team, develop his own team then we need to do the same like I said, it might be a marriage, office, school or neighbourhood team what ever it is we can't leave the responsibility of teams docile. We must be actively involved and work to develop our teams
I pray God will give us grace to do this in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Sunday 8th November, 2020.
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His love, grace and it's a good day to go to church either physically or you attend church online. It's good to know that there are some countries today that are under lockdown, we pray God's strength, peace for those countries. The Lord will strengthen you, keep you on the the shadow of His wings, safety, security and protection in the name of Jesus.
We have learnt the lesson from team Trinity, how the lesson they showed us is the oneness, togetherness and unity of the Trinity and that's the major lesson they are teaching us in different ways. So we see how Jesus Christ came to unite all men into one, taking the wall of partition away, making sure that there is no difference between Jews and gentiles and bringing all one in Christ then after he did that He made one between man and God.
In the sense that Jesus Christ became the channel. The son of God became the son of man so that sons of men can become the son of God. I heard that many years ago. Jesus, the Word one of the Trinity took on flesh came among us after He finished back as a man with flesh and He is there among the Trinity representing us and standing out for us, rooting for us and saying " Listen, I can understand I can feel because I have been there before"
Another thing He did for us, let's read in 2 Cor 5:19 (NLT)
"19.For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation"
Through Jesus Christ, God was reconciling, bringing back the whole world to Himself, not just the people, the whole world. Remember, before the fall, God used to come down the garden of Eden to relate with man. God made heaven and earth together. He wanted everything to be one but after the fall, man fell and the world was falling off but He said " Listen, now that man has come back, now that there is man in the Trinity let's bring everything back together again" and that's the work He is given us, bringing man back together to God and bring back society. Let the earth reflect heaven he was talking in Hebrew 8:5 He says "This serve as a systems of worship , they only copy a shadow of the real one in heaven for when Moses was getting ready to build the temple, God gave him this warning, be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.
What is He saying? When Moses was going to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, God showed Him the picture of the tabernacle in heaven. He said "Listen, this is the real tabernacle, build one out there on earth, let the earth be a reflection of heaven" why? I want heaven and earth to be one. Remember what we call the Lord's prayer in Matt 6:10, part of the prayer says this "Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven" What is God saying there? He said "I want heaven and earth to be one, I want heaven to be seen on earth and that's the work we have today.
What is team Trinity showing us? The oneness of the Trinity, pulling everything together in one and He says "listen I have given you that responsibility, just as you have seen us pulling everything together in one even though we are different from one, make sure everything is one. Oneness between man, oneness between man and God and oneness between heaven and earth. That is what we learn from team Trinity and that is our responsibility.
May God give us grace to do it in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Saturday 7th November,2020.
A beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His life, strength, peace and presence with us in Jesus name.
We are still talking about Team Trinity and the many lessons we learn from our wonderful God, the Godhead. The three that walk in perfect unity, harmony and oneness
Yesterday, we saw how Jesus brought oneness into mankind bringing the Jews and the Gentiles into one, taking the wall of partition away so we can be one people, walking with one God, reflecting the oneness of the Trinity.
Today, we'll read 1 Tim 2:5(NLT)
5"For,There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus"
Who is that?
The man Christ Jesus.
One God, that's the Trinity, the Godhead and one Mediator who reconciled God and humanity - One man who reconciled humanity and divinity - The Man Jesus Christ.
To reconcile means to bring together, make peace or make one.
Jesus Christ, a member of the Trinity brings oneness between mankind and God.
It's something miraculous, a complete show of love. One of them chose to take up human flesh.
Jesus, the Word, became fully God and man. Paul talking about this in 1 Tim 3:16 (NLT) says
"16.Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit.He was seen by angels and announced to the nations.He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory"..
The mystery is this, God became man. One member of the Trinity took on human flesh and became the man Jesus Christ. When He finished on earth, He went back to heaven again as a man. So today, amongst the Trinity is a man- fully man and fully God. That's why God can feel our pain and struggle why? In the Trinity today, there is man there.
So the bible says in the book of Hebrews "we do not have a High Priest that cannot be touched by the feeling of our weakness" Why? There is man among them, so when you are tired, weak and under pressure He can understand even though it's not an excuse to sin.
There is man among the Trinity so He can bring oneness between God and man.
Just God took on humanity so that humanity can take on divinity through the finished work of Jesus Christ. We call it partakers of the divine nature.
So we can see God uniting all men together through Jesus Christ, again, God uniting mankind and God, reconciling man back to God.
What an amazing lesson we learn from Team Trinity.
Let's be with one with another and let's be one with God.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Friday 6th November 2020.
A beautiful Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for this Friday. The weekend starts today, thank God for Friday, thank God for every day.
We are still talking about team Trinity and there are so many lessons we can learn from them. Paul was writing in the book of Romans 1:20 He said "The invisible attributes of God are clearly seen in everything He made" that is when we look at God, His invisible attributes can be seen in nature. So, like we said yesterday, you see a flame of fire. In a flame of fire, you will see the red, yellow, and blue parts but it's flame and it’s all one. Those are some of the major lessons about the Trinity, different yet one, like they say " Unity in diversity" in a world so many things are pulling apart, so many visions, It is important we learn the power of oneness and unity.
Another major lesson we learn from the Trinity we will find in the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 2:14-16(NKJV)
14.For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15.having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
So, what does all that mean? It sounds very theological right? What it is saying is this; that the finished work of Christ was to bring all men to together in one. Back then it was the Jews and the gentiles. It was God's people "Israel" and the other people who were not considered God's people but when Jesus Christ came, He made peace. He took the wall of partition away so that we could all be one in Christ so what He did on the cross was to take two different people that is the Jews and gentiles and make them one new man in Christ. Why? Because that's what team Trinity represents, oneness so what God was trying to do is that the way we are one let's make them one.
Jesus said that in His prayers in John 17 He said "Father I pray for them that we may be one just as we are one" that's one the major things He did on the cross that listen, the Trinity is a team, Three in one. Let's bring oneness and unity among these people and Paul went further in this when he was writing in Ephesians 5:31-32 (NLT)
31.As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32.This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
That even what marriage represents, the picture of marriage is the oneness between Christ and the church. The oneness and the Trinity. Oneness is a major is a lesson we learn from the Trinity, bringing everything into oneness with God. So, God brought all men into one so that we can as one. Let's be one! Let's be one!! Let's be one!!
God bless you and have a wonderful weekend.
Thursday 5th November, 2020.
A lovely Thursday morning to you in Jesus name.
We thank God for today. I trust your week is going well? We have been talking about Team Trinity and there is so much to learn from this wonderful team - the best team in the world. The Father, The Word and the Spirit.
Paul spoke a lot about the need to be one that is a major lesson learnt from the Trinity. That psalmist said " one thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after... that I may behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple"
Just looking at the Trinity, we see the wonderful things they represent and their amazing oneness is one of the greatest lessons.
Deut 6:4(NKJV)
“ 4.Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
What is the bible saying here?
The word "God" here again is plural "Elohim". The Lord our God - The Trinity, the Lord is one. They are one.
The word "one" there means they are together, unified, always pulling together.
Even though they are different, unique and have separate individualities yet they pull together. They are unified.
All their action is towards the same objective and goal. They are integrated, they are not spreading themselves thin, they are not pulling themselves apart, everything about the Trinity is one and coming together to one point and that's a major lesson to learn from the Trinity.
When people talk, they say "pull yourself together"
Maybe when facing challenges or situation and someone says " pull yourself together" that means get your faculties together. Jesus was talking to the people of Israel and He said "if your be single then your body be full of light, If your eyes be evil, then your body is full of darkness" What He was saying there is that if your eyes be one, if your eyes be unified your body is full of light. He is say the same thing, talking about the power of focus and pulling everything together.
You want to see God's power in your life, learn from the Trinity. Pull your mind, spirit and body together. Focus in all you abilities in the same direction.
He said " The Lord our God, the Lord is one" It's like fire when we see the flames of fire, we see the yellow, blue and red parts. Even though we can see them at the same time and they are different, they work together and that's what brings the flame and heat.
Let's learn that from Team Trinity today. Let's bring everything about our life together, bring focus, clarity and unity into your life. Integrate yourself into one powerful force and see what God will do through your life. That's one of the major lesson we learn from team Trinity.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 4th November 2020.
A beautiful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about team Trinity. The Trinity works in a team. God the Father, the Word or we call Him the Son, Jesus and the Spirit.
Let's read in 1st John 5:7 (NKJV)
For there are three that bear witness in heaven: The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.
So, we see there again, we are still just exposing to help us understand this, anything I want you to know is this, that the Trinity is a team. God is a team. We call God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit but understand it's one team. Three different individuals we see it here, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. He said, " the three agree in One" ," These three are one, another version says " These three agree in one"
The power of teams is not just coming together. It’s not just people coming together, the team must work together as one. They have one purpose, mind, and direction why? because it's possible to have teams that don't work as a team They don't function as team; they don't function as one.
The Bible is making it clear here that even though they are three and understand that they are three distinct individuals, it says they function as one, they agree as one. The Bible was saying in Amos 3:3 it said
"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
If you going to have great teams just as we learnt from the Trinity team we must agree, we must have unity of purpose. We must work as one, we must do things as one. No matter how strong our teams are, no matter how much we talk about teams if they don't work as one, it is a waste of time. So yes, we have seen the manifestation of the Father and we have seen that if we read through the Bible. We have seen the Father at work. When Jesus was here, He said "I and my father are one, I can do nothing except I see what my Father do" then when He was going, He said " Listen, I go to my Father and it’s because of this that I go, if I don't go the comforter or the Holy Spirit will not come". So, He was talking about His Father. He said " Listen I am going back; I am the word. I am going back to the Father and when I go back to the Father and when I go back to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come. So, we are talking about three different individuals but then again, He said " Listen, He is not going to speak for Himself. He is going to take from Me and take from the Father and what I have said is what He is going to say to you.
It is important we understand that even though we are talking about the teams and we are different, we must bring our difference and blend them into one. I have heard people talk about unity in diversity. It's important even though we are diverse, we can work as one. This lesson we learn on from team Trinity.
I pray in the name of Jesus; oneness will be our goal in our differences in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 3rd November 2020.
A beautiful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are talking about the power of right teams. Team Trinity: that is the greatest strongest, wildest, and most invincible team in the world. Why are they so strong and powerful? Why is it important we work in teams?
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV)
9.Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.10.For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.11.Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?12.Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
God is showing us something powerful, just looking at them and the way their being is structured. It's the Godhead or the Trinity. Three that agree in one. Three distinct beings; the Father, the Word, and the Spirit. He said, "because two is better that one".
A team is better than working alone. He said, "they have better results on the things they do" another version says, "they succeed better". You succeed better as a team than as an individual and that is what the Godhead, team Trinity is showing us.
Jesus was scolding the Pharisee leaders, He said "you say something and you do another thing" So He told the people “listen to what they say because they say the right thing but they don't do it”. But God is showing us here that listen, I am not just saying it I am doing it.
Look at the Godhead. The God is a team, team Trinity. It's a threefold cord that cannot be broken. Structure your life like this, so we see them do things as one and they are distinct beings. They are very different, there is the Father, when Jesus was here, He talked about the Father, He talked about Him (Jesus) going, He talked about the Holy spirit coming. He said, "even though we are different, we walk as one" and He said "cursed, woe to that person who is alone, who walks alone, who tries to do everything alone". The power to maximize, transform things is released as we walk in a team and that's a very strong message, the God head, team Trinity wants us to understand just looking at them. We are not even saying we are hearing what they are saying now, just looking at them.
There is a story in proverb that says "I went past the house of a man, devoid of understanding and I looked and learnt lesson" just look! You can learn lesson by looking, just looking at the Trinity and observing. He said this three agree in one. The Father, The Word, and The Spirit. It's a team and they do everything as a team.
Understand the power of team work will change your life, the power of team work will multiply your efforts, it will multiply your impact, it will make work sustainable and impactful and it will make your things lasting that's is one major lesson we learn from team Trinity. May the Lord give us understanding in Jesus name.
Have a wonderful day!
My name is Niyi Adekunle.
Monday 2nd November 2020.
Hello and it's a beautiful Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
The first work week in this month. I pray the Lord will give you strength and grace to go on in the name of Jesus. We are still talking about team up and not down and we are looking at team Trinity.
Understand that the Trinity is a team. Even the almighty God. The One who has all the wisdom and power. The All-knowing One, who is everywhere at the same time, works in a team. God works in team and we will call it "Team Trinity". The Father, The word and the spirit, so yesterday we started on this series. We want to go further on that understanding this morning.
Let's read Gen 1:26 (NKJV)
26.Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God said, "Let us " and not let me, that begins to show that the Trinity is more than one. It's a team. So we said yesterday that " Elohim, the word God there is in plural in the Hebrews language" so here we see more clearly, it says "Let us" It took more than one personality to create man, to create everything the Godhead did at the beginning and the creation of man was the peak of His work. So, everything we want to do that's is going to be sustainable, great and last as to be done in teams.
It takes more than one to multiply anything and it's very early before God did anything, He wanted us to be very clear on that. Gen 1:1, He shows us the Godhead, Team Trinity. Gen 1:26, makes it clear again, "Let us" not let me. If it's going to be great it has to be more than one person, if it's going to be last it has to be more than one person. Jimmy Collins wrote his book " Good to great" if you have to do something good, he wrote another book " Build to Last". If you going to do something great that will last, believe me, it has to be a team and God shows us .that very early. "Let us" the Trinity is a team, and they are doing things we are still here and that's why you can see it's lasting.
If you want to do anything great, anything that will last it has to be done in teams. We make team and like we said it must be a team that takes you up, not a team that brings you down. The Trinity is an up team, everybody in the team works together and they work to take everything up.
I pray in the name of Jesus just as we are learning from team Trinity, we will understand the power of teams and we will make teams that will take you up in the name of Jesus.
This week will be a wonderful week for you, this week you will learn just like the Trinity to work in wonderful teams. Teams that will take you up and not down in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Sunday 1st November 2020.
Hello and lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God the today is Sunday the 1st of November. We thank God for bringing us into a new month. We thank for His grace that has kept us. This year has been a very interesting year, but we thank God for everything. The Bible says in everything we should give thanks and when people say there is casting down, for us, it's a lifting up so this lovely Sunday morning, I trust God that you are going higher and higher in the name of Jesus.
We are talking about teaming up and not down. We are simply talking about the power of right relationships because you can team up with people. All of us need teams but it's important to team to go up not down. There are some teams that take you up and there are some teams that take you down. So our focus is that we want to trust God as we prepare for the new year 2021 that we begin to get involved in teams, structure ourselves and plan our lives and enter into teams that can take us up and not down in Jesus name.
Gen 1:1 (NLT)
1.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Years ago, I studied this, and I found out the word "God " there is in plural. It's the plural word for God it's not just God singular but plural. Three individuals, the Godhead and we all know about the Godhead. So, throughout this week, we will be talking about the Godhead, Team Trinity.
So, God first revelation to man is a triune God, the Trinity God working in creation. We see His creative ability, but God wanted us to understand that this creative ability of God that we see did not come from a single individual. The word there is "Elohim" and it's the plural name for God. The Trinity; The Father, The Word, and The Spirit. Three distinct persons working as one. So very early in His revelation of Himself to us, God wanted us to understand that listen, what we are seeing here is a team, a Trinity team, we call the Godhead. Three distinct personalities working as one. The Father, The Word and The Spirit and they created one thing together.
If the Trinity has to create then understand that teamwork is important. No matter the work you want to do that's the very first we see God showing us. Understand that your team is very important. Nobody can create anything amazing, sustainable, and great alone. It takes a team.
Understand that, as we begin to prepare for this month and by implication the months to come and the new year, your team is important. Pick the right team, a team that can take you up and not take you down. If the Trinity is a team. You will also know it's important we work with teams.
God bless you and have a lovely Sunday morning.
Have a great day!
Saturday 31st October,2020.
Hello and a lovely Saturday morning to you in Jesus name.
Today is the 31st. It is the last day of the month of October. We thank God for how the month has been. We thank God for the last 10 months of this year. The year that a lot of people believe has been turbulent but in the midst of all that, God's mercy and grace has been available and I trust Him in the name of Jesus that we are not going to go out of this year empty in the name of Jesus. God is crowning this year for you and for me with His goodness, and our path is dropping with fatness in the name of Jesus.
All through this month, we have been talking about the power of dreams to change your life, don't give up on your dream no matter how little it looks. God will change your life by His power, mercy, and grace in the name of Jesus and you know the good thing about this dream. It is not a respecter of persons, place, gender, or age. It respects nothing. The only thing it respects is your ability to align with it, believe in it and walk with God and you will see it come true.
If you remember, in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon the early church and Peter was speaking to them. He began to quote from the word prophet Joel said. He said " Listen, they are not drunk, this is what the prophet said " The last days God said "I am pouring out my spirit upon all flesh" that means if you have flesh, God is pouring out His spirit upon you. He said " upon my sons, daughters, male, females, young, old" expect God to pour out His vision and dreams upon your life mightily, no matter what situation you are and guess what? He will radically transform your life in Jesus name.
John 6:28-29 (NKJV)
28.Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”29.Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
They came to Jesus they said " Lord, we have seen the wonderful things you are doing, what must we do that we may do the same great works?" and I am sure Jesus' answer surprised them. He said, " The work is not about exertion, the work starts with believing" and it is the same thing I want to remind you of this morning.
You want to see your dream work; you want to live in the reality of your dream. The starting point is this, you must believe in the reality of your dream. If you don't believe in it, it will not make any sense. Yes! Believe in God…It's important. Jesus said " Believe in God, believe also in Me" but you must believe that the dream can become a reality. You must believe that God has sent that dream to change your life. When you believe that, you will do whatever it takes to make it come true. You will give your time, money, training, resources, meet with whoever you need to meet and do whatever you need to do to make it work. Why? Because you believe in it. To see your dream work, you must work it out.
I see you working out your dream by the power and the grace of God in the name of Jesus. And I see your dream becoming true. The world will celebrate you, celebrate your dream and it will bring glory to our father in heaven.
God bless you!
Have a wonderful day and wonderful month of November ahead in Jesus name.
Friday 30th October 2020.
Hello and a beautiful Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust God it is been a wonderful week. The month is ending tomorrow and believe me, God's ability to do wonders in our lives is not limited by time. 24hours is still a lot of time to do wonderful things in your life. So, expect God to move in your life, to do miracles, to do signs and wonders for you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about dream work. I see your dream working in Jesus name.
Esther 4:13-16(NLT)
13.Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14.If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”15.Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16.“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
Wow! That's a woman who understands the power, wisdom, and grace of God. God's dream has no respect for gender. So, what was God's dream for this woman? She never knew until she got into this position of queen and her uncle and mentor Mordecai said "listen, God wants to bring deliverance and relief to the Jews through you. There is a lot of trouble, there is a threat to their life by this wicked man called "Haman”, but God has raised you up for this, do something about it"
Even though Esther was scared, the reality of the threat was the fact and everybody knew the law that listen, if you go before the king you will be killed if the king doesn't call you but Esther knew something could be about it and she worked towards it. What was the work she said they should do? It looked spiritual but believe me it worked. She said, " you know what, gather everybody, go and pray and fast for me" It not just some physical strategy that is work, there is spiritual part of it that we must learn to do. Learn to pray, fast, and agree with people. All the spiritual things we need to do, let's do it together and if you read further down the book of Esther, the next thing she did was, God gave her the wisdom to know exactly what to do. So, she dressed up looked nice and went to see the king and we know the story.
To come into the realization of your dreams, you must be willing to do things you have never done before, you must be willing to take some risk, to go in a direction you have never gone before because you see you have never lived in the reality of your dream before. So that's what this woman did and that's my encouragement to you this morning or whatever time you are listening to this. Yes! do the spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional work. Do all the work you need to do but understand this; one of the most important things you must be willing to do is go in a new direction. Be encouraged to do something you have never done before and as you do it guess what? You will leave in the reality of your dream.
I see your dream working in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a Lovely weekend.
Thursday 28th October,2020.
Good morning, a lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about dream work. If your dream is going to work, you have to work on it. God will help and strengthen you, but you will need to work with Him to see the realization of your dream.
*Today, we are going to read psalm 78:70-72(NLT).
*
*70.He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens.71.He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants God’s own people, Israel.72.He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skilful hands.
*
God is telling about king David here and how he started it. It doesn't matter where you are today, where you’re positioned, how low you can be. David was a simple shepherd, common shepherd not even having his own sheep. He was shepherding his father's sheep but, in that place, God gave him this dream and what was the dream? to make him the king of the nation of Israel. He didn't just call him king. To connect what he was doing to what he wanted him to do. He said " just as you’ve been the shepherd of these sheep, you will be the shepherd of my people, Israel" and between the time Samuel anointed David and the time he became the king of the nation of Israel was fourteen years and it was fourteen years of literal torture. What do I mean? from the time he became king, and the king Saul knew about it. It was one problem to the other. He began running around the whole nation, his life was under threat, his family’s life and he was hiding around some other people joined him, some people that seemed they had no hope within the system and David became their leader.
It was a very distressful season for David but within those fourteen years period, what did God do? through the turbulence, pains, and suffering. God was working on David, working on his skills, working on his ability to lead people etc. so that the things he learnt in those difficult years were the things he needed to be a great king.
So, what is the lesson here? No matter the dream God has given you. Understand in the daily runs of your life, in the daily things you do, in the simple things you do as long as you keep that dream in your heart and you focus on it. You have faith in it someway, somehow God will connect what you are doing today, to the realization of your dream tomorrow.
How in the world can God connect a Shepherd to the shepherd of Israel? Only God could have done that, so where you are today see how God can connect what I am doing today to what He wants me to do tomorrow. Don't bother about it. Give your heart to Him, allow Him work on you as long as God can work on your heart, through your heart. He is going to work on your attitude, He is going to work on your behaviours and dreams and guess what? No matter how long it takes, as long as you stay with Him, allow Him work on you, allow yourself work with Him. You will live in the reality of your dream. With all the challenges, God preserved David. God will preserve you. He will keep you, no matter what the challenges are, you stay with your dream, you will live in the reality of them in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 28th October,2020.
We thank God for this lovely Wednesday morning, and I trust God good things are happening to you in the name of Jesus. It will be a wonderful day for you in the name of Jesus. May the rain of God's blessings fall fresh upon your life. May you see the light of His countenance, may His glory and beauty be seen you in the name of Jesus.
Gen 37:9(NLT)
- "Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. "Listen; I have had another dream" he said I saw the sun; moon and the stars bow before me"*
Wow! He had another dream; the good thing is this; understand that God has enough dreams to last us for a lifetime. Sometimes He shows us the whole thing at once, sometimes it's like a book and you open each page, as you finish one page He opens another but either we understand that God can give us dreams upon dreams and as you faithful to it, He will give you more dreams and sometimes it is the same dreams He keeps emphasizing it in different ways and that's what He did with Joseph. So in Joseph's dreams, God never said to him in the dream that you will be the prime minister of Egypt or anything like that but everyone that heard the dream of Joseph knew the dream spoke about a high position, they knew that the dream spoke about leadership so when he told his brothers first that listen; I saw twelve sheaves and I saw mine standing and all the eleven bowing down to me they knew it was about high position. When he said, " I saw the sun, moon and twelve stars bowing down to my star" They knew that it had to do with position but guess what? In his father's house, Joseph was this spoilt boy, he wasn't doing much he stayed with his father at home wearing his lovely coat of many colours while his brothers went to work but God knew that listen if this boys dream is going to work I must put him to work.
So God sets a process of work for him and that process started with him being sold into slavery by his brothers, they bought him and they told him into the house of Potiphar and from Potiphar’s house he went to jail and things got difficult but in the midst of all these through these process, God was teaching Joseph so many things. He was teaching him how to work, He was working on his person, he was developing skill and by the time Joseph emerged, through these process he had learnt to work on himself, work with people and develop his skills so that when he stood before Pharaoh he had the necessary skills and work ability he needed to rule and reign as prime minister.
Understand this; What you are doing today, no matter how mundane it is, put your best in it why? It is connected to your dream. Don't despise the days of little things whatever your hand finds to do the Bible says "Do it with all your heart" and as you keep working on these things and doing these things you will find out He is working on your dream. You will see the fulfilment of your dream in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle.
Tuesday 27th October,2020.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His grace, Love, and mercy. It's His mercy and grace that makes Him work for us, that preserves us from judgement, that brings His goodness into our lives. So, we must never be tired of thanking Him for His mercy and grace.
Dream work. That's what we are talking about. If your dream is going to come true, if your dream is going to work, you have to work at it.
Habakkuk 2: 2-3 (NKJV)
'Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.'
Like we said earlier, you can use the word "dream" and "vision" together and we must understand this, every God given dream will require the help of God to make it come true. You cannot do it on your own and understand this; No dream comes to pass instantly. So, it says, "Though it tarries, wait for it" and what happens between this waiting period is that sometimes, it puts a lot of pressure on our faith. Sometimes, we begin to feel tried. It took Joseph about 13 years between the time he saw the dream and the time he stood before pharaoh. It took David about 14years and for Mary the mother of Jesus she had to carry the baby Jesus for 9 months in her womb. People were asking who is the father? All of them went through this period with so much difficulty but you know what? If they ever gave up on the reality of this dream, they will never have seen it come true and when things don't make sense on the outside, what you need is Faith.
You need faith to stand and stay true to the dream so that no matter what happens on the outside, no matter what people say, you can keep your course but then if it is going to be faith then you must understand that faith without work is dead.
James 2:26 tells us "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"
If you’re going to see your dream work, you have to put faith behind it and faith means "You believe in it" and you are working it out. No matter how challenging it may be, no matter how long it takes. It says " Wait for it" why? It said " because it will surely come and it will not tarry" but to stay stable in the midst of doubts as we wait, it takes faith and if it will take faith, you must work at it.
I see your dream coming true in the name of Jesus. I see strength and faith coming to your heart, so you can stay true to your faith and dream and work it out by the wisdom and power of God in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
DVD With Niyi Adekunle.
Monday 26th October 2020.
A lovely day to you in the name of Jesus.
Thank God for today Monday. This is the last week of the month of October. We trust God for great things in Jesus name.
We have been talking about dreams and as we round up this series on the power of dreams. We will be talking about DREAM WORK.
If you are dream is going to come to life, if your dream is going to work, it's because you are settling down to work it out. If your dream is going to come through, it's because you have taken time to work on it and like we said earlier, a dream is simply put; the inner picture or image of a desirable future especially one that aligns with the scripture, that aligns with God's word that we know that we have the backing of God to make it come true. Dreams like we said, is one of the major tools that God uses in changing the course of our lives when we give in, follow the dreams God has given us. It has the power to literally change our lives but except we work on those dreams, they will never work.
Habakkuk 2:2 (NLT) says "Then the LORD answered me and said: “Write the vision (Dream) and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.“
Every dream that God shows us. Every dream we see, or catch is so that we can take some form of action on it. Years ago, I heard this wise man say, He said "So you built your castle in the air. That's good, get to work and put foundation under it" What is he trying to say? He said, " it's good sometimes you say oh you are building a castle in the air". You are daydreaming. So, go ahead and dream, go ahead and daydream, go ahead and have whatever dream you want. But after you have had the dream. Open your eyes, get up and get to work and work out those dreams.
The joy of the dream, the beauty of our dream is that we work it out and work it to the point of reality whether it's Joseph, Daniel, Solomon or anyone whether the people we know in our time who we have seen them bring their dream to reality, it's because they settled down and worked those dreams out.
I pray that you will make the decision practically now as the year begins to run to an end. Whatever dream God has shown you, get down and get to work on it as we begin to work. We will see the power of dreams change our lives; ttit won't happen in one day but gradually as we begin one step after the other. We will see our dreams come true in the name of Jesus.
I pray it will be a wonderful week for you. I pray you will end this month on a wonderful note and the power of dreams will change your life
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Sunday 25th October,2020.
Hello! A lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His grace and we thank God as He’s brought us this far in the month of October.
I will be reading 1 Samuel 13:11 (NLT)
"But Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle"
You remember the story. Samuel told Saul "Wait for me seven days, I will come and do the sacrifice before you go into battle." So, on the seventh day, I don't know what time exactly, the bible doesn't give us the detail but sometime on the seventh day. Samuel was getting under pressure. He saw his soldiers moving, he saw that the time was going, and Samuel had not yet arrived. He saw the soldiers of the Philistines getting to battle formation and he had to make a judgement call based on the things he saw and that got him into trouble because just after that, right under seventh day, Samuel came in. But the action of Saul, took him into sin and that sin jammed the dream that God had for his life.
That's incredibly sad. We all have to make decisions from time to time based on the things we see, hear and the things generally that comes from our sensory perception but we must be careful not to really make those fundamental decisions based on sensory perception alone. We must learn as believers not to make complete judgement based on the things that come through our senses alone.
Isa 11:3 says concerning Jesus and the spirit of God. It says "He will not judge by the seeing of the eyes and by hearing of the ears but by righteousness will He judge. But believe me, no matter how simple it is in saying it, it is tough. Sometimes last year in May 2019. My mother had taken a trip to North America, en-route Europe and I remembered a few days later, my sister had called me from Canada and said "Listen, we have not seen mummy yet we have called the airport and all that" I said "why? let me check". We called the airport she was traveling through in Europe. They said " they haven't seen her, no details" we have called everywhere and no story about her.
In the midst of that, I got a call from my daughter's school. She was writing her final exams in her secondary school, they said " she is being sick for a few days and it's getting worse" and they needed to make a decision if they had to send her to the hospital to admit her. Now all that was happening at the same time. Phone calls from my siblings outside the country, phones calls from my daughter's school. My wife was there, hysterical. I was praying saying, Lord what do we do in the midst of all these? I just caught myself "He that believe, must not make haste…” I said " Lord I cannot do anything about my mum somewhere in Europe, I can't do anything about my daughter, out of Lagos where she is. I handover everything to you". I switched off my phone and I slept, handing it over to God. I woke up around 8 O' clock. I called the school, called about my mum and guess what? They said "my daughter was better" she wrote her exam the next day, the results came out in the year. She got an A. My mother was okay, and everything went well but guess what? It's not that easy. I think it's in 2 Cor 5:11 it says, " we walk by faith, not by sight, not by sensory perception".
It is important we learn to rest in God's word and rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Sometimes sin can look terrible but if you hand it over to God. Someway, somehow, he knows how to make everything turn out right. Don't make the most important decisions of your life based on your sensory perception alone. Let the word of God guide you, let the spirit of God guide you and I am sure He will lead to a place of peace and rest in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Friday 23rd October,2020.
Hello and a wonderful day to you in Jesus name.
Well, today is not my normal devotional probably, maybe it's my deliberation.
Isaiah 1:18 says "Come now and let us reason together ". I just want to reason with us today.
On Tuesday the 20th of October. Sometimes in the night, I began to get calls, videos and messages about killings going on in the city I live in; Lagos, Nigeria at the Lekki toll gate end somewhere on the island and as I was watching the videos, getting the message and discussing with some of my folks that are around. It was so painful. It was extremely painful, shameful, and very disgraceful that in 2020, an elected government could do this to their own young people, defenceless young men and women protesting peacefully for a better life /future and armed forces opened fire against them.
Matt 2:16-23 talks about how Herod sent his soldiers to kill little children, boys age 2 downwards because he felt they were a threat to his throne and government and as I saw those things, I remembered Herod. When we talk about Herod today, we don't really know anything good about Herod. Herod represents a bad person, bad government and Herod today is lineage today everything is gone. So as much as we talk about these things and look at them. My heart and prayers goes out to the families of those who have lost people, loved ones and properties. Some cars were burnt, things were destroyed etc. that the Lord will comfort and strengthen you in the name of Jesus.
Understand this, God is a good of all nations. He said ask of me and I will give you the nations for inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession and if you read the judgement in Mathew 25, Jesus was saying "He will call nations before Him". These are sheep, these are goats. Judgement is a judgement of the nations because God is a God of the nations. So even though our messages go out to twenty plus nations and about five continents, understand that God is interested in what goes on in our nation.
Let's pray for our nation, that the Herod spirit that kills it's young, that destroys and try to snuff out the lives of those it's supposed to serve will not take root in the name of Jesus, that righteousness will be seen our land, peace and prosperity within our borders in the name of Jesus. I pray that God will comfort us in Nigeria. Whatever nations you are the same thing, and this form of bloodletting and blood shedding will not be seen again in the name of Jesus. The judgement of God cannot be kept. It's a new day for us in Nigeria and the nations of the world in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Thursday 22nd October 2020.
Thank God for today. A wonderful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Make it a Thursday of thanksgiving, remember the things he has done, focus on his goodness, love and testimony He is given you before and the same God who did yesterday, He is the same today and He is the same forever and He can do it again.
Still talking about those sins, those things we do that jam our dream. Dream jammers and yesterday we read from 1 Sam 13:7-13 and talks about the story of Saul and Samuel. Samuel had given him instructions; they were going to battle against the philistines and the instruction was this; wait for seven days. On the seventh day I will come and offer a sacrifice and you will go into the battle. So, Saul waited for Samuel for seven days. On the seventh day he had not seen him, and he was getting restless. The soldiers were getting restless, there was confusion and fear everywhere and before Samuel came, Saul rushed did the sacrifice himself and that cost him the kingdom. The kingdom was God's dream for him and his household but because of that sin he lost it.
The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1
It says, "We should lay aside every weight and sin that keeps dragging us down". Some things are not necessarily sin, but they are weights, they slow us down and if we are not careful on how we handle they lead us into sin.
Yesterday, we spoke about fear and a lot of us don't believe that fear is a sin. Yes, there is a natural fear that we all have and there is the one that gets into our heart that is a distrust for God. That turns us against God. In the book of Rev 21:8. It talked about fear, it lists the name of people that will not get into the kingdom of God. It spoke about the fearful, unbelieving, liars, sorcerers etc. and says, "this kind of people will not enter the kingdom of God". So, it’s important we give no room to fear in our lives. We are not talking about the natural human fear but there is the fear that is a distrust, that takes over your heart and makes you do the wrong thing.
Today, we will be read from 1 Sam 13:8-9 It says
'Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So, he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.'
Saul was not patient he couldn't wait for the seventh day like the man of God had instructed and he went on to take the sacrifice himself. Galatians 5:22-23 talks about the fruit of the spirit. It says, 'But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!'
Patience is a fruit of the spirit. King Saul was impatient, he couldn't wait and sometimes we get ourselves in that place. The pressure is building, things are happening, people are shouting, we get agitated and out of impatience we get to do the things we should not do.
Luke 21:19 (NKJV) says “By your patience possess your souls.” By patience take control of your soul.
My prayers for you today is that; You will allow patience to take hold of your life. Impatience will not push you and me to the things we are not supposed to do and will not cost us the dream that God has given to us in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 21st October 2020.
A wonderful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about dream jammers. Our dreams will not be jammed in the name of Jesus. Sin will not have power over us. The things that stop and jam men and make them forfeit and derail their dreams will not derail us in Jesus name.
We will be reading 1 Sam 13:7-13 (NLT)
7.Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. 8. Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. 9. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. 10. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, 11.but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. 12. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So, I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.”13.“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it; the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14.But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
God had given king Saul and instruction, he was going to fight with the Philistines and the instruction was this, before you go into the battle, wait for seven days. On the seventh day, Samuel will come and offer a sacrifice and go into the battle. Samuel did not come on the sixth day, and the seventh day had come, he didn't show up, a fear hours to the seventh day the soldiers were getting scared and restless and they began to move as if they were going to desert Saul and Saul out to fear because of what he saw the soldiers and Philistines doing. He could not wait till the end of the seventh day. The instruction was wait till the seventh day. On the seventh day you will do this sacrifice and you will go into the battle. He could not wait till the end of the seventh day. No doubt he got to the seventh day, but the seventh day has 24hours. Maybe he waited 5 hours, 6 hours or maybe even 11 hours but somewhere in between there he gave up, he did the sacrifice and Samuel came in. And that was a sin. Samuel said " you have sinned, you have not followed the instruction of the lord. The instruction was for you to wait" what made him take this action? Fear! Fear!! Fear !!
Fear is a major sin. Not so much a sin like that but it's a weight. It leads us to all sorts of sin and it got Saul to do what God doesn't want him to do and led him to trouble. The Bible says in the book of 1 John 4:18, it says "Fear has torment" There is a way when fear enters our heart, it begin to torment our soul and make us do the things we are not supposed to do.
As we go into this day, I pray in the name of Jesus. Fear will not fill your heart, your heart will be filled will confidence, faith and love in the name of Jesus. You will fulfill your dream and the Lord's glory will be seen in your life.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 20th October,2020.
A wonderful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His grace and love. It's always good to give thanks to the Lord. No matter what is happening, no matter the situation, giving thanks is a way that God lifts us out of our challenges and brings us into a new level. So, no matter what you are going through this morning, my word of encouragement to you is; Give thanks! "Rejoice" the Bible says and again I say "Rejoice".
1 Sam 13:13-14(NLT)
13 “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
God had a dream for this man called Saul and the dream was simple. God was looking for a man to be the king of Israel and that man and his lineage will rule the nation of Israel forever. So that was the dream. The man for this dream was Saul from the household of Kish, in the lineage of the tribe of Benjamin and that was the man called Saul and God released this dream to him and he messed up.
Understand this, God never changes His dream, the dreams of God never change. He said, " The words that go out of my mouth will never come back void, they will prosper that which I send it" So God's dreams that goes out will always be fulfilled. When we talk about dreams being jammed, it's not God's dreams that is jammed. It is the dream that is jammed in the life of the person. In the sense that, it might not be fulfilled through that person, but it will be fulfilled either way. So, like the dream God gave was that I want a man from Israel who I will make king and hid lineage will be king forever.
The moment Saul sinned, that dream was taking away from Saul, but the dream was not taken away back to God. It was given to another man called David. So, when we talk about dreams being jammed and stopped. It's not as if God's dream can be jammed. If God gives a dream it’s never jammed, it can only be jammed or stopped in the life of the person because of the way the person handled the dream or the person is sinning etc. but God never changes His dream and that's why it's important we do not allow sin to destroy God's dream in our lives. We should not allow sin to jam God's dream out of our lives. Sin is a mocker and molester of people's dreams and destiny.
The sin of Saul messed up his life, destroyed everything and his lineage and that was it but the dream didn't die, it was simply transferred to the man David. Remember Judas, after he sinned and denied Jesus Christ and he killed himself. After Christ ascended, the disciples said "Listen, his position let another take". It was the prophecy in the Psalm. They said "Listen, we need to appoint someone else to take over this place" so it is important we understand the power of sin to stop our dream and do everything in our power not to let sin take us down. Heb 12:4 says, " not yet resisted to the point of blood in our stand against sin".
It is important we do everything to stand against sin. Sin will not derail you in the name of Jesus. Your dreams, you will fulfill. It will not be given to someone else in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Monday 19th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for His love and mercy. We must never take these things for granted. God is good and His mercies endures forever. We have been talking about the power of dreams to change our lives and I trust God in the name of Jesus. The dreams that will change your life for the better you will not lose it in the name of Jesus.
We started talking about catching dreams last week. This week we will start talking about dream jammers. What do we mean by dream jammers? As wonderful and as powerful our dreams can be, there are things that can literally jam and stop our dreams from becoming reality. You say, "How is that possible?" The Bible talks about these people in Psalm 78:41, how they limited the Holy One of Israel. How human beings by their behaviour literally stopped God from doing the things he wanted to do in their lives. So, the same way, by the things we do or we don't do, we could actually limit the power of God's dream in our lives.
1 Sam 13:13-14 (NLT)
13.“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it; the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14.But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”
So God chose this man, Saul to be the leader of his people, to be the captain over Israel to be their king and he chose Saul to be the first king and for his family to be the ruling house to rule over the kingdom of Israel forever.
1 Samuel 10:1(MSG)
1.Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, and kissed him. He said, “Do you see what this means? God has anointed you prince over his people. “This sign will confirm God’s anointing of you as prince over his inheritance.”
That's God's plan and dream for this man Saul to be the prince and the leader of his people and for his house to endure as the ruling house forever. So, God sent to him out to do something, fight with the Philistines and to wait seven days so that the prophet Samuel can come and offer a sacrifice. He waited the first day, second day and on the seventh day he was still waiting, he felt he couldn't wait again, he ran impatient and he went to do the sacrifice himself and as he finished, Samuel came in and Samuel was angry with him. He said, “The instruction was to wait for me to come and do the sacrifice before you go into the battle". He said "because you have disobeyed God's instruction, your disobedience had caused you the throne. God's dream for your life of being king and that your family, lineage will be king forever is over. That dream will never be and that simple act of disobedience by Saul derailed the dream. The sin of disobedience literally jammed the fulfilment of God's dream in the life of Saul.
I pray for you today in the name of Jesus. As we are start another week, that your actions and inactions will align with God's word and dreams so that God word will not be jammed in your life in the name of Jesus. That you will live to see the fulfilment of your dream. We saw how the actions of Saul didn't just affect him but affected his family and his lineage.
May your actions bring blessings to you, your family, and your lineage in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Sunday 17th October,2020.
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Thank God for everything, thank God for today a wonderful day in the name of Jesus. We are still talking about the power of dreams. We know we spoke about communication and how God communicates with us through pictures and they say a picture speaks more than a thousand words. So God speaks to us through pictures and we said also that words also paint pictures on our mind, so when we speak, what happens is that words form images, it's creates mental pictures in our mind so as just God speaks to us through pictures and we hear things through pictures, words also creates pictures in our mind and that's the power of dreams and visions that someway somehow we are caught by the visions and dreams for us.
Habakkuk chapter 2 "Write the vision down, make it plain upon tablet that he may run who reads it “The vision is for an appointed time, wait for it because at the end it will speak so God calls us and puts a vision in us pursue it after a while, the vision becomes us. It takes up everything about us and it defines everything about our lives. It changes our attitude and view sometimes it changes our personality.
The Bible says in the book of Phil 3:12(NKJV )
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Take note of that, that I may lay hold that for which Christ laid hold of me. What is he talking about? There is a dream in Christ heart, in the heart of God when he saved Paul on the way to Damascus, knocked him down, showed him something. He said "so that was what he caught me for" for that dream. He said, "now I am doing everything to lay hold on that dream". The dream was the reason he caught me now I am living my life for that dream and guess what? Paul is out of here today. Guess what we remember him for? The dream.
In Gen 17:19 When Joseph was going to visit his brothers in the field, guess what they said when they saw him? They said here comes the dreamer. Why? They have come to know him with his dream. That is the power of dreams that when God gives us a wonderful dream and we go after it. That's the reason he called us, gives us a dream after a while the dream takes up everything about us. Jesus puts it this way. He said, "The zeal of my father's house has consumed me or eaten me up". The dream literally takes up everything about you and that's the power of dream. Yes, we catch the dream but as time goes on the dream ultimately catches up with us and the dream begins to speak through our lives.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that no matter how great or grand your dream is. God will give you the grace and strength to give yourself to it. Sometimes it might be challenging but grace and strength to stay through and as you stay through it, may God let that dream define and become you so that you will be known by that dream and that dream will change your lives, and change our world in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Saturday 17th October,2020.
Hello and a wonderful Saturday to you in Jesus name.
I trust God you are having a good time to rest (If your job allows you to rest on weekends!). But whatever it is, we want to thank God for a lovely day, and I trust God's goodness and His mercies is keeping you in Jesus name.
We have been talking about catching the dream; how to catch our dreams and we have looked at it in the different lives. How they caught the dream and how the power of dreams after they've caught it, changed their lives. Until we catch, document, keep and hold the dream, the power of the dream can't do anything in our lives. Remember the story we read earlier this week? A voice came from heaven. Some said it thundered, some said Jesus was the one that they were speaking to but Jesus said "Listen; you know what, that voice that came, came for your benefit" we will not lose that which is for our benefits in Jesus name.
Let's open our Bible this morning and let's read from the book of Job 33:14-18 (NLT )
14.For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.16.He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings.17.He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride.18.He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.
God speaks through dreams. Let it be settled in our hearts that dreams is a medium of communication that God uses. It's not all the time he uses dreams to talk to us but there are times he talks to us through dreams and like we said sometimes within the week, it's not all the time that dreams will excite us. It's not all the time that things God shows us will make us jump and feel wonderful. It will not always be exciting news, like we read here He speaks in dreams and sometimes they are warnings. Warnings are especially important in our lives. Why? We are susceptible to doing wrong things. So sometimes it's a warning. When the angel appeared to Joseph the foster father of Jesus in a dream, it was to warn him that listen; take this child out of here, move him to Egypt because people are trying to kill him. Warnings come by dreams. He said, "To turn us from doing wrong". Sometimes we are doing something and it's to correct us, to warn us. God changes our direction through the power of dream and another thing He said is that it's to keep us from pride.
Remember, in the book of Daniel chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar had this great dream and at the end God was going to kill him from pride, so the dream was to show what God was going to do to humble for seven years. Dreams are there to keep us from ultimate evils. The last one he says is that; dreams are there to protect us. He said, "To protect us from the grave". Whatever the dream does whether it's to excite you, make you feel sad. Understand that if you are a child of God, whatever God is showing you is ultimately for your good.
Let's just open up ourselves to the ministry of dreams and like I said it's not until when you are sleeping. Sometimes it's the picture God shows you when you are awake but understand it's a way that God communicates0 to us and never forget we also said this; the primary way of guidance is through the word of God. So whatever dream, whatever maybe God is saying to you that does not align with scripture, believe me have absolutely nothing to do with it.
May God take you to a new level of communication with Him as we begin to understand things better in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Friday 16th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
It's a good day every day. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and we are glad in it. Thank God it's Friday like they say but we thank God every single day. We have been talking about the power of dreams, catching dreams, dreams speaks etc. and as wonderful has these dreams are, as powerful as they are to change our lives, it's important to know that God does not want us to run our lives by dreams. Yes! He doesn't want us to run our lives by dreams. Remember the definition we have been using, a dream is a picture or inner image of something you are getting from God, something that is desirable, sometimes it might not be desirable, but it must align with scriptures. God wants us to run our lives by His words. Yes! God sometimes wraps His word around dreams, and He reveals to us but at the end of the day, He wants us to run our lives by His words. When you catch a dream, check it first. Be sure it aligns with God's word and then you can respond. That is the encounter Peter had. He had this dream about this huge sheet coming down, different animals in there it looked quite strange and He said " No" God said "kill and eat". He said "Never! I will never try it" why? because he wasn't too sure of the source. What did he do?
Let's read in Acts 10:17-20(NKJV)
17.Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate,18.And called, and asked whether Simon, which was surnamed Peter, were lodged there.19.While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.20.Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.
Why was Peter cautious? Even though Peter walked with Jesus in the flesh He was the leader of the church. He had been preaching. He’s had dreams and encounters with God before but this one he saw, he had to be careful. He needed to check it and the Bible says, " Even though he has seen those things and heard voices". He began to think about it, he began to run it through his mind. He was trying to seek guidance. Am I sure this thing is from God? Remember we spoke about the place of guidance and sensitivity.
Understand the principal guide for everything we get is God's word. That's the principal guide. No matter what anybody says, see or hear. If it doesn't not align with God's word, we have to be very careful. In fact, we should not respond to it. So, Peter saw this thing, he was a bit disturbing. He was coming from a very traditional, conservative Jews background yes, he had come into Christ and he was seeing this thing and he knew the Lord said "don't eat it" but God was showing him something new. He said "kill and eat" but when he thought about it and God spoke to him. He knew it was from God and he responded to it.
Understand that dreams and the things we see, visions have different sources, and the Bible encourages us in 1 John 4:1 it says, "we should test every spirit" Test these things. Check them by God's word so that we are not deceived. Deception is the hallmark of the last days, it's the hallmark of end times so we must do everything to ensure we are not deceived. No matter the dream, check it out, ensure it aligns with God's word before you receive and respond to it.
Thank you for listening.
God bless you and have a wonderful weekend.
Thursday 15th October,2020.
A lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I am sure God is working in your life and His grace available for you. I heard this saying when I was much younger. A picture is worth a thousand words i.e. pictures speak to us, but do you also know that words creates pictures in our hearts? Words literally paint pictures and create images in our hearts. Have you heard people talking before and the person would say "Oh! I see". Although the person is not seeing pictures. For instance, if I say " Dog" you don't see dog jump out of my mouth or you don't see the word "D-o-g" but as I speak, as I say "A dog is walking" somehow in your heart and mind, you are seeing the picture of a dog walk. Just the way pictures speak to us, words also create pictures to us. It creates pictures in our hearts, and they go together and that's why God uses images, pictures to talk to us. Like we said earlier, dreams are simply put, those inner images, pictures in our hearts that drives our lives especially those that align with the scriptures and we said yesterday sometimes they are very simple but the truth is that sometimes that are very dramatic like the one that Moses had on the mountain. He was having this encounter with God and God was talking to him and there was lightning and believe me, he was seeing things.
Let's open our Bible to Gen 28:12-13 & 16-17(NLT )
12.As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.13. At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants.
16.Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17.But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
He had this dream, and you know we spoke about dream and sometimes we feel dream is desirable and this was an extremely dramatic dream, something close to the one that Moses had. It was extremely dramatic, but it did not lead him excited. It led him to fear. He was afraid. The Bible says in verse 17 and It says "what an awesome place is this" in another version It says "what a terrible place is this" The truth is this; sometimes we feel that dreams and divine encounters need to excite us but can dreams actually make us scared and fearful? Absolutely, that's why when God sends the angels and when we see the angels, they usually say "Fear not!" because sometimes we can see these things and get afraid. So, what God will do is to comfort us and encourage us. So, what am I trying to say this morning? It's not all the time that our dreams will be exciting, make us jump and laugh. Sometimes it will make you afraid, sometimes you just stand in awe of God but whether the dream is simple, spectacular, scary, exciting. The first thing you need to do is check it out with God and secondly once you know it is from God, no matter what it is, align with it. The power of dreams can literally change our lives.
May God strength and grace be available for you today.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 14th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
God is good and like the Bible says His mercies endures forever. We thank God for his goodness, love, and mercies. The Bible says it’s because of His mercies that we are not consumed, and we thank Him for the power of dreams to change our lives. We have been talking about dreams and how to catch our dreams until you can catch the dream you cannot use it to drive your life. It cannot be of any benefit to us.
1 Sam 3:7-11(NLT)
7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So, Samuel went back to bed.10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.
The power of dreams, the power of catching dreams. You know sometimes our dreams can be so ordinary. It's easy for us to just pass it by. Samuel had this dream, and this dream was an encounter with the God of the whole world. This dream was an encounter with God who created everything, but it's seems so simple. It was like something he was used to. You know God was calling him, talking to him and it just seems as if Eli the voice he was used to, was the one calling him. He looked so ordinary, dramatic, nothing spectacular and sometimes because of the simplicity of some of these dreams, we just miss them.
Remember, in 1 Kings 3:15. Solomon had this dream and God was talking to him and he just woke up and he said, "it was just a dream". It was so simple but it was God speaking to him sometimes we trivialize dreams, we disregard them because they are not dramatic like when God was talking to Moses on the mountain and there was lightning and thunder etc. because it is not dramatic. Understand this, that thing it is simple does not mean it's not supernatural and that it is dramatic doesn't mean it is more powerful.
Dreams! Dreams!! Dreams!!! never take them for granted. Once they are from God and we need to talk about this. We will talk about testing sometimes later. Understand that God can talk to us. It is not the spectacular nature or simple nature that makes it powerful. It is the source of the dream and our commitment to the dream and once you ascertain the source and we are sure it's from God and in line with the word of God and we commit to it that's how the power of dreams are released in our lives. So, this simple encounter that Samuel seem to have with God was what changed his entire life. The simple dream that Solomon had, and he woke up and it was just a dream was what changed his entire life.
I pray that God will give you the grace and the wisdom not to trivialize your dreams, not to disregard your dream but treat them as precious materials, precious resource from God and watch how they will change your life.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Saturday 10th October 2020.
Praise God and a lovely Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about dreams. The call of dreams and the fact that dreams speak to you and I; and when we respond to them, they can make amazing things happen. Now assuming a woman is in her house on a Saturday morning she has told her kids “I need to rest; I am exhausted and tired. I want to sleep; nobody should disturb me”. Maybe she worked all through the night and she came home to sleep and while she was sleeping, she heard a scream or the shout of her two-year-old child. She heard it from her sleep and maybe she was living on the second floor and she heard that child screaming downstairs. She looks out through her window and she sees the child in some harm’s way, and nobody is attending to the child. What do you think the woman will do? This is what I think the woman will do. She will jump out of her bed, she is going to shout, scream but run downstairs do everything and get to that child extremely fast. Save the child and ensure the child is out of harm's way. That's what I think the woman will do but guess what, this woman gave instructions “I am tired and exhausted”. Not only was she tired and exhausted, she actually was based on the fact that she had worked all night and all that but the shout of her child; the scream of her child, created a vision in her and that vision, that dream, produced an energy in her that was able to override the initial tiredness, or feeling of exhaustion and she was able to do what she needs to do to get to the child and help the child but that's the power of vision. Why? Because whatever it is that woman heard, it immediately changed her vision, created the vision for her and she was able to do what she couldn't do before.
I am going to read in Hebrews 11:11 (NKJV)
" 11. By faith Sarah herself received strength to conceive and to bear a child when she was past the age because she judged Him faithful who had promised".
Now Sarah have been hearing Abraham talk about this vision from God. God said, "They were going to have a child". It looks as if it was delaying, at a point she said her servant should go and become a mistress and have a child on her behalf but at some point God spoke to her and she heard God herself and God said that " Listen; Abraham the child is not going to be through a servant or anybody it's going be through Sarah and she saw it and what she saw gave her enough strength to go over all her limitations. The limitation of her age, body chemistry etc and she overcame all those things, and she produced a child. A son called Isaac. That is what happens when you truly see.
My prayer for you today in the name of Jesus is this; As you respond to the call of vision, no matter what has been holding you down, no matter what the limitation has been just as a woman who is exhausted can rise up with new strength by the power of vision and respond to her child to get the child out of harm's way, just as vision that Sarah saw when God spoke to her and she was able to break the limitation of barrenness. You will break limits in the name of Jesus. You will enter that which called has called you for and you will stand in the reality of your dream in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a restful day.
Sunday 11th October 2020 .
A beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for how He has kept us. We thank God for everything and I am trusting God that as you begin to focus on your dreams, the new vision God is giving you, the new dreams, all the ones He has given you in the past. Your life will move in a new direction, a better direction, a glorious direction. It will move you forward, it will move you upward, it will move your family, it will move your loved ones, city, organization, and your nation forward in the name of Jesus.
Job 33:14-15 (NLT)
14 For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it.15 He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.
God's speaks again and again through dreams and through visions. When you are inactive, when you are lying down, when you are resting, when your activity is not so much. He slips those dreams to you and they can be casual, they might look very simple. He slips them into your heart and all through this week, we have been hearing about dreams, visions and like we said, simply put; A dream is not what you see when you are sleeping. It is an inner picture or mental picture of a future that aligns with God's word. A desirable future, sometimes it might not look desirable but as you align with it, it becomes desirable.
And my prayer is this; that this season you will not miss it in the name of Jesus. A dream has the power to change your life. I heard this story about space shuttles we use in NASA many years ago. When they fill them with fuel, let's assume it has 10 litres of fuel and it has to fly to space that it consumes maybe about 70 litres before it gets to space but once it breaks out of the earth’s atmosphere and it locks into the lunar power (the lunar power is the power of the moon). Once the space shuttle locks into the power of the moon. The power of the moon literally pulls the shuttle all the way to the moon. You can even switch off the engine of the space shuttle and the power of the moon would pull it. I believe a dream is like that. Once you lock into the power of the dream, once you understand the dream, you see it, you hear the call of the dream. Your dream speaks to you and you respond to it and you lock into the power of that dream it can literally move your life in a new direction.
Paul said it this way, he said, "cursed am I if I don't preach this gospel" Why? It was the dream that God gave to him. He said " listen; I must do it" and once you lock into that thing. It becomes what you sleep and wake up about. It becomes everything about your life, and I pray God give you the grace and the strength to lock into the dream. Your dream will do much more than your education can do for you, it will do much than your social status can do for you, it will do much more than anything can do for you.
The moment you lock into it and lock into the power of that dream, the power of that dream will make a new person out of you.
May God give you the grace to hear the call of the dream, to hear your dream speak to you and respond in Jesus name.
God bless you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Friday 9th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Friday to you in the name of Jesus.
I pray it will be a wonderful day and a great weekend for you in the name of Jesus.
The call of a dream. "Dream calls" Your dream is speaking to you and I pray to God the grace and strength you need to answer the Lord will give to you in the name of Jesus.
Joshua 2:8-13 (NLT)
8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9“I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”
They all heard the same stories, they all were hearing the same thing, they all knew Israel was coming to attack Jericho, but they all had different responses. Rehab hid these spies from Israel at the risk to her life and family. She did everything she could do for them. Now Rehab wasn't the best want in town she was a prostitute but even in that state and that's the power of dreams to change our lives. Her status as a prostitute did not change her ability to see and respond to a divine dream and to align with it and in doing that, Rehab changed the story of her life. She changed the story of her future even though her city was destroyed, she was spared and that is the power of responding to the call of a dream that when things are going down, when things are being destroyed, because of our alignment because of what we see we can be spared.
The Bible says somewhere in Proverbs. It said "without a vision the people perish" another version says " where there is no vision people cast out all restraint" because of what Rehab had seen or heard about the children of Israel it had created a vision of God and the nation of Israel in her mind and she aligned with it and it took out everything other thing and she was spared not only was she spared her Father's house and mother's house and she came in the lineage of Jesus.
Responding to the power of dreams can save you, can save your family, can save your loved one and can save your future and no matter how terrible your past has been, the power of dreams can give you a new future.
My prayer is this; God will give you strength. It takes a lot of strength, and courage to see a dream to align with it and follow it. May that Grace be released to you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a lovely weekend.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Thursday 8th October,2020.
Hello and a wonderful Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust God that today is going to be a great day, God will strengthen you, give you wisdom, peace, and direction in the name of Jesus. One of the things I have found out is this; that no matter who you are, your age, gender, location, social status etc. The power of a dream, when it is seen, understood and when you give yourself to it. It has the power to change your life completely.
The woman Abigail happens to be one of my most admirable female characters in the Bible. I love her and I admire her a lot. Jesus said this" Two can be lying down in the same bed and have two different experiences. One will be taken one will be left". Abigail was married to a man called Nabal. That was her husband and Nabal was a remarkably interesting human being. If you read the story in 1 Sam 25, David had sent his men to Nabal to give him see food supply and a couple of things to help them because they have been watching over his cattle and animals and Nabal sent a very insulting message back to David. That listen; go and find something to do with your life, don't you rebel against your master. David got so angry and he was coming to kill Nabal and his entire family. When Abigail heard this, she ran down to meet David where he was, engaged him and it changed everything about David.
Let's read in 1 Sam 25:30-32 (NLT).
This is what Abigail said to David.
"30 When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel, 31 don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”32 David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!
Abigail saw something about that David that her husband and so many people did not see. She saw the king in David. She saw that even though he looked like fugitive, he was in a very terrible state, running around and there seem to be a death sentence on his head. She knew that that was the next king of Israel. Not only did she know, she aligned herself with it. Her husband on the other hand didn't. Someone like Jonathan who was David's friend knew he was going to be the next king, but he didn't align. But Abigail saw David in that state.
It is important that by the power of dreams we are able to see beauty in the midst of ugliness and that's one the things the power of dreams does for us. We can see light in the midst of darkness. We can see a future where there seems to be no future. So, Abigail, in a fugitive David saw the future as the next king of Israel and David said "This is the kind of woman you want all your life". The lady had said to him "please remember me" when she heard that her husband died guess what, David came back for her and married her.
I pray God will give you that dream, that even when everything looks impossible you are able to align with it, side with it, stay with it until you see your future in it in the name of Jesus.
May the Lord's grace be available for you today.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 7th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for how the month is going and we trust God that it is going to be a great day for you in the name of Jesus. We have been talking about the call of dreams, dream calls. Your dream is speaking to you and I pray God will give you the grace to hear in the name of Jesus.
This morning we will read from the book of Ruth 1:16-17 (NLT)
16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”
The story of Ruth is in the book of Ruth. There was Ruth, there was Naomi are mother in law and there was her mate Orpah. So, Ruth and her mate Orpah had married the sons of Naomi and after a while Naomi's husband, Elimelech died. Her two sons died too. Naomi became a widow, and her two daughters-in-law became widows. Life was so tough, and things were so bad that Naomi decided to go back to her home country in Israel and told her daughters in-law to stay back and do something with their lives. Orpah decided after she heard the stack truth that there was nothing waiting for her in Israel to go back and start her life. But Ruth said "No!" She said "I am going to follow you wherever you go, I am making a decision to stay with you and to die with you" and the question is this; what made this young lady seemingly throw her life away like that? What was she seeing in Israel? What was she seeing in the life of Naomi? that she seem to be throwing her future away and made such a heavy decision.
Ruth 1:6 it says this; " Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed His people in Judah by giving them good crops again" One thing that Ruth had come to understand I am sure through her interaction with Naomi and through interacting with her Jewish husband and family was that God ultimately did good to His people and she saw that no matter how bad things were, no matter how challenging things were, you could bank your life and future with the God of Israel. They didn't say these words to her but, remember what we said about vision or dreams? that it is the inner or mental picture of a desired future that aligns with scripture or the word of God. God ultimately does His people good and Ruth had seen that in her mind and she understood and knew that if you took side with this God of Israel by taking side with Naomi, no matter how challenging things are today, tomorrow will be alright.
And I pray that somebody will see that kind of a vision that no matter how things are today, no matter your challenging they are, your business, family, finances, and your health. You will see from scriptures that God has a great future for you. Make that decision and stand with it and just as Ruth moved from that place as an outsider she became an insider, she became the wife of a man called Boaz, she became the grandmother of king David and she came in the line of Jesus. You can just never really imagine what wonderful thing God will do as you respond to that dream. I pray you receive that grace today in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 6th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
God's dream is calling you to a place of greatness, power, and influence not just for you but for your society, neighbourhood, community and for your world. There are two things we said earlier; your identity and your dreams that impacts our lives in an immensely powerful way. Your identity impacts you and you alone first, but your dream is not just for you. It ultimately benefits you, but it is for the benefit of your world and your larger society. When we live by our dreams, the dream God shows us, it takes us beyond ourselves. It is a blessing to us, and it blesses the nations of the earth.
I pray the Lord will give you strength and the grace to rise up to the call of dream and yield in the name of Jesus.
We will be reading the book of Acts 10:28-29 (NLT).
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean. 29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
The Jews back in those days don't relate with the gentiles and Peter had seen in a dream, he had this vision that a sheet came down, he saw different animals there. God said, " kill and eat". He said, " Lord how do I eat anything unclean or unholy?" And God said " Listen; kill and eat". He saw that vision; dream and it was God's call to go beyond the Jewish nation to the gentile nation. You know Jesus said this in the book of Matthew. He said "You have made your culture or tradition to make the word of God of non-effect". Some of us are so used to where we are coming from, we are used to our way, culture, the tradition of men. That even when God is calling us in a new direction through a dream, we resist it. Some of us even bind God and say, "I cast you out! It can't be God!” That's what happened to Peter but we thank God that Peter was able to rise beyond his prejudice, he was able to rise beyond his culture, he was able to go into a new direction by the call of a dream.
Our world has changed, our world has experienced new things that we have never experienced before in a long time and new things are happening. Could God be calling you in a new direction? Could he be telling you to do things you have never done before, could he be calling to go in a direction you have never gone before, relate with people you have never related with before and you are binding and resisting it? That was the door that opened up people like me to come into the kingdom of God why? Naturally, I am gentile but through this simple response to this dream that Peter had, people like me who are not natural Jews were able to come into the kingdom. You don't know whose destiny will be shaped and transformed by your response and obedience to God's dream and I trust God for grace and strength for you that as you respond to this dream, it will rewrite the story of your life and the story of life of many on Jesus name.
God bless you and have a lovely day.
Monday 5th October 2020.
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for what He is doing. We thank God for what He has done, and we thank God for what He will do in your life in the name of Jesus. May your eyes be opened; may your heart be receptive to receive God's dream for your life in the name of Jesus.
We have been talking about the power of dreams to change your life and we have used the life of Solomon, how Solomon was lifted to another level making him one of the greatest Kings of Israel through the power of dreams. How a simple teenage boy on the little community somewhere in the Middle East became the prime minister of one of the greatest nations in the world, one of the greatest nations in of his time. He save himself, saved his family and saved the world and we see how Joseph the foster father of Jesus was humble enough to yield to God's dream in spite of the decision he has made. God's dream is a door to the destiny that will change your life and as soon as you learn to yield to it and identify with it, believe me a new journey starts.
We will read this morning Acts2:17 (NLT)
17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams.
Just as young people can have dreams, old people can also have dreams. I have heard people say "Oh! Dreams are for old people". One of the things that the Holy Spirit comes to empower to do is to capture visions and pictures of the future. The prophesy says " your sons and daughters shall prophecy" that is about the future. It's says, "young men shall see vision and your old men shall dream dreams".
The Holy Spirit helps us catch pictures and ideas and concepts about the future and it is not just for young men, yes Solomon was a young man when he had his own, Joseph was a young man, Joseph the son of Jacob and Joseph the father of Jesus. They were all young men but there are dreams and visions for the old too. He said, " The old men will have dreams". One of the greatest blessings God has given my life is that; I have a lot of wonderful relationship with elderly people in their seventies, eighties, and it's a wonderful experience to sit down with them. It is shocking that some even in their eighties have new visions and new dreams.
My encouragement this morning is this; Don't let age, time be a deterrent to you receiving and yielding to God's dream. The funny thing is this; God has a way of extending people's life, renewing strength as you yield to the dream. Moses was in his eighties when God showed him a new picture. God extended his life. Abraham started the journey at age 75 and God extended his life. He lived to a 175. He impacted lives, he impacted destiny, in fact three world religions identify with Abraham. The Jews, Christians, and Muslims; all of them identify with Abraham. Why? He saw something from God, and he yielded to that call. No matter your age; young, old, male, female, rich and poor. Understand that there is a dream for you. Yield to it and see how God will use it to take your life up and your destiny up in Jesus name.
May this be a wonderful work week for you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Hello and lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust God that your month is going well. We are still talking about dreaming your way up. God wants to lift you and dream is one of the ways He does it. The dream call is what we have been talking about, believe me God is calling you and there is a dream out there for you. If you have not seen it already.
We are going to read this morning from the book of Matt 1:18-20 (NLT)
" 18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was very good man living his life gently, a nice carpenter living a simple normal life. He got engaged to this young lady. He wanted to marry her, she comes and say " listen; I am pregnant" he said how? " I have not touched you". She said "the holy Spirit" it sounded completely absurd; it sounds crazy. He said "listen How did you get pregnant?" They will think I am the one. She said " it wasn't you "it was the holy spirit" because he loved her and could not handle this. He choose to put our quietly. He had made the decision and the decision was this; you know what I cannot handle this Mary. We will just go our separate ways. I will not disgrace you. We will do it quietly whatever the society says when they find out that's up to you and because God knew he was a good man. Even though he had made his decision. God showed him something in a dream that changed the direction of his life and secured him a place in the future. Dreams are that powerful. A dream can change your life, direction and decision. The call of God's dream is one of the most powerful, the greatest on any life, like we said, a dream is simply a picture of a desirable future that aligns with the scripture or from the pages of the scripture. So God spoke his word through a dream to Joseph and it changed the direction of his life forever. The simple carpenter became the foster father of the saviour of the world and everything about himself and his wife Mary changed.
There is a positive change around the corner for you but it starts with giving up your decision, giving up your way and embracing God's dream as you embrace that dream as you follow that dream, you will find out that it secures your place in destiny and it makes you an eternal excellence. The Bible says " And the Joy of many generations".
May you have the grace, strength and humility to focus your way, forsake your decisions and align with God's dream for your life in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Saturday 3rd October, 2020.
Hello and a lovely Saturday morning to you in yesterday name of Jesus.
We are still talking about the dream call. How to dream your way up. God uses the power of dreams to call us to a new reality, to call us into a new place. There are so many of us God has sent us dreams to call us out, to call us up and we are not responding but believe as we begin to respond to the call of dreams, particularly the dreams from God. That is the doorway to a change of level and change of situation in our lives. What do we mean by dream in this context?
A dream is simply a mental picture of a desirable future particularly those that align with the scriptures. That is the simple definition of dream that we will use here.
There is the story of this young man in 1 Kings 3:5 (NLT)
That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you".
Solomon was a child with so many complications. He was born out a relationship that was very turbulent, his father David had a relationship with the wife of one of his soldiers. Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. Uriah had died, in the midst of all of that, Solomon came in there was a lot of tussle for him to become king. Then at a young age, he became king after a great man like David. He was wondering how will step in this man's shoes. I am not qualified, there are so many things going off and I can't handle it and one day he gave an offering, a sacrifice and God showed up to him in the dream. That dream was the turning point in the life of Solomon. It was the open door to another level. He knew that within himself there was no ability, he knew that within himself, he didn't have what it took. He knew the challenges were great, his father was such a towering personality. But in that dream, God gave him an open door to change his level and based on what Solomon saw in that dream. It changed his life, it changed his nation, it changed everything, and Solomon entered the level of one of the greatest Kings in the land of Israel.
There is a dream call to you today Maybe, God has shown you many years ago, maybe he is showing you again, maybe by this message you are listening to this morning you are remembering that God has being calling you or He has called you to the dream. No matter how great it looks believe me every dream will look bigger than you but God told Solomon He said " listen; there will be nobody like you based on this dream" and believe me till tomorrow they still talk about the wealth of Solomon, the wisdom of Solomon but it started with a dream, the call of a dream and the response to that call.
I pray that the Lord will give you strength and grace to rise up to a new level as you respond to the call of God's dream today in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Friday 2nd October,2020.
A wonderful morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for bringing us into the month of October. We pray that it will be a season of greatness and lifting for all of us in the name of Jesus. God's grace upon your life will affect you in a new and mighty way and will touch the place you live, work and everywhere you are in the name of Jesus.
Our God is a God of people and he is a God of places. He wants people to go up and He wants places to go up. He wants our nations to go up. How does He do it? One of the major tools He uses is the power of dreams. So, throughout this month of October. We will be talking about; " Dream your way up ". It's a new season in the name of Jesus. The year 2020 has come with its own unique set of challenges but in spite of all that we can still dream our way up. The power of dreams, one of the forces that God uses to change our lives, take us up, take nations up, change our situation and bring positive change in our lives.
The Bible says in General 37:5 it says, " one night, Joseph had a dream." This little teenage boy in the small community somewhere in the Middle East had this dream and this little dream he had turned this young man into the prime minister of the greatest nations in its time. He took his society up and lifted up his family and changed the whole situation not just for his life, not just for his family but for the entire world at its time. His dream preserved his family, his dream elevated him, and his dream preserved the earth. That is how powerful a dream is, I don't know how this year has been for you. I don't know how it has dropped you down, knocked you down. Joseph was dropped in a pit. Joseph was sold as a slave. Joseph ended up in prison, but the power of his dream took him all through that and elevated him to the highest place in his land. The pit did not take his dream, the prison did not take his dream, being sold into slavery did not take this dream. No matter what happened around him. He kept his dream and he dreamt his way up.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus. Yes, the year has been challenging. Yes, the pandemic came. Probably, some economic situations came maybe some disappointment came. Some strange relationship, health challenges, legal issues but no matter what don't let them take your dream. Why? That is your elevation to another level. It will lift you up. It will transform you and bring great things into your life.
As you go into this weekend, commit to yourself and commit to God. I will hold on to the dream, that dream is the call that takes you to your next level. May you not give up on it in Jesus Name.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
The bible says God is the one who crowns the year for us with His goodness and causes our path to drop with fatness, with abundance and increase. May that be our experience each and every day in Jesus’ name. The bible says in the book of Psalm 24 verse 1 NLT): The earth is the Lord ’s, and all its fullness, the world and all its people belongs to Him. And as we come into this month of October we’re just reviewing some of our activities this year and we found out that our broadcasts that we started early this year is already in 5 continents of the 7 continents in the world, we’re in 17 countries and over 50 cities. Of a truth, our God is the God of the whole earth and we want to thank God for what started in Lagos, Nigeria is going to the nations of the world, and the bible says though your beginning will be small your latter end will greatly increase.
Sometimes we think that things are not wonderful about us, like when they told them Jesus was from Bethlehem someone said can any good come out from Bethlehem and so we have our different nations and our lives and sometimes we think that nothing good, nothing wonderful can come out of our lives but I want you to know today that God is a God of nations, He’s a God of people and He’s a God of places so wherever place He has put you if you’re there His grace is available for you and He wants you to thrive and prosper there as you focus on Him in the name of Jesus.
If you look through the word of God right from the beginning of the bible in Genesis He talks about heavens and earth, by the time you go to the end of the bible in revelation He talks about a new heaven and a new earth, and God is a God of places so wherever God has placed you understand He wants you to thrive there, He wants you to prosper there but you need to put your foot on the ground but you need to put your foot down and fix your mind and work through it. God works with people and He works through places. He created a garden of Eden put man there, when He was going to change the life of Abraham, He said I’m taking you from this place you ate to a place where I will prosper you. Understand that God wants to prosper you where you are, but you must put your foot down, you must put your mind in it and work with it.
How does God work with us in these places? He works through identity and our dreams, and what I mean by identity is the uniqueness of who you are, the uniqueness of your personality, the uniqueness of your experience the uniqueness of your origin. God wants you to understand it, He wants you to identity with it and He wants you to focus on your dream. What do I mean by dream? Your desire, your mental picture of a desired and better future both for your life and whatever place you find yourself and that is God’s plan for you. So, throughout this month, understand that your identity is important the uniqueness of personality, the uniqueness of your experience is important and wherever God has placed you put your feet there and thrive. For those of us in Nigeria today is our 60th anniversary so I say congratulations Nigeria, happy anniversary and many more years in Jesus’ name. But whatever it is, if you want to see greatness in our nation and our lives it’s important, we connect our purpose to God’s purpose wrap it around your personality and dream and dream and dream and dream.
I see a new beginning for you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
God keep you.
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 30th September,2020.
Hello and a wonderful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is the last day of the month of September. We thank God for how he has kept us. We thank God for His mercy and grace and we declare in the name of Jesus. We are finishing strong; we are finishing well and we are entering the month of October in grand style in Jesus name.
Judges 7:9-11 (NLT)
9.That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! 10.But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11.Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack. “So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
God had told Gideon that he was going to defeat the midianites. As he and his soldiers were getting ready. He was getting a bit discouraged and God said, "I want to encourage you. I want to help you boost your conviction". I know I have spoken to you but just in case you are scared, go down to the camp of the midianites and hear what they are saying about you. So, when Gideon and his servants went in there, he heard one of the midianite soldiers talk about a dream he had. He said " Listen; I had this dream, there was a loaf of barley bread that rolled within our camp and was knocking off our tents. The other said "That means, God has given victory to Gideon. He is going to decimate us; he is going to win this war and we are going to be at his mercy. When Gideon heard that he was encouraged and went back to his camp.
Sometimes the place of external confirmation to those things God has spoken to us can help us build and cultivate our faith. God had spoken to Gideon about the fact that he was going to battle with the midianites and was going to win but He gave him some external confirmation. It is important from time to time we understand that God's supernatural power is there, signs and wonders, the manifestation of the gift of the Spirit etc. All these things are there to help us boost our faith.
Paul was writing to the Corinthian Christians and he was talking in 1 Cor 14 he said "we should not just speak in tongues but we should pray that we can interpret or prophesy". He said because in so doing we can speak mysteries and talk about the mysteries in people's heart and when the see such a supernatural manifestation. It makes them fear and it makes them know that the power of God is real. When we demonstrate the power of God, when we demonstrate the supernatural, when we experience the supernatural. It heals our faith; it cultivates our faith.
I want us to believe God, have faith in God. Expect and look out for the supernatural manifestation of God in your life. Yes it is important to know what He has said, yes it is important to have a confirmation in His word, yes it is important to have a witness in our spirit but it also helps from time to time when we see the demonstration of the supernatural.
I pray in the name of Jesus as we begin to go into another month of October and towards the end of year. We will begin to see increased manifestation of the supernatural in our life and it will boost our faith in Jesus name.
May God's hand rest upon you mightily. May His grace be with you in Jesus name.
God bless you!
Have a great day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Tuesday 29th September,2020.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still learning how to cultivate our conviction.
Pro 13:20 ( NKJV)
- He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
What is the Bible saying to us here? Very simple, we are conditioned by our company. The company you keep will never leave you the same. So, you want to be wise, walk with the wise. If you don't walk with the wise, you end up with lots of those who are not wise. So, it is important we learn to keep company with the wise. Yes! God should be our company. God is a spirit but even God who is a spirit wants us to cultivate the company of Godly people. Why? When we keep company with Godly people. People of Faith, conviction it had a way of rubbing on us and building our own conviction too.
Again, if we go back to the story of Moses in Exo 4:14 when Moses was struggling with what he had to do to go back to Egypt. God said to him " Your brother Aaron is on the way". I have spoken to him and he is coming to see you and he is happy that he is going to see you. The moment Moses heard that his brother Aaron was coming to see him. It made it easy for Moses to make his move too. Why? There was somebody he could relate with. He knew his brother Aaron; he knew that if Aaron could walk with God and listen to God and move. He could do the same thing.
Also, we know the story of Mary. When God sent His Angel – Gabriel, and he told her those things that looked impossible. He said, "Your aunt Elizabeth is six months pregnant". This is the woman who they said was barren and the moment the angel said that Mary was able to relate. Once Angel Gabriel left and Mary moved out and went to see her aunt Elizabeth and she stayed with her why? In the company of Elizabeth, Mary was able to cultivate her conviction to the point where she could deliver the baby Jesus herself.
It is important we stay around people that can cultivate our conviction. There are some people that all they do is talk down at us, tell us we can't do it and they drain our conviction. Stay away from such people. You need your conviction to conquer lives challenges and if we are going to do that, you need to cultivate it and stay in the company of those who help you focus on cultivating your conviction and overcoming.
I pray God will give you the wisdom and strength to stay around such people and the grace and strength to cut off those who drain your conviction.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Monday 28th September 2020.
A wonderful Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
A few days left and we will be in the month of October. We thank God for His grace. We are still talking about cultivating conviction and one of the ways we cultivate conviction is through practice.
The Bible says in the book of James 2:26 it says, " Faith without works is dead". That is, Faith that you don't put to work will not work. If you don't put your faith to work, it will not work. So, it is important we put our faith to work and how do we put our faith to work? You don't try your faith out on big things first. You try it out on little things and gradually we move on to big things. If we work our faith in those little things in our privacy and just begin to build it from there so that our faith can grow, and we can cultivate our conviction.
David was at the back side of the desert. Nobody saw him, nobody knew him, he faced the lions there, he faced the bear there and that's all he knew. Nobody knew about it. And one day, he came out in public and saw Goliath and because he had practised his conviction in God to deliver him from the bear and lion. He was sure that God will deliver him from the hand of the giant Goliath in public and that's exactly what happened.
Back to the story of Moses in Exo 4:3-7 God was still trying to convince Moses about going to the land of Egypt and he wanted to show him His power so he told Moses He said "Moses what is in your hand" He said "Throw it on the floor" he threw it on the floor. It became a snake and Moses was shocked and God said, "pick it up at the tail". He picked it up at the tail and it became a rod again. The next thing, God said " Take your hands, put it within your clothes". He did it. He became a leprous when he brought it out. And God said, "put it back in there". He did it again and it became his normal hand again.
All these things that God showed Moses was in the private, it was simply between Moses and God. So, it is important we learn to build our conviction first in the private before we come to the public. You know what Jesus said, He said " The God who sees what you do in secret will reward you openly. Before God could make Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22. The first thing he asked him to do was Listen; leave your father's house. If God had told him at that point " Go and kill somebody" most likely he wouldn't but God started with little things before he moved on to bigger things.
In Rom 4:12 (NKJV) it says this "And the father of circumcision to those who are not of the circumcision but who also work in the steps of faith which our father Abraham had while he was still circumcised". what I want you to take note is this; The Bible says, "who walk in the steps of faith" . There is nothing wrong in taking steps of faith. Some of us want to take a leap of faith. It is good, but before you take the leap of faith. Take those little little steps of Faith.
You want to cultivate your conviction? begin first in the privacy of your home, begin first with the little things and begin to build it up to big things and the God who sees you through the lion and helps you conquer the bear. The day you will have to see the Goliath. He will also be conquered by your conviction in Jesus name.
God bless you! Have a great day.
Friday 25th September 2020 .
Hello and lovely Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are gradually coming to the end of the month of September. We trust God it will be a wonderful weekend for you in the name of Jesus.
How do we cultivate our conviction? We have spoken about the place of knowing who God is, we have spoken about the power of hanging around God and fellowshipping with Him.
Today, we want to see another one from the life of Moses. So, from the book of Exo 3:11 (NLT) " 11.But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”
This is what Moses was saying to God. This is the same Moses who years ago about 40 years had believed he could just take the children of Israel out of Egypt and lead them into their deliverance. He was the mighty prince of Egypt and he thought so much about himself but after that failure experience and he had an encounter with God in this burning bush he just saw his ordinariness .
The truth is this; Every true encounter with God reveals the limitations and helplessness of Human beings. Remember the story of Gideon, Isaiah and Mary. When Gideon met with God. God told him "Listen; you are a mighty man of valour and Gideon said, "I can't do anything, I am the smallest in my family, my family is the smallest".
In Isaiah chapter 6, The Bible talks about the year that Uzziah died, I saw the Lord when Isaiah saw the Lord he said" I am undone, I am finished. How can I stand before God? When Mary met God through the angel and Gabriel brought the message to her that she is going to have a child. She said, "How can these things be?" I don't even know a man and how would this thing be ? The truth is that; Every true experience with God, every encounter with God will show us that we don't have the power to do it on our own.
If you are going to build your conviction, you must admit your limitations and open up to God's power to cultivate you, to make you what you are not. It is like when you want to cultivate a field. If you are going to cultivate a field, the first is this; You must know the state of the field, you must know what you want to do with the field and know whether you want to put ridges there, whether you want to make heaps there or whatever you want to put there.
It is important you admit that this is where I am when it comes to working with God, we have to admit our limitations, we have to understand that Listen; we are weak in ourselves, we are low in ourselves and without him we are helpless. In Luke 1:54 (NLT) He said, " He had filled the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty ". God send those who feel they are more than enough, those who feel they are powerful in themselves. He sends them away empty" but the hungry, those who desire Him he feels them with good things .The Bible also says, " Blessed are the poor in spirit because they shall inherit the kingdom of God" . When we come to Him needy, when we come to Him helpless and look to Him for strength then God's strength is made available to us. He told the apostle Paul He said" my power is made perfect in your weakness " when we see our weakness, limitations then is when we will begin to understand and enjoy the power of God.
You want to cultivate your conviction, admit your limitations as a human being and know that without Him you can do nothing and watch how God's power will flow through your life and watch out your conviction will soar in your spirit.
God bless you!
Enjoy your weekend and have a lovely day.
Wednesday 23rd September 2020
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about cultivating conviction. Why is it important we cultivate our conviction? Because conviction doesn’t just come. The bible says in the book of Romans 10:17 faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So, if faith comes, that means faith can go. Remember we said that faith means conviction so if conviction comes, conviction can go.
So, what are the things we can do to cause conviction to come and cause conviction to go. Those are the things we’ve been looking at through the life of the great man Moses. Moses faced a lot of complications in his life. He was convinced about something at a certain point in his life. Many years later things happened, challenges came, he lost his conviction and God helped him build that conviction back again to the point where he was able to fulfil what God wanted him to do with his life.
We read this morning from Exodus 3:1-6 (NLT) then verses 13 - 14: One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the Lord God of your father —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Verse 13 and 14: But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “ I Am Who I Am . Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”
So God was sending Moses on this great journey, Moses needed to build his conviction in this God that was sending him and the Yoruba people (where I come from) have a proverb they say “it’s not the person that you’re sent to that you’re scared of you should be scared of the person sending you" You need to really understand the person who is given an assignment. So, Moses was given this assignment for God and he didn’t know who this God was, and God said the first thing you need to know...tell them who I am. If you’re going to build your conviction in God, we need to start by building our conviction in the person of God we must know who God is. Until we know who God is we can trust His word, we can trust in His abilities. Hebrews 11 verse 6 says: He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
My encouragement this morning is that if you’re going to start building our conviction, we must start by knowing who God is. Trust Him, know Him, build your conviction in who He is. In His loving father’s heart, in His person, in His abilities and His attributes and once we settle that we’ll find out how easy it’ll be to begin to cultivate our faith more and more. May the great I Am reveal himself to you in a new way today in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 22nd September, 2020.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for everything He is doing. We are still talking about cultivating your conviction. Yesterday we read from the book of Acts 7:24-35 and we see the journey of Moses. We saw how God moved him from one place when he was forty. A place where he was very convinced that God had sent him as the deliverer of Israel and by the time he was eighty, Moses had nothing to do with God, he had nothing to do with the children of Israel until God helped him build his conviction.
Life had happened when he was forty. He had been betrayed, his people rejected him, they had accused him and he ran out of fear, his conviction when he was young that he will be a deliverer and all that had disappeared and the truth is this; when we receive a promise from God, when we have conviction and have faith that God has called us to be something or do something. Sometimes life happens. What do I mean by life happens? The challenges of life comes, the storm comes, the wind comes and the rain comes and sometimes they come through those who we love. They come through those we are living our life for and those we want to help and he could be very painful and that was what Moses experienced.
He was disappointed that the people I want to help, the people I try to do something for, they are the same people that turned against me. So went to Median and for forty years, he was living in isolation he had nothing to do, he was just living a mundane normal life but God spoke to him again at the age of 80 and as he began to open up himself to God's word as he began to interact with God, his conviction began to grow. He began to cultivate his conviction and God sent him to the same land of Egypt where he had ran away a fugitive and this time God said I am sending you there as their ruler and saviour.
If you read the book of Exodus chapter 3&4. You will send the process of how God began to talk Moses through his confusion, how he began to talk him through the complexities he had gone through and brought him to the place of conviction and like I said yesterday, what is standing between you and the fulfilment of what God has said concerning you and entering into that place God has created and destined for you is your conviction. Conviction wont just happen, it is something you have to deliberate about, it is something you have to actively cultivate and as you cultivate your conviction just like Moses experienced that what he could not do forty years before, at the age of 40, at the age of 80 he did it.
Don't believe that time has left you behind. Don't believe that opportunity is gone beyond you. It is human beings that say "Opportunity lost can never be regained". In God opportunities can always be regained. All you need to do is to rise up, build your conviction and as you build your conviction, God ushers you into a new reality and you will begin to conquer.
My prayer for you today is this; As we begin to come to the end of this month and year, whatever it is God had said concerning your life. You will begin to build your conviction for it in the name of Jesus. Opportunities are coming your way today in the name of Jesus and be mindful of them, be opened to them and receive in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Monday 21st September, 2020
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus. We’re gradually coming to the end of the month of September and today we’ll be starting another series.
We’ve been talking about the power of conviction to conquer. Today and till the end of this month we’ll be talking about how to cultivate our conviction. It’s important we understand that cultivation conviction is a lot of work, from time to time our conviction will be challenged, sometimes it won’t be there at all but it’s important to know what to do to cultivate it. If it’s there to increase it, if its not there to know what to do to get it there.
So we’ll be reading from the book of Acts chapter 7 verses 23 to 35(NLT): “One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defence and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t. “The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’ “But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. ‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ Verse 29: When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born. Verse 30: “Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight and he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, ‘I am the Lord God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt. Verses 35: “So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and saviour.
Moses had attempted something at age forty. At age forty he was convinced God had raised him as the saviour and deliverer to the children of Israel. He made an attempt to do it but it blew up on his face, he turned around and had to run away from Egypt as a fugitive. He ran to the land of Midian and for forty years he had nothing to do with God, had nothing to do with being a deliverer or a saviour and that was it. One day in the burning bush God picks him up again and God began to talk to him about delivering His people and God sent him back to the land of Egypt to be their ruler, their saviour, God sent him back to be their deliverer.
How merciful God is. What was the difference between what Moses was at age forty and what he did at age eighty? Conviction. At age forty when he had that bad incident when he ran away conviction was depleted and his conviction was gone. When he met God on that mountain and God began to talk to him gradually, gradually, gradually his conviction began to build up and God sent him back to the place he had run away before.
I trust God as you begin to work on your conviction and begin to cultivate your conviction the place you have failed before you will succeed in the name of Jesus, the people who have rejected you before you will go and thrive in what God has called you. Be strong, be courageous and begin to work on your conviction.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Saturday 19th September,2020.
Hello and a lovely Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust God that God's grace and strength is available to you. You are rising above the complexities around your conviction in the name of Jesus.
We are going read Genesis 15:1-6 (NKJV)
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
God had talked to Abraham. The first encounter we see, is a couple of years ago when Abraham was 75. God met him. He said I am going to make a great nation out of you and through your family will all the families of the earth will be blessed.
So part of the blessing of Abraham was that God was going to give him his own children and through his children, nations will come and years down the line. God had protected him, God had shielded him. He was a rich and respected man and things were growing for him but Abraham said "Lord How will you say that you are my shield and exceeding great reward when all I am seeing is childlessness". God was like "How can you be seeing childlessness when I have being telling you that you are going to have children?" He said Lord all I am seeing is childlessness and the reality of today is this; Eliezer, my servant is going to be my heir.
The Bible says in Amos 3:3 " 3. Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"
Obviously, Abraham and God were not in agreement. Now, his name was Abram at this time because God was seeing Abraham have his own children. In fact, God said "Your own child from your own body" and Eliezer wasn't that person. Abraham said "Lord, I can't see this child." Until we rise to the point where we can see what God is saying, when we have the same mind with Christ and with God, we will struggle with our conviction.
It will bring complexities to our conviction. Those divergent views. You cannot have one mind and God have another mind. We must be on the same page with God. How did God resolve this for Abraham? He brought him out. He said "look at the stars, can you see the stars? Begin to count them. Begin to say it so shall my seed be." what was God doing? God was recalibrating his mind so that Abraham and God could have the same mind.
If we are going to see our conviction prevail over the complexities, worries and doubts that come, we must understand that we must keep working on our conviction, that you are convinced about something is in the morning doesn't mean that you will be convinced about it in the night. That you are convinced about something today doesn't mean that two or three years down the line you will still be convinced about the same thing.
It is important to work on our conviction. That is the way we prevail over the complexities of this world.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Friday 18th September, 2020.
Hello and a great Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I am sure your week has been going well and we trust God for a wonderful weekend in the name of Jesus. Our Faith will raise over complexities in Jesus name . Your Faith will rise over the complexities of life in Jesus name.
From our discussion this week, I am sure you have seen an understanding of how the complexities of life come to invade our conviction and try to override it.
The role of the mind cannot be over emphasized. James 1:8 says "A double minded person is unstable in all his ways. Such a person will not receive anything from God ".
The confusion around our faith we have said before is what we call " DOUBT "you and this confusion come as we interact with life, questions begin to arise, challenges begin to bombard our faith and if we are not careful what we believe at some point, we will stop believing again and we will get into doubt.
We will read a few scriptures this morning John 1:36 (NLT)" 36 As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”
John the Baptist was speaking and he said take a look at that man. That man is the lamb of God, the saviour of the world and messiah. We would read again Matt 11:2-3(NLT) " 2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting,[a] or should we keep looking for someone else?”
What is going on here? John the Baptist that said just a few years before " That is the Lamb of God that takes the sin of the world". John was so convinced about who Jesus was, people were following Jesus He said there is nothing wrong with it. He must increase and I will decrease. My Joy is that He is doing well. I came as His forerunner but years later some bad experiences had happened. John the Baptist was in prison, he was hearing everything going on outside and Jesus didn't do anything about that and while that experiences was going on he was feeling bad he said " I am not sure this man is the man again". So he sent a message to him. Are you sure you are the right person? Because in the midst of this experience I am going through you should be able to do something about it and Jesus said to him " Go and tell John what is going on here".
In the midst of our experiences if we are not careful our mind will interpret our experiences in a way that is out of the will of God. In John's mind, Jesus the Messiah had abandoned him and he began to grow in doubt and he was affecting his conviction, he was affecting his faith, he was getting confused but what Jesus did, He sent him a message to let him know Listen; I am the same yesterday, today and I will be the same forever.
Don't let your experience confuse you about the reality of Jesus, about the power of God and the things God wants to do in your life. It is important that you fixed your mind on the things of God.
Peter was writing and Peter will understand because he knows what it means to deny Jesus when things look tough so in 1 Pet 1:13(RSV) " Therefore guard up your mind" i.e. put your mind together, carry your mind together, don't let doubt pull you in different directions, don't let fear, anxiety and worry pull you in different directions, put your mind together.
You want to raise over the complexities of conviction, pull your mind together on the things of God and watch how God will manifest in your life.
God bless you! It will be a great weekend for you in the name of Jesus.
Have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Thursday 17th September 2020.
Praise God! And a wonderful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about the complexities of conviction and I trust God in the name of Jesus that you are having victory over all the complexities that are trying to drown your conviction in Jesus name.
We will read the book of Luke 22:31-34 & 60-62 (NLT).
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me”.
Verse 60-62
"But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly".
It was the Passover, Jesus was having this last Passover with His disciples and He was telling them about the fact that He was going to the cross and it was going to be a very difficult season for them and all of them will be offended because of Him, all of them will deny Him. Then Peter said "Jesus, No matter what happens, I am the rock; You call me the rock . I am going to be with you through thick and thin even if it means dying with you". Sometimes during that night, the temple guards came. Judas betrayed Him. They picked Jesus up and they set Him through a trial and Peter was watching everything that was going on from afar and he was seeing the way the situation was going. He was shocked and confused. So many things were going on in his mind and his conviction began to wane.
Someone came to meet him He said "You were with him " He said " I was never with him." Then a little girl came and asked same question. Peter swore that he had never seen Jesus neither had he worked with Him before. Another man came and said "Listen; You are a Galilean, even your tongue, the way you speak gives you off, you know this man." Peter swore with everything that he had never seen Jesus and he did not know Jesus before at that time the cock crowed and He remembered what Jesus said to Him.
What made Peter speak at sometime before that, just a couple of hours and say "I will never deny You! I will die with You and few hours later he had denied Him? It was the things he was seeing. The situation before him and how he was interpreting it. It was working on his mind and remember we said "A man of two minds will not receive anything from God." His mind began to swing from the things he had heard about Jesus, the things he had known about Jesus to the things he was seeing and he just couldn't get it and his faith began to fail and went out completely.
We must watch the things that are going on in our mind. We must watch the things that are going on around us. That's why the Bible says " A double minded man is unstable." We must protect our mind. We must guide it from the confusion that comes from doubt, fear and worry. The moment we are able to do that, we will find out that out faith will rise over the complexities of this life.
It is important we work on our faith, it is important we work on our conviction. That is the way to rise over the complexity.
May the Lord's strength and grace available for you today.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 16th September, 2020.
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for today and we thank God for His grace and help. You know one of the things God gave us at creation is freewill. He gave us a will. He gave us the ability to think freely. He gave us the ability to choose. He put man in a garden and He put everything there and He puts a tree there. He said " Man! don't eat of this tree, you can choose to eat it or not but listen; my advice to you is this; Don't eat out of it! so of all the things that God gave man, the Human will is one if the most powerful things and it's swings anywhere we want it to swing. You can either swing it in the direction of the will of God and the mind of God or you can swing it in the direction of the will of man or the mind of man. Since the fall, that's what we have being dealing with. Swinging our mind to the will of God or swinging it to the will of man, swinging to following the mind of God or following the mind of man.
In Matt 16, Jesus was rebuking Peter. He had said " Listen; I am going to the cross, I am going to die, I am going to come back to life three days later. Peter was rebuking Him and He said to Peter "Get behind me Satan! Because your mind is not on the things of God but the things of man". The human mind like a pendulum begins to swing through two minds and it's either the mind of God or the mind of man and this is what causes confusion, doubts and what we call the " complexities with our conviction"
James 1: 6-8 (NKJV)
"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways".
A double minded person is unstable in everyway and such a person will receive nothing from God. The will, the human will is that pendulum that swings from left to right, from conviction to confusion, from conviction to doubts and these are the things that create tension, frustration, stress and complexities with our faith.
Oh! will God do it? Will He do it on time? How about if he doesn't do it? Am I sure? What if God? And we just keep swinging left and right, to and fro and the Bible says "The man who does these is like the wave if the sea, driven by fear, anxiety, worry and tossed up and down. The mind keeps going up and down and these are the complexities with our conviction and what God is saying is this, I want you to be free from such complexities.
How do we do it? The Bible says " it is good for the soul to be established in grace". God wants your mind, soul to be established in His grace, help and word. And I pray in the name of Jesus whatever is causing the complexity, whatever us causing your mind to swing, it will stay settled on God's word in Jesus name.
May your mind be fixed on the things of God, may your mind be fixed on the things of Christ and may you see the things that you desire in the name of Jesus.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 15th September,2020 .
A lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about the complexities around conviction. The complexities of conviction. Yesterday, we started and spoke about this man who brought his son to Jesus and Jesus said "You know what? If you have faith all these things are possible to him who believes" and he said "Lord I believe but help my unbelief!"
The question is this; How do you have belief and unbelief at the same time? How do you have faith and doubt at the same time? and the truth is this; Doubt is the confusion that's surrounds our conviction. Because every time God tells you to do something, there will be things around that will make you believe or make you think that what God has said to you is absolutely impossible.
So He says to Abraham at age 75 when his wife was 65, He said " You will have a child, it didn't happen and Abraham was wondering and at 99, God came again and said " You know what? This time next year, you will have a child" and Abraham was like "how can I have a child when I am old and Sarah's womb is dead? "He was going to exercise his conviction but there were lots of confusing things around it and those confusing things are the things we call "doubt" they are the things that instigate doubt, they are the things that push out doubt.
We will read Gen 22: 1-4 (NLT)
"Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. "Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance".
God had told Abraham, it is through Isaac you will have this great nation. The promises I have for you will come through Isaac then God comes one day and says "Go and kill Isaac!" But what God doing was doing was that he was testing Abraham's faith, he was testing Abraham's conviction and God said " I will show you where you are going to sacrifice this son but it is going to take three days " and I asked a question, why three days? What do you think was going through the mind of Abraham in those three days? I am sure his mind must have been bombarded by all sorts, doubts was knocking, confusion was there, all sorts of things were there and the truth is this; As human beings, there is nothing wrong with doubts knocking the door. There is nothing wrong with being confused as long as you don't open the door to doubts and confusion when they are knocking and for three days Abraham's mind was "what will I tell Sarah? How about if I kill him and he doesn't come back to life? How about if he comes back to life? but God said "He was going to be the son through whom he is going to build a great nation".
All those questions were coming up and that is what brings about the complexities around conviction. Understand this; Every time you are building your conviction, there will always be confusing situations around but what God wants us to do is focus on what He has said and we will prevail.
I trust God that no matter what is causing you doubts as you stay focused and allow your conviction to rise, you will rise above the complexities and you will walk in victory in Jesus name.
Thank you and God bless you.
Have a great day.
Monday 14th September, 2020
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Thank God for today. I am sure you are having a good time and I trust your work week will be great in Jesus name.
We have been talking about the power of conviction and throughout this week, we will be talking about the complexity of conviction. If you have had anytime you have been trying to get your conviction to focus on something, you get it rooted in God. You are trying to focus it or point it at something you want to move, you will understand that there are complexities that come with our conviction.
Jesus told Peter once. He said "Peter before the cock crows once you would have denied me". Peter said " I will never do it". Jesus said "you know what it will happen but I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail". What was Jesus saying? He said "when the challenges come I have prayed for you that your conviction will not be consumed by the challenge". Those are the complexities of conviction. Sometimes, we are sure we are going to do things, but when the challenges are face to face with us, we sometimes collapse and that's what we mean by complexities of conviction.
So we read this morning Mark 9:23-24 (NKJV) "Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
This man had a challenge; his son. He was dealing with a serious case of epilepsy he had brought the child to the disciples they couldn't do anything about it. Jesus said "if you believe, if your conviction is unshakable then all things will be possible for you. The man said "Lord Jesus I believe! My conviction is strong he said "but you know what; Help my unbelief".
What the man was saying is this; I am dealing with conviction and confusion. I am convinced that you will do this but I am also confused at the same time; and these are the complexities with conviction. Sometimes you believe oh! I have this down. I am sure this will happen but the next moment you are in doubt again.
Apostle Paul was talking about this in Romans 7:21 (NKJV) .He said "I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good".
What was Paul talking about? I want to do good, I want to exercise my faith but there is confusion. There is doubt and he said "it is like a law that when good is present, evil is also present" and these are the things that form the complexities about conviction.
Our conviction is our faith, our certainty and all that but the complexity is this; that the same time we have faith, just sometimes around we are also confused, we are not sure and things just happen. If we are not careful we mess everything up. But it's God's will that we are able to master our faith, the complexities during the time of our conviction and build it to the point where our conviction prevails.
My prayer for you is this; that no matter the complexities around your conviction, you will prevail above the complexity and you will stand in faith in Jesus name.
God bless you and may it be a wonderful week for you in Jesus name .
Have a great day!
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Sunday 13th September,2020.
Hello and a lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I don't know how it is in your own city, but in my own city - Lagos we are having a gradual opening up and I pray in the name of Jesus it is an open season for you in the name of Jesus. Things are opening up and "open your mouth wide" the Bible says and I will fill it. He will fill our lives with good things in Jesus name.
Open your mouth and declare what God has said about you in His Word. Declare what he said about your life, family, health, finances, city and nation. All His promises are Yes and Amen! but you must open your mouth and declared them. If our government can open up the city even in the face of a global pandemic, we can open our mouth, we can open our mind and expect great things and we will see great things in Jesus name.
Your conviction, my conviction is conquering in Jesus name.
Mark 11:22-23(NKJV).
- So Jesus answered and said to them "Have faith in God" 23.For assuredly I say to whosoever shall say to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Take note of this in verse 22, it says "Have faith in God".
We spoke about that last week that the first place we develop our conviction is in God. We must root our conviction in God. Jesus starting the process, says "You want to move things, you want to have things happening in your life, first of all ,"Have faith in God". Faith is conviction, get your conviction rooted in God first. Verse 33 says " Then point it to the mountain, and say to this mountain, - ' be moved. Get out of my way ,be removed and cast into the sea" And if he don't doubt in your heart but believe, those things he says will come to pass he will have whatever he says,
God says get your faith rooted, get your conviction rooted and get it pointed at the problem, at the challenge, and holdfast to it.
I want us to make a few declaration today. Just say after me;
"Every mountain of sickness and disease I command you to move in the name of Jesus. Every mountain of finances, debt, fear, economic crisis,I command you be removed and cast into the sea in the name of Jesus. I declare my relationships are peaceful, wholesome and thriving in Jesus name. I declare the favour of God is on my life. I declare His power is showing in me in the name of Jesus. I declare I am blessed in my going out, I am blessed in my coming in. I am preserved, I am protected in the name of Jesus.
I declare according to God's Word I am not afraid of bad news why? My heart is fixed. I trust and I have my conviction in God. The lines are fallen unto me pleasant places. I have a goodly heritage. God is crowning this year for me with His goodness and my path is dropping with abundance.The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places upon my nation, city, through the blessings of the righteous the city is progressive. I declare my city, my country is progressive in the name of Jesus. I will not die but live to declare the works, the grace and the power of the living God in my life. So shall it be in Jesus' Name.
I declare all you have said today by faith and by your conviction in God ears are confirmed in your life.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a great day.
Saturday 12th September, 2020
A great morning to you in the name of Jesus, thank God for today we pray that it’ll be a season of rest, it’ll be a season of refreshment and recreation for you in the name of Jesus.
Conviction that conquers, that’s what we’ve been talking about and I trust God and I pray your conviction, your faith will continue to conquer in the name of Jesus. The bible says whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world and this is the victory that overcomes the world our faith and remember our faith is our conviction.
The bible says in the book of Hebrews 11:11(NKJV): By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, why? because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
I pray in the name of Jesus just as God brought Sarah in line, made her relevant and turned her story around God will do the same for you in the name of Jesus. As many who are saying it’s too late for you, that you’ve gone past time, you’ve expired that certain things cannot happen for you again because you should have done them much earlier. I pray in the name of Jesus just as God turned things around for Sarah brought her in even though she was counted out the same God who rules all, who is the same today, yesterday and forever will do the same for you in the name of Jesus.
But it’s important we remember where Sarah was coming from. This is the Sarah that doubted God’s ability so much and convinced her husband to have a child through her servant girl Hagar, it was the same Sarah that laughed in unbelief when God promised that she’ll have a child for Abraham. God said "Sarah you laughed, she said no I didn’t laugh and God said you know what? You laughed and I’ll make you laugh. This time next year my word will come through for you".
How did Sarah move from that place of unbelief, how did she move from that place of mocking God’s Word to the place where she believed in God’s ability. The bible said she judged God faithful. She interacted with God and she began to focus on His promises and the reality of the promise of God began to grow in her heart.
The bible says she judged Him faithful, she built her conviction in God first. We've spoke about how we have to root our conviction in God first. The moment she judged God faithful she pointed her conviction to her own inabilities - inability to give birth, inability to perform at an old age, they said her womb was dead but she just focused her conviction in God's ability on her inabilities and the same woman who was counted out was brought back into the game!
Today she is remembered as the mother of many nations. She had this child at an age that nobody could believe.
I pray for you in the name of Jesus that you will focus your conviction in God on those challenges. Get them rooted in God. God can be trusted and as you fellowship with Him, stay around Him, you stay around His word and stay off negative people, negative views or anything that weakens your conviction. As you stay around God your conviction will begin to grow. As your conviction grows you’ll find out whatever you call disabilities in your life, God will conquer them with His own abilities and you find out that God too can be judged faithful.
Thank you.
God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Friday to you in name of Jesus.
We thank God for His love, we thank Him for everything He’s doing , has done and what He will yet do.
We’re moving on in the month of September and we Thank God for grace. We’re still talking about conviction that conquers and I trust God that your conviction is conquering every single day in the name of Jesus.
We’ll be reading from Genesis chapter 22 :7-8 (NKJV) “ But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.”
Now we remember this in story. God was testing Abraham, testing his conviction. He said ".. go and sacrifice your son..."He made it very clear “your only son Isaac that you love; go and sacrifice him on a mountain I will show you." So Abraham took his son Isaac and two of his servants with him and they went on a 3 day journey to Mount Moriah were he was to sacrifice Isaac. When they got to a point, he said the servants should wait behind while himself and Isaac go for the sacrifice “Wait for me, myself and my son will go and sacrifice and we’ll come back to you”. As they were walking up to this place Isaac asked a very intelligent question, he said “Dad I can see the wood, I can see the fire, where is the sacrifice?” and Abraham said something that is very very important to us when it comes to overcoming challenges, when it comes to conquering with our conviction. He said “God will provide for Himself the lamb”
When we come face to face with life challenges and we want our conviction to conquer it's important our conviction is based solidly on what God has said. We cannot base our conviction on some fickle desire, we cannot base it on feelings, we cannot base it on hearsay, it must be based solidly on what God has said. Abraham knew that Isaac was not his idea, Abraham was minding his business at age 75 when God came up with this idea of building a nation through him, He went further when he was 99, God told him he he would have a son.
So Isaac was God’s idea, so when He said go and sacrifice him Abraham was completely convinced based on what he knew about this God - he knew God would provide the lamb because Abrams was assolutely sure he was going back home with Isaac.
It’s important our conviction is built on the word and we keep remembering it. When challenges come It’s easy for us to forget what God said. But the more we keep reminding ourselves of what he has said and focus on it. It solidifies our conviction, builds it strong to the point we consistently work in victory and conquer.
The bible says in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ.
So I pray in the name of Jesus as we go into the weekend, victory on every side, you’re more than a conquer no matter what happens. Always remember what Gid has said to you.
God bless you, God keep you
Have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Thursday 10th September,2020.
Hello and a lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I trust God that you are exercising your conviction. You are putting it to work. Yes! We have learnt how to take our conviction and root them in God.
This week is focusing our conviction on whatever represents a challenge, whatever represents a mountain, whatever represents a Goliath before us, focusing our conviction on them until they are conquered.
Remember we said our conviction must first be in God. After we have rooted our conviction in God and in His word, we focus it on whatever the challenge maybe before us and I want to trust God you have been focusing your conviction on whatever challenge is on your way.
Today we will be reading from the book of Heb 11:17-19 (NLT)
17 "It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead".
Heb 11:19 (NKJV)
'concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.'
God had told Abraham "Go and kill your son". Take him to the mountain Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering for me. Abraham was absolutely convinced. He didn't know how it was going to work. He didn't know how God was going to do it but his focus once he took Isaac there was that "Isaac will come back home alive with me". How God will do it, he didn't know but he simply focused his faith on the fact that Isaac will come back.
Abraham knew from experience that conviction or faith releases God's ability. You do not know how God will do it but whatever it is God has said, the moment we release our faith out there and we keep it focused on what we want. God has a way of coming through for us.
The Bible says "Abraham concluded". What does the word "Conclude" means? It means Abraham settled it. It was a forgone conclusion. Abraham knew that someway, somehow Isaac was coming back home with him. He didn't bother to tell his wife 'Sarah' that I am going to sacrifice Isaac because there was no point. He knew that Isaac was coming back.
If you read the story in General 22,he told his servant that followed them. He said "You know what my son and I are going to worship there and we will come back again to meet you".
He was absolutely convinced that death was going to be conquered and was coming back alive with his son.
I declare in the name of Jesus as you focus your faith upon soundness of health, peace, promotion or what ever it is God has promised you. You will receive that in the name of Jesus. Your faith is conquering and Jesus will be glorified in your life
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Wednesday 9th September 2020.
A wonderful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for everything and we are still talking about conviction that conquers. Understand this; it's God's will for you, it is God's purpose for you to be victorious. That is God's will for you, that is God's purpose for me. The Bible says in all this things we are more than conqueror through what Christ has done for us and our faith is that which connects us to God's ability to give us victory and help us conquer in life. The last few days we will be looking at the life of David and how David focused his conviction on conquering Goliath and Goliath came down. David was absolutely convinced. He was so sure and unwavering in his conviction that God was able to deliver Goliath into his hands and that God will. He was absolutely fearless in the face of Goliath's threat. Goliath was threatening him. Goliath said "I am going to kill you" and said all that.
The king was trying to discourage him, the king said "listen; David you are not equipped, you are not experienced, you are not as competent" and David said "Yes! I know I am not as equipped, I am not as competent, I am not as experienced but I have conviction in God.
And this is what David said in 1 Sam 17:32&37 (NKJV).
"Then David said to Saul "Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine"
David was convinced, his heart was full of conviction. Yes! He did not have the competency or the experience, but his heart was full of conviction. He had gotten rid of fear, he had gotten rid of every form of confusion and he was sure, absolutely sure in God's ability to bring down Goliath.
The truth is that every time there is a heart full of conviction and a hand full of experience. The heart of conviction will always win. If you have all the experience, ability but you have fear in your heart, you are not convinced of God's ability in you. You are not convinced of your own ability, understand your chances are very slim.
The Bible says concerning the children of Ephraim it says "Being armed with bows and arrows, they turned back in the days of battle. Why? There was something wrong in their hearts. Even though they looked equipped because there was no conviction in their heart. In the face of challenges, they turned back.
I pray in the name of Jesus your hearts will be flooded and filled with conviction in the name of Jesus. You will rise and point your conviction against whatever the Goliath that is facing you.
And in the name of Jesus, no matter what it seems to be against you because of conviction in your hearts you will prevail in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Tuesday 8th September, 2020.
Hello! Lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus. We thank God for all He is doing for us and we thank God for all He will continue to do in Jesus name. It is important our hearts are expectant. It is important our faith is out because God is set to do great things in our lives in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about conviction. The power of conviction to conquer in our lives and we are focusing on our conviction that conquers. In this week, we are looking at the place of conviction in bringing victory in our personal life.
We said last week and we spoke about the fact that there are two dimensions to our conviction. The first dimension is; Having conviction in God, in God's ability to deliver, to heal, to strengthen, to show us favour and love. We started yesterday talking about the second dimension of our conviction that's after we get our conviction rooted in God. The next dimension is that; we need to focus, direct and point our conviction to that challenge that is standing before us so we can conquer it.
We read in 1 John5:4 (NKJV)
"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith"
If you want your conviction to have victory over anything, then you need to focus your conviction on that thing you want it to conquer.
We saw in the life of David that Goliath was trying to harass them for forty days. He was saying all sorts and intimidating them but David rose up to it. He focused his conviction on the fact that he knows his God will deliver Goliath into his hands and God did exactly that.
I Sam17:32-37 (NKJV) says "Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. "And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. "But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Goliath was a present challenge to the whole nation of Israel. He was intimidating them. He intimidated everybody including David's elder brother, the captain of the army, generals and the king himself.
It is one thing to hear about conviction and Faith. It is another thing to stand in the face of challenges and watch your faith work and that is what David did. He stood on his ground focused his faith on Goliath and in the face of that challenges his faith conquered.
I pray in the name of Jesus as you focus your faith, your conviction on whatever that challenge is just as Goliath came down. It will come down before you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Monday 7th September,2020.
Hello and a lovely Monday to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is the second Monday in the month of September and we thank God because we are moving forward. It takes men and women of great conviction to change the world. Without conviction we can't change anything. The stronger our conviction is, the deeper our conviction is, the more robust our conviction is, then we are positioned to conquer.
Last week, our focus was about our conviction being our faith and the things we need to have convistion in. This week, we will be looking at the things we should point our conviction at, if we need to conquer. We are talking about conviction to conquer, this week we will be focusing on conviction to conquer but to conquer anything you need to focus your conviction on that thing.
So we first take our conviction and root it then we focus it on the mountain, on the challenge or situation until it moves. For Abraham, the issue was that God has promised him a son, his wife was old, his body was old. So he took his root down into God's promise, he stood on God's promise but then he pointed his conviction on delivering Isaac and Isaac he got.
1 John 5:4(NKJV) says"4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our Faith". Remember, our faith is our conviction.
It takes conviction to overcome the world, whatever is out there that is challenging you, challenging me we need to focus our conviction on it and it will come down.
I remember the story of the young boy David. David was a simple shepherd boy taking care of his father's flock. His father called him one day and said "Go to the battle field, go and give your brother some food and check how they are doing". So David packed things and he went to the battle front and as he got there he saw Goliath challenging everybody and as Goliath was talking, everybody was hiding including the king. David heard it and said; "who in the world is this man? I am going to challenge him." They took what David said to Saul and said; "Listen, this young man said he can face him" and Saul said; " You can't face Goliath, he is a trained warrior" David said" King I can face him and I can kill him! You know why? I don't fight my battle, God fights my battles for me. I have faced the lion in the past, I have faced the bear and God helped me, I killed them and the same way God helped me to kill the lion and the bear because God fights my battles, God will fight this battle for me". So he said "I have pointed my Faith, my conviction at the lion, at the bear and I am pointing my conviction now at Goliath and he will be dead". The moment he did that, he went into the battle field and his conviction prevailed. Goliath went down.
So put your conviction in God and put it His promise, put it in His love, put it in His power to deliver, put it in His grace but after that, point it to the challenge you are facing. It might be a health condition, a financial condition, point your faith at it and watch your Faith conquer.
Thank you for listening today.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle.
Sunday 6th September,2020 .
Hello and a lovely morning to you in the name of Jesus.
God is good and we say all the time. God is always good. He is not good because he does good. He is good because that is His nature. It is important we are convinced that God is love, His nature is love. God is kind, His nature is kindness. God is good, His nature is goodness. You know the word "good" once you remove the "O" from it,it becomes "God". So God is good!
It is important you are convinced no matter what you are going through, no matter what your experience has been, it is important you are convinced of God's love.
Remember, your conviction is your faith. We will read again Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV)
'Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”'
That is the question Jesus was asking His disciples and he is asking us the same thing. It is easy to get discouraged in life, it is easy to get faint hearted, it is easy to get despondent, when you are trusting for something, When you are trying to get your right, you have all sorts things come your way but that is when you need to dig your conviction deeper, root it deeper and let it not move.
Conviction is different from opinion, opinion is flaky, it has no root, It is nothing, it is just feelings and hear say and nothing but conviction is based on facts, solid information.
This woman knew these things and one of the things she knew was this thing listen; "You might be an unjust judge but your duty as a judge is to give me Justice and my Justice I will get back and I am convinced and because she knew her right and she was convinced of it she got it".
In strengthening our conviction, we need knowledge, without knowledge our convictions cannot be strengthened but the more you know the stronger your knowledge base, the stronger your conviction.
Remember, we say "we don't hold our conviction, conviction holds us" and the more you know, the stronger your conviction becomes and the more it will regulate your life and you know what? When you are able to stand on your convictions no matter what is happening ultimately, your desires will be delivered.
I trust God that no matter what, as you keep feeding your conviction, feeding your faith, increasing your knowledge base, everything you trust God for will be delivered in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Saturday 5th September
Hello and a lovely Saturday to you in the name of Jesus. I trust that you’re trying to get some rest trying to get refreshed from the week of work. It’s going to be a wonderful season for us in the name of Jesus. God is crowing the year for us with His goodness and our path is falling and flowing in abundance in Jesus’ name. We are grateful and always thankful for every new day. The bible says this is the day the Lord has made i will rejoice and be glad in it. We are grateful that our eyes have seen the month of September and May God who is gracious and merciful keep showing us mercy and grace every single day throughout this year and beyond in Jesus’ name.
We’re talking about the power of conviction and throughout this week we'll be zeroing on and concentrating on your faith which is your conviction, your conviction is you faith we read that in Hebrews 11 verse 1(revised standard version) and today we’re going further in that and I’m going to read from Luke chapter 18 verse 1 to 8(NKJV) saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ “ Verse 6: Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night, though He bears long with them? Verse 8: I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
Interesting story Jesus told this parable to teach them the importance of staying true and not losing heart in the place of prayer and He said the way they can do that is a function of their conviction so He said when the Son of Man comes will He find faith on the earth. And remember we said our faith is our conviction, understand this conviction will be subjected to trials your conviction will always have to work in the midst of contrary situation. This woman went out to meet a judge who’s job as a judge was to administer justice but he wasn’t going to do it but this woman was sure and convinced that listen I will get justice from you and she stood there she insisted and she got what she wanted and Jesus said when the Son of Man comes will I find this level of conviction in people, will I find people being able to stand irrespective of the situation irrespective of the contrary wind, irrespective of the contradiction irrespective of the accusations will they be able to stand on their conviction until they get their desire
And that’s my question for you this morning. Is there something you’re expecting but you’ve not seen yet?
Are you able to stand like this widow on your conviction until you get your desire? That’s the question God is asking you this morning and believe me if you stand true you will see the answers that you seek in Jesus’ name.
God bless you have a lovely day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Friday 4th September
Hello and a lovely Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
The month of September is gradually moving forward and we're moving forward too in the name of Jesus.
We've been talking about the power of conviction and the fact that your conviction is simply your faith. When we talk about your conviction, your conviction is your faith and we have seen the place of conviction in the life of Abraham, how his conviction in God's promises ensured he lived the reality of God's promise. We've seen the power of conviction, we've seen how conviction helped and worked in the life of Paul the apostle when he was on that ship, and he was going to come down and everyone thought they were going to die, his conviction in the delivering power of God through the angels brought deliverance to him and the entire crew and today we're looking at the power of conviction in the conviction of God's love.
It's important we're absolutely convinced of God's love. The fact that God loves us and that no matter what we do he'll never stop loving us.
Some of us feel that oh! God will love us if we do this and if we don't do this his will hate us but that's not the nature of God, God's love is forever settled and he loves us so much and it's something we need to be fully convinced of and Paul the apostle understood this.
So in Rom 8:38-39 (Message) let's see how Paul described his conviction of God's love.
I'm absolutely convinced that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow: high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
Can you imagine that! Absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love. It's important you understand that today, that no matter what you've done, no matter what you've not done, God's love for you is not based on performance, He loves you because that's His nature and Paul was absolutely convinced of that. If there is something you really need to be convinced of, is that God loves you. Every one of us need to be absolutely convinced and full of faith in God's love.
God is not angry with you, He's not trying to kill you, He's not said any evil against you and all that. He loves you. Yes, when we break fellowship with him we put ourselves in harm's way and all that but even with all that, He loves us.
As we go into this weekend, I want your heart to be settled and fully convinced in God's love, and as you begin to live in the reality of that, as you have faith in the love of God, as your conviction is settled that absolutely nothing can separate you from God's love, you will see how it'll begin to direct and influence your actions for the better.
God bless you! Have a great weekend.
Thursday 3rd September
Hello and a lovely Thursday to you in the name of Jesus.
I'm sure your month is going in the right direction, I pray in the name of Jesus that your conviction keep getting stronger and stronger and you'll see the reality of what God has promised you in the name of Jesus.
Why your conviction is your faith and it's by the power of faith that we live in the reality of what God has promised us, it's by the power of faith that we pull God's riches, God's blessings from the realm of the unseen to the realm of the seen, and like we said yesterday, our conviction are the basis of our belief and behaviour.
Until you're fully convinced of something, that God has said about you, you will never be able to trust Him for it, you will never be able to put yourself in that situation where you can see the realization of that thing, of those promises in your life.
Acts 27 vs 23-25 (NLT)
"For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong to and whom I serve stood before me: and he said, Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you: so take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he has said it to me."
They were in this shipwreck position, their ship was going through this turbulent time, things were not clear and for two weeks they did not see the sun, they did not see the moon, they did not see the star, they were completely perplexed, there was no hope of deliverance and they were beginning to prepare for a dead end that they were all going to sink at the bottom of the sea.
But Paul said to them in the midst of that hopelessness, he said "friends, God's deliverance is coming", he said God sent His angel to me and the angel said to me "Paul, you're not going to die, you're going to testify before Caesar in Rome and God has graciously given you the life of everyone sailing with you in this ship" and Paul said, listen, "I believe God that He will deliver us just as He has said".
Another word for that is that I am convinced that God will deliver us just as he has said.
Now let's read Acts 27 vs 25 (WNT)
"Therefore Sirs, take courage for I believe God and am convinced that things will happen exactly as I've been told."
Paul's confidence, Paul's conviction in God's ability to deliver him even in a dark and hopeless situation was strong and God indeed delivered him and my prayer for you is in the name of Jesus, as you develop your conviction in God, you'll experience his power to deliver you in the name of Jesus.
No matter the situation, whether it's a situation on a job, it's finance, it's with your family, it's with your business, it's your health, just the way God showed up in a dark night for Paul and he was convinced that God will show up, as you develop and work on your conviction, God will show up for in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a great day.
DVD with Niyi Adekunle
Wednesday 2nd September
Hello and a lovely Wednesday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God again for another month of September and I declare in the name of Jesus you are going higher, you are doing better, God's power is working on your behalf, is working in your job, is working in your business, is working in your education, is working in any vocation, occupation you are involved in the name of Jesus.
The peace of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God will answer for you this month in the name of Jesus.
We're talking about the power of conviction, and we said like we've started yesterday, your conviction is your Faith. When we talk about conviction we're actually talking about your Faith, so, your faith is your conviction.
Remember, conviction is what regulate our lives.
Rom 4:18-21 (NKJV)
" Who contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead, since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sara's womb: He did not waiver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthen in Faith, giving glory to God: and being fully convinced that what God had _promised he was able to perform"
Before Abraham could live in the reality of what God had said, he had to come to a place of full conviction. And like we said yesterday, your faith is your conviction. If your faith has not come to that place of fullness, if you have not come to that place where you are fully convinced, then your faith cannot deliver, your conviction cannot deliver.
As long as our conviction is here and there, moving up and down, then we will not be able to appropriate God's blessings in our lives.
Opinions are cheap, almost everybody has an opinion, almost everybody has a point of view on every situation that we hear, but opinions are not anything, they are nothing serious because it's not based on fact, it's not based on anything, it's just what somebody feels, it's just what they feel about something but convictions are the building blocks of life. They are the basis of yours beliefs and your behaviour. That's why they say "we do not hold convictions but convictions holds us" it literally regulates our lives, it literally controls the things we do. That is why it's important we learn how to cultivate our conviction or whatever it is, understand that, when your talk about your conviction, you're simply talking about your faith.
My prayer is that your conviction will keep getting stronger in the things of God and just like Abraham, you'll come to that place of being fully convinced so that you too can live in the reality of what God has promised you .
Thank you for listening to us today.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a wonderful day to you in the name of Jesus.
Welcome to the month of September. God has been good. God has been kind. God has been merciful to us and we appreciate Him for everything in the name of Jesus. It is not of him that wills or runs but God that shows mercy. It's not because we are wise, not because we know how to take care of ourselves not because eat well, we keep social distance, we do all the things that we are alive and well. They might have contributed to it but God has been good to us and we are grateful for the gift of life and to see the month of September. I pray in the name of Jesus for you and everyone of your family members, your loved ones; as you have seen this month, we will see the end of the year, we will see many more years in Jesus name in peace and soundness in the name of Jesus.
This month we'll be looking at the power of conviction. The power of conviction to conquer. It's important your conviction is in place because it's a major tool. When we are facing life challenges and we need to conquer. So what exactly is conviction? Your conviction is your FAITH.
Hebrews 11:1 (RSV) says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen".
Hebrews 11:1 (Weymouth New Translation) "Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see".
What is the Bible saying to us here? It is simply saying that your Faith is your CONVICTION. Faith is assurance and it is conviction. So your conviction is your faith. Until you understand what conviction is and it's place in your life, you cannot maximize it's power. So to maximize the power of conviction (or the power of faith) we need to know what it is, how it works and we need to know it's role in our lives.
Somebody said "We do not hold conviction but our conviction holds us". That is how powerful conviction is in our life, that is, it is actually what regulates your life. So as we go throughout this week, we will be checking what exactly is our conviction? What is our Faith? And what role is it in our life?
And I pray in the name of Jesus. You will release the power of your conviction at a new level and you will see the power of conviction conquer great and mighty mountains in your life in Jesus name.
God bless you! Thank you for joining us today.
Have a great day!
Monday 31st August,2020 .
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to in the name of Jesus.
The last day of the month of August. We thank God for giving us the courage to take everyday, one day at time conquering and moving on and I pray in the name of Jesus as we have seen today, we will see the end it this month, we will see the end of next month, we will see the end of next year. We will fulfill the number of our days in the name of Jesus. What He said concerning you is this "with long life will I satisfy you and show you my salvation" and may that word find application in your life in Jesus name.
Esther 5:1-5 (NLT) says
'On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold sceptre to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the sceptre. Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!” And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.” The king turned to his attendants and said, “Tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet, as Esther has requested.” So the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
It is not just enough to act courageously, we must be open to divine instructions. Yesterday we spoke about how Esther rallied around for her people, how she got into a time of prayer and fasting and her courage was boosted to take actions but she was wise enough not to take brash actions even though she was acting courageously she was not acting brashly. God gave her the wisdom I call it "Covenant sense" and the favour to get what she wanted from the king.
She wanted access to the king, she dressed up well and stood where the king could see her. She wasn't screaming and shouting "Oh king, Help us! Help us!! Haman wants to kill us' No! She was calm, put together she said "King I have missed you so much. can you come to a banquet I want to prepare?" Wow! That is real wisdom.
Understand that with your covenant sense acting with courage, there is nothing you would not get from God.
True courage releases wisdom and favour. Remember the story of Ruth. She had wisdom to know what to do, to get Boaz's attention and she got favour. And as Esther did that ultimately, she got what she wanted from the king. The king knew what Haman was planning. He judged Haman. Haman was killed and the children of Israel were set free.
May God give you the wisdom to act smartly, wisely and courageously and get your desires met in Jesus name.
Do you know that the name of God is not mentioned once through out the book of Esther?
God was just acting covertly but His actions are seen. He gave Esther the wisdom that even though what you want is clearly act covertly.
And with that covert but courageous act she was able to deliver the nation of Israel.
May God cause all your needs, desires to be delivered to you, the wisdom to act covertly be released to you in the Jesus.
God bless you!
I declare it's a great month and new season of September for you in Jesus name.
Have a lovely day!
Hello and a lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about acting your new start and the place of courage and taking courageous actions.
Esther 4: 16 (TLB) says "16 “Go and gather together all the Jews of Shushan and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day; and I and my maids will do the same; and then, though it is strictly forbidden, I will go in to see the king; and if I perish, I perish".
After Mordecai sent a message to Esther about her need to act courageously and take action in defence of the Jews who are going to be killed if they didn't do anything. Esther gave the reasons why she couldn't go, but later she rose up to the challenge to act courageously.
She said you know what I need you to do, go gather all my family and all the Jews.
I need you to gather them to pray and to fast for me. I will tell the ladies that work with me in the palace to do the same.
After three days, I will go in to see the king and I will put this request before him, he would either listen to me and do something about it or I may die but I am not scared to die if I perish, I perish.
You know Joyce Meyer wrote a book titled "Do It afraid" that is , you might be afraid there, may be things scary in the midst of what you are doing but do it all the same. And do it courageously.
A lot of times when we are taking bold actions, It is important we understand that we need something I will call "Boosters". Things to boost our confidence, things to boost our courage. In the story of Esther we see a few things :
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She says "Go and fast for me" she knew she needed divine help, she knew she could not do it on her own, she knows she needed God's help. On her own, she was hopeless and helpless.
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She had a group of people she could rely on. She had people among the Jews, she had people in her palace that could fast for her.
Do you have people that can stand with you?
Do you believe that there is divine help available for you?
It is important you know that sometimes our courage can be challenged and it can disappear but when you have boosters, you have divine resources being released into your life as you fellowship with God, study the word and when you have a group of people standing with you in prayer. It makes it easy to go on.
Even our Lord Jesus Christ when he was going to the cross. The Bible says in Matt 26 that he called His friends he said "Come and stand with me. I am going to the Cross". I need you guys to pray with me for one hour.
If Jesus the son of God the Saviour of the world asked His friends to come and stand with him, how much more you and I?
When we have these situations, when you have crisis situations, you need to be courageous but don't do it alone, get the fellowship of your friends, your family, get the fellowship of God, spend time in prayer, spend time in fasting, spend time in the word and you will see how these things will boost your courage in the name of Jesus.
May your courage be boosted today and always in the name of Jesus.
God bless you!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and lovely Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus. I’m sure you’re taking sometime to rest and reflect. We’re gradually getting to the end of the month of August. Very soon we’ll enter September, October, November and December and 2021 is beckoning. May our eyes that have seen the year this far see the end of the year and many more in the name of Jesus, as God crowns the year for us with His goodness and our paths drop with fatness.
Esther 4 :13 -14 (TLB)
This was Mordecai’s reply to Esther: “Do you think you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed? If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?”
Do you know sometimes crisis is a call to act courageously? Most times a lot of us run from crisis, we avoid crisis but if you go through the bible in many situations, crisis was God’s way of calling us to rise to a situation and change the story of our lives. This is how the life of Esther changed forever.
There was a man called Haman, he was an executive in the cabinet of the King and he wanted to kill all the Jews, he had presented a law which the king had signed it unknowingly, on a certain day all the Jews had to be killed. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle he sent a message to her saying "Esther there’s a law that on a certain day all the Jews are to be killed I need you to talk to the king about it"; Esther said "I can’t talk to the king. You know the law, you can’t talk to the king except he calls the person. He’s not called me in over a month. If I go into his presence without being called I will be killed." Her uncle said listen if you don’t do something about this situation it’s going to end up terrible for you. Your complacency will destroy you. It will not only destroy you, it will destroy your family, it will destroy everything about you and God will ultimately find a way of rescuing His people.
You see, no matter the challenges we face as we go after our new start , understand that in the face of those challenges, in the midst of those crisis are seeds of miracles, seeds that transform our lives. God puts things in those challenges that make a demand on His ability on the inside of us and as we respond it just releases God’s grace and rewrites the story of our lives forever.
I don’t know what the challenge is, I don’t know what you’re going through now but see it as God’s invitation. See it as God’s call for you to act courageously. I pray you’ll not be complacent and as you act courageously watch what God will do. And like Mordecai said who knows if God has brought you into this situation to allow this thing to happen so that you can be there and release mighty abilities on the inside of you. You are here in that situation for such the time as this.
May God give you this wisdom and courage to act courageously in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Friday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about acting a new start and the place of courage in taking this kind of action.
We've been looking at the story of Ruth and I want to read the book of Ruth 2:11-12 (NLT)
“Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers. May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”
God rewards us fully for what we do, not just what we plan to do, not just what we desire , but for what we do.
So we see that the actions of Ruth was noticeable by people. She had gone to the field of Boaz. Boaz was a rich man in town, he was like a close relative to Naomi. She went to his field and she was picking some crops. When Boaz saw her, he said who is that? They said oh! That's Ruth, Naomi's girl and he said, call her for me, he said listen, as long as you want anything, make sure you don't leave this field, I've told the men here, they won't stop you, go after the workers, they'll leave things for you and he treated her with so much favour and he was so kind to her. Ruth did not understand why. He said listen, I have heard about everything you've done; I've heard of how you treated your mother-in-law well, how you treated your husband well. I've heard about how you left your country and what you've come to do here and the God of Israel who you have switched to; who you have taken side with, will reward you for all you have done.
Understand this, actions taken in faith, actions taken courageously based on our convictions on the word of God can never go unrewarded. Don't let the devil deceive you. Yes, there might be challenges on the way; they might mock you. It might look as if nothing will happen, but the Bible says I've not said to the house of Jacob, I've not said to the people of God to serve me in vain. Understand that it's not in vain and mind you, God really rewarded Ruth, this man Boaz ultimately became her husband and she became the great grandmother of king David, and she came in the lineage of Jesus. A woman that started out from the tribe of Moab that was cursed, but because of her choices, because she stood with that conviction, because she was courageous enough to act on them, and take some major difficult decision and acted in spite of the opposition, she was fully rewarded.
I pray in the name of Jesus, as you keep acting courageously based on God's word, based on your conviction in His word, you will not loose your reward in Jesus name.
May God bless you and God keep you!
Have a lovely weekend and have a blessed day.
Hello and a lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about the actions that allow us live in the reality of a new start,
Today we are looking at courage and conviction,
Sometimes some people just act out brashly with bravado calling it courage and they get themselves into trouble, but God wants us to act wisely, He wants our courage to be based on sound conviction.
We looked at the life of Ruth and sometimes if you don’t understand the story very well (I encourage you to read the whole story; it's a short book about 4 chapters) you would not understand the background of the story of Ruth.
Now Ruth was a Moabites. Moabites were strangers to Israel they were not Israelites and all that. If you read in Ruth chapter 1: 4 you'll see that she was a stranger. Elimelech and his wife had travelled to Moab and there Elimelech died, his two sons died.
Ruth knew something about the God of Israel.
When she was telling Noami her conviction she said "listen "I'll go with you,I'll stay with you, your God will be my God, your people will be my people, nothing will separate me from you".
She was saying that because she was informed and convinced about some things she had come to know about the God of Israel.
She had heard about Israel.
Everybody in the region knew about Israel and one she knew about Israel was this, that the God of Israel always, ultimately treated His people well no matter the challenges they went through God ultimately treated them well.
So if you read in Ruth 1:6, it's says that after a while, even though there had been famine in Israel, God blessed them again and there was prosperity, based on that prosperity
Naomi was moving back to her home country and she was moving with Ruth.
So it's important that we understand that our courage should not be blind courage, should not be bravado, should not be arrogant, it must be based on sound conviction, and the greatest conviction we can base our courage on is the conviction of God's word and God's mighty acts in our lives.
The Bible talks about when the children of Israel were going to take over Jericho, they met Rahab in Joshua 2 and Rahab said listen, " we have heard about what your God has done, how He parted the Red Sea, how He took out these kings, how you've taken all the lands, now we are scared.
She said you know what? I know your God will give you this land, she said but make a promise to me that when God gives you this land, you will treat me well.
Why?
Rahab knew that everybody in that region knew about the God of Israel and based on that she knew that if she sided with them, she would be in good hands.
The same thing with Ruth, she knew about the God of Israel and she knew that if she took sides with Him, if she says the God of Israel is her God, He will take care of her.
What do you know about God?
It's important you go into the word, it's important you listen to people that know about God and build your conviction in God.
When you build your conviction in God, and you understand this God. You know Him, you know His ways, you're confident of His act in your life, taking courage, acting out courageously will not be a complicated thing to do.
So I encourage you today, develop your conviction in God, know Him more so you can be able to act courageously.
I pray the mighty hand of God will see you through this week in the name of Jesus, and may the conviction of God flood your heart in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about acting a new start, the courage to add courage, the courage is to act even in the face of opposition.
It's not just enough to take actions, you can take action in fear, but it is important to act courageously.
So what exactly is courage? courage is that daring, audacious, confident, bold attitude even in the face of fear. We'll always have things that we're scared of and there are always things that will challenge us but courage is the ability to act in a daring way, in an audacious way, in a bold and courageous way in spite of the opposition, in spite of the things of the things that we fear and that's what we see Ruth doing in this passage. With everything that the mother-in-law told her, Ruth had made her decision. Ruth stayed with her decision and she acted out on it courageously. She saw her sister-in-law (Orpah) go back yet it changed nothing. Wow! That is what you call courage.
Remember the story of the children of Israel in the book of Numbers 13, God had sent them out to spy the land and they came back with the prosperous details of the land in which everyone was rejoicing about and next they mentioned the challenges they saw as well and conclusively said " we can not take the land", and the Bible says they gave an evil report to the company of Israel and everybody was discouraged.
By the time we go to chapter 14, Caleb and Joshua told them "listen, we can take the land", why? God said we can and if God says we can, irrespective of the opposition, irrespective of the challenges, let us take action, let us move. By the time we go to Numbers 14 vs 24, God described the spirit working in Caleb. He called it a different spirit, a courageous, bold and confident spirit.
There is an attitude, there is a spirit that inspires, that releases courage, it's called the different spirit and that's what God wants us to have, that in spite of what is happening, God is saying have that different spirit, have that bold, daring, audacious attitude, that's what Ruth had and go after your dreams.
All of the ten others that went out to spy the land died, why? Because they had a wrong spirit, but because Caleb and Joshua had a different spirit, they went into the promise land, the same thing with Ruth.
I pray in the name of Jesus, as you begin to cultivate the attitude of confidence and boldness and courage, as you allow the spirit of God, that different spirit work within you, you'll enter the fullness of that which God has promised you in the name of Jesus, may it be a wonderful day for in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about acting our new starts.
Ruth 1:8-18(NLT)
"8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.10 “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”11 But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? 12 No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? 13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.”14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. 15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.
In a bid to follow our desires, there will be opposition on the way, there will be adversity. No matter how much vision we have seen, no matter our conviction, no matter our confession. It will not exempt us from opposition. We can confess all that we want, we can see all we want. We will still face oppositions.
When the ladies said to Naomi "we are going to follow you no matter what" from verse 11-14, Naomi began to reel out the reality of the situation. "Nothing is going to happen, I am not going to remarry and I cannot not guarantee you a husband". Orpah said "...you know what? I had better go back I don't think I can handle this!" But in the midst of that, Ruth's resolved was strengthened and she still acted courageously. She said "...in spite of all the challenges, in spite of the opposition waiting for me, in spite of the hardship, I will stay with you. Your God will be my God, your people will be my people where you die I will die." She acted out her resolve.
Understand this for, everything you desire to do, for everything God has shown you. you will need to act courageously. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 5 "let us go until the other side" Then a storm arose. Even if God is leading you sometimes storms will come. But even in the midst of the storm, you must resolve to act courageously. It is courageous acts that birth God's miracles.
As you act courageously this today, may God open the heavens more over your life and may miracles burst out for your in your way In Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I pray this will be a great week this is the last week of the month of August. I pray you will finish well and finish strong in the name of Jesus. We will be looking at acting the new start. We have talked about change starting on the inside and coming on the outside, we have talked about seeing a new start, we have talked about speaking a new start now it is important we act out our new start, it is important we take actions.
Ruth 1:8-18(NLT) says "But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.” But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me.” And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.” But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!” When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more".
Wow! That's a strong one it's one thing to have dreams, desires and speak all the things we have inside of us. It's another thing for us to see the manifestation on the outside. It's great we are pregnant but the Joy of pregnancy is actually the delivery of the baby and the delivery of the baby goes through a process. You know in the hospital, they would say you would have to go through the labour room. Labour is about work and about action. Yes! It is good to speak, but it is in the acting it is when we acts things out that it is established in our world. When we act out our conviction, we commit God to perform it, to act on our behalf and perform those things which we act out. The same thing when people see the things we do, they begin to believe in our conviction. Ruth and Orpah her sister-in-law had said so many things like we will go with you Naomi, we will not leave you even though our husbands are dead. The three of us are widows, we will stay with you but when the stack reality began to show up and Naomi said listen I have nothing to offer you. No husband, no child I can't do anything.
Eventually, Orpah went back but Ruth stood with her decision. Why did she stand with her convictions? Because of something called Courage. Ruth was courageous that even in the midst of no guarantee, even with everything that happened she had lost her husband now she is leaving her home to a new place she went courageously because she knew God will sort her out.
If you are going to see God work on your behalf, we need to act courageously when we act courageously we will find out that God is waiting for us, waiting to confirm all our actions with great signs and wonders and wonderful testimonies following.
As you act courageously this week, may you see God's hands. May you see the manifestation of these things you desire in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
May the word of God in your mouth work for you, may it produce for you in the name of Jesus, may it usher you into new beginnings, may it bring you into new experiences, may it bring new relationships and new resources into your life in the name of Jesus.
May the word of God elevate you as you use it and begin to speak the things God wants you to say in the name of Jesus.
Jeremiah 1: 9-10
"Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant".
Understand that the Lord has put his word in your mouth for a certain purpose and He has set you over. He has made you an authority over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
That is why it is important we keep speaking God's word. God's word works by first clearing out the debris in our minds, clearing out wrong mindset, wrong belief system, wrong culture etc.
If you remember the story of Jairus's daughter in Mark 5:22, he had gone to Jesus to heal his sick daughter. As Jesus was following him home they got a message that the girl was already dead. Jesus said to Jairus "keep believing my word".
When they got to the house, people were crying and shouting, and Jesus said to them "the girl is not dead but sleeping" and the same people that were crying began laughing at Him, they began to scorn and mock Him.
Sometimes, when you say what God says, people won't agree with you, they'll laugh at you, they'll mock you, they'll mock you and that's okay. But guess what Jesus did, he did not stop believing, he cleared the room out, he literally sent the people out! He rooted the mockers out, pulled them down, threw them out of the space, and the moment He did that, the atmosphere was clear and He said to the girl, " little girl, arise" and she rose from the dead.
The heart is first place the Word begins to work before our environment.
God said to Moses, I'm sending you to take the children of Israel out of Egypt, He said, go and tell Pharaoh, let my people go. You'll assume the moment Moses got there and spoke to him that Pharaoh will let him go, No! He will say it over and over again, and guess what? He didn't get tired. You must not get tired of speaking, why? Everything happens as a result of your words, whether you go up, whether you come down.
The children of Israel literally shut themselves out of a new experience by the things they said.
Numbers 14:28
"Say to them, As truly as I live, says the LORD, as you have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you".
They said they could not enter and God said you're not entering, all of you to the last one is going to die in this wilderness and that's exactly what happened. The two that said the right thing (Joshua and Caleb) entered in.
I pray in the name of Jesus that you will be consistent in with your words saying the right things, you'll make your words line up with God's word and He will establish that reality.
Root out, every negative idea, root out every negative thought and stay with God's word and watch Him build and plant great and mighty things in your life in the name of Jesus.
Thank you, God bless you.
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re gradually getting to the end of the month of August, in the next 9 days we will be at the end of the month. We thank God for everything. why? His word concerning you is this: He crowns the year for you with His goodness and your path will drop with fatness in the name of Jesus. Fatness is old English which just means abundance. May your path be filled with God’s blessings and abundance in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about the importance of speaking. I know we all want to experience something new, we want to enter a new level, we want to get a promotion, we want to enter a new season, a fresh season; greater joy, peace and the blessings of God at a new level and all that. But a major key to that is keeping His word in our mouth. Speaking! speaking!! speaking!!! You can speak your way into a new reality. God wanted to experience something new, He wanted to see something new He had to speak it into being. We are not greater than God! The bible says the servant isn’t greater than the master. The best is to be like his master. To be like God, speak what you want into being. And as we began to speak about this yesterday sometimes the frustration is that some of us have said it a couple of times and we have not seen it happen. I heard someone say I said something 300 times and it didn’t happen. It’s not so much about speaking it, it’s speaking it to the point where it first changes your heart, and like I said a few days ago it’s like re-branding your heart, reconfiguring your heart. Why? That’s the way God created us.
The first place we begin to see change is not outside but within us. The bible says in the book of Jeremiah chapter 1:9-10 (NKJV)
'Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.”'
Can you imagine? The first the God wanted Jeremiah to do was to root out, to pull down, to destroy and to throw down after that, you build and you plant. Why? Because of the negative influence of the world. A lot of us the word of God just can’t begin to work immediately, we have to root out things, pull down things. The bible talks about a casting down imaginations - wrong imaginations, wrong ideas. We have to destroy mind-sets, we have to throw down things to get all that out and it takes some time. Once you’ve been able to do all that then to build and to plant becomes easy. That’s why we cannot get tired of saying it. You must root everything out, pull every wrong thing out, every mind-set, every wrong idea, every wrong concept pull everything out. And the moment you pull them out and you keep doing it you find it’s easy for your words to find expression and come to pass. So be deliberate, don’t stop saying what God says, keep rooting out the wrong ideas, keep rooting out the wrong mind-sets, keep pulling them down, casting down those wrong arguments, casting down those wrong things and you’ll see how God’s word will begin to grow in your life.
Thank you for joining us today and may the Lord continue to watch over you and your house in Jesus’ name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day!
Hello! It's a great Friday to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for keeping us right in the beginning of this week till today, the weekend start today but whether is weekend or not, God wants you to stay winning, He doesn't want us to say oh!!, It Friday I want to get away from this thing, whatever it is, God want every day to be a glorious experience for us and that's my prayer for you that everyday will be a wining experience, refreshing and wonderful for you in the name of Jesus.
We've been talking about speaking yourself into a new experience. The place of speaking in experiencing the new. Yes! We're taking about Faith for a new start, new beginning but speaking plays a major in experiencing that. Somebody said, Pastor Niyi am tired of this speaking thing. You know when I was a child my parents said don't speak this way, and that's true. A number of cultures in Africa and probably around the word too don't support speaking. He said have been speaking and not experiencing anything. So, why exactly is it important that we speak this thing?. What happened with this whole speaking thing?
Psalm 45:1
'My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.'
The way God has designed our tongue or our speaking capacity is that He created it to be able to write the realities of your life or to rewrite things. So, for Abraham, we see the name 'Abram' was not working somehow and was not bringing him to the new things God said. But the moment he began to declare "my name is Abraham", and he began to verbalize it, it began to form a new reality in his heart. It literally began to re-brand his heart and his insight. And as he kept on saying it, within 9 months his wife was pregnant and a year later, they had Isaac.
The reason why you have to speak is that it is the way you create a new reality. That's the way you were designed. You say 'how can I be design that way?' Just the same way God designed that seed must be planted in the soil and if you put them on the carpet, on the table and in a cup it won't grow; the same way God designed you, that you function with words. You're programmed with words when God created man Gen 1:28. He first thing God did to them was to program them. How did he program them? And God said 'be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it'. Those were the first set of words that came into the ears of the man and the woman i.e male and female God created. So we are programmed by words. Even after the fall of man, we are still programmed by words and that's why it's important the kind of words you listen to, the kind of words that comes out from your mouth and that you allow within your heart or around you.
Remember, that yesterday man became another speaking spirit. You're a speaking spirit. The way you are programmed, created and configured for your reality is through words. He said, my tongue is the pen that I use to write my own. It's a ready writing device. So, use your tongue to write your life the way you want it to be. Write your future the way God as written it. Don't let life, situations or people to write your story the way they want. Use your tongue to create your own reality. And as you do that, you find out that your life will begin to go up in the direction of what God has promised you.
God bless you!
Enjoy your weekend and have a lovely day!
Hello and a lovely day to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for his grace, love and we thank God because you and I are more than conquerors through the finished work of Christ in the name of Jesus. Whether the devil likes it or not we are experiencing new and wonderful beginnings in the name of Jesus. So, develop your faith for new start. Develop your faith for a new beginning because that is God's plan for you in the name of Jesus.
Gen 2 vs 7 (KJV)
'And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.'
Genesis 1:26-28 God created man in His own image and after His likeness. But here, we see the forming of man that is, God went to the ground in the garden, took some dust together and and breathe into man. And the bible says, and man became a living soul.
A couple of years ago, I came in contact with this Hebrew commentary of the bible called 'The Chumash' written by a Rabbai. The commentary he wrote of this verse that is Gen 2 vs 7 particularly the part that says,"...and man became a living soul". He said in the original Hebrew text, what it was communicating was "...and man became another speaking spirit like God". Can you imagine? He said that word that man became a living soul, what God was saying actually, was that man became another speaking spirit like God.
God speaks. God always speaks. God is a spirit and He is always speaking. And God created man in his own image and likeness. This man He formed, He created him another speaking spirit like God. So, our mouth, our vocal chords, Yes! We use them to eat but real reason God created them is not just for eating. It is for speaking. Because if you speak well, you will eat well! Yes. Somebody says WOW!! That mouth is not for eating? Yes! It's for speaking. You are a speaking spirit. You literally create realities with your words and that's why you need to be very careful with the things you say.
In Ephesians 5:1, Paul was writing he says, We need to be imitators of God as dear children. God is a speaking spirit. God always speaks. He wants something? He declares it. He speaks it. You want a new experience? You speak. He said to Abraham, we read that before, I have made you a father of many nations; I have made you. At this time, Abraham did not have more than one child Ishmael but He was speaking about something, He said I've made you. And He wasn't even taking Ishmael. He was taking about Isaac. He said a father of many nation have made you. When a speaking spirit speaks, it is reality.
So as a speaking spirit like God, your word is reality. Learn to use your words well, learn to be careful with your words and learn to use your words to create the kind of of reality you want. You want to live better, healthier, wealthier, more powerful and more intelligent? whatever it is God says; You are a speaking spirit. Speak the right things.
God bless you! thank you for listening today and have a lovely day!!
Hello and a great day to you in the name of Jesus. It's Wednesday and I declare it's a wonderful, winning Wednesday for you in the name of Jesus. May God's word find expression, may it find manifestation in your life in Jesus name.
One of the things I hear people tell me is that sometimes God just does some things beyond the confines of the bible expressing His sovereignty. I agree that God is sovereign. He can do whatever He wants but the sovereign God who can do whatever He wants to choose to restrict Himself to His sovereign word i.e. everything God does and everything God is going to do with respect to His dealings with human beings (you and I ) He has restricted between Genesis and Revelation. So He's bound Himself for that.
The Psalmist said in Psalm 138
"God has highly exalted his word above all his names"
He's exalted His word, He has limited Himself to His word, so the principle God has laid down for us is this "within His word, all He does, must be in there". So, we see that this principle of speaking and experiencing new things, even God Himself could not break it. When God wanted to experience a new earth, he had to speak it. Like we read in Genesis 1vs 2-4 (KJV)
'And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. '
So God wanted to experience a new earth as all He was seeing was darkness, shapelessness, void and emptiness. Everything looks so bad and discouraging. So what did God do? He limited himself to the principles of His word. He wanted to experience something new, He wanted to experience a new earth, He wanted to see a new reality around Him. The Bible recorded that God said, and all He wanted came to being.
If God the creator of the whole world, the all-wise, the Almighty, the all-powerful God could not experience a new world, a new earth, a new beginning without declaring it. What makes you think you and I can do it without declaring it? So you want to see something new, no matter what your situation is, drawing from the life of Abraham, the woman with the issue of blood, it can't be worse than these, be it without form, void, empty, dark just speak your way through.
If you read the whole of Genesis 1, God literally spoke His way into a new world, into a new reality, into a new situation.
I declare in the name of Jesus, as you begin to imitate God by speaking His word, irrespective of the situation, no matter how dark it is, no matter how formless it is, no matter how hopeless it is, as you continually say it and declare it, you'll experience His light in the name of Jesus, you'll experience beauty, you'll experience goodness, you'll experience power and glory in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a wonderful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about a new start and the place of speaking your way into a new experience. Do you want something new? You must be willing to talk about it, you must be willing to speak it into reality. Like we said yesterday, the major principle in the word of God is this "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" and those who know how to use it, those who know how to maximize it will enjoy the benefits.
So God wanted Abraham and Sarah to experience something new, HE changed their names and made them begin to speak it, and made them begin to hear it so that they could be established in that. And what he had promised them when Abraham was seventy-five happened when he became hundred. God changed his name at age ninety-nine and within that one year God watched over his word and HE speedily performed it. And my prayer is this, as you begin to speak God's word, begin to declare it irrespective of what the current situation is, God's word will find reality and find manifestation in your life speedily in the name of Jesus.
Another person that experienced the power of God's word to open her into a new beginning was the woman with the issue of blood. She had struggled, she had been sick for twelve years and she did not get any better, she simply got worse. She had expended her energy, expended her money and resources yet nothing was going on. But she heard Jesus was coming into town and she said, I'm going to get healed this time.
And the Bible says in Mark 5:28(AMP)
"For she kept saying, if I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health"
Note that she kept saying "if I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health" and that's the power of speaking. She was sick, she was despondent, she was out but she wanted a new experience, she wanted to enter into a new situation and all she did was she just kept speaking it, she kept saying it. Another version says, “she kept saying within herself”.
You need to have the confidence no matter how weak you are, no matter what you've lost, no matter what the situation is. The Bible says concerning this woman, she had lost everything, nobody was even there to carry her, she dragged herself, no money, no friend, bad situation, but all she had was her word and she kept using that word to make a way and guess what? She experienced a new thing.
I pray in the name of Jesus that you'll use your words right today. You'll begin to use your words to make a way for yourself, no matter where you are, no matter the situation, no matter for how long, for Abraham, it was about twenty-four years, for this woman it was about twelve years but God changed it as she began to declare. I declare in the name of Jesus over your life, strength to begin to say what God has said and as you begin to say it, the doors will begin to open for you in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a great day!
Hello and a lovely Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We thank God for the month, we thank God for how it's going and we thank God for everything because the Bible says "in all things we should give thanks"
We've been talking about faith for a new start because it's God's desire for you to experience newness, for you to experience freshness, for you to experience His new start in every area of your life and not just a new start, but a new, better, glorious, wonderful and great start and that's what I trust God for you this month and every single day in the name of Jesus.
The bible says " the steadfast love of the Lord never seizes, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. So we could actually put our faith out to experience something new every morning, and we are already experiencing it, why? Today is a new day, nobody has experienced today before. Maybe you have visualized it but you have never lived in today before. So you're already experiencing a new start.
Gen 17 vs 5,15,16 (NKJV)
'No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”'
God had promised Abraham a son at age seventy-five and he was now ninety-nine, he didn't have that son. He had a son through Hagar but God said no, the son I promised you is not through Hagar but through your wife Sarai. It was so difficult for Abram to conceive that, why? Abram was ninety-nine, Sarai was eighty-nine, how can an old man of his age and a woman of Sarai’s age conceive a child? But God said listen, I'm going to birth this new beginning in your life, even though it looks late, even though it looks impossible, even though it seems that everything in terms of your expectations is off but I will still do it for you. Abram said, Lord, you've promised this all these years, it seem not to be working, I already have Ishmael. Then God decides to do something different, God said I'm going to change your name and God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, and from Sarai(his wife) to Sarah, why? God knew the moment they can speak their name and hear their name regularly, it will change something in their lives.
When God gave them the promise at age seventy-five, it didn't happen but the moment God told them to begin to call themselves a new name, it changed their outlook, it changed their expectations, and it raised them into the reality of what God has already promised them. You can speak your way into a new season, you can speak your way into a new experience, you can speak your way into a new status, why? Death and life the Bible says is in the power of the tongue.
So as we start this new week today Monday, begin to declare what you want to see on your job, begin to declare what you want to see in your business, begin to declare what you want to see in your education, whatever it is you're involved in, whatever you're laying your hands upon, begin to declare God's word in that area, and I believe as you declare it, you'll see new things and new experiences to the glory of God in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Wonderful day to you and a wonderful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Thank God you are seeing clearly. You are seeing what God wants you to see. The power of hell is broken over your life, family, loved ones, city and nation as you begin to see aright in the name of Jesus. As you see right, you will experience the right things in the name of Jesus. As you see the new things, you will experience new things based on God's word by the power of the Holy Spirit. That will be your portion in the name of Jesus.
Isa 60:4-5(NLT) says
"Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands".
It says merchants are coming, business people are coming, people to do business with you are coming but you see there is a difference between merchants coming and having activity, business activity and productivity. It is one thing to have all these activities, it's another thing for them to produce. So don't just see activity happening around you. See productivity. Don't just see people coming, don't just see things happening, see productivity.
The Bible says in Mark 11, Jesus was walking around. He was hungry and he saw this fig tree. There was activity around it, it had leaves but he went in there because he thought it had fruit but there was no single fruit on it. A lot of activity; it looks as if things were working but no productivity. I pray this is the end of activity without productivity in your life in the name of Jesus. Begin to see productivity, don't just see activities, don't just see people merchant's coming. See it translating into prosperity in the name of Jesus. The people that come won't just come to have a good feeling. They will bring into your life. They will move you forward. You will not just go into relationship with the thoughts of moving forward and nothing comes out of it. You will not have abortive relationships or experiences in the name of Jesus.
See every activity you are involved in translating into productivity. He says "the merchants from different parts of the world will come" that's good but not good enough. The next part of it says "they will bring wealth". I see wealth coming your way in the name of Jesus. You will not have time wasters in your life. You will not have activity that will just take your energy and just drain you in the name of Jesus. See every activity, everthing you are involved in, see them producing for you, see them producing wealth, see them producing increase, see them moving you forward in line with your purpose. This is what God wants for you. He says the business people will come, the merchants will come, activities will come but they will translate into productivity. They will translate into blessing. This will be your portion and this is your portion in the name of Jesus.
Don't forget today Sunday we are having our online service You can join us via Facebook @ The helpers house.
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I am sure you are seeing all what God has being saying about you. You are beginning to see aright and trusting God that you are experiencing the things you are seeing in line with the word of God In Jesus name. We've been reading Isa 60:4-5 (NLT)
"Look and see, for everyone is coming home!
Your sons are coming from distant lands;
your little daughters will be carried home.
Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy,
for merchants from around the world will come to you.
They will bring you the wealth of many lands."
It says look and see everyone is coming to you. Your sons are coming from distant land. Opportunities are coming to you from distant places in the name of Jesus and your little daughters will be carried home. They will be brought to you in the name of Jesus. Good things will come your way, you won't have to struggle for them in the name of Jesus. Verse 5 it says your eyes will shine i.e. your eyes will see and your heart will be thrilled with Joy. May your heart overflow with joy as you begin to see the right things in the name of Jesus. For merchants from all around the world will come to you they will bring the wealth of many lands. Wow! it says your heart will see and you will be thrilled with joy. Your eyes will see, your eyes will shine and you will be thrilled with Joy.
Can you see the connection between what you see and joy? Remember, the Bible says in the book of Nehemiah 8:10(NLT) it says "...the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Can you see how everything connects?
Remember the first part we read in Isa 60:4 talks about people, verse 5 talks about prosperity but when it comes to prosperity he said you will see the right thing, it will release Joy and Joy is important because Nehemiah 8:10 says "the joy of the Lord is your strength". You need the strength and in Joel 1:12 it says
"The grapevines have dried up, and the fig trees have withered. The pomegranate trees, palm trees, and apple trees—
all the fruit trees—have dried up. And the people’s joy has dried up with them."
Why are the trees withered? Because Joy is withered from the people, from the hearts of men. He said everything is not producing, there is no productivity. Why? Because there is no Joy in the hearts of men so to see productivity. You must have Joy and to see prosperity, there must be productivity. Can you see that? Before you experience prosperity there must be productivity and it takes Joy to be productive.
You want to see productivity in your life? You want to see a new level of prosperity? Then you need to see Joy. See joyful things. Don't let your heart be filled with sadness in the midst of what is called the global pandemic. With all the challenges here and there, it is easy to begin to see gloom and doom. But the Bible says let your eyes shine, let your heart be thrilled with joy and you will see strength being released to you. You will see productivity being released to you in the name of Jesus. Use your vision to change your feelings; use your vision to change your emotions and you will see how the strength, the productivity and prosperity of God will show up in your life in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Friday to you in Jesus name.
Thank God it's Friday like they say but I like to say thank God for everyday whether Friday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or any other days. Why? This is the day that the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it. That's what the scripture says so we can rejoice every single day we thank God all the same that today is Friday.
We have been talking about the power of what you see in changing your life in experiencing a new start and a new you. So we've been reading from Isa 60:4-5 (NLT)
"Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands".
They are coming! Everyone is coming! But, as important as it is, it is not just enough to see everyone coming we must see clearly!
What do you see? A blind man came to meet Jesus and Jesus said to the blind man what do you want me to do? So the clearer you see, the better it is and the easier it is to accomplish.
There is a story in the Bible in the book of Mark 8:24-25. This blind man had come to meet Jesus. Jesus had prayed for him anointed his eyes and he was asking him what do you see? After Jesus had prayed for him, the man looked around and said Yes! I see people but I can't see them very clearly. They looked like trees walking around. Then Jesus placed His hands on the man's eyes again and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored and he could see everything clearly. I call this spiritual fine-tuning. Jesus touched him again so he could see. Its not just enough to see everyone! See clearly!
He said I see sons and daughters. See clearly what you want. Don't just say Lord bless me. Be specific in the things you see. Be specific in your expectations and see how God will make them happen. The man's eyes were anointed and he said I cannot see clearly. I pray you will begin to see clearly. Your visions, your inner eyes will be clearer and sharper in the name of Jesus. May you experience multiple touches from God and may each touch do something powerful, something amazing in your life in the name of Jesus. As you see clearly, may there be speed of accomplishment in your life in the name of Jesus. Begin to see new relationships. See the people! See them clearly! Declare them and watch what God will do in your life in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely weekend and a great day!
Hello and a lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
The power of faith comes by hearing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Rom 10:17. We've been talking about the power of seeing to bring a new start in your life and I pray your vision will be renewed, you will begin to see God's power, His grace and His ability. You will begin to see Him doing something new in your life and in your family in the name of Jesus.
Isaiah 60:4-5(NLT) says
“Look and see, for everyone is coming home! Your sons are coming from distant lands; your little daughters will be carried home. Your eyes will shine, and your heart will thrill with joy, for merchants from around the world will come to you. They will bring you the wealth of many lands".
I love the way He says it here why? Because everyone is coming to you. Everyone means people are coming to you. Verse 5 says wealth is coming to you. He said look and see people and prosperity coming your way in Jesus name. Remember what we read about Abraham? It said look from where you are. Look and see everyone coming to you. Look and see new relationship coming your way; see new friends come your way; you can even see your marriage partner; you can see your new businesses; you can see new business partners, new ministry partners; you can see children if you want children. He said "see everyone coming to you." See people coming to you.
I remember Jesus was talking in Luke 10:1(NLT) He says "The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. He said pray the Lord of harvest that he may send labourers into His field." He said pray. The harvest represents opportunities. Opportunities abound but people to work and take advantage of it are few. He said pray that God will send the right people so he said see people coming to you. Pray that "Lord send me the right people; Send me the right staff; send me the right marriage partner; send me the right business partner; send me the right ministry partner; send me the right people" and begin to see it that is what the word says. He said look and everyone is coming to you.
Begin to say it "all the good ones are coming my way!" Labourers, partners in progress, helpers of destiny are coming my way and they will come In Jesus name but it starts with what you see!
God bless you! God Keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about the transforming power of seeing when it comes to starting afresh, having new experiences, having new starts. It takes faith to have a new start and the things you see go along way to affecting and influencing your faith. I’ll be reading this morning again where we read yesterday,
Genesis chapter 13 verse 14 to 15: And the Lord said to Abram after Lot had separated from him. He said lift up your eyes now and look from the place where you are. Look northward, look southward, look eastward and look westward. Verse 15: For all the land which you see I gave to you and your descendants forever. For all you see I give to you. All you can see is all i can give to you.
Can you imagine? So Abraham had the land and that land is the land of Israel we know today. Can you imagine a man staying in one place and seeing the whole of the land border of Israel all the way. I think it’s humanly impossible to see that far. So it couldn’t have been a physical sight, It was something saw he saw in his mind’s eye and he saw that whole land. He could see the boundaries, he could see them expanding from where he was. Remember his nephew Lot had chosen some path and walked away. I’m sure maybe from where they were the Lord could see some areas there. Maybe there were in an elevated place on a mountain and the Lord could see Sodom and Gomorrah and he moved there and it looked nice. But Abraham saw in his mind’s eye. He saw beyond Sodom, he saw beyond Gomorrah, he saw Canaan, he saw all that whole place...northward, southward, eastward and westward.
God said look from where you are. It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, it doesn’t matter where you are now, look from where you are. He said all you can see I gave to you.
I remember the story of Walt Disney. I read his biography a couple of years ago and when they were dedicating the first theme park and the governor of the states was saying he wished Walt Disney was alive to see the theme park as it was being dedicated. And the wife was there and said he actually did see it, that’s why we’re doing it today, that’s why we’re commissioning it today. So even though Walt Disney was dead the wife said he actually saw it that’s why it’s happening today. What you see will happen in your life, what you see not just with your natural eyes but your spiritual eyes begin to see anew, begin to see afresh. And it’s amazing that what you see within with your inner eyes has no limitation has no boundaries. He said all that you see I can give to you and I’ll give to you. If you don’t want to see failure don’t look at failure. If you don’t want to see wickedness don’t look at wickedness, if you don’t want to be a victim don’t look at yourself like a victim. Begin to see yourself the way God sees you. If you look all the was from Genesis to Malachi to Matthew to Revelations all the word of God is the extent you can see. See anything there and God says if you can see it I will make it happen for you.
May that be your experience in Jesus’ name.
God bless you, God keep you have a lovely day.
Hello and a wonderful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus! We are still talking about what it takes to experience a new start and we are focusing on the place of the things you see in experiencing a new start.
Yesterday, we were reading from Isaiah 43 vs 19 which says "see I'm doing a new thing". You want to experience something new? You must begin to see something new and I am not saying see it physically. I am saying see it with your mind’s eye. When we look around us, there are lots of thing to discourage us but when you switch your eyes from the outer eye to the inner eye; see with your imagination , see with God’s word (see through the description of God’s word), through the vision of God’s’ word; You will see something entirely different, something powerful, something that will shift you to a new realm in Jesus name!
The bible says in the book of Genesis 13 vs 14 – 15 (NKJV)
"And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever."
His nephew Lot had just left him. He (Lot) went to a place that in the natural looks better. He had chosen a good place and Abraham (he was Abram at that time) was left with whatever it is that was left, and it looked as if it was at a disadvantage, but you know what told him? He said, Abraham (Abram) you are not disadvantaged, just look from where you are. Look to the north, look to the south, look to the east and west, look all around you because things are happening where you are.
When people leave us, when things leave us and all that (things that we have known for a while). Lot had been part of his life for a while, but he left. And Lot looked like he had chosen the best, but God said it is not a matter of what was happening on the outside, it is what is going on the inside. Can you see something working for you from where you are and that why God says, you do not need to change anything. Just look from where you are; see my favour, see my peace, see my blessing. And he said everything you see; I will give to you.
Can you see God’s power from where you are? I Know some of us feel that; “I’m in a bad place, in a bad country, bad business, in a bad relationship, bad situation, my health situation bad and all that” But God is saying that right from you are that is where the power of change will begin. Remember He (God) said, see I am doing a new thing (Isaiah 43 vs 19).
See from where you are. Begin to see God doing something new and powerful from where you are. I like the way somebody said it. He said “look to the north, south, east and west. The north is Genesis, the south is Malachi, the east is Matthew and the west is Revelation.” That is, all through the word of God; everything you see in the word of God, God has made available to you.
May your eyes begin to see anew in the name of Jesus! It will affect your health, it will affect your feeling, it will affect your attitude, it will affect every area of your life in Jesus Name!
I see a new you! I hope you see it too! God bless you and keep you!
Have a wonderful day!
Monday 10th August,2020.
Hello and a beautiful Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus. It is a new season for you in Jesus name. May you develop your faith to see a new start and experience a new start in Jesus name. May this new work week bring you favour, wisdom, a new level of connection, a new level of influence and performance in Jesus name. May you see God work for you in a new level and in a new way in Jesus name.
We are still talking about faith for a new start and we are seeing the role seeing plays in this whole thing. I trust God that as we go through these series, your eyes will begin to see beyond what you see in the natural and see what God is showing you within your spirit in Jesus name. May it cause you to deliver your faith to bring those things into the realm of the physical.
The Bible says in Isa 43:19 (NIV)
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
God say "see". You want to experience the new, something different, you want to come out of trouble, go to a higher level He says see the new and perceive it. Be clear on what you see. He said I am making a way in the wilderness. The wilderness is usually a dry place. All you see is sand, stones etc. It is like a place of nothingness...and there are no clear tracks or pathways. God said that in the midst of that dry place, where there are no tracks, where there is no way, I am making a way for you. Where you seem not to be able to identify the way to go, I will show you the tracks, and the way to go and I will bring rivers for you in the desert.
I declare as you enter this week, the lord will make His grace available for you, He will make His strength available for you in the name of Jesus. You will see ways where others are seeing no way in the name of Jesus. You will see God working for you and see rivers in your desert in the name of Jesus. You will not be stranded, you will not be frustrated in the name of Jesus.
I pray God's grace and power will be available for you in Jesus name. Behold I do a new thing, See I do a new thing. That's going to be your portion this week in Jesus name .
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a lovely day!
Hello and a beautiful Sunday morning to you all in the name of Jesus.
We are still talking about faith for a new start. We've been looking at the place of the things we see in bringing us to a new start. We've been reading from Matthew 13 vs 13 – 25. And Jesus was explaining the reason he gave parables and he was quoting from what prophet Isaiah said. He said you will always look but would not see, hear but wouldn’t understand. We've been looking at the place seeing holds in us experiencing the new.
When we read the story of Elisha and his servants, Elisha had been attacked by the army of Syria and his servant woke up and just saw soldiers all around. They had come to attack Elisha.
Let me read for you in the book of 2 kings 6 vs 16-17.
“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
The young man woke up in the morning, he went out to do his chores and he saw that there were soldiers all around and they had come to arrest them from the king of Syria and he ran back to tell his master. He said, “master we are surrounded, we are in trouble” And Elisha said relax, there are more people for us. There are more working for us than them. The servant could not understand it. As far as it is, he was considering just two of them. But Elisha said, “you know what, the issue is with your sight. You cannot see so I will pray” So he prayed that the lord should open his eyes that he may see that by the time his eye were open and he looked (now it’s not just physical eyes because it was with his physical eyes he saw that they were in trouble) but by the time his inner eyes (eyes of the spirit) were open. He found out that they were not in trouble, that it was the soldiers (enemy soldiers) that were in trouble. Why? The whole place was filled (they were surrounded, yes) but they were surrounded by the host of heaven and it was the enemies that were in the trouble. You know the way the story ends. The enemies were actually in trouble.
So, I pray today that God will actually open your eyes to see that there are more working for you than against you in the name of Jesus. God will open your eyes to see that those working against you are actually the one in trouble and you can rest in him. May the Lord open your eyes to see the favour, the power, the wisdom, the grace, and all the resources of heaven available to you at this time. In Jesus Name!
So today Sunday, we are having our service at The Helpers House Facebook page. It will be wonderful for you to join us. I am sure your eyes will be open to seeing many more things.
God bless you and keep you.
Have a lovely day!
A lovely Saturday morning to you all in the name of Jesus. May be a time of power, praise and celebration in every area of your life in the name of Jesus.
We have been talking about faith for a new start and the things we need to experience in a new start. A new start represents A new You! The change starts with you. We said the change begins on the inside and we've been going on a journey on that level. We have been focusing in the past two days about the importance of the things we see.
We read again from the book of Matthew 13:13-15 (NLT)
That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’
Jesus said the reason you are not seeing the final turn on the outside is because there are things going on, on the inside. They're not seeing right and hearing right. Until we experience that change on the inside and the major key to that is what you see. He said 'for they look but they don't really see. There are so many eyes looking. So many of us are looking at things but how many of us really see? Its one thing to look but it's an entirely different thing to see.
If you read in the book of Genesis 3 vs 6 (NLT)the Bible says:
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
This is a story of Adam and Eve; how Eve got to the point she ate the fruit and gave it to her husband and they fell. She's seen this tree every single day and she knew she was not supposed to eat it. Words change what we see, words work on the things we see and as the devil was using words to paint pictures then she began to see those things in a different light and before she knew it, her experience changed and unfortunately, it changed for the worst. Use words to create the right mental picture.
I like to call the Bible a picture book. When I read the words in the Bible I try to paint pictures with it and also set an imagination and meditate on it. Until you see differently, you won't experience anything different. Until Eve saw differently, her experience did not change. Whe she saw differently, she began to partake of it and her experience change.
I pray in the name of Jesus, in this new month, you will begin to see yourself in a different way. You see God lifting you, promoting and God special hand in your life in the name of Jesus.
God bless you and have a wonderful Saturday.
Hello and a lovely Friday morning to you in Jesus name.
It's Friday the 7th of August 2020. May Special things happen for you in the name of Jesus. The Bible talks about God doing special miracles through the hands of Paul in (Act 19). May you experience special miracles in the name of Jesus. May the hand of God work for u in a special and powerful way in the name of Jesus. This is the first Friday in the month of August. We're talking about Faith for a New Start. I pray God brings you a fresh new experiences, new opportunities in Jesus name we have prayed.
We are reading Matt 13 vs 13-15 (NLT)
That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’
He said they are not changing, they are not experiencing newness, they are not experiencing turn around. Why? They can see right, hear right and can understand rightly. So, its not enough for us to dream of new beginnings, it's not enough to for us to desire a new you, its not enough for us to pray a new you, You must SEE a new you! Verse 13 says
"...For they look, but they don’t really see..."
You are looking for a new beginning, experiences, relationship, new level of breakthrough and promotion but you're not seeing. WHY? You are concentrating on the wrong things.
In Gen 15, God had spoken to Abraham on having a child, so God came to him saying, 'Abraham! How are you doing? I am your shield and your exceeding great reward' but Abraham reacted and said 'God, what is this whole thing about? With everything you've said about me, I have no heir. Yes, you've given me riches, you've given me all but you see this Eliezer my servant? is going to inherit everything. I don't have a heir. All I know is that I see myself going childless'. Abraham said, 'what I see is that I'm going childless'. What did God do? said 'come out of here...look to the stars. Count them! As far as your eyes can see! As much as your eyes can see...so shall your seed be!'
What did God do? God gave him a new vision. God wanted him to focus and begin to see new things. As long as he saw himself childless, he experienced childlessness.
What do you want to see in your life? Begin to see it in your mind eye. Shut your eyes, paint those pictures. If you have to cut out paintings or magazines, do whatever you need to do to see a new picture. You want to experience a new start, you need to see a new start. You want to experience a new you, you need to see a new you. May that be your experience as you go into this new weekend in the name of Jesus. Be deliberate about what you see!
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day!!!
Thursday 6th August,2020.
Hello and a wonderful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Gods plan is for you to experience newness and something new everyday but the change starts with you. Faith for a new you and faith comes from the word of God.
Matt 13:23 says
"The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
The word of God produces in a decluttered heart. A heart that is not cluttered with worry, a heart that is clear, that has understanding, that has the fruit of the Spirit, that can stand under pressure. Before the word of God produces you must have understanding. You must stand against all the problems that come your way. You must be able to get your heart uncluttered by the worries of this world, the lure of riches so that the heart is clear. You must get out unforgiveness and everything that clutters the heart. Why? Change begins in your heart.
Pro 4:20-23 says
"My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words, Don’t lose sight of them Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life".
The forces that change and control your life begins in your heart.You want to be fruitful, productive, you want to see the fruit of a new you? It begins with a new heart so the heart must be renewed by the word of God. Ensure you don't allow anything clutter your heart. As you do it the holy spirit will help you. The fruit of a good heart is wonderful harvest in the name of Jesus.
I pray as you begin to declutter your heart, making it a heart of understanding, love and faith, you will see the power of God move in your life and see the change flow from within you outside.
I pray it will be a season of harvest for you in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you! God watch over you!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a wonderful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We have started the month of August. God is crowning the year for us with His goodness and our paths are dropping with fatness in the name of Jesus. I see a new you being born by the word of God in Jesus name. The word will work for you, it will bring signs and wonders in your life and it will cause you to be a miracle in Jesus name.
Matt 13:22(NLT)says
"The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced".
Wow! There are so many things that the devil puts in our way to challenge the word of God from producing in our lives. He knows the moment the word of God is planted in our heart, it must produce. So what does he do? He begins to bring different obstacles. The first is the challenge of understanding. You hear the word, he tries to distract you maybe you are listening to our daily podcast now ,hearing a message, watching a movie or someone is calling you he tries to distract you, so that you don't understand. If he cannot stop you from doing that he makes sure the word of God doesn't take root, you don't take time to meditate on it so he brings challenges your way to test the word of God. The Bible says if he doesn't succeed in doing that, the next thing he does, he starts to bring worries of this life, the lure of riches to crowd out the effect of God's word. He will crowd your mind, besiege and bombard your mind so you cannot focus on the word of God. I call them legitimate concerns. You are worried about how to make your family better, how to pay your school fees, how to pay your house rent, how to pay your mortgage, how to buy that car and how to pay that bill. The Bible calls them " the worries of life and the lure of wealth. What the devil does is to make you believe that you have to grind yourself out, to work your brains out, push yourself to do these things and nothing else matters especially the word of God.
But guess what? All he is trying to do is to crowd out the effect of God's word in your life, to choke it so that it doesn't produce fruit and remember what we said? These whole things starts from the inside because he knows that the moment he can take root and you allow it bring forth outside there is nothing he can do.
What do you need to do? Don't worry about anything! That's what Jesus said in Matthew 6. He said don't worry about anything. He said look at the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He said but seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness...and all these things others are longing for and dying for will be added unto you.
I see God bringing things into your life as you focus on God's word in the name of Jesus. Give God's word attention. Be deliberate about it! Don't let anxiety crowd out the power of God's word in your life. God will take care of you, take care of your family. He will do new and powerful things in your life in Jesus Name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day!
Hello and a wonderful Tuesday morning to you in Jesus name. God bless you. I pray His strength will be available for you in Jesus name. I trust God you are beginning to experience new start in Jesus name.
Remember, The Bible says "The steadfast love of God never ceases His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning great is His faithfulness".
So we can experience something new every morning as long as we have God. It's a new day we can experience something new, we can expect something special and have a new you. Incidentally, you have never lived on this day before, you have never seen this day before it's a new experience. May you experience something new, may you enjoy something new and powerful in Jesus name.
Matt 13:20-21 says
The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.
Can you imagine? it is not enough to receive God's word, it's not enough to get the word and be excited. The Bible says the change you want to experience as you begin to interface with God's word challenges, troubles, trials, tests and persecutions comes because you believe God's word and sometimes this is confusion for us when we are following His ways ,we think because we trust God, receive revelations of His word, hear God's word everything should go well. Oh! Probably! Test comes to check your convictions when you trust God for a new person, new place, new direction. Test, trials, troubles, challenges will come because you believe the word what God expects you to do is to rise above the test.
May it be a season of conviction for you, a season where your faith takes root so you can strong, powerful and resist every test,every challenges, every problem in Jesus name. I see a new you, I see a new experience for you.
God bless you, God keep you. Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is Monday the 3rd of August. It's the beginning of the work week in this month and my prayer is this: August things will happen for you in Jesus name. August means important; it means special. May important things that will change your life, move you higher, move you closer to your destiny, move you into the things you are dreaming and trusting God for in the name of Jesus. May the special grace of God avail for you in all you do in Jesus name. May God's hand prosper you in the name of Jesus. May you receive faith to start a new, afresh, bigger and better in Jesus name.
Matt 13:18-23 NLT
“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
The starting point is understanding the word of God. You want change? We established yesterday that change begins with the word of God. But the only way the word can begin to profit us is if we understand it. If we don't understand the word of God the Bible says "it is just like loosing it. The birds of the air takes it away and there is no values" . It is not enough to sit down in church and read the Bible or listen to our daily podcasts everyday. Do you understand what you are reading?
You want the power of God to change your life? You want a brand new start? You want your faith to be released? It starts with understanding the word of God. Ask the Holy spirit to help you every time you interface with the word of God. Give it attention and watch how the word of God begins to open up to you.
I pray wisdom will be available to you, understanding will come to your heart for everything you do and everything you are involved in...in Jesus name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello wonderful Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Once again it’s a wonderful month of August in Jesus’ name. It’ll be a season of special things for you as you discover new things that God is doing for you, in you and through you in the name of Jesus.
We’re taking about faith for a new start. God wants new things for you every single day. The bible says the steadfast love of the Lord never seizes his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning. So we can expect new things from God every single day.
Mark 4:26-29 (NLT)
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
May it be a season of harvest for you in the name of Jesus. May you reap bountifully from the Lord this season in the name of Jesus.
We’re talking about faith for a new start. And like we said yesterday, when we began the series, change begins from within. And we see Jesus telling us this story in a parable, and the beginning of everything Jesus talked about the kingdom of God was based on the fact that a man started the process with a seed. The whole process of change in the kingdom of God begins with a seed and the seed is the word of God. You can see that again in Luke 8:1. He was talking about the same parable in Luke's rendition. Change starts with the word of God. We sow the word in our hearts and that is the catalyst for change.
We said change begins within. But change won’t just happen. If you want to see new things in your life, if you want to see things initiated by the Kingdom of God. The way begins it in our life is through his word. Romans 10:17. He said faith...faith for whatever it is you want God to do for you comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Faith is resident in God’s word, so if you want to see change in your life you must beginning by planting the seed of God’s word in your heart.
What change do you want to see? what change are you expecting? It starts with a seed and the seed is the word of God. Let’s dive into that word, let’s get word seeds. Dr Murdock calls them dream seeds and begin to plant them in our hearts and you’ve begun the process of change.
God bless you! Have a lovely day!
Hello and a wonderful Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
Today is Saturday the 1st of August 2020. We thank God for His help, we thank Him for His grace. Thank God for watching over us for the last seven months and bringing us the 8th month of the year. August means special. May something special come your way today, and every single day of the month in the name of Jesus. May the special hand of God reach you, may you experience special things, great things, mighty things this month of August in the name of Jesus. We’ll see September, we'll see October, we’ll see November and we’ll see December in Jesus name.
But today Is the 1st of August and throughout this month, we will be focusing on faith for a new start. It is important you trust God, have faith. Faith the key to seeing changes in the Kingdom of God. And I believe God wants you to have faith for a new start so you can experience something new in every area of your life in Jesus name.
As a child I watched this movie "Sound of Music". It was a classic beautiful drama about this lovely family. The head of the family was a captain who had kids and he got this woman who was their nanny and/or caregiver. And she used to teach them a lot of songs and beautiful music and other classic music. And one of the songs she taught them was a song called "Do Re Mi". Now, the song says in a particular section - "let’s start from the very beginning; a very good place to start."
In everything, particularly the Kingdom of God, its important we know the beginning of all things. It is important that we understand that God is a God of protocols and He wants us to start things the right way and start everything from the beginning. In the Kingdom of God, everything begins from within. In the kingdom of God, what God is doing for us, what God is going to do through us, what he’s doing in our lives, everything starts from within. And that’s why it’s important for us to concentrate and pay attention to things that are happening within us.
Nicodemus came to meet Jesus in the book of John chapter 3, and he said "Jesus, things are happening in your life, you see all these things you’re doing, all these mighty works going on in your life...nobody can do all these things except God is with him." And Jesus said "even though you’re an elder in Israel, even though you're a leader in the church, in this religious organisation, you don’t know how these things work. You’re focusing on the things you see outside and the things I’m doing, but you see, you need to focus on the inside. Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." He said "Nicodemus, the reason I can do these things on the outside is because of the nature of who I am on the inside. Everything you’re seeing outside in my life is a function of the things going on on the inside. I want us to trust God. As we begin to trust Him for new things, begin to look at those new things happening on the inside of you and as I trust God as you begin to focus on them, you’ll see amazing things begin in your life in the name of Jesus.
May it be a wonderful month of August. May you experience special grace, special help and the power of God work mightily on your behalf in Jesus’ name.
God bless you and keep you.
My name is Niyi Adekunle.
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We are gradually getting to the end of the month. Today is the 30th of July. Wow! God is our help and our strength in the name of Jesus.
We’ve been talking about how we can process God’s promises to the point where it can become real in our lives. All the promises are fulfilled in Christ. They are yes and amen. But how do we get it to manifest in our lives?
We’ve been reading from Proverbs 4:20-22. The process is there:
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
Yesterday we spoke about what it means to give attention to God’s word. Today, we want to see what exactly it means to tune our ears into the word. I’m sure you know what it means to tune your radio device or to tune something. It means “to make it clear, to focus in on it”. In some devices, like radio or TV, there’s also fine tuning. Fine tuning means you want to clear out every interference, you want to zone in so that the signal can be clear. God says “Yes, I want you to give attention to my word, I want you to make yourself available...but I want you to tune in your ears. I want your inner ears and your outer ears to be locked into what I am saying. Why? Because, the things you hear will affect you. To think they won’t affect you is to be naive. They will always affect you. God says listen to what I’m saying...let the things I say to you lock out everything else.
There’s a story in the book of Joshua when the children of Israel were going to invade the land of Jericho. So, they went in there and they saw this lady called Rahab and she said something to them that is very very instructive in Joshua 2:10-11 (NKJV)
“For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”
What you hear will either strengthen you or weaken you.
Mark 4:24 (AMP)
“And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing...”
You need to make sure you’re hearing the right thing. In this time we’re living in, with information flying everywhere, from our radio devices, our TV screens, on our phones...you need to be careful what you hear.
Tune in to what God is saying and the strength of God, the power of God will be available to you and will change your life, family and situation in Jesus Name.
God bless you! God keep you!
Have a lovely day!
Wednesday 29th July 2020 Hello and a beautiful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I’m sure your week has been going well. We are talking about how we can process God’s promise and make it real in our life. There’s no use for the word of God to just be read, whether in print or electronic form and not find practical expression in our lives. The Bible says “the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”. God wants His word to affect our lives and we see this process has been written in Proverbs 4:20-22
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
The starting point is giving attention to His word. What does it mean to give attention to His word? It means create space for God’s word in your life. It means take time to know what the word says. 1Corinthians 2:9 says “it is written” that’s the starting point. We must know what is written. If you don’t know what is written, you cannot do anything with God and how do you know what is written? You give attention to it. You make yourself available to read it, study it, research it, memorize it, meditate on it. That is the starting point. When the devil came to meet Jesus to tempt him on the mount, how did Jesus resist him? He said “it is written”. How did Jesus know? He read it. The word of God just didn’t flow into Jesus’ head just because He is the Son of God. He read it. The Bible says in Isaiah 34:16 ““Search from the book of the LORD, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.” Notice the first part says “search from the book of the Lord...and read”. You want God’s word to bring profit in your life? You want to see the power of the promises? You want to be delivered from the evil and wickedness of this world? You want to walk in the divinity God has called you to walk in? You must give attention to His word! It’s like a student who wants to have good grades and he doesn’t open or read his notes...neither does he give attention to what the teacher is saying. He is going to fail. Sometimes believers have this attitude that they can just stroll and be lycadesical. They don’t listen to what they being taught in church. They don’t open their bible. They’re just casual about it. It’s not going to happen that way! You must give the word of God priority in your life. You must give God’s word the first place in your life and you’ll see the wonderful fruits that will follow in your life.
May God give you the strength to do this in Jesus Name. God bless you! God keep you! Have a lovely day!
Hello and a beautiful Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re still talking about how we can process the promises of God so it can become a living reality in our lives. All His promises in Christ are “yes” and “amen”. They’re already settled in Christ but what we need is how to manifest it in our lives. We’ve been looking at that since yesterday and we said just the way there is a deliberate process to effective gardening, there’s a deliberate process to bring the word of God to manifestation in our lives. We read that in Proverbs 4:20-22 (NKJV).
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
This implies that the word of God can come from that place where it moves from being the word on paper to where it affects your physical body. Another version says “it is medicine to your flesh” that means it brings vitality, strength, supplement and a driver to your physical body.
Paul was saying something close to this Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.””
You cannot process God’s word without giving attention to the it. Your ears, eyes and heart have got to tune in to it. That’s the simple process. You must give attention to the word, you must make yourself available to the word, you must give your ears, eyes and heart to the word.
When the word of God can captivate you in all these areas, then you’ll begin to see the word of God become flesh in your life. You’ll begin to see the promises processed to a place where you’ll live in the reality of this. The word of God can affect you so much that no matter how you feel, how discouraged you are, no matter what the attitude is, His word becomes medicine to you. I pray that the word of God will have effect in your life as you begin to give it attention, and you begin to tune your ears in, as you keep it within your eyes and cause your heart to let it overflow with it.
May God strengthen you and keep you as you give yourself to this in Jesus Name.
God bless you! Have a lovely day!
Hello and a wonderful Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re on to the last work week in the month of July. Amazing! We thank God for His help and His grace. We’ve been talking this month sharing in divinity. The fact that we’re partakers of God’s divine nature. Even in our humanity, He’s given us access to the grace and the power that is made available through His divinity. The Bible says in 2Peter 1:4 (NLT)
“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
We’ve been looking at how these promises work, how they’re been fulfilled in Christ, the different promises and what they do for us. But if we do not know how to make these promises real in our lives, they will absolutely make no difference. So, how do we get these promises that have been fulfilled in Christ to move from there to become a living reality in our lives?
It’s important we understand that there is a process to bringing these things to pass. Just like the process of gardening, it is a deliberate process. If we want God’s word to manifest in our lives, there is a deliberate process to follow. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:20-22 (NKJV)
“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
What we see in this passage is how the word of God moves from the scroll (the paper or the electronic form on tablet devices) to a point where it literally begins to affect our lives. That scripture says “keep it in your heart, don’t let it depart from your eyes and your ears.” Finally, it comes to a point where the word of God becomes life to our bodies and health to our flesh. God wants His word to affect our lives and we can see that process laid out here in Proverbs 4:20-22. God wants His word not just to be alive on paper but He wants it to affect every single area of our lives. My prayer is that as we go through this last work week of this month, the word will become flesh in your life in the name of Jesus. That’s what the Bible says concerning Jesus in John 1: 14 (NKJV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...”
May the word become a living reality in your life in the name of Jesus. May it affect your walk, may it affect you in every area and bring the living reality of divinity into your life in Jesus Name.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely week.
Hello and a blessed Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
We’re gradually getting to the end of the month of July and I trust that you’ve been practicing your divinity this week. He said “He called them gods unto whom the word of God came”. If you’ve been listening to the word of God in your life, you’re actually divine. You’re divinity. He has made you a god in this world and He expects you to walk in the reality of this. We do this by practicing the word of God, ensuring we know that the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Practice them every single day.
Hebrews 13:1&2 NLT
“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”
There’s a story in Genesis 18. Abraham was sitting in the front of his house, just relaxing and he saw these three men walking. They were like strangers. He didn’t know them. He just rushed out to them. He said “this place is like a wilderness, I’m sure you’re tired of your journey. Come in and rest a while.” And he entertained them. Gave them food and drink. Told them to relax a little bit. Abraham did not know that these gentlemen were divine personalities. In fact they looked like the Trinity. God had given Abraham this promise 24 years before that he was going to have a child. But, in entertaining these strangers, he was entertaining divine messengers and they gave him a promise. Not only that, they told him some secrets about what was going to happen to his cousin Lot in the city. Abraham was able to intercede for Lot and was able to get him out. He was able to hear things about his future, about his wife and many more.
What am I trying to say? You never really know who God has positioned to help you. They might not look like it. They might not sound like it. But you see, when you’re just good to everybody, when you’re jovial and proactive about being kind. When you’re just doing good to all men, you never know when there are divine messengers sent to you. You see, it’s not always about helping or doing good to those who can reciprocate. That’s not the issue. Ephesians 6:8 says whatever good you do for any man or woman, understand that you’ll receive the same thing from the Lord. As we begin to end this month, I want you to begin to condition yourself and tell yourself, I will go out of my way and be good to people. Whether I know them or not. Whether they’re strangers or not. I will just be good to people.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello!
A beautiful Saturday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
The Bible says the Lord will crown the year for us with his goodness and His paths drop with fatness. I don’t just say that in December. I begin to say it towards the second half of the year. So it’s a good time to begin to confess “The Lord is satisfying my year with His goodness. My path is dropping with fatness.
What is fatness? Fatness is old English. It just means His blessings, rich things. I pray that goodness and riches will come into your life in Jesus Name.
Hebrews 13:1&2 NLT
“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”
Be nice and kind, not just to your brothers and sisters but to strangers. Jesus was talking about Judgement in Matt 25.
“For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:35-40 NLT
Jesus said “if you did not do it to the least of these...if you cannot do it to the people around you, who could not get any advantage from you, then you didn’t do it to me.” What is Jesus saying? He is saying “see me in strangers. Whoever the stranger is, whatever it is you can see in them, see me in everybody.” Be nice to strangers. The whole pandemic issue has made people more individualistic and self centred. God says “be good to strangers”. Why? Because people have entertained angels not knowing. Be hospitable. Be kind, be jovial. There’s nothing wrong in greeting someone first and saying hello, how are you doing? Be the first person to reach out and show some love and kindness. I pray as you do this, the blessing of the Lord will come upon your life and I pray you will discover and find your own angel of help.
God bless you! Have a lovely Saturday.
Good morning! A wonderful Friday to you in Jesus Name!
I trust God that you’re acting out your divinity every single day. Remember what they say? “Practice makes perfect”. Practice your divinity. Use every opportunity to act on the word of God and you’ll find out that as you do this regularly, it will become natural to you to just walk by the word and just practice the word and live in the reality of God’s word. Guess what? As you do that, your divine nature will become your default setting and your permanent state. I pray that will be your position in Jesus Name.
Hebrews 13:1&2 NLT
“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!”
“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters...” Do you know why you need to keep on doing it? Because there are times we just don’t feel like doing it. The Bible encourages us to keep on loving each other...whether they are family, friend or not, we owe everybody the debt of love.
You know the first beneficiary of love is you! Also, you just don’t know who you’re dealing with. That scripture says people have entertained angels without knowing. My encouragement is this: as we go into this weekend, practice divinity by practicing love. Guess what? God does not just love, God is love. So, divinity is about loving. May God give us the grace and strength to practice loving people and loving one another and I pray that strength would be released into your life in Jesus Name.
God bless you, have a lovely day and a great weekend!
Hello and a beautiful Thursday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I’m sure your week has been going well. Please don’t forget - The way we experience practically the divine nature is by acting out on Gods word. The promises are already fulfilled in Christ. Take them and activate your divinity by acting out, putting the word of God in practice.
Psalm 68:6 NLT
“God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.”
You will not live in a sun-scorched land in the name of Jesus. This is talking about hardship. You will not be in a hard place in the name of Jesus. Rebellion against God or His word is not good. I pray the lord will give you a heart that is malleable, that responds to His word in Jesus Name. Understand that God wants you to be in the midst of loving, caring, sustainable, progressive families. God doesn’t want us to be alone. In Genesis 2:17, he said it is not good that man should be alone. God wants us to have supporting, enriching relationships . And that’s one of the things He’s promised us and we find that promise fulfilled in Christ Jesus. So I want you to trust God for rich, supportive and enduring relationships whether at marital level, with your kids, on your job, with your colleagues, in your neighbourhood. As we said sometime ago, “he that must have friends must show himself friendly”. If you want to have wonderful, loving family relationships, you must show yourself supportive. Understand that God’s plan is to set every lonely person in families. He does not want us to be alone. Do you know the trinity is a family? Gen 1:26 says “Let us”...
I pray for you today. Whatever relationship you’re trusting God for, May God meet you at the point of your need and bring such relationships into your life in the name of Jesus.
Remember, we demonstrate divinity by practicing it. You too, practice being a wonderfully supportive person.
May God bless you and keep you! Have a lovely day.
Hello and a beautiful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus. May you excel as we practice the promises in the name of Jesus. May you walk in the dominion God has destined for you in Jesus Name. Remember, all of the promises of God to us are Yes and Amen. They are fulfilled in Christ and the way we see their manifestation in our lives is by walking in the reality of them.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
God does not want us to worry! I’ve listened to medical experts say that our minds and bodies were not designed for the stress and the rigor of worry. Yes, life can and will bring demands. But instead of worrying about it, what should you do? Pray to God. Tell God everything about it. Do you remember they say a problem shared is half solved? Do you also remember that hymn “what a friend we have in Jesus, all our grief and sins to bear; what a privilege it is to carry, everything to God in prayer. The Bible is saying whatever your needs are; economic, financial, spiritual, wisdom on the job, about your spouse, your child, about a relationship, it says tell God what you need and when you tell Him, thank Him for everything He has done. He said t he first thing you will experience is not the manifestation of that need, but you’ll experience His peace. And once you experience His peace, it will provide every other thing that follows.
I pray in the name of Jesus, whatever thing is agitating your heart, I speak peace to your mind in the name of Jesus. I pray calmness, the strength to pray and to articulate your needs before God knowing thatHe is always there for you. May you receive it today and always in the name of Jesus. May your heart be flooded with the spirit of thanksgiving and May you experience God’s peace that passes understanding. May you receive the provision of the things you desire as you ask Him in the name of Jesus.
God bless you! God keep you!!
Have a lovely day.
Hello and a lovely Tuesday morning to you in the name of Jesus. I want to trust God that you’ve been practicing your divinity. The way we practice divinity is by putting the word of God to work.
Luke 10:19 NLT “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.”
May this scripture be your reality in the name of Jesus. This is where we are in a Christ already. We’ve already been given that authority over all the power, antiques, strategies of the devil. So walk in it! Don’t be afraid.
Are there things the devil can do? Yes there are! The Bible is clear about the fact that they can try to put curses on you, attack you through different powers. In Acts 8, Philip went to this place in Samaria and these guys were practicing magic. There was a guy called Simon there who held a whole city under some demonic influence. So, these things are real. But what Jesus is telling us here is this: no matter what their powers are, no matter their authority, part of your divinity, part of what you have in your divine nature, is the ability and the authority to walk over them, to thread them under your feet, to have power over them. But it does not work until you exert it. A general can be seated and soldiers under him can be boss in him all around and nothing will happen. But when he knows he is a general, he needs to exercise his authority.
I pray in the name of Jesus that this will be a new season of you exercising your authority in Jesus Name. When you begin to do that, you’ll be amazed at how life will begin to change and move you to a higher level in Jesus Name.
God bless you!
May this week be a week of dominion for you in Jesus Name.
Have a lovely day!
Hello and a wonderful Monday morning to you in the name of Jesus!
We’ve been talking about divinity, understanding that God wants us to share in His divine nature. He wants us to partake of His divine nature. But the truth is this: if we’re going to experience the reality of His promises, we must live them out.
2Corinthians1:20 NLT
“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”
So all these promises we’ve been talking about and sharing, this verse says everything has found fulfilment in Christ. What God has settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89) has been been fulfilled in Christ. What we’re now saying is “let it be settled in our lives; let it find expression and manifestation in our lives”.
Kenneth Hagin - a wonderful Faith preacher and teacher, says they’re actually not promises because they’re not going to be fulfilled but rather they are statement of fact. I call them reality. He is telling us to reach out for the reality that has been settled in Christ Jesus. How do we make these promises real in our lives? By acting them out. We activate our divine nature as we act out these promises. In our humanity, the way we see divinity come to life, practically in our lives is by acting out on the word of God.
I pray in the name of Jesus that this will be a new season of stepping out on those promises that have been fulfilled. It will be a new time of acting out on God’s word and as you do it, may you see the practical proof and evidence of your divinity in your daily life in Jesus Name.
God bless you and have a wonderful work week!
Hello and a lovely Sunday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I don’t know what things look like in your area...in some places, the lockdown has been lifted. In other places, they’ve allowed physical gatherings be restored in our different worship centres. They might have limited the number of people gathering. But whatever it is, don’t forsake the habit of gathering together whether it is online or offline. Try to connect with some people and worship together this morning.
Hebrews 13:5 NLT
“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.””
God the Creator of the whole universe, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise says “I will never fail you”. That’s strong! That’s powerful! I want you to let that sink into your mind and your spirit.
God is saying to you this morning and He wants me to let you know that no matter the situation, no matter who has left, no matter what has left, no matter who is leaving. He says “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you”. No matter your sin, no matter how bad it is, no matter how crazy it is, no matter what you’ve done, no matter what you’re doing now. He says “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you”.
So what do we need to do? If God is ever constant, it is important we always
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Ensure we are at peace with Him.
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What He has done for us, He wants us to do for other people.
As you extend what God is doing in your life to other people, it makes it more real to you. You understand that God can actually be there for you at all times and never fail you. As human beings, because we have our limitations, from time to time, we might fail. But God will never fail. Even when you think He has and you don’t understand, believe me He is always there.
This Sunday morning, May you understand and experience God’s peace, His love, that He has great plans for your life and it has not changed.
God bless you! God keep you! Have a lovely day!
Hello and a beautiful Saturday to you in the name of Jesus.
Hebrews 13:5 NLT
“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.””
This is God’s promise to you.
We’ve been going through the lockdown, in some places, it’s being eased off. People are beginning to mix, with/without social distancing. But in the midst of all this, sometimes this kind of season can take a toll on us in different ways. Some do not have enough people to socialize with, they do not have enough physical connections, they don’t call people that much. But in the midst of this, God says “my son, my daughter, I want you to be sure of this - I am always with you. I will never leave you, I will not fail you, I will not abandon you, you will never be alone.” It’s important we remember that because sometimes we go through life feeling nobody has called us or spoken to us today.
Years ago I was with somebody and the person said to me “nobody has called me today. What’s going on?” Then this person did something funny. He buzzed someone and cut it off (we call it ‘flashing’ in Nigeria!) and a few minutes later, the person he buzzed called him back and they talked. It seemed interesting to me because if he didn’t buzz the other person, it most likely the person wouldn’t have called back.
The lesson is this: like we read yesterday in Proverbs 18:24 “he that must have friends must show himself friendly”. Yes it is true that God will be with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you and He wants you to know that about Him. You also have a responsibility. You must be there for people. Don’t leave others, don’t forsake them. Be there for them.
Someone once asked “how do I know I love God?” God said “the way you show your love for Me is by showing love to my people”. Understand this - God loves you, He is always with you. He will never never fail you. He will never abandon you.
May you know that peace of God, that ever-abiding presence of God, that comfort of the Holy Spirit today and all the days of your life in Jesus Name. May His light shine on your path and dispel darkness, evil, violence and keep you in Jesus Name.
God bless you! Have a lovely day!
A beautiful Friday to you in Jesus Name!
May the Lord’s blessing be upon your day in the name of Jesus. May the promises that have been fulfilled in Christ find reality and manifestation in your life as you believe and receive them in the name of Jesus. I pray that the promises of God manifested in your life will lighten your path and shine upon your ways, keep you from evil, violence and darkness in the name of Jesus.
Thank God it’s Friday! Like they say but believe me, we thank God for everyday. Why? This is the day that the Lord has made and we should rejoice and be glad in it.
Pro 18:24 NKJV
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
As you go into the weekend today, understand that even though God wants to do things in your life, God will usually use people. He will bring people your way and connect you with people. If you’re not a friendly person, you might just miss the blessing God is bringing into your life through people. Pro 18:24 is pointing us to the fact that there are some friends who would be more useful to you than somebody who is your family.
I pray that as you go into this weekend, you will be more friendly! I tell people that one of the attributes of God is that God is friendly. Yes, God is holy and righteous, but He is also friendly.
So go out, be more friendly. Be friends with people. Show love to people! The more wonderful your friends are, the richer your life is. You’ll find friends that move from just being friends to become family.
God bless you! God keep you!! Have a wonderful weekend.
Hello and a beautiful morning to you in the name of Jesus!
We’re still talking about the promises and we’re actually dealing with promises fulfilled.
There are promises that have been fulfilled in Christ and I pray that as you set your mind on these things, you will see the manifestation of these promises in our lives so that you will not experience the darkness, the violence and the pain of this world. The grace for exemption will work for you, your family and your loved ones in the name of Jesus.
1Kings 17:13-16 (NLT)
“But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”
There was an economic recession in the land. There had been no rain, there was no food for anybody. Elijah had been by the brook of Cherith - The Lord told him to stay there. After a while the brook dried up. God then said “Go to this widow’s house. I have commanded her to provide for you. Elijah goes to see this widow and meets her where she was trying to get some food and just gather some little sticks. I’m sure when Elijah saw her,he wasn’t sure that she was the right person. He said “woman, can I have some water?” God must have said to Elijah “I didn’t tell you to ask for water, I told you to ask for food!” Elijah turned to her and said “as you are bringing me water, bring me some food.” The woman said “we can’t do that - we just have enough for myself and my son before we die.” But God had sent Elijah to preserve that woman and her family. Elijah said “I know it’s tough but make for me first”. Put the priority on the word of God...what God is saying is this: the moment you do that, no matter what’s happening within the environment, you and your household will be fed.
That’s exactly what happened. Vs 15.
I declare in the name of Jesus as you honour God, honour His Word and give Him first place in your life, no matter what happens in the land; Just as God fed this woman, fed her family and fed the guest Elijah, there’ll be more than enough for you, and your household and your loved ones in the name of Jesus. Your family will not be hungry. You will not be put to shame. Everything you need will be richly provided for you in the name of Jesus. May you walk in the reality of that in Jesus Name.
God bless you! God keep you!! Have a lovely day!!!
A beautiful Wednesday morning to you in the name of Jesus.
I’m sure you’re walking in the reality of God’s promises to us. The Bible says that “all the promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yes and Amen.” This a means that in Christ Jesus all the promises have actually been fulfilled. So when the Bible says through His promises, we have escaped the troubles and the stress of this world, and that His promises are what keeps us from the violence and darkness of this world, understand that He is not just talking about promises of the future but rather the promises that were made to us and in Christ they are fulfilled. So what God wants us to do is understand that these promises that have been fulfilled in Christ are things we can appropriate, believe, receive and walk in their reality in our lives. These promises are not out there in the future because they have been accomplished.
Remember Isaiah 53:5 says by His stripes, you are healed. Why did he (prophet Isaiah) say that? Because at that time,Christ had not come. But in 1Pet 2:24, when Peter was writing here, Christ had been crucified, He had resurrected and gone back to heaven. Peter said “by His stripes, you were healed” because it was past and it is a promise fulfilled.
I trust God that all the promises fulfilled will find manifestation in your life in Jesus Name.
1Kings 17:13-16 (NLT)
“But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”
I pray in the name of Jesus, no matter the situation, just as God invaded the life of this widow and her family, there would always be enough to eat, drink and share with others in your family. I pray you will see God’s hand, His strength...that the works of your hands will be blessed and you’ll not just have enough but you will have more than enough in Jesus Name.
God bless you! God keep you! Have a lovely day.
A beautiful Tuesday morning to you in Jesus Name. I trust your week is going well.
His promises are our secret place...our place of refuge in the midst of a challenging and difficult world. No matter what is happening around you, God wants you to have a secret place...a place of refuge, safety and security for your life and loved ones in the midst of this world and He says His promises are a pathway to that.
Matt 8:16-17
“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.””
Jesus took our weakness, sickness and disease. He doesn’t want you to go through your day and week stressed out, tired and not having the energy, power, the required vigour and zest you need to go through your day. He wants you to be healthy, sound, safe with the strength to do what you need to do. Whether you’re at work, in business, school, family...whatever it is you’re doing. He wants you to have the physical stability to do everything you need to do.
This is a promise that has been fulfilled already. All you need to do is to believe it and receive it into your life. Understand that God has paid the price for you to be stable, sound, secure and healthy so you can have the required strength and energy to do all you need to do.
I pray that God’s strength will be available for you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke every sickness or disease in your life, around you, among your loved ones today in the name of Jesus. I pray soundness from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet, safety for you in Jesus Name.
I pray the Lord will shield you from every arrow of sickness and disease in Jesus Name.
Understand that what He has done for you, He expects you to do for others. If you see sickness or disease, be like Jesus! Jesus was casting out demons and all those negative stuff. Speak the word of God against it and watch God establish His power and strength in your life and in the lives of those around you.
God bless you! God keep you! Have a lovely day!
A wonderful Monday morning to you in Jesus Name.
Trusting God that this week will be a wonderful week for you in Jesus Name. It will be a week of victory - The Lord will give you the strength to conquer the challenges that come with this week in the name of Jesus.
Psalm 74:20
Matt 11:28-30 (Message Translation)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
As we go into this work week, the encouragement God is giving us is this:
Walk with me & work with me.
God wants you to build intimacy with Him on your job, in school, in business. It’s not what He wants you to do when you are within the 4 walls of your church or spiritual gathering. You must understand that with you, everywhere is spiritual. So be conscious of His presence everywhere you go. Bring Him actively into everything you do.
Remember He says “watch how I do it”. See me in everything you do...and watch how I can bring the unforced rhythm of grace. Watch how I take struggle out of life. In the midst of the stress, watch how I can bring my grace into your life. He says “understand that I will not lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you”.
God wants us to have real rest.
As you walk with Him and work with Him this week and for the rest of your life, your life will be without stress, there’ll be no heavy burden on you because He will bear it for you. I pray you’ll continually experience His Hand, His strength and His grace in your life in Jesus Name.
It's a beautiful Sunday morning for you in the name of Jesus!
I remember this song we used to sing back in those days in the school assembly
All things bright and beautiful
All creatures big and small
All things bright and wonderful
The Lord God made them all
I pray that this will continually be a bright and beautiful winning season for you in Jesus Name.
Ps 74:20
Lord remember your covenant promises for the land is full of darkness and violence.
I'm sure a lot of us already understand the darkness and violence part. What we often don't remember is that God has given us promises to keep, shield and help us overcome the darkness and violence of this world.
Matt 11:28-30 (MSG)
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
God doesn't want you to be bogged down with religion. He wants you to come into a relationship with Him.
He says:
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Come to me
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Get away with me (disconnect from everything else occupying and distracting your mind & focus your attention on me). When you do that,
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You will recover your life
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I will show you how to take a real rest.
God wants to restore you...and the only way is through a vibrant relationship with Him.
Its a lovely Saturday!
Psalm 74:20
God is not scared of darkness and violence. It is part of what we see in this world.
Gen 1:3
The Spirit of God hovered over darkness. He didn't run away from it.
Sometimes as people who love God, we have challenges in our lives, but in the midst of the challenges, because we are partakers of the divine nature, His promises are there for us as a way of escape.
John 11:1-4
vs 3 so the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling Him, 'Lord, your dear friend is very sick".
What was Jesus' response? He said "Lazarus' sickness will not end in death"
I pray whatever challenge, sickness, disease, health condition you may be going through will not end in death, shame or any form of loss in Jesus Name.
Jesus said "It is going to be for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this".
Whatever your challenge is understand that:
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God didn't bring it.
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It is not because you have sinned.
Sometime those who love God will have challenges and issues...but God promises that it will not end in death. But God's name, power and His glory will be seen out of it.
This is God's promise to you and I declare it will make a difference for you in Jesus Name.
Its a beautiful Friday!
We're winning! winning!! winning!!!
Psalm 74:20
Lord remember your covenant promises to us...why? For the land is full of darkness and violence.
So in the midst of the darkness and the violence in the land, we can be sure that God will keep us as we stay focused and live out His covenant promises. God is committed to His word and He watches over His word to perform it in our lives.
No matter the danger around no matter how dark or great the threat of violence is, we can still trust in God.
John 2:1-5
Jesus and His disciples had been invited to a wedding party (today is Friday!) then suddenly they ran out of wine...right in the middle of the party. Things were beginning to look shameful and embarrassing. It looked dark and fearful.
vs 5 But His mother said to the servants...whatever He tells you to do, do it.
vs 11 So in Cana of Galilee, Jesus did His first miracle. He showed His glory and His followers believed in Him.
The first miracle of Jesus was a miracle of provision. In the midst of lack in this lovely weekend party that was turning sour. Jesus showed His power and His grace by providing not something spiritual but something material.
Your situation might be looking bleak. You may be uncertain about how things will be this weekend. You may be unsure how this second half of the year is going to turn out to be. God wants you to understand that He cares for you even for your material needs.
In a party! His first miracle was in a wedding party! He provided wine for them...in a wedding party!
What was the key? Whatsoever He tells you to do, do it.
Understand that God is not just interested in your spiritual and emotional needs.
He is also interested in your material needs. He is interested in you being satisfied.
His question to you is this: Are you willing to do whatever He tells you to do?
If you do it, God's glory will be manifested in your life.
Have a lovely weekend!
Psalm 74:20 (NLT)
Remember your covenant promises, for the land is full of darkness and violence!
The world we live in full of darkness, violence, wickedness and evil.
But in the midst of all these, God is saying that through His covenant promises, we can escape and overcome the violence and wickedness in this world.
Remember - Acknowledge, stay committed to your covenant promises. Without them we are at risk, we are exposed and in trouble in this world.
God is a loving Father...He thinks about the problem before they come. There is nothing that will come your way that He has not made provision for.
Acts 18:9-10
Now the Lord spoke to Paul in a night vision, "Don't be afraid but speak and do not keep silent. For I am with you and no one will attack you to hurt you for I have many people in this city."
That is what God is saying to you today. God's promise to you is this: Don't be afraid! Keep doing what you are doing...keep serving me, keep doing your work. As long as He is with you, no one can attack you nor will they be able to hurt you.
I pray for you that the fear of man, the fear of people and the fear of situations will not override your heart in the name of Jesus but that in the midst of it all, you will see and know that God is with you and that there is nothing to fear and you will come to no hurt in Jesus Name.
May God raise men and women for you in different places beyond your wildest dreams to stand with you at your moment of need in Jesus Name.
It's a lovely Wednesday morning in Jesus Name!
We're focusing this week on how we escape the corrupting, degrading, shameful effects of this world caused by human lusts.
2Pet 1:4..and we escape the world's corruption caused by human desires by the promises of God.
Psalms 74:20 Remember your covenant promises. For the Land is full of darkness and violence.
When we remember the covenant promises of God, we are safe.
Darkness means obscurity, lack of vision, lack of direction and evil.
Violence talks about the fact that you're exposed to hurt. There is danger and threat
The psalmist is saying that in the midst of these, God has given us his covenant promises. The promise of God is the master key, God's secret channel out of life's trouble.
Life is full of challenges, full of problems and it comes to every single one of us.
1Cor 10:13
There is no problem or challenge that comes to mankind that is not common to everyone. But God is Faithful, He can be trusted. He won't allow you to be challenged or tempted beyond your measure. But with every problem that comes, He makes a way of escape.
What is the way of escape? It is through His promises.
When you remember them, it helps you escape the darkness and the violence in this world.
I pray the Lord will open your eyes and give you a fresh commitment to seeking out and living out His promises so you can be safe, preserved and you can overcome the darkness and the violence in this world in Jesus Name.
A wonderful Tuesday to you!
This will continue to be a winning season for you in Jesus Name.
We've been talking about sharing divinity with God.
2Pet 1:4
He has given us 2 major things from this scripture:
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By His promises, He helps us share in His divinity
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Through His promises, He helps us escape the corrupting, destructive, degrading, shameful and painful influences of this world that comes though human desires or human lusts.
When you're conscious of the promises, these things are yours.
Psalms 91:7 says a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand on our right side, none shall come near us. Why? Because as partakers of the divine nature and as people that follow His promises, we are allowed to be exempted from the challenges of this world.
It is not enough that He has written the promises.
You must know them, believe them and act in accordance with these great and precious promises.
I pray the Lord will strengthen you today.
May He give you the grace, the discipline and the desire to go after these promises... to know them, walk in them and to live by them.
As you do this, you will see the power and the wisdom of God, the grace and mercy of God work in your life in Jesus Name!
Winning! Winning!! Winning!!!
That is God's purpose and plan for you this season. It's a winning season for you in Jesus name.
John 10:35
If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came...
When the word of God comes to you, it makes you like Him. He makes you a god on the earth.
Moses ran away from Egypt because there was a threat on his life. He ran away to Midian but the word of the Lord came to Him there and God sent him back to the same place he ran away from.
The only thing he came with was the Word of God, a staff and his brother Aaron.
In Exodus 9:1 God said to Moses "I have made you a god unto pharaoh."
How? By making the word of the Lord come to him.
As you allow the promises of God take root in your life, as you focus on them and allow them settle in your spirit, I declare that the things you have been running from will begin to run from you in Jesus Name.
The places you've experienced failure, you will now experience victory in Jesus Name. Where mere men fall, you will rise and succeed in Jesus Name!
Its a winning season for you in Jesus Name!
Because you are born of God, your right and your destiny is to overcome the world.
How do you overcome the world? By our faith in His finished work..by our faith in His promises.
2 Cor 1:20 All the promises of God in Christ are Yes and Amen!
2 Pet 1:4 And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These promises enable us to share in His divine nature. The promise of God is the platform that connects us to the divine life.
The promises of God are wrapped in His Word. His word and promises are the same.
Jesus said in John 6:63...the words that I speak unto you are Spirit and Life. That's why the promises of God are powerful. They are spiritual and carry life.
Your words are like soldiers under you...you can send them to work on your behalf.
It's a winning season for us in Jesus Name!
Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that overcomes the world even our Faith (1Jn 5:4)
Whatever is born of God has the potential and the right to overcome the world.
2 Pet 1:4
As we feed on, confess, focus, think and study the promises of God, it makes divinity become more manifested in us.
Pro 4:23 The Word of God is life to those who find them and health or medicine to their flesh.
Just the way we take pills and it has an effect on our body, so also the word. As we take it in regularly, it changes our nature and makes us more like divinity.
Understand that you are divinity by (spiritual) birth. But the reality of the divine life only begins to show and take effect as we ingest, feed and consume the promises of God!
Take time to feed on God's promises and it will make you into what He has promised.
The concept of living/operating in 2 worlds or being 2-in-1 is not strange to us.
If you have computers at home or at the office, you know that some computers can dual boot - meaning they can boot in 2 different operating systems. You (the owner) can choose where you want the computer to boot from.
If you like and watch cartoons, you must have heard and watched the story of Superman. He was a regular Newspaper reporter and goes by the name Clark Kent...but he was also the superhero called Superman.
When God created us from the beginning, He made us fully human and fully spirit.
Gen 1:27 explains that God made man in His image. God's image is spirit
Gen 2:7 explain that God also formed man from the dust of the earth.
When Jesus came, He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man at the same time.
Understand that you are 2-in-1. You are here on earth but you are also seated with Christ in heavenly places.
It is the side you lean to the most that becomes more powerful in your life.
You are a full spirit and you can have a full spiritual experience...but you're also fully human
You can either lean to your senses or you can lean to your spirit.
The part you feed/work with the most is the part that becomes stronger.
My encouragement is this: work more with/lean more to your spiritual part!
It has more power, strength and ability to drive everything in the natural side.
It's a winning season for you in Jesus Name! How do you win in the face of challenges?
We win as we walk in the revelation of who we are in Christ Jesus.
He has made us part of His divine nature. As we carry our humanity, we also carry divinity.
You were born with divinity. God as your Father has made you a divine being and that you have access to what divinity has access to.
As you walk in the promises of God, you will begin to see the reality of this divine life manifested in your life.
It's a wonderful Wednesday!
We thank God for His help, grace, protection & mercy.
It's important that we are grateful to God despite all the challenges we've all gone through.
I had an inspiration. I said today is "Winning Wednesday!" and I declare it will be a winning Wednesday and a winning season for you in Jesus Name.
As we go into this second half of the year, understand that God wants you to win.
In order to win, you must remember to not only be conscious of your humanity, but you must also be conscious of your divinity.
How do you do that? You must be mindful and walk in His precious promises.