The Lightroom: Recent Episodes
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Love is a reality of conviction that ignites the heart with purpose. Anything that grows from the root of God's love will produce everlasting fruit.
To be rooted in God's love is to be established and unshaken.
Every glorious invitation from Heaven seeks for a surrendered response.
God's Word is the very nourishment that nurtures His nature in us.
God is calling us to seek Him from the lens of His Word. The exact invitation that He's extended to us.
Seek the face of God from the lens of His Word, not through the filters of your problem!
God becomes to us the very thing that we need in the moment of our need.
He shows up as the one who meets all of our needs!
God can help you recover from what He did not cause. This is the good news of the gospel. Our sins broke us, but God came to restore us.
God wants to heal you so that you can receive much more than you've lost.
If we don't withdraw with Him, we will withdraw from Him.
The neglect of communion makes you think of God differently from an infected perspective because fatigue will affect your vision eventually and the antidote to this decline amongst God's people is the voice of God.
The voice of God reminds us of who He is, what He's done for us, and how He feels toward us.
His Word makes us alive. Nothing revives a cold heart like the Word of God reminding us of God's character, His greatness and His love.
Worship is the inward gaze of the soul upon God to Him full attention. To give attention to anything else is the greatest tragedy.
One of the glorious works of faith in us is that it shows us our weaknesses and reveals God's strength in us.
To grow in faith is to grow increasingly in your need for God.
Your decision is how you align and cooperate with God.
God orders the steps of the righteous. Your decisions are the steps that God wants to order so that you can be in alignment and cooperation with God concerning His plans for your life!
- Indecision is a decision in itself.- To move from intention to decision, we need discipline.- The small consistent actions that you take over time would produce exponential result. That's the secret of multiplication. - If you want a drastic change in your life, commit to small changes consistently. - Do not just stay on intentions, make a decision on what you want to see happen in your life and your decisions are actually the things you decide to do. They show in your actions.
You will never outgrow your need for support - God did not create us to live life without support.
Love is freely given but access must be earned.
Experiencing the love of God is what empowers us to love like God. No man should be a groom if He's not first the bride of Christ.
The quality of the people around you will impact the outcome of your life.
Every relationship will affect your life no matter how small or innocent they look. The scriptural relationship intelligence can be found in Psalm 1:1: Blessed is the man that walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
A reborn Spirit needs a sound mind to live a balanced and a victorious Christian life. Master your thoughts and you master life!
It is not too late to align with God's purpose for your life. Everyone have a responsibility to find it and follow through!
People are very triggered today by the truth and the problem is that they do not repent and accept the truth because the truth will either trigger you or transform you and the gospel will either make you offended or lead you to repent depending on how you respond. Now it's important to know that the gospel is not about tolerance but about repentance. I mean if it offends you then it will also present you the opportunity of repentance because God is not planning to tolerate your sins. God only has plans to change you. I mean to translate you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his marvelous light.
It takes the strength of God to overcome instability. Like David, let God be the strength of your heart and your portion forever.
God is responsible for the nature of your heart, but you are responsible for the posture and status of your heart. Whenever your heart it drifting and God calls your attention to it, respond immediately!
The good news of the gospel is that everything Jesus won and achieved is credited to our account.All those who believed and acknowledged Him as Lord, the victory of Jesus Christ is eternally irreversible. Our first response of Faith in Christ is repentance.If there's one thread of self-righteousness on your heavenly garment, you're still lost. We stand in His righteousness alone. If any human being finds themselves in hell, they'll find no one else but themselves to blame. And if any human finds themselves in Heaven, they'll have no one but the Lord Jesus Christ to praise. We will stand before God dressed in His righteousness alone.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
I want you to declare over yourself and over your life today And I want you to say after me come on say in the name of Jesus Christ I declare that I live in Zion and this is the spiritual influence that controls my natural reality I'm in Zion and in Zion I have no cost to fear no health care No infection no pandemic I Stand firm in faith, and I enjoy this glorious life In Zion, I go from strength to strength and I rise from glory to glory In the name of Jesus We don't go down in Zion We rise to rise I rise and I rise and I keep rising all the days of my life And I declare have many years of rising in pleasant places, and I have a good heritage My lot is maintained my heart is not moved and I abound in courage and faith to obtain what God has for me in the name of Jesus Christ God has kept something good for me And I advance to obtain in the name of Jesus Christ God's best comes to me even in the worst of times I receive grace and supplies on a high level in the name of Jesus Everything I need to do the will of God and to enjoy life on a high level and after a godly sought and for a good witness it comes to me in the name of Jesus I rise even in the midst of national and global crisis God raises men and God is a lifter of my head When and where there's a casting down I say and I see that there's a lifting up in my life in the name of Jesus My head is lifted and my horn is exalted by God In the name of Jesus say I bask in God's provisions for me in Christ for my health, for my life in the name of Jesus Christ All my needs are met. I'm not called by God to be stranded in life The Holy Spirit charts the course of my life and I am unstoppable by any force in the name of Jesus Everything necessary in the will of God for my life is supernaturally supplied and I live in fullness and overflow No shortage, no leakage, no damage in the name of Jesus Say the peace of God is my portion It is abundantly sufficient in my life and in all that concerns me The favor of God works for me every day and even today by this favor I command favorable approvals by men by Institutions and people in authority in the name of JesusI walk into favor and I live and function in the favor of God and by God's favor I come into strategic alliances and relationships necessary for my life and for my rising and by wisdom I Steward them in the name of Jesus. I steward them by wisdom to deliver God-ordained benefits and I'm not just a receiver of good things I'm a giver of good things therefore I declare that I have in abundance to give also to give value to give goodness and help to everyone who comes my way Because I'm marvelously helped by God. Come on somebody say glory to God Hallelujah!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Marriage doesn't change your value, it only changes your role. It is not complicated but it is costly.Marriage doesn't fill emptiness. If you're not satisfied as a single person, you will not be satisfied as a married person.Your most important connection is your connection with God through Christ and only Christ satisfies.Give Jesus your attention and run from anxiety. Anxiety is giving the attention that God deserves to something far more inferior than Him.True success is being at the feet of Jesus to be satisfied by Him.It's God alone who can come into the emotions and settle the rushing seas in the emotions. It is God alone who can come into the mind and bring stillness and give it revelation that is far above intellect.Dear daughter, don't forget these words.Be blessed!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
The Human nature has no capacity to sustain our Spiritual commitment.The Lord feeds us to nurture His nature in us. We eat of Him in His word and we drink of Him in worship and we're satisfied by Him by His abiding presence within us.Will you receive Him as your life supply?He who drinks of Him will never thirst again and He who eats of Him will never hunger again.God made us for Himself that He may live in us and that we may live for Him and enjoy Him forever.Let Jesus feed you!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world or anything in the world. And if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in them.Worldliness is a perspective that you have that corrupts your connection to the Lord.Anything or anyone or any thought or any belief that stirs you away from the truth of God's Word is worldliness.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Temptation is not an event, it is a process.Sin overcomes a person gradually. A little slack in not guarding your eyes, watching certain movies, reading certain books, listening to certain songs, walking with certain people, seeing certain images and these things strengthens your flesh and amplifies the voice of the flesh through its desires.The flesh communicates its cravings through lies. The flesh would lie to you so it could fulfill its desires. Never postpone repentance, it must be right here, right now and for the rest of your life.Romans 13:13-14 NASB1995[13] Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
To the sinful nature of man, freedom at the beginning looks like bondage and bondage at the beginning looks like freedom.You may be in control of the journey, but the end is surely out of your control. Freedom without righteous and necessary boundaries is wickedness and it ends in destruction.Whenever Satan discredits God's standard, it is only because he wants to introduce a sinful alternative that enslaves you. God doesn't want you to want things in place of Him or want things more than you want Him.The true meaning of life is only experienced when Christ is in His rightful place in the heart of a man and in the life of a man. You're created for God's pleasure, God didn't create you for pleasure. He created you for His pleasure and He created pleasure for you. Anytime outside this is sin and it's perversion. When a man is not satisfied with God, He begins to look for sinful alternatives and that leads to the destruction of the man.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
This episode deals with one of the easiest things to stumble on that can make you stumble in your heart.Pleasure has become an access that the devil uses to afflict men. Satan is recruiting and you must take a stand with God as a believer and don't shift grounds. Don't wear God's uniform and yet perform satan's bidding.Do you realize that the tiny little act and culture of dressing decently is an act of worship?Your heart is a throne and not a couch, don't let just anything sit there.Have a blessed day!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
The new covenant is about receiving the Spirit and yielding to the Spirit in communion with Him where He's able to change your inward desires to place in you a new nature for in Him, we have been given everything required for a life of godliness.The new covenant is about new desires, a new mind, a new heart where Jesus is unto us, wisdom and righteousness.He is all things to those who will yield to Him in this new covenant.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Spiritual warfare is the inner battle to believe the truth of God's word over the daring lies of the enemy.It is the lie that you believe that brings you under the power of deception.Truth is an absolute standard by which reality is measured and a lie is anything that contradicts the truth.Strongholds are mindsets of deception that comes from constantly believing lies.You will never know the lies the enemy is selling to you if you don't know the truth God has communicated in His word already to you.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
What kind of a bird are you? Listen, learn and reflect on the characteristics of the various birds and if you're not yet operating at the level of an eagle, you can choose to receive and believe the revelation of your God-given identity of an eagle and start living up to your covenant capacity today.God bless you.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Listen to discover how mastering the fundamentals of the gospel destroys the power of the devil over your life. Knowing the gospel, fellowshipping with Jesus, looking into the Word of God, obeying what it says and preaching it to others. That's really all it takes. Never leave the ABCs, we'll spend all our lives building on it!--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Friends, God is our salvation and He has saved us from a life without him.
God has given himself to us for constant use and enjoyment. He's the river of life and He gives us cleansing, refreshing, and satisfying.
The sweetness of the streams of God will cleanse us, will refresh us, and will satisfy us.
So allow God to save you daily.
Enjoy the riches of divine life through fellowship with Him.
Live for him and by him through the enjoyment of him.
Burn with a jealous desire that rejects the smallest distraction from him. And learn to stay a little longer.
Don't be in a hurry to be heard. He knows your words and the stream of your thoughts, including the hidden waves you can't interpret with words or articulate.
Be satisfied by his presence, much more than you seek explanations. I mean, ridiculously depend on God.
Be one with the one who does nothing of himself. Jesus speaking and says the son does nothing of himself. Only what He sees the Father do.
So the Lord deals with us in levels of light. And so He gives us a little more light so that he can transform us.
Because as you steward one level of light in receiving it and living by it, God transforms you into more by giving you a little more light.
So never judge your life by your past. Judge your life by the light that He shines on you.
Friends, in John chapter 13, you'll find an interesting scenario. Jesus was washing the feet of his disciples.
And at some point, Peter refused and almost didn't allow Jesus to wash his feet. And Jesus says, look. If I don't wash your feet, if I don't do this for you, you will not have a part in me. You will not have a place in me.
And Peter says, hey master, why not wash my hands? Wash more than my feet, wash my head, wash my hands.
Interesting. Jesus did this to show his character. He says, you call me teacher, you call me Lord. It means that you're aware that I'm here to inform you of what you don't know. I show you my nature by kneeling to wash your feet.
And this is more than a trade. It's the manifestation of His heart in a way that is so stunning and extravagant that it will remain in their minds for the rest of their life.
They will never forget His service out of love or much more than that, it shows His work. Peter says, no, don't wash my feet. And Jesus says, if you don't let me do this for you, there is no way that you can be with me.
I'm the only one who can get this off you. If you don't let me cleanse you, you will never be with me because friends, it is impossible to live your life without letting Jesus wash you.
So we come to Jesus daily to be washed and to be kept by him. Is it not interesting that Jesus chose to wash their feet in the middle of a feast with him? Because Jesus cleanses us through communion with him. A man who runs from communion runs from cleansing.
But much more than this, Jesus communicated his desire for us, what he expects from us.
He says that as I've done this to you, So do this to others.
I just wash your feet. I just washed your feet. Do that to others.
I just became a slave to serve you. Do that for others.
Because this is the principle of ministry.
You can only do for others what Christ has done for you.
You can only do unto others what you have experienced of Christ.
You cannot minister to others what Christ has not first ministered to you.
You cannot reflect a light greater than the light that you have seen.
Jesus did all of this to show them His character, His work, and His desire.
Friends, He transforms us by showing us a little more light.
Have a blessed day, friends.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
If you passed by a cabin in Kentucky on February 12th, 1809, and you heard a baby crying, Little would you know that that would be the sound of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Or if you passed by a farmhouse in North Carolina on November 7th, 1918 and heard the whimper of a child. Little would you know that that would be the cry of the greatest evangelist of the 20th century, Billy Graham. If you simply looked at where they were born and how they entered into the world, they would have been written off as insignificant. But as they grew, the world surely knew that they were made for greatness. Over 2, 000 years ago, in Bethlehem, in a barn, if you had passed by and heard a baby crying, you wouldn't have thought much of it. But friends, over the years, you realize that man belittles the divine. Who would have thought that a lamb would rescue the souls of men? To think that a holy God would make legal entry into the world, respecting his own precedence and coming born of a virgin. Eternity touched time, the celestial touched the terrestrial, the word became incarnate in flesh. Friends, this once in a lifetime event would resound throughout history. It was all perfect from heaven's perspective. But from our flawed perspective, it was chaotic. Chaotic because Mary and Joseph had no precedence. God had done something with them that had no reference, no point of reference. Chaotic because it was unorthodox. It didn't make sense to anyone. Much more, they had received a word, a promise, and now they had no place for it. A business without a company, a vision without a platform to express it, a writer without a publisher, no human plan. Joseph and Mary simply made a quick trip to pay homage, to pay taxes, and then this baby arrives. They simply took a trip to Bethlehem. And for me, this triggers memories. I mean, in Genesis, Rachel dies while giving birth on the road to Bethlehem. What do you do when what you're carrying breaks forth before you're ready? What do you do when what you're expecting to happen in 2025 happens in 2024? What do you do when you lose control of the manifestation of the promise and it happens at a time when you're not expecting it? No street lights, no electricity, and every door they knocked on didn't open to accommodate them. God brings the light of the world in the thickness of the night. The one who is eternal chose to be part of our story. No crown on his head identified with the same dust that man was made from. One of the lessons of Christmas is that God meets us where we are. The prophecy couldn't wait for man's arrangement. He was born in a barn. Shepherds were in the field at that time of the day and not in the sheepfold. That's interesting. Why are the shepherds still in the field, abiding in the field, not in the pasture of sheepfold? Mary is in labor, but the angels go to the shepherds in the field and give them a message. Leave your sheep and go to the barn in Bethlehem. We have moved from the true meaning of Christmas to X-mas and happy holidays. We have kept the symbolisms and taken our attention off the sun. This Christmas is about the sun of righteousness and let him shine on you. Merry Christmas. God meets us where we are. Merry Christmas.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
Luke chapter 22 verse 3, Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve apostles.
Now remember that Judas had made an arrangement to betray Jesus Christ for money. And it's almost as if Satan followed the trail of stolen coins into Judas's heart because he knew that the money was in his heart and that's the means by which he got into his heart.
He knew that money had a hold of his heart and that's the means by which he got into Judas's heart.
Whatever you allow into your heart apart from Christ, Satan will follow the trail of your lust to win your heart. I mean, Satan will use anything that your heart pines after, anything that your heart lusts after to steal your devotion to Christ, to tamper with the simplicity and sincerity of your devotion to Christ.
And I know that we often think that Satan is only capable of using bad things to destroy us. But no! The bad guy will use good things if he has to, to accomplish bad things.
And so if wealth is what it takes to corrupt your devotion to Christ, then Satan is willing to use it. And if fame is what it takes, then he will give it.
Friends, as you read further in Luke chapter 22, you'll find that while Jesus was still speaking, Judas interrupted him and it dawned on me that sometimes before you betray Christ, you will lose respect for his word.
So here's what I want you to remember. Be careful in the moment of your life when you sense that God's word is without authority in your heart. It's a sign that your devotion to Christ is already being stolen.
Have blessed the friend.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
2 Kings 5 verses 5 to 8, Naman had just gotten an information that his problem could be solved somewhere else
and he was humble enough to listen to his servant girl but he was also willing enough to take a decisive action
and the truth is that there are some people who know what to do but they are overthinking things and going through analysis paralysis
and I've realized that when you're overthinking you're pretending that you're trying to decide what to do but you're not
you're actually trying to control outcomes.
And the king was worried when he got the letter
because he thought this was a plot to kill him.
He recognized his limitations that although he was king of a powerful nation,
one that was in a covenant with God
he realized that his power was limited and there are problems that his office, his role, his staff did not have the power and the authority to solve
And this is why spiritual intelligence is important friends.
The ability to discern what is natural and what is spiritual and the wisdom to keep natural things natural and spiritual things spiritual
but much more in the text we see that Elisha knew his role,
he understood his assignment and he sent word to the king
have the man come to me and he shall know that there's a prophet in Israel
And some people think that this is arrogance and cockiness but it's not
knowing who you are and what you have is not arrogance,
arrogance is forgetting who gave it to you,
forgetting where it all came from
and Elisha wasn't arrogant,
he was confident.
I mean same way Peter would say that silver and gold we have none
but such as we have we give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk
Friend, it is dangerous to be emotional about divine revelation
and you must never respond emotionally to divine revelation.
When Peter said thou art Christ son of the living God, Jesus didn't see it as a compliment
He saw it as a revelation because Jesus knew who he was
but he didn't expect that Peter would know by human reasoning
that the only way Peter could know who He was is by a revelation from the Father
and so Elisha knew his role,
he knew who he was,
he knew what he was positioned to do
and he wasn't arrogant about it.
Don't be ashamed or afraid to declare what you know God has said about you
that's confidence and not arrogance.
Have a blessed day friends.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
2 Kings 5:1: People would see your armour and have no clue what you're dealing with under the armour and everyone has a degree of leprosy which represents the exposure of our human limitations.
That thing that nothing else fixes in your life except the power of God. There are things in your life that cannot be altered except by divine intervention.
What is yours and how do you plan on fixing this? Do you have people in your life who can point you to the solution that you've been looking for?
You need people in your life who would not run away from your leprosy and you need people in your life who are not just fascinated with you at your best but who can handle you at your worst.
Maybe someone needs to stop today and ask God for the right alliance and the right people who would help build with you and bring you into the best of God for your life.
Have a blessed day!
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
The hour is dark And it's hard to see What you are doing Here in the ruins And where this will lead Oh, but I know That down through the years I'll look back on this moment And see your hand on it And know you were here 1 Samuel chapter 17 and we've been considering the magnificent battle between David and Goliath And I know that when you read 1 Samuel 17 and you read of David killing Goliath you're intrigued by the boy, David - his courage, his covenant with God, his shepherd heart and his timely victory but what we don't realize a lot of time is that it was for this moment that Naomi lost her sons and her husband. Her daughter-in-law remained loyal to her and followed her and served her God also and after 10 years Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem and if all these didn't happen she wouldn't have given birth to Obed who gave birth to their grandchild Jesse and who gave birth to David what I'm saying is that it took generations to get David on the stage at the right time and God has been planning this moment and God has been setting up this moment for generations before David showed up and sometimes you come into a moment that God has set up for you but all you see is the moment but God sees the entire process that led you here listen friends, providence is how God sets up purposes in time it is providence that brings about the collision between destiny and time and if David had not obeyed his father and showed up that morning at the battleground he would have missed the moment that God had been setting up for four generations preparation is not something you do because there's an announcement of purpose Your preparation for greatness and for destiny is in your daily routinesDo you have the habit of showing up just like DavidOr do you give excuses for errands?Can you see the divine in your everyday life?Think about 2 Kings 3 verse 11 - the Bible says Jehoshaphat asked, is there no prophet of the Lord here through whom we may inquire of the Lord? And one of his servants replied to the King of Israel that there's Elisha the son of Saphat who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah the prophet you can imagine that Elisha's confirmation and validation of the anointing was found in the things that he did daily before that moment I look at David killing Goliath and I realize that all the questions of Naomi were answered in that moment of David's victory I mean it didn't make sense Naomi would probably have asked why did I lose my sons? why did I lose my husband? and possibly it made no sense but you see providence makes sense of the things that makes no sense and I hope that the next time you say that time will tell you mean we will understand God's will better and better as time goes on friends, this morning you may have just walked into something God has been setting up for generations and all he asks of you is to show up because time will tell Have a blessed day friends.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
First Samuel Chapter 17 Verse 28 - But when David's oldest brother Eliab heard David talking to the men, he was angry. And what are you doing around here anyway? He demanded. What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle. Hmm. Now this is David who came into the battlefield as a delivery boy, just being faithful to his father's instructions. And David, although anointed and although God's providence had arranged this moment for David, because hey, it was just another battle for the children of Israel. It was just another battle for Goliath. It was just another day for David. But in God's plan, this is the day that God has made. And this was the day that David was going to take a giant step into his purpose and his assignment. Friends sometimes fear has a face and it's a face that you recognize, one that you are endeared to. And being loved is a great feeling, but be careful to discern when those who love you greatly start to love you down. David's brother was speaking out of good intentions. Possibly he had heard about Joseph and his brothers. And sometimes the faces dear to you can speak words that facilitate your insecurity, your inadequacy, and Satan doesn't need to attack your calling. He just needs to influence what you believe you are able to do, even with your awareness of your call. So you are anointed, but with an identity crisis. And so closing your ears to the external voices, but remaining true to what God has revealed, the voices that you hear will feed your faith or feed your fear. Listen to me, man's rejection holds no weight against God's acceptance. And God is not looking at the size of your faith. He's looking at the strength of it. God must be the strength of your life. And so God wants you to accept His word as the highest authority in your life so that you will prioritize your covenant relationship with him over every other relationship. Sometimes the people who love you greatly can begin to love you down. You must be careful enough to discern when that begins to happen. Have a blessed day friends.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
You call me strong and courageous when I don't feel like I am
You could have turned me away but you chose me instead
You say that I'm gonna make it
First Samuel chapter 17 we read about David and we see how David woke up very early in the morning
and decided to go meet his brothers and be his father's delivery boy to his brothers
and David had been very resourceful in the family keeping the sheep and possibly spent most of his
time with the sheep and then uses the opportunity to enjoy fellowship with God and David had no idea
that by the end of that day he would have cut off the head of a giant that had terrorized
God's people for 40 days.
I mean he had showed up at the battlefield as a delivery boy
but he had no idea what else God had in mind and I believe that there are some people who have
started their day already with no idea of how it is going to end because it is in God's nature to step into what you call ordinary
and some say it's just another day at work,
just another day at my store,
just another day in my ministry,
just another day with my family but God likes to
interrupt in your experience what you have called normal so that you can taste of the super imposing of supernatural design.
Friends little things matter.
God is looking at the things you think
do not matter and do not count.
David wasn't asked to go and fight he was asked to go and deliver
something to eat to those who were at the battleground watching the giant.
The one who had the capacity and the covenant to slay the giant brought food for those who all they could do was to watch the giant.
This is not just another day in your life this is the day the Lord has made
and David's commitment to the little things was God preparing him for greatness.
You will never be ready for great opportunities if you overlook the small things.
The small things are bigger than you think.
I mean he walked into the battlefield as a delivery boy although he was anointed a king.
Samuel never even told him why he anointed him.
He would have prepared better if he knew he was
coming to fight.
His weapons were found somewhere around the battlefield but his heart had been
trained far before the day of the battle.
By my God I shall run through a troop.
Friends, there is no bad weather there is only bad dressing and the same is true for life.
There are no bad seasons, you should be more concerned about your preparation for what is coming.
Your giants are coming
is your heart ready?
Have a blessed day friends.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lightroom/message
It don't seem right,
black and white
And I'm struggling with a war in me
And honestly,
it's crippling
My heart longs to run to you
When darkness all around me
I just wanna see
Where your,
where your,
where your heart is
When desires leave me empty
I just wanna be
Where your,
where your,
where your heart is
Philippians chapter 2 verse 13 in the amplified classic version of the Bible
It says not in your own strength, for it is God who is all the while
Effectually at work in you, energizing and creating in you
The power and desire both to will and to work
His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight
Friends, there are words that we use many times in expressing spiritual realities that are difficult for people to relate with
And one of them is the word burdens
And many times you hear people say,
oh, I have a burden in my heart
Oh, the spirit of the Lord has laid this burden on my heart
And a burden is a motive placed in your heart by God
And that motive sometimes comes as a weight
And it has to be expressed, if it is not expressed, it will fade away
And then you cannot be trusted with divine motives
And what a burden is basically is that you are filled in your heart and in your mind to see something done by God
And many times we begin to use our own mind
And the strength of our own zeal to try to make these things happen
Moses had a burden for the children of Israel
And he tried to carry it out in his own zeal
But he killed someone
He became a murderer
He became a murderer until he found a ground of fellowship with God
Such that he could understand how God wanted to carry out the desire and the budding that he had placed in his heart
Friend, the fire of passion can sometimes burn the passionate
Don't run into trouble trying to pursue burdens
It is God who walks in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure
So the strength of your zeal is human error
And God who gave you the desire has a way that he wants that thing done
He has a way he wants to accomplish it
And sometimes we get a bad reputation for wanting to do good
You must learn how to manage your desires by checking how God wants this thing done
It is not enough to just have a burden
You must find the ground of fellowship to understand how God wants it done
Have a blessed day friends!
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1 Samuel chapter 18 - the Bible says that Saul was very angry at the song he was displeased and
because they had credited David with tens of thousands and he thought with me they've only credited me with only thousands what more can he get but the kingdom
and from that day the Bible says Saul kept a close eye on David.
Friends, I've realized that we become dissatisfied because a lot of times
we're focusing on the gift we have been given in comparison with what someone else has and that takes our eyes away from the giver of the gift.
Saul became disturbed because David was chanted through the streets as the anointed one
but you see David's anointing didn't mean Saul was not anointed
don't be blinded by someone else's gift that you don't see that the giver of the gift has also given you something.
Think about it, Jesus chose the boat of Simon and He didn't mean that the other boat was useless
if you read further you realize how useful the other boat was
it represented partnership and collaboration in the harvest of souls
lost people must be saved, saved people must be pastored.
pastored people must be trained, trained people must be sent
and everyone has their place functioning in their gift and there's a place for you.
Some people are wounded for a lifetime because of the injury caused by comparison
they measure their value by what they have received as gifts but
guess what the giver is wiser.
We sometimes desire what we can't handle just because we have seen it with someone we perceive are like us
if you realize that the giver is wiser, you'll be glad that you have
what you have, I tell you because what you have is relevant and it's relevant in God's eyes
but sometimes is not relevant in your eyes because you're seeing the seed while God is looking at the harvest
you see a seed, God sees the tree that produces more seeds that produces more trees
and sometimes we throw the seed away because we prayed for a tree and this seed doesn't match our expectations but the vineyard that you prayed for can be in the seed that you're rejecting.
God is a giver of small things but his small gifts have bigger effect and you need to realize that all that the harvest is, is the result of the seed
don't shout about the harvest and shy away from the seed
the enemy may not even be after your harvest, he may just be after the seed
so be careful what you throw away, be careful who you throw away
Be careful how you look at small beginnings.
Friends, it started with Abraham, Isaac passed it on, Jacob multiplied it
God looks at the harvest while sometimes you look at the seed. Be careful how you see what is with you
Have a blessed day friends!
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For my waking breath For my daily breath
I depend on You I depend on You
For the sun to rise For my sleep at night
I depend on You Yes,
I depend on You
John 15 in verse 1 Jesus says I'm the true vine and my father is the vine dresser
and He goes in verse 4 He says remain in me and I in you
and just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine
so neither can you unless you remain in me
and in verse 7 Jesus says if you remain in me and my words remain in you
ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you
He says in verse 8 that my father is glorified by this that you bear much fruit
and so prove to be my disciples.
Friends our roles are defined. We are nourished by God when we abide in Christ.
Abiding is holding on to the one who has life for your life supply
recognizing that there is life in no other place but in Christ
and God wants you to bear fruit but he wants you to bear His fruit.
God walks all in all so abiding in Christ is the way that the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in you
the qualities Christ wants to produce in us comes in us and out of us by communion with Christ
and then we come into a greater harvest I mean Jesus says that you will bear much fruit
and later he says that your fruit will abide
sounds like a continuous ongoing increasing fruitfulness
Never negotiate on fellowship with God
the goal is not frequently it is unseasonally
Friends, the world is after your connection to your life supply
it is an infiltration and an attack on the mind to begin to contemplate being in control
because we wither quickly when we fight for control
the Bible says abide Jesus said keep my words and remain in my will
you can't abide in Christ if Christ isn't Christ to you
human efforts will not produce the nature of Christ
we don't produce fruit by self-discipline
discipline is futility without abiding in Christ
even with knowing what is good and what is right
the power to do so requires a force within
and many may know what to do but lack the power to do what is right
Jesus said let my words abide in you so nothing shifts you
I mean you rest in the ability and authority and the certainty of God's word
so your needs can shift you and set you up to pursue things outside the principles of scriptures.
Think about it, long before you were born
God made a promise. God doesn't need to write a new scripture for your new need
His promises are older than your problems and your needs
there's nothing more than scriptures
and we must banish extra-scriptural practices and tendencies
and submit to his word and restore in our hearts the superintendence of the word of God.
Abide in me and I in you
My Father is the vinedresser
I am the true vine, you are the branch
our roles are defined.
Have a blessed day friends!
I say the truth and the lie
you're the well that never runs dry
I'm the branch and you are the vine
draw me close and teach me to abide
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When this life of trials tests my faith I set my hope on Jesus
When the questions calm and doubts remain I set my hope on Jesus
For the deepest wounds that time won't heal There's a joy that runs still deeper
There's a truth that's more than all I feel I set my hope on Jesus
Exodus 23 verses 2 - You shall not follow the crowd in doing evil Nor shall you testify in a dispute
So as to join together with the crowd in order to pervert justice
God doesn't rule by popular vote God rules by His voice
And His voice for us is His word
So no matter how many people stand against God's word God's word remains right
So don't let pressure make you deny the lordship of the word of God
The biggest threat I've seen today is not a secular culture or a secular society
It is a compromising church
I mean churches that are compromising on solid biblical doctrines and truth
And this eventually results in raising a group of people professing to be devoted followers of Christ
But with the dangerous potential of turning away from the truth
John chapter 3 verse 16 and 17 the Bible says
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son
So that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world
But so that the world might be saved through Him
So God is not trying to take over the systems of the world
God wants men saved
So God's purpose for sending His Son to die for mankind is to save men
And so Paul admonishes in Philippians chapter 1 verse 27
That no matter what is happening around you only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ
So that whether I come and see you or remain absent
I will hear about you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind
Striving together for the faith of the gospel
Friend,
the grace of God doesn't lead us to embrace sin as a culture
The intention of God is that if you are in Christ through the salvation of your soul
Then hell is in your past
But outside Christ,
hell is in your future
And anyone who is not born again will one day wish that he was not born at all
Never change the written word or the tone of it to sound accepted or popular
Have a blessed day friends!
I set my hope on Jesus
Though this heart of mine is prone to stray
Give me grace enough to finish
Until I worship on that final day
I set my hope on Jesus
I set my hope on Jesus
By rock my only trust
You set His heart upon me first
I set my hope on Jesus
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I set my eyes on what I cannot see
The hope of living right in front of me
Oh I've left the world behind
Now Jesus you are mine
How can it be?
Your death means I'm alive
James 4.4 in the message translation says you're cheating on God if all you want is your own way
Fletting with the world every chance you get,
you end up enemies of God and His way
And do you suppose that God doesn't care?
I love how the passion translation also puts it
It says you have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair,
an unholy relationship with the world
Don't you know that flirting with the world's values places you at odds with God?
Whoever chooses to be the world's friend makes himself God's enemy
Friendship with the world is about value systems
The values of the world and the values of Christ are never in agreement and are never the same
How we think,
where we go,
how we do life are never in agreement with the world
And so when you adopt the values of the world into your life,
it hinders you from being a bold witness for Christ
Friends,
our morality is not the gospel and it doesn't save men
But it gives us stronger grounds to preach the gospel
Our values either hinder the gospel or enhances the preaching of it
Now you need to understand - God has called us to godly lives
But you see,
a godly life is not a moral life
It includes morality but it is not just morality
The word godly is a confluence of two words,
god-like
And god-like is not only moral,
God is morally excellent but he is also excellent in all things
So you know a godly man not just by his morality but by his god-likeness in all things
And you're either like him or not like him
But you cannot be a part of him and not be like him
Friends,
the world is very deliberate about its agenda
And the agenda of the world is to conform us
And conformity is to get people who are at variance with values and systems to accept and adopt your values and systems through pressure
And the pressure in the world comes with majority, popularity and diversity
Majority because everyone is doing it
Popularity because this is the popular thing now and the truth is this,
much of what is popular is not right
In the agenda of the world,
deception and indoctrination will be publicized and amplified through the media
So a lot of things will be popular
And diversity because it is not just happening in one place,
it's happening everywhere
But hey,
our systems and our values are different because they are of Christ
Never conform to this world
Be transformed by the renewal of your mind through the Word to live in the standards and values of Christ
Have a blessed day friends.
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1 Corinthians 1:9 - God is faithful through whom you are called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
So friends, our invitation to fellowship with God. I mean this divine access is not based on our faithfulness, it is based on God's faithfulness.
So the Bible says God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
So if you're going to understand anything about fellowship with God, you have to realize that it does not depend on your goodness. It depends on God.
So you can't come to God with a dependence on your track record. You can't go to God because you're super proud of yourself because you haven't done a certain thing in a little while. You can't go to God depending on the fact that you have been able to keep your mouth from slander or gossip. You cannot bank on your works and your deeds.
Listen. Your access to God cannot be dependent on anything else other than what Jesus Christ has done. Now someone may hear these and say oh, then this means I can do anything I like. I can live any way I want, it doesn't impact my access to God.
Well, you still do not understand fellowship with God. Hey, it is the cure for every evil resident in a human heart.
Sin is powerless in fellowship with God. It is the end of every heart's pursuit. Water becomes wine, oil Is released, Grace is dispensed in manifolds, purpose is lived without gaps. The very fulfilment every man is searching for.
Fellowship with God will transform you before your very eyes because as you interact with Him, you behold Him and you're transformed into the very image of Him as He ordained you to be.
Friends. It doesn't depend on you. God extends his invitation for fellowship with you based on his faithfulness, not on your goodness, so don't let anything stop.
Have a blessed day friends!
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The sound of many waters
Calms the sea in me
The voice that ends the silence
Meets me in my need
Like fireworks
Igniting in my chest
The weight of your glory
The reverence
I'm in awe that you would come to me
In awe that I can hear you speak
Speak to me
1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13 For this reason we also constantly thank God
that when you received the word of God which you heard from us
you accepted it not as the word of mere men but as what it really is
the word of God which is also at work in you who believe
Friends, the word of God is Heaven's intelligence
and to allow the word of God to form your mind
and define your values and create your convictions
is the wisest thing to do
It is foolishness to try to make the word of God according to your thoughts
When you allow God's word to form your mind
define your values and create your convictions
you will certainly live a transformed life
The word of God is not just cerebral
reading and understanding
it is spiritual
it transforms us by feeding us
it doesn't just change our perspective
it gives us the power to walk in obedience
to be doers of the word and not hearers alone
I mean you read, you meditate you confess, you obey
when you meditate on the word of God you start to taste it
because tasting is the experience of it
reading is like gathering the grapes
and meditation is putting it in your mouth
where it truly has the opportunity to nourish you
so stop trying to be wise outside the word of God
that is what is called the foolishness of men
Christ, the living word reveals himself in the written word
and so you don't need an extravagant experience
of a sign or a wonder in that sense
and that shouldn't be more important to you
than the revelation of Jesus Christ
through the Holy Spirit and through the word
in fact, no extravagant experience of a sign or a wonder
is more important than the revelation of Christ
through the Holy Spirit and through the word of God
I'm reminded of the story in Luke 16, verses 27 to 31 in particular
and then he talked about the rich man and Lazarus
and how he cried and said
I mean the rich man cried and said
then I beg you, Father,
send Lazarus to my family
for I have five brothers,
let him want them
so that they would also not come
to this place of torment
and Abraham replied
they have Moses and the prophets
let them listen to them
the rich man wanted a sign
he wanted a wonder
he wanted something more than the word for his family
Abraham's response was look,
they've got Moses and they've got the prophets
so if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets
they will not be convinced
even if someone rises from the dead
the rich man was looking for a sign
because he thought the scriptures were insufficient
the word of God when it is applied
will transform the human heart
and change our affections
have a blessed day friends!
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Music
Isn't it just like heaven
When you walk into the room
There's not a thing that's here
When every eye is on you
Can't get enough of your presence
It's the perfect point of view
Isn't it just like,
just like,
just like heaven
Mmmh,
come a little closer
🎵Stay a little longer🎵
Mmmh,
I can't get enough of your presence
There are two words that start with the letter R that I want to talk to you about.
The first is realization and the second is recognition.
Realization is to be awakened to awareness.
Recognition is to be able to acknowledge.
Now the realization of the presence of God comes through the recognition of it.
There are some people who believe that God is there.
There are some others who believe that God is here.
But God wants you to live by the experience of his presence.
Because God doesn't touch and go.
He is here and you can have as much of him as you desire.
Now you don't need to wait for a supernaturally overwhelming moment to experience God.
Don't live short of the desire of God and the design of God and the new covenant.
So God invites you to a continuous, glorious, blissful, all-satisfying exchange with him.
I mean an interaction that completely satisfies the heart.
Because the joys of the earth are as inconsistent as the earth.
Romans 8, verse 26 says that now in the same way, the spirit also helps our weakness.
For we do not know what to pray for us we should.
But the spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning stood deep for words.
Now the emphasis is on the spirit.
And the emphasis on the spirit is an invitation to leave our inadequacies and give attention to the Spirit.
So if I want to pray effectively,
I must give attention to the Spirit.
Now if you believe these words,
then these words will have power in your life.
Faith in the word gives you an experience of the word.
2 Corinthians 1, verse 21 and 22 Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,
who also sealed us and gave us the spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
Friends, the Holy Spirit is down payment of what is coming.
I mean I like how the hymn writer describes this experience as the foretaste of glory divine.
Friends, you can taste the world to come.
The world that is free of oppression, that has the radiance, the splendor, the excellencies of Jesus Christ radiating and illuminating.
The Holy Spirit enables you to hear Christ and see him with your spiritual eyes.
He enlightens your eyes, awakens your senses unto the life of Christ and illuminates the eyes of your Spirit.
How beautiful is this?
That God himself through his spirit and his word has made himself edible, sensible and tangible in the Spirit.
And if you recognize this truth, then you come to the realization of it.
The presence of God in you is a foretaste of the world to come.
Have a blessed day friends.
I just want more of you.
I just want more of you.
I just want more of you.
I just want more of you.
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You don't know who you are until you know who God is,
and you don't know how to live until you've settled the question of what will I live for that is worth dying for?
And there's an old joke that went around, and it says,
in the beginning, God made man in his own image, and since the fall, man has been seeking to return the compliment to God.
And there's a Jesus that has been created by the wandering minds of humans, and sadly, Christians included.
But this Jesus is not a person, it's an illusion.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and he doesn't need a makeover.
A Christian way of thinking is not just thinking Christian thoughts, singing Christian songs, reading Christian books, and going to Christian schools.
It is learning to think about the whole spectrum of life from the perspective of a mind that has been trained in truth, and the truth is God's word.
The Bible says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ.
Now unfortunately, many preachers have distorted God's word, and sometimes it comes from a sincere desire to soften the hard hearts of people.
But hearts are not changed by compromise, they are changed by an encounter with the truth.
So if you tamper with the truth of God's word with a desire to get people saved to God, then they will be saved, but not to God, but to an illusion.
We are lampstands. Christ is all the light that the world needs.
We exist in order that Christ may shine through us. The world needs to meet Christ, and not you.
Have a blessed day friends.
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Prayer is relational communication with God, and the key component of prayer is the relationship.
Now, God doesn't answer your prayers because your prayers were perfect, but because you're His child.
Never pursue anything outside the understanding of your relationship with God because your prayers are heard because you're a child of God.
So don't make prayer just about your needs. The purpose of prayer is way bigger than your needs.
If prayer is relational communication with God, then it means the primary purpose of prayer would be to strengthen your relationship with God. And the last time I checked, it is your experience of that relationship that needs strengthening.
And so prayer communicates our trust in God, and this is why we pray in faith. It keeps us where God wants us to be, being aware of His presence and being attentive to His voice.
And so the communication of prayer began with God. God gave us His Word, and the Word of God is the beginning of the conversation. And this is the reason you cannot pray effectively outside God's Word.
Bible study is like breathing in, and prayer is like breathing out. Never exaggerate one over the other.
Prayer may be simple in nature, but sometimes not easy in practice. And because it is not easy in practice, people complicate it.
And so Jesus speaks to us about the complications of man in Matthew 6, 7-12. In the message translation of the Bible, He says that the world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They are full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.
Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.
So prayer communicates that you trust God. Trust that His answers are wiser than your prayers.
Trust His wisdom and His decisions because all of God's decisions are based on His will.
The Bible says in Psalm 84 verse 11, For the Lord God is a sun and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor, and no good thing does He withhold from those who walk blameless.
Now, no good thing will He withhold. The question is who determines what is good for you?
Many times it looks as though we go out there seeking for what is good for us, and then we come to God in prayer to tell Him what we have found as good for us, and we want His power to perform what we have called good.
Friends, it's almost as if we believe that God is powerful enough to perform for us, but not good enough to determine what is good for us, and that is not prayer.
Prayer communicates that you trust God.
So, friends, prayer is a relational communication with God, and it communicates, first of all, that we trust Him. He's our Father, and He knows better than us what we need.
Have a blessed day, friends!
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2Corinthians 5.15 - He died for everyone so that those who receive this new life will no longer live for themselves instead they live for Christ who died and was raised for them
Friends, in an era of selfishness and self-centeredness, It is a virtue not to live for self
A lot of people live for the possibility of having a comfortable life - money for retirement, a successful career, climbing up the corporate ladder, A great marriage, finding the right person - It pretty much sounds like me, me, me and me
Sadly Christians are not so different, we invest more in ourselves, in our marriages, our desires for life, our goals. We pursue blessings and God wants to do great things for us
But the purpose of Christ dying doesn't revolve around living for ourselves. Sometimes we act as though we are the center of the universe and everything and even God revolves around us
Listen to me, this may rock your boat, But God is not interested in your plans for your life. God is not committed to your plans for your life, God wants you to follow his plans for your life
Christ died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves
And these days it's so difficult to give up anything. To give up sleep, give up comfort, and how can we even give up ourselves?
We need to come to terms with the demand of God. You cannot live for yourself anymore, So those who live no longer live for their comfort, for their security But to live for him alone
We're committed to living safe when God wants us to live brave and we can't live both ways
It wasn't safe for Jesus to come to earth to redeem us. Immediately he was born, a king was hunting for him to kill him
As a result over 1,000 innocent babies were killed. He was taken to Africa to hide like a refugee and when he returned, a whole institution was dedicated to frustrating him and eventually killing him
They tried to stone him, they tried to push him off a cliff, they flogged him, they ridiculed him, they spat on him. They made him carry a heavy cross His heart was heavier than the cross because of his assignment
Eternal damnation had been compressed into a few hours like a bitter drink and he had to take every drop. They nailed his hands, nailed his legs, they pierced his side. They put a crown of thorns on his head
Was it safe my Lord? How did you come to this unsafe world? Was I worth the sacrifice?
Friends, it is bravery to live in the will of God selflessly
Living safe is living a disadvantaged life. Acts 4.29 - And now Lord, take note of their threats and grant that your bond-servants may speak your word with all confidence
The apostles were not asking God to take away the persecution. They were asking for a greater level of boldness. Give us a greater level of boldness that is greater than the threats because we never retreat in this kingdom, we only seek to live brave
In 2 Corinthians 11.23-28 Paul begins to recount and says, I have worked more harder, I have been in prison more frequently, I have been flogged more severely, I have been exposed to death more often, I have 5 times received 40 lashes save one from the Jews
Friends, living brave is obedience to Christ no matter the cost. Taking a step of faith outside your comfort zone and God doesn't have to explain himself to you before you obey him
God doesn't have to ask your permission before he touches your life. If you demand that God explains himself to you or asks your permission to allow trials and troubles your way then you and I don't serve the same God
The God that I serve says in Psalm 115.3 - My God is in heaven and he does whatever pleases him
Friends, God is trustworthy. God proved his love on the cross. He doesn't need to prove himself again and again to you. If your greatest desire in life is to live safe, you will - But you will never see God the way he chooses to reveal himself to you
It is bravery to live the will of God selflessly and living safe is actually living a disadvantaged life
Have a blessed day friends!
One, one, one, one, one, one, one
One, one, one, one, one, one
One, one, one, one, one, one
One, one, one, one, already one
Fighting temptations, do you crash, do you burn?
Fighting emotions, you can cry if you want
Fighting depression and the pain that you feel
Reasons to cry are more than reasons to smile
Reasons to cry are more than reasons to smile
And so I send you an army in the form of a song
And say to your darkness we have already won
We're caught in a battle that is older than us
But victory is older, it is already done
Victory is older, we have already won
There's no point praying about victory over temptation If you're not willing to say no to it
Victory in Christ has a personal implication It must change your disposition and your response to what is around you
Now God wants us to get to know the deliverer, the source of our victory Rather than just wanting to be delivered
And if you would live in victory You must learn how to live beyond what you feel and what you see And live by faith in the finished work of Christ
Friend, your victory is older than your battles
One of the ways that God teaches us victory in Christ day by day Is to charge us to live in constant awareness of his greatness And his sufficiency
Sin is a ruler, it governs, it controls And its primary instrument of rulership, of dominion and of control The Bible clearly tells us It's lust
Lust is the unbridled desires of the flesh That through its pursuit and fulfillment You become endeared to your flesh than your spirit
And sin is a very clever operation It takes advantage of your appetite And Satan shows up at the point of your legitimate desires and appetite And then seduces you with your own desires to sin against God
So the seduction of sin is to get you to become a natural At satisfying your God ordained appetite Outside the rule and regulation of God through his word
Friend, sin will not conquer you because God already has And so choose who governs you
Reject the dethroned monarch called sin and Satan And choose the one who reigns forever, Jesus
Your victory is older than your battles
Have a great day friends!
In the darkest hour,
when I cannot breathe
Fear is on my chest,
the weight of the world on me
Everything is crashing down,
everything I have known
When I wonder if I'm all alone
I remember, I remember
You have always been faithful to me
I remember, I remember
Even when my own eyes could not see
You were there,
always there
Psalm 78 verse 11 and the Bible says they forgot his works and his wonders that he had shown them.
Friends, we have the tendency to forget what we ought to remember and remember what we ought to forget
we spend a lot of energy remembering the sins and the failures God spent a lot of love to forget.
It's so easy to forget the things that matters and
we often forget to give thanks to God for his goodness because God has been good.
I mean you get up in the morning without saying thank you to God because you didn't have issues getting up in the morning
God hates ingratitude and so do the people around us
ingratitude quickly feels like rejection
it communicates our dependence on ourselves and it keeps us focused on ourselves
I mean ingratitude says I could have gotten that by myself even if you were not there
I could have done this or done that without your help and sadly we silently communicate this to God
truly it is by his mercies that we are not consumed because his compassion fails not.
The Bible says that God is not unrighteous to forget our labor of love and so it means that it is an unrighteous thing to forget and
finally in the book of Luke the Bible tells us that there were 10 lepers who were healed and one came back to say thank you
nine others probably got carried away with their new status and opportunities that they forgot the one who cleansed them in the first place.
Friends be like the one who went back to say thank you to the one who enabled him move forward
you and I have gotten to where we are today because someone or some persons played a role actively to move us up
it is an unrighteous thing to forget
so please do not forget to remember.
Have a blessed day friends!
When the whole wide world feels crazy
Like it's ripping at the seams
And the lies keep growing louder
With chaos threatening
When the weight upon my shoulders
Is too much for my soul
Won't you help me to remember
Those words from long ago
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong
Luke chapter 5 verse 5 And Simon answered and said, Master, we toiled all night and caught nothing, but at your word we will let down our net.
There's a spirit behind every idea, every way of thinking, every philosophy, every government, and every teaching.
In fact, life is more spiritual than physical.
The word of God is flawless.
Don't interpret God's word through the lens of your circumstances.
Don't interpret God's word through the lens of the world.
Instead, interpret the world through the lens of God's word.
Don't be a part of those who have created their own imaginary Christ out of culture.
Instead of changing culture with the gospel of Christ, they have created a Christ that fits into their culture.
There are Christians today who have slipped into what I call Christian atheism.
When you think that you are more evolved, you know better than Paul, better than Luke, better than John, better than Peter, and sometimes Master Jesus.
People who have become progressives, they believe they have superior ideas than the Bible presents.
The Bible is not progressive because it is perfect.
The Bible does not change with time because the Bible is eternal.
The Bible is not evolving because it is infallible.
And one of the ways you can tell if you are exchanging Christ for culture is when you know more culture than the Bible, spiritually bankrupt but culturally sufficient.
And almost unknowingly, friends, we all have a tendency to redefine Christianity according to our own tastes, preferences, church traditions, and cultural norms.
And slowly, subtly, we take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into someone with whom we are a little more comfortable with.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he's not customizable. He doesn't need a makeover.
This culture presents a counterfeit gospel to deceive even Christians from believing the true gospel.
And the goal of this attack is deception through seduction, an imitation that limits your Christian experience.
The same formula, the same principles, yet it will suppress and replace the truth.
And of course, tamper with your experience of this Jesus.
It is this culture that removes the autonomy of the Bible so that men can begin to edit the truth, adjust ancient landmarks, and broaden the narrow way.
The devil wants you to doubt everything God says. Hear them, but doubt them.
Doubt what he says about his character and his nature.
Doubt what he says about you, that you are loved eternally.
Be careful, friends. The Bible is not progressive because it is perfect.
At your word, Peter says.
Have a blessed day, friends.
And all that I can see
Is a million imperfections
Just staring back at me
When I feel like I'm abandoned
All alone and left behind
Let me know you'll never leave me
Cause I am yours and you are mine
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
I thought the more I cleaned myself up, the more worthy I'd be
I thought I had to draw near to Him, for Him to draw back to me
But He's the bread in my lungs when I'm gasping for air
Mark chapter 8, Jesus makes one of His most challenging and yet liberating statement in verse 34 and He says "Whosoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Now, you could never love yourself as much as God loves you. And this is the precise reason God hates selfishness.
Selfishness lowers the bar and the standard of how valuable you are in God's eyes
In fact, selfishness brings a corrupt standard, So when you try to love yourself, it will never come close to how God loves you
But when you deny yourself, you find the Christ who gave Himself for you
When you deny yourself, God reveals the liberating truth to you of how valuable you are to Him
A life laid down invites the Christ who is lifted up
Philippians 2 says, let nothing be done with selfish ambition
And you see, wherever scripture challenges you the most, it means that grace is waiting for you to accomplish the most in you
It is an invitation to freedom, actually, and not a challenge
When you deny yourself, you come into a revelation of Christ that reveals your own worth in Him
The revelation of Christ leads us into a realm of worship that no self-effort could ever produce
Friends, there's a chamber, a secret place, waiting for us in the abasing of ourselves
I don't serve Christ today to get a breakthrough tomorrow, I serve Christ today because He's worth everything, every day
In John 15 verse 9, Jesus says, as the Father has loved me, I love you. And He says, abide in my love
Because you see, the enemy is always banking on you loving yourself more than you love God
And if you love yourself more than you love God, your obedience will always be compromised by your personal desire instead of kingdom desires
And if we would just realize that with God, the prize is always greater than the price
Surrender is only a sacrifice if you're in love with the world
Surrender is a privilege if you're in love with God
And that is why self-denial is not a burden of sorrow, It is actually an offering of eternal reward
Self-denial is a gift, it's an invitation into seeing how loved you truly are, and how glorious Jesus really is
Have a blessed day friends!
Mind if I tell you a secret
A few simple truths about me
Might be hard to believe
Guess I'm just trying to come clean
Sometimes I don't know where I'm going
It's hard to admit where I've been
When I come to the end of myself
This is where I begin, again
I am here,
I am loved
God is good,
and that's enough
Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
- Friends, the enemy lies to us daily about everything because there's no truth in him, and mind battles begin with the lies of the enemy, and those lies produce certain results in our feelings.
- Never trust your feelings over God's truth because the enemy is banking on your tendency to believe your feelings over the truth, and feelings will make you bound when the truth has set you free.
- The enemy will always walk in conjunction with the flesh, so if you have an inclination to anxiety, for example, the enemy will purposefully craft lies and deception in a way that will agitate you at the point of your anxiety, whatever you obsess over, you magnify, and whatever you focus on, you fuel.
- Don't obsess over the details of deception, fix your attention on what is true, and what is true will change your perspective on the problem.
- Listen, breakthrough comes when you know the truth, but transformation comes when you live the truth.
- Victory is not when demonic thoughts stop, victory is when you stop believing them.
Friends, never trust your feelings over God's truth.
Have a blessed day friends.
First Samuel chapter 17, a Goliath shows up and the whole of Israel is held captive
But David stands up to face that Goliath
A Goliath is some situation, some circumstance, a pain or problem that is overwhelming
I mean in verse 4 of First Samuel chapter 17, the Bible tells us that Goliath was 9 foot and 6 inches tall
That's some height
In verse 97 it tells us that Goliath had a hundred pounds of armor
A Goliath is that thing that is so big that it is overwhelming your existence
It intimidates you when you think about it, when you look at it, knowing that you have to deal with it
It produces emotional insecurity and instability
And the goal of Goliath is to control you and defeat you
To make you act in fear and live in bondage
Goliaths come in all shapes and forms
There can be medical Goliaths, financial, relational, circumstantial and career Goliaths
The problem with this one thing is that it affects everything else
And it just won't go away
The Bible tells us in verse 16 that Goliath kept coming at them day after day for 40 days
Friends, you either have faced a Goliath or you're facing a Goliath or you're about to face one
And I've called it a Goliath so at least you know how the story would end
It's not enough to have a covenant with God
The question is are you living under that covenant?
All of Israel had a covenant with God but David was living under that covenant
Sometimes the problem is not the absence of power or the absence of connection to the source of power
It is actually the absence of alignment
David to defeat Goliath first of all came in alignment with God
God is not saying that you won't have a Goliath
God just doesn't want Goliath to rule you and run your life
And so David was seeing the problem from the lens of the covenant
David said this Goliath is an uncircumcised Philistine
You need to realize that circumcision was a covenant issue
David was simply saying that this Goliath has no covenant or covering that empowers him over me
If what you see is all you see then you haven't seen all that there is to see
David could see the problem through the lens of his covenant with God
The second thing David did was to recount God's faithfulness He said God gave me victory over a bear and gave me victory over a lion
David recounted God's faithfulness because God's faithfulness is offensive to your circumstance
God sometimes will require that you take an offensive posture to your Goliath
God told Moses to hold out his rod and tell the people to start moving forward before he even opened the Red Sea
God told Joshua tell the priest to put their food in the Jordan before he ever held back the water
God told Peter to cast on the other side of the boat his net before God ever filled the net
God told Martha to move the stone in John 11 before he ever brought Lazarus from the dead
God wants to see you walk by faith and not just talk about faith
Then in Psalm 25 verse 12 to 14 the Bible tells us that the ones who are in God's covenant shall know his ways and he will show them his secrets
So in defeating a giant God gives you a divine strategy
David says I come in the name of the Lord
What he simply did was to give a revelation of the bigger one
What David is saying to Goliath is that you are big but I have come with someone who is bigger than you
Remind your situation of how big your God is
Friends giants do fall and giants are still falling
Your own giant is coming down
God bless you and have a great day friend!
Everyone is seeking for something
I mean people go out each day for a reason
And people wake up each day seeking for something
Fulfillment and satisfaction is at the top of the list of what the world is searching for
I read in an article a while ago that a rising 85% of the world's population moves around dehydrated
You are dehydrated before you're thirsty
And the best way to beat dehydration is to drink before you get thirsty
Water is humanity's most precious commodity
And Jesus calls Himself living water
And it's because He knew we would understand water to be the most precious commodity and without it we would not survive
Water is the most basic needed thing in the entire world, so when Jesus comes He says I'm the living water, I'm your most basic need and without me you do not survive
And God always wants to fill us
So He introduces Himself as the bread of life and now as the living water and when He fills us with His Spirit it's called the infilling of the Holy Spirit
So we become like Him when we let Him fill us with Himself
He cleanses us when He fills us up
He directs us by the current of the living water flowing in us, fulfilling purposes tied to Him filling us
We have this treasure in earthen vessels, the treasure is eternal the vessel is temporary
So if there's anything good in me it has to be God - God in clay, God in humanity
So He fills us up So He can flow into others around us
He fills us up and our cup run over So the inflow becomes an overflow and then it flows out of us into others
So for example God comforts us to make us comforters and not to make us comfortable
In a world filled with darkness expressed in violence, wickedness, intentional and willful wickedness against mankind
Jesus says in the midst of the darkness I am the light of the world
His very expression at the beginning of creation Let there be light simply means let Jesus have His way here
Because God made the sun, moon and stars Three days after He said let there be light
Jesus was that light Jesus is that light
The darkness you see around you is an opportunity for Him to shine in you and shine through you
Shine in you so that the darkness around you doesn't get inside you and shine through you Because you also are the light of the world
Three days of unexplainable light before the sun, moon and stars
Jesus is that light
Have a blessed day friends!
Beware! So often it’s our activities that obstruct our union with HimIt is easy to keep the outward things going and not gaze at His face.Busyness is not having a lot to do, it is the eclipse of the worth of Christ with works.Have a blessed day friends!
God will resist your plans so that He can restore your purpose. Anything that you love more than you love Christ should make you alarmed. Have a blessed day friends!
So Jesus stands up at a feast in a house and then he extended an invitation
If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink
Timeless invitation to the river of God
The water of life is given freely to anyone who thirsts
Now the world makes us dead to his longing to fill us with himself
So we begin to fill up God's space with things so things become God to us
We miss out on the highest delight, the highest pleasure
So God becomes a chore to us, a slave master
When he wants to be Lord, he wants to be enjoyed
So Jesus calls us to think less and drink more
To surrender your mind and open your heart
Jesus didn't come to the earth because everyone was seeking him and needing him
He came because no one was seeking him And he gave himself so everyone can see him, seek him
And then we can see that he is the desire of the nations
And what he does is that he will make you what you need to be Instead of telling you what to do
He is giving us a new covenant and the new covenant produces new desires
So when everyone is chained to the things of the earth
You fly to heights, you leave from a higher realm
You are bound to first love, your very first love, Jesus
And yet there is this yearning to give yourself to him in prayer
That you don't know how to express with words
Groanings that are beyond words
Oh Lord, I can't even want you without you
Your thirst is your recognition that you need him
And sin is what you do when you are not satisfied with God
When you want something more than what God gives
For he gives himself
Lord, free me from the need to have anything else
I can't even obey you by myself
Working on myself will not work But you work in me both to will and to do of your good pleasure
You have installed your spirit in me
And you give me a new understanding of life
And a new value system
I come to you, oh God, my King
The one who says Come to me If you are thirsty
Now I give you to drink
I come to you So I can abide in you
I refuse to depart So I can be fruitful So I can be fruitful
Friends, remember this
That to seek God means That God has your attention, your affection and your desires
There is a well that never runs dry
You don't have to thirst anymore
Come to me, says Jesus
Have a great day friends!
Satan controls people through his lies.
Deception, strongholds, begins with lies.
Now his lies have an intense grip in your mind because they are sown as seeds in your thoughts.
You take ownership of Satan's thoughts when you voice them as yours.
The Bible says in Matthew chapter 16 verse 21 to 23 an interesting account of Peter and Jesus. Jesus had just mentioned to his disciples the things that he must suffer and the Bible says that Peter calls him aside and rebuked him because of the things that he said.
And Jesus turned to Peter and said, Satan, get thee behind me.
So Jesus was talking to Peter but he was addressing Satan because you can voice Satan's thoughts thinking it's yours.
And how many people today have done Satan's bidding thinking it was God's leading.
The way to live wisely is to know the will of God. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 17 that we must understand the will of God to live wisely.
The knowledge of God's will is an empowerment to the believer.
The will of God renews your mind because the mind is either at war with God or it is being renewed. There's no middle ground.
Have a blessed day friends!
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night Psalm 1 verse 1 to 2.
Now you need to realize what the Psalm shows us here is two different systems of learning;
- First, there's a system of learning where the man who walks walks in the counsel of the ungodly, so he learns from the ungodly. He stands in the way of sinners, so he learns from sinners and then he sits in the seat of the scornful, so he learns from the scornful.
- But there's a man whose delight is in the word of the Lord, a different system of learning.
And what you need to realize is that no information is innocent, every information that comes to you is trying to mould you into something and trying to teach you something.
Everything that you allow into your mind is leading you somewhere.
The man goes where his mind goes and he eventually becomes like his thoughts.
The regenerated spirit needs a healthy mind to thrive. It is not enough to have the spirit of Christ in you, you must also allow that spirit through the nourishment and nutrients of sweet fellowship produce the nature of Christ in you.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ. If you have his mind, you can think like him and live like him.
Remember, everything that you allow into your mind is leading you somewhere. No information is innocent.
Have a blessed day friends!
“God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9
Communion with God is the expression of dependency on God. DONT GAIN INDEPENDENCE, Communion should be your home.
Have a blessed day friends.
John 12:24 "Truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces much fruit.” The vinedresser is also our Father and He cuts us in the right places so we can reach our full potential.
Have a blessed day friends.
Psalm 145 verses 2 to 4: Every day, I will praise you and I'll praise your name forever and ever, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and His greatness is unsearchable, one generation shall praise your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts.
There are four takeaways I want to unpack from the scriptures quickly and
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number one is daily that there's nothing more exhilarating than the daily rediscovery of Jesus Christ and when you make him your daily choice you won't be deceived into making inferior ones friends. In fact the day is robbed of its hero when you choose yourself over him. the best way to start your day is by acknowledging the one who created it and you must recommit your affection to him daily in order to seize the entirety and the totality of what God has for you
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number two is quality; great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. the psalmist is saying that our praise is our assessment of his value to our heart. great praise looks like something from the depths of our being the psalmist has said in in other psalms bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name. great praise expresses a great God and
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number three the journey his greatness is unsearchable I mean just think about that for a moment that he desires to be sought after yet his greatness is unsearchable that means that my highest thought of his greatness is the floor of how great he really is I'm completely satisfied with the insatiable desire to know the inexhaustible one his greatness is unsearchable but with God all things are possible and that's why he's a lover that asks me to seek him and he gives me the grace to discover him as I pursue and
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number four is eternity because verse four has touched me in a different way lately when it says that one generation shall praise your works to another this is saying that our praise will be the next generation's testimony of our God and our praise will either reveal God or expose that our faith is fake and futile this is why every day we have to make the decision to make the decision to bless him and to praise him and then we have to allow the quality of our praise to be dictated by the greatness of our God and not by our circumstances or situations.
Daily quality journey eternity. Psalm 145:2-5.
Have a blessed day friends!
Matthew 4.1,2 the Bible says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil
For 40 days and night, He fasted and became very hungry
It's interesting to me because as I look at this text, I'm reminded that the first temptation was that of bread
I mean, how does bread become the reason for someone to leave and abandon the will of God?
And Satan had been anticipating this moment right from Genesis chapter 3 When he heard God say that the seed of this woman will bruise your head
He was waiting for the moment that seed will show up on the scene And his very first encounter with the seed
Interestingly, the first thing Satan throws out is bread
Bread is not evil, food is for enjoyment
But in a fallen world, we are prone to love things in the wrong way
We are prone to be gripped and ruled by things that are not necessarily sin but can be because of the value that we give them over God
A fallen world comes with faulty priorities
Jesus' first temptation was to eat The very first temptation in Genesis was to eat
Ezekiel chapter 16 verse 49 The Bible says, behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom Pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and the needy
Esau ate his way out of the plan, ate his way out of his blessings
Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6 When you give, when you pray, when you fast
But some people today have somehow made one out of these three the center of their Christianity
So they pray and they do not fast, they give but they do not pray
And Jesus says that, hey, do not make one the center of your Christianity Because all three work out something in you
Satan throws bread first It wasn't a test of bread, it was a test of desire
Satan was simply asking Jesus Do you want the purpose and the will of God more than your body needs bread right now?
Are you desperate for the will of God more than your body right now?
Is desperate for bread, is your passion for God greater than your desire for bread?
This is what I know
God is able to know if the prayer of your mouth is the prayer of your heart
He's able to strip your mountain of words down to the very intent of your heart
Have a blessed friends!
In John chapter 12 the Bible talks about this interesting account of something that happened in scriptures
that 12 days before the Passover celebration began that Jesus arrived in Bethany the home of Lazarus, the man who He had raised from the dead
and the Bible says that a dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor and Martha served and Lazarus was among those who ate with Him
and this is the man who was raised from the dead, by the way and so we see how Lazarus moved from the grave to His table
and that's how God has moved us from the bondage of our sins to the liberty of communion and intimacy with Him
so guess what? you have a seat at His table
salvation guarantees you that - that you have a seat at the table of the Father
and then in verse 3 the Bible says that Mary took 12 ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard and she anointed Jesus' feet with it wiping His feet with her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance
and so we see how Martha served the table but Mary decides I'm gonna pour my worth on Him the very substance, the very treasure that I have committed myself to keeping to putting together
and she pours it all out to the Lord, to her Lord the fragrance of Bethany the fragrance filled the entire house
and this is so interesting because one of the things that God is doing today is that He's bringing people in to Himself
I call them the scented ones - so the people who God would send to represent Him are the scented ones - the ones who the fragrance of His presence rubs off on them and the Bible says that the fragrance filled the house
now this is interesting, but Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him said that perfume was worth a year's wages it should have been sold and the money given to the poor not that he cared for the poor he was a thief and since he was in charge of the disciple's money he often stole some of it for himself but Jesus replied leave her alone.
The world has an idea of how you should live your life, the world has an idea of how you should do things and this is Jesus' response to the ideas of the world, leave her alone. Leave him alone.
Jesus is saying that what she did is in preparation for my burial, in other words what she did has intentional purpose and it's vital for what I'm about to do
Friends, I believe this with all my heart that the love of the Father is so intense
He loves us for no reason yet we love him for so so many reasons
now it's important to understand that the value of our lives is Christ
He deserves everything that we have, everything that we own
He owns us and He owns everything that we own
and so the price we put on Him must be priceless
the price we put on him must be priceless
and if we are not full of Him, we have nothing to offer to anyone else
and this is what I'll remember about Mary - the woman with the fragrance at Bethany
Have a blessed day friends. God bless you!
There are things in your life trying to tear you apart, piece by piece.
Mark 4, Jesus says to his disciples let us go to the other side and a storm breaks out
professional fishermen were terrified Jesus was asleep and guess what, the devil will make you think sometimes that God is taking a nap on you and theologically you know it's not true but experientially your emotions can kick in to make you believe so against your theology
and these guys are in the will of God - obeying the words of Jesus, in fact traveling with Jesus himself and a storm breaks out
and then they went to Jesus to say, hey don't you care that we perish
Jesus wakes up and the first thing Jesus says to them is, oh ye of little faith
Jesus says, the problem is not the absence of faith, the problem is that your faith is little, little because you have forgotten
what did they forget - He told them let us go over to the other side and when Jesus said that
the implication of that is, they are not just traveling with the boat on water they actually traveling on his word and with Jesus himself
And it's easy for us to say amen to the promises of Jesus
it's easy for us to say amen to the sermon He preached
these guys freaked out when they got into the experience of it
how many times in our lives do we say amen to his words but we freak out when the experience of it comes
people want miracles. They believe God is a miraculous God but they freak out when they get into circumstances that necessitates a miracle
even Peter forgot that at some point in his life, He said to Jesus "at thy word "
Now when God says something, He means it. Even when there are interruptions in the process
most times we expect a smooth sail when God has made a promise to us and God didn't promise us a smooth sail
He promised us an expected end and Jesus says oh ye of little faith because they panicked in their problem
His word is your peace in the puzzle, His word is your peace in the puzzle
when you can't figure it all out God's word is peace in the puzzle
One of the dividends of salvation is that we now have peace with God but God also wants us to have the peace of God
and the peace of God is a product of peace with God
when you're saved you not only get peace with God you also have access to the peace of God
and the peace of God is our peace with God registering in our various footsteps movement and directions in life
so you can take God's recommended posture in every circumstance so that peace with God can be peace of God
Have a blessed day friends!!!
Acts chapter 4 verse 13 and the Bible says that when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men They marveled and they realized that they had been with Jesus
Friends, the world is in dire need of faithful followers of Christ and not heroes of faith
Visible verbal followers of Christ whose primary desire and obsession is to serve the Lord passionately
To express His love in its purest and authentic form and remain the pillar of truth
I mean visible verbal followers because God was on the move and God is on the move and God will always be on the move
And those who walk with God and listen to God are also on the move
Anyone who stops and wants to turn a moment into a monument as the disciples of Jesus intended to do at the mount of the transfiguration
Will soon be wondering where God has gone to
Every Christian is called, anointed and sent
And as we walk in this world, we are not to follow our hearts, we are commanded to guard our hearts
Visible verbal followers of Christ because we cannot be silent
Christ charged us to preach the gospel and he speaks daily to the believer who is charged to preach the gospel
So we don't ask what does the Bible says
So we don't ask what the Bible says
We ask what Christ says to us through the Bible and in the Bible
So that we can relate with a person and not the pages of a book
Friends, as we follow, even the spirit of the living Christ begins to produce the character and the competency of Christ in us
The fruit of the spirit wasn't intended to be a list of goals for us to produce as results
No, men produce results but the Holy Spirit produces fruits
So love the Lord, worship the Lord, serve the Lord
Because worship is love on its knees in adoration to God
And service is love on its feet doing the Lord's bidding
Christ rules and Christ reigns in this world
Not by sending in an armored tank but by sending his well-cultured servants
Remember, the world is in dire need of faithful followers of Christ and not heroes of faith
Have a blessed day friends!
Life doesn't always go like you have planned, and in order to have the peace of God that passes all human understanding, you have to give up your right to understand.
The scriptures says that God gives the oil of gladness for mourning, and in the midst of the grief, God gives grace.
Grief incarcerate you, and grace liberates you.
Grief look to the past, grace looks to the future.
What is gone is not compared to what is left.
Your heart is full of grief, His horn is full of oil because there's the oil of gladness for mourning.
Have a blessed day!!!
Jesus, Hearts melt at your nearness.
Eyes drip with water at the sight of you.
At your speaking knees collapse in your embrace.
You are the diadem of God's crown,
the Father's throne, the seat of heaven's rulership.
You are God-fleshed to give light to creation.
For in you, Jesus, heaven's seat, and in your light we see light.
Every part of you speaks directly to our heart.
Your voice is like the gathering of many waters, yet piercing, peaceful, resting, blissful.
You wink and the stars are created in the twinkle of your eye. Every star is defined.
In their majestic rays, they fall short compared to you. You are light, light brighter than light.
You form them, you name them, you hold them. All the beauties of the earth owes their existence to you. All the beauties of heaven are at the mercy of your breath. You are more.
Your eyes sparkle with love, a fire that accepts me. Consuming fire, your embrace is purifying my inward being, and receiving your words is life installed.
You're never tired of seeing me. Neither have you slept nor slumbered, even in my darkest night.
Instead, you've given me sleep so you can awaken me to the sunshine of your face.
You love me like no other. Even love as I have known it can never touch the depths of your affection for me. Your love is everlasting.
There is a fondness in your love, an intimacy so magnetic.
You are beyond the word affection. You give meaning to emotions I can't describe accurately with words.
All the weight of the secret moments with you. That sweet, direct, intimate, loving contact with Jesus Christ that kills competition and comparison and condemnation.
The loving, divine deposit that causes love to develop in you for him and overwhelm you till nothing can keep you from him. Failures and victories, disappointments and favor.
Everything causes you to run to him so you run to him as a way of life.
Jesus, you're steadfast, true and genuine. Never changing, but changing me by the love and the light that you give me.
The magnificent colors in your eyes. You are all the colors of beauty and brilliance.
What can I do to earn your love? What righteousness can I attain to be loved by you? But you have put your love in my heart and the measure is abundantly abundant and I'm clothed in your righteousness.
You set the feast. You chose my outfit. I must not come before you wearing something else but the righteousness you have clothed me with.
In the days when I feel less than a bride, like someone else would do better and be suitable for you, you reassure me that I'm your choice.
You've made room for me in you. Jesus, so I lift up my eyes to you and my eyes find your eyes looking at me, into me. You see what I need before I know how much I need it.
You reveal my need and meet them and give me your joy to seal them. You've offered me your love and in it I've found everything that I've been looking for.
You're the answer to all my life's questions. Every desire, every quest, every adventure. You're the fulfillment of every dream.
Jesus, you are more. You're more than life itself and your life when life is gone. Eternity in time and time in eternity.
The splendor and the majesty of your person cannot be exhausted.
Jesus, you are more. More. You are more. More!
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. - John 6:66 NKJV
Love is like energy, it doesn’t die but is simply transferred. The death of love is a shift of affection and attention, to be fixated on something else. Like choosing blessings over God, choosing things over God, choosing people over God_
But there’s a cure…..do listen below. Also, there’s a prayer at the end. I hope you pray with all your heart.
Have a blessed day friends.
Doctrine, Duty & Discipline without First Love is like a well organized wedding without a groom.
Life is full of distractions and so you must guard the doors of your heart by giving your attention and affection to Christ.
PRAYER Give me an undistracted devotion and an undivided heart.
Have a blessed day friends.
The best part of the christain walk is the part that only God sees
Your secret communion with God is the best part of your christain walk
We want to produce results but God wants to produce fruits! Allowing God to make deposits in you while life is waiting to make withdrawals
Your value for Gods presence is a reflection of your value for Him. So, Honor Him in secret with your time in the place of surrender
Elijah. His name means Yahweh's God.
His blood seems to boil against tolerating idols
so yielded to God that he is upset at the face of a God competition, exceptional in the prophetic.
No record of his mother or father.
He simply shows up on the scene filled with the power of God, he is radical, uncompromising, aflame.
The king literally called him the troubler of Israel. He was so ostracized that he thought he was the only prophet left.
His value for God's presence was exceptional.
He calls out sin at the sight or sense of it.
Elijah would say God before whom I stand. Even when he is obviously physically standing before a man,
his God consciousness made him stand out from others because he always stood before God.
He was so great that many years after he had been taken away from the earth, when people saw Christ performing mind-blowing miracles, they concluded that Elijah must be back, a man of prayer.
Described by two words in the book of Luke, spirit and power.
Elijah multiplied the widow's meal, she never ran out of bread.
He took a dead boy into the upper room and brought him back alive.
He prayed and the weather climate of a country changed for three and a half years.
He supernaturally outran horses and chariots for 31 miles straight.
A real living man possessed by the spirit of God.
And one day at Mount Camel, more like a massive stadium, and then he makes his signature unforgettable remark and we will always remember. 1 Kings 18.21 Elijah stood in front of them and said, how much longer will you try to have things both ways, if the Lord is God, worship him. But if Baal is God, worship him. And the people did not say a word.
But then, there is one greater than Elijah.
One whose name doesn't just point men to God, he is the sight of God himself. He goes beyond multiplying bread. He gives himself as daily bread. He gives himself as our constant nourishment. He multiplies himself in our heart as his love is shared abroad in our heart. He is life and life to us.
So Elijah will call rain from the skies, but Jesus pours out his spirit from on high. I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and we know from scriptures the kind of rain that falls when Christ prays. I will open rivers in high places, fountains in the midst of the valley. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water. Much more he lets the fountain that flows from him flow into us and out of our bellies flow rivers of living water.
He led captivity captive. He parried him down the street, conquered by the cross. Jesus disarmed all rulers, all principalities, all authorities. He didn't slay the prophet of Baal. Jesus with his blood and his breath slayed the antichrist and the dreadful dragon.
Jesus has won. He is winning. He always wins everything orchestrated by his own hands. There is no competition. He wears the victor's crown. He wins by breathing. Elijah called down fire on an altar filled with water but Jesus says that I have come to set the entire earth on fire. He who is from above is above all and this living Christ deserves living worship. And the call of Elijah is simple. How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions. If the Lord is God, follow him. But the people were completely silent.
But today, don't respond with silence. Respond with a prayer.
Let's pray together. Would you say after me,
Jesus, here's my heart and I open it to you. Show me any area that I've been compromising. Show me tolerations. Things I have conveniently allowed to compete for my affection and attention. Show me Lord where it has not been all for you and all to you and all of you.
Today, I want to freshly lay down my life. Torn from all sin. Torn from all selfishness. Torn from managing my own life. Torn from half-heartedness. From compromise. From lukewarmness. And I want to respond to the fire that Christ has called to the earth and worship only God in the way that he deserves and he demands.
God bless you.
Emotions are behind almost everything that we do
Emotions are the reason people get married
Emotions are also the reason people get divorced
Emotions are the reason people commit suicide
Emotions are the reason people sit in a solitary place and cry out their eyes
Emotions are the reason some people are doing body enhancement surgeries Because they don't feel right in their own body
Emotions are the reason some people have become blind drunkards Because they feel such emptiness within them And they are trying to drown the emotion by filling their stomach
Friends, emotions are not just a part of who we are For a lot of people, emotions dictate who they are and what they do
And the introduction of sin into the human race Reduced man to being a person controlled by his emotions Rather than the spirit of God
But at salvation, Jesus restored the order Now one of the shocking things I've come to know from a clinical psychologist's point of view Is that the goal of any treatment for any mental disorder Is not to eradicate the emotion It is not to remove the disorder It is merely to make it treatable enough that the person can function well enough in society
So in our current society that is so modern, so advanced, so progressive This is the best that you can get So when someone says I can't control my emotions The best the world can offer is to make it manageable enough so that you don't kill yourself
Friends, it is wrong to believe that emotions are a strong force within us that cannot be controlled Because you see, the devil hides behind uncontrolled emotions to carry out dark activities So that the result can be blamed on a man or a woman Who will face the consequences while the devil can move on to the next victim freely
And guess what? It says there's a time to love and a time to hate It says there's a right time to wage war And another time to make peace
Interestingly enough, Ecclesiastes chapter 3 puts the good and the bad emotions together And says the difference is the right time
Ephesians 4:26,27 - Be angry and do not sin..
Now for some people, you need the first two words Be angry Yes, be angry
Life and death is in the power of the tongue Do not just speak life, speak death too When demonic thoughts pop up in your head Kill them with words
When things start popping up in your life that the Father has not planted And are not aligned with God's word concerning you Speak death
It says life and death is in the power of the tongue It says the power of life and death is in the tongue So use it Use the power But use it constructively
There's a time to be angry When we see babies being butchered When we see the way the enemy is trying to corrupt our children With an unsettled identity and sexual dysfunctions And a lot more What should be your response? When you see the poor being oppressed Should you leap for joy? Be angry And maybe your lack of anger can be as sinful as your outburst of anger Just maybe your silence can just be as sinful as your short temper
God doesn't condemn your anger
Every emotion that God gave you is supposed to work for you and for his kingdom
God actually wants to redirect your anger So that you don't give an unrighteous response to an unrighteous situation or action
So God wants to take Peter's anger When he cut the ears of the soldier And converted to a passionate preacher Who stood on the day of Pentecost and declared boldly the gospel
God wants to take the anger of Moses When he killed the Egyptian and converted to courage To stand before Pharaoh and declare to him the word of the Lord Let my people go
So God doesn't want to take away your emotions He wants to use them He wants to choose when you should be angry The direction of your anger The duration of your anger And the intensity of it
Because if he leaves it to you You'll most likely let your flesh decide
We live in the light And we are children of the light So therefore we respond with light
Have a blessed day friends!
Pay attention to what you are becoming while you are following Jesus, while you are in Church.
While you are following Jesus, ensure that your decisions, your choices and your lifestyle are also following Jesus.
Have a blessed and rewarding day friends.
King Solomon.
He's known to possess such great wisdom and such endowment from God in this realm of man.
He had so much wisdom and understanding that it became a weapon. In fact, nobody dared to come against his kingdom.
He ruled in complete peace. His reputation had spread around the world so much that even arrogant kings left their thrones to attend his wisdom seminars.
He had something that no other man had. He had such glory.
In fact, he's recognized by the Jews as the pinnacle of Israel. King David is called the glory of Israel. But Solomon exceeded. He succeeded.
He excelled the pinnacle of Israel himself.
Silver was despicable to him. Silver was as rocks on the ground to him. A glory Israel had never seen before Solomon.
The Bible says that he put gold on top of gold. Such was the greatness of this King Solomon that all the earth sought his presence.
The Queen of Sheba came from the south. Such a long journey. Some believe that it took over six months just for her to get there.
Because she had heard of the glories of this King Solomon, the greatness of his wisdom, the expanse of his kingdom and the glorious structure that he had built.
She wanted to see for herself. And when she saw it all, the Bible says that she had the breath in her lungs taken from her. She was breathless by the overwhelming conviction. She had never seen anything like that. Much more. He explained all her questions to her.
And at the end of her visit the Bible says that she had the breath in her lungs taken from her. She was streaking breathless. She had never seen anything like Solomon. Like what he had built. And much more the wisdom that he displayed.
And before she left she said I've heard so much about this place but after seeing for myself I'm more than convinced that the half of it has not been told.
Matthew 12, 42 Jesus stands in front of humanity and says Someone greater than Solomon is right here.
A statement that trumps the glory of Israel. The pinnacle of Israel. And one would have said that's such an arrogant statement but it was an expression of humility because it's a high condescension for him to even liken himself to someone he created.
He who is from above is above all.
And we have realized this presence. Sensed this sweetness. Now we fix our attention on the highest seat.
Those bronze feet. Hair like snow. Eyes that glow.
Greater than the angels. Higher than the priest.
Every knee bows at his exalted seat and every crown at his feet.
Oh, that day when our faith will be sight, author and finisher of our faith. Jesus above all.
Every aspect of his person causes us to surrender helplessly in love.
He will never, never, never be ordinary in our eyes.
There's actually a charm in every feature. Every aspect of his person causes us to surrender more and more in love.
He has a way about him where he will never be otherwise than completely beautiful.
And Paul is oscillating between two ideas. Do I stay here and what is good for you? So I can minister to you. But I would rather be with Jesus.
In other words, Paul says that to be with Christ is far better. And interestingly, Paul doesn't say that to go to heaven is far better. He says to be with Christ is far better.
Because Christianity is not a mere escaping hell and getting into heaven. It is a living, loving walk with Christ sustained by his finished work.
So let Christ be the fountain and everything else streams that flow from him.
And one day, he will split the skies to rapture the saints. And the only way to have confidence on that day when he splits the skies to rapture the saints is if he splits the skies of your heart daily.
This Jesus, he who is from above is above all.
Have a blessed day, friends.
Proverbs chapter 15 verse 10 - Whoever abandons the right path Will be severely disciplined Whoever hates correction Will die
Hebrews chapter 12 verse 9 - Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us Shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the father of our spirit And live forever
2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 to 17 - All scripture is inspired by God And is useful to teach us what is true And to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong And teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people To do every good work.
Friends, correction is a matter of life and death
Correction is powerful
It is the power of change
Correction is how God transforms us
And your attitude to correction communicates your value for life
There's a deception today that is rampant
Where people misinterpret the correctional ability and functionality of God's word For condemnation
And so when scriptures point something out in your life that is wrong
And possibly maybe a teacher of the word does it
The world tends to think that that is condemnation
But forgetting that the word of God is designed to correct us
The discipline of God is not a death blow It is life giving
And if someone is training you, you need to respect them
And respect here doesn't just mean greeting or bowing
It actually means that you are taking the training that they are giving
And that is why a mentor is not just someone who gives you advice But he is someone whose advice you take
Jesus said, as a condition for discipleship That if you want to be my disciples, you must keep my commands
Friends, correction can save you from future destruction
The Bible says that if we take the correction of God, that we will live
The Bible says in Proverbs that if we hate correction, we will die It means that correction is a matter of life and death
So when God through His word Or through His Spirit in you Or through the people of God Who you meet every other day Points something out in your life that you do not agree with But actually challenges you to change
Accept correction because it is life-giving
Have a blessed day friends!
Psalm 136 verse 25: Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.
When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, there's a line in the prayer that He taught them to pray that says, Give us this day our daily bread.
The Bible says that all things are from Him, through Him, and for Him. God is your source. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, give us this day our daily bread, He was teaching them to acknowledge that what sustains you and what keeps you comes from God. God is your source and everything else is resource.
I know that people do not see God as much as they should see Him because they see themselves more. You're the one going to work. You're the one making the calls. You're the one asking for help. You're the one advertising the business. Many people are so blessed and fruitful and prosperous in the field of their craft or their career that they think that it is from them. But the truth is, God is your capital investor. He's the one who gave you capital for anything you have become and anything that you have today. In other words, without His capital, you'll be nothing.
If you are doing so great and you're so brilliant, you have to recognize that God gave you the mind to understand, the brain to think. You have to acknowledge that you have been helped by God.
Nobody is self-made. You were carried by God. God enabled you to become whatever you have become and He allowed you to have whatever you have. So when you tell the story of your life without acknowledging how you were helped by people, positioned by God, then you have told the incorrect or incomplete version of the story of your life.
It is God who gives seed to the sower and bread for food. In other words, He gives you capital. You can decide but God determines. You're not a brilliant businessman because you studied from the best institution. Your brilliance is a channel through which God shows His excellency.
The excellent spirit actually needs vessels to express himself. So God gave you the capacity to read and to understand. Even your hard-earned money isn't really yours. You have what you have because God gave it to you. And when you understand this, you realize that God is your source and everything else is resource.
But someone says, but why do unbelievers also have prosperity if it comes from God? Well, the Bible says that He causes rains to fall on the righteous and the wicked. God is responsible to all men on two levels. First, creation and second, covenant. And what it means is that God is a responsible God. He will take care of all that He has created. However, there's a second dimension of God's responsibility to man, which is covenant. And this happens when people come into a covenant relationship with God through salvation, accepting Him as their father.
Friends, give us this day our daily bread means that it doesn't come from you. And so whether or not it is within your reach, recognize that it is within your reach because God put it within your reach.
Have a blessed day friends.
Isaiah 57.15
True Revival aligns itself with the principles of scripture and it holds the word of God as the ultimate authority. It emphasizes a solid biblical foundation encouraging believers to grow in knowledge, understanding and the application of God's teachings.
The genuine work of the Holy Spirit becomes evident. This is TRUE REVIVAL. Pray today, that it begins with YOU.
Have a blessed and rewarding day friends. May our lives truly be marked by TRUE REVIVAL!
This is the story of God's love.
In the beginning, when time was born,
God's love adorned creation's dawn.
From heaven's realm, he spoke with might,
And breathed life into the darkest night.
Let there be light.
In Genesis, his love did shine,
A promise made to all of mankind.
And through Noah and the mighty flood,
God's love reclaimed man who was sinfully floored.
In Exodus, with power and might,
God freed his people from their plight.
And through Moses, his servant, tried and true,
He displayed a love that would breakthrough.
In Leviticus, a holy guide,
God's love for his children will abide.
Commandments given to cleanse the soul.
A testament of love untold.
In Numbers, as the journey went,
God's love was their eternal tent.
Through wilderness and desert sand,
his love sustained them with gentle hands.
In Deuteronomy, a final plea,
God's love proclaimed for all to see.
Obey his voice to love and to serve,
And the blessings upon them he would preserve.
In Joshua, strong and brave,
God's love guided the way they craved.
With walls that fell and victory won,
His love proved stronger than any weapon.
In Judges a cycle of highs and lows,
God's love delivered them from their foes.
And through George's race, his love shone bright,
Forgiveness granted with every fight.
And in Ruth, a story of love divine,
God's providence did intertwine.
A love story that transcends all time.
A love that heals. A love that binds.
In Samuel, God's love did persist.
Through kings and prophets, a love that insists,
To honor and serve to follow his way.
His love would guide them day by day.
In Psalms, a symphony of praise,
God's love echoed in numerous ways.
In times of joy or deepest despair,
His love would lift them. His love would repair.
In Isaiah, a prophet's song,
God's love would right every wrong.
A suffering servant, a love disowned,
Yet through his sacrifice, love would be known.
In Jeremiah, tears and lament,
God's love pursued them wherever they went.
A new covenant, a love yet unseen,
A love that can cleanse, a love that redeems.
In Ezekiel, dry bones arise,
God's love breathes life with the power to arise.
A heart of stone transformed by his grace,
His love would restore what sin has erased.
In Daniel, in the lion's grip,
God's love protected through trial and weep.
A flame unharmed, a mighty hand,
His prevailing love in every land.
In Hosea, a love story so true,
God's love pursued no matter what we do.
A faithful spouse despite our shame,
His love remains for it never wanes.
In Micah, a call for justice and grace,
God's love unchanging in every place.
A humble walk with God beside,
His love will conquer, His love will guide.
In Zechariah, a shepherd's care,
God's love for his people beyond compare.
A humble king riding on a colt,
His love will redeem, His love will exalt.
In Matthew, a story begins,
God's love fulfilled and grace now sings.
A savior born, a love divine,
His love for all, His love forever shines.
In John, a gospel of love's perfect display,
God's love in human form, experienced every day.
A sacrifice so great, the measure unfolds,
His love poured out a heart of gold.
In Romans, Paul eloquently paints,
God's love in Christ, no sinner can taint,
justified by faith through His Son.
His love declared our victory won.
In Revelation, a glimpse of the end,
God's love triumphant,
all hearts transcend.
A heavenly bridegroom, the Lamb once slain,
His love forever, no darkness can stain.
Throughout the Bible, God's love does speak,
a love unending, steadfast and meek.
From Genesis to Revelation's close,
His love endures, forever it flows.
You didn't do anything to make God start loving you,
and I'm sorry you can't do anything to make Him stop,
for He has loved you with an everlasting love.
May you have a blessed day, friends!
In ancient days a tale unfolds
of courage and mystery yet untold.
A young girl named Esther, fair and pure,
whose destiny the world through time would endure.
In Persia's land where kings reside,
a noble monarch ruled with pride,
King Ahasuerus, his name renowned.
Throughout the city his power remained profound.
Ignorant of God's sovereign hand, a queen he sought from all the land.
Maidens were chosen, their beauty inspected,
but Esther, a jewel of Jewish covenant, was soon selected.
Her origins hidden, her faith remained.
A Jewish orphan, but for this time divinely ordained,
under the care of Mordecai, this eaglet's wing got ready to fly.
The palace walls held splendour grand,
but dangers locked within like shifting sand.
Haman, the king's wicked advisor, crafted a plan one to despise her.
For Haman's wrath over the Jews, he plotted their destruction.
His decree aimed at their obstructions,
and throughout the land fear spread its wings,
as the faith of a people hung by strings.
Mordecai sent word to Esther beseeching,
to intercede for her people in his teaching,
and though scared and hesitant she heeded the call.
For such a time as this, she said, I was born,
I will go whether I stand or I fall.
In gathering strength she approached the throne,
risking her life to make the truth known.
In regal robes, she stood with grace, and the king's favour gently embraced.
Grant me your ear, O my Lord, I plea.
A terrible plot threatens my decree.
They are those who seek to bring us harm,
and in their shadows, we bear no charm.
With intrigue and suspense, the story unfolded,
as the king realized how he'd been moulded.
His love for Esther pierced through the night,
and the wicked Haman soon lost his might.
The tide had turned the chance to fight.
Esther's bravery shone so bright,
she pleaded for her people's decree,
saving them from Haman's deadly spree.
Bound by the law, a new decree inked.
To protect God's children, the king now linked.
Esther's triumph a lesson to see.
The power of faith and courage set free.
From orphaned God, queen of might,
Esther's tale shines with a radiant light.
A timeless story forever cherished,
of a heroine whose spirit never perished.
So let us remember this tale divine,
of faith, bravery, and love intertwined.
The story of Esther forever told,
for her legacy the world now behold.
Friends, this is a story of a diva that God used.
I mean, pretty in face and form,
and when the king called to meet maidens,
Esther says, I don't need makeup. I'll go just as I am.
Yet, she was the most beautiful and pretty lady in the room.
Now, this diva at first lost sight that she was put in that kingdom not for her own enjoyment, but to be used by God.
And God has a lot of divas today who have gotten so used to being high and mighty,
so successful, and so self-absorbed that he no longer can use them.
Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 says that for we are God's masterpiece, and he has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he prepared for us long ago, long before.
So if you don't see where you are, and what you have, as an opportunity for God to show himself,
then you need to change your thinking and your operation.
You can be a star to your world,
you can be a star to the whole world,
but in God's eyes, you're blessed to be a blessing.
Have a blessed day friends!
In the ancient days, a story told
Of Samson strong and bold
A chosen vessel of great might
A Nazarite in God's holy light
From birth his hair untouched by bleed
A symbol of the vow he made
To serve the Lord with all his might
And to use his strength for what is right
But tempted by worldly love
Samson's heart strayed from above
Delilah's charms deep penetrate
And his faith began to dissipate
She crooned with horny words of deceit
I'll tell your secret if you repeat
The source of the power that lies within
And let me cut your hair so thin
Samson so blinded by earthly desire
Ignored the warning, stoked the fire
He divulged the secret of his strength
Allowing her bleed to touch at length
Soon enough his locks shone
His strength was gone, his body won
The Philistines seized him without a fight
A fallen hero no longer in God's sight
In chains he languished, a sight for all
His pride shattered, he took the fall
But in his darkest hour, humbled and weak
Samson cried out a prayer to seek
O Lord, forgive my foolish pride
In your mercy let me reside
Restore my strength once again
To fulfill your purpose to amend
And despite his shame, God did hear
Samson's repentant plea sincere
Restored to strength, his faith renewed
He pushed the pillars, the temple through
In his final act of sacrifice,
Samson found redemption's prize
Though he stumbled, he rose again
And God's grace in weakness found his friend
This is a cautionary tale we must heed
The perils of pride and earthly greed
Let Samson's fall remind us all
To guard our hearts and heed God's call
For in our weakness, His strength is made known
And through him alone, we are not alone
So let us stay steadfast in faith and prayer
To avoid the temptations that lead us nowhere
Friend, this is a story of the most expensive haircut
Don't underestimate the flesh and its desires
And don't negotiate on the word of God
Do not be conformed to this world - Romans 12:2.
The world is like a molder
And it wants to conform us through pressure
To a worldly image of ourselves
And this is not the true you
This is the you that the world has made
This is the you that the world has conformed
And changed through the most expensive haircut
Say no to Delilah
Your flesh is lying to you
That you need what you think you need
Have a blessed day, friends!
1 John 2 verse 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. And if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in them.
Friends, worldliness is a perspective that you have that corrupts your connection to the Lord.
Now anything or anyone or any thought or any belief that stares you away from the truth of God's word is worldliness.
It is that fatal attraction that captures our minds and our hearts and draws us away from God and it diminishes our experience of God.
I mean it keeps us from knowing God as He wants to be known in our experience. And the world is a system headed by Satan with its primary purpose and goal to keep God out.
So whenever God is excluded from something, it is worldly. And the Bible says that all that is in the world is, first of all, the lust of the flesh and then the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. Now flesh is driven by desire, what I want, what I crave for.
The flesh is our desire to please ourselves independently of God.
So when you want something God doesn't want or when you want something that God made but you want to get it illegitimately.
So God made food, gluttony is the illegitimate desire and pursuit of it and so that's flesh. God made wealth, materialism is the flesh. God made sex, immorality is the flesh.
So any craving that disregards what God wants and what He wills for you is the lust of the flesh.
Friends, have you realized that TV commercials are designed to stir up a desire in you for what is being advertised and so that you begin to think that you deserve what you now desire through what you have seen although it is illegitimate and then in the context of God's word it is illegitimate either in its purpose, in process or in proportion.
The lust of the eyes, I see it and therefore I'm going to get it even if it is illegitimate, is the deliberate pursuit of impressing others by any means possible to look better in the eyes of men.
The boastful pride of life, I mean creating a self-measured standard for men to perceive you, the pursuit of prestige when your priority is not God's glory but self-glory, how you look and what you want and here's the height of this deception.
Many people end up on social media praising God and thanking God for things that He didn't give to them and He doesn't want them to have.
Love not the world friends, the world is the love that God hates. Have a blessed day friends.
In John 7.38, Jesus was speaking and He says
Whoever believes in me, rivers of living water will flow from within him
The Bible says that he was speaking about the Spirit when he said this
So you see the Holy Spirit is not meant to just be in us without flowing from us
It is erroneous to believe or to even teach that the Holy Spirit is in us purely for us
The purpose of the Spirit being in us is that rivers can be created
So that out of us, like the garden of Eden, there will be a flow
The Bible speaks of the garden of Eden
That the river flowed out of Eden, watering the garden first
And then from there, it produced four rivers
And the Bible says that the husband man is the first partaker
I know that we love the outflow
But we don't understand the in-watering
You should never be dry, never be dry in service
Never be dry because you are dispensing
You should never be empty
It is in the in-watering that the ground of your heart is made soft
That the seed of the word of God may find its place and then produce fruit
Because you see friend, he satisfies your thirst first
And he also cleanses you from your dirt
The garden of your soul, your mind, your will, your emotions
That water washes away your lust
It has an effect on your ambition, your pride, your thoughts, your temper
And I know that you want to make an impact in the world
But you have to allow the Holy Spirit first to fill you, to water you
And make you a well-watered garden
I know that you want to take territories for Jesus
But have you fully been taken by Jesus?
No aspect of a river is dry and empty
So no area of your life should be a patched ground
In John chapter 4, the Bible tells us about this woman at the well
The Samaritan woman
And Jesus satisfied the thirst of the woman at the well
And then she went into an overflow
And she called the people of the city
Friends, don't go out trying to give of what you have not had enough of
The flow of a river is what guarantees the cleanliness of that river
If all that God is doing in you is not flowing from you
Through you, to other people, to other places
Then that is a waste of eternal and divine resources
It is the inflow that makes us a well-watered garden
And then it flows out of us to touch the world around us
The Holy Spirit is in you, not just for you
But first for you and then for others
Have a blessed day, friends!
We all have one thing in common
and we have the human nature
and the human nature beyond our skin tone, our skin type, our racial identity, our tribal affiliations, our hair texture or our eye color,
the human nature also comes with a sin nature,
I mean a nature that is liable and inclined to rebelling against the standard of God
and it is inbuilt, inherent so no one needs to learn how to sin
and this nature damages the soul and extends that corruption through the body to the physical world
so the sins of others can hurt us and our sins can also hurt other people
and the body will act based on the orientation of the soul and the soul will be trained by the human spirit which at birth is affected and infected by the sin virus.
And sadly friend, a lot of people have settled for managing this condition by doing external renovations and reformations and many others make efforts to conceal it,
they keep it hidden with their jobs, their social status, their wealth and their association but every attempt to manage this nature ends in futility
because the effect of the virus will keep showing up,
it shows up in the anger that we can't control, in the sexual appetite we cannot manage, in the addictions that take over our faculties and destroys our bodies, in the language that we can't censor, in discouragement that rules our lives, in dysfunctions that we cannot deliver ourselves from
and many pretend to be okay but a distorted soul will always bring destruction.
And friend, this virus creates a heightened view of self through a perverted lens
so there's so much emphasis on self, find yourself, be yourself, love yourself and some in the process end up in a concept of self that is conceptualized by satan, my life, my body, my choice
and which is the disguise for bondage, perversion and evil.
And in all of this, the world makes you say to yourself, I was born like this but God says to you, you need to be born again
and being born again is the only way to be free from this virus.
The Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
So the Bible says, so liberty is liberation from anything or anyone holding you hostage illegitimately.
And at salvation, the Holy Spirit begins a transformational work in you by coming to dwell in your human spirit
and He's not all about external reformation or infection management, He transforms you spiritually.
So as you walk with the Holy Spirit, you realize that the true mark of spiritual growth is that you're changing.
Friends, no one can change himself by himself.
So don't try to do what only God through His Spirit can do for you and in you.
Friends we are being transformed whether you feel it or you know it and the Holy Spirit is at the center of it all.
Have a blessed day friends!
Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might
Now hear me, you don't have a power problem
The things of God are in their perfect state with no need for improvement or additions
You don't need more power
When God gave you the Holy Spirit, He gave you all the power that you'll ever need
God gave you himself and it is, for this reason, nothing is impossible to the one who believes
So God doesn't have extra power for anyone
So prayer doesn't make you stronger
Prayer helps you express the power that is in you
There is power in your spirit man
You don't grow more powerful
You grow more confident in the power that you already have
And many Christians are going around with the Holy Spirit in them but trusting in themselves
2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 17 says that now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
So having the Holy Spirit means having Jesus living in you Because the Bible says that now the Lord is that spirit
So we need to grow in faith and not in power
So how do you grow in faith?
Mind what you consider
Romans chapter 4 verse 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body already dead Since he was a hundred years old And the deadness of Sarah's womb He did not waive out the promise of God through unbelief But was strengthened in faith Giving glory to God and being fully convinced that what he has promised he was able to perform And therefore it was counted to him for righteousness
So you become weak in faith by considering the wrong things
The Bible says that he did not consider his own body already dead Or the deadness of Sarah's womb
Because faith doesn't deny reality
It just doesn't regard it
You cannot confront a problem that you hold in high esteem
And that's why David could defeat Goliath
Irrespective of his size because he did not regard Goliath
Whatever you consider will overwhelm you
Whatever you focus on will fill your heart
So instead of considering his own body or the deadness of Sarah's womb
Abraham considered the faithfulness of God And the ability of God to bring to pass his promise
And this is what you need to learn today
Instead of considering the wrong things Consider the faithfulness of God and the ability of God
David said I've set the Lord always before me He's at my right hand therefore I shall not be moved
And the Bible says that he has set a table before you in the presence of your enemies
So don't focus on what God has not set before you
Remember you don't need more power
You need to grow stronger in faith
And more confident in the power that God has already given to you
And the person of the Holy Spirit
Have a blessed day friends!
..The Holy Spirit indwelling us and empowering us to respond rightly, the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is able to take what you have and give God his greatest glory from that thing.
The Holy Spirit is the breath of God at the beginning, the wind that carried the creative word of God, the spirit of God that hovered above the face of the deep.
To Joseph, He was the dream giver, to Moses, He was the fire from the bush calling for the deliverance of an oppressed nation, He was the precious oil that anointed kings and prophets.
He is the one who inspired the builders of the Tabernacle in Exodus.
In Leviticus, He is the sovereign fire. In Numbers, He is the different spirit that separated men of faith from men of fear.
In Deuteronomy, He is the cloud by day and the fire by night.
In Joshua, He is the ruach of God's people, the breath that came forth upon the shout and trumpet, the sound that caused the walls to crumble.
He was Samson's strength, the Ruth's oil of favor, the anointing of David.
And to Elijah, He was the still small voice, the multiplying effect for the widow, the one who caused dry bones to live again.
And in Chronicles, He is the kindred spirit, the fortifying spirit.
In Ezra, He is the convincing spirit drawing the hearts of men to repentance.
In Nehemiah, He was the comforter, the leadership ability of Nehemiah.
To Esther, He was the voice of her destiny. And to Job, He was the life-giving spirit. He was Solomon's wisdom. In Psalms, He is the spirit of worship. In Proverbs, He is the spirit of wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is the spirit of purpose. He is eternity in our heart.
In the song of Solomon, He is the hidden dove among the rocks, the alluring wind, the unquenchable fire. And Isaiah reveals Him as the spirit that rested upon Jesus. And Jeremiah referred to Him as fire in his bones, the one who ignites the word of God in any man and in any heart.
Lamentation reveals Him as the one who grieves deeply over sin.
Ezekiel shows us that He is the spirit of oneness with God, the revealer of secret things.
In Daniel, He is the excellent spirit. In Hosea, He is the patient spirit.
In Joel, He is the promise of the Father. In Amos, He is the consuming fire, the flame that devours our idols and our false perception of God.
In Obadiah, He is the guarantee of deliverance. For upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance and holiness, and the children of Jacob shall possess their possession.
In Jonah, He is the wind that redirects, the one who guides you into the perfect will of God.
In Micah, He is the unchanging spirit. He won't change his mind about you and about what He is telling you to do.
Nahum says that He is the one who warns the sinful ones of the wrath of God.
In Habakkuk, He is the spirit of righteous indignation. In Zephaniah, He is the spirit of hope. In Haggai, He is the spirit of boldness.
In Zechariah, He is the spirit of grace. He empowers us to do and become all that God has desired of us. And in Malachi, He is the refiner's fire, the one who purifies us and sanctifies us in nature and in character.
And in the New Testament we see him as the power behind the incarnation of Christ, the threshing wind, the secret to greater works, the power of the church, the one who sheds the love of Christ in our heart, our intercessor, our helper, our sanctifier, the transforming spirit, the giver of gifts.
And today, He ignites the heart of every believer with a passionate love for Jesus, the kind that causes even martyrs to lay down their lives, the generous giver of spiritual gifts.
He helps us to pray continually, live righteously, evangelize boldly, believe radically, worship sincerely and walk powerfully on this earth and that Holy Spirit is in you.
Don't make your relationship with the Holy Spirit an emergency relationship. It must be an abiding relationship. And if you are not willing to identify with Christ then you are stifling the work of the Holy Spirit. Have a blessed day friends.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” - John 14:16-17
The HolySpirit is a PERSON to be KNOWN not a force to be utilized
Give yourself to KNOWING the Holy Spirit!
The only reason some people cannot see what God is doing is because they are focused on what he hasn't done for them.
They are focused on their disappointments.
Well here's the truth. It is not what God does for you that validates who He is. God is still Jehovah Rapha.
The death of your loved one did not change that.
God hasn't stopped being provider because you couldn't pay rent.
God hasn't stopped being Jehovah Nissi because you slipped into depression.
It is not what God does for you that validates who he is. God is God.
So don't build your faith on acts. Don't build your faith on acts. Build your faith in the knowledge of God.
Your faith must be based on the revelation of Jesus Christ, on what he has done on the cross of Calvary and the power in his name.
Friends, don't let your disappointment infiltrate your doctrine.
So in our text today, we see the life and the faith, the attitude of the believers in Acts chapter 12.
Although James died, they still fought for Peter.
When your disappointment does not affect your concept of God, your labour of love, your walk of faith, and your patience in hope, then you have gained a level of maturity that is not common today.
Your faith must be in the character of God, the power of his name, and the finished walk of Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Your life will change if you don't think on the level of your feelings.
Any believer who is ruled by the Word of God cannot be trapped by the enemy.
So don't think on the level of your feelings. Think on the level of the truth. Think on the level of your faith, not on the level of your feelings.
This is why it is possible for the child of God to feel down, but think up. This is why it's possible for the child of God to feel death, but you think life. This is why you can be surrounded by uncertainties, but you can see possibilities.
Discouragement is the first step to your next failure. Satan will get you discouraged so he can set you up for your next failure and your disappointment.
The discouragement that comes from your mistakes is designed to put a wall on your way. It's designed to put a wall on your journey.
A wall makes you turn back. A wall prevents you from seeing the way forward. It's like losing James and not seeing the possibility of having Peter back.
You must determine, you must make up your mind that by the grace of God, you will never get discouraged. No matter how much you failed, no matter how deeply you failed, even if everything goes wrong around you, you're going to have hope that God is still almighty and he has a plan for you.
Remember the Lord. Remember who God is. Don't lose sight of him. Don't lose sight of who He is. Remember the Lord.
Remember that he's kind. Remember that he's merciful. When you make a mistake, remember that he's merciful.
Also, remember who you are in him. Also, remember what he has done. Remember what he has done.
The same God you are agitated about is the same one who stepped in in time and went to Calvary for your sake.
How quick we forget. How quick. How quick we forget that he gave himself. And if he gave himself, what can he not give to you?
Listen, if God does not release things to you when you want him to release them to you, then you must learn to believe that he has a better plan. You must learn to see what he's doing. You must learn to see what he's doing. You must learn to realize that God is withholding that thing from you because he has seen that that is the thing that brings him or brings you to him. And he wants to get that thing out of the way. He doesn't want your needs to be the mediator. He wants Jesus to be the mediator.
Sometimes for a lot of us, our needs are the middle point between us and God. Every time there's a need, that's when we come. And so we come to God through our needs. And God says, no, I want you to come to me.
God says I honor my word more than my name. Remember what he has said to you. Don't be quick to forget what God said to you.
The moment we lose our hunger for God
We start filling up with other things
And then the casualness of our pursuit Begins to define our decline
And the reason we fall is because we're trying to stand And we're trying to do it in our own strength
God is not in love with the future version of you
It is not the you in tomorrow that God loves and delights in
It's not you when you get your act together
Now if you believe that Christ's love for you is a future love for you
Then you dismiss the cross of Christ
Because the more you make this world about you The more miserable you will be
God does not regret saving you
Now Satan is trying to give you a mental discount For what Jesus paid in full for
But you see, without a heart transformed by the grace of God You just continue to manage external and internal darkness
Christ must have your attention Be your ambition and your treasure
And without this, everything that you try to do for him Including suffering for him is a fool's errand
And then you realize that grace is not a sin management venture
Your encounter of God's grace is first an encounter of God's saving grace
Which is an invitation to experience the life of Christ
And then there is the enabling grace which empowers you to be all that God has called you to be In his will and in his standard
Remember friends, God is not in love with the future version of you
Have a blessed day friends!
Repentance is important because God has standards (Christlikeness) and your spiritual walk will be measured by God’s standards
The needed revival is hinged upon our total alignment with God’s standards
This must be our earnest pursuit!
John 9 verse 4 - We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the one who sent us
The night is coming and then no one can work
Friends, we are constantly up against time
And everything in life has a time factor
Eternal life is not eternal time
Eternal life is quality of life and not the quantity of time
It is the strength of life and not the length of life
And your purpose may be divine but it is time bound
Jesus said to Judas, do what you have to do quickly
Because everything has its time
Time is the one thing without any other element that works against us Depending on how we cooperate
It was in Psalm 90 that Moses said, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom
The consciousness of time is a door to gaining wisdom It pushes us to receive and apply wisdom
And this is why we celebrate the new year and mid-year It is to give us the consciousness of time
And I want you to know today that we are all in a rat race
Not a rat race like you know it to be But a rat race as in R.A.T. Race against time
And there are people who like to believe that they don't have time at all
And there are others who like to believe that they have all the time in the world
But you see to redeem the time you have to cooperate with the Holy Spirit In bringing you into the fulfilment of the plan of God for your life
You cannot advance in the plan of God for your life beyond your obedience
Have a blessed day friends!
A lot of people want more. They want to experience more in their relationship with God and in their Christian walk.
But the question is, where's the fruit of the measure that you have taken in already?
God doesn't accept past glory. When you're fruitful, He prunes you so you can bear more fruit.
So when you wake up to say that I studied the Word of God for five hours or I prayed for eight hours, it's not a laurel, it is a life.
And in the diligence of seeking God, the Holy Spirit begins to take off the weed in the seeds of your desires.
And sometimes what your spirit is longing for is clouded by what your soul is lusting for. And you can start out wanting something and now you're asking for something different.
The Bible didn't say that God walked with Noah. It says that Noah walked with the Lord. And what you realize here is that God is the willing one in the relationship. And so Jesus came to teach His disciples how to pray in Luke chapter 11 and He taught them how to pray.
And amazingly, the first thing that Jesus taught them in prayer is our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Friends, you need to realize that what Jesus was teaching is that our awareness of God's presence and attentiveness to His presence, all in adoration of His name is the most important part of prayer.
Friends, we must reduce ourselves to the full awareness of God and attention to God.
And with this reduction, seduction loses its power and loses its power.
I mean, the clouds and dust of our self-effort and self-consciousness can only be settled when we get still with Him and with Him ever before our face.
And the purpose of prayer is to produce a consciousness of the presence of God. And there is no other accomplishment that is greater than this.
And there's actually no other way to accomplish anything outside this when you give Jesus His proper place in your life. Everything else begins to fall into their rightful place.
Have a blessed day, friends.
Like an Olympic swimmer in shallow waters,
cool with average, way below my covenant capacity,
comfortable in mediocrity, coping with redundancy,
but you've called my name.
You saw through my folded arms, you touched my tired heart, El Roy.
You saw my face while it was covered,
Ebenezer, you saw my helplessness, and you were deeply attracted.
You are the potter and I am the clay.
My brokenness was material for your building project,
you've unlocked possibilities in me I didn't realize could ever happen.
You've made me believe nothing is impossible.
Healing for my heart,
you've helped me see, you've helped me become.
I'm becoming the masterpiece you spoke of,
piece by piece, you've put me together like perfect shalom,
nothing missing, nothing broken, nothing lacking.
When you said, my peace I give to you, I receive.
You could have counted me out, impressed me from a distance.
I could even play background,
run away from spotlight, but you called me out,
light of the world, shine your light, be your street light, shine to the nations.
So this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
You've called out my name and my fears ran for fear that your eternal light will expose them.
This relationship will never end,
this son, this God, this love, this life, this light that breaks my night.
And the emptiness in me has been filled with your life and you called it grace.
Now I say these many lines to express how lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.
I'm a trophy of your grace.
I'm a trophy of your grace.
My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. James 5:19-20 NLT
Christians are lifeguards. We're in the business of rescuing people who have strayed away from the truth. This is not the time for Secret Agent Christians or Convert Jesus Operatives. We need people who would step up and get the gospel to the world.
No place is too hard or too dark for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The grace of God will go as far as it takes to reach those who are prepared to acknowledge their need for God.
God's plan for moving people from the broad way to the narrow way involves you.
Let's stop building the walls of barriers and get ready to dive in because there's still room enough for one more!
Hope for the child of God is a confident assurance of future glory. God will give us all we need so that we can obey Him.
God's people don't live on explanations, they live on God's promises - because God's promises reveal God's character. The just shall live by faith!
Living by faith is living on His promises, not on explanation.
God is not in a hurry because all His works are done in love. And love is patient and kind, so be grateful that God takes His time. Just live on God's path, live in God's presence, and live for His pleasure.
Every good relationship in your life is a gift of grace from God.
Are you grateful for meaningful friendship?
God sanctifies us through the people He strategically places in our lives as gifts of grace. No human is supposed to be your source of personal joy and contentment. Your loved ones couldn't be the sources of your identity - when you seek to define who you are through those relationships, you're simply asking another "sinner saved by grace" to be your personal messiah - to give you inward rest that only God can give!
Don't be so fascinated by the gift of grace that you see them as the givers of grace.
Are you grateful for meaningful friendships? Every good relationship in your life is a gift of grace from God. Take out time today to appreciate them.
God never withholds from His children that which His love and wisdom calls good.
Faith is willing not to have that which God is not willing to give!
God is calling us to a perfect standard. To be Holy as He is Holy.
Everything God demands, He supplies - we don't have to sweat it. He is willing to use our circumstances to prune us to become more like Christ.
It is God who works in us, both to do and to will - of His good pleasures.
It is a divine-human partnership where He works in us and we work it out!
The flesh communicates it's cravings through lies
The flesh will lie to you so it can fulfill its desires
So you get into that situation that you thought you could handle and you fail or fall into sin wondering what really happened to you
Many people have fallen into sin because they thought they were capable of handling that evil but the flesh lied
You will fall because your flesh actually wants it. It is leading you to what it wants under the disguise of being strong enough to resist and overcome
The flesh wants you to be free from the guilt of sin, not from the sin itself
The flesh justifies the acts of the flesh and it makes you believe that it doesn't temper with your relationship with God
In Romans 13.13,14 Apostle Paul warned the believers to make no provision for the flesh
This is the way to self-deception; it is subtle, it is slow, but it can submerge your soul
Everyday you wake up, always check if you have started deceiving yourself because your flesh doesn't care where you spend eternity since it wouldn't be there.
Here's the standard for true repentance; - Realize your wrongs - Repent from the wrong and - Renounce the patterns and the ways
Never postpone repentance, it must be right here, right now and for the rest of your life.
Always remember, the flesh will lie to you to fulfill its desires, but the trust will set you free right now, right here and for the rest of your life!
When you continue in prayerlessness as a lifestyle, you are embracing ungodliness as a lifestyle. Prayerlessness is self-reliance.
We depend on God to desire God - to be more like Christ.
...Whichever approach you adopt - be found praying!
God is more interested in your progress than perfection. Continue listening for further exposition. God bless you!
- The more you respond to the Spirit of God, the more you lose the desire to do worldly things.
- The greatest enemy to your Spiritual growth is your flesh.
- Discipline is deciding to do the things that you know you should do even irrespective of the influence of your emotions. You remain committed even when it is not convenient for your emotions.
- Growth is gradual, stop waiting for an emotional experience to confirm spiritual realities.
- Walk in the Spirit to subject the flesh, and then it becomes easy to resist the devil.
“Stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”” Matthew 26:41 CSB
God will give you desires but it is up to you to make decisions.
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”_ (Isaiah 41:10 CSB)
I don’t want you to know everything, I want you to WALK WITH ME to and through everything! - GOD
Have a Blessed week friends.
Sometimes the reward/result of obedience doesn't come immediately. When it doesn't come immediately, it is a test to see if we will remain consistent in the path of obedience.
Sometimes God gives us a sign to assure us that what He has promised is going to come to pass.
Continue to consistently walk in the path of obedience and righteousness. Much more than the result you get externally is the results you get internally. Training your heart and mind and spirit to walk in righteousness.
Rejoice at the signs that God is giving you because it's a sign that the wonder is coming.
God created us to worship Him, to love Him, to love people and use money, but what greed does is that it makes you love self, worship money and use people.
Greed is the illegitimate and unauthorized desire or pursuit in acquisition of material gain.
If you use illegal or immoral means to acquire things, then you're driven by greed.
If you complain more than you give thanks then you're driven by greed.
If you're more concerned about your cash than your character, then you're greedy.
If you treat people with money better than people without it, then you're greedy.
If you hurt others in order to get something for yourself then you're greedy.
If you crave and plot to possess what legitimately belongs to somebody else, you're hanging out with another relation of greed which is called covetousness.
You can be giving things and still be greedy. Generosity begins with giving thanks and not giving things.
Be contented, grateful and watchful of your desires. Your luxury is at God's discretion!
Irrespective of what your flaws are, never allow your mess to keep you far from home. If you feel messy, run home.
Our sins change our perspective of God and never God's perspective of us. His steadfast Love keeps chasing after us, and there's no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.
Though we're incomplete, God loves us completely, though we're imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost without a compass, God's love encompasses us completely.
God loves everyone of us and you would never look into the eyes of a person God doesn't love. Romans 5.8.
Sometimes it is not about how many followers you have, it is about who is following you. Your identity isn't in the roles you play - that can be taken away from you. The secret to a settled Identity is the awareness that you belong to God. Your identity is in your connection with God. Who we are is revealed by whose we are. Don't measure yourself by everyone's standard and any other standard. An eternal standard of measuring our values and worth is the cross of Jesus. Find out what God's word say about you and say Amen!
God is good all the times to those who put their trust in Him. Hopelessness exposes emptiness because it shows what your mind is filled with. If your mind is full of God's word, then your hope is renewed in the light of God's word. The fruit of the Spirit is not seasonal. No matter what we go through in life, we don't stop bearing fruits - even when we find ourselves in circumstances that we can't comprehend, we go through them with the peace that passes human understanding.
Every step you take away from God complicates your life and multiplies your struggles.
Prayer is humility. It is testifying that God is God and you’re not. That you’re limited and He’s not!
Every step you take away from God deepens the void that nothing else can fill. Keep your prayers simple, sincere and steadfast.
Prayer is humility, consistency, sincerity and simplicity. Men ought always to pray and not to faint!
Deception is a seed, sin is the fruit and manipulation is the fertilizer.
What is produced through deception is sustained through manipulation and it blossoms eventually into destruction.
Whatever you're willing to compromise God's standard for is an idol in your heart - and you expose deceptions by exposing your idols.
By evaluating your unchecked desires, you will find the idols that you need to expose.
Be vigilant and watchful where you give your worship. What you expose, God will uproot - much more, He invites you to walk with Him.
The way to conquer sin is not by working hard to change your deeds, but by trusting Jesus to change/transform your desires.
Our greatest need is not to try harder, it is a new heart, that produces new desires. Far more important than looking and searching for God's will, it is simply knowing and trusting God that the work He's doing in us is purposeful, progressive and perfect.
In Ephesians 4:1, Apostle Paul admonished the believers to live a life worthy of the calling we have received as a "Prisoner of the Lord".
Trust what God is doing in you, rest in it, decide to be a prisoner of the Lord and draw your strength from Him.
A prisoner for the Lord is one who is a prisoner to the Lord's will, His desires and His purposes.
There's a woke culture that has removed conviction of sin and repentance from the gospel.
- It calls conviction condemnation,
- embracing the destruction of the family structure under the pretense of love, compassion, inclusivity,
- embracing sexual pervasion like homosexuality under the pretense of love and kindness,
- promoting revival without repentance, salvation without repentance from sin, the Holy Spirit without the Holy Scriptures,
- Holiness that doesn't have to change you, and in trying to be woke - many have broadened the narrow way.
Don't be woke, stay alert, stay awake, be awakened unto righteousness and stay under the authority of scriptures!
The woke culture operates by subtracting from the scriptures, add a little individual opinion, then manipulate the narrative of scriptures to say what you want to say, publicly contradicts the truth to convince people mentally and emotionally. All powered by the progressive ideology that the Bible is not perfect and that the Bible is not complete - so it moves with the time to manipulate the Bible in order to be friendly with the cultures of the time.
Don't fall for the nonsense, stay awake, stay alert, watch and pray and don't fall for the woke culture!
Abraham was willing to give up Isaac, but He was negotiating with God on Ishmael.
Surrendering to God means surrendering everything. Don't hold on to Ismael and let go of Isaac!
What is that thing in your life that represents Ishmael? God is asking for it today.
We don't often know what we need until God provides it. Our prayers shouldn't be based on what we're going through but according to what the word of God says which reveals the will of God for us and for the people who are connected to us.
- Maybe the miracle you're praying for is beyond you
- that the timing of your miracle is also a sign for someone else's miracle, and
- God is deliberate about what He does for you in connection with what He does for others.
People's opinions of you will shift like the current of the sea. The only thing that never changes is how God sees you.
Insecurity is security placed on the wrong thing - stop the comparison. The problem is not what you know in your head but what you believe in your heart!
Don't Plan without God because you're not in control of time. Never make an absolute plan because you're not in absolute control. "If the Lord wills..." is a culture of thinking and living. Submit your small plans to God's big picture - in all your plannings, don't plan without God.
Sin begins in the mind. Sin will become more than a thought if you allow it.
The sinful mind will start with just one thought. The more you conceive, the more you give birth and what you think of continuously, you will eventually act on.
Get the snake eggs out of your head and think on whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praise-worthy! Philippians 4.8
If the voice of your gift becomes louder than the voice of the one who gave it to you - you could be led into places where the voice of God would not follow you.
The favour of God is the fruit of your alignment to God's word and to God's voice in your life.
What do you do when you walk into an opportunity to either elevate your gift and at the same time, demote the voice of God in your life?
Do you think that the impact of your life is because of you?
When something becomes so common for you, there's a tendency to loose sight of where it came from and how it came to you in the first place.
Be careful when your gifting and abilities becomes louder than God's voice in your life - you don't want to taste the fruit of your own strength.
Every victory comes by the hand of the Lord!
We have so much to be thankful for - embracing the attitude of gratitude guarantees a consistent supply of God's favour in our lives. God wants us to look at what He has freely given to us rather than the things we think He has taken from us. Never get tired of saying thank you, Jesus!
If prayer must be powerful, then it must be an act of the Spirit and not of the flesh.You can't accomplish spiritual growth through carnal actions, neither can the flesh sustains what the Spirit begins. The flesh cannot grow what the Spirit births.The most effective prayers are prayed when you pray from the Spirit. In moments when you don't know what to pray, you can rely on the divine momentum - given to you by the Holy Spirit.
God gave Hezekiah a sign that is tied to the mission He to do for the 15 extra years He had. In the will of God, everything is connected. 2 Kings 20.
Open yourself to ABUNDANT LIFE….let JESUS put you back togetherA thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10 CSB
Lessons from John 9:1 - 7
- When people don't see you in your pain, Jesus sees you.
- Sometimes there are theological arguments just when God is about to help you - but God is interested in your current situation and not your theological position.
- There's a miracle at the end of every instruction that you obey. God sees more than we see and is willing to do much more than we can think or imagine.
- What instructions have you received from God - thinking to yourself that if God took recognition of my current situation, He won't be asking me to do this or that?
- At the end of obedience is the miracle that you're looking for - the blind man blindly obeyed Jesus and His eyes were opened. Do the same!
God owns everything and has made men stewards of it. Pride refuses to give God what belongs to Him.
May God deliver us from the tyranny of ownership because it is treason to keep for yourself what belongs to God - whether it is your life, your heart, your soul, your time or your all.
It is tyranny to claim ownership!
Loving Jesus will come with some resistance. The question is, will you conform or will you continue to pour your love on Him?
Further Lesson from Mark 14
- She brought an offering that communicated her value for her Lord, not leftovers or a portion.
- How we see Him will determine what we gift Him.
- The world wants us to be conservative, but Jesus called us to be radical.
- She gave all of it, reserving nothing for herself. She lived in the moment and didn't reserve any for another day - This is what worship really is.
- She anointed Jesus and Jesus alone - although there were many people in the room, She was only concerned with Jesus.
In worship, we are to give ourselves completely - withholding nothing, no restraint. We shouldn't allow our fear of tomorrow to make us compromise on our love for God or our obedience to Him.
Questions
- If Jesus is your all then what are you keeping from Him? Is He truly worthy of your worship and your offering and your all?
- What is holding you back from Jesus, are you really giving your all, or have you kept some for tomorrow?
- Are you afraid of tomorrow - are you afraid of the unknown?
- Are you becoming conservative when He's called you to be radical?
The value of Jesus in our live can be determined by whether or not we allow people to distract us from Him. To me fully focused on Jesus Christ, we should be fully focused on Him rather than our consciousness of people's opinion.
Some learnings from the account of the unprofitable servant recorded in Matthew 25:24-25.
- Your revelation is your limitation
- Our conception of God will affect how we live and how far we can go with anything
- Light in its full potential is never scared of darkness
It is made men who makes nations. It is not what we do or intend to do that changes the things around us, it is people who are changed that have the capacity to truly change things. Until we are changed, circumstances might not change.The challenge is for us to grow up into the reality of what God has already done for us.
The world is in darkness, and without the word of God, none of us can see clearly. Anytime we live outside the boundaries of God's word, we're misstepping and we would stumble. If you ever have to hide, hide in the LIGHT!
Our inheritance in Christ is not behind us. We're required to go forward into what God has called us to do - by Faith! Our life finds its highest meaning and value in the leading of the Holy Spirit. It's time to get up and move forward because our inheritance is ahead of us in Christ Jesus!
Jesus taught us to pray in a place of solitude, a closet. He also modeled the practice by withdrawing into a solitary place to pray. That's how we find our ease in prayer and become more aware of His presence without distractions.
Our security is in the knowledge of God's character. God will indeed give what is good because God has no measure than a good measure. There is no evil in God! Psalms 85:12.
The only way we can turn away from self consciousness is to GROW in God-consciousness through the application of the cross.Whatever we set our ATTENTION on is what we MAGNIFY. GIVE ATTENTION, REAP INCREASE!
Good does not qualify God - it is His identity. The awareness of His goodness keeps our hearts focused on His love!
A God given dream intensifies humility, it is ambition that heightens pride. Listen for more!
God is looking for those who will wait for Him…..those waiting out of LOVE for the bridegroom to come.
Pride takes from us the treasures of the Lord, destroys the sacred things and the sacred ones in our lives. But if we stay poor in spirit, we will remain in the land untouched.
You are the solution to a problem…past, present, or future..….your calling and assignment is God’s provision
God has surrounded us with people close enough to know our struggles. Take some time to reflect and acknowledge God and the people He has positioned to carry you!
Faith is the willingness to come to Jesus with all our problems knowing that He can solve all problems. Are you willing to come to Jesus today because He is ever willing to take those problem away when we act in faith and come to Him.
His presence gives you the highest form of significance. Never downplay His Word and His Presence
God has invited us to spend eternity with Him. It is pride to reject an earthly invitation to spend eternity with God. Accept the invitation to spend forever with Jesus Christ who died for you!
God will do the supernatural, it’s up to you to do the natural. Don’t ask Him to do what He has already given you wisdom to do!
Greed is a change of spiritual priority and it puts the man/woman in a dangerous and devilish situation because the man then put gold before God and money before the master. God doesn't want you to prosper without Him, He wants to be God and God alone in your life!
“No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.”
James 1:13-15 CSB
You can not escape offence, you should rather learn how to deal with it.
looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you , and thereby many be defiled;Hebrews 12:15 KJV
God is our only source and everything else is a resource. Our needs can be expressed when God is in His proper place in our hearts.
Don't give the devotion meant for your source to your resource. Happy Listening!
“yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.” - 1 Corinthians 8:6 CSB
God has a Kingdom. We enter into God's Kingdom by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour, but we only experience the Kingdom when we become a disciple of Christ.
Prayer is an essential lifestyle of a believer. It is a relational communication and not a religious rite. Continue listening to learn about the Biblical principles for an effective prayer!
The test of prayer is the answer to God's question. Do you look to God for the addressing of your life's needs and circumstances?
Revival is the restoration of the spiritual life of God's people.
Revival means new life and it takes place when restoration occurs in the life of God's people when God's people reconnect back with God.
Desires drive the flesh. You don't beat the flesh by fixing the flesh, the flesh will not stop being the flesh.
The only strategy for victory over the flesh is to walk in the Spirit and become empowered to overrule the desires of the flesh.
What are you running from, are you running from somebody else's error or your own error without repentance?
God takes into account prevailing conditions when He speaks to you. Don't question God on the things that His sovereignty has taken account of and He has given His Word as a sure promise.
The flesh cannot sustain what the Spirit begins. The most effective prayer are prayed when you pray from the Spirit.
When the connection is clear, you won't have to yell. Don't trust in your ability t connect with the Holy Spirit, rather trust the Spirit's ability to connect with you!
The goal of discipleship is to become like Jesus Christ in our character. Discipleship is about practicing and becoming.
Satan no longer has authority over you as a believer, he rules by intimidation.
Do not give the oppressor permission to keep oppressing you by the way you live.
Jesus has set you free and you need to learn how to walk free because whosoever the Son of man sets free is free indeed!
We are saved to impact the dying generation that's right before our eyes. As believers, we are to build bridges that allow others to come in and join us on Jesus's boat!
Good Day blessed people of the LIGHTROOM 🔥
Happy New Month! Welcome to a Light-Filled February. Your Light has come! The glory of God has risen over you. Yes! Amen 🙏🏾
Here’s today’s charge from PK (01/02/23) 🔽
FAITH OVER FEAR
Many people have allowed the defeat of the past to stand in the way of what God is doing
Don’t build your faith on the acts of God but on the knowledge and Character of God
the devil cannot trap a believer who is ruled by the Word
It’s a Blessed Month dear friends. In Jesus’ name. Amen 🙏🏾✨💛
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit but not every Christian yields to the Holy Spirit and so we fail to see the transformation we desire.
The only answer that God has for many of our prayer points is …..GROW UP.
God's goal is not external reformation or infection management, His goal is SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.
Without GROWTH, there is no CHANGE… only DAMAGE CONTROL.
My goal is not to be a better person, my goal is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to walk better with Him. I am not called to work on the flesh, I am called to walk in and with the Spirit and then I’ll not fulfil the dictates of the flesh.
LIVE FULL!!!….. Not of yourself, but of the SPIRIT.
This is prophetic for some. For others, it is the Rhema word needed to stir up your faith; for some still, it will be insightful.
DRINK; He will make you what you seek for
God has made provision for the discontentment in your soul! “Come to me and drink!”……JESUS CALLS
When you don’t feel God's presence, FEED ON HIS PROMISES
If you give liberty to your flesh, you’ll never walk in PURITY
Run from offence. It makes you stand in the way of your own progress in GOD
The devil doesn't need an invitation to where there is spiritual stagnancy, He would assume he is welcome for obvious reasons. Stagnant water would attract unwanted pests.
God will not grow you without your consent and participation, Decide not to be pacified but to be satisfied! Prioritize Spiritual Growth!
It’s a Blessed Day LIGHTROOM 🔥
Here’s today’s charge from PK (16/01/23)
GOD FINDS US WHERE WE ARE
don’t let your cravings determine your devotion. Be careful
God takes the initiative to look for you. The Almighty God came looking for you.
#Lesson17&18
#LessonsFromGenesis