The Sabbath is not a day, but rather a relationship with God through Jesus. Rest in His love and let Him use you today


The Sabbath Rest

The Sabbath Rest (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Sabbath is not a day, but rather a relationship with God through Jesus. Rest in His love and let Him use you today.

 

 

John 5:16, “And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him because he had done these things on the sabbath day.”

 

 

JOHN 5:16-27

The Sabbath was first mentioned in Scripture in Exodus 16, when the Lord started miraculously providing the children of Israel with manna in the wilderness. The Israelites were commanded to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day because God would not provide any on the seventh day. Shortly after this, the Lord commanded the observance of the Sabbath day in the ten commandments that were communicated to Moses on Mt. Sinai on the two tablets of stone (Ex. 20:8-11). In this command, God connected this Sabbath day with the rest that He took on the seventh day of creation.

As revealed in Colossians 2:16-17, the Sabbath was symbolic. According to Exodus 23:12, one of the purposes of the Sabbath was to give man and his animals one day of physical rest each week. Today’s medical science has proven that our bodies need at least one day of rest each week to function at our peak. Deuteronomy 5:15, also clearly states that the Sabbath was to serve as a reminder to the Jews that they had been slaves in Egypt and were delivered from bondage, not by their own efforts, but by the supernatural power of God. However, in the New Testament, there is an even clearer purpose of the Sabbath stated. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul reveals that the Sabbath was only a shadow of things to come and is now fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:1-11, talks about a Sabbath rest that is available to, but not necessarily functional in, all New Testament believers. This New Testament Sabbath rest is simply a relationship with God in which we have ceased from doing things by our own efforts and are letting God work through us (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 4:10).

The Sabbath is not a day, but rather a relationship with God through Jesus. Rest in His love and let Him use you today.

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

RCCG May 2012 Holy Ghost Service – Operating under the Divine Favour. Sermon By Pastor E. A Adeboye


Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in prese...

RCCG May 2012 Holy Ghost Service – Operating under the Divine Favour By Pastor E. A Adeboye

 

 

 

Bless His holy name, let’s give Him all glory, let’s give Him all honors, let’s give Him all adoration.

 

 

He is worthy to be praised, He is worthy to be adored, bless Him, magnify His holy name, He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, He is the I am that I am, He is the Ancient of days, He is worthy to be praised.

Give Him glory, give Him honor, give Him adoration, worship Him, there is no one like Him, bless His holy name.

 

 

Thank you, thank you almighty God for what you are doing, you are worthy of our praise, you are worthy of our adoration, we just want you to know we love you, we appreciate you oh Lord, may your name forever be glorified.

 

 

Thank you Daddy, thank you Ancient of days, thank you Alpha and Omega, thank you the Beginning and the Ending.

 

 

Thank you God the Father, thank you God the Son, thank you God the Holy Spirit, we bless your name, thank you Lord… in Jesus mighty name we worship.

Let’s lift our voices to Him and say Father, please have mercy on me today and hear my cry. Let’s talk to the Almighty God… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Lift your voices to Him and say Father, show favor to all workers all over the world. Let’s talk to the Almighty God… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Lift your voice to Him and say Father, let this month be the beginning of months for me; the beginning of new things, beginning of joy, beginning of success, the beginning of victory, from this moment onward let everything be new to me, gloriously new, wonderfully new, powerfully new, miraculously new, powerfully new, divinely new… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

 

 

I want you to join hands with your neighbor and pray for your neighbor.

Now and say Father, this your child that I am holding; do him good this month… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

 

 

Glory be to God in the highest amen 2ce

For his mercy endures forever amen 2ce

Halleluiah!

Glory be to God in the highest amen,

For his mercy endures forever amen

Halleluiah!

 

 

Eternal Rock of ages we bless your name, God of mercy, God of favor, God of help, the Help of the helpless, the Husband of the widow, the Father of the fatherless, glory be to your holy name.

 

 

Thank you for January, thank you for February, thank you for March, thank you for April, and thank you now for May.

Accept our worship in Jesus name.

Almighty God, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Unchangeable changer glory be to your holy name. Tonight in a very special way show us favor oh Lord!

Do much more than we dare expect in Jesus name. Every one of your children here; give them a divine touch in Jesus name, by the time this night is over; let your name be glorify again.

 

 

Father once again we are calling you for all your children who are trusting you for the fruit of the womb, please Lord wipe away all their tears in Jesus name, before this year is over let bareness become a stranger to all of us in Jesus name, thank you my father and my God in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Let somebody shout halleluiah!

 

 

Now those of you, who are born in the month of May, please stand. Let us pray, father I want to thank you for your children born in the fifth month of the year; in the month of grace, I thank you for their lives, I thank you for all you have done for them thus far, on their behalf, accept our thanks in Jesus name.

 

 

Now, I am committing all of them into your hands, special grace, abundant grace, exceeding grace release to them in Jesus name. In their new year, father let them enjoy grace more than ever before in Jesus name.

 

 

In every areas of their lives Father be gracious unto them in Jesus name and the grace to serve you like never before release to them in Jesus name. Give them a new beginning; a new beginning of joy, a new beginning of success, a new beginning of promotion and just let it be well with them.

In Jesus mighty name we have prayed. (Amen)

 

 

If you are born in May shout another halleluiah!

By the grace of God in June we will have a very special Holy Ghost service and we will be discussing THE SECRET OF ANSWERED PRAYERS.

 

 

That tells you that’s one Holy Ghost service, you must not miss at all. You need to come and learn the secrets of answered prayers and then the Saturday following that one by the grace of God, all over the world; all our children will go out for evangelism.

 

 

Every one of us will go out as we leave here; to go and win souls for the Almighty God and you will see what God will do for you in return in Jesus name.

 

 

Let’s open our Bibles to Psalm 102 v 13 Thou shall arise and have mercy on Zion (you can put your name there) for the time to favor her yea, the said time is come.

If you receive that let me hear you say amen loud and clear.

 

 

Tonight we want to talk about OPERATING UNDER DIVINE FAVOR.

The pastor who spoke before have done an extremely beautiful job. And I just want to add a little bit to what he had already said, from this text we discovered that when a man’s time of favor comes God will do two basic things; number one he will arise, number two; he will show mercy. Only those two basic things, thou will arise and show mercy for the time to favor her yea, the said time has come. When the time for favor comes, God does two basic things.

 

 

Number one he arises, now Psalm 68 v 1-3 says let God arise and his enemies will scatter. Now when we will say the enemies of God will scatter the question that comes to your mind immediately is; who are the enemies of God?

 

 

When you look at Act 9 v 1-5 you discovered that the enemies of God are the enemies of his children. There was a man called Saul of Tarsus he was persecuting Christians, he was throwing them to prison, he was killing them, he was doing all manners of evil against them and then one day he got permission from the leaders to go to Damascus, that if he should find any Christian there at all he will take them bound to Jerusalem so that they can be dealt with.

 

 

On the way the Lord met him and knocked him down from the Horse. Do you know those who are persecuting you are about to be knocked down. Then God spoke to him and Saul, Saul, why persecuted thou me? And then Saul said how can I be persecuting you, I don’t even know who you are.

 

 

Then God said it is me you are persecuting, when you are persecuting my children. You see those who are tormenting children of God they don’t know that they are in serious danger because they are actually fighting against God and when God arises his enemies will scatter.

 

 

So if I were you I will congratulate the man beside you and say your enemies are about to be scattered.

 

 

When you go through the Scriptures you will see several examples of what happen when God arose, for example if you read Exodus 3 v 7-8 it is when God arose for Israel that there deliverance from Egypt came, he said to Moses he said I have seen the afflictions of my children, I have seen what the Egyptians are doing unto them.

You see many at times, we think God does not see, but God is not blind, everything that is happening here on earth he is observing and when it is time in his infinite wisdom to arise, he will arise.

 

 

And I have a feeling that the time for him to arise is now. The time for him to arise is now, he is about to arise for me, he is about to arise for me, he is about to arise for his church, he is about to arise for Nigeria, he is about to arise for the world. If you believe that let me hear you say amen.

 

 

When you read Judges 15 v 1 -15 it tells you the story of Samson dealing with the Philistines and then the Philistines decide they were going to revenge and the children of Israel decided; let’s sacrifice Samson.

 

 

His relatives came to him they bound him and they handed him over to the Philistines.

 

 

I once preached a sermon on when God is silent. When they got Samson on the mountain top and they were bounding him, God didn’t say anything, when they were binding him; God kept quiet.

 

 

When they handed him over to the enemy; God didn’t say a word, until the enemies began to rejoice, thinking that now we got him, then God will arose. God will arise for somebody here today.

 

 

And when God arose suddenly all the ropes bounding Samson, the bible say it was burnt as if it touched fire and somehow he landed where there was a jaw bone of an ass already waiting. Do you know the weapon that God will use to deal with your enemies is within your reach right now?

 

 

And before we knew what was happening; one thousand of the enemies lay dead and the others fled. When you read 1 Samuel 17 v 1 -51 for forty days Goliath was terrorizing Israel; he was getting up in the morning terrorizing them, in the evening terrorizing them and God kept quiet.

 

 

But one day, God arose. And when God arose in the morning, by the night time the head of Goliath was already gone. Tonight in the name that is above every other names, the Goliath in your life is about to lose his head.

 

 

When you read Daniel 3 v 13 – 30 you will see the story there of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when the king said they must bow down and worship his idol and they refused, God kept quiet.

 

 

When the king was boasting; I am going to deal with them, I am going to throw them into the fiery furnace, I am going to make the fire to burn seven times than normal, God kept quiet. When they were binding the three of them, God kept quiet.

 

 

When they were carrying them towards the fire, God kept quiet. But just before they landed in the fire, God arose!

 

 

Do you know that whatever problem followed you here tonight, will not follow you back home? Because the time for God to arise for you has come, if you believe that let me hear your halleluiah!

 

 

When you read Daniel 6 v 18- 28 you will see it there, that when the enemies of Daniel were holding their meetings plotting how they will destroy him, they said something, they said we know him; there is no way you can corrupt him, the only way you can get him, is to ask him not to pray, he will pray to his God.

 

 

You know the enemies had been saying that concerning many of you; they said the only thing you can get him not to do is not to go to the Holy Ghost night, he will go there to pray, so let’s wait till he goes, well God is watching and he is listening.

When they said let’s get him into the den of Lions, God didn’t say a word. When they threw him into the den of lion and they rolled the stone across the mouth so that he won’t be able to escape and God arose and suddenly Lions became like lambs.

Do you know all those things that have been frightening you very soon now, they will be toys in your hands?

 

 

Let me give you just one more example because the bible is full of what happens when God arose.

 

 

In Act 16 v 25- 34 the Bible tells us about what happened to Silas, you know before that they had already cast out a demon out of a girl, the people got angry they beat them, they threw them to prison and they told the jailer keep them save because by tomorrow morning we are going to kill them.

 

 

And then the Bible says at mid-night, Paul and Silas began to pray and they began to praise God. They were doing what we are doing tonight and suddenly God arose and when God arose, the earth began to shake and very soon there was an earth quake. And the prison doors were flung open, every man’s bound were loosed.

 

 

And the man, that they say should keep these people save so that they can kill them tomorrow; is the now the one who began to wash their wounds, who began to give them food.

 

 

I have good news for somebody here tonight, because your time of favor has come; your enemies will become your servants.

 

 

So number one, when the time of favor comes, God will arise.

Number two, he will show mercy.

 

 

I can go through the scriptures from the beginning to the end, to show you all those who received mercy from the Lord what were the outcome.

 

 

But the bible says something in Lamentation 3 v 22 – 23 he says it is of the mercies of the Lord that we are not consumed, thank God it is renewed every morning. But for the mercy of God how many of us will be alive today?

 

 

If God has not been merciful unto us; many of us were born into a family where the father probably had six or seven wives.

 

 

And out of the six or seven wives maybe five of them are witches and maybe your mummy alone is the only who didn’t know anything at all and yet the Almighty God preserved your life.

 

 

How many people are in that category? Let me hear you shout halleluiah!

It is of the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed and because of that mercy that is why you are going to get your breakthrough tonight. Because when you read Mark 1 v 40 -45 the Bible tells us the story of a leper who came to Jesus Christ and said I know you can make me clean if you are willing.

 

 

In order words I know you have the power, but I am not even sure I qualify for a miracle, the Bible says Jesus Christ did something very great, he touched the leper.

And the Bible says you must not touch a leper, because if you touched a leper you yourself will become unclean. But the one, who made the law, broke the law. Why?

Because they said he was moved by compassion. Mercy moved Him. Tonight every law that is against you shall be broken because God will show you mercy in Jesus name.

 

 

In Romans 9 v 15 – 16 the Bible says God said I will be merciful on whom I will be merciful (and am sure I am the one He is talking to now)…

 

 

I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. It is therefore not of him

that runeth, nor of him that willeth but of God that showeth mercy.

Nobody succeeds in this world except God had mercy on him and he will have mercy on you tonight in Jesus name.

 

 

I am going to take just one case study to show you things that will happen when a man is operating under divine favor.

 

 

And the example I am going to use is Joseph, there are several things I can tell you about Joseph.

 

 

In fact I wrote a whole book on him, on the faithfulness of God (if you want you can go to CRM bookshop and you get the book) it is a whole book, but tonight am not going to go over a whole book, I am going to mention seven things that will happen to somebody who is operating under divine favor.

 

 

Number one: You cannot kill a man operating under divine favor, nobody can kill him. Genesis 37 v 19- 20 the bible says when the brothers of Joseph saw him coming, what was it they said? behold the dreamer comes, let us kill him.

 

 

They said let us kill him, I mean ten big men decided that the time has come for a young boy to be killed but they forgot something, they forgot that this man was operating under divine favor.

 

 

I want to assure every one of you here tonight, you will not die before your date. How do I know? Because Deuteronomy 32 v 39 the Almighty God said I am God and there is no one else, he said I am the only one who can kill, and I am the only one who can make alive.

 

 

And he said there is no man who can deliver out of my hand, in other words no one can kill. Nobody can kill anybody God does not kill and I can assure you; God is not going to kill you at all.

 

 

So when God arises when there are enemies who have made up their minds that they want to kill you and then God arises what will happen? Deuteronomy 28 v 27 And God will cause the enemies that rise against you to be smitten before your face.

Do you know what that one means? you are standing still, enemies arose against you and while you are watching you just see the enemies collapsing. You don’t have to do anything all! God will cause the enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face, he said when they come against you in one way they will flee seven ways.

 

 

When God arises for you nobody can kill you, the Bible say in Isaiah 54 v 17 he says no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper. If God arises for you, every weapon of the enemies will be neutralized.

 

 

The Lord said there is someone here tonight, he said all you have left is faith in God, he asked me to tell you that will be enough.

 

 

Daddy said there is someone here tonight, he said the doctors are confused about your case he asked me to tell you I will heal you all the same.

 

 

Isaiah 41 v 10 – 13 God says I will help you, he said I will hold you by the right hand and I will help you. He said those who are incensed against you, will be as nothing, he said you will look for them, you won’t even find them.

 

 

When God arises for you, those who says they want to kill you, they will scatter and that is going to happen tonight in Jesus name:

 

 

Number two, when a man is operating under divine favor, not only can you not kill him, you cannot kill his dreams. There are several people who just like Joseph had some very big dreams. Big dreams! In Genesis 37 v 5 -11 Joseph had a dream.

Then he told his brothers, even an idiot could interpret the dream; this little boy said the dream I had is that all you my brothers you are going to bow down before me.

And the brother said, “You! We will see”. Then he had another dream, again he dreamt, and this time he said not even just the brother; my father and my mother they too they are going to be bowing down, so they said “alright we will see”.

When they saw him coming they say we will kill him and when he dies his dreams will die with him.

 

 

Many of us when we are young we have wonderful dreams, some of us by now as we are getting old, we begin to wonder what is going to happen to those dreams. I have good assurance for you, if you are operating under divine favor; those dream as big as they were they will come to past.

 

 

Because In Genesis 50 v 15 – 21 those brothers, the same brothers, who wanted to kill Joseph and kill his dreams, came, fell down before him and they say we will be your servant.

 

 

Am assuring someone here tonight, all those who have ganged up against you who say they must destroy your dreams; very soon they will come and bow down before you, why? Because when a man is operating under divine favor, God arises for him.

The Lord said there is someone here again tonight, who is asking the question again and again, when will the battle be over? The Lord asked me to tell you very soon.

Psalm 33 v 10-11 the Bible says that the Lord bring the counsel of the hidden to nothing, he makes the devices of the people of none effect but the counsel of the Lord shall stand forever.

 

 

So it doesn’t matter what they planned against you, it doesn’t matter their evil imagination, as long as God is on your side the original plan of God for your life shall be fulfilled in Jesus name.

 

 

I have told you this story before, but I will say it because of those who are listening all over the world who had never heard it.

 

 

In 1951 in my little village but it’s no longer little glory be to God. It was a small village, in those days only two Lorries come to town per day, one is Austin the other is Bedford and you can tell by the sound they make.

 

 

At that time I can tell you the total number of people with pairs of shoe in the whole village; they were very few, I know the headmaster had one, the king had one, the catholic priest had one and some other people so you don’t get the number.

And so the Anglican bishop from Ibadan came to visit our village and we in the primary school we lined up to receive him, the village hunters didn’t go to the farm, they were firing their deign guns to give the Bishop gun salute. And he drove in a very new black car.

 

 

Remember, only two Lorries come to the village, here comes a car. He was wearing the robe of a bishop, beautiful robe and when he was coming out of his car, I looked at his shoes, oh God! It was shining beautiful, I have never seen anything like that before, my mouth was wide open, and then when it was time for him to go, every farmer were giving him gifts; chicken, yams, eggs.

 

 

When I got home that day, I told my mother, I said mama; I am going to be a bishop.

That was 1951, then I grew up, went to school and dropped out of church for years, I didn’t even go to church at all talk less of Bishop.

 

 

But as God will have it somewhere along the line, He met me, He saved my soul, one way or the other He promoted me and I became General Overseer.

Then in 1981 I was visiting my village as General Overseer, and they arranged for the school children to line up the route, the hunters were firing their guns, I drove in a brand new car and as I was about to come down from the car I looked at my shoes.

 

 

Let somebody shout halleluiah!

 

 

Thirty years after I had the dream it came to past, your dream too, everyone of them shall come to past in Jesus name.

 

 

Number three, when you are operating under divine favor, at home you will shine. According to Genesis 37v3 among all the children of his father, Joseph was special, what made him special?

 

 

They said he was the son of the old age, but that is the excuse. He was special because God made him special. Tell your neighbor, you may not know it but I am special to God.

 

 

So his father made him a coat of many colors, Isaiah 60 v 1-2 he said arise and shine, why? For your light is come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you, it is not anything particular, that made Joseph special, it is the glory of God upon his life.

In 1 Samuel 16 v 11 – 13 when God wanted to pick a king in the house of Jesse, he picked David, David shone among his brethren.

 

 

The Lord says I should tell a particular girl, he said because I reserve till the last, he said your celebration will be superior to those who have gone before you.

The Lord said there is someone here tonight; he said very soon you will know the meaning of all things work together for good to them that love God.

 

 

The Lord says there is someone here tonight; he said you have been relegated to the back seat, he said I will bring you to the front row.

 

 

In 1 Samuel 16 v 15-18 you will discover that when an evil spirit began to trouble king Saul, and his servant told him, ‘sir you need a musician to play so that this evil forces will leave you alone’ and he said ‘okay, get me someone’.

 

 

They said ‘we know one man who was an extremely good musician and he was a valiant man of valor’ they were talking about David. Even at home he was already shinning.

 

 

And in the name that is above every other name, from now on you too will begin to shine at home.

 

 

Number four, when you are operating under divine favor even in strange land, he will shine. When Joseph got to Egypt in Genesis 39 v 1 -6 the Bible says almost immediately he arrived in Potiphar house he began to shine, Potiphar just took a look at him and saw the way things were going and said I hand over everything to you.

How do you hand over everything to a prisoner? a prisoner that you have just bought , a prisoner that you don’t know anything about. But because God was arising for him abroad he was shinning.

 

 

The Bible says in Psalm 121 v 8 God says I will keep your coming and your going out. In other words, it doesn’t matter where you go, you will still shine there.

In Daniel 1 v 8-20 the Bible tells us when Shedrack, Meshach, Abednego and Daniel got to the foreign land where they were taken to slavery, the Almighty God showed them favor and by the time they finished their training they were ten times more better than other wise men. Abroad they shine!

 

 

In Genesis 24 v 1 – 14 Isaac was in a foreign land and there was farming in the Land and because he obeyed God, God made him to shine at the time that there was famine in the land; he prospered so much he became the envy of the entire nation.

I have good news for someone here tonight, very soon the whole nation will know about you.

 

 

I have told this story before, several years ago, when I was still a lecturer at the university of Lagos, there was this conference of applied mathematician in Canada and I happened to be one of the two people sent from Nigeria to go and represent us, and I felt very big because Nigeria is sending two people and they included me.

When we got there for the opening night, the man who was to make the opening remark (I think at that time I had published about 12 papers, it is your publication that they use in promoting you) but when they introduce the man who was going to do the opening talk they said he has published a hundred and fifty papers, I said what am I doing here?

 

 

Then he began to talk on what he called the mathematic of the rain. And I know two days later they were going to call me to stand before all these people to present my paper, what am I going to say in the presence of somebody who is talking about the mathematics of the rain?

 

 

I tell you a secret , I prayed hard; ” Almighty God when it’s my time to present my paper don’t let this man come”, But when the time came he was seating in the front row. Probably he came because I was so young, I am talking of 1976 or so, and I was afraid, because when somebody has finished preparing papers, others begin to ask him questions.

 

 

So it is not the presentation I am afraid of, it is how am going to answer their questions.

 

 

Then I presented my paper and everybody got up and they began to clap including that man!

 

 

I am prophesying to someone here today, anywhere you go, you will prosper.

Number five, when you are operating under divine favor, whatever he does prospers Genesis 39 v 2 the Bible says in Potiphar house Joseph was a prosperous man, then Genesis 39 v 21 – 23, even when Joseph landed in prison, again, God was with him and whatever he did prospered.

 

 

When a man is operating under divine favor, anything he touches will begin to succeed, he will begin to prosper.

 

 

Thank you father, the Lord said there is someone here tonight; he said that which was introduced into you while you were sleeping had been removed tonight.

Daddy says there is someone here tonight; he said the cause of your delay has been dealt with right now.

 

 

Jeremiah 17 v 7 -8, the Bible tells us that when a man put his trust in the Lord he will be like a tree planted by the river side he said whatsoever he does shall prosper.

Do you know that you can sell pure water and become a billionaire? If God is with you, anything you touch will prosper.

 

 

You can sell fire wood and become a billionaire, whatever he does shall prosper. In the name that is above every other name, your prosperity begins now.

 

 

Number six, when a man is operating under divine favor, his promotion is certain, there may be a delay like in Genesis 40 v 1 – 23 the Bible tells us that after Joseph interpreted the dreams to some people and he told the one that was going to be in the court of Pharaoh he said when you get back to your position please remember me, but the bible says the man just forgot him, for two years he forgot the one who had done him good, but that is because the time wasn’t right yet, when the time came, the one who has forgotten remembered.

 

 

There are many of us who are here tonight, we have done good to several people, but in our times of trial they have forgotten us.

 

 

They don’t even want to see us, they don’t want to help us at all, but I have good news for you; things are about to change.

 

 

 

 

All those who should help you, who have forgotten about you, tonight they will have a dream, God will send them a dream so that by the time they wake up they will be looking for you.

 

 

When a man is operating under divine favor, his promotion may be delayed but it will surely come to pass.

 

 

In Genesis 41 v 38-40, the Bible says finally they brought Joseph out of the prison, and Pharaoh said we can’t find another man as wise as this, the spirit of God is in him, therefore let put him in charge.

 

 

The Lord said there as you begin to pay your tithe fully he was so move you from not enough to more than enough.

 

 

Those who say that we will soon see his end shall wait in vain.

Thank you Lord, the Lord said there is someone here tonight, anytime it is your time they will say no more, he asked me to tell you; I will change all that now.

The Lord said there is someone here tonight; he said for the rest of the year, one success will follow another in quick succession for you.

 

 

Isaiah 75 v 6-7 tells us that promotion does not come from the east or from the west or from the south he said God is the judge, He raises one and pulls down another.

God the great promoter will bring your promotion speedily in Jesus name.

 

 

Like I told you before in 1 Samuel 2 v 7-8 when the Almighty God decides to promote you, he keeps on promoting, he can take you to any height, and he can take you to place you never dreamt possible. He just keeps on promoting, after all his arm is an everlasting hands.

 

 

If human being promotes you they can bring you down, if news paper promotes you one day they will turn against you the same people who are writing good thing about you today, with great joy they will write evil things about you. Because they know it is evil news that will sell their papers.

 

 

It is not they are wicked, it is just their job. But when God promotes, you he keeps promoting you forever.

 

 

And I have good news for somebody here; your promotion is beginning right now.

Am sure you will remember the story of one lecturer in one university, the Head of department said because he refused to join a secret society he said this fellow will never be promoted as long as he is the head of department.

 

 

This young man who gave his life to Jesus Christ mentioned the case and we cried to the Almighty God.

 

 

After all the Almighty God said if you have faith and you doubt not, you will say to this mountain, mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea and it shall be so. If the Head of department decided to make himself a mountain, we tell mountain to move.

 

 

Every mountain blocking your way tonight shall move in Jesus name.

And suddenly there was a coup a new government came and the new government for one reason or other decides to remove all professors who were head of department at that time.

 

 

And the Head of department came. And the head of department said ‘I want to see the files of all those who are under me and they couldn’t find the file of this man.

The master has seen to it that the file was well hidden. They kept searching and finally they found the file and found out that there had been no recommendation for that man for more ten years.

 

 

No single recommendation, because they file was hidden and the new boos said there is only one way to compensate him and he gave him double promotion. Everything that had been denied you shall be returned seven folds in Jesus name.

Finally number seven: When a man is operating under divine favor, he will surely reach the top. There is no way you can keep down somebody who is operating under divine favor.

 

 

In Genesis 41 v 44 the bible said Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and I am saying to you Joseph in the land of Egypt nobody will lift his hand or foot without your permission.

 

 

He said they must all obey me and I am saying I am taking the back seat, you rule, nobody will do anything without your permission.

 

 

Deuteronomy 28 v 13 when you are operating under divine favor, you will be head and not tail, you won’t stop until you reach the top and God is talking to someone here tonight.

 

 

In 1 Samuel 22 v 1 -2 even when David found himself in the cave of Adullam and al lot of vagabonds, people in distress people in need, people who had problems, gathered themselves together to him, he was still their captain, even in the cave he was captain.

 

 

Then later on in 2Samuel 2 v 4 in spite of everything that the enemies had done he was anointed again to be king of Judah, then in 2 Samuel 5 v 1 -3 finally everybody came and said listen you are to be king of Israel.

 

 

I say it one more time, that goal where God is taking you, you will reach there in Jesus name.

 

 

The Lord says by the time the sun rises tomorrow, it will bring you a new break through.

 

 

Daddy says there is someone here tonight; he said I will give you a taste of exceeding great joy.

 

 

Daddy says there is someone here tonight, he said when next you share your testimony people will say surely God is great.

 

 

By the time you get to Mark 10 v 46 -52 you hear Bartimeus saying something about Jesus, he says Jesus thou son of David.

 

 

Now the bible tells us that Jesus is the king of kings and yet the bible records for us that David is the father of king of kings, now that is absolute top.

He started asking among his brethren, he became captain over vagabonds in the cave of Adullam, then he became king over Judah, then he became king over Israel and then he kept on rising until he became father of the King of kings.

I have good news for somebody here today, in the name that is above every other names, I will see you at the top, because that is where I am going.

I am going to the top, anybody going to the top with me? I will see you there in Jesus name.

 

 

This is the reason why anybody who has any common sense at all will not want to offend God.

 

 

Because he is the only one who can give you divine favor, He is the only one who can make sure that nobody can kill you, He is the only one who can make sure nobody can kill your dreams, He is the only one who can make sure you shine at home, He is the only one who can make sure you shine abroad, He is the only one who can make sure that even if your promotion is delayed, it will still come to past.

He is the only one who can make sure you will finally reach the top.

That is why in Genesis 39 v 7 -9 when a woman the wife of Potiphar, tried to entice Joseph into committing sin, Joseph said no way.

 

 

The woman said nobody will know, I am the mistress of this house, my husband is away, whatever I say is final and when I ask everybody to clear out of the house, they will clear. So we will do this thing secretly nobody will know.

 

 

Joseph said I am not talking of your husband; I am talking of God, how can I do this thing and sin against God?

 

 

Your husband has done great thing for me, he has left everything in my hand, but he is only an instrument in the hand of God, I cannot dare offend God.

Many at times some people they think when they look right and they don’t see any one, they look left and they don’t see anyone and the door is locked. They think everything is okay; I can do whatever I like now. God is watching!

 

 

I am sure you heard the testimony of a member of the choir, not in our church but in another church. The pastor has agreed with her to go to a hotel and do all kind of things.

 

 

And they got to the hotel, they were about to enter the room, again the pastor looked round right and he looked left nobody knows us here, but as they were about to enter the room, the girl said to the pastor, we have looked right, we have looked left, she said but we didn’t look up. She said God is watching. That was how she escaped.

Do you know God is watching you? And it is good news that is why the enemy cannot reach you without him knowing. If He is watching you, that is why he can keep your going in and your coming out.

 

 

If he is watching you that is why he can monitor what you are doing so that he can make it to prosper. If he is watching you that is why he can make you to find favor anywhere you go.

 

 

But because he is watching, that is why you cannot afford to offend him, no matter well you locked the door, you can’t lock God out, he himself is the door, when he wants to come in he doesn’t need a key.

 

 

That is why people have asked me again and again, why do you keep on hammering on holiness? I said ‘I have seen a little in my few years in this world, I am seventy years old now.

 

 

I have seen people rise and fall, I have seen people promoted by God crashing to the ground. Becoming nothing, why? Because they offend God,

 

 

I can assure you of one thing, when I became born again and I was running up and down, winning soul, Doing one program after the other, some people says take it easy that is how they always start, very soon he will go down.

 

 

I told them then others may go down, this one is not going to go down. And I am telling you brethren you have not seen anything yet, I am going to go on higher and higher. Why because I have learnt the secret; as long as there is no quarrel between me and God the rest is easy.

 

 

Everybody can be against me if God is for me, I am more than conqueror, that is why I am appealing seriously to those of you who are here tonight. Because this is a very special night indeed, if you are still leaving in sin, it is time to repent, if you have not given your life to Jesus Christ before, come and do so tonight.

 

 

If you say you are a Christian and you are still living in sin; you are a backslider, come and give your life back to Jesus Christ. Holiness is the master key, you live holy, the rest is settled.

 

 

This is a very special night; a night of favor and the Almighty God will have divine favor on you if you repent.

 

 

Call on the Almighty God, ask him to be merciful unto you, ask him to forgive you your sins, ask him to save your soul and the rest of us lets stretch our hands to all these people and intercede for them, that God the savior will have mercy on each and every one of them, that God will forgive them and he will watch them clean in his blood.

 

 

Ask God to be merciful unto you, ask God to forgive you your sins ask God to put your name in the book of life so that you too can begin to enjoy divine favor … in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

 

 

My father and my God I want to thank you for all these people who have come forward tonight, thank you for your word, I thank you because you promise that whosoever will come unto you, you will in no wise cast out. These people have come to you now, please receive them in Jesus name.

 

 

Your blood that cleanses from all sins let that blood wash away their sins in Jesus name. Today as you save their souls write their name in the book of life in Jesus name. Beginning from now anytime they call on you, please answer them in Jesus name.

 

 

And let them begin to enjoy divine favor in Jesus name. Every backslider that has come back to you tonight, please restore full in Jesus name, and don’t let them ever go back to the world in Jesus name. Thank you Almighty God, in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

 

 

Let someone shout halleluiah!

 

 

I want to rejoice with those of you who are in front here, I want to promise you one thing, by the special grace of God I will be praying for you, so I am going to need your name, your address and your prayer request. I promise you I will be praying for you.

 

 

The rest of us while we wait for our brother to be attended to, why don’t you thank God for the mercy of God that have kept you till this moment, if you know how many times the enemies have tried to kill you, if you know how many meetings that the enemies have held at night concerning you and God destroyed their plans, you will be grateful to God.

 

 

So go ahead, begin to praise God, begin to magnify his holy name, for being merciful to you, for his faithfulness, for his support, for loving me, for standing by me, for helping me, for supporting me… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

Prayers for the night:

 

 

1, Thank God, for his infinite mercy
2, Father, don’t let me ever annoy you again
3, Father, please arise for me: for my family, for your church and for my country.
4, Father, don’t let me die before my time.
5, Father, don’t let my dreams of greatness die; help me fulfill them
6, Father, let me shine at home, abroad, and everywhere.
7, Father, whatever i touch, please make it prosper.
8, Father, please accelerate my promotion now.
9, Father Take me to the very top soon
10, Father, let me forever operate under divine favor
11, Your Private request.

… in Jesus mighty name we have prayed.

 

 

The Lord will answer all your prayers, the grace never to offend God again, receive now in Jesus name. The Almighty God will arise for you, He will arise for your families, He will arise for his church, he will rise for your nations, and you will not die before your time.

 

 

All your dreams of greatness shall be fulfilled, you will shine at home, you will shine abroad, you will shine everywhere.

 

 

Whatever you touch will begin to prosper, God will accelerate your promotion. He will take you to the top. For the rest of your life, you will operate under divine favor it shall be well with you.

 

 

God will fulfill all your dreams, he will grant all your requests and your joy shall over flow, so shall it be in Jesus mighty name we have prayed. (Amen).

Let someone shout halleluiah!

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

 

God Gives The Power To Get Wealth.


at dusk in Kensington, Maryland, USA.

God Gives The Power To Get Wealth.

Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

 

“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

God has given us the power to get wealth. That power is found in obedience and faith. It is found in living righteously so that God can pour out His blessing upon us. It is found in us trusting Him in every area of our lives. It is found in us realizing that God is our source.

Paul said in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

God is your source. Never forget it as you become blessed. Never forget where your blessing came from. Never forget that it was God who gave you the favour, the wisdom, the counsel, and the direction to bring blessing to your life. Today, wholeheartedly thank Him, worship Him, and praise Him for all He has done and all He is about to break forth upon you.

Thank Him for the power!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Our Spiritual Inheritance


Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a ...

Our Spiritual Inheritance

“Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.” (Matthew 7:7)

God is Faithful!

Imagine for a moment that a distant relative has included you in his will. As part of the execution of that will, money is placed into a bank account for you, and you are notified of that fact. But you reason, “It can’t be true!” So you never bother to write a check against that account. Although you have the inheritance, you do not benefit from it because you lack the faith and willingness to claim it. How tragic!

As children of God, we must be aware of our spiritual inheritance and claim it by faith. Then we will experience the abundant spiritual riches God has for His children. This inheritance is both present and future.

I am told of a wealthy person who divided his inheritance into two parts for his children. He is giving them some of their inheritance now. For example, he helped his son start a business, and he helped his daughter purchase a condominium. They will receive additional money from time to time as they demonstrate that they can handle it well. But the bulk of their estate will come later.
In the same way, increasing spiritual maturity and faith release increasing measures of our spiritual riches. The riches begin the moment we become Christians, but the full riches of our relationship with God will be revealed in heaven.

Your View of God Really Matters …

God has devised the “faith method” for receiving His promises because it requires unwavering trust in Him. What one thing will you choose to trust Him for today?

What More Does God Say?

Luke 11:5-13

Because God is Faithful, I will trust Him to always keep His promises

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Bloom wherever God plants you


4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern Cali...

Bloom wherever God plants you.

 

 

 

 

Acts 21:30

“And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.”
NKJV

Although the door never really opened to the Jewish people, Paul continuously ministered to them. There was, however, an open door for Paul to minister to the Gentiles. Sometimes in ministry, you may want to do one thing but God wants you to do something else. Maybe you have a heart for a particular country, region or a specific people group, but God wants you to ‘bloom right where you are planted’. Perhaps God has given you a heart to pray for missions in an area but hasn’t asked you to do it yourself. Paul supported the church at Jerusalem, but he was never really part of the church there. Look for open doors where you are. If there is an opportunity to join a ministry team in church, go for it! Maybe your heart is in Children’s Ministry or Youth Ministry, but the open door is in another area of ministry.

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'” Matt 25:21 NKJV

Friend, go for the open door. Perhaps later, God will open the other door. It’s quite possible you are being tested whether you will be faithful in the small things.

 

 

Life Lesson: Bloom wherever God plants you.

Dear Father,
Thank You for giving me gifts that I can use to serve You and others. Please forgive me for times when I have not used them to serve. I ask You to show me the open door, even if it is not what I want, and give me the faith to go through it. I pray this in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

What Is Your Kindness Quotient?


Laetare

What Is Your Kindness Quotient?

 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10

What is your kindness quotient?

When was the last time you did something kind for someone in your family? What about your school or workplace?

Who is the most overlooked or avoided? A shy student? A grumpy employee?

Maybe he doesn’t speak the language. Maybe she doesn’t fit in. Are you kind to this person?

Kind hearts are quietly kind. They let the car cut into traffic. They let the young mom with three kids move up in the checkout line.

Paul writes in Galatians 6:10: “When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.”

The neediest person you meet all week may be the one sitting behind you in worship service. People are watching the way we act more than they’re listening to what we say!

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Godliness With Contentment


Contentment on dad's shoulders

Contentment on dad’s shoulders (Photo credit: Malcolm Carlaw)

Godliness With Contentment

If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is
according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting
about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife,
railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness:
from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great
gain

1 Timothy 6:3-6

An individual who will not obey the Word of God, who will not consent
to the Word, is proud; he’s ignorant. The Amplified Bible says these
people have a morbid fondness for controversy.

The world’s system says that money, power, and fame are God-like qualities that cause people who possess them to be admired, idolized, and worshipped. In other words, people in the world think that gain is
godliness.

However, Paul, said that godliness with contentment is great gain. The word content means “to be possessed of sufficient strength, strong, and
satisfied.” Contentment is an attitude as well as an inner state. When
you are satisfied on the inside, you have joy on the inside.
Contentment gives you the correct attitude, and then you will be
satisfied.

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers


at dusk in Kensington, Maryland, USA.

Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers

 

Success

I’ve never met a person who did not want to be successful.

The desire to succeed is God-given.

God wants you to be successful.

John writes, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” –3 John 2 (KJV)

That’s what I describe as nothing broken and nothing missing.

That’s your spiritual walk, your emotions, your finances, your job, your health, your relationships, your household and the list goes on and on.

 

 

 

 

You Are As He Is

Take a moment to imagine how God sees you right now.

Because of Jesus Christ’s finished work at the Cross, God sees us as kings and priests. We are as He (Christ) is in this world.

Doesn’t it make you feel great knowing that God sees the finished product in you?

Remember this feeling because success in life is a journey, not a destination.

There will be times in life when you feel insignificant and down. There will be times when you don’t feel like taking another step.

That’s when you need to say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

 

 

It’s Not What You Do Once in a While that Makes the Difference

 

 

 

Success doesn’t happen overnight.

In most cases, what we see as the big pay-off is the result of someone’s continual dedication to correct information and association.

That’s why it is critically important to remind yourself of who you are in Christ.

I recommend making this reminder part of your daily routine. I also recommend that you commit to reading your Bible on a daily basis.

I’ve often said that if you want to be a leader, you’ve got to be a reader.

It has never been easier, than in today’s day and age, to renew your mind.

There are audio books, podcasts, YouTube videos, e-books, and countless other forms of high-quality education.

After stretching your mind, you’ll begin to dream bigger and prioritize your life. You’ll regain that get-up-and-go attitude that you thought was lost.

 

 

 

 

A renewed mind results in a renewed attitude.

You see, success in life depends more on your attitude than it does on your surroundings or the people who are currently causing roadblocks in your life.

I’ve found that unsuccessful people have an attitude of avoidance.

They avoid taking responsibility. They avoid risk. They try to avoid failure.

On the other hand, successful people turn failure into feedback.

They realize that life is a path so they keep moving. They don’t stop to dwell on their mistakes.

Instead of focusing on the negative consequences of failure, they see each setback as a bump in the road to prosperity.

 

 

 

 

What are you focusing on?

We were doing business with a particular organization and they were doing a great job. Then they began to branch out into other areas.

Soon, they were spreading themselves and their staff so thin, they were unable to perform on the level that earned them our business. Bottom line is, it cost them a client.

The most successful businesses (and people) narrow their focus and concentrate their efforts on the things they do best.

When we branch out and try to be all things to all people, we misplace what makes us great.

 

 

 

There is power in narrowing your focus.

It is through Christ finished work that we are able to do all things.

It is by His blood that we are overcomers.

 

 

 

 

Focus on Him and you will be successful.

I call you blessed.

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

What A Girl Should Know


Hillary Clinton posing with Girl Scouts

WHAT A GIRL SHOULD KNOW.

 

 

 

 

Once a girl reaches the age of puberty, these are the following things her parents should let her know.

 

 

 

 

 

1.      A girl should have a thorough knowledge of her body. She should know what menstruation is all about, how to count the dates, when it is safe and when alarm will blow. She should know the cause of pregnancy and how to give birth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.      A girl should be told about all the risks involved in sex. From pregnancy to venereal disease (STD) and emotional trauma. She should know that there is no sex without the opposite sex (A Male). So she should be told about the nature of men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.      Every girl should know about precautions, starting from the knowledge of her gestation period to other forms of contraceptives. She should be told that the best contraceptive is to Abstain from SEX till she gets married.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.      A girl should know what pride and dignity means. And should know that a lot of her dignity is related to her sexual conduct. Remember your body is yours and it is the temple of the HOLY SPIRIT! Don’t be forced into doing what you don’t want to do  and please, do it only when it is safe;   in Marriage!

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Do you express your love to God by serving Him and others?


4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern Cali...

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Do you express your love to God by serving Him and others?

 

 

 

A life worth living

 

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 7:19

“For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments.”
NLT

Friend, you have unique talents and abilities that God wants to use for His glory. Your act of love for God is expressed when you serve and keep His commandments. Don’t be dissatisfied with your giftings, but obey God and walk in them.

Serving God with your gifts and obeying his commandments should be a high priority in the life of the believer. This is not to say that you are under the law, but because of His amazing love for you, you can respond in love by serving others with your talents. While you are not trying to earn your righteousness, you should desire to be obedient to Him. Not because you are earning your salvation, but because you love Him.

1John 5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” NKJV

You are to love God with all of your heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37). Serving and obeying God should not be burdensome because He loved you first. When I take flowers to my wife, I do not do so because I am married. I do this out of love. In the same way, show your love and affection for God by being committed to witness, read the Bible, pray and love others.

Do you express your love to God by serving Him and others? Remember how God told us to discover a life worth living? Feel safe and secure in the arms of God’s redeeming power and undeniable love. Step out in obedience to Him and share the hope and love of God to this cold, dark world that does not have anything worth living for and sure does not offer anything worth dying for.

 

 

 

Life Lesson: Serving and keeping God’s commandments is not only a commitment but an act of love as well.

Dear Father,
Thank You for Your love that sets me free when I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Thank You for allowing me to come to You. Lord, I thank You for the talents and abilities You have given to me. Forgive me where I have envied someone else’s gifts while neglecting to use my own gifts. Help me to be grateful for the call You have for my life so that I can discover purpose and meaning the way You intended. Lord, thank You for Your patience with me. Help me bring hope to a lost and dying world. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Lord, help me to be what You want me to be


Ernest Hemingway

Lord, help me to be what You want me to be

 

 

 

Your Bio Here!

 

 

 

Culled From: http://www.odb.org.

 

 

 

 

READ: John 1:1-14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. —John 1:14

While searching for an interesting way to instruct my college writing class about the concept of writing a biographical sketch, I found this idea: Write a biography in six words. When asked to do this, Pulitzer Prize winner Ernest Hemingway wrote this poignant bio: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” Imagine the sad story behind those six words.

As I thought about this concept, I wondered if we could find any six-word biographies of people in the Bible. What I discovered was astonishing. Many of our scriptural heroes have already been described that way. For example, David, of whom God said: “A man after My own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). Or Paul’s self-description: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ” (Eph. 1:1). Or Paul’s description of Timothy: “My true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2 NIV). And consider these words about Mary: “The virgin shall be with child” (Matt. 1:23). And about Jesus: “Became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).

This exercise in precise descriptions of people of faith should cause us to wonder: What six-word description would best describe me? Would it be positive or negative? Would it be “Not an easy person to love” or “A shining light for the Lord”? What would your bio say? —Dave Branon

Lord, help me to be what You want me to be
In character, actions, and will,
For You are the potter and I am the clay—
Your purposes I would fulfill. —Fitzhugh

 

 

 

Once lost, now found. Eternally thankful!

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Glorify God Despite Your Circumstances


03.365 (02.08.2009) Faith

Glorify God despite your circumstances.

 

Romans 4:20 “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.”

Waiting almost 10 years for the fulfilment of an “impossible” promise from God, Abraham’s faith grew stronger, while he continued to give glory to God! Strengthen yourself today in this thought. Abraham had all the reason in the natural to waver in his faith, but he chose to glorify God regardless of his circumstances.

Keep praising God, give Him glory in all that you do and do not lose hope, while glorifying Him.

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Let us drink of the things that God has provided for us and eat without scarcity because He has brought us into a land of abundance


Deuteronomy 8:18, Thou shalt remember the Lord...

Let us drink of the things that God has provided for us and eat without scarcity because He has brought us into a land of abundance.

The Land of Abundance

Deuteronomy 8:8-9 says:

 

 

“A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.”

 

Wow! Talk about God meeting our needs according to His riches in glory. Talk about answering prayer before it is ever prayed. The Bible says God knows we have need of these things before we pray.

Think of God’s great plan in the garden of Eden, even before man’s sin. He prepared a land where every need was met and every desire was fulfilled. That’s the kingdom of God. That is the life of the obedient ones, the life of those who love God with all of their hearts, their minds, and their souls. This is the heart of those who have discovered that God is only a good God. Therefore, let us walk in it. Let us drink of the things that God has provided for us and eat without scarcity because He has brought us into a land of abundance.

Partake!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength


Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength.

 

 

 

 

 

The Greatest Resources

 

 

 

 

Nahum 2:1

“He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.”
NKJV

Tests and trials are a part of life and often push us to our limits in many ways. During these times, what do you turn to? Do you first run to others seeking those who feel the same way you do? Do you find yourself to be anxious because you are constantly looking down the road of life waiting for the next attack? Maybe you run to your money or addiction to seek answers or comfort. Whatever the case may be, the truth is, when we do not run to God first, we will not last long.

As followers of Christ, we have the greatest resource of wisdom and power available to anyone. He is our Father God and He desires to help us in times of need. We may be able to hobble along on our own wisdom and strength for a time, but when we trust in the Lord’s strength and His infinite wisdom we will never grow weary. Friend, today you will encounter difficult situations. Don’t be surprised by them but simply use them as an excuse to draw closer to God. Need wisdom? Ask the Father. Desire strength? Find it in Jesus.

 

 

 

Life Lesson: When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength.

Dear God,
Thank You for the Your generous love for me. I am so grateful that I can run to You in times of need and You will hear my cry. Father I ask for Your strength and wisdom today. No matter where I find myself I ask that You would guide my steps and use me for Your purposes. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4


Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Grief Takes Time

James 4:4 says, “Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away.”

We speak of a short life—but compared to eternity, who has a long one? But in God’s plan every life is long enough and every death is timely. And though you and I might wish for a longer life, God knows better.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us.”

Egyptians dress in black for six months. Orthodox Jews offer prayers for a deceased parent every day for eleven months. Some Muslims wear mourning clothes for a year. Am I the only one who senses we hurry our hurts?

Did you know that 70% of the Psalms are poems of sorrow? That the Old Testament includes a book of lamentations?

Grief takes time. Give yourself some.

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”


4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern Cali...

Psalm 118:24  “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

All we have is today!

You are not in control of your life…in fact, the only decisions you can make on your own is how you will react to the things that come your way. You can choose fear or faith. You can get depressed or determined to find the best in a situation. The choice is yours with either response.

As humans, sometimes we let the need to be in control taint the good that God brings to the day. We shouldn’t forget that this is the day that He has created. These are the circumstances that He’s aware of and while they may not contribute to our ideal day, remember everything works according to His plan.

The very fact that you’re breathing is reason enough to rejoice! Be happy and embrace all the the good God has in store for you today. Stop focusing on what you don’t have or what isn’t your perfect set up, and give thanks for what you do have. Our father loves a grateful heart and wants to hear a spirit of gratitude, not one of despair and complaints.

Smile because today is the day that the Lord has made. Today is the day to receive His blessings, so rejoice and be glad in all God has planned for you!

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

The Lesson of Elijah


Jezabel and Ahab Meeting Elijah in Naboth's Vi...

The Lesson of Elijah

God is A Personal Spirit!

“Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act.” (Psalm 37:7)

Do you ever ask, “Why don’t I experience God dramatically as the early believers did? Why do I not see anyone experiencing God that way?” A man from Old Testament times, a prophet named Elijah, struggled with this.

Elijah lived in a day, much like today, when many people doubted or scoffed at God. He longed to see God move with tremendous power and silence the critics. Sometimes God did that. But there was a time when Elijah’s very life was in danger, and God seemed silent. An evil and godless queen named Jezebel sent her armies to kill Elijah. Was this his reward for being loyal and faithful to God? His depression and despair cut so deeply that Elijah finally asked God to simply let him die. If God wasn’t going to speak or act what was the point of even living?

God taught Elijah an unforgettable lesson. He sent the prophet to a mountain and commanded him to stand and watch as the Lord passed. Wasn’t that what Elijah wanted, after all? His heart must have raced as he anticipated looking upon the glory of God with his own two eyes. But instead, God came in a gentle whisper.

Elijah understood the message. God can hurl windstorms whenever He chooses. He can make the earth tremble or set it aflame. But He usually does not choose to move among us in sensational ways, but rather in the sound of a gentle whisper.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Why do you think God allowed Elijah to get so depressed he wanted to die? How did God restore Elijah’s hope? Do you ever get depressed? Next time, listen for the gentle whisper.

Because God is A Personal Spirit, I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Remember God!


Deuteronomy 8:18, Thou shalt remember the Lord...

Remember God!

Deuteronomy 8:10-14 says:

 

 

 “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command thee this day. Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”

There are people who forget God, but you are not like that. You remember the way of transgression; you remember that it was a way of hardness, loneliness, brokenness, and discouragement. Now you are the blessed of the Lord. You have been touched by God. You have been bought with a price. You are stamped with His approval. His hand is upon you. He loves you. His ears are open to your prayers, and His eyes are upon your life. You can do no less than to remember God in all that you have and in all the ways that you walk.

Remember God!

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Absolute surrender to God’s will


4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern Cali...

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Absolute surrender to God’s will.

James 4:7 “Therefore, submit to God…”

The time has come for absolute surrender to the will of God. As we grow, God starts demanding more from us. And times will come when we are not sure that we will be able to do what God wants us to do. But if we surrender, something new happens. Our faith grows and our intimacy with Him deepens. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3:5

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Selfish Desires


Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4

Selfish Desires

“Me First”

READ: James 4:1-10

Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. —Ephesians 4:22

A man once asked me, “What is your biggest problem?” I replied, “I see my biggest problem every day in the mirror.” I am referring to those “me first” desires that lurk in my heart.

In James 4:1 we read: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” The words “desires for pleasure” refer to our self-serving desires. That’s why in James 1:14 we are told: “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” James warns that such “me first” desires will destroy our friendship with God (4:4) and cause divisions, wars, and fights (vv.1-2).

Therefore, we are told to put off “me first” thinking. How do we do this? First, “Submit to God” (4:7). We need to get our ranking right—God is God and His will must always be first. Second, “Draw near to God” (v.8). Deal with those desires that lead to sin by going to God for cleansing. Don’t be double-minded, desiring both evil and good. But rather desire to please God alone. Third, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord” (v.10). Then “He will lift you up.”

Remember, “me first” living is not the key to success. Put God first. —Albert Lee

I once was full of self, and proud
Just like a Pharisee,
Until one day, quite by surprise,
I caught a glimpse of me. —Hawthorne

When you forget yourself, you usually start doing something others will remember.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!