Monthly Archives: July 2012

From Hot For Christ To Dead To Christ

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English: Resurrection of Christ

English: Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Hot For Christ To Dead To Christ

I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth! You say, “I am rich and well off; I have all I need”. But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind.
Revelation 3:15-17

The word “Spit” means to vomit you up. In order to vomit something, you
had to have ingested it at some point. It was in you. It was part of
you, but it became so troubling to you that it had to come out.

This church is prosperous and has allowed its prosperity to dull it. Many times people start out working hard and experience success. They experience blessings. The pressure isn’t on
them anymore. Their bills are paid, and things are going well. That zeal becomes dulled, and they become lukewarm.

To God, being lukewarm means that you were on fire and then you became cold because good things were happening. You became prosperous. You were enjoying good health. Your children were doing well. Life was good. And instead of that firing you up, you became lukewarm. God is not against prosperity, but He is against prosperity changing you.

I know of a man in our church one time who didn’t have anything going for him. He wanted to learn the Word of God, so the pastor taught him. He became prosperous; in fact, he became a millionaire. But when He became wealthy, his zeal disappeared. We stopped seeing him at church; he had other things to do. The end result was that he became very cold to the things of God and backslid. He ended his life by committing suicide. Yes, it is possible to go from being hot to being dead.

Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father!
All that I am and all that I have belongs to You. You gave me strength
to prosper, and You have blessed me. I praise You for being true to
Your name and Your Word. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

Think on These Things

Philippians 1:9

2 Thessalonians 1:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. —Psalm 27:10

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

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me. —Psalm 27:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

READ: Psalm 27:1-10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Years ago, when I was a student at the University of California at Berkeley, I developed a friendship with a fellow student who had suffered a terrible loss. His child had died and his wife had left him because she couldn’t deal with the pain.

One day, as my friend and I were walking down the street, we found ourselves behind a dishevelled mother with a grubby little boy in hand. She was angry at the child and was walking much too fast, towing him at a pace his little legs couldn’t maintain.

We reached a busy intersection where the child abruptly stopped and his hand slipped out of his mother’s grasp. She turned around, spat out a curse, and trudged on. The little boy sat down on the curb and burst into tears. Without a moment’s hesitation, my friend sat down next to him and gathered the little guy in his arms.

The woman turned and, looking at the child, began to curse again. My friend sighed and looked up. “Lady,” he said softly, “If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”

So it is with our Father in heaven. He too has known great loss and loves us just as tenderly. Even if our friends and family forsake us, our God never will (Ps. 27:10). We are ever in His care. —David Roper

I love to dwell upon the thought
That Jesus cares for me,
It matters not what life may bring—
He loves me tenderly. —Adams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If God cares for sparrows, He surely cares for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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Because of Who God Is

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English: 4 days of Evangelism Training in Sout...

Because of Who God Is

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proverbs 30:4-5: “Who has mastered heavenly knowledge? Who has ever caught the wind in His hand? Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth? Or fixed the boundaries of the earth? Who is He, if you know? Who is His son? God keeps every promise He makes. He is like a shield for all who seek His protection”
An average believer makes a casual commitment to God and
serves Him only because of what He can do for them. Let us never
forget WHO HE IS! He is THE MIGHTY GOD and deserves reverence and
full devotion. It’s time to make the adjustments and serve Him
because of Who He is.

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!

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Engraved in God’s Heart

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Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ...

Engraved in God’s Heart

The finger of God is an agent of creation and a mark of God’s authority. They were also used in writing His laws. Deuteronomy 9:9-11 says God wrote the Ten Commandments with His finger on tablets of stone. Every author writes a book or put words and sentences together in order to convey certain ideas or opinions for others to read. The fact that God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own fingers established the fact that He and not Moses is the Author. God not only writes on stones, He writes on men. After Cain killed his brother Abel and God judged him, he requested for a reduction in the punishment, being scared that anyone who sights him might kill him. As a result, God wrote on him – He put a mark of “Untouchable” on him so that anyone who saw him from that day would not touch him. With God’s mark on Cain, he was free to serve his punishment without anyone touching him. Even today, God can put a mark upon you which will make you untouchable. Paul had this mark. He says: “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Galatians 6:17”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This mark is also a mark of divine ownership. In other words, when the finger of God writes on you, the enemy will immediately realise that you are a property of the King of kings and so they cannot just toy with you. Paul got his divine branding in the course of being persecuted for Christ. Have you been so branded? Apart from this, God said a time was coming when He would write His commandments on the tables of the hearts of men and they shall serve Him with ease. That time is now! Today, as you study His Word daily, ask Him to inscribe His laws upon the tables of your heart so that you will no more stray from His Will (Hebrews 8:9-13).

Servants are branded and their owners recognise them by the mark on them. Do you have any mark that identifies you as God’s property? Is His mark of ownership vivid? Are His laws written in your heart? Have you become untouchable? If any of these is lacking, run to the cross today!

Prayer Point: Father! Give me hatred for sin. Help me to hate sin as much as You hate it! In Jesus Christ  Name I pray, Amen!

Further Reading: Hebrews 8:11-12 “None of them will have to teach their fellow-citizens or say to their fellow-citizens, ‘Know The Lord.’ For they will all know me, from the least to the greatest. I will forgive their sins and will no longer remember their wrongs.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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Never Give Up Attitude

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English: 4 days of Evangelism Training in Sout...

Never give up attitude

Dear Friend,

There has never been a greater opportunity for the church of Jesus Christ to shine with the glory of the Lord. However, we must make certain we develop a “never give
up” attitude. Proverbs 24:16 “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises
again…”

In every circumstance of life there are choices to be made. You must decide what
you will do in times of crisis, when you make a mistake, or when you experience
failure. It’s not about falling, it’s about rising again. Your enemy is intimidated
by your tenacity to never quit and to never give up.

So today I boldly decree your attitude is right, your faith is focused, and you
are expressing the reality that satan cannot win if I don’t quit. Hallelujah!

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!

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I Confess

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I Confess:
• I shall no longer walk in the flesh
• I shall be slow to anger and quick to forgive
• I am longsuffering and tolerant
• I will read and study the Word of God

• The bible must be an essential part of my life
• I shall continually meditate and stand on the Word of God
• I will not be a dwarf in the spirit
• I shall live holy
• I shall grow in the things of the Lord
• I shall come to the full measure of the statue of Christ
• My walk with God will daily be deeper and stronger
• I am a friend of God
• My life will bring glory to the name of the Lord

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!

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The Prodigal Son

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Return of the prodigal son (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Prodigal Son

A teenage boy once borrowed a fast car, and in a drunken stupor, sped through his home town at 180km/h. Since everything was horse-driven in his home town, there were no laws against speeding. So the town council passed a law saying that 80km/h was the maximum speed, and that any transgressors would be fined N 10,000.00 for every km/h over the speed limit. On his way back through the town, the speedstar decided to pull the same prank. He was apprehended, tried and found guilty by his father, who was the town’s only judge. He was fined N 1,000,000.00 and because he had no money and no word of defence the teenage boy was led off to prison.

As he sat in despair in prison, his father appeared at the gate, and told him he had sold all his prized possessions and paid the fine for him. The son couldn’t believe that he loved him that much. They embraced like they never had before and walked off in a new-found relationship, bonded together with love.

We have all broke God’s laws, a multitude of times; the greatest which says “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND” but God came to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ, and paid the fine for us. “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE”. The Bible says “He Who Has The Son, Has Life…….”

Ask Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to forgive you of all your sins. Thank Him for He suffered on the cross in your place and say I put my entire trust in you as my Lord and Personal Saviour, 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!

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Change is coming

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Forgiveness lesson from flowers

Change is coming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 13:10

“But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with.”
NKJV

Most all of us hate change. We like our routines and desire to walk through life not having to change it up too often. Maybe this is because we like to feel we are in control and anything we are not ready for frightens us. Well friend, there is something coming that I pray you are ready for. This change will affect you, me and everyone on the face of our planet. It’s something far more powerful than a war or natural disaster, in fact, it’s not a something at all – it’s a someone.

Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” NKJV

In the blink of an eye, every follower of Christ on earth will be made new. The old will pass and the new will come. We will see our Lord face to face and our lives will never be the same. Yes, this change is the greatest change of all, but we must be ready or we’ll miss it. You see, we do not know the day or hour of this change, but we do know how we can prepare. God’s Word is clear. We have a choice here on earth to follow Him and find forgiveness of sin and hope of heaven or reject Him and find judgment. If you have never asked God to forgive you of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your Saviour, then today is the day. There are many promises in the Bible, but tomorrow is not one of them. Pray to Him today and you’ll be ready for the day when everything changes for eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lesson: One day everything will change – everything.

Dear God,
I know that I have done wrong things. I pray that You would forgive me of my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that He was raised from the dead. Today, I trust in Him and ask that You fill me with Your Spirit so that I can share this wonderful news with a lost and hurting 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!

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Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12)

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English: Baptism of Jesus Christ

Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12)

Payment in full

God is merciful

Peter asked Jesus how many times he had to forgive someone. Peter thought that forgiving seven times was pretty good. “No!” Jesus answered, “seventy times seven!” Then Jesus gave an illustration showing how God views our responsibility to forgive.

A king became aware that one of his servants owed him a significant amount, so he ordered the servant brought before him and demanded the servant pay every penny. The servant could not pay so the king ordered the man and his family sold into slavery to pay the debt. The servant fell before the king and pleaded for mercy. The king felt pity and forgave him the tremendous debt.

The servant found a fellow servant who owed him and demanded payment. The friend begged for mercy, but the servant would not forgive him and had him thrown into prison.

When the king heard about it, he was angry! He called in the servant and demanded to know why he had acted so unforgiving toward his friend when he had been forgiven so much. Then the king commanded the servant be thrown into prison until he had paid every penny.

God gave His only Son to die in our place. That is mercy beyond comprehension. How, then, can we ever refuse to give mercy to others when we have received so much mercy ourselves. To the degree that we show mercy to the poor, the wretched, and the guilty, we are like God.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Since God richly lavishes His mercy on us, we must show mercy to one another. And that means letting go of all those old hurts caused by others.

What More Does God Say?

Romans 8:38-39; Luke 6:35

Because God is merciful, He forgives me of my sins when I sincerely confess them

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

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Yours Kindness Quotient

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Laetare

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!

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