Monthly Archives: August 2012

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)

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For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Just as a sacrificial lamb gave its purity in exchange for Israel’s sins, Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb for the whole world. He gave us His nature in exchange for our sinful nature. When He was hanged on the cross, He had the worst experience of His life. He became sin for us and was separated from His father. His love for us was what kept Him through.

Jesus went to hell, defeated the devil and needed to be raised to life. God sent His life-giving Spirit to raise Him back to life. The world was accustomed to the principle of death, but now, a life-giving Spirit was beyond their imagination.

“Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). The Holy Spirit of the Almighty God is the glory of the Father that brought Jesus back from death. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t raised Him back to life, He would have remained there. When He came out from the grave, He came out, not as the one who was made sin on the cross, but as a new creation, born of the Holy Spirit.

When you gave your life to Jesus Christ, you received the same life that raised Him from dead. Just like Him, you became a new creation. When He died, you died in Him and when He was buried, you were buried in Him. And when He rose from the dead, you rose in Him with a brand new life!

You’re now a master over your world because you don’t function under the law of sin and death which formerly enslaved you. Rather, you function by a brand new Law: The Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. That’s the Law for the new creation!

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father! I thank You because I’m a new creation, born of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I reign in this life because I function in the Law of The Spirit of Life, in Jesus Christ Name I pray, 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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Success can be defined as the ability to minimize your errors

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Success can be defined as the ability to minimize your errors

Proverbs 22:3

Success can be defined as the ability to minimize your errors. The virtue that imparts this ability is prudence. Prudence is practical wisdom that is applicable everyday and every time. With it, you make wise choices and wise decisions. It ensures that you make fewer mistakes in your life by guiding you to make right choices. With this virtue, you’ll never be financially bankrupt. You’ll always get things right the first time you do them.

A prudent person is someone who is marked by sound judgment. If God endows you with prudence, others will take notice that you have such a virtue. When Job was in great distress, everybody who came to see him reminded him of his suffering. His wife advised him to curse God and die, but Job, standing his ground said, “………the counsel of the wicked is far from me” (Job 21:16). Job was able to stand his ground because he refused the wrong counsel.

What people need today to strengthen the virtue of prudence is the counsel of God’s Word; nothing else can replace it. It’s the only correct answer to every human need or desire. “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15). You must make personal efforts to study God’s Word. This way, your path in life will be directed by the Word of God. This is what will guide you into making the right decisions.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You because You have endowed me with prudence and have made me wise in heart. Open my eyes to see my way in life and enlighten my understanding so I can get things right the first time, 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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When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfil it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfil your vow. Ecclesiastes 5:4

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When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfil it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfil your vow. Ecclesiastes 5:4

How’s your marriage?

Consider it your Testore cello! This finely constructed, seldom-seen instrument has reached the category of rare—nearly priceless. Few musicians are privileged to play a Testore, even fewer are able to own one.

On your wedding day, God loaned you His work of art, an intricately crafted, precisely formed masterpiece. He entrusted you with a one-of-a-kind creation.

Value her. Honour him. Having been blessed with a Testore, why fiddle around with anyone else?

Solomon missed this. He collected wives as trophies. He saw spouses as a means to his pleasure, not a part of God’s plan. Don’t make his mistake.

Be fiercely loyal to one spouse. Fiercely loyal.

Don’t even look twice at someone else. No flirting. No teasing. No loitering at her desk.

Who cares if you come across as rude or a prude?

You’ve made a promise. Keep it!

 

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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There is no higher authority than God

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There is no higher authority than God

God’s Judicial Authority

“I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

A judge, above all else, must have authority. Our government endows judges with authority through the oath they take to execute justice. The law enforcement and prison systems back up the judge’s authority. The robe that he wears, and having everyone in the courtroom stand as he enters, help to emphasize that authority. His gavel and his elevated seat in the courtroom show that he commands the proceedings.
Similarly, God, as the Creator, has the authority to do whatever He deems best with His creation. He is the potter; we are the clay. His throne is high above us in the heavens. His pronouncements are final. There is no higher authority than God.
God will judge every wrong act ever committed, every sinful motive, every evil word. The sentence for these crimes is eternal separation from God and His holiness.
But there are those who will live in safety with God. These are the ones who have accepted Christ‘s payment for our sin when He died on the cross. Our loving Saviour, Jesus Christ, paid the sentence pronounced by the Perfect Judge. God sees these “sinners saved by grace” as righteous in His courtroom. Therefore, they will live eternally in the love, peace, and joy of God’s presence.

Are you ready to stand before the Perfect Judge who has all authority? Remember, God’s standard of justice is perfection. Will He see your shortcomings, or will He see Jesus’ perfect sacrifice? It’s your choice.

John 9:39; John 3:16-18

 

 

 

 

 

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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Always On God’s Mind

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English: Resurrection of Christ

English: Resurrection of Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Always On God’s Mind

He Died For You!

Deuteronomy 7:13 says:

“He will love you and bless you, so that you will increase in number and have many children; He will bless your fields, so that you will have corn, wine, and olive oil; and He will bless you by giving you all these blessings in the land that He promised your ancestors He would give to you.”

Notice that when God makes a promise, He makes it not just to the one who hears it, but to all of the future seed. When God said He would send His Son to die for our sins so that we could be blessed because when we have turned from our iniquities, He did it so that we could receive the blessing. Jesus died, not for His sins, but for our sins, and He died for our sins, bearing our curse, so that we could be blessed with His righteousness and His blessing. Today, think about how God sent His Son for you; not just for the people of yesterday, but for the people of the future. You were in the future in Christ‘s mind when He died on the cross.
You were on His mind!

 

 

 

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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God’s Love

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God’s Love

 

 

 

 

 

Hosea 3:3

“And I said to her, ‘You shall stay with me many days; you shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man-so, too, will I be toward you.'”
NKJV

In the book of Hosea, we see a glimpse of God‘s relationship with Israel. Just as Hosea married Gomer and desired to love her and keep her from adultery, so it was that God loved Israel and desired that they be His alone. Unfortunately, Israel chased after other gods which lead to their exile. Instead of grasping the amazing love that God had shown to them, Israel turned their back on their very hope of salvation.

Friend, we all are like Israel. We are born into this world sinful and by our actions, we display hatred towards God. The good news is that God’s love is not based on our behaviour but on His character. He is love and therefore He made a way that we could be saved. When we trust in Jesus for salvation and seek His forgiveness, we can find rest. Not only that, but God gives us power to live for Him so that we can demonstrate our love for Him by obeying His Word. What a blessing it is to love and be loved by the God of all creation. May you know His love and may your life be changed because of it.

Life Lesson: We show our love for God through obedience.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the love that You have shown to me through Your Son Jesus Christ. Because of Christ, I have hope of heaven and power to live the abundant life now. Father, help me to walk in obedience to Your Word so that others may see my life and glorify You. 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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Sorrow And Bitterness

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Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ

Sorrow And Bitterness

 

Proverbs 15:13 says: “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken”

 

 

 

 

Sorrow and bitterness are two things that should never be found in the life of a Christian. They could create an opening for devils to attack your mind and body. There’s something about sorrow, sadness and bitterness that attracts the devil, and he’ll take advantage of every little situation. Whenever someone is bitter or sorrowing about something, be sure of one thing; an evil spirit is waiting to get on the case. Let me expatiate with this illustration.

Put a sweet or sugary substance on the table and leave it there for a while. Before long, ants will begin to gather around and feed on the substance. Ants possess an instinctive propensity to seek out sweet things. Though you can’t tell where the ants came from they’ll surely find their way to the substance. Demons are that way as well.

Sorrow and bitterness are serious troubles that you shouldn’t take lightly. Nobody wants to be sorrowful or bitter for a long time. Therefore, when you meet someone who is persistently sorrowful and bitter, then you’ve got to realize that another force is motivating such persistence. Such a man or woman must begin to renew his or her mind with the Word of God; otherwise, he or she is headed for serious trouble.

The Bible says, “Be ye angry, and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). Therefore, if you’re bitter against someone or sorrowful about an unfortunate event in your life, it’s time for you to wake up and take charge of your life with the Word of God!

You may have been sorrowing because of the loss of a loved one, I want to remind you 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says “………that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.” Furthermore, give no room for bitterness in your life. The Bible says, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31). Don’t give the devil a foothold in your life.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I give every hurt and pains that I may be harbouring in my heart to You. I ask that You heal every wound (physical or emotional) in my life. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I put away sorrow and bitterness from my life and I yield to the healing and cleansing power of Your Word, 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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Our Inheritance With Christ Jesus

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Our Inheritance With Christ Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

Matthew 11:11, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

 

 

 

 

 

MATTHEW 11:2-19, LUKE 7:18-35

Much of the Old Testament deals with future events and the coming Messiah and His Kingdom. Not only was John the Baptist the voice of God to his generation, he was also the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. He did not merely prophesy about the coming Messiah and the New Covenant, as the Old Testament prophets did, but he actually prepared the way for the hearts of the people to receive Jesus by bearing witness to the Light.

Although John the Baptist was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, he was not a born again “new creature in Christ”. When Jesus was raised from the dead, He enabled us to be “born of the Spirit” and become children of God, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. We were enabled to become “partakers of the divine nature” and full-fledged sons of God. John operated under the Old Covenant when none of these promises were yet in effect. Jesus established a new order, “the Kingdom of God,” in which these promises became effective. God saw John and all of the Old Testament prophets through the law.

The new birth is essential for entering into the Kingdom of God. Our spiritual man became dead unto (separated from) God through sin. Just as we didn’t accomplish our physical birth, we cannot produce this spiritual rebirth. We are totally incapable of saving ourselves; therefore, we need a Saviour. We simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and we are saved.

Salvation is not a reformation, but rather a regeneration, a new birth, a new creation, that can only be accomplished by a creative miracle of the Holy Spirit. Because of the new birth, He sees us through Jesus. Celebrate Life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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Any man without self control is as defenceless as a city with broken down walls

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Any man without self control is as defenceless as a city with broken down walls

 

 

 

 

 

READ: 1 Corinthians 9:27

Do you know that many people have missed their time of visitation just because they allowed their bodies dictate to them? I’m talking about those who have little or no control over their senses. Such people find it difficult to fast or pray and they eventually concluded that God will give them whatever they desire whenever He’s ready to give them. How untrue! God doesn’t operate that way.

A lot of times when God wants to reveal deep things to you, He tries to catch your attention so that you can focus on Him. Every now and then, He wakes you up in the middle of the night to pray. If you haven’t learnt to master your body, you’ll continue sleeping and miss out on what God wants to do in your life. But if you have been able to master your body and senses like Paul The Apostle, you’ll never miss out on any of such visitations from the LORD.

Proverbs 25:28 says, “Any man without self-control is a defenceless as a city with broken-down walls” (TLB). The importance of being able to master your body can’t be downplayed, especially in the life of the Christian. Always remember that the life you have in Christ Jesus is spiritual, though you live in a body. Therefore, refuse to be ruled by your body; rather build your spirit in God’s Word and in prayer until you’re able to master your body. This is how to remain sensitive to everything God is doing in your life. You’ll always be alert and in control of every situation around you; nothing will catch you unawares. Make up your mind to dominate your body today. It will save you much more than it costs!

Prayers:

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving me the ability to discipline my body. Every day as I fellowship with Your Word, I become more and more acquainted with how to walk in self control, 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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You should never lack anything because you have a legal document that confers on you the right to all of God’s wealth

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You should never lack anything because you have a legal document that confers on you the right to all of God’s wealth.

READ: Hebrews 9:17

 

 

 

 

A testament is a will. Jesus left us a will before He went to heaven. A will is only enforced after the death of the one who made the will. In other words, a testament is of no effect until the death of the testator. If a man writes a will, his will is of no power until the man is dead. Whoever he wills his estate to becomes the one with the legal right to possess it. If the will says everything belongs to the last born child in the family, he or she then becomes the only one with the legal document to possess the entire property.

The peculiarity of the will Jesus left for us is this: He knew there was nobody on the face of the earth who would execute His will for us, therefore He rose from the grave to see to it that we, the beneficiaries of that will, got our inheritance. When He ascended into heaven, He left us the HOLYSPIRIT, to show us the provisions of our inheritance: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Not only does the Holy Spirit lives in you, He’s with you to see to it that no one cheats you out of the provisions of the will Our Lord Jesus Christ left for us. In that will, it is stated that Eternal Life – the Indestructible Life of God – is your present – hour – possession! It is stated that you have a right to be forgiven all your sins. It is stated that you should never fail, be poor or be sick! You should never lack anything because you have a legal document that confers on you the right to all of God’s wealth.   That document says you’re a Prince of Power with God; you have favour everywhere you go; the angels of God have been assigned to watch over you and ensure everything works well with and for you. All you need is to acquaint yourself with the provisions of that will. Get to know what belongs to you by giving yourself to the careful and diligent study of God’s Word; that is His Will expressed to us.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that You daily enlighten the eyes of my understanding, so I may know and walk in Your perfect will for my life, 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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