Excelling In Life


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Excelling  In Life
by Pastor Afolabi

People often busy themselves with some  activity that they believe would give them an edge for excellence in various  areas of their lives. For some, it is enrolling for that extra on-the-job  course to sharpen their business acumen; for others, it’s hiring the services  of a pro trainer or coach to improve their skills in some sport. For some  others still, it is sitting for weeks, months or even years under the tutorship  of world class professors and ultimately obtaining a first class degree from  some renowned institution in well acclaimed areas of the world. And maybe for  some, recruiting the best skilled hands to execute the goals of their companies  or organizations would definitely do the “excelling” trick.

These are undeniably laudable efforts,  worthy of emulation. However, that individual who will become truly excellent  in his or her life must primarily learn and apply God‘s principles and skills  of living. Man is a created being; and must necessarily seek to know his  Creator, who having made the product, understands his full functions and  specified his operations; and thus knows what man can achieve, and how and when  best he can achieve it. The Bible is the product manual and must therefore be  the pivot and reference for whoever will maximize his potentials, and  ultimately excel at his endeavours as God’s divine product.

Excelling is not an act or performance,  which is here for a moment only to disappear into oblivion. Rather, it ought to  be a way of life. Excelling in life requires 100% usage of one’s mind; and  one’s capability and its utilization can be reviewed and improved by choice and  at will. A poet once said, “Few are born with talent that excel, but all  are capable of living well.” Rarely will an infant have an angel descend  at his birth and whisper in his ear “You are among the few born with  talent.” Often times, the infant himself grows up to recognize his  talents, and sets the ball rolling to achieve his goals, with a touch of  excellence. Not many are born into the world with the tag “WINNER”.  Thus, winning and doing so excellently is indeed a matter of choice.

So what you need to do is to always  acknowledge yourself as the best product of a painstaking manufacturer, laden  with innate abilities, great talents and limitless potentials. And these, when  put to the right and timely use, according to the principles provided in the  manufacturer’s manual – the Bible – will definitely produce excellent results.

Constantly apply yourself to training and imbibe fresh and   updated information in your field of expertise, or whatever area of endeavour   you seek to pursue. Become consistent, diligent and continually improve on your   skills and personality, always staying abreast of the facts in your field of   play. Soon enough, excelling in life will be your sweet story to tell.

Honour your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12


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HONOURING YOUR PARENTS

Honour your father and mother that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12

My dad recently turned 90 years old and his physical capabilities are fading. He can still move around with his walker, but he needs someone to cook his meals and help him with other tasks.

My older brother Steve and his wife Judy lived close to him, so they decided to move in with Dad to care for him. Wanting to help in some way, my wife and I flew across the country to help out a bit by watching Dad while my brother and his wife had some time away together. We enjoyed our time with my father and were glad to ease Steve and Judy’s load – even if it was only for a few days.

The Bible says to “honour your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2). One New Testament commentary says that to honour someone is to “treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness, courtesy, and obedience which his station in life…..demands.”

For young children, this means obeying your parents. For teenagers, it indicates showing respect for Mom and Dad even if you think you know more than they do. For young adults, this means including your parents in your life. And for those in middle-age and beyond, it means making sure that parents are cared for as they move into old age or their health declines.

How can you honour your parents this week? – Dennis Fisher

Don’t miss the opportunity

To honour and obey

The parents God has blessed you with –

For they’ll be gone someday. – Sper

Honouring Our Parents Has No Age Limit!

May God Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 22:8) Find the book


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I HAVE FOUND
THE BOOK OF THE LAW IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD (2 KINGS 22:8). FIND THE BOOK!

One Sunday
at the church where I pastor, I invited three children to find several scrolls
with Bible verses written on them that I had hidden in our worship centre. I
told them that once they found them and read the words aloud, I would give them
a prize. You should have seen those kids! They ran, moved chairs, and looked
under plants and in purses (with permission). Their search for the scroll was
intense, but exciting. Their diligent search and subsequent discovery of the
scrolls led to joy in the children, affirmation from our congregation, and a
renewed sense of the importance of God’s Word.

In 2 kings
22-23, we read how King Josiah and the people of Judah rediscovered the joy and
importance of God’s Word. During the repairing of the temple, Hilkiah the high
priest found the Book of the Law. It must have been lost or hidden during the
reign of Manasseh. The when the scroll was read to King Josiah, he listened and
responded to it (vv. 10-11). He sought further understanding of it (vv.12-20),
and he led the people to renew their commitment to its importance in their
lives (23:1-4).

Many today
have unprecedented access to God’s Word. Let’s renew our commitment to “find” it
every day and by our lives show its prominence. – Marvin Williams

O Book divine, supreme, sublime

Entire, eternal, holy, true;

Sufficient for all men and time-

We pledge our faith to thee anew

To know Christ, The Living Word, is
to love the Bible, the written Word.

May God Almighty Our Heavenly Father
prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend them from all their enemies in Jesus
Christ Name, Amen!

Let Us Run With Patience The Race That Is Set Before Us, Looking Unto Jesus The Author And Finisher Of Our Faith


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LET US RUN WITH PATIENCE THE RACE THAT IS SET BEFORE US,
LOOKING UNTO JESUS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH

Wherefore seeing we
also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witness, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)

In life, you must never compare yourself with others;
rather, run your race and be the best of you. The Bible talks about “the race”
that is set before us; thus you’re not called to run someone else’s race.
Hence, it’s needless to engage in any kind of unhealthy rivalry or competition
with others. You’re only permitted to compete with yourself and outdo your
past. Never allow yourself to be discouraged when it seems as though those
around you are making more progress than you are; you’re not running the same
race.

That someone else is succeeding doesn’t mean you’re failing:
it all depends on individual aims, targets, and objectives. Success is
relative, and is measured at different stages. Take for instance, two men who
are building their houses. While one lays a not-too-deep foundation and starts
erecting a bungalow, the other one takes his time to dig deep because he wants
to erect a five – storey building. The former may finish his building and even
start living in it while the latter is yet digging his foundation.

Now, the first man may even jeer at his colleague and
mockingly ask him, “Hey! Are you still digging? I’ve finished building my own
house!” but what he doesn’t realized is that they aren’t aiming for the same
thing. The fellow who spent a long time digging knew that his foundation had to
be deep enough to support the tall building he intends to put up, for the
higher you want to build, the deeper your foundation ought to be.

At the end, when both houses are built, the difference will
be clear between the two buildings. So in life, focus on your race! Compete
only with yourself based on God’s plan for your own life. When you have this
consciousness, your life will be full of rest, and you’ll learn to measure your
success through the Word.

PRAYER

Dear, Lord, thank You
for showing me how to run with patience the race that you’ve set before me. My
gaze is on You Lord Jesus and my energies are focused on fulfilling Your plans
and purposes for my life; I refuse to compare myself with anyone else, but
measure my success in life with Your Word. Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

O Lord save Your Nations
Nigeria and Israel from all their enemies to Your glory alone in Christ Jesus,
Amen!

 

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (Elected by grace)


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FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN
SON (ELECTED BY GRACE)

But ye are an elect
race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession,
that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness
into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9 ASV).

In Genesis 6, the Bible tells us of certain angels who
married the daughters of men and produced giants in the earth. Thus their seed
spread upon the earth till they had cousins and relatives everywhere. These were
not godly seeds; satan’s ploy was to pollute the human race. But God put a stop
to this pollution by destroying the whole world.

Satan knew God had promised that the seed of the woman would
bruise his head (Genesis 3:15), so by polluting the human race with the
corruptive seed of the giants, he hoped to nullify God’s plan. But he failed.
God had reserved eight people who were unmixed with the pollution – Noah and
his family! They were undefiled. The Bible says Noah found grace in the eyes of
the Lord, and he was a righteous man, perfect in his generations (Genesis
6:8-9). Thus through him and his family, God started a whole new generation.

Now, the Bible also lets us know that the whole world was
under condemnation for Adam’s transgression. But just as God reserved a remnant
for Himself in the days of Noah, “Even so
at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace”
(Romans 11:5). God, by sending His Son, Jesus, as sacrifice for sin,
reserved a remnant for Himself. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

Consequently, those of us who believe in Jesus and have
accepted and confessed Him as Lord of our lives are the remnant God has chosen
out of this condemned world. We’re God’s elect today, specially called out by
grace! Not only has He chosen us, He has made us a wonder to our world. Now,
we’re a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar
people, set to manifest His excellent wisdom and perfection to all creation.
What a glorious honour to be elected by God’s grace!

CONFESSION

I’m not of this
world; I’m God’s choice, chosen by His special grace before the foundation of
the world for glory and excellence. My life is a manifestation of the
supernatural because I was born a peculiar treasure unto God. My life is for
the glory of God. Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

May God Almighty save
Nigeria and Israel from all their enemies in Jesus Mighty Name! amen!

Whosoever desires to become great and the first among you, let him be your servant and your slave (Matthew 20:26-27)


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WHOSOEVER DESIRES TO BECOME GREAT AND THE FIRST AMONG YOU,
LET HIM BE YOUR SERVANT AND YOUR SLAVE. (MATTHEW 20:26-27)

Selfless Service – A key to
Greatness!

“…………Whosoever desires to become great among you, let him be your
servant; and whosoever desires to be the first among you, let him be your
slave.”
(Matthew 20:26-27)

Our opening scripture underscores
the responsibility of service – selfless service – as key to greatness! Today,
the Lord is letting us know that whoever must be great should be a servant –
One who serves or run errands for others; one who renders selfless service.

You’ve been called to service;
both of God and of mankind. God is mindful of, and concerned about, people more
than anything else. Thus, when you serve people through your work , the Lord
will be mindful of you and bless you as well. He’ll cause everything you do to
prosper.

The Bible says there’s profit in
all labour (Proverbs 14:23). In other words, when you faithfully render
service, you’ll surely prosper. You may be a policeman, civil servant, or even
the chief executive of a corporation; it doesn’t matter the job or business you
do, when your goal is to render quality and selfless service, your greatness
will be inevitable. Greed has stopped many from serving their nation and people
as they should. Don’t let that be your story. Don’t let the desire for
excessive and inordinate gain be your driving force in life. Refuse to yield
yourself to such.

Become motivated by the joy of
service. Be inspired by the importance and relevance of your job or business
towards the betterment of your society. Make yourself needed, relevant and
indispensable to your generation by choosing to serve, for that is the pathway
to success and greatness.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for inspiring me today to be
service-conscious, and to be motivated by the dream of impacting others with
the investment of my personality. I pray that You’ll grant me increased grace
and wisdom to serve You and those whom Christ Jesus died for, in Jesus Mighty Name.
Amen!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

 

Thinking On God’s Word (The Bible) Is Much More Than Positive Thinking. Build Your Life On Jesus Christ


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THINKING ON GOD’S WORD (THE BIBLE) IS MUCH MORE THAN
POSITIVE THINKING. BUILD YOUR LIFE ON JESUS CHRIST.

Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are
just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things (Philippians 4:8)

The things listed in this scripture are by no means
exhaustive. Paul only wanted us to have the idea of the kind of things God’s
children should think or meditate on. Some people think positively according to
the teachings of intellectual men rather than according to the Bible. That’s
not correct!

You have to understand that nothing else can put you over in
life except God’s Word. Thinking on God’s Word (The Bible) is much more than
positive thinking.  The Bible says,
through knowledge shall the just be put over, that is, delivered into their
inheritance (Proverbs 11:9). I want you to realize this is not talking about
knowledge of science or philosophy; this refers to revelation knowledge, which
the Holy Spirit imparts to you as you study God’s Word. Man can only give you
his philosophy; his wisdom never works.

It’s a shame to find how people respect men who have acquired
a lot of money and become famous, but forget what really matters. True life is
only in the Word of God; you must realize that! Don’t build your life on some
philosopher; build your life on Jesus Christ and His Living Word – The Bible.
God’s Word gives life. Think on it. Let it fill your thoughts morning, noon and
night. Whatever things are pure, just, honest, lovely, of good report, full of
praise and virtue are what you should think on I don’t think there’s anything
in all of creation that can be truer, more just , more honest, lovelier and of
better report than the Word of God. It’s actually an exhortation to think on
His Word. Spend time daily to think on God’s Word. Your words and actions are a
function of your thinking. If you think right, you will talk right and you will
surely live right!

Whenever you find yourself in a challenging situation,
instead of thinking on the problem and magnifying it, simply get hold of God’s
Word and begin to think and meditate on it! As you reflect upon God’s Word, there’ll
be a transformation, a metamorphosis, a transfiguration that will bring about a
solution and a permanent change in your life.

PRAYER

Lord, Your Word is in
my heart and in my mouth, I meditate upon it day and night and thereby make my
way prosperous, in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

www.christembassy.org

You are God’s peculiar treasure, please know your worth, value in Christ Jesus


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You are God’s peculiar treasure, please know your worth in
CHRIST JESUS

“I hate myself”.
“There is nothing good in me.”
Have you ever met folks who talk this way?
Such people sometime wouldn’t even look at themselves in the mirror anymore.  It’s a pity that many people don’t know their
worth. It’s your responsibility to know what you’re worth; to discover the
treasure God has placed in you, and use it to beautify your life.

The Bible says, “For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them”
(Ephesians 2:10). So you see,
you’re God’s best and He wants you to discover the treasures He has deposited
in you. He gave you the necessary material which is the Word so you can live in
glory.

It’s your responsibility to discover your worth by studying
the Bible. If you could only look inward and use the Bible to build yourself
up, you’ll always value yourself. The Word – the Bible is your mirror: “But we all, with open face beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”
(2 Corinthians 3:18).

As you discover your worth, you’ll also discover God’s
purpose for your life. You’re valuable to Him that’s why He placed you on earth
to affect the lives of many in this world. You have to acknowledge what He has
deposited in you and walk in the light of it.

CONFESSION

I know who I am. I am
conscious of the life of Christ in me and I know I can do all things, through
Christ that strengthens me. I am His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works and God’s eternal glory, Amen!

www.christembassy.org

Prayer Of Salvation,Born Again Christian! A Child Of God!


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

Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PRAYER OF SALVATION.BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN! A CHILD OF GOD!

Dear Heavenly Father! I come to You in the Name of Jesus
Christ Your only begotten Son. Your Word says, “…..whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts
2:21).

I ask Jesus Christ to come into my heart to be the Lord of
my life. I receive eternal life into my spirit and according to Romans 10:9, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved,”
I am saved; I am born-again; I am a child
of God! I now have Christ dwelling in me, and greater is He that is in me than
he that is in the world! (1 John 4:4). I now walk in the consciousness of my
new life in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

If you have just said this prayer with me CONGRATULATIONS! You are now a child
of God.

You are now seated above all principality and power and
might and dominion, and every name that is named (failure, poverty, sickness, infirmities,
limitations, lack, diseases, fear)not only in this age but also in that which
is to come with Christ Jesus Our personal Lord and Saviour.  Amen! (Ephesians 1:15-23)

Receive power to succeed in every area of your life. Study your
Bible diligently and meditate in it day and night (Joshua 1:8).

And lastly, don’t forget the fellowship of the Saints; prayerfully
find and belong to a Bible – faith believing Church and watch God fulfil all
His Word concerning You!

Congratulations!!!!

www.christembassy.org

God Is More Willing To Give To You, Than You’re Willing To Receive


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GOD IS MORE WILLING TO GIVE TO YOU, THAN YOU’RE WILLING TO
RECEIVE!

And it came to pass,
when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus
fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, LORD, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean (Luke 5:12)

There’re lots of people today whose mindset is like that of
the leper in the scripture above. They know God has the power to do anything
for them but they’re not sure He’s willing to grant them the miracle they
greatly desire. “I don’t know if it’s
God’s will to heal me,”
they’ll say, and then run to the doctor for help!

Notice that the leper didn’t question the power of God. He
knew God had the power to heal him. He had heard about Jesus the Healer, so he
wasn’t questioning His power to heal him of his leprosy. His only problem was
he didn’t know if Jesus would be willing to. In other words, he knew Jesus
could, but didn’t know if He would.

It often amazes me how people are quick to say they don’t
know God’s will while at the same time they demonstrate a desire for good
things. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is
God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
In
other words, that desire in you for good things is a reflection of God’s desire
and His will for you to have a good life. There’s no good father who wants his
children to go through life suffering. If you’re a good parent, you won’t plan
for your children to become victim in life; you’d work hard so they won’t have
to suffer.

You couldn’t be better than God in taking care of your
family. God is more willing to provide for you than you could ever be willing
to receive provision. He desires to bless you and give you good things more
than you’re ready to receive them. That’s why Jesus said you don’t need to make
vain repetitions when you pray (Matthew 6:7).

God loves you, and He’s more passionate and concerned about
your success and prosperity in life than you could ever be. He’s more willing
to give to you than you’re willing to receive.

CONFESSION:

Dear Father, thank you
for making your love known to me and enlightening the eyes of my understanding
to know that You’re willing to give me all things. I rejoice in the knowledge
of Your Word today, and declare that success, prosperity, victory and health
are mine in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

http://www.rhapsodyofrealties.org

God loves partnership


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Prosperity is spiritual, progress in life is spiritual as
well and these two don’t happen by chance or by coincidence. You prosper and
make progress when you’re connected with God; that divine contact is all you
need. One of the ways to make this contact or connection is through
partnership.

God loves partnership. In fact, He designed partnership. He
initiated the first partnership ever recorded, in the Garden of Eden, when He
created man to have dominion over the rest of His creation. We’re still in
partnership with Him today. Romans 8:17 says that He has made us joint heirs
together with Christ and He further called us “…..partakers of the divine
nature….” 2 Peter 1:4.

“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ Our
Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).in other words, God has called us into partnership
with His Son, Jesus Christ. You can’t produce results in Christ until you’re
conscious of this partnership: The Bible says in 1 John 1:3, “….and truly our fellowship
is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

Make yourself relevant in reaching not only those in your
immediate environment but also the whole world for Jesus Christ. Take advantage
of the several God – given opportunities through partnership to participate in
world evangelization. Learn to join forces with others to make greater impact
in the world with the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, more than you could ever
make as an individual.

PRAYER

Father, I thank You
for counting me faithful to call me into partnership with Your Son, Jesus
Christ. Guide my mind I pray, so I can see the different opportunities that
you’ve made available to partake  of Your
grace in partnership, in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

www.christembassy.org

When your spirit is aglow with the power of God, you’ll be able to influence people around you


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To glow means to radiate light or heat or both. The Bible
tells us that there’s a spiritual glow about the children of God. That radiance
of divine energy is sparked off by the presence of the Holy Spirit and can be
seen on the believer. This means, you’re not empty for there’s power inside
you; you actually radiate some divine energy from within you into your world.

When your spirit is aglow with the power of God you’ll be
able to influence people around you for Jesus. However, one of the devil’s
strategies is to neutralize that radiance of the Spirit. He’ll stop at nothing
until he has dowsed your fire and stopped your influence in your environment. Since
he couldn’t stop you from coming to Christ, he’ll work to ensure you join the
“Silent Majority”. The “silent majority” are those who wouldn’t use the tools
God gave them to exercise control over their lives by the Word. As a result,
their lives are easily controlled by circumstances or situations.

“Never lag in zeal (and) in earnest endeavour, be aglow
(and) burning with the Spirit serving the Lord”. (Romans 12:11 AMP). In other
words, do not become languid and dull.  This
is the way some Christians are today. They’re uninterested in spiritual
activities. Such folks have no zeal; they are spiritless. Now, that doesn’t
mean they don’t have the Holy Spirit. Rather, it means they’re without
spiritual fervour. A child of God must not be that way.

Don’t ever become spiritually inert among people with whom
you live or work. It’s compulsory for every believer in Christ to be aglow in
the spirit. Regularly do a self – check or self – appraisal to determine the
level of your zeal for you can actually tell whether or not you’re aglow in the
spirit. “Don’t burn out; keep yourselves
fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master
(Romans 12:11 MSG).
You must maintain your spiritual fervency and keep your spirit aglow at all
times.

PRAYER

Dear Father, I stir
my spirit up as I pray in other tongues. I am energized and my spirit is aglow
with the anointing and your grace. Amen!

www.christembassy.org

How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected.


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How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because they are not packaged as we expected.

A married lady was
expecting a birthday gift from her husband. For many months she had admired a
beautiful diamond ring in a showroom, and knowing her husband could afford it,
she told him that was all she wanted. As her birthday approached, this lady awaited
signs that her husband had purchased the diamond ring.

Finally, on the morning of her birthday, her husband called
her into his study room. Her husband told her how proud he was to have such a
good wife, and told her how much he loved her. He handed her a beautifully –
wrapped gift box.  Curious, the wife
opened the box and found a lovely, leather – bound Bible, with her name
embossed in gold. Angrily, she raised her voice to her husband and said, “With
all your money you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house, leaving her
husband for good.

Many years passed and the married lady was very successful
in business. She managed to settle for a more beautiful house and a wonderful
family, but realized her ex – husband was very old, and thought perhaps she
should go to visit him. She had not seen him for many years.

But before she could make arrangements, she received a
telegram telling her that her ex – husband had passed away, and willed all of
his possessions to her. She needed to come back immediately and take care of
things.

When she arrived at   her
ex – husband’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled her heart. She began to
search through his important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as she
had left it years ago. With tears, she opened the Bible and began to turn the
pages.  Her ex –husband had carefully
underlined a verse, Matthew 7:11, “And if
you, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
shall your Heavenly Father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”

as she read those words, a tiny package dropped from the back of the Bible. It
had a diamond ring with her name engraved on it, the same diamond ring which
she saw at the showroom. On the tag was the date of her birthday, and the
words….”LUV U ALWAYS”…How many times do we have to miss God’s blessings because
they are not packaged as we expected?

Remember, if your gift is not packaged the way you want it,
it’s because it is better packaged the way it is! Always appreciate little
things; they usually lead you to bigger and better things!

www.tbn.org

Bible – Prepare your heart for the word of God by speaking in tongues at all times


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If you want a harvest of crops from your seed, you must sow
in a fertile ground. A good farmer wouldn’t sow his seed just anywhere. He’s
trained to cultivate the soil so his seed can produce much harvest. The Lord
Jesus likened the heart of man to the soil in the parable of the sower in Mark
4:2-8. In the same vein, if you want the Word of God to produce results in your
life, you must prepare your heart to receive the Word.

The first thing you must do is, cultivate the ground of your
heart in readiness for the seed of the Word of God. The Bible says, “…….Break
up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). This is done
by praying in other tongues.

When you pray in other tongues, you’re actually charging up
yourself (1 Corinthians 14:4). That way, you become more susceptible to the
move of the Holy Spirit and you can easily pick up revelations from the realm
of the spirit. Soon, you’ll begin to declare faith-filled words as they well up
from your inner man. These words act as the water and fertilizer for your
heart. Keep at it, until you’re charged to maximum.

The next thing you must do is to quieten your mind to
receive the Word. The reason your mind is important is that it is the doorway
to your spirit. As such, it must be kept quiet to avoid being distracted by
what I call “spiritual noise”. When you’re distracted your mind easily wanders,
and you can’t receive the right thoughts from the Word. There’s a great difference
between listening to and actually hearing the Word. You listen with your ears,
but hear with your heart.

I encourage you to make effort always to create the right
environment for the Word of God in your heart. This is how to make the harvest
of the Word of God thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was
planted in your heart. Make every Word of God count today!

CONFESSION

I REFUSE TO WALK IN
UNBELIEF; I HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE WHERE THE WORD OF GOD OPERATES IN MY
LIFE IN SPITE OF THE PREVAILING SITUATIONS. I CONSTANTLY GAZE AT THE WORD AND
REFUSE TO BE DISTRACTED FOR AS I CONTINUE TO LOOK I’M BEING TRANSFORMED TO THE
IMAGE OF HIM THAT CALLED ME. HALLELUJAH! AMEN!!

www.christembassy.org

Holy Spirit is With You Forever


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And I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever (John
14:16).

Some Christians
think the Holy Spirit sometimes goes on a break, or takes a recess just because
at such times they didn’t “feel” His presence. You don’t have to “feel” God to
know that He’s with you. Rather, you ought to know that He’s with you always,
because the Word says so. Jesus said, “…….and,
lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen”
(Matthew
28:20). He didn’t say, “I’m with you only
when you can “feel” that I am.”
Many have reduced their experience of Christianity
to the carnal realm of feeling, and that’s so wrong, for we walk by faith and
not by sensory perceptions (2 Corinthians 5:7).

But you
might want to ask, “What if someone, having received the Holy Spirit at the New
Birth, backslides and feels that the Holy Spirit has left him or her, is this
just a feeling or was the Holy Spirit actually frustrated with all the sin in
such a person?” Well, God is not a man (Numbers 23:19), and He doesn’t act like
some earthly parents who wouldn’t relate with their kids for doing something
wrong. Sadly, this is the poor perception of God that some folks have.

That you did
something wrong won’t make the Holy Spirit leave you. Remember, you weren’t
made right with God because of your own righteousness; it came because God gave
you His righteousness. Thus, His presence with you isn’t dependent on what you
did right or wrong, or the way you feel. His presence is dependent on His
infallible Word; because of His love! That’s the reason He’ll never leave you
nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

Read again
the words of Jesus in our opening verse, He said”And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter,
that He may abide with you forever”
(John 14:16). God the Father, through
the Holy Spirit abides with you forever, not sometimes. Don’t consider what
your feelings tell you. As long as you haven’t wilfully rejected Christ and His
sacrifice of salvation for you on the Cross, the Holy Spirit cannot and will
not leave you!

Even when
you err and start feeling as though the Holy Spirit has left you, it’s still
the Holy Spirit who guides you unto repentance, proving His presence with you
even at such times. If He left you, you could never return to Him! But He
wouldn’t, for He’s with you to fulfil His ministry in your life, till Jesus
comes. Hallelujah!

PRAYER

PRECIOUS LORD, I THANK
YOU FOR THE RICH FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH I ENJOY LAVISHLY TODAY,
AND FOREVER. WHAT JOY TO KNOW THAT I’M ORDAINED INTO THIS WONDERFUL UNION AND
FELLOWSHIP WITH YOU FOR ETERNITY! AMEN!

www.rhapsodyofrealities.org

Faith Is Based On The Word Of God, Not “Optimism”


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So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

The faith that works and produces result is the one that’s
based on God’s Word. Someone may say, “I’m very hopeful and confident about the
future; I’m optimistic that the miracle I’m expecting will come to pass!” as
beautiful as that may sound, it’s not faith. You must have the Word of God as
the basis for your believing and confession, for faith is based on God’s Word;
it’s the response of the human spirit to the Word of God.

Faith is expressed when you act on the Word. The Apostle Paul
expounded in the Book of Romans how Abraham demonstrated strong faith on the
basis of what God told him in Genesis 17:5 “……for
a father of many nations have I made thee”
. hence the Bible says “He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God” (Romans 4:20). Abraham had God’s Word as evidence and spoke in
agreement with God; that was how his faith prevailed.

Another example is the story of the Syrophenician woman in
mark 7 ; a remarkable example of true faith. Her young daughter had an unclean spirit,
so she came and fell at the feet of the Master and beseeched Him to cast the
devil out her daughter (Mark 7:25-26). But in verse twenty seven, Jesus said to
her, “……let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the
children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.” Her response was “……yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table
eat of the children’s crumbs”
(Mark 7:28). Commending her faith, the Lord
Jesus said “…..For this saying goes thy
way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house,
she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed”
(Mark
7:29-30). Observe that she acted on what Jesus said and went home; when she got
home she found her daughter healed. She didn’t act on mere optimism or impulse
of what she thought would happen, but on the Master’s infallible word.

Mere optimism is not a substitute for faith, for it doesn’t
have its foundation on God’s Word. It doesn’t matter how much you anticipate or
are hopeful for the best possible outcome in an endeavour, it still wouldn’t
work if your hope doesn’t translate to faith. True faith transcends the realms
of human theories, reasoning, impulses and optimism because faith is spiritual
and only come to you through the Word of God. So, for your faith to work and
produce results, it’s got to be based on God’s Word.

PRAYER

DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I
REJOICE TODAY AT YOUR WORD THAT’S BUILDING MY FAITH STRONG AND ENRICHING ME IN
ALL THINGS. YOUR WORD IS MY LIFE, AND THE LIGHT THAT SHOWS ME HOW TO WALK IN
THE PATHS OF VICTORY, PROSPERITY AND SUCCESS, FROM DAY TO DAY, IN JESUS CHRIST
NAME, AMEN!    

www.christembassy.org

The Word Of God Is Our Light. The Bible.


Jesus

Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and
a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

Life is
filled with choices that can either make or mar you. At different stages of
life, you’re presented with different choices and to make such decision without
errors, you need proper guidance which only God’s Word can provide.

In John 1:9,
the Bible says the Word of God is the true Light. It’s the Sword of the Spirit
with which you pierce your way through the darkness of life. If the true Light
dwells richly in you, fear, defeat, failure, and all other results of darkness
won’t have any place in you. You won’t fear because the true Light will show
you that God has not given you the spirit of fear. You won’t be defeated
because you’ll see that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the
world. You won’t be sick because you’ll discover that by His stripes, you were
healed. The Word of God will reveal to you what God sees you to be.

It’s your
responsibility to invest the Word of God in yourself by studying it regularly.
If you can inundate your mind with it and store it in your spirit, the Word of
God will produce great results in you and you will glow with the glory of God.
You’ll have a clear direction in life and others will acknowledge that you’re
different.

Do you now
see how victoriously you can live if you keep the Word of God in your heart? If
there’s any darkness in your family, academics, or business, just take a hold
of the Light of God’s Word and pierce through the darkness in the Name of
Jesus!

CONFESSION

I’M A PRODUCT OF GOD’S ETERNAL WORD.
EVERYDAY, I DELIGHT IN IT AND AS I DO TODAY, THE GLORY OF GOD IS REVEALED IN MY
LIFE FOR OTHERS TO SEE AND FOLLOW.

www.christembassy.org

Holy Spirit Will Help You Pray The Perfect Will Of God


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Likewise the Spirit
also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we
ought: but the Spirit Itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which
cannot be uttered (Romans 8:26)

Some people
become so overwhelmed by their problems that they find it difficult to pray. As
a child of God, you should never find yourself in such a situation. But if that’s
where you are, I want you to know the Holy Spirit can help you out of the
quagmire.

When everything
around you is going the wrong direction and you don’t know what to do anymore,
the Holy Spirit is there to help you. Romans 8:26 says, “…….God’s Spirit is
right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it
doesn’t matter. He (The Holy Spirit) does our praying in and for us…..” (MSG).

A lot of
people make wrong choices because they are ignorant of the Lord’s Will. God knows
exactly what you require. He also knows that you can unwittingly make wrong
choices or even ask amiss when you pray. The Bible says The Holy Spirit can
help you in that weakness. The Holy Spirit will help you pray when you don’t
know what to say or how to say it; He’ll give you the right words to say and
help you present your request before the Lord. The Bible says, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue
speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in
the Spirit he speaketh mysteries”
(1 Corinthians 14:2). Whenever you pray
in other tongues, it’s the Holy Spirit that gives you utterance.

God also
knows there could be times when words become difficult to utter; you’re totally
at loss for words. The Holy Spirit can help you present your request at such
times as well. “How?” you may want to ask. By “……making prayer out of our
wordless sighs, our aching groans” (Romans 8:26 MSG). Isn’t God so caring and
loving! He has you covered; He didn’t leave any situation out.

Therefore,
it makes no difference how terrible your situation is, The Holy Spirit is
always there, directing your steps and helping you through it all. He is your
Advocate.

PRAYER

DEAR HOLY SPIRIT, I
THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME WORDS BY WHICH TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH MY HEAVENLY
FATHER. AS I PRAY IN OTHER TONGUES, I YIELD MY VOCAL ORGANS TO YOU AND ASK THAT
YOU FILL IT WITH WORDS OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING TO THE LORD FOR HIS MIGHTY
WORKS IN MY LIFE, IN JESUS CHRIST NAME, AMEN!

www.christembassy.org

Breaking The Jinx Of Bad Luck!

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Bad-luck makes one to fail where others succeed. It makes mockery of one’s intellectual ability and potential. It casts bad omen on the victim. It never allows the true destiny of a man to manifest. It closes doors of goodness … Continue reading