Tag Archives: Jesus

Bound in God’s Will

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Bound in God‘s Will

 

They laid their hands on Him and took Him.

Mark 14:46, NKJV

The soldiers and officials who had come to the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest Jesus seized Him roughly, punching and manhandling Him as they bound Him. They bound the hands of the Son of God! The hands of the Creator! Hands that had lifted in authority and calmed the storm at sea. Hands that had gathered little children on His knee.

Have you ever felt bound . . .

in a marriage where the love has run out?

in a small home with small children?

in a physical body wracked with pain?

Are you struggling with your bindings? Do you find that the more you fight against them, the more pain you inflict on yourself, so that you are miserable in your confinement? Sometimes binding is in the will of God. Jesus was in the centre of His Father’s will, yet He was bound. He did not resist the tight cords or complain about His confinement. He simply submitted, not to the soldiers, but to His Father’s will. Would you do the same?

Blessings

 

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 shall not murder

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The Birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ

You shall not murder.
Exodus 20:13

 

Speaking Life

Most people would never think of breaking this commandment by murdering someone.

In fact it’s easy to skip right over this commandment, thinking, “Well I wouldn’t do that, so, moving right along….”

Be careful! Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:21-22 that unjust anger and refusing to forgive are acts of murder that we commit in our hearts. He says, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.”

How often have we “killed” one another by holding grudges, hatred and anger over them? How often have we worked to secretly tear down others with our words and our gossip, speaking death over their lives and over their works?

I challenge you to search your heart for signs that you are holding grudges or failing to forgive. I challenge you to ask God to forgive you and to help you speak life instead of speaking death. I challenge you to refuse to murder others with words just as much as you would refuse to commit murder by any other means.

 

Further Reading

  • James 3:6
  • Proverbs 16:27
  • Romans 1:29-30

God Bless

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!

Related articles
  • Why We Must Forgive (bummyla.wordpress.com)
  • The Sixth Commandment (suetornai.wordpress.com)
  • Sermon on the Mount Memory Verse, Week 12 (saltandgrace.wordpress.com)
  • Teachings of Jesus: Don’t be Angry (anotherchristianblog.org)
  • Anger & Conflict Amongst Christians (2pillarschurch.com)
  • 6 Toxins That Affect Our Walk With God – Anger – Day 2 (christlikeministriesnwa.wordpress.com)
  • Thou Shalt Not Kill (communionwithjesus.wordpress.com)
  • Week 4.4 Murder pt 1 (dailybiblestudy.com.au)

The Lord Must Build the Church

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The Lord Must Build the Church


Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do
the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation 2:5

Jesus not only establishes the church but also removes a church when it
loses its value to the kingdom. If a church doesn’t witness, doesn’t
cause people to learn the truth, and doesn’t pray or if a church is
only formed by customs and catering to the flesh, not advancing the
kingdom of God, the Lord doesn’t want His name on it. You can look at the histories of some churches and some denominations and see that they
started out on fire for God, doing the great works of God. Today those
denominations are totally cold and losing members. What happened? Their
candlesticks were removed.

The only way that you can do the works of God is if the Lord builds the
church. If the Lord doesn’t build the church, you are in vain to build
it. You can build a church in the flesh, but there will be no credit,
no anointing, no move of God, and no revelation. It will be only an
institution.

If the Lord removes a church, He will send someone else to be His
witness because He still wants all men to be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth. That is the reason why you will see three or
four churches in the same place.

Prayer for Today

Father,
You alone are the builder and establisher of Your church. I pray for
knowledge to do Your will, for courage to remain true, and for the
anointing of Your Spirit to do work that will last for Your kingdom and
Your glory. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.

Think on These Things

Revelation 3:3
Malachi 3:4

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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Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day

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Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.

—Psalm 119:97

 

READ: Psalm 119:97-104

BibleGateway, an online Bible resource, looked at the viewing habits of some of their 8 million monthly visitors. They found that John 3:16 was the most-searched-for verse in 2010.

I don’t think it’s surprising that it would be number one on the list. It tells us that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to rescue us from our sin and give us everlasting life. Number 10 on the list is Jesus’ commission to His followers to spread that good news: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19). Also in the top 10 are Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28 about God’s good plans and purposes for His people.

The Scriptures are filled with truths to search out and share. In Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, the psalmist shared his thoughts about the Word and his desire to search it and be taught by God. He said, “Oh, how I love Your law!” (v.97). Our Bible reading for today shows some of the psalmist’s reasons for loving it: It gives him wisdom and understanding, it restrains his feet from evil, and it is sweet. Therefore, it’s his meditation “all the day.”

Let’s keep taking the time to read the Bible. The more we search the Word, the more we’ll grow in our love for it and its Author (v.97). —Anne Cetas

Search the Scriptures’ precious store—
As a miner digs for ore;
Search, and you will surely find
Treasures to enrich the mind. —Anon.

 

The more you read the Bible, the more you’ll love its Author.

 

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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Know therefore that the Lord Your God, He is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations

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Know therefore that the Lord Your God, He is God, the faithful God, which keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations

 

Deuteronomy 7:9 says: “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.” This verse talks about “thy God”, not just the God of Abraham, not just the God of Isaac, not just the God of David, but your God. He is your personal God. He is the God that has delivered you. He is the God that loves you. He is faithful. Please understand that God is faithful. This means that whatever He has declared, He will bring to pass. He will never, ever turn His back on you when you are trying to go in to apprehend something and to put our hands on or to receive a promise. No, God is faithful. He is the God of love. What does love do? It does its best for those who are loved. God loves you, and He is seeking to do His best on your behalf. God is your God. He is your partner. He is your Father. He loves you!

God is Your 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!

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Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil

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Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil

Luke 11:4 says: “”And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”  When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil”, we know that prayer invites God into our battles. Prayer also invites us into the place where God can deliver us. It brings us to the place where God’s hand is waiting to be extended. His hand is strong with deliverance and healing, and in the place of prayer it can be released. Many times when we don’t pray, God is bound and separated from our problems. It’s not that He wants to be separated, but when He is without our prayer to invite Him in, He is automatically separated. The phrase, “lead us not”, does not mean that we are asking God to avoid taking us somewhere, but it means, “God, open our eyes when evil is coming. Unveil to us the smallest schemes and plans of the enemy so that we may respond and change course. Give us direction, and show us how to turn from the course where the enemy has laid a snare in our path.” God wants to be involved, and His involvement is filled with counsel, wisdom, the leading of His Spirit, and direction for your life. At the end of a prayer life that believes and depends on God, there is victory and deliverance.

Be led by 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!

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A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger

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A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

—Proverbs 15:1

 

 

READ: Proverbs 15:1-4

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. —Proverbs 15:1

My car broke down in a tunnel during rush hour in downtown Boston. Angry drivers expressed their frustration as they struggled past me. Eventually, the car was towed to a station for repairs. Later it broke down again, stranding me along the Interstate at 2 a.m. Back to the shop it went.

Unfortunately, the repair shop also doubled as a parking lot during Red Sox baseball games. When I arrived after work the next day to pick up my car, it was hemmed in by 30 other vehicles!

Let’s just say I was less than Christlike in my initial reaction. I ranted and raved, and then, realizing it was only making them less willing to help me at the close of their day, I decided to give up. I stormed toward the glass doors and struggled to get them open. My anger increased when the station workers laughed at me.

I had barely made it out when I realized how unlike Christ I’d been. Chastened, I rapped on the locked doors and mouthed “I’m sorry” to the staff inside. They were stunned! They let me back in, and I meekly told them that Christians shouldn’t behave as I had. Minutes later, they were shifting cars to free up mine. I learned the truth that soft rather than harsh words can change circumstances (Prov. 15:1). —Randy Kilgore

O may I find in anger’s grip
The strength to temper tongue and lip;
But failing that, may God grant me
The courage for apology. —Kilgore

 

A soft answer has often been the means of breaking a hard heart.

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

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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No Distractions, Please

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No Distractions, Please

 

Mark 4:16, “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;”

 

MARK 4:13-20

The second type of person Jesus describes is one who does receive the Word, even with great joy, but his commitment to the Word is shallow. Just as a plant must establish a strong root system to sustain its growth, so we must become rooted and grounded in God‘s Word. Too much attention on visible growth will cause us to become impatient and not take the time to become firmly established in the truths of God’s Word. This will always result in fruitlessness.

A seed planted in shallow earth will germinate and grow faster than a seed planted in deep soil. The seed in deep soil will put all of its energy towards the roots first while the seed in shallow soil has no choice but to put its effort into the growth of the plant above the ground. The plant in shallow soil will look like it is far ahead of the other seed for a while, but that will not last. It soon withers and dies, while the seed with roots grows and brings forth fruit.

Notice that afflictions, persecutions, and tribulations are instruments of the devil and are used to stop God’s Word from bearing fruit in our lives. They are not good things that God brings our way to improve us. They are instruments of Satan. These things are designed to take our attention off of God’s Word, thereby stopping the Word from taking root in us. It’s like the runner who spends all of his time in the grandstands arguing with the hecklers over the way he’s running the race. He may win an argument, but he will lose the race. We must not let anything distract us from meditating on God’s Word day and night, for only then will we make our way prosperous and have good success (Josh. 1:8). By consistently putting God’s Word in first place in every area of your life, you will let that Word become so rooted in you that nothing can get it out.

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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Worldly Cares Are Thorns

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Worldly Cares Are Thorns

Luke 8:14, “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.”

LUKE 8:5-14

This third type of ground is characteristic of a large part of the Body of Christ today. These are people who have received God‘s Word, committed themselves to it to the degree that they are able to remain faithful in persecution, but because of being occupied with the affairs of this life, the Word sown in their heart is choked and no fruit is produced. Just as weeds in a garden will steal all of the nutrients and starve the plant, so the pleasures of this life, if we allow them to dominate our thinking, will stop the fruit that the Word would have produced.

Throughout history, the Church has always grown in size and strength during persecution. This is because during persecution we get our priorities straight. We realize our life is in Jesus (Jn. 14:6) and not in things (Lk. 12:15), and we focus all of our attention on the Lord. However, prosperity has been far more damaging to the Body of Christ for the exact reason stated here in this verse. God wants to bless His children with things (Ps. 35:27; Mt. 6:33), but a preoccupation with these things will choke God’s Word and make it unfruitful. If we would follow God’s formula for prosperity found in Matthew 6:19-34, we would have the Word bringing forth fruit and we’d enjoy the physical blessings of this life, too.

Notice Jesus said that no fruit was brought to perfection. This type of person will exhibit some fruit, but it will always be small and far short of what it should be. Do you feel frustrated because you are just getting by and are not really experiencing the abundant life that Jesus came to give? (Jn. 10:10) Examine your lifestyle and see if the cares of this life, deceitfulness of riches, or pleasures of this life could be choking God’s Word.

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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Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it

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Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it

Proverbs 22:6

 

God is more than able!

We are to depend on God to enable us to raise our children properly and He will see to it that our children’s lives will be blessed. An important part of our job is to keep them covered in prayer and release them in God’s Hands.

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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Open Doors

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Ananias restoring the sight of Saint Paul

Ananias restoring the sight of Saint Paul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Open Doors

 

READ: 1 Corinthians 16:1-12

For a great and effective door has opened to me. —1 Corinthians 16:9

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) wrote: “If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but . . . for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible.”

The apostle Paul saw some great ministry possibilities in his life situations. He used the open doors God provided to witness for Christ. When he was arrested in Jerusalem and appeared before Governor Felix, he used the opportunity to proclaim the gospel (Acts 24:24). While he and Silas were in prison, they shared the gospel with the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:25-34). And later Paul used his imprisonment in Rome as an opportunity to encourage the Philippian believers in their faith (Phil. 1:12-18).

In writing to the church at Corinth, Paul told the believers he wanted to visit and spend some time with them, but that he needed to stay in Ephesus because of an opportunity for ministry: “I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me” (1 Cor. 16:8-9). And Paul also involved others by asking them to pray for open doors so he could speak clearly about Christ (Col. 4:3).

Ask God to show you possible open doors of service. You might be surprised at what you see. —Dennis Fisher

Jesus said to one and all:
“Take your cross and follow Me.”
When you sense the Spirit’s call,
Seize the opportunity! — Hess

 

God writes opportunity on one side of the door and responsibility on the other.

 

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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Excited About Giving

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Excited About Giving

For as touching the ministering to the saints [Paul is talking about giving to the saints], it is superfluous for me to write to you; For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many
2 Corinthians 9:1-2

Paul, through the Holy Ghost, was speaking to the Corinthian church. The Corinthians had been preparing for a long time to give to the saints. The Apostle Paul was boasting about their great enthusiasm, zeal and desire to give to the saints..

Paul walked into other places and says, “You don’t know about the church in Corinth. They were ready to give a year ago. They are so excited about giving!” Paul and those with him used this church as an example, to help other churches become more excited about giving. Obviously, this church was doing something right!

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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666 or 777

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666 or 777?


Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:18

This beast does great wonders, making a fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. The mark of the beast in Scripture is six, the number of a man, meaning incompleteness. The beast’s system is three sixes or an incomplete system which will fail. Satan designed it, of course, so it cannot succeed. Satan, antichrist, and the false prophet will fail.

It is important that you have an understanding of 666. Satan can’t win, so there’s no reason to hook up with him. I am not hooked up with satan, and I am not hooked up with the Babylonian system. I am hooked up with Jesus the Messiah! His number is seven, and with that number of completeness you get the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and they win!

We are living in an anti-God, humanistic, anti-Word of God system that prevails in our educational systems and in our media. We see the rise of every kind of sin. Every perversion we can imagine is no longer shocking. We are in the last of the last days; in fact, we are in that sliver of time between Jerusalem no longer being trodden down of the Gentiles and the rapture of the church. Jesus said, “No man knows the day nor hour,” but He did say that you will know by the leaves turning on the trees that summer is near. Summer is near and the return of the Lord is near, so we need to be ready!

Prayer for Today

Father!
Your Word tells me everything I need to walk in light and truth. Your Spirit gives me everything I need to walk with courage and strength. Your Son gives me life, and I thank you! In Jesus Christ! Name, Amen.

Think on These Things

Revelation 15:2
Hosea 14:9

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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It is time for the Church to be about the Father’s business… it’s time for us to go further

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It is time for the Church to be about the Father‘s business… it’s time for us to go further

 

 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on his rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
Matthew 16:18

Did you know that the Church is to confront demons of darkness wherever we find them? We are to cast them out in the name of Jesus as a sign to unbelievers! This may sound radical to you but it is not-it is what Christ Jesus said we would do!

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they cast out devils” (Mark 16:17). The Church has been slothful in deliverance. We have been lazy, for we don’t want to pay the price to live holy lives, we do not study the Word of God the way we ought to, we do not spend the time before God’s presence as we should and we do not exercise our authority as we are directed to do. So as a Church how can we know the Father’s heart?

As believers our lives and actions are to testify that we belong to Christ Jesus. We are to spread the Word of God, cast out demons, set the captives free, take care of the needy and poor, and demonstrate the love of God continually.

It is time for the Church to be about the Father’s business… it’s time for us to go further.

Further Reading

  • Luke 10:19
  • Mark 16:17
  • John 3:17

God Bless

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 Sabbath day

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The Sabbath day

Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

Exodus 20:9-10, NIV

Life on Planet Earth is fast becoming a rat race, and a mad scramble to get ahead that is leaving brokenness everywhere. We desperately need a pattern to live by that will enable us to live our lives successfully. Such a pattern already exists; it was set at the dawn of Creation by God Himself. But we are not following the Creator‘s directions.

Our twenty-four-hour day is based on the earth’s rotation on its axis. Our twelve-month years are based on the revolution of our planet around the sun. But the only basis for the seven-day week that is used worldwide as a pattern for humanity’s lifestyle is the Creator’s example: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Gen. 2:2, NIV). While God’s week included rest on the seventh day, it also involved work for six days straight, giving us a pattern for the discipline of our lives. How close does the pattern of your life follow His?

Blessings

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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This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us

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This is love; not that we loved God, but that He loved us

John 4:10

This is Love

Love never fails!

Wait a minute, no one has unfailing love! No person can love with perfection.

That’s right. But God is not a person. Unlike our love, His love never fails! God’s love is immensely different from ours. Ours depends on the receiver of the love. Our love will be regulated by appearance or by personality. Even when we find a few people we like, our feelings will still fluctuate.

Does God love us because of our goodness? Because of our kindness? Because of our great faith?

No. He loves us because of HIS goodness, kindness, and great faith. The love of God is born from within him, not from what he finds in us. His love is uncaused, spontaneous. God loves you simply because he has chosen to do so!

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

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Corrie Milne 2007-11-11

Forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

Let the mercy of Jesus be your model

Jesus Christ is our Example

(Matthew 6:12)

In 1944, during the horrible days of World War II, in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, Corrie Ten Boom and many other emaciated women worked long hours every day under the watchful eye of the prison guards. That year, Corrie’s sister, Betsie, died, a victim of the tortuous conditions.

In 1947, after the war, Corrie spoke to a group of Germans in a sparsely furnished Munich church basement. During her talk, she said, “Those who have been able to forgive their former enemies have been able to rebuild their lives…We, as Christians, have every reason to forgive each other, for our God richly lavishes His mercy on us.”

When she finished, she was approached by a balding, heavyset man in a gray overcoat. Horror filled her as she realized he had been one of the prison guards.

He thrust out his hand. “How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!” Dumbfounded, Corrie did not take his hand.

He went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me… but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?”

Corrie remembered how he had pushed Betsie with the butt of his gun. Slowly, her hand moved toward his. Their hands touched and she finally vigorously shook his hand. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I forgive you, brother…with all my heart.”

God loves us no matter what we have done. He forgives us when we ask. Since God richly lavishes His mercy on us, we must show mercy. And that means letting go of hurts caused by others.

Your View of God Really Matters …

If you have been offended, how does it compare with the experience of Corrie ten Boom, and Jesus, both of whom forgave their attackers. You can too. Let the mercy of Jesus be your model.

What More Does God Say?

Acts 7:59-60

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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The Power to defeat fear and activate faith

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The Power to defeat fear and activate faith

It’s Easter month again! What a joy to celebrate the selfless love of a wonderful Saviour. The spotless lamb who gave His all for us to live a life of freedom. Freedom from sickness, bondage and pain. Freedom from poverty and loss and freedom from all fear! Fear has the opportunity to creep into our hearts and minds in just about any circumstance to situation but its source is always the same. Fear comes from the pit of hell with the sole purpose to paralyze our emotions, render our reasoning inactive, immobilize our faith and just plain destroy us.

This is pretty much what Timothy was battling with when Paul was writing him in 2 Timothy 1:7. When Paul wrote to Timothy, it was a very difficult time for the early church. The ruler over the region in that day was the mad man Nero. Now Nero was truly insane and a large part of his insanity resulted in the most severe, cruel and gruesome persecution of the believers, wherever his power reached. He would have every believer hunted down, caught, hideously tortured and killed. He showed no mercy for anyone. At this time, Timothy was a pastor of the church of Ephesus, a town that was completely under Nero’s evil control. Timothy knew that Nero’s secret police would take special pleasure in killing him in some barbaric way if they ever got their hands on him.

Now Timothy was having to deal with a spirit of fear, threatening to discourage him to the point of giving up his calling and turning away from one of the greatest revivals the church of Ephesus would experience. Paul told Timothy, “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

The phrase (sound mind) comes from a Greek word that suggests a mind that is delivered, rescued, revived, salvaged and protected and is now safe and secure.

This means that even when your mind is tempted to succumb to fear, like Timothy, you can allow God’s Word, by the Holy Spirit, to work in you to deliver, rescue, revive and savage your mind. This means your rationale; logic and emotions can be shielded from the horrible, ridiculous, fearful thoughts that have tried to grip your mind when you face challenging circumstances.

It works like this: The more time we spend meditating on the word of God, the more truth we invest into our minds and spirits. So when fear knocks at our door and tries to take control, the Holy Spirit reminds us of the truth that we have stored inside and that truth overrides the fearful thoughts. God’s word rescues us; it protects our minds as it replaces the thoughts of fear and brings us peace and hope. The word of God causes our minds to become safe and secure in the midst of trouble as we focus on His truth instead of the fearful thoughts. Pretty soon the word of God is speaking louder than fear filled thoughts and faith comes! Faith is that powerful, life giving force that makes the impossible and changes every unfavorable circumstance to line up with the promises of God.

No matter what we are faced with today, let’s decide to take Paul’s words to Timothy to heart. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. A mind rescued, revived and protected from the talons of fear and is safe and secure, focused on the truth of His word. Just remember that it’s the word of God inside of you that has the power to protect and work for you. So don’t waste a moment on the truth of God’s word and build up the greatest investment of your life – the power to defeat fear and activate faith!

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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Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered

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Forgiveness lesson from flowers

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered

Psalm 32:1

The Secret of Forgiveness

Is it still hard to consider the thought of forgiving the one who hurt you?

We’ll never be able to wash the feet of those who’ve hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we’ve hurt, to wash ours. That’s the secret of forgiveness. You’ll never forgive anyone more than God has already forgiven you.

Watch Jesus as he goes from disciple to disciple. Can you hear the water splash? Keep that image. John 13:12 says, “When he had finished washing their feet…” Note, he finished washing their feet. He left no one out. That’s important! It means he also washed the feet of Judas. Jesus washed the feet of his betrayer.

That’s not to say it was easy for Jesus. That’s not to say it’s easy for you. That IS to say—God will never call you to do what he hasn’t already done!

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 resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything

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Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything

 

 

Luke 24:5-6

“The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,”
NLT

 

No matter who you are, the resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything. It changes how we think about life and death. It changes the way we approach relationships and grieve over losses. The resurrection also establishes a big difference between Our Lord Jesus and other spiritual or religious leaders. Out of all the religions of the world, only one can boast of its leader being raised from the dead and that’s Christianity.

So the question remains, “What is your response to the resurrection?” Do you deny it and claim to have a greater source than the God-man, Lord  Jesus, who didn’t stay dead? If, so there is no change available to you. You will still be a slave to your sins and without an eternal hope of heaven. On the other hand, to believe in the resurrection is to experience life change. No fear of condemnation for sins. No fear of eternity separated from God. Only the peaceful assurance of God’s love demonstrated on the cross and proclaimed from the empty tomb. Jesus is alive, and He wants to change your life today!

Life Lesson: The resurrection of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead changes everything.

Dear God,
I come to You today in faith, trusting in Your death and resurrection. I believe that You died for me and that three days later, You were alive again. I believe that because of Your resurrection, I can be forgiven. I ask today that You would forgive me of my sins. Change my life today and use me to tell others about the amazing power of Your resurrection. In Jesus’ 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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