HIS STRENGTH

Strength is the ability to resist being moved in any circumstance.
Queen Esther sought strength from the Lord when she learnt about the Jews predicament. It was easy for her to fold her hands and not do anything but when she realized that her help would only come from God, she went to him in prayer and fasting. And surely God gave her and to the Jews victory.

During the imprisonment of Paul and Silas, the church couldn't afford to sit back and watch them die. No,  they had to embark on prayers for the saints. They relied on God to strengthen this saints and to free them. Which he did.

The commission before us is not for the faint hearted. We need to totally depend on God.
We cannot rely on our own strength, surely it will fail us. For the weakness of God is stronger than human strength!

Jesus  asked His disciples to pray for strength against temptation. As the body of Christ we need to ask for strength so that we don't fail the tests.
The word says, the evil one is roaming around seeking whom to devour. Our hearts are strengthened by grace through God's word. He strengthens his ministers and protects them from evil It is He that gives you strength for his service

We need strength to endure and persevere hardships. Like Paul when he was taken to the Roman  Emperor Nero,the  Lord delivered him.

One of the greatest commandments is love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is means acknowledging God as your source of strength and involving him in all your decisions.

ORDER

Light brought order in creation. In the beginning darkness covered the deep. But light made possible for us to experience the different seasons of life, summer, winter, spring, autumn.
Looking at the sky, God saw something was missing. The plants would bring forth but what would mark the seasons? So “He said let there be lights in the sky to mark as signs for time, days and years."
He created the creatures of the sea and commanded the earth to bring forth living creatures. Finally God made mankind in His own image and likeness.
We see here order in creation. God didn’t first start with forming the land, cause there would be chaos since it was dark. He also didn’t start with the Human beings. Where would they live? In darkness? What would they feed on? Would they survive in water? No! They needed a land that would yield and light to estimate the timings.
Since our Creator is an orderly God,  let's also have order in our lives. When He commands us to do something, he wants the best for us.
 He made us in His own image and likeness, so He intends us to be like Him. He wants us to live a life that pleases him.

That’s why He gave the Israelites the ten commandments. To govern their lives and be people of order among other nations. He wanted them to stand out as His nation.
There were orders that were to be followed before one was crowned Queen. Let’s look at Queen Esther’s story, they were given beauty treatments for a period of  twelve months before they went in before the King. Six months beautification with oil of myrrh and six months with [sweet] spices and perfumes.

When Jesus Christ came to earth to redeem us, there was order He didn’t just come and start over. He went through the baptism of water as was required for all Christians then he had to be commissioned by the Holy Spirit as He guided him on when to start. He always relied on the Holy Spirit throughout His ministry on earth.

The rules and regulations of a nation are put together so that the nation can be organized. If this principle applies in various countries, why then do we as the body of Christ want to live the way we want? If everyone in the world lived like that then there would be chaos all over.
Let's submit ourselves to God's order.

GOD'S LOVE NEVER FAILS.

God loves us regardless of what we may have done.
When God appointed David as king, his background didnt matter. He was a shepherd boy who truly loved and feared God.
When David struck down Uriah the Hittite & took his wife for himself, God sent Prophet  Nathan to him and after realising  his mistake,  David went into deep repentance. Psalm 51.
God didn't stop loving him. He gave him a chance to mend his ways. He gave him another child, Solomon whom God loved so much. 2 Samuel 12:25.

Samson being set apart to God as a Nazarite, made a great mistake of revealing his source of strength and the Lord left him. Samson prayed to God to remember him and give him strength to avenge the Philistines. Because of His love, God granted him his request.

Let's look at Apostle Peter. Peter was among the three disciples Jesus always took along with him for prayers. He was so close to Jesus and witnessed the transfiguration. After the Lord's supper, Jesus told his disciples that they will stumble in faith. But Peter answered,  " Everyone else may stumble in their faith but i will not." After Jesus was arrested, Peter denied him three times before the cock crowed. Even after insisting that he would never disown Jesus, he still slipped. When he released what he had done, he confessed his sin and was forgiven.

The Lord still loved him and said to him "On this rock i will build the church and the power of death will not be able to defeat it."Peter became one of the greatest Apostles confirming God's word with miracles. He also founded the early churches.

God still loves us no matter the mistakes we have done. We have all fallen short of God's glorious standards. But His promises to His called still remains. God is looking for a broken spirit & contrite heart. A humble heart that confesses when it wrongs, and is willing to mend its ways when it goes astray. He says, come as you are.
Jesus is waiting for us to come back to him and seek his forgiveness,this is the reason why he came. To set us free from our iniquities. It's through him that we are set right with God.
So no matter what sin you may have committed during this past year, God's love never fails! He still loves you and has good plans for you.

SPEAK IT!!

In the beginning the earth was formless, void. Darkness covered the ocean. There was no life. Then God said “Let there be light,” and there was light. Light brought order in creation. It made possible for us to experience the different seasons of life, summer, winter, spring, autumn.

 We see God calling forth things that are not as if they were; He said, let there be a sky and the sky separated the waters above from the waters below. He said ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and this was how the land was formed. The ground had to bring forth so that the human beings and animals can be provided for . So He said ‘Let the land produce vegetation.
God spoke what He wanted to see. By His word, the galaxies came into existence out of watery chaos.

When the Israelites reached Kadesh and found no water, God ordered Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water. That’s the power of making declarations
A king speaks an oracle and it is established. As children of God, God has granted us authority  to make decrees by faith. You have to be bold enough to change circumstances around you. The Lord says “while they are still speaking I will hear” Isaiah 65:24

Ezekiel was told to speak to the dry bones to come back to life again and God performed His word.
Just as the Lord in a vision at Corinth told Paul to keep speaking, that is what we believers should do. Keep on proclaiming till we see the results.

PROVISION

When God created human beings, He made sure that there was provision for them. Genesis 1:29 He said, “Look I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds and the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. This shows that God is concerned about us. He is concerned of our well being.

Matthew 6:25-33.Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest, they don’t have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them.

God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow, is thrown into the fire. So how much more will God clothe you?  But seek God’s kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.

It is not the will of God for you to be stranded in life worrying about your needs. That were already fixed by God before you where formed. The problem is that you might be looking in the wrong direction. God told Adam to look and he was able to see his provisions. You might be going round in circles seeking to find where your provision is. Be it your house, spouse, job, business e.t.c. All you need to do is ask God to open your eyes that you may see, have a revelation of how you can access that which God has already made available for you.

He cares about every single detail of your life. God knows the numbers of hairs on your head. See before creating human beings he had already prepared for their provision beforehand.

He says, He will meet with all your needs according to his wonderful riches in heaven in Christ Jesus. This means that in heaven there is no scarceness. Everything is available for every human being in Christ Jesus! You just name your need. The answers to our queries are only met at the point of looking onto God; having constant fellowship with Him and He we will reveal them to you.

GOD'S REST

Serenity, that calmness or peaceful state is experienced by those who walk closely with God. They experience spiritual well-being. He  ensures everything works together for their good.

God has left us a promise that still remains that we may enter His rest. God’s rest is only promised to those who have believed. God’s works was finished from the time He made the foundations of the world. Just like in the Old Testament God made a promise of His rest, the same  applies to date to those who are born again. Those who have heard the Good news proclaimed to them and believed.

God has assured us that anyone who enters His rest will also rest from his work as God did. Some of us may ask, I have been a Christian long enough but I have never experienced God’s rest? The answer is this, yes you have accepted the gospel; the preaching of the good news but have you combined it with faith? Are you living by sight or by faith in God’s word? Or are you trying to maneuver though the seasons of life by your wisdom and knowledge?

When the Israelites rebelled against God’s voice, God was angry with them for forty years and they were not allowed to enter the promised rest because of their faithlessness. They always complained and murmured they had stubborn hearts and didn’t believe God’s word. This made them not to enter the Promised Land.
Stubborn hearts, hearts that go astray, evil and unbelieving heart turns you away from the living God. Don’t let your heart wander off but stand firm on God’s word. Do not be deceived by sin and fall short, for God has given us another opportunity when we hear His voice not to harden our hearts. We can enter through a new and living way that Jesus opened for us. It leads through the curtain—Christ’s body.


God’s word is alive and working, effective and is sharper than a double-edged sword.  It discerns the thoughts and intentions in our hearts. Nothing in all creation or no creature can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him exposed to His eyes, and to him we must give an account of the way we have lived.

CONTEND FOR YOUR FAITH

In the present times we are living in, it’s paramount for us as the body of Christ to fight/ contend with everything that’s in us for faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish. Remember it is written that in the Last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions, lusts.  They cause divisions, they are worldly people always ruled by their fleshly desires devoid of the Spirit.

Certain people have crept in this age unnoticed distorting the grace of our God with its freedom legalistic rules into decadence and unethical freedom, denying and disowning our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. They have rebelled against God as Korah did, and like Korah, they surely will be destroyed (Num 16)

But we believers should build ourselves up in the most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit always. Holding onto the love of God awaiting the mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1

We have to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against cosmic powers over this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. That’s why we need to take up the full amour of God to withstand.

We have to fasten on the belt of truth, putting on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes to our feet having put on the readiness given by the grace of peace, take up the shield of faith so that we can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one, and putting on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is God’s word. Keeping alert and remembering to make supplications for other saints all over.

VICTORIOUS

Every child of God is victorious because he/she believes in Christ Jesus who is the Son of God. He that came through water and blood; His baptism and death. The one who relies confidently on Him as Savior has the testimony within himself because he can speak authoritatively about Christ from his personal experience. For God has given us eternal life in Christ.

This is the conquering power that brings the world on its knees, our faith. Our persistent faith in Christ is what overcomes the world. For nothing can separate us from His love. Not tribulations, hardships, persecution, distress or destitution can. It’s our profession of who we are that makes us overcome the world.

When we look at David and Goliath’s story, Goliath looked like a giant and him only a young boy. But David knew his strength came from God. He knew the Israelite's where God’s armies and he couldn’t put up with Goliath’s threats. He believed that the God, who granted him victory while tending his father’s sheep, would also grant him victory over Goliath.

David approached him with only his staff and five smooth stones. He said to him, “You come to me using a sword and two spears. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. Naturally it’s not possible to go to war with these but God’s strategies are supernatural the canal mind cannot comprehend. God surely granted him victory over the Philistine. God granted David numerous victories, over the Philistines, the Moabites, e.t.c. wherever David sent out for war God always granted him victory because he trusted in Him.

Let us also look at how God delivered the Israelite's from Egypt, He told Moses to use his rod as a weapon this rod performed supernatural miracles in front of Pharaoh that the canal mind cannot understand. Moses obeyed God’s instructions he didn’t go to Pharaoh armed with a mighty army no! He just used a simple rod and God granted them victory.

Another example is Jesus Christ while here on earth, He never experienced any defeat. Be it in the wilderness when the devil tempted him he knew the word. He fought back by confessing the word. While there was a storm he overcame by professing, even when he stood before the High Priests he knew who he was and also conquered death.

So what is that situation that's facing you now? Remember, God’s ways are not man’s ways. Living in a world where we have to face challenges we should rely completely on God. Ask for His wisdom and trust Him completely. For this is the confidence we have in Him our unshakable faith, that can move mountains. Our proclamations can give us victories and take us to dimensions unfathomable.

LOVE NOT THE WORLD

We are in a world where by things are changing very fast, especially technology. If not careful we will find ourselves moving swiftly with the pace. Desiring the latest machines, gadgets and fashion e.t.c. Note, acquiring this isn’t wrong but being occupied by them is terribly wrong. They make us elude from God’s ways.

The ways of the world are; wanting to please our sinful selves, lust of the eyes, and lust of the flesh. Comparing ourselves with others, being too proud of what we have. These little pleasures of the world are distractions .If all you desire is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and His way.

The word says that if you the love world, the love of the Father is not in you. 

Loving the world means hostility toward God. For the mode of this world is passing away. Do not be engrossed in them, deal sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you.

Our satisfaction should not come from the pleasures of the world but from God. God says, those who please Him, He will give them wisdom, knowledge and joy.    And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find.

THE TONGUE

Salt gives taste to food. But if much salt is put in the food it loses its taste cannot be consumed and it’s thrown away. The tongue is a small part of the body but when out of control pollutes the whole body.

A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything. The tongue slanders, boasts, tell lies and thinks evil plans. One cannot plant apples and harvest grapes?  Our speech can cause havoc, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it. Heedless words stab like a sword, they crush the spirit. But wise words induce healing, bestows life.

God has created man in His own image and likeness. He was created to give Him praise. Out of the fruit of our lips we praise & bless the Lord. But also out of our lips we curse what God has created in His likeness. This does not please God at all. Our likeness to God shows us that we should reflect God. This is possible since He has given us a helper the Holy Spirit who can teach us how to be like our Father. He is a perfect Father. We should learn from Him by allowing His Spirit to take preeminence over our lives and control our tongues. For we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts .The mouth of the righteous speaks of wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. 

James 3

Prayer

Lord, set a guard on my mouth. Help me control my tongue, help me be careful about what I say. Don’t let sin anoint my head. 

THE LIVING STONE

Christ Jesus is the living Foundation of Rock upon which God builds. The foundation that stands firm and can never be shaken. He is the precious cornerstone of the church. The most honored and important part of a building. We believers are like the living stones God is using to build a spiritual house. Believers are the spiritual building where God lives and Christ is the foundation.

That’s why the bible states that we should desire the pure teachings that feed our spirits. For we are his chosen people, the King’s priests.  A holy nation,  a people belonging to God. Because in this house we are to serve as holy priests, offering him spiritual sacrifices that He will accept because of Jesus Christ. For this stone brings honor to them that believe and will never disappoint them that trust in Him.

We should place our focus on Christ Jesus for we are like visitors and strangers in this world. Our real home is heaven. So keep away from the evil desires that fight against your souls. God has chosen you to proclaim His praises, His virtues. To live a life that glorifies Him.

1 Peter 2:1-10

TESTING YOUR FAITH

James 1

When faced with challenges most people tend to succumb to the pressure. Some are tested to the point of doubting their faith in Christ. We tend to start doubting the word & promises of God. Sometimes we think it is as a result of punishment from God. On the contrary, the bible says God tempts no one and that God cannot be tempted by evil.

We are tempted when we are enticed to commit sin by our own worldly desire. What we see, watch or even hear can become the source of our temptation. When this illicit desire has conceived it gives birth to sin which later gives birth to death. That’s why we need to be very careful of what we expose ourselves to.

Let’s look at some biblical examples:-

2 Samuel 11. In the spring, when kings go out to war, David sent Joab & his officials while he stayed in Jerusalem. One evening he got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of his palace. From there he noticed Bathsheba taking a birth. She was very beautiful so David sent for her to be brought to the palace. When he realized that she had gotten pregnant for him, he arranged for her husband Uriah to be killed in battle. Later on we see that the child they bore died.

David’s flaws led him to this temptation; his worldly desire made him to give in to sin which later resulted to the death of his son.

Our second example will be Samson. Samson feel in love with Delilah he didn’t realize it was a great mistake this temptation led him to disclosing the source of his strength that later led to his death since the power of God had left him. Judges 16

Lastly let’s look at Ananias & his wife Sapphira who sold a piece of land and conniving with the wife secretly kept the proceedings for himself & brought the rest to the Apostle Peter. The Apostle got a revelation from the Holy Spirit that he had kept some of the proceedings. He questioned him about it but Ananias denied. Due to this lie Ananias & his wife Saphirra died. Acts 5

The bible says blessed is the man who is steadfast under trial & perseveres when tempted for when he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life. This trials and challenges come to build us up. They bring us to spiritual maturity.

EXCEL IN LOVE

The bible emphasizes that we should excel in love for each other .1 Thessalonians 4:9,  1 John 4:11. We should seek for the best of each other just like Christ did, showing us to be His true followers. John 13: 34-35

Showing unselfish concern for your brothers & sisters, that means your love should be genuine not with hidden agenda just like God loved us genuinely to give us His son to take the penalty of sin on our behave. This should be the same kind of love we ought to operate in.

Love makes you willing to forgive many sins. It doesn’t matter what wrong one has done, love has the power to forgive and move on without holding grudges. I know this could be a bit puzzling, but it is very much possible if we reflect on the God kind of love that He extended to us; sacrificing His son on the cross and by him we obtain external salvation. This means we don’t have to hold on to our past mistakes. Christ atonement on the cross already took care of that. It was once and for all and He doesn’t hold any iniquities against us. It is our responsibility to accept His sacrifice and great love and extend it to others.

Acts 4:32-35, shows us a great example of how we can excel in love. The believers were of one heart and soul. There were no needy persons in their midst.  Everything in their possession was common property for them all.

CHRIST’S SACRIFICE

Christ having offered a sufficient sacrifice of Himself signified the completion of atonement for our sins. By this offering we are completely cleansed.

Heb 10 & 9

Christ’s sacrifice was capable of perfecting our conscience & renewing the inner self of the believer. He offered Himself unblemished without any spiritual imperfections to cleanse our conscious from dead works. All believers are sanctified set as holy for God and His purposes.

Many times we find ourselves struggling with issues or habits of the past that hinder our progress. Christ has offered us absolute forgives, complete cancellation of the penalty of this things.

We have been given a clean slate we stand by faith, our hearts having been sanctified from evil conscience. We have the surety of our faith in what Christ did for us to approach God with sincere hearts and pour out our hearts to Him. There is no need to fear or condemn our selves.

Our confidence is in Christ. We can come into God’s presence with the assurance of the blood of Christ. We have access to God for Christ tore the veil for us through His flesh.

Getting a revelation of what Christ did for us on the cross enables us to come boldly into God’s presence & worship. Not being conscious of our inadequensies but having the assurance/ being confident of the complete works at the cross!