A blessed 2013 awaits you!!!

An Aggressive Lover

¹⁰ This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…..1 John 4:10

When we perceive how much God loves us, an amazing effect is produced in our personalities- we begin to love like Him. We cannot help it. Love- agape love- is not the fruit of labor; it is a response. When we stand at the foot of Calvary, the place where the love of God is fully focused and caught up, the scales drop from your eyes, and our own love flames in response. We love Him because He first loved us.

Teresa of Avila tells of how one day, going into her private room, she noticed a picture of our Lord being scoured before His crucifixion. She must have seen it hundreds of times, but in that moment of revelation she saw it as she had never seen it before. She saw God suffering- suffering over a love and suffering for her. The revelation sent her to her knees sobbing in pain and wonder, and when she arose, she was a changed woman. The revelation of Calvary’s love was the great divide in her life. She said that she arose with a sense of “unpayable debt” and went out to share God’s realized love with others.

Don’t try to manufacture love. Linger in the shadow of the Cross. The love of God finds it’s most burning expression there. Meditate on it. Contemplate on it. Remember that heaven knows no higher strategy for begetting love in mortal hearts tan by granting us a vision of how much we are loved, a visions strong enough to evoke a response in our hearts—and by that answering love begotten in us by the Holy Spirit, we are freed and purged and saved

Prayer;  Father God, I see that before I can love. I must comprehend how much I am loved. Help me be aware in my heart that I have the most aggressive lover in the world and I am eternally grateful.

Rescued

Colossians 1: ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves

The fear that surrounds our insecurities, self-esteem, circumstances is nothing but an extension of the darkness that controls this world. The darkness has controlled and manipulated so that poverty, struggle and bondage may prevail. 

All this is to take our eyes away from the light so that we can give our worship to them. For many it may seem like all is lost, yet in this verse we are told that we are already rescued and placed in the kingdom built for us. Rescued by the love of God for us through Christ. So it is our Mindset, we have already won, we just need to start acting (faith) like it. 

Self Discipline

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 Corithians 6:12; 10:23

The issue of self Discipline is of a great important. Paul in the above text gave us very useful information regarding the issue of self disciple.

He opened our eyes to the fact that we need to deliberately do what is expected of us by God irrespective of the circumstance or how will feel.

Through this text I will like to define discipline as: The deliberate effort on our part to do what is right before God in all circumstance rather than doing what seems right to us according to the world's standard and self knowledge.

In 1 Timothy 4:7 - Paul was instructing His son in the Lord: Timothy to refuse useless theories and fables that seems to be the norm in their time.

Ideas that looks and sound good but, are not necessarily right before God. And said to him exercise yourself rather unto godliness. The word exercise here connotes discipline. He told Timothy to discipline himself unto godliness.

This is one thing that most of us are still challenged with. The courage to say no to what looks good at a time, but not really expedient, things and even tv shows and music that looks entertaining but not really edifying.

How many times do we sit in front of the tv, or spend countless hours on our cell phones chatting with someone on a topics that doesn't benefit our spiritual life?

Friends it takes discipline to be distinguished. If you leave your life to chance, you won't stand a chance of excelling in whatever field God has called you into?

Prayer points: Lord teach me to be discipline in all things, and at all times.

Lord help me to always major in your major for my life and not to be distracted by the minors of this world.

Food for thought:

If bodily exercise can earn a man up to 70 or 80 thousand pounds on a monthly basis, then spiritual discipline can do much more for a man who is self disciplined. Because the bible stated that spiritual exercise is of great value.

It's a Love thing

John 15: 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you What does the scripture really mean? That we never really loved one another until we realise how Jesus loves us…. If He was from the beginning (John 1:2) and He knew you and predestined you from the beginning (Eph 1:4-5) then surely he knew when we would be like Peter who denied Him, or like Thomas who doubted Him. One thing that amazes me is all throughout the gospel we see Jesus mentioning that one of His disciples would betray Him. He knew very well it would be Judas, but nowhere in the gospel do we seek Jesus treating Judas differently from the other disciples or even casting Him out. Jesus loves us fearlessly…..it’s time we love each other fearlessly; Despite how people treat us. The gospel came in love, died in love and rose in love therefore it needs to be spread in love too It all comes down to love Song of Solomon 8:7 ‘Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it’..

Grace is a Gift

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. —2 Tim. 2:1, NIV

You’ll be changed from the inside out ... God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. —Rom. 12:2, MSG

Though the work of Christ is finished for the sinner, it is not yet finished in the sinner. —Donald G. Bloesch

A Savior born to us

Hark the Herald Angels sing

Jesus is God spelling Himself out in a language that man can understand.

(SD Gordon)

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

A blessed Christmas to all

Every knee shall bow!!

God within you

As you celebrate the birth of Emmanuel "God-With-Us" don't forget to celebrate God-Within-You as well. The birth of Christ within you is the greatest hope the world has today of seeing God's glory. Break forth on your own world scene and declare peace. So let your light shine before others as you decree

 "Let there be light!!" for "the glory of the Lord is risen upon you!"  As God's image-bearer, enforce a new order in your world.

God's Marriage plan

Christians should demonstrate the power of Christ in everyday situations. There is no place where the resurrection power is better displayed than in marriages

So many Christian husbands and wives are saying “we can’t work it out”. Fathers are abandoning their families and the mothers are carrying the abnormal load of being the head of the family, the provider, giving guidance and sometimes not keeping up with the expectations

Marriages are deteriorating at such an alarming rate because we have lost sight of the purpose of the marriage covenant. People see marriage as their way of looking for love, happiness and fulfilment. These are important and they are critical, they are just not the most critical

What is critical is that you understand God’s plan and intention. Marriage is a covenantal union designed to strengthen the capability of each partner to carry out the plan of God in their lives. 

A Sincere Heart Toward God

Rebuke me and I will receive correction. Lead me in the path of life and I will follow, show me your way and I will travel in it, as a branch in your vineyard , prune me and I shall bear fruit. Ignite your fire in my soul and I shall be consumed by your love. Cover me under the shelter of your wings and I shall be safe. Hold me close to your heart and I shall know your plans for my life. Teach me your decrees so shall I get to know you. Refine me in your furnace so shall I be pure as you are, and reflect your image even your likeness.

Refresh my mind and remind me of Your holiness and righteousness let me abide in your saving power and rest in Your capable hands. Uphold my soul with Your righteous arm of salvation and I shall be confident. Write Your words on the tablet of my heart and I will learn obedience and embrace Your character. Reveal Yourself to me and I will learn to submit to you, for you are meek, lowly at heart even humble. Teach me true humility and I will honor You with my lowliness.

Bind me to Your love and I will know freedom, freedom from sin and all unrighteousness. Your glory has caught my attention and captured my focus, I shall fix my whole sight to you for Your appearance in my life is light that shines brighter each day and direction in my path you guide me in all truth. You are my daily bread, food to my hungry soul, You are the living waters You quench my thirsty soul, You are my all in all, my salvation.

You are the beginning of my new life and even you are the end of it. You are the rescuer of my soul, You snatched me out of the burning fire of hell and You redeemed me from evil. You cleansed me from all my filth in your blood. You made me a new creation, in your own image and likes. I’m blessed to have met You at that appointment

Scripture references: Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 119:1-16; 2 Peter 1:3-11; Romans 6:11-23; 2 Peter 3:9-15

Holy Spirit = Jesus Christ

I chose you

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. (John 15:16)

On the day after the night in which Jesus spoke these words to the eleven and to you, Glen, he laid himself down on the cross and bought you with his blood. You are now his fruit and his fruit-bearer. The only fruit that will ever endure to eternal life is fruit which grows out of the cross. "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:23-24). We are Christ's fruit because he died for us. We are his fruit-bearers if we are willing to take up our cross and die with him. Never forget the setting of your text. It is no accident that when Jesus had commanded you to go and bear fruit, he went and died. Your call and your ministry must always stand in the shadow of the cross of Christ. The only fruit that will last is the fruit that grows on the cross.

"I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide."

Woman - Day 6

The position of the woman is that of a helper. Genesis 2:18

A helper is someone who assist another fellow to accomplish a task. God gave the man the task to manage the earth and to multiply in it. The duty of every woman is to help the man to accomplish the God given task.  Not the man’s own task but the God given task. Women with visions that cannot be submitted under their husbands will always find it difficult to survive in marriage.

Jesus said to Paul while he was stroke by lightening on his way to Damascus in act 9:5 that It’s hard to kick against the goads. Meaning it’s impossible to undo God’s agenda regarding any issue. Any woman who believes she is too important to submit to the husband will remain unmarried or will crash out of marriage in no time. Because she is kicking against the goads.  No man can win over God’s word, to kick against the goads is to try to fight against God’ word.

In every field of expertise there is always a helper. The doctor has nurses who help them administer drugs to their patients. They watch over their health conditions and report back to the doctor if they suspect something unusual.

They will be consequences on the action of any nurse who try to take the position of a doctor in the health case of any patient if anything goes wrong with that patient.

For the fact that a nurse wears a white robe with the doctors doesn’t make him or her a doctor. For the fact that a woman is industrious, spiritual and successful doesn’t make her the head of her husband and home.

Put a lawyer in the hospital to look after a sick patient and you will have corpses all over that hospital in no time. Same applies if you put a doctor in the court room to be legal councilor and you will have criminals and murderers roaming the street freely after committing atrocities.   

 The misplacement of duties and placement in marriage has succeeded in taking the rate of divorce in our present society to an unspeakable height.

 

One duty of the woman is submission to the man. Ephesians 5:22-24

God made it very clear here that just as the Church is subjected to Chris who is the head of the church and the savior of the body so let the wives be so to their husbands. There’s no such thing as a man’s and woman’s equality in marriage.

God is not an author of Confusion; He knew that there will be conflict of interest if He makes them equal that is why he placed one in the position of leading and the other helper so they can both accomplish His purpose here on earth.

The world’s philosophy of a man and a woman been equal in marriage has destroyed the institution of the beautify gift of marriage given to us by God.

Scripture references: Ephesians 5:22-29, Genesis 2:16-25,

Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 2 Corinthians 6:14, John 2:1-11, Genesis 1:27

Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16            

Friends lets rise up to the occasion and stand for the institution of marriage in our community, family and nation as we constantly intercede for marriages.

Shalom!

Food for thought: It is only after God created WOMAN that He (man) could rest

  

Love- Day 5

God’s instruction for man concerning his wife is that the man should love his wife as Christ love the Church and gave his life for the church. One duty of the man is to be comfortable enough to put the needs of his wife first above his own needs. To sacrifice himself if the need arises for the wife to live, just as Jesus did for us today that we can boldly declare that the reason we are alive is because He died in our place. 

1st Corinthians 13:1-8 explain what kind of love God expect the man to exercise towards the wife.   Ephesians 5:25  

Until a man gets to a place where he can comfortably say to his wife from the heart don’t  worry let me die for you, he is still yet to learn the kind of love Jesus had for the body Christ.

The Devil is a Liar!

Biblical Placement & duties in Marriage- Day 4

Man: The man according to scripture is the head, the leader of the marriage (institution)  just as Christ is the head of the church. Ephesians 5:23

The woman was made from the man, for the man not the other way round.

Genesis 2:18-22. It was noted here in this scripture that God after finished making the woman for the man He brought her to the man and the man named her to him self once he discovered that she looked like him.

How do I know this? Take a look at Genesis 2:18 , and you will discover man’s loneliness was what motivated  God’s thought , which in turn led to the making of the woman. One principle I want you to stick to here is this; The motivational factor behind a thought defines or determines the purpose of the end product of that thought. In this case the woman was made for the man!

One responsibility of the man is to make sure the instructions of God are communicated and carried out properly in the  home . Genesis 2:16-17 clearly shown the fact that the man was the one the instruction was given to  and was not repeated by God to  both of them after presenting the woman to the man because He trusted the man’s ability to communicate effectively the issue to the woman. One point we must not forget here is that of the fact that man is likely to be held responsible for the break down of God’s precept in the home. That is why they must take their place and be responsible. Chapter 3:9-11 proves this fact.

God never went straight to the woman to confront her since she was the one that gave the fruit to the man. God believes and respects authority and He expect that when He gives you a job you carry it out. And that is why He confronted the man first instead of the woman.

Biblical Principals for a sustainable Marriage- Day 3

     The realization of the fact that marriage is first spiritual before anything else is one     key to a sustainable marriage:

Marriage is spiritual because the author who is God is a Spiritual being.

Having this knowledge will enable us put Him first in every decision we make as married people. Just as no institution can stand without the backing of its author so also a marriage without God as the centre cord can not stand.

A three fold cord the bible says can not be easily broken. God is the centre cord while the man and woman the other two cords. When ever the both of them get tired and start pulling the cord guess who takes the pressure?

God of course, who is at the centre.  I can already hear you thinking, but why are so many Christian marriages ending up in divorce? Good question!

One thing we most realize is the fact that because the two people getting married are Christian doesn’t automatically make their marriage a Christian marriage.

What make a marriage a Christian marriage is when the two people involved decide to deliberately apply God’s rules regarding marriage in their marriage . 

Today many Christians don’t even want to involve God in their marriage , because they are too afraid that God will tell them that their own philosophy of marriage is  not right. And  they are also not  ready to take the risk of leaving their marriage in the hands of God. But once it crashes they are the first to blame God and start making statements like there is nothing like a successful marriage . There is one principle I want you to remember at this point concerning God. “What ever originates from God can not fail, but lasts for ever. This one principle proves the fact that marriage can not fail because it was founded by God. If your marriage or that of your friends is failing its because God is not at the centre of it. All you need to do is to invite Him into your marriage and start applying His principle in your marriage and watch Him reinstate your marriage. It is foolishness to take your Benz auto mobile to a VW dealer for maintenance.