BE RECEPTIVE

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 11:13-17, Genesis 18:1-14

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings
good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings of good
things, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!”
Isaiah 52:7 (NKJV)

Genuine men and women of God are a blessing wherever they go (Isaiah 52:7). Whoever receives and listens to them will always end up being the better for it. Many have been in Church for years without results. Sometimes it is simply because they have not yet accepted the message, person
and authority of their leaders in Church. You cannot despise the carrier of a gift and still receive that gift. Rejecting the Lord’s servants will deny you access to gifts and blessings (Matthew 10:40, 42).

PROTECT YOUR FREEDOM

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-15

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us
free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”  Galatians 5:1 (KJV)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! The declaration of our freedom is both a statement of an accomplished fact and a goal that we must all pursue. Freedom is ours because of the price Jesus paid on the cross. We have not liberated ourselves by our efforts. We are not able to do so.

FEAR GOD

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

“By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches
and honour, and life.” Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV)

Success has many definitions. To some, it is all about achieving a particular set of goals. To others, it may be becoming the best in their profession, while many would see it as the ability to amass wealth. A few have fine-tuned the definition of success as being the best of who you are. No matter the definition, success without the fear of God is absolute failure.

JOY UNSPEAKABLE

Scripture: Acts 13:46-52

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,” Galatians 5:22 (KJV)

How do you react when faced with oppositions? Flare up? Get sad and moody? Give up entirely? These reactions will not make any situation better neither will they help you in any way. You have to rejoice in the midst of every situation because God never fails.

Paul and Barnabas were able to get the attention of a large congregation who were eager to hear the word of God and this angered the Jewish leaders.

ACCESS TO FORGIVENESS

Scripture: Acts 13:38-43

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much
more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Romans 5:9 (NIV)

The devil is a master accuser and he will always try to bring man down by heaping accusations on him. He will always remind you of all the wrongs you have done and give you the impression that your sins are too much for you to be worthy of God’s forgiveness and love. However, God is a merciful father and He forgives when you come to Him in repentance.

PRAY FOR OTHERS

Scripture: I Timothy 2:1-8

“Brethren, pray for us.” I Thessalonians 5:25 (KJV)

Christians now pray more for themselves than others. Even when the Holy Spirit lays a burden in their hearts to pray for someone, or opens their eyes to the need for them to be selfless in prayers, they still overlook others; praying just for their needs. The power and authority made available in prayers are continually being sacrificed on the altar of selfishness. This leaves the church weak and almost ineffective in fulfilling God’s plans for the world.

THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE

Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil
the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 (KJV)


Feedback: Share how your sharing God’s word impact lives this past week

A Spirit-filled life requires a moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit. A Spirit-filled person is not self-willed, but rather is submissive to God’s authority. According to Galatians chapter 5 verse 16, you must ignore the lustful desires of the flesh and rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit
alone.

The spirit-filled person is under no law because he is controlled by the One whose fruits are good. He does not need the law because the Holy Spirit controls and regulates his actions.

FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-32

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were
assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4: 6:13 (KJV)

The human mind is elastic. The mind can be stretched to do unimaginable things. This ability to stretch our minds beyond bounds has resulted in the many inventions and innovations that we are accustomed to today. If we can achieve these results with our human limitations, imagine what we could do with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Paul commands us not to be drunk with wine,

STAY ON GUARD

Scripture: Acts 4:23-31


“Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm [immune to
temptation, being overconfident and self righteous], take care that
he does not fall [into sin and condemnation].” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (AMP)

After people achieve great feats, they tend to relax. The mind goes to rest and, at this point, many people become negligent. This negligence leads to a vulnerability that opens the door for even more challenges. Even when there is peace in your life, you must stay alert and prepared for war.

After the Apostles were acquitted by the tribunal set up to investigate the charges brought up against them concerning their faith, they immediately lifted up their voices in prayer and praise to God.

TAKEN

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:39-53

“Then shall two be in the field, the one shall be taken and
the other left.” Matthew 24:40 (KJV)

The idea that every true follower of Christ will one day be suddenly snatched into the heavens sounds like science fiction to the world, but it is the hope of every true Christian to one day be with the Lord. Thus like children we believe in Jesus and His plan to take us out of this world.

However, our flesh was created by God as clothing for our spirit man, it was formed from the earth and is limited to this earth. In order to leave this earth,

THANKFULNESS

Scripture: Luke 17:11-19

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you
who belong to Christ Jesus.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Thankfulness is a lifestyle that every Christians must cultivate. To be thankful means to be grateful for benefits received. For the Christian, thankfulness is an attitude of gratitude to God in everything, good or bad because it is God’s will (I Thessalonians 5:18). Jesus Christ, though sad at the loss of
Lazarus, still thanked God, not for the loss, but for hearing him, and the result of that was the raising of Lazarus from death (John 11:40-44).

POWER WITHIN

Scripture: Luke 10:17-20

“For these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name
they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;”
Mark 16:17 (NIV)

Believers are not simply followers of Christ, they ought to manifest his power. We are, expected to reign on earth on Christ’s behalf while we await His second coming. Aware of the hurdles we will face, Jesus, gave us the power of attorney before he ascended to Heaven. He gave us the right to do all that He would do if He was still physically present here on earth, concerning any and everything. By implication,

A HIGHER MIND

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:6-16

“For who has known the mind of God that he may instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.” I Corinthians 2:16 (KJV)

Feedback: Did your show of love win anyone for Christ this past week?

Paul's claim in the above scripture sounds boastful but it is a treasured truth and an amazing revelation. You have your own mind but you also have the mind of Christ. Which would you rather depend on?

The mind of God, through whom the entire universe was created, is available to us. His fountain of wisdom is there for the taking.

PERFECT TIMING

Scripture: Psalm 40:1-5

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me
and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1 (NLT)

Patience is one of the hardest virtues to acquire. We pray to an omnipotent God. We know He is able to help us at any moment. We know he is not reluctant to help us. If he is all of these, why then is there a delay when we ask him to intervene?

God did not include a timetable when he gave us his promise.

STRANGE FIRE

Scripture: Leviticus 10:1-9

“And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them,
and they died before the LORD.” Leviticus 10:2 (KJV)

God commanded the priests of Israel to continually burn aromatic incense on the golden altar inside the Holy of Holies and there were specific recipes and methods for these offerings as well as clear instructions around them. The sweet smelling savour was only as good as the purity and obedience of the priests making the offering before God.

LIGHT OF THE WORD

Scripture: John 1:1-10

“Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me,
and keep me from stumbling.” Psalm. 119:105 (TLB)

Jesus is the word of God. One of the key attributes of the word of God is life, and that life brings light. When light is absent, there will be darkness, confusion, lack of direction and lack of growth. Light makes you see, it gives a clearer picture and it helps with direction.

Imagine stepping into an unfamiliar room that is dark.

NEW ALTAR BENEFITS

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:30-40

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life:
weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”
Psalm 30:5 (KJV)

One reason many prayers go unanswered is because for too long, the altars on which such prayers are offered are in disrepair. Several benefits become accessible after you have pulled down satanic altars and build a new altar unto God (Psalm 50:14-15; Genesis 4: 3-5).

God is not just interested in your request but in the state of your heart and life.

WHAT KIND OF VESSEL?

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:14-22

“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a
vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,
and prepare unto every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:21 (KJV)

Vessels are simply containers. God has given the earth to men in order to carry out his work on earth. He does not get it done without involving men, particularly his own children. We are the resource through which God does his work here because we are his co-workers (Romans 8:16-17;
1 Corinthians 3:9). We must, therefore keep ourselves fit for God’s purpose if we are to achieve his desire.

We are earthen vessels, impure and undeveloped and we need the hand of the master to mould us to his spec. We must let him remove and purify us of every contaminant that holds us back from
fulfilling his plans. As vessels, the type of use we are put to will differ. The interesting thing is that you are the one that determines the type of vessel you would be in the hand of God. What a great
opportunity to become distinguished. It means you can become the most valuable vessel to God and enjoy the honour that goes with such a position.

Are you still meddling with sin? Do you rationalise why you cannot give up what you consider to be enjoyment and pleasurable pastimes? Yet you wonder why you do not receive healing for a simple headache when you pray (Mark 16:17)? Yes, God is merciful but he wants you free from uncleanliness. He wants you  whole. Ask for God’s help and prayerfully take your weakness to him. He will help you break them so you can live free and become a worthy vessel.

PRAYER: Lord, grant me the grace to live a life worthy of emulation in Jesus name.

FAITH BYTE: I am a valuable vessel of God and I bring honour to the Body of Christ

PRAYER ATTRACTS AUTHORITY

Scripture: Acts 3:1-10

“For he taught them as one having authority,
and not as the scribes.” Mathew 7:29 (KJV)

Besides providing an avenue for you to report everything that threatens your peace and joy, prayer brings the fullness of the spirit. Prayer gives us boldness to declare God's word.

When you pray effectively, it provokes the Holy Spirit to come close to help you but where you fail to pray, you keep him at bay.

WORSHIP NO OTHER

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:12-16

“But the Lord, who brought you up out of the Land of Egypt
with great power and a stretched out arm, him shall ye fear,
and him shall ye worship, and to him shall ye do sacrifice.”
2 Kings 17:36 (KJV)

As long as we remain on earth, our purpose as humans is to worship God. This is what we are wired for. Even though there is a tendency or temptation to divert attention to our environment or what we see, we must not forget that God’s plan still remains that he seeks total worship from us to him (Exodus20:3).

CATCH THOSE FOXES

Scripture: Songs of Solomon 2:13-17

“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in blossom.” Songs of Solomon 2:15 (ESV)

The bible describes the righteous as a fruitful tree planted by the rivers of waters (Psalms 1:3). If this same tree is planted in an environment that is unsuitable, the tree may rot and die. This underlines the important factor for fruitfulness for the believer. It is a life devoid of sin as it is the greatest hindrance to a vineyard full of blossoming fruit (v15).