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09 ************************************************************************************************** 06 October 2003 EZEKIEL 37: 1 - 14
30 November 2003 Luke 11:24 - 28 How can you fight the enemy you don't know?? How can you close your eyes and and fight with an enemy and not be defeated?? Sister Alice tells us this week that demons are like squatters who take full habitation of someone's property and it will take the power of the Holy Spirit to break their habitation and to cast them out. Deliverance, what is it?? The LORD talks about evil spirits and why they never give up. They always want to return to where they have been cast out. These demons throw doubt, fornication, infirmities, pride, lust, hatred, they hate marriages and every good thing, it is not just the one who practices witchcraft as many have mistakenly thought. These demons when they do re-enter are very difficult to cast out. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit of the LORD to cast them out. When they are within you doing the above listed, you will need deliverance by someone with the Holy Anointing of the GOD. They see our bodies as their paradise and they don't want to leave. But because of the Anointing and the Awesome power of GOD, through deliverance, we will be set free. Consider the Great Teacher's Word and live a Holy and righteous life for if they had been cast out, they are still out there waiting to come back. Keep Praying! Keep Praying! Keep Praying! A M E N.
Luke 2:41 - 52 Have you seen JESUS, Is HE
missing from your mind, from your thoughts, from your emotions, from your heart
?? GOD is asking, " Am I missing from your life? " Search your life and if
he's missing from you, FIND JESUS! FIND HIM. You will find Him in His WORD. Ask
him by prayer and He will come to your heart.
7 December 2003 Matthew 24:3 - 8 The disciples asked the LORD, their Master for a sign about His second coming. He warned them of deception of those who will come, claiming to be Him. He also warned them of wars and rumours of wars. But we should not be troubled, for all these must come to pass before the end. For nation shall rise against nation and there shall be famines, pestilences and earthquakes. When you watch newscasts, read newspapers, you see many evidences of these. Friend, JESUS is coming soon, prepare to meet Him. If you are not sure that you will see Him, then change your life, for He is surely coming soon! Accept Him now as your Personal Saviour and friend. If not, you will see Him as Judge. AMEN
14 December 2003 This Week's Message Luke 6:47 - 49 Stand on the Rock means JESUS. Storms will come but if you have Christ in your heart, you will stand firm. The storm means troubles, sorrows, doubts, , misunderstanding, sickness, unbelief, pains, marriage problems and many more. If you build your house on the Rock, satan will try to shake you but you will never be moved. Because of the Rock, your house will stand firm. That Rock is our LORD JESUS. AMEN.
21 December 2003 This Week's Message The LORD wants us to pray with meaning, from our hearts and not just from our mouths. The LORD wants our heart to be right with Him. When we pray, we should ask the LORD GOD Almighty to come and be LORD of our lives, we should for his will to be done in our lives. We should forgive our enemies their sins, so that when we pray, the LORD will hear our prayers and forgive us our sins. We should also ask the LORD not to lead us into temptation and also ask the LORD to deliver us from the evil one. For the Kingdom belongs to the LORD GOD Almighty, He has all the power to do what we ask, He is crowned with Glory and will show His glory and do you know what??? He has all the above FOREVER !!!!!
Christmas Day Message ( 25th December 2003 ) Matthew 1 : 18 - 25 Matthew's gospel describes how Mary espoused to Joseph, a just man was found with child of the Holy Ghost and Joseph was thinking of putting her away privily. But an angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream confirming that the child is of the Holy Ghost. The angel went on " And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name JESUS; for He shall save his people from their sins" This is a confirmation of the prophecy; " and they shalt call his name IMMANUEL which is being interpreted, GOD WITH US". Thus began to unroll GOD's Master plan of salvation. That He came to dwell among mankind, preached and healed the sick, died and rose again, that whosoever will believe in Him, will have eternal life. Hallelujah, He is here to give salvation to the sinner, to destroy the works of the evil one and to free us forever from all bondages. His name is JESUS, He is Immanuel, GOD with us.
28 December 2003 2 Kings 2 : 1 - 18 HUMBLE YOURSELF TO RECEIVE THE ANOINTING Some people do not want to serve the anointing but they want the anointing to fall on them. NO! you cannot have it unless you humble yourself. If you do not humble yourself, the last result will be separation. That is why there are thousands of Churches around which are not of GOD. It is satan's character. You need humbleness to serve the anointing. ******************************************************************************
New Years Message ( January 2004 ) Genesis 28 : 16 - 21 When Jacob was running away from his elder brother Esau, he reached a place called Bethel where he used stones for his pillow. It was here that the LORD revealed Himself to him and here he vowed a vow to the LORD; if the LORD will be with him, keep him, feed him and bring him safely to his father's house in peace, then shall the LORD be his GOD. Be like Jacob, vow to the LORD in the New year, the year 2004. Tell the LORD to deliver you from all your old deeds, from your old self, change your life, be a new person and certainly deny your old ways. The LORD has been good to us. We will be honest and say that we were never good, we didn't obey the WORD of the LORD as we said we will, but because of His love and mercy, He has preserved us and is with us going into the year 2004. May the LORD be with us in the year 2004. GOD BLESS YOU AMEN
11 January 2004 Mark 10 : 17 - 22 Then came the answer to
the core of his problem; “Go… sell what you have…give to the poor and you shall
have treasure in heaven, and come and come and take up your cross and follow
me.! “ The young man loved his possessions more than he loved GOD. Is your GOD in your
possessions?? Are you ready to serve the LORD. Are you ready to sacrifice for
the love of GOD?? Are you ready to carry the LORD Jesus' cross, bear His
burdens?? Well, if your answer is no to all the above, then I have news for
you, “No cross, no crown”. For our Master JESUS, the Christ whom we follow,
carried the cross before He was crowned by Our Father in Heaven. If you really love Him, then you must bear His cross, do something for HIM!!! GOD Bless you !!! AMEN
18 January 2004 JESUS the Greatest Friend Ever !!! Dearest friend, do you know JESUS? Is He your friend? How do you that He is your friend?? Did you know He's the Greatest Friend, our friend forever? He is. But to become His friend, you need to follow certain conditions; First, you need to accept Him as your LORD and Saviour then you have to take His word and eat them as food. Secondly, you have to follow His will and when you ask anything, then He will do it. Thirdly, you must bear fruit but how do you bear fruit? You have to take the LORD's word and obey Him everyday. The Holy Spirit will bring fruit out of your life. When you do that, then you will become His disciple and the Father's glory will be shown in the son. Master JESUS wants us to continue in His love and obey His commandments. When we follow His commandments, then we will be His friend and not His servants, because the servant knows not what His Master does but a friend does. So after all this, if you are His friend, then continue in His love but if you are not and want to be, then you must get right with GOD. AMEN
25 January 2004 John 21: 1 - 12 Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. How do you know that the LORD has answered your prayer ?? How do you know that the LORD is speaking to you ? You have been praying all the time but now you want to give up. Why ? Because everything is at a standstill. Don't give up, one day, He will appear. Will you know Him when He appears?? Will you remember His voice as a child of GOD ? If the answer is yes, He will come and feed your hungry soul.
AMEN
8 February 2004 2 Samuel 12:1 - 20 The LORD sent Nathan the prophet to King David who had committed adultery with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, a soldier away on the battlefield. David had engineered for Uriah to be killed. Nathan first spoke by a parable: There were two men in a city; one rich, the other poor. The poor man had one little lamb which he had bought and nourished up.; the rich man who owned a large herd had a visitor, killed the poor man's lamb and dressed it to serve his visitors table. David flared in anger against the man; as the LORD liveth, he said, he shall surely die! "You are the man !" said Nathan. Nathan then delivered the LORD's judgment to David; the sword shall never depart from his house, his child, borne out of adulterous relationship would die, others will take his wives. Sin brings judgment from GOD and this judgment is very unbearable. Though we put on pride to fend off the repercussions of our sins, we feel it and we go through it. GOD is a loving GOD but a fearful judge. He hates sin and He hates people who allow the world to blaspheme His name. His name is so Holy and He is Holy. When we sin, we receive judgment but who can predict what His (GOD's) judgment will be?? We can choose any sin to commit, but we cannot choose our judgment from the LORD. For He is a fearful GOD, the one True GOD and His Word is true. Dear Reader, if you are a sinner, please repent, please I urge you to repent for His (GOD's) day of wrath is coming, can you stand it?
22 February 2004 Luke 4 : 31 - 36 We see here in Luke 4:31 et seq Master JESUS went to Capernaum and taught in the synagogue on a Sabbath. Those in the meeting were astonished at His teaching. His Word was with power! Then man with an unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice manifesting the evil spirits in him. The evil spirits acknowledging that JESUS of Nazareth was the Holy one of GOD, JESUS, rebuked him and cast him out. The congregants were all amazed and spoke among themselves saying..."With authority and power He commanded the unclean spirits and they come out!" The LORD GOD Almighty is here and has given us power and authority over the devil. Did you know we have power over the devil and his works?? Well, Dear Reader, we do! JESUS Christ has given us power over the devil. Look at what happened to this man possessed with the devil; the devil fled in the face of the Holy one, Our Master JESUS. He is Our GOD and He has said that if we believe in Him, we shall do the same. GOD BLESS YOU AMEN
12 March 2004 Luke 6:47 - 49 Stand on the Rock means JESUS. Storms will come but if you have Christ in your heart, you will stand firm. The storm means troubles, sorrows, doubts, , misunderstanding, sickness, unbelief, pains, marriage problems and many more. If you build your house on the Rock, satan will try to shake you but you will never be moved. Because of the Rock, your house will stand firm. That Rock is our LORD JESUS.
28 March 2004 Luke 9: 18 - 39 A man born blind was healed by Master JESUS on the Sabbath day and encountered the wrath of the Pharisees. They were angry that JESUS healed the man on a Sabbath day and reasoned that accordingly, JESUS was not of GOD. The man stood his ground. He was a blind man. Now he could see ! He was not worried who it was who healed him, by what method nor on what day! The truth was, now he could see! Do you know the truth? Are you prepared to stand for the truth, defend Him?? Are you willing to die for Him?? Sometimes, defending the truth can lead to mockery, reviling and even death! But the truth will always remain the truth. JESUS is the truth. Defending Him in certain circles can lead to death as earlier written but tell the world what He has done for you yesterday, today and forever in spite of persecution, because the truth will set you free. Not just the ordinary, but the truth from GOD. Be willing to defend Master JESUS everywhere anytime. When you suffer for Him (Master JESUS), He will always find you just like He found the blind man after he was cast out from before the Pharisees, for Master JESUS came so that we who see not, will see and believe on Him. If you think you know it all and refuse to see then JESUS is come so that you might be blind, not blind physically but spiritually because you refuse to see and believe on Him, that you might see Him. GOD Bless you. AMEN
11 April 2004 ( Convention Sunday ) HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN!! HE IS RISEN!!! After the death of JESUS Our Master, the disciples were very sad, their hope had gone and they had decided to go back to their old vocation. But Mary Magdalene, went to the tomb of Master JESUS to see if He was still there. He laid in the sepulchre after His crucifixion and had been dead for 3 days. As she wept and stooped, she saw 2 angels sitting where Master JESUS had laid. He was not there. In her dialogue with them, she turned around and saw Master JESUS behind her. She didn't recognize Him, but then He called out her name and then she recognized Him. Not allowed to touch Him, Master JESUS told her to go and inform His brethren that He is Alive. She got there and while speaking to them, Master JESUS appeared and said "Peace Be unto you". he didn't stop there, He also commissioned them to send the Word of GOD to the many souls. He also did a very great thing; He gave them great power, the Power of the Holy Spirit. If they forgive sins, they will be forgiven, but if they say "Your sin remain with you" it will remain. This power is so great, so great my friend, so great. No else has such power, but Master JESUS.. Why? because Her carried the cross, he died on it, was buried in a sepulchre, rose on the third day and is given all power and might. He has given us this power, se we have power. JESUS Our Christ is risen! He is Risen!! He is Risen!!!
2 May 2004 Luke 17:11 - 18 This is a very classic one. Readers of the Bible will all know that leprosy was a very serious disease in the days gone by. In fact, even now. But in Biblical Israel, it was more serious. One who suffered was a definite outcast! You cannot come to town, definitely not !. But these 10 lepers were told to go and show themselves to the Priest, by the Master JESUS. How? One would have said "But we aren't healed?? ". But these did not ! They obeyed. You see the price of a miracle is obedience and because they did, they received a miracle. Why?? Because they obeyed. Master JESUS didn't say much, He only said "Go and show thyself to the Priest". The only way, they could have done that is if they are healed. They were not but believed they will be because they obeyed and while they went, they were healed. Do you believe today?? To have done what they did, you should have faith. they believed but not all came to give glory to GOD. When you pay the price which is obedience, you must also give glory to GOD like this leper did. Seeing that he had been healed, he turned back and went to give GOD the glory. He worshipped Him!!! AMEN
16 May 2004 Malachi 3 : 7 - Have you robbed GOD?? You might ask "How have I robbed GOD, for can a man rob GOD?". Yes. The LORD spoke through the Prophet Malachi, when the nation of Israel turned away from the ordinances of GOD Almighty. One of them was His tithes. Tithes belong to the LORD GOD Almighty, He commands us to bring it to Him and no one else. He calls His House His storehouse and we are called to bring them into His storehouse for use in evangelism and His many other good things. When you do this in truth and in spirit, you will be blessed. As we are in the end times, the LORD is speaking to believers. We should pay our tithes, so that the LORD can pour out His blessings on us and so that we can provide for evangelism and evangelists. AMEN
30 May 2004 Acts 2 : 1 - 21 The disciples were all gathered in JERUSALEM. The Master, JESUS the Christ had left them 10 days earlier and had told them to wait JERUSALEM until the Father's promised had come come upon them. They believed and were waiting. But they were just not sitting and waiting, they were praying, everyday and the most important thing of all is "They were all of one accord". The Holy Spirit came, He came as the Father had promised. He filled the whole room and the disciples began to speak in different tongues. At that time, there were ,many people from nations gathered in JERUSALEM and these people heard the Word of GOD in their own languages, made possible by the Holy Spirit. They heard it, they sure did ! They were surprised, but the excellent thing is they all heard it. They heard the wonderful works that GOD has done and is still doing. Peter recounted the days coming, saying it will be terrible, but "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved". That is the way of Salvation ! "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved". Are you saved? Have you ever called on the name of JESUS?? It is through His name that you will be saved and also receive empowerment by His Holy Spirit AMEN
6 June 2004 Acts 2 : 33 - 47 Peter explained to those gathered together listening to the "tongues". As we saw last week, all the apostles spoke in "tongues" and in the languages of those gathered there. These came from various nations. So when Peter stood to speak, he had explained the moments they were seeing and went on to explain to them that this same JESUS, had been spoken about by David, the King, many, many, many years before the coming of Christ. He told the people that JESUS is seated on the right hand of GOD. The people were pricked in their hearts and wanted to change, so they asked Peter "What shall we do ? " and he replied "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of JESUS the Christ for remissions of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, just as they had. This gift is for all but you have to be of GOD. For where there is sin, one cannot receive the Holy Spirit. The other notable thing, when you receive the Holy Spirit, you will exalt the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as Peter did. You will also testify of the LORD GOD Almighty. You will also win more souls into His Kingdom. This is what happens when you receive the Holy Spirit. Again, these fellowshipped together, prayed together, broke bread together and did all things together. GOD was with them all the time, confirming His word with signs and wonders.
AMEN
Mark 1: 32 - 45 Master JESUS the Christ is our healer. This passage tells us about the wondrous works that Master JESUS did. He healed many of the sicknesses, cast out devils and did this with power and did this with power and authority. When JESUS appears anywhere, the devil and his demons flee from His presence. He has power to cast out the devil and all his demons and so the devil stays away from His presence. But the LORD healed all diseases, removed everything unclean and restored man to his original state as he had planned from the beginning. So my friend, as JESUS healed people of all manner of diseases and cast out all oppressive demons in those days, this same JESUS is alive and ever present to do the same for you if you will only ask in faith.
04 July 2004 Isaiah 6 : 1 - Prophet Isaiah saw the LORD, seated on a throne. He was high and lifted up, exalted and above the throne and Our Father (GOD) were seraphims and they each had six wings, two covering their face, two covering their feet and with two they flew. They were praising the Father thus; "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory" and the post of the door moved at the voice of him that cried and the house was filled with smoke. Prophet Isaiah said "Woe is me, For I am undone" Why?? Because in the past, they all believed on cannot see GOD and live and also he was a man unclean lips, but in this instance, GOD kept him standing and the Prophet Isaiah did not die. Rather he had also seen himself, the type of person he is, and the type of people he's amongst. He was repentant. One of the angels, a seraphim, touched his lips with a hot coal and cleansed his lips of all iniquity and also purged him of all his sins. He also heard a voice, the voice of the LORD saying "Whom shall I send and who will go for us??" and Isaiah said, "Here am I, send me". He saw a lot of the LORD's glory, the glory of the only true GOD and he was strengthened by the LORD. What Isaiah saw was His (GOD's) majestic power in Heaven and on Earth. He is able to do all things. Fear not, His glory covereth the earth, the devil cannot hurt you if you really are His. AMEN
11 July 2004 Luke 11: 1 - 4 OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN When Master JESUS walked the face of the earth, His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray just as John the Baptist had taught his disciples. The Master taught them how to pray and here is how; "Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, they Kingdom come, thy will be done, as in Heaven, so in earth. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive us everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Why do we say "Our Father" ??, this is because He is our Father and Master JESUS gave us the secret, that He is our Father . Whenever you say "Hallowed be your name", you should also pray that GOD cleanses you as well, so that your prayer can reach into the ear of our Father. His Will be done, because if we have His Will, we will always have do His pleasure. Because it is His will, we always have daylight as He wills and nighttime as He wills. We must also ask that the LORD forgives us our sins. He will always forgive us, why?? Because if He does not, then His son's WORD will seem a lie, but of course, His WORD is always true. He always wants us to forgive other people' sin against us, if that doesn't happen, then He will also not forgive us our sins. But He is always ready and willing to forgive. Lastly, He wants us to always ask our Father that He leads not into temptation, but deliver us from evil and from the evil one. AMEN
18th July 2004 Luke 11 : 9 - 15 The previous week, we learnt that the LORD JESUS had taught His disciples how to pray. They wanted to pray as John the Baptist had taught his (John the Baptist) disciples. He had taught them to pray. This week, we continue with Master JESUS teaching us to persist in prayer. He teaches us to ask and we shall receive, seek and we shall find and knock for it shall opened. For whosoever asks shall receive and whosoever seeketh shall find and whosoever knocks shall find. This is wonderful, for when we ask, we will definitely get it. This is very sure, very, very sure, no doubt. Master JESUS tells us, that His Father and our Father is waiting for us to ask so that He will give us what we desire. He is waiting for us to seek so that he will make you find it and then He is waiting for us to knock so that He shall open . For He is a good Father, better that the Fathers we have on earth. For if our earthly fathers know how to give us good things, how much He, Our divine Father who is in Heaven who gives all good things, who loves us more more than ourselves, who makes our fathers good?? He is waiting even now, to do it for you. Ask now, He waits!
AMEN
8 August 2004 "Never Go to the place of Unbelief... Mark 8 : 22 - ...Nor tell it to any in the city. These are Master JESUS' words. Please let's see why. In the other gospels, the LORD JESUS had told Bethsaida and Chorazim, that as a result of their unbelief, He had told them that it shall be intolerable for them than in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. These people didn't believe even though He (JESUS) had done many miracles in this town. Thus when they had brought a blind man, who they "besought Him to touch him", what do you think Dear reader?? Would they have believed?? I can tell you, they will not have. So Master JESUS took his hand and took him outside the town and healed him. After his healing, Master JESUS commanded him not to go to Bethsaida, nor tell anything of your healing for they will not believe. Today, as you read this, please note this; "Go no more to Bethsaida", but rather go forward and be His disciple. AMEN
14 August 2004 Matthew 14: 22 - 32
After Master JESUS the Christ had constrained His disciples to get into a boat to go to the other side, He went to a mountain and prayed, alone. It was evening and the disciples sat aboard a boat in the middle of the sea with a wind, very strong blowing against them and their boat. The Bible describes the wind as contrary, that is opposite. They had left in the evening, on a journey that should have taken them a very short time. But in the 4th Watch ( recounted to be somewhere early in the morning, they were still stuck on the boat. Master JESUS went out to them, walking on the sea towards them and they feared greatly, for they all started screaming. Then Master JESUS spoke and said "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid". Peter still supposing the voice to have come from a spirit instead of Master JESUS, he asked the Master if he could come over to Him and the LORD said "Come". Peter then got out of the and walked on the sea. Peter actually walked on the sea, dear friend, he walked on the sea!!. This is impossible, for man to walk on the sea. You can walk in the water if it is shallow but never on it, let alone in the middle of an ocean or river. But Peter did it because he had been invited by Master JESUS. However when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. He was not focused on Master JESUS the Christ. Dear Reader, the moment you take your eyes off the LORD, you start losing good things and you head towards destruction. Unless you call on the LORD JESUS, you will be destroyed. But Peter cried out to master JESUS and the LORD caught him and said to him "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt (KJV)"? The LORD JESUS asks us to come unto Hi, whether there is the impossible storm or not. Once we come to Him, and He is with us, the wind ceases, the storm ceases because the of Peace is with you. He is the Master of the impossible and if we walk with Him, the impossible becomes possible in our lives. AMEN
22 August 2004 Genesis 19 : 13 After parting from Abraham, the angels went to Sodom and Gomorrah and visited Lot. They told him they will destroy the city because the cry of the city has "waxen great before the face of the LORD". They therefore have orders to destroy the city. Lot went to his sons in law and told them but they mocked him. They will not believe that the city will be destroyed. In the morning, the angels hastened Lot to leave "Lest they be consumed in the iniquity of the city". However Lot lingered. Dear reader, what will you have done?? He had been warned twice to leave. The angels wanted to save him, but it looks as if Lot was not ready to leave, let alone be saved. They however laid hands on him, his wife and his children and took them out of the city and then warned them to "escape for thy life". They were also told to not to look back. "Looking back" always makes you want to go back to the old life and enjoy the lusts in them. Dear reader, if there was any good in them, we would not have run to JESUS. We have escaped with our lives to JESUS. Let us remain there. If you have not escaped, you still have time to, but don't leave it past today. The call is here, please heed Him and repent. The angels had also told them not to stay in the plain. "Staying in the plain" means escaping but not doing anything with your life. The Christian life is an ongoing journey and you should not stay still. You have to always pray and desire to be close to Him. The angels also wanted them to escape to the mountain, to higher ground. But Lot couldn't go to the mountain, he couldn't go unto higher higher ground. He wanted to instead go into a city that is close. The angel told him he has agreed with his (Lot's) request, however he was also told to hurry into the city else the angel said he could not start anything. As soon as Lot reached the city called Zoar, the angel started destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. And the plain !. If Lot had stayed in the plain, he would have been consumed, so please don't stay in the plain, for you will be consumed. And then Lot's wife decided to look back, after having been warned clearly by the angel of GOD. Perhaps she wanted to go back, she had missed the life of Sodom and Gomorrah, she wanted to go back and get back into it. But that wasn't a good life. It was very bad and needed to be wiped away with the people who lived and enjoyed it. Why would you want to go back after so great a Salvation. Dear Reader, if you have not made the decision to escape, then now is the time. And when you do, please don't stay in the plain, go to higher ground. If you have escaped and you are still in the plain, now is the time to head for the mountains. Walk with JESUS! Pray always. read the Bible and be advised and take what you read into your life.
29 August 2004 Daniel 12 : 1 - 4, Acts 2 : 21 The Prophet Daniel had fasted and asked the LORD GOD Almighty to remember His words as He spoke to the Prophet Jeremiah, concerning the desolation of Jerusalem. The LORD GOD had promised that it will be seventy(70) years. As it got close, Daniel wanted the LORD to remember and end the suffering. While praying, the LORD sent Angel Gabriel, who came and told Daniel many, many things concerning the end times. He spoke of the calamities, the pains and the agony, that will happen in the end times, to all on earth. This is what He said; "And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that
shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Do you know if your name is in the book of life?? If your name is not, then you still have a chance to do so for the Bible says in Acts 2 : 21, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved. The days following will only be easy for the righteous, for the saved. Do you want to be saved??
05 September 2004 Matthew 24 : 3 - 8 Master JESUS is coming very soon !!! Master JESUS, one day sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples began to ask Him of the things that will happen before He comes back. He began to tell them thus; "4 And Jesus answered and
said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. As the heading reads, this is real, you cannot deny it. We are testimony to all the things that are going on. Today, we see many wars and the near outbreak of them. There are also rumours of wars, nations are up against nations, Kingdoms against kingdoms. There is also hunger and diseases are widespread. If you cannot see this, then please sit down and reflect. It is also true that we are in the days of sorrow. Look around. If you are a Christian, please stand firm and stay on course till He (Master JESUS) comes back. If you are not a Christian, then please ask the LORD JESUS to come into your heart. Please pray this prayer; " Dear LORD JESUS, I know that I am a sinner and I am sorry for my sins. I know that you died for me on the cross, that I may have life and have it more abundantly. Lord, I want to repent and accept you as my personal Saviour. Please come into my heart. Please abide in my heart forever, so that one day, when you come back, I will see you and be with you. AMEN" Believe in the name of our LORD JESUS Christ and you will be saved. AMEN
12 September 2004 2 Chronicles 7 : 14 - 18 After King Solomon had built the temple for GOD and dedicated it to Him, he prayed to GOD and this was a very powerful prayer. He also sacrificed greatly to the LORD. As soon as he had finished praying, the LORD appeared to him by night and told him thus;
" 12 And the LORD
appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and
have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. Reading from the above, the LORD wants us to be; 1. Hear His voice - Do all He commands us to do. 2. Humble yourself - throw away pride. 3. Pray - Communicate the LORD at all times and in all situations. 4. Seek His face - He wants us to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He will direct our paths. He wants us to always call on us. 5. Turn from our wicked ways - The LORD always wants us to obey Him, instead of the devil. He made us, He owns us and wants us to be righteous.
That is why Master JESUS came to die for us so that through Him, we will have righteousness. When we have done this, He will hear us. He will do whatever we have asked of Him and then He will heal our land.
Dear Reader, the LORD GOD has good plans for us, but most of all, He wants us to come back to Him after we have finished our course on earth. The LORD is coming back again, He is surely coming back to take us home to Himself.
DO YOU WANT TO BE THERE??? May GOD bless you. AMEN
26 September 2004
Matthew 15 : 21 - 28 ASK, ASK, ASK . . . ... and continue to ask. Why?? Here is why; One day while JESUS the Christ walked the face of the earth, He went to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. " 21 Then Jesus went
thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. The dialogue between Master JESUS and the canaanite lady had seemed very serious and full of opposition. Why? Because she was called a "dog" but still persisted for her daughter. Many would have forgotten about the request and turned back for being called names. From what happened, it was not easy for the woman. Now get this; It is not always easy when you ask for are about to receive your miracle. Remember what happened with Daniel? The Devil withstood the Angel of the LORD until another was sent to His aid. Then Daniel received answers to his request. Today's message is this; "Even in the face of very stiff opposition, stand and wait for your miracle or request." It may take too long, but the WORD of GOD is true for He commands us to "Ask and we shall receive" AMEN
3rd October 2004 Luke 15 : 11 - 24 ... Come Home to the Father!!! He is always compassionate, He is full of love, He is always watching and waiting. Let us read this little story about a son who came home;
" 11 And he said, A
certain man had two sons:
Dear Reader, I want you to ponder over these;
1. He left of his own free will taking his share of the portion. 2. He went to a very far off country 3. He led a riotous life 4. The money or his portion run out. 5. Then he became poor 6. Then a famine happened in the land where he was. 7. He became a servant looking after swine and was also an hungered. 8. He wanted to eat pig food.
From the above, this young son fell into very serious difficulty. He was at the end of hope or his life. But get this;
9. He made his way back to his Father's household. 10. As the Father saw him, He ran to welcome His son 11. His Father made merry !!!
As the son made his plea, the Father was not listening, but seeing that his heart was genuine, asked for a robe for His son and killed a cow and made merry for His son. No man can do this for their son or daughter. Only GOD can. The son in this passage is the sinner and the Father is our GOD in Heaven. After all his sins, GOD was still waiting to welcome him back. GOD is always watching and waiting, even as we have made the decision to desert GOD and go and do our own thing.
AMEN
3rd October 2004 Luke 11 : 21 - 28 "Keep it by faith" One day, Master JESUS was preaching in a certain place and in the course of the preaching, He said; 21 When a strong man armed
keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: After reading this passage, we all know that we can be totally healed of all our infirmities or any problem or ailment. We also know we can be saved by the LORD GOD Almighty. But we also need to get close to GOD after our healing, salvation, our redemption. If we do that, then we become untouchable, by the devil. Of course the devil will come back to try and see if he can get back into you or your life and use you for the same old purpose for which you have been saved, but it will fail him because of your closeness to the LORD GOD Almighty and fellowship. What normally happens is, once we get the healing or salvation, we forget to stay close to the LORD and the dangers of not being close to Him is that at this point, the devil will come, have a look, find your heart cleaned out but very empty of the Word of GOD, His presence or fellowship. He goes and get seven more dangerous demon, comes back and inhabits the heart and your state is worse than before, so dear reader, please note this; "We get it by faith and keep it by faith" The only way, we can believe and keep it by faith is to be close to GOD. AMEN
17th October 2004 Luke 19 : 1 - 10 Run for your Deliverance One day, Master JESUS entered and passed through Jericho. This is what happened next; " 1 And Jesus entered and
passed through Jericho. Zacchaeus ran for his deliverance. He needed to be delivered from sin - from cheating, from stealing, from greed. He was in haste, for he ran to climb a tree to see the Master. He was ready to confess his sins, he wanted to be saved. Of course, he had it after he had confessed. You will not be delivered, if you do not confess your sins You will come for the deliverance but will not get it. You have to repent and mean it as Zacchaeus did and then you will have your deliverance as he did. AMEN
9th October 2005
Matthew 14: 25-33
Be Of Good Cheer 25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." A lot of the people suffer from doubt and fear. There is an English adage that "cowards die many times before their death". This is fear breeding cowardice. Fear brings death nearer than you are. Sometimes the devil will bring you bad news in the form of your ill-health, your job and the things that will put you in constant fear for the rest of your life. But the Lord Jesus is telling you today "Do Not Fear", He is with you, that is if you believe in Him. Fear is a demon, people of God, so rebuke it! Doubt is also another demon that will always seeks to interfere with the voice of God; At most times, God speaks to us, but doubt holds us back from obeying the voice of God. It is a very wicked demon. Resist it at all times so that you can obey God's voice all the time. Let us take David's advice and example in Psalm 56:3 - " What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee". Trust in the Lord, faith in the Lord destroys doubt and fear.
AMEN 16 October 2005 Luke 2:41 - 52 41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. Have you seen JESUS, Is HE missing from
your mind, from your thoughts, from your emotions, from your heart ?? GOD is
asking, " Am I missing from your life? " Search your life and if he's missing
from you, FIND JESUS! FIND HIM. You will find Him in His WORD. Ask him by
prayer and He will come to your heart. 6th November 2005 Matthew 24:3 - 8 3And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.7For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8All these are the beginning of sorrows. Our Lord Jesus is coming soon!! He is coming!! So
Christians, prepare to meet him!! Look around the world and see what is
happening. Wars, rumours of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, tsunamis and
plagues. All these herald that he is coming soon, as he said. Only no one knows
when. Jesus, the Saviour of the world is coming!! You need to have him as your
Lord and Saviour. Ask him to forgive your sins and come into your life. You will
be expecting his appearance with joy in your heart!! 11th December 2005
John 12: 1-9 1Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.2There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.3Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.4Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him,5Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor 6This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.7Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.8For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.9Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. Have you seen what the devil wanted to do? He wanted them to kill the man (Lazarus) so that people will not believe in Master Jesus the Christ. This is why you must keep your miracle by staying close to the Lord Jesus, who gave you the miracle because it is the devil's plan to reverse the miracle so people will stop giving glory to God. But the name of the Lord Jesus must be lifted high and the devil must not get his way. Worship the Lord with all your heart and mind. Be close to him, and the devil, although he may try will be the defeated foe forever. In the home where the Master Jesus was guest, the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary a great drama occurred. The players, Lazarus, the miracle, the one who was raised from the dead. Martha served as a waitress - she waited on the Lord at the table. Then there was Mary - the one who worshipped him with all she had. She poured her most expensive perfume at his dusty feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. The bible says a woman's hair is "a glory to her" (1st Corinthians 11:15). She used her glory to wipe the Master's feet. This is total worship with no reservation!! Judas displayed the character of the thief. He criticised the noble act of Mary, not because he had more noble acts in mind, selling the perfume and giving the money to the poor but that he wanted more money in the bag, which he held so that he could steal from it. It was the character of satan. The Master Jesus called satan the thief. Jesus has said the thief cometh not but for to steal, kill and destroy. The murderous priests also wanted to kill Lazarus, the miracle, which Jesus had wrought. Typical of the devil, again!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Pastor Charles and Sister Alice Newman greet you and pray for you this festive season. We see from the signs of the time that JESUS Christ is coming soon, so we must all together double our efforts to win more souls for His Kingdom. May the LORD JESUS Bless you and keep you in the coming year and may you win more souls for his Kingdom. That is what the Master will love most; To get souls for His Kingdom. GOD Bless You.
AMEN 2006 29th January 2006
Matthew 21 : 18 - 22 18Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. 20And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Unbelief in Master JESUS and His Father brings curses on us. We should learn to believe in GOD so that He will move mightily in our lives. May GOD help us to believe in His Holy Name.
AMEN
12 February 2006 2 Corinthians 4 : 17 - 18 The Things that we see, they are Temporary 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. Every problem that we see is gone because we are going to leave them behind. Why?? Because we believe in the LORD JESUS and we have made the LORD JESUS, the Most High, Our LORD and Saviour. Believe in the LORD JESUS and You will be saved. AMEN
9 April 2006 Hosanna, Hosanna!!
1And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,2Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.3And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.4All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,5Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.9And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?11And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. This is the story of JESUS and His disciples journey into Jerusalem. When they reached Bethphage, JESUS summoned his disciples and instructed them to go to the village opposite and prophesied that they would find an ass and a colt tied there. ISN'T HE WONDERFUL?? HE IS WONDERFUL!! He also told them to tell anyone that questioned them about why they were taking the animals, they were to reply that " The LORD has need of them" and the person will let them go. Once again, JESUS said something that only He the SON OF GOD could know! When He says something it must by all means come to pass! When the disciples returned, they lay their clothes on the animals and set the LORD JESUS on them. As the LORD made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, His firstborn, the multitudes spread their garments on the ground before Him, other cut down branches and spread them onto the road. The people cried " Hosanna, Hosanna! Hosanna to the SON OF DAVID! Blessed is He who comes in the name of LORD! Hosanna in the highest!" The city was shaken by His coming and the people were astounded and moved saying, "Who is this?" The multitudes replied "This is JESUS, the Prophet from Galilee." This chapter gives us an incredible insight into JESUS' entry into Jerusalem and the reaction of the people. He is TRULY WORTHY TO BE PRAISED! AND HE DESERVES TO BE! MY BRETHREN, I ASK YOU SINCERELY, TO GIVE THE LORD THE PRAISE HE DESERVES, NO MATTER THE SITUATION! HE IS MASTER OF ALL, AND WILL BRING YOU OUT OF TIMES OF STRIFE, TO TIMES OF TRIUMPH! HE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU, HALLELUJAH! AMEN
This week's message (Resurrection Day)
16 April 2006
John 20 : 10 - 23
The Resurrection - Our Redemption 10Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I know not where they have laid him. 14And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her. 19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. He is Risen! Our LORD JESUS is risen! He has overcome the enemy of our souls which is satan and has given us Power by His Holy Spirit, that we may go and win more souls into the Kingdom of GOD. This is every Christian's duty. May the LORD help us to do more for He is coming soon, He is coming very quickly. AMEN
30 April 2006
Isaiah 7 : 10 - 12, 14 Ask for a sign! 10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying,11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD.14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The LORD told Ahaz to ask for a sign from HIM but Ahaz refused because of the sheer greatness of the LORD and was afraid. The LORD reassured him that he had nothing to be afraid of but he was still fearful and did not want to tempt the LORD. So the LORD said that HE HIMSELF would show him a sign of HIS might and prophesied the birth of Immanuel otherwise known as Jesus our LORD and SAVIOUR. The LORD said that a virgin would conceive and bear a son and he would be called Immanuel. Immanuel means "GOD is with us" at all times. In our times of sadness, happiness and when we are lonely. See what the LORD can do!! The LORD is the great I AM and HE can do anything!! Ask HIM for your heart's desire in spirit and in truth and HE will surely answer your prayers! Ask and it shall be given unto you (John 14:13). So, my brothers and sisters I implore you to keep asking GOD for what you want as only you and the LORD know what is bothering you! Pray for yourself!! Also, let one of our prayers be for the LORD to be with us forever, guide us in everything we do and to show us signs to help us know of HIS wishes for us and HIS supreme might. AMEN
28th May 2006
Luke 10 : 38 - 42 Which Sister Are You?
This is the story of JESUS' visit to the two sisters, Mary and Martha. 38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. JESUS entered into Martha's house as she invited HIM in. JESUS always loved to go where HE was invited. There JESUS began to speak HIS word of life and wisdom to the sisters and his disciples. During this Martha got up and busied herself preparing food and serving whilst Mary continued to listen to the words of the LORD. After much time had passed, Martha complained to the LORD and asked HIM to tell Mary to help her. JESUS then told her that she was worried and troubled over so many things, that only one thing was needed and that Mary had chosen the right thing and that it would never be taken away from her. There are two types of people around the world. One type seriously listen to the word of GOD and accept JESUS with love and those who invite HIM into their hearts and home find that HE has words of life and peace that lead to eternal life. Which type of the sisters are you like? Are you more concerned with useless things or is your ear listening clearly to the words of the LORD? Are you more concerned about your salvation or so preoccupied that your chance may pass you by? Friends, keep your focus on the LORD as all the things of this world will pass away. Serve HIM in spirit and in truth and one day you will meet HIM in paradise.
AMEN
4 June 2006
Acts 1 : 8; Ch. 2 : 1 - 4 This is the Day of Pentecost 8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Chapter 2: 1 - 4..
1And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and
it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. 4And they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the fearful, despairing disciples suddenly received power to preach and testify about Christ. Starting with Peter, they preached with such power and signs following that many thousands were convicted of sin and received JESUS as their Messiah. The disciples waited and prayed for this outpouring. Today, it not easy to pray and wait for anything. But to have an effective Ministry for GOD, we have to have empowerment of the Holy Spirit. So pray, ask the LORD to give you the Holy Baptism. As Joel prophesied, the promise to pour out His spirit upon all flesh is for you and whosoever calls upon the name of the LORD shall be saved. So my Dear friend, GOD wants you to have power to spread the good news, with power. Pray then, for the Holy Spirit to come upon you as He has promised. AMEN
11th June 2006
Acts 1 : 8 - 11; Ch. 2 : 21 Go, Spread His Word!
8 But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received
him out of their sight. 10
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven.
21And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. This is the story of Christ's ascent to heaven. Before He left He gave His disciples and ALL Christians a final message. He tells us that the Holy Spirit will come after Him and will give us power and strength to witness unto the world about GOD and His son JESUS CHRIST. Brothers and sisters, the Holy Spirit lives inside each and every one of us, so KNOW that we also have the power to spread the words of our Lord and Saviour. JESUS wants us to go out and spread the good news of His love and forgiveness. He will take away any fears we may have! The time has come for Christians to start witnessing, stop only asking for material blessings and start giving back to Him by winning souls for His kingdom! He is coming soon!!, as the angels said, "He will come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven". Make sure that you and the people you love will be there with the Lord. Let them know that "Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved". He is the giver of abundant life, the supplier of words and the revealer of truth. He is the one who always loves you and will never leave you. He gives you comfort, strength, wisdom and gives you the power to know what to do in every situation. NOW THAT IS POWER!!
AMEN
18th June 2006
John 15: 7 - 12 Put God First!
7 If ye abide in me, and
my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done
unto you. 8 Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
9 As the Father hath loved
me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
10 If ye keep my
commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain
in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment,
That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
This is God's advice to all Christians. He tells us that if we abide in Him and His words abide on our hearts, minds, body and spirit, He will give us anything we ask for. He also tells us that He loves us as much as His father loves Him and that if we keep his commandments we will abide in His love forever. It is of uttermost importance that we take heed of our Lord's advice and attempt to follow it. We should always make sure that God comes first in our lives and concentrate less on pleasing others as we may in turn end up not pleasing God. We should never allow our love for the Lord to wane as real love is not like water, it cannot be discarded easily as it is deep, thick and hard to get rid of. Put God first in your life and you shall reap the rewards.
AMEN
2nd July 2006 Luke 4: 31 - 41
31 And came down to
Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished
at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there
was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a
loud voice, 34 Saying, Let us
alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou
come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him,
saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had
thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed,
and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with
authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come
out. 37 And the fame of him
went out into every place of the country round about.
38 And he arose out of the
synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was
taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 And he stood over her, and
rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and
ministered unto them. 40 Now
when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers
diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of
them, and healed them. 41 And
devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ
the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for
they knew that he was Christ.
Luke chapter 4 goes into great detail about the things Jesus did and what He expected after His return from Jordan . We will concentrate on His experience in Capernaum and some of His experiences before this. Before reaching Capernaum, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil for forty days and was then rejected at the synagogue in Nazareth. It was then that he went to Capernaum. He preached the Word to the people and they were astounded at His wisdom and they were hungry for the Word. They were amazed at His authority and power to command unclean spirits. When you are hungry for the Word when it comes it penetrates you with power, however if you are not you will be unaffected. We should all try to seek the Lord in spirit and in truth so that we may know Him. Christians, if you have something that is preventing you from receiving the Lord's Word LET IT GO!! In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of unclean demon and he began to cry out for Jesus to let them leave him alone and called him the Holy one of God. Jesus then rebuked him and told him to be quiet. This is because any witnessing that comes from the devil is suspect. Our Lord did not need the fake testimony of the devil. In presence of the Lord the devil cannot stand. After preaching at the synagogue Jesus went to Simon's house where He found out that Simon's mother in law had a very bad fever. Jesus rebuked the fever and it was gone. Immediately she arose and began to serve him. What gratitude! We should all show appreciation when God has done something for us and give him the gratitude He deserves. All of God's people receive healings, hear the power behind His great Words and witness His signs and wonders. Brothers and sisters , are you really His? If you know you are not, let whatever is blocking your relationship with Him LET IT GO and come into His open arms.
AMEN
John 21 : 1 - 7 God's Timing
1 After
these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples
at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he
himself. 2
There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called
Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons
of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
3 Simon Peter
saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We
also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a
ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
4 But when
the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but
the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
5 Then Jesus
saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They
answered him, No. 6
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right
side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast
therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the
multitude of fishes.
7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith
unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto
him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the
sea.
This was the second time that Jesus showed Himself onto the disciples after He was crucified. On this second occasion he showed Himself at the sea of Tiberius where Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel and the rest of disciples joined Simon Peter to go fishing. They entered the ship and tarried all night but caught nothing. In the morning Jesus appeared on the shore but the disciples did not know that it was Him. He then asked them, "Children, have ye any meat?" and they answered "No". He then told them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat and they would find fish. They did accordingly and they could not draw their nets due to the great multitude of fish in their nets. After seeing this John said onto Simon Peter "It is the Lord". From today’s message we learn about the obedience to voice of the Lord. When Jesus speaks and gives commands it is important that we obey and follow it, simply because behind the voice there is a purpose that will bring results necessary to your situation or circumstance. God’s voice sounds so surreal and gentle, yet it is so powerful with authority. We as Christians must know His voice so we can be obedient to what He is saying to us. However, if you do not know His voice- then prayer and daily bible reading is highly significant. Pray to God that His voice will be clear to you and that His speech and commands will be instructed into your heart and orchestrate your actions. When you hear the Lord’s voice, it brings such a peace (that cannot be described) within one’s soul and enables your spirit to be in tune with His, whilst at the same time it clears and destroys any strongholds the enemy had, stress, sickness and much more. AMEN
27th August 2006 Luke 10 : 17 - 20 The Power and authority Over the Enemy
17And the
seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the
devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18And
he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven. 19Behold,
I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Notwithstanding
in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto
you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written
in heaven.
Our LORD JESUS has ultimate power and authority. Through Him, we also have power and authority over the devil and his devices. JESUS gave us the power and the authority over the enemy "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the enemy; and nothing shall by no means hurt you. (Luke 10:19). By knowing the name that sounds so sweet, JESUS, we can overcome the devil. Along with spirit filled prayer, knowing the Word of GOD, applying and knowing the power and protection in the Blood of JESUS. In verse 17, it said "even the devils are subject unto us through thy name". So as Christians, we must know the power and authority we have been given over satan and his devices, so we must no longer feel that the devil has us in bondage anymore but overcome him with authority and power Christ equipped us with. Through His delegated authority, we are to go to the world and preach the gospel to all nationalities. We are to do His works also - bring healing and deliverance to the heathen as He did through His name.
AMEN
8th October 2006 Mark 5 : 21 - 24 and verses 35- 43 Only Believe and Have Faith
21 And when Jesus
was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people
gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.
22 And, behold, there
cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and
when he saw him, he fell at his feet,
23 And besought him
greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death:
I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be
healed; and she shall live.
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him,
and thronged him.
35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he t ook the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat. From today's message, we gather that, us, as Christians need to believe and have faith in order to receive our needs. Whether it being healing, deliverances, desires of the heart and much more. However, we must know and learn the lesson that our needs will be given to us according to God's Will and Timing. Jairus was in a hurry to get Jesus to his household to heal his dying daughter, but along the way a woman with a problem of her own delayed them, and in the process received her healing. Immediately after that, people from the household of Jairus came with the news that his daughter is dead. At that point in time, Jairus must have felt so disheartened, but with the assurance of his faith and belief in Jesus. He knew everything will be fine in the end. Furthermore, we also gather that words are powerful. Words can hurt you, (as we saw with Jairus because when he heard the news that his daughter had died it must have caused him much pain). Words can build you up, cause you sickness, free you or even bind you. That is why we must be based and be indulged in the Word of God- which is the truth, the way and the life. As Christians, we must heed to this message and understand that we must ONLY BELIEVE AND HAVE FAITH IN GOD.
AMEN
15th October 2006 James 4 : 6 -8 Resist The Devil, and He Will Flee from You
6 But he giveth more
grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble. 7
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you. 8
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded.
In this world, the devil is fully at work- seeking to kill, devour and destroy. In doing so, he inflicts infirmities, evil spirits (demons), sorrow, depression, death and so much more (negativity). Moreover, the devil fills the atmosphere with temptation. Individually, he will present you with your uttermost desire. You end up taking that thing you love so much and fall into deep temptation, hence into the devil's bondage. From that moment Satan will increase the intensity of his attack on you- aiming to draw you completely away from God and His promises/ blessings. However, things don't have to be this way. God provides a solution and remedy to such a problem. We as Christians can overcome the devil by three main things: 1) By Prayer. This is our spiritual weapon and by using this we mention the protection of the Blood of Jesus for no enemy can stand it's power . 2)The Word of God. "In the beginning the Word was with God and the Word was God." Knowing this and reading the Bible we get to know our God more and understand what He can do for us- He is the Living Word. 3)Mention the Name of Jesus. There is no other name that sounds sweeter and yet has such authority. At the call of His Name demons tremble and flee. Furthermore, we must resist / shake off the devil to draw nigh unto God and in turn He will draw nigh unto us. This requires us to submit fully to God, purify ourselves, and be humble, for He said He would give us grace (and He grace is sufficient enough for us). RESIST THE DEVIL, AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU
AMEN
22nd October 2006 Exodus 2 : 23 - 25, 6: 1 - 6, 9 Deliver Yourself From Bondage
23 And it
came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died:
and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and
they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the
bondage. 24 And God
heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with
Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon
the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. Many people in the world today are in physical, financial, spiritual or mental bondage. They are suffering but most keep it a secret and allow these things to stay in their lives and eventually take over, much like the Israelites that were made slaves in Egypt. After experiencing prosperity in a land that was not their own they forgot the God of their forefathers and began to depend on their means and each other. But after the King of Egypt died and a new king was crowned in his place, the Israelites were made slaves of Egypt. It was during this time that the people became weary of their situation and remembered the God of their ancestors. The people cried unto Him as they knew there was hope in the God of their fathers and knew that only he could deliver them. Their cries reached the Lord and He remembered his covenant with Abraham, so He spoke unto Moses and told him who He was and of the covenant that he made with Abraham. He also told him that He had heard the cries of the people and would rid them of their bondage! But when Moses delivered the message to the children of Israel they did not listen to the words that he spoke because the anguish and sorrow in their hearts had blocked out any hope that they may have had. God is an all knowing God. He is forever present and lasts from eternity to eternity. God doesn't like to see any of His creations in pain but cannot help us as He has given us free will. We need to use this free will and ask the Lord to help us and He will! For He came to destroy the works of the enemy!! Christians, if you are suffering from any type of bondage cry unto the Lord with all your heart and ask Him to deliver you from your situation. He has promised that if we ask anything in His name He will do it! So cry unto Him today and receive your deliverance! Renounce your evil taskmaster and do not keep your bondages secret!! Otherwise you many end up loving your bondage so much that you don't want to be delivered. Come to your senses and realise that you want to be free. If you want to be free you will be free indeed.
AMEN
12th November 2006 Genesis 20:17 - 18 and 21:1-3 "Don't lose Faith"
17 So Abraham prayed
unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his
maidservants; and they bare children.18
For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the
house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac In this passage we see how God used Abraham to pray for Abimelech and how God healed him and his family. The family of Abimelech was struck with barrenness. One thing to note is that while God answered Abraham's prayer, at that time, Abraham himself was childless because Sarah, Abraham's wife, was unable to bear him children after many years of married life. Abraham was waiting for God's personal promise to him of a baby to come true. After God answered Abraham's prayer to God for Abimelech , God remembered His promise and Issac was born to Abraham. One thing we as believers can learn is that we may pray for others for blessings we may be asking our Lord for. Very often the Lord grants our request for others whilst we still wait for ours. Don't lose hope! Keep praying! Your deliverance is near! God will answer your prayer!
AMEN
19th November 2006 John 14: 1 - 3 Are you ready? 1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. In the following verses, Jesus himself talks to us about our faith in Him, His second coming and the glory and splendor of Heaven. He tells us not to allow our hearts to be troubles but that we should believe in God and believe also in him. Jesus then tells us of His heavenly father's house, that it has many mansions and that He is going to prepare a place for us. If it were not so, He would tell us Himself. The mansions are there but are we Christians ready for them? Are we redeemed? Think seriously about these questions, if your answer is no then do something about it! The Lord wants the mansions to be filled with all His people and for not even one person to be missing. The Lord said that He will come back again and bring the redeemed souls unto Him so that where He dwells we may be there also. Are we ready to experience joy untold, wondrous worship, mansions and pavements of gold, diamonds and rubies? Let us all make sure that we are ready to see paradise, this great beauty that baffles the simple human mind. Christians, go forth, testify about the Lord and win people to His kingdom so that His mansions may be filled!
AMEN
26th November 2006 Genesis 22: 6 - 14 Jehovah Jireh- 'The Lord Our Provider' 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Abraham obeyed God despite of what he was asked to do. From today's message we gather that Abraham was to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. But then the compassion of the Lord realized that Abraham was truly God- fearing, dedicated and obedient and so gave him a lamb to kill in replacement for the offering. The focal point that is being brought out from the message is that God will provide for us in all cases, situations and circumstances. When all is lost, there is no hope, no one can help you and your on you're on - its only God that will bring you through and provide that very need. Abraham in relation to the provision God makes for us rather appropriately called God- JEHOVAH JIREH, which means the Lord Our Provider. It is a written promise in His word that God will never leave nor forsake us, especially in the times of trouble and need .He will see us through and make sure we even come out stronger than we were before just as he did with Abraham. Using the example of Abraham, as Christians we must listen and be obedient to the word of the Lord so that it will benefit us according to His will, but also enrich and enable your relationship with God to become stronger and more intimate. Therefore, in the times of hardship, trials and tribulations you know, assuredly, that you will get through with the aid of the Almighty God.
AMEN
3rd December 2006 Matthew 28: 16 - 20 "Lo, I Am With You Always" 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. The first great thing to note about this passage is that, THEY WORSHIPPED HIM! He is now the risen Lord, Son of the Living God! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World. Some worship idols who have ears but cannot hear, have mouths but cannot talk, legs but cannot walk. Jesus deserves to be worshipped by us. Secondly, some of them doubted Him. The doubt grew from them not believing that he was risen. Friend, doubt can rob us of our blessing from Our Lord and it will make it difficult for us to get blessings from God. The Lord then triumphantly declared "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth". He has therefore given us believers authority to go, win souls for Him and act as He would. The assurance He has given us finally is this - that He is with us always, even unto the end of the world. With such assurance as this, and the power of the Holy Spirit, should we dare fail Our Lord and Saviour by displaying fear of the enemy, lack of confidence in pursuing the great task He has given us who believe in Him? AMEN
10th December 2006 1 Kings 17: 1 - 7 Don't Lose Hope, Just Have Faith 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. This passage shows us the extreme power that God has available to use to help us if we choose to serve Him. Elijah the prophet of God was sent to deliver a message to King Ahab that as long as the Lord God of Israel liveth there would be no rain or dew but according to his word. As God knew what a wicked man Ahab was, He told Elijah to go towards the east and hide at a brook called Cherith and that He would send the ravens to come and feed him. Elijah humbled himself and obeyed the Lord and the Lord honoured his word. Christians, we are serving a God who can make a way for us. God can make a way where there is no way. Don't declare yourself a hopeless case for the Lord will be as faithful to us as He was to Elijah, If we really need something ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you can find a way. For He said in John 15:15 -16, "15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.". So ask Him and He will do it. Instead of losing hope ask Him in faith.
AMEN
2007
1 July 2007
Luke 19: 1 - 10
Never Give up!!
'Open confession is good for the soul!'
1 And
Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2
And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus,
which was the chief among the publicans, and he
was rich. 3
And he sought to see Jesus who he was;
and could not for the press, because he was
little of stature.
4 And
he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore
tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And
when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and
saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make
haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at
thy house. 6
And he made haste, and came down, and
received him joyfully.
7 And
when they saw it, they all murmured, saying,
That he was gone to be guest with a man that is
a sinner. 8
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the
Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give
to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from
any man by false accusation, I restore him
fourfold. 9
And Jesus said unto him, This day is
salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he
also is a son of Abraham.
10
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost.
From today's message we learnt that open confession is good for the soul. Just to confess all our wrongdoings (sins) we have committed and offload all the burdens we have carried to Jesus leaves us spiritually lighter and freed. Furthermore, if we look at the story of Zacchaeus closely we recognise three stages that the believer or even non- believer (wanting to become a Christian) can relate to: 1) Zacchaeus- He sought to see Jesus, who he really was. Similarly, the first step to salvation is to SEEK Him and His offer of salvation for your soul. Note that He called Zacchaeus by name! He knows you! One thing the Lord told him is 'Zacchaeus, come down. I am going to your house to be your guest.' 2) Zacchaeus made HASTE to come down. In relation to us, we should come down quickly, from the height we have perched ourselves in sin. It is a case that we humble ourselves, and receive Him as King in our heart (for the first time for the unbeliever or a case of going back to basics for the believer). 3) With the Lord in His house Zacchaeus confessed his sin, showed his true repentance by offering reparations- to pay back what he has taken away from others, four times. He was also going to give half of the goods to the poor. The Lord said that indeed salvation has come to Zacchaeus' house. Likewise, in the same way Zacchaeus did this, we could also show our true repentance, willing to make amends for our mistakes, not committing them again to show Christ the true essence of our obedience and affection. The Lord announced to him His purpose for coming to this earth. 'For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save which was lost. You are lost if you have not asked him to come into your heart. Without salvation He is still calling you by name and asking to be your guest and your King. Will you invite Him into your heart?
AMEN
8 July 2007 Matthew 15 : 21 - 28
NEVER GIVE UP!!! In the coast of Tyre and Sidon, a Canaanite woman came to JESUS, entreating Him to heal and deliver her daughter from grievous demonic oppression. She cried unto the Lord without giving up to the annoyance of the disciples. The disciples pleaded with the Lord to send her away. It seemed at the beginning, that the Lord would not answer her. The Lord told her what was for a person’s children are not meant to be given to the dogs. The tenacious woman agreed but said that dogs also can enjoy the scraps under the table. Note these points: - That the woman is Canaanite not a Jew but believed in Him, as her Messiah, calling Him, “Son of David”. - She had faith to believe for her daughter’s healing. - She was not distracted by the apparent lack of concern and hostility shown by the disciples. - She was very persistent; never gave up. Dear friend, Come to Jesus. Believe in Him as Saviour. Bring your loved ones to Him in faith. Intercede for your friends and loved ones. Whatever the problem, take it to the Lord in faith! Don’t give up!
AMEN
22nd July 2007 Acts 2 : 1 - 21
The Holy Spirit 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Today's message revisits the story of Pentecost. However, this time around more emphasis is placed on the Holy Spirit in relation to His people. More specifically, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and gave them the utterance to speak tongues. The authority that came with the tongues was immense and to add to the awe of this moment, the event happened to the most mundane of people; mostly fishermen. This in itself highlights God can use anyone He pleases and can orchestrate their movements and actions. The Lord wants to empower us by His Spirit to evangelise to the world. His command to the disciples was - preach the word, heal the sick, raise the dead. Without the Holy Spirit, the message of redemption would have gone nowhere. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower you to serve the Lord. The harvest is ready; the labourers are few! AMEN
5th August 2007 Mark 11:12-26 The Authority in Words 12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. The key theme that was emphasised throughout today's message was the authority there is in words. We specifically saw this in three instances: 1) When Jesus approached the fig tree with great expectation as he was hungry, but found nothing but leaves and so said unto it that no men will ever eat fruit from it (and His disciples heard it). 2) When Jesus drove out those who bought and sold in the temple by quoting scripture (precisely Isaiah)- "Is it not written my house should be called of all nations a house of prayer? But you have made it a den of thieves." 3) Finally, when they (Jesus and His disciples) returned to the fig tree, Peter noticed the fig tree Christ spoke at had withered away. Jesus replied and taught them the lesson to have unshakable faith in God, for if you desire something - pray, believe with no doubt in the heart and it shall come to pass. Whatever you say, is what you get. (Your words can determine the outcome of your situation). In relation to us as Christians, we should understand and know that Jesus is the Living Word and so what proceeds out of his mouth is powerful and withholds undoubted authority. This is why when he cursed the fig tree, it obeyed and withered away, as well as, the people who left the temple. Furthermore, we should understand that there is life and death in the power of the tongue. Thus, if we speak negative things, we know that negative things are bound to happen. As a result, we should speak good things so that good comes our way and when we desire something we should have the unshakable faith in our God that He will deliver. Just believe, pray and do not doubt in your heart and it shall come to pass.
AMEN
19th August 2007 Luke 4:14 - 30 Christ's Eternal Job Description 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? 23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. 24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way Jesus was seen to be like no other Rabbi. He brought meaning to the scriptures for He Himself is the Living Word. His message was delivered with a key difference as there was life and fire within it. On one occasion, Jesus visited Nazareth fulfilling His usual custom (attending the synagogue every Sabbath Day). He stood up to read and delivered a word from the book of the prophet Isaiah. From it, Jesus read of what He had come to do, emphasising in itself, that prophecy was being fulfilled in Him. The part of scripture Jesus read from had shown that Christ, the Messiah, came to: 1) Preach the Gospel to the Poor. (Those who are literally poor without money and to those who are spiritually poor and hungry. Christ is there to satisfy that hunger in order to make the person full and whole in the spirit). 2) Heal the Brokenhearted. (Christ has come to mend the areas of peoples' lives where there is hurt and pain- to be bring restoration). 3) Preach Deliverance to the Captives. (Many people are in bondage under the the work of the devil, he is crushing them in their spirit, keeping them oppressed. However, Christ has come to set us free and to show people the dominion we have over Satan. 4) Recovering Sight to the Blind. ( Jesus came to give sight to those who are physically blind as well as spiritually blind. Whatever Christ did was done in four fold, affecting one's, mind, body, soul and spirit. 5) Set Liberty to them that are Bruised. (Once again, Christ gives freedom to those that need and want it). All this could be described as Christ's eternal job description which is operated to the optimal entirety of the Anointing and Holy Spirit. Conclusively, as Christians, we should know that nothing is impossible for our Lord and if we forget, then we should remember what His job description entails. We should never forget what our Lord can do, and never rely on our own strength for we can fail, but with Christ, we always succeed. AMEN
27th July 2008 Matthew 18: 15 - 20 Power in Numbers 15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. The Christian faith is not solely an individual AMEN
1st February 2009 John 14: 8 - 14 Do You Know Jesus? 8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. Just like Philip in the Bible, many Christians may have been to church for many years, but still do not know Jesus fully. As believers, we should ask ourselves this question, 'Do we know Jesus?' In this message, Jesus tells us that He is the only God. If we Christians believe this and put our trust in Jesus to ask anything in His Name, Jesus will do it for us. We should never lose our faith in Jesus Christ, for He is the only one that can grant us the desires of our heart. We should also pray that God will show Himself to us. AMEN
8th February 2009 John 5: 1 - 14 God's Mercy 1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. 8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 'Bethseda'-House Of Mercy; House Of Immense Kindness. This pool was blessed by God, and the moving of the water was God showing Himself to people that needed healing. People that went into this pool were instantly healed. The people lying by this pool had been suffering from their ailments for many years but still wanted God to bless them after all their years of pain. If you want something that is very important to you, you will wait until you get it, no matter how long it takes. To those people, their years of suffering may have been too long-but not to Jesus Christ! God has His season. His Timing is not 'our timing'. God's timing is always best. Ever since Adam fell in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time, suffering, as a consequence, came upon mankind. This is not a reason to make us feel dismayed, however, as suffering is never permanent if we believe in God. If you reach out to God, He will find you wherever you are, as this Bible passage shows. He is an all-knowing God. Just as the lame man went to the Temple to thank God for his healing, we should also do the same when God blesses us. We need to have a zeal to find God and seek His Face. If we do, we will become closer to God as a result. When god has blessed you-change your life. Don't waste time, for He is coming soon! Never go back to the sins that brought you the suffering in the first place! Stay away from it, as God does everything in sevens. The suffering will come back to you, only seven times worse. God is a merciful God, but once is mercy is not acknowledged and is ignored, he then becomes a God of Vengeance and Judgment. Try not to miss God's mercy-because there may not be time to ask for His forgiveness. 2009 is the Year of Mercy and Kindness! AMEN
15th February 2009 Luke 8: 1 - 3 Ministering Onto Others 1And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him 2And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. Like the certain women in this passage, who had evil spirits and infirmities, many people around the world may have these same evil things. people may never realize that they have these spiritual ailments until they come to the House of God. They may look perfectly fine physically, but their fruits of their hearts shall identify who they really are. God can heal these ailments! As Christians, we need to minister onto others. The Lord may have healed you from your suffering-but have you given thanks? What have you done to thank the Lord? Even by ministering onto others about your healing, you can make an impact on so many people's lives, even causing them to become followers of Christ. Dwell where the Lord dwells; stay with the Lord! Like Joanna in this passage, who gladly followed the Master and 'ministered unto Him of substance, we can also do the same. Even the little that we give from the bottom of our hearts can do so much for the Kingdom of God. Never go back to your old ways after God has changed you! Your old sins can sabotage the Master's work. Where have you put the Master? Have you ministered onto Him? Embrace God's mercy and kindness; do not shun it away with your old spiritual sins. The Lord does not care about your past; that is of no relevance to Him once He has forgiven you of your sins. He cares about your present and future! Appreciate God and what he has done for you. AMEN
22nd February 2009 John 5: 13 - 15 Look Onto Jesus Only! 13And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. When we come to the House of the Lord, we should look onto Jesus only. We should forget about things that are creating burdens on us and leave it to God in full faith that he will answer our prayers. Our hearts should be open, willing to accept God's Word. When the Power of God comes onto the body, the body starts to mend, showing God's magnificent work in action. As God did create is, the body has to definitely respond and obey its Maker. When the Power of God visits a place, extraordinary events occur. A lot of sin brings a lot of problems as a consequence. We should break with the past and put it behind us. Are you going to be the one 'lying' by the pool like the man who was once crippled in this Bible passage? We should start afresh and change our lifestyle spiritually, physically and morally also. Jesus, with His Blood, cancelled our sins. We now have every opportunity to live in the right way-God's way. When you look for God you will find Jesus. Stay AWAY from sin! God may give us warning. We should take heed to these warnings, because if we do not, worse things will happen to us. If you do not seek the Lord enough, especially after your healing, you van go back to your old sins. If you do find Jesus, nobody can drive you away; not even the devil, his demons-NOBODY at all! Jesus' power will prevail over all principalities and powers. AMEN
2 Samuel 12: 7 - 14 Striving Towards Perfection 7And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; 8And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 9Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. 10Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. 11Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. 12For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. 13And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Even though David did not kill Uriah physically, his motive behind his sin was different (as he wanted the man dead). God always judges not only our sin-but our motives behind our sin. If we as Christians do not pray, we cannot resist temptation easily. We should pray that we should not fall into temptation, as the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Our weapon is our prayer; with this weapon we can fight against temptation. God likes us to be humble. We have to humble ourselves before the Lord and accept our faults when we sin. There is no peace for the wicked, as the Bible says. If we do not confess our sins, we cannot draw closer in our relationship with God. When we sin against others, we sin against God Himself. We say we serve the Lord, but do our fruits of our hearts show this? God forgave David, but He still gave him a punishment. We should not sin deliberately, just because we know that God will forgive us. The less we sin, the more we can grow closer to God-and also move further apart from the devil. No human is perfect, even though God is perfect-but we can try to be like God. We should be striving towards perfection, living each day how God wants us to live our lives. AMEN
1 Peter 2: 21 - 24 Jesus' Suffering 21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. Christ suffered for mankind. Compared to the pain we suffer occasionally, our pain is nothing compared to the pain that He went through. Jesus knows exactly how we feel when we suffer in our lives, as He is no stranger to suffering. Jesus was born without sin and we should aim every day not to commit any sin. Hearing determines our faith or even our lack of faith. Beware of what you hear-or how you hear it! The things that we hear that decreases our amount of faith can lead us into spiritual bondage, making us suffer even more. When people do wrong against us, many people seek for a way to get revenge on those wrongdoers. Revenge is not the answer, however. Jesus never sought revenge for his oppressors. Instead, he committed Himself to God, despite the cruelty of mankind in His time. We should also do the same; we ought to be 'dead in sin'. Our sins from the past should stay in the past, not brought into our futures. Sin should not have any effect on our lives anymore, but if we do not have God at the centre of our lives, sin will still affect us. We should aim to live unto righteousness! God will bless us if we do so. Jesus forgives all of our sins. All of our previous sins were nailed onto the cross when Jesus died. He died for us all. By His stripes we were healed. The stripes on his back from the whiplashes that he received should remind us of the pain that He went through. Every time we sin, we are doing the same thing to Jesus. One question we should all ask ourselves is, 'Do we want to hurt Jesus again?' AMEN
Matthew 8:1 - 4 Being 'Leprosy-Free' 1When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.2And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.4And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Just like the people in this Bible passage, we as Christians should make way for people to come to God. If you are dwelling in sin- you are a terrible leper. The only lepers that God would want are those who repent, confess their sins and bow down before God. As Christians, we take many things in life for granted. When these things are taken away from us, we then realize the true importance of those things; just like the person with the leprosy. He was a social outcast, ostracized by his community. When you had leprosy, nobody could come near you or touch you, as they would then catch the contagious illness. We should thank God that He has blessed us! Anything could have happened to us, but God has kept us from harm. Even though nobody else touched the spiritually and physically dirty leper, Jesus touched him. he has the power to do anything! Shortly afterwards, Jesus gave the leper a hard task to do. After a big miracle has happened, it is hard not to tell anybody about it, especially as great multitudes of people followed Jesus. If somebody is a spiritual leper, let them come to Jesus. If they are reluctant to do so, treat them like a leper! Pride affects this 'leprosy'. If you are proud, it means you are happy to live with this 'leprosy'. As Christians, one of our objectives in life should be to keep 'leprosy-free'. We should praise the Lord, for He is good and His mercies endure forever. Many Christians do not count their blessings, and we should do, as the Lord has been so good unto us. We should come before God with humility and confess our sins, and the Lord will sanctify us and make us whole. AMEN
Matthew 17:24 - 27 We Have An Extraordinary God 24And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 25He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Many people in Jesus' time, especially the people that did not follow Jesus (like the tax collectors in this Bible passage), always tried to find fault with Jesus. As soon as they saw something that they did not like, they started to criticize Him and His works. But they wasted their time-as criticism can NEVER stop the Work of God! As Christians, we may suffer criticism also-but we should never let those judgmental words get to us-God is GREATER than those evil words! We should keep our faith in Him and the truth will prevail over their spoken lies. The Lord is an Omniscient (all-knowing) God. This is evident in the passage, as Jesus was not there when the tax collectors asked Peter about Jesus paying the taxes. He did not even need to be there-as He knows everything. Jesus asked Peter a question, and He already knew the answer to it. Peter was amazed by this. Jesus paid the tax for those strangers, to disprove their prejudices on how He is. He wanted to show these people a lesson; to show that they were wrong about what they said, and also to show that He is truly the Messiah. Nobody would usually expect a fish with money in its mouth-but with Jesus, anything is possible. Jesus can use anything for His Glory, even fish. As Christians, we should never have a time when we underestimate God's Power. Many unbelievers may doubt who Jesus is and also God's Word and works-but in time God proves them wrong and they end up repenting and longing to be God's Children. God is an extraordinary God- anything can happen when He is involved. He can grant us the desires of our heart, so why should we doubt Him? Many Christians stress about money, especially as there is a period of recession. Ask the Lord to remove this stress! If Jesus made the fishes bring money to Him, He can use anything to show His greatness. AMEN
Numbers 3:33- 37 We All Have A Part To Play 33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites: these are the families of Merari.34And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred.35And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.36And under the custody and charge of the sons of Merari shall be the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the vessels thereof, and all that serveth thereto, 37And the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. Those who do work in the House of God should devote their hearts fully. Before the people in this Bible passage did the in the Lord's Tabernacle, they sanctified themselves first. In the same way, we should apply the Blood of Jesus over ourselves before doing anything for God. Every person that has been appointed a job in the House of God has been chosen by the Holy Spirit. We should not do these jobs halfheartedly-but to the Glory of God! Even being part of a church is a job, as every time the congregation meets, each person contributes to the praise carried out towards the Lord in the service. If we do our jobs well, the Lord will surely bless us. AMEN
Luke 19:35-40 With God We Are Victorious! 35And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way.37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. This passage is only part of what happened on that marvelous Palm Sunday in Jerusalem. The Lord showed his humility in so many ways; He did not need to come through Jerusalem in a lavish horse and chariot-He came on a donkey. Persecution and betrayal were waiting for Jesus in Jerusalem-but Jesus was not afraid; He still decided to proceed. Jesus was majestic, just like a king, even though he already knew what was going to happen. As He entered Jerusalem, people praised God because of His magnificent signs and wonders. As believers in Christ, we should ask ourselves where our praise and worship is in our own lives. Without God, we cannot do anything; with Him, all things are possible. As humans, we all have suffering in our lives-but how do we approach it? Many people also fear death, but why should they? Jesus was the only one that could face death-and also prevail! If God is with us, why should we doubt? Jesus overcame death when He rose from the tomb! We doubt that God can heal us-but we should NEVER forget that God suffered even worse at His crucifixion; severe AGONY! Jesus overcame his tormentors with power from God. We have Jesus in our hearts. We should trust Him and do exactly what He did, and we shall stand triumphant. AMEN
John 19:28-30 The Suffering Of Christ 28After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. 29Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. Jesus was not guilty but he was used as a scapegoat for all of the sins committed. He went through unbearable agony just for mankind. Jesus had already paid the price for our sins; he did this by dying on the cross. By shedding His Blood, he provided an atonement for sin. As today is Good Friday, this day should be a victorious one for believers, as Jesus won the victory for us. We should never forget what Jesus did for us on the cross. We should thank God for the sacrifice. We owe Jesus thanks! AMEN
Luke 24:1-6 Seeking The Living God 1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? We have heard of many things about Jesus-but what will make us go 'all out' for Him? Are we seeking the living God among the dead? Everything man-made is 'dead'-about to corrupt. Many people are still searching for satisfaction, resorting to being members of other religions just to find peace-but they never find it. Only God can give us peace! Some believers may just be worshipping God because they have not faced any troublesome trials in their lives; because they have a big sum of money in their bank account or have a house to live in. But when the challenges come into our lives, will we still stand for our Saviour? Jesus fulfilled what He said He would do, which was to rise up from the dead on the third day. Death could not conquer Jesus! Everything happened according to His Timing. Many people doubted that Jesus would carry out His resurrection-but He did. As Christians, we should always put God as the main focus in our lives, and ask the Lord to show us if we are living right. AMEN
John 20:19-23 Jesus, The Provider Of Inner Peace 19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained When two or three are gathered in Jesus' Name, there He is in the midst of them. Jesus was present amongst the disciples, despite their arising fear of the Jews. Only Jesus can provide inner peace. If there is fear, there is no peace. Some people in this world have everything a person could want- but lack peace in their hearts. Despite the effort that the world is making to resolve the problem of conflict int he world, no amount of government peace summits can ever bring peace. Only Jesus can! At the time, the disciples still doubted that it was Jesus present in the flesh. Jesus showed them his crucifixion wounds to cast aside the doubt. When Christ is present, there is no need for doubt! Without the Holy Ghost, we can never understand the things of the Spirit. We should ask ourselves this question, 'Do we have inner peace; the breath which God had breathed into the disciples in this Bible passage?'. AMEN
John 20:29-31 Walk By Faith, Not By Sight! 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed 30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Jesus showed infallible truth about Him being the Messiah. Jesus loved the whole of mankind, but He knows his Own. Thomas only stopped doubting when he saw Jesus' crucifixion wounds. But Jesus said in verse 29 of this passage, 'Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed'. Walk should walk by faith, and not by sight! We should always be in the House of God, to meet our Maker. Jesus is present in the midst of us. You cannot behold Jesus' Face if you have sin in you! Many Christians wait for that special night when God reveals Himself to them in a dream. If they receive this dream, they will then believe in Jesus. But we shouldn't wait for this to happen before we believe! We should always have faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed. Any amount of faith in Jesus can benefit us. AMEN
Revelation 22:6-13 Jesus' Second Coming
6And he said
unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must
shortly be done. 7Behold,
I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this
book. 8And I
John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell
down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. 9Then
saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy
brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book:
worship God. 10And he
saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time
is at hand. 11He
that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he
that is holy, let him be holy still. 12And,
behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according
as his work shall be. 13I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Jesus has many many prophecies in the Bible about His Second Coming. He even spoke about the signs which us humans have been witnesses to: the earthquakes; the tsunamis and many other pestilences that have struck mankind. He is coming soon- are you prepared? We should preach to others to bring more souls into God's Kingdom and also worship God with all our body, soul and spirit. Jesus will reward those believers who have trusted and lived by His Word; and also our works. What have you done for Jesus? If you cannot name much things-start doing things now! These are the Last Days- we have no time to waste. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega; the first and the last. All the prophecies that Jesus said will have to come to pass. AMEN
Psalm 124:1-8 Our God Is An Awesome God 1If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; 2If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 3Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 4Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. 6Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. If it had not been for the Lord-where would we be now? When believers go through certain things, we forget that it is for the Glory of God, and that it will turn in our favour. Just like Ezekiel, we believers can speak to those 'dry bones' in our lives. We should think about our lives and find out what parts of life we fall short in. When we do this, we should ask God to help make those aspects of our life better. We are weak without God, therefore we have to depend on Him. Jesus provides the full meaning of life, as He gives everlasting life. Make God number one in your life; He is the best acclaimed victory you can ever have! The enemy never gives up until he succeeds. We should fight against the enemy and prevent him from distancing us from God. It is the devil's pleasure to bring unhappiness to our lives. We should remain steadfast on God, so that the devil can never touch us. The devil preys on our ignorance. Thank God for His redeeming power. We should nurture ourselves in God's Word. Worrying about a problem does not solve the problem! Pray to God and ask Him to resolve the problem for you-and he will surely do so. 'Man chooses his own fate'. What fate will you choose? Find a way to express gratitude unto God. Appreciate God and surrender totally to Him. AMEN
Proverbs 24:30-34 Never Delay With Things Of Christ
30I went by the
field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31And, lo, it was
all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and
the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32Then
I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received
instruction 33Yet
a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34So
shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
Procrastination is also a form of laziness- we should do things that we are supposed to do straight away. When the Lord tells you to do something-never delay! We may be good when handling worldly things but we may be lazy when it comes to the things of God. We humans are just like the vineyard-we are full of sin. But God can remove those 'thorns and nettles' in our lives. We should maintain the deliverance that God has given us and never let those thorns and nettles arise again. This means that we should no longer be spiritually lazy. Do you read your Bible, pray constantly and worship God whenever you can? We should not be slothful with our Christian lives, otherwise the devil will not come back again with more temptation to sin against God. We should aim to have a closer relationship with God. Ask for God's anointing to break every bondage in your life. We should aim to change our lives. We have to do our part for God to do the part. We usually panic and fear because we are not prepared. Prayer helps us prepare against the attack of the enemy. Fear is not from God. We should be just like Solomon and take heed to God's instruction. AMEN
Hebrews 11:1-11 Always Have Faith In God
1Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For
by it the elders obtained a good report. 3Through
faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that
things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4By
faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which
he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and
by it he being dead yet speaketh. 5By
faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found,
because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this
testimony, that he pleased God. 6But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him. 7By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the
world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8By
faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should
after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing
whither he went. 9By
faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10For he
looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11Through faith
also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a
child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had
promised.
Through faith, things in the spiritual realm becomes reality. When God speaks, faith live sin us. When we have faith, it is possible to please God, as we have shown Him that we believe in Him. We should 'diligently' seek god with all our hearts, and we will be rewarded by Him for doing so. In this passage there are many examples of how men and women in the Bible exercised their faith. We should follow by their example. Our faith should be unmovable; it should never be swayed by fear. We should have full faith in God, knowing that He will grant us our hearts' desires. In Verse 10 we can look at this verse in a wider perspective-God needs to be the 'builder and maker' of those 'foundations' within us. God is a faithful God; He never fails. Everything that God says will definitely come to pass. We are descendants of Abraham; we should believe what God has placed on our lives. We should believer and have faith in every scripture in the Bible, for it is truth. 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen'. Like some of the people in the Bible, some people died having faith that God would still do what they asked Him to do. The 'evidence of things not seen' are the things lying in the supernatural realm, things we cannot see with our human eyes. Faith in God helps us to recognize that our desires in Christ have been granted. Never lose your faith in God! AMEN
Acts 2:1-4 The Power Of The Holy Spirit
1And when
the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. 2And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. 4And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Bible is a very reliable book; it gives us hope but also guidance on how to live our lives. Just like the disciples in Pentecost, we should allow the Holy Spirit to fall upon us. With the Holy Spirit in us, the devil cannot touch us and make us suffer. God has a timing for everything; even Pentecost was 'planned' by God ('Pentecost'-'fifty' in Greek; 50 days after Jesus' resurrection). God has given Free Will-anyone who is willing will receive power from God. Obedience is the key-we should increase our zeal for God; our yearning to learn more about God. The enemy is scared of oneness, especially when Christians are united by faith and prayer. Little cracks can appear, however, causing the enemy to attempt to penetrate the close bond that we believers share. On the surface, many of us appear to love each and every Christian brother and sister that we know-but is that really the case? Unity is a tough circle for the enemy to infiltrate. We are not in competition with each other; we are instead in a team, working towards the same goal (to be members of Christ's Kingdom); brothers and sisters united in Christ. Many people get easily discouraged when they are unnoticed for their contributions towards the work of Christ, especially when they see that some of their fellow Christian believers get noticed for their contributions. But don't worry! The contributions you make are not unnoticed by GOD! He is omniscient; an ALL-KNOWING God. We should do everything in spirit and in truth. AMEN
Galatians 5:17-23 The Fruits Of The Spirit
17For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would. 18But if ye
be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19Now
the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness 20Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,
heresies, 21Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you
before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, 23Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
The Bible wants us believers to walk in the Spirit. We should not conform to the things of the flesh. The spirit and the flesh are in constant conflict. This passage has many examples of many sins of the flesh. As believers we need to ask ourselves, 'Do we commit any of these sins?' By committing these sins, we cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (verse 21). If we take heed to the fruits of the Spirit and 'adopt' these special qualities, we shall become better as people. If we disobey the Word of God, we are allowing the devil to use us to commit sins of the flesh. If we love God, we should hate evil. The fruits of the Spirit will now be explained in detail: Joy: The Joy of the Lord is our strength; we should receive God's Word with joy. Peace: Jesus is the Prince of Peace; only He can give us peace within. Longsuffering: Sometimes many of us suffer, wondering whether God will stop our suffering. God's Timing is always the best timing. By our suffering God makes us stronger in faith-never lose faith in God! Gentleness: God always treat us with gentle care, as He is our father. We should also be gentle with others, exercising our patience with people. Goodness: We should treat others how they would want to be treated, showing them the love of God through our good deeds. Faith: Faith in God can help us get through the troublesome situations in life. With faith in God, we can do anything. Meekness: Being humble is the best way to live. Like Jesus, we should humble ourselves and never boast about things. Temperance: We should never lose our temper over pointless situations and also stay patient in all circumstances. AMEN
Acts 4:1-12 The Precious Name Of Jesus
1And as
they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and
the Sadducees, came upon them, 2Being
grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the
resurrection from the dead. 3And
they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was
now eventide. 4Howbeit
many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was
about five thousand. 5And
it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6And
Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as
were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.7And
when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what
name, have ye done this? 8Then
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people,
and elders of Israel, 9If
we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what
means he is made whole; 10Be
it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11This
is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the
head of the corner. 12Neither
is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Only Jesus is capable of doing the extraordinary. He was the one that healed the impotent man. By Jesus, we are saved. The name of Jesus means 'salvation'. Only Jesus can make us whole. If we call upon the Name of Jesus, He shall save us. Our God is a God of Love; He has done great things for us. The Name of Jesus is above all names. The Name of Jesus can penetrate through darkness; principalities and powers bow down at the name of Jesus. There is power, healing and victory in the name of Jesus. If we ask anything in Jesus' Name, He will do it. We should also call upon the Name of Jesus in our times of sorrow, and He will remove our burdens and suffering from our lives. Never forget about the precious Name of Jesus. We would glorify the Name of Jesus all the time: the way we worship; the things we do; the things we say and also by the way we live our lives. We should also have faith in the Name of Jesus. Brothers and sisters, let's not forget about our Lord and Saviour Jesus, as He is coming soon. Never forget the powerful Name of Jesus! AMEN
Daniel 1:3-8 Principles and Purposes
3And the
king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring
certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
4Children in
whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning
in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to
stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the
tongue of the Chaldeans. 5And
the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine
which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they
might stand before the king. 6Now
among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah: 7Unto
whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of
Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to
Azariah, of Abednego. 8But
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion
of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested
of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
The prince of the eunuchs gave these particular men in this Bible passage new names. It is not the names that matter, but what we are made of that matters. Names often have an impact on people. Satan corners us into certain situations, trying to make us forget that we are even Christians. To prevent Satan from doing this-we should be determined in Christ and use spiritual weapons (the Word of God, the Blood of Christ, Prayer and Worship). If there is no principle in our hearts, we will just be carried away by the sins of the flesh. Since we have come to know the truth, we should walk in the truth. Do we have a purpose in our hearts? If we do, we can easily sense when sin is attacking us and move away from sin instantly. In this Bible passage, all the people were young, teenagers to be precise If we are grounded in Christ, especially teenagers, the devil can attempt to do whatever we can-but that person will always return back to the Lord. The Lord loves young people, as they have zeal and vigor for Christ. We should stand for Jesus in difficult times. Stand firm in faith; have a firm foundation in Christ. If we do so, the devil will never prevail and we shall stand triumphant. God stands by His Word; He never fails. We should go to the extreme for God, and God will prove Himself to us. Brothers and sisters, we should also set certain boundaries within our hearts, for by setting these boundaries we can strengthen our relationship with God. AMEN
Matthew 7: 21 - 27 Have Faith
21 Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? 23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. 24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
This whole chapter is a great one. It tells us of the things we need to do to become good people in the Lord's eyes and what we need to do as Christians to gain entry into Heaven and enjoy everlasting life and happiness. Jesus tells us of the foundations we need 2 lay within ourselves and that we need to practice what we preach. As Christians the most important thing is that we follow the Lord's sayings and read His scriptures. We have to follow Him wholeheartedly and not waiver or fall in our following of Him. We must not allow ourselves to falter in our pursuit of our ultimate goal. Although at times it may be hard and we may encounter a multitude of problems we have to stop worrying and leave it in God's hands. All we have to focus on is getting our life in check and making sure that we are living our life right according to this and all the Lord's scripture. Brothers and sisters pray so that God can give open our minds and give us the courage and strength to carry on and move forward.
AMEN
Matthew 7: 21 - 27 Have Faith
21 Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? 23
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye
that work iniquity. 24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not,
shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
This whole chapter is a great one. It tells us of the things we need to do to become good people in the Lord's eyes and what we need to do as Christians to gain entry into Heaven and enjoy everlasting life and happiness. Jesus tells us of the foundations we need 2 lay within ourselves and that we need to practice what we preach. As Christians the most important thing is that we follow the Lord's sayings and read His scriptures. We have to follow Him wholeheartedly and not waiver or fall in our following of Him. We must not allow ourselves to falter in our pursuit of our ultimate goal. Although at times it may be hard and we may encounter a multitude of problems we have to stop worrying and leave it in God's hands. All we have to focus on is getting our life in check and making sure that we are living our life right according to this and all the Lord's scripture. Brothers and sisters pray so that God can give open our minds and give us the courage and strength to carry on and move forward.
AMEN
Luke 5: 1 - 5 The Word Of God 1And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. We should have a desire for the Word of God, just like the people in the Bible passage that 'pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God'. We should also have a desire for Jesus. By becoming closer with God, our needs shall be met by Him. We need God's Word. Only His Word can change our lives and destroy the enemy. It is a sword; a spiritual sword to armour us against principalities and powers. Brothers and sisters, you many go to every church service-but how many of you actually desire the Word of God? Ask God to increase your zeal for Him. Try to pray and read your Bible more. Again, I ask you brothers and sisters, have we got the Word of God in our hearts? In times of trouble and need, we need to be able to utter the Scripture from our mouths for God to help us. To allow God to do something in our lives, we need to speak His Word. We need to ask God to help us develop our relationship with Him so we can fight against the enemy's attacks. AMEN
Isaiah 51: 2 - 3 Seek God First
2Look unto
Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone,
and blessed him, and increased him. 3For
the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he
will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the
LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice
of melody. 4Hearken
unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall
proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the
people 5My
righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge
the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
6Lift up your
eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall
vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they
that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for
ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Sometimes us believers are in 'wilderness'-some of us believe that we can never get out of our difficult situations but God will turn our wilderness into 'Garden of Eden'. There is no need to rush in life as God has His Timing. Everybody is interdependent-the little that we have, someone is depending on it. This is why we should spread God's Word and also the love of God to to others, as some people thrive off the good deeds we do. The worldly things cannot satisfy us alone-only God can supply all of our needs. In the Bible it says, 'Man shall not live by bread alone'. Don't let things happening around you deceive you. We see all these famous, successful people with their fancy houses and wealthy possessions-but because we are believers in Christ, we are even more successful than those people are! The Word of God stays constant amidst all the busy things in our lives. If we devote ourselves to the Word, Jesus will guide us through each day in our lives. Brothers and sisters, we should seek God first and also His Righteousness. We should pause and think about God's Word and where we are with God. God will always make a way where there seems to be no way. God will provide us with salvation and also the solutions to our problems if we take the time to sit and think about God and what He has done for us. Give your life to Christ, brothers and sisters, and He will be there for you always. Have time for God! If you have not made any time recently-make time for Him! AMEN
John 15: 1 - 7 He Is The Vine; We Are The Branches 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Jesus said He is the true vine, this means that there are fake ones. Every branch that does not bear fruit the Lord will cut away (implication: if you are here and you mind and soul are not here sooner of later, he will cut away). The Word of God makes us clean because when we hear the Word we correct our life and thus we are straightened. Therefore Jesus insists that we remain or abide in Him because He is the main tree and we are the branches. The Lord says we should come to Him in whatever state we are in and He will sort us out. For He has the power to do that The Lord has the power over life and death, therefore it is profitable to rely upon Him. Will we follow whatever the Lord tell us? Because if we turn aside from what He says, we will never prosper or succeed. The Lord knows us more than we know ourselves. He cares for us, He feels for us and even now He pleads or intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father. The Lord chose us and has made us representatives wherever we are to bear fruit. What fruit are you bearing? If we bear fruit and our fruit remains, we will ask anything from the Lord and He will do it. AMEN
Romans 13: 11 - 14 Excel In Righteousness
11And that,
knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now
is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12The
night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13Let
us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14But
put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts thereof.
If you serve the Lord well, He will make even our enemies at peace with us. Only do what is right. We have freedom to do whatever we want, but we should do things that matter to God, not the worldly things in this life. Salvation is only completed when the Lord comes on this Earth. Any time you forget to do anything of God, you are 'sleeping'! By sleeping, we mean that you are not 'awake' in Christ; you are not doing what you are supposed to do. Brothers and sisters, we are children of the light and we need to rise up out of the darkness. Jesus is just around the corner! Our salvation is drawing nearer. We should excel in righteousness. With each passing day, we should seek God more, as the day is far spent. We need to 'wake up' and be zealous in our hearts for Christ. We are in the last days. We need to put on the armour of light and wear the Helmet of Salvation to protect our minds from the taunts of the enemy. By doing this, brothers and sisters, we shall surely see God's Kingdom. AMEN
Romans 14:17 Righteousness, Peace and Joy 17For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We cannot see God's Kingdom with our naked eyes, for it is in Heaven. Righteousness is the Kingdom of God. God wants each and every one of us to be righteous. Our God is an awesome God. He does everything right, as he was born in righteousness, whilst we humans were born in sin. You might have committed a sin, but have you put it right? The righteous will be blessed. Brothers and sisters, confess and forsake your sins! For us to get inner peace, we need to right our wrongs in our Christian lives. Jesus is full of Joy and Peace. If you are a true believer, you shall inherit the things of Christ. Search your heart and pinpoint where you are going wrong in your Christian life. By doing this, God will surely help you to live right for the rest of your lifetime. AMEN
Inheriting The Things Of Christ
1Blessed is the man
that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But
his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he
meditate day and night. 3And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not
wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4The ungodly are
not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
6For the LORD knoweth
the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Lord can move within you at any time. Brothers and sisters, we should challenge the enemy! Don't accept what the enemy brings, for the devil is always seeking for loopholes for us to fall into. You should also remember, brothers and sisters, that you are blessed! Meditate on God's Word. Do you delight yourself in the Word of God? We should always delight in God's Word. When we fall down, we should pick ourselves up and carry on, for this will also make us stronger and more resistant to the enemy's attacks. How long have you walked with the Spirit of God? This question determines your Christian status. Aim to be righteous! The Lord's Hand is on all His children. The ungodly people shall never stand in times of judgement-but we, as followers of Christ, SHALL STAND! AMEN
Luke 18:1- 8 Prayer Is The Key
1And he spake a
parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint; 2Saying,
There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded
man: 3And there
was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me
of mine adversary. 4And
he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself,
Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5Yet because
this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual
coming she weary me. 6And
the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7And
shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto
him, though he bear long with them?
8I tell you that he
will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh,
shall he find faith on the earth?
We should never cease praying, for this allows the enemy to get to us, hindering any chance to improve our relationship with God. Prayer is the only way to defeat the devil. Fear is not of God. The devil can use fear to stop us having faith in God. Fear is a form of torment and by fearing things we allow the devil to have an influence on the way we think. But brothers and sisters, no matter what the devil may bring to you-KEEP PRAYING! We are precious in His Sight. Even though God may take long with answering our prayer due to Him doing everything to His Timing, we shouldn't give up! Christians tend to give up so easily when they face trials and tribulations in life. God will avenge our adversaries for us if we continue to pray. He will never fail us. Trust in Jesus, for it is only Him that can protect, save and rescue us. His promises are steadfast and sure, as the Bible states many of these wonderful promises in the Bible. We should take heed to this and believe in the Word of God. The devil never gives up, so we shouldn't give up either. If we give up, are we standing up for Christ! NO! Brothers and sisters, we need to search our hearts and identify where we are going wrong in our Christian lives. When we have identified the problems, we should then work on becoming the best we can be through Christ. You will certainly notice drastic changes in your life by God's Grace! AMEN
Hebrews 12:18- 24 Prayer Is The Key
18For ye are
not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with
fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19And
the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they
that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any
more 20(For they
could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast
touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a
dart: 21And so
terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and
quake:) 22But
ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven,
and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect, 24And
to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
God wants to correct us, as He is a merciful and just God. There is no fear in the New Covenant, as God has paid the price for us by sending His Son to pay the price. Brothers and sisters, we are 'spiritual Israelites', who meet in church, in the same way the Israelites were 'come onto Mount Zion'. The presence of God is there! The presence of the Lord makes us whole. When we worship Christ in spirit and in truth, He is there in the midst of us. We should act like citizens of Heaven. When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are already written in the Book of Heaven-it us therefore up to us to keep our place written there by following Christ in the best way that we can. Jesus always intercedes for His children. There is so much power in the Blood of Jesus; there is life in the Blood. When we cover ourselves in the blood, we are asking for God to breathe His Life into us. We should cherish the blessing that God has given us, which is that we will see the New Jerusalem due to our salvation. Brothers and sisters, ask for God's Mercy in your life. AMEN
Ruth 1:16- 18 Stand Your Ground! 16And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me. 18When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her. When people of God know the Word of God but blatantly overlook it, that is when it becomes a sin. There are so many times that we overlook things in our lives, but we should be certain of what we are doing. If your faith is genuine, you will always insist on your grounds. The first verse from this Bible passage is Ruth's confession unto God. Some of us Christians cannot even utter this confession. This statement is one of the most powerful sayings in the Bible. Brothers and sisters, by insisting and making up our mind on the things of God without any influence, God will exalt us. Ruth made a total breakaway from the past. To move forward in Christ, we have to leave the past behind and look forward to the future. Ruth sacrificed her life and everything to do with herself for her own salvation. Every time that we make a decision for Christ, we are never unrewarded. God will richly bless us. Our minds should be steadfast on our decisions for Christ. God will richly bless His children that will give themselves without any compromise unto Him. How many times have we been influenced when making decisions? This is the question we should ask ourselves, brothers and sisters. In a way, we are like a teacup that is on a saucer. If the tea in the teacup is too much for the cup, the liquid overflows and spills unto the saucer. But if the saucer is away from the teacup, when the liquid overflows from the teacup, the liquid spills onto the table and the floor. We should be like the saucer that is underneath the teacup! By being like this example, when God blesses us, His blessings overflow mightily into our lives.
AMEN
Genesis 22:2; 22:7-17 Stand Your Ground! 2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 7And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. 15And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; Just like the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the Lord can also ask anything of us, even if it may be something of value to us. Nobody who gives to the Lord goes without. We should also seek the Lord diligently and trust Him daily. The Lord gives but also takes away. He is only asking us to do these small things for him in order to bless us. Remember, brothers and sisters, nothing is too hard for God! We should walk with God and He will show us what He is capable of. Whenever you do something for God and it is was something of great value to you-be proud of it! It shows that you are willing to sacrifice that thing for God.
AMEN
Luke 23:26-28 The Suffering Of Christ 26And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus Jesus told the people to weep for them because He already knew that would overcome the trials He was going through. He came to Earth out of love for all mankind and was obeying His Father's Will. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Because of what Jesus was going through, there was peace between man and God. The people were told to weep for themselves, as their sins caused Jesus' suffering. They were also told to weep for their salvation. When we are going through trials and tribulations, we should remember Jesus. Brothers and sisters, look onto Jesus only! This passage should encourage and also inspire us. Our situations have never been as bad as Jesus' situations. He was never disheartened by his circumstances. Because Jesus was obedient to His Father, He never forgot His purpose on this earth and had the strength to persevere. This should be inspirational for us all, as with God guiding us, we can get through all things. AMEN
Acts 2:41-47 Pray Without Ceasing 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. By 'gladly receiving' the Word it means everything must be done with joy for the Lord. God loves a cheerful giver; He will only bless you if you are genuinely doing it to please the Lord. Jesus sees our hearts and blesses those who lovingly serve Him. The baptism in this passage represents God's blessing unto those people. Jesus will surely reward us for our offerings. We should come to the House of the Lord with joy! Our fellowship should be continuous. We can never stop praying, as the enemy never gives up. Brothers and sisters, we have to be on our guard and also put on the armour of God. The Church can never do without unity. We need to share love and understanding of Christ. We need unity for the move of God. For unity of other things, there needs to be unity in the heart. We need to love one another in order to move forward. We also have to demolish grudges and forget the past-and also FORGIVE! If you release the anger in your heart, God will release your blessing. Many of us have heavy hearts and many of us aim to be Christians that shall 'mount up with wings like an eagle and soar'. How can we do that if we do not cast our burdens onto God? We need to change in order to move forward. AMEN
1 Kings 3:3-15 Offer Onto Christ: HARVEST MESSAGE 3 Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. By offering things unto God from the bottom of our hearts, we show how much we love God. If you love God, offer unto Him! The Lord is pleased by heartfelt, genuine offerings. If we ask anything according to His Will, He will surely answer our prayers. Brothers and sisters, seek God first. We should be obedient unto His Will and the Commandments. When we start doing this, the Lord will shower us with blessings. Our lives will also be lengthened if we keep to His commands. Bring your harvest unto Jesus! Lay all your thanks on the altar; a sweet
smelling sacrifice unto God. AMEN
Ecclesiastes 12:1- 5 Facts Of Life 1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; 5Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: We should remember our Creator in the days of our youth. It is only though the Creator that we overcome. The Creator intercedes for us in our times of need. This is out to all the youth out there especially, because there are evil days in life that we have to prepare for. If we do so, we can definitely withstand those terrible days. When you have eyes, use them wisely. Many people have eyes, but in certain situations they leave those eyes behind. Our eyes, through God's insight, help us see the wisdom in circumstances. The Bible is giving us the facts of life which we need to take heed to. In time we all age; transitioning through different stages of life. Nothing is guaranteed in this life. We need God's Spirit to descend for us. Only God can help you with decisions. Brothers and sisters, it takes God to tell you what you can do better. Seek the wisdom of God. The way God has created human beings is beyond human understanding. Whatever you can do, thank the Lord for it! Learn to appreciate what the Lord gives you; as you can remove yourself from condemnation into life. In everything, thank God! Give room for forgiveness in your life. Sometimes we have eyes-but we are blind. We need to stop harbouring things into our hearts. We need to ask God to remove the bitterness. Don't keep grudges. You need God in your life to overcome situations! AMEN
Psalm 51:1- 13 Our Iniquities 1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. God is a God of Mercy. We need to ask Him for His Mercy and He will pardon us because of His Love. Brothers and sisters, we should acknowledge and accept our sins obtain mercy from the Lord. Jesus cleanses us from our sin. We should never forget what God has done for us, as we were once sinking deep in sin. Deliverance is one of the greatest things that God can do for us. When you commit a sin, the only one you sin against is God Himself. He sees everything; He is omniscient. People belittle God when they think that they can 'sin in secret'. Everybody on this earth needs salvation, as we were all shaped in iniquity. We need to be saved, as there is sin in our hearts. Brothers and sisters, confess and forsake your sin! You can never hide anything from God. Once you confess everything, God will give you wisdom. Sin makes you lose fellowship with your Father; you miss the joy of the Lord. Never doubt God! Sin progresses in stages. David first lusted, then coveted another man's wife, then desired to do adultery and finally committed those sins. Those sins led to more sin: attempting covering up the sin by lying and also killing. This is what the devil makes us do; he constantly looks for idle minds to control. Brothers and sisters, always be on your guard! God, by His Mercy, sends something to us to show us where we have gone wrong. We should take these rebukes and use them to help us keep our hearts free of sin. AMEN
Luke 7:36- 40 Worship 36And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment 39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. The lady in this passage knew that it was only Jesus who was able to save her. She humbled herself before God and anointed His Feet. Brothers and sisters, God will always make a way for you! Trust Him and worship Him with all your heart. The devil will never succeed in his plans. No matter who you are, God can use you. This is why you cannot undermine anyone. The devil wanted Jesus to decay after His death but God revealed a spiritual comeback for him to resurrect to not just anybody but a sinner. Use your body to glorify God! We need to be grateful to the Lord for all He has done for us. There are always critics in this life. By entering into worship you reignite the power of God. Change your mentality! Pessimistic people spot calamity in every opportunity whereas optimists spot opportunity in every calamity. Brothers and sisters, worship God in every situation in life; good or bad. Don't let anything get in the way of your worship. God will surely glorify Himself. Demonstrate your faith in God. Faith never comes when you are in abundance; it comes when there seems to be nothing. Keep your faith and stay in worship-because worship is powerful! AMEN
Matthew 16:13- 19 Our God-Given Authority 13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Jesus is asking us whom we think that He is. Is Jesus your Saviour? Is He who you believe can do great things for you? Brothers and sisters, these are the questions that we need to ask ourselves. Blessed are you to say that Jesus is the Messiah, Lord and Saviour. Jesus is the solid Rock upon which we stand. The gates of hell shall never prevail against the Church, which is built on Jesus. When you take Jesus as your Saviour; your firm foundation, the enemy can never prevail against you. This is a promise that the Lord has given us. He has given us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus has given us the authority on Earth to bind and loose on Earth. We should never be afraid, as whatever we bind and loose on this Earth will be done the same in Heaven. We need to destroy the enemy's works. We should walk in His Promise and believe in His Word. AMEN
John 8:1- 12 Jesus Is The Light Of The World 1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. 7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. 12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. God is master of wisdom. When the displays His Wisdom, it beyond human understanding. We should not accuse people of their iniquities- only the Holy Spirit convicts people. Invite the Lord into your life- He is like a torchlight directing you through the dark. There is no to 'police' people-that is the Holy Spirit's job. When you come to the Lord, don't worry about who you are-the Lord knows you. Unless you are without sin, which body is- THEN you have the right to judge. The Love of God needs to shine through you-tell others that no matter who they are, God loves them. We should not look down on others. Learn to cherish life. Life is worth living when things are appreciated. Jesus is the Light-when He comes into your life He shows you who you are-you realize your sins are just as equal to others in different ways. We all need the Lord; without Him you cannot succeed (controlling the world, not letting the world control you). Go and SIN NO MORE! Ask God for wisdom. See the light-go into the light! AMEN
Luke 2:1- 7 The Meaning Of Christmas 1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. 2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. We believers know the meaning of Christmas, which is the birth of our Saviour. The Son of God is not only an invented figure- He came into this world and this fact is deeply rooted in history, as in the passage (and also history) Jesus was born around the time that Augustus governed. Make sure you remember WHY Jesus came into this world. Every birth is a miracle; every child is a Gift of God- but this birth was a Gift of Gifts! He was the only gift the Father could not withhold for us. Brothers and sisters, if we can reject this gift, the Father cannot help us. Even our lives are mysteries; nobody can foretell the future. Sometimes we cannot find any clues to our situation. If you are clinging on to the Word of God but cannot see any signs that can benefit our situations-BUT STILL DO NOT GIVE UP! Be a pioneer of change! However wretched you are, if you are prepared to change, God will bless you. God doesn't need a perfect person to use; all we need to do is to be willing and accept the change that God is imparting unto us. Believing in God and doing His Will are two different things. Are you a fair-weather Christian? Or do you stand upon the Word of God in tough times? If you are in God's Will, you will know that this is God's Will for your life. All things work together for our God for them that love the Lord. Stand firm, march forward and be soldiers of the cross. Look where God was born- a smelly stable filled with noisy animals. This shows the humility of God. If God could humble himself to such an extent, why can't we? Humble yourself for God to fulfill His Promises in your life. Just like there was no room in the inn, we need to apply this to our daily lives. In our hearts, there is no room for God. Is there any room for the Saviour in your heart? What have you filled your heart with? Have more room for God in your hearts. Use this Christmas to CHANGE! Become a working miracle of the Father.
AMEN
Luke 2:8- 12 The Birth Of Christ: CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
8And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. 9And, lo, the
angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them: and they were sore afraid. 10And
the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord. 12And this shall be
a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in
a manger.
The Birth of Christ was not done for any specific group of people; it was done for sinners like us. No matter what situation you have been through, Verse 10 says it all...'I bring you good tidings of great joy'. We should 'fear not', for the Lord will supply our every need. Brothers and sisters, take the Lord Jesus Christ into your hearts and also this occasion! Never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. He is even better than the 'Buy One Get One Free' deal that shops advertise, as when you are with Jesus you receive countless amounts of blessings and gifts of the Spirit. Think about Christmas and what it contains. Don't just take the gifts- take the Giver (Jesus) also. AMEN
Matthew 5:13- 16 Arise And Shine
13Ye are the salt of the
earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it
is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. 14Ye are the
light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither
do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it
giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven.
In order to 'shine' you have to 'arise' first; these steps go hand in hand. God's Timing can be NOW- it depends on your level of faith. The level of faith can challenge God to move for you. Believe in God so He can act for you. Brothers and sisters, we need to change our mentality. Your time has come! The Lord can act for you right now. You can never rise beyond the level of your knowledge and faith without God. Don't allow anybody to 'infect' your mind on how you see things. These people look at the size of their enemies- but we should look at the size of our God! Don't look at how long your problem has lasted for- LOOK UNTO GOD. Know what God has deposited in you. God can change your circumstance in a matter of seconds. Look at life with a different perspective and understanding. Don't live by what people say- live by the truth in the Bible. The Word of God is life unto them that find it. Know whom God has made you. We are the salt of the Earth. If we lose our taste, we are useless. As Christians we should let good character take over our lives and show the Christlike nature in us. We shouldn't confess being Christians with our mouths only but also with the way we live our lives. This means God created our lives with goodness. All good things should be added unto us ; ONLY for the people who follow God. God did not create us to be in a state of sorrows. The hard times come but they should not last forever! Beg for something that is rightfully yours unto God! The healing is YOURS!. Everything good on this Earth is ours. Salt is a preservative. This means that long life is ours. 'I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly'. Salt, when sprinkled on a food substance for example, absorbs the bacteria. The bacteria dies. This example can be applied to real life, as the enemy tackles those who are full of salt but we Christians, just like salt, have a dehydrating agent. The salt will dry the enemy our and the enemy flees. Change your perception on how you see yourself. If you are ignorant about who you are, you will live in that state 'under foot of men'. 'A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid'. Brothers and sisters, you cannot be hidden! Nothing can stop you from becoming who God wants you to be. Let your character shine to all people and let people see the light of God through virtue of the quality of life that we live. The only way you can shine is if you form a partnership with God. ARISE and take responsibility before you can shine. When we do so, what we receive lasts longer. If there needs to be manifestation there has to be transformation of the mind first. Use these and bring the things in this message into the New Year! AMEN
Joshua 24:1- 15; Joshua 24:31 Commitment 1And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. 3And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac. 4And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 5I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out. 6And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea. 7And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season. 8And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you. 9Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you: 10But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand. 11And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand. 12And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow. 13And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat. 14Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. 31And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. When we become obedient to God's Word- God does His Part. It is not our skill or intelligence that helps us fight the battles that come our way-it is the LORD! Never doubt or fear! The Lord does the answering of our prayers. The Spirit of God does what God pleases. God was trying to show the Israelites through Joshua that those things that Joshua listed were God's doings. The enemies were more powerful and advanced than the Israelites- yet God let the Israelites prevail and delivered their enemies into their hand. Rejoice when God blesses you. 'Health & Safety' is a big thing in many institutions of society (e.g. schools and other workplaces). 'Safety is never an accident'- this phrase should be applied to our spiritual lives. Brothers and sisters, safety does not happen by chance! We can never be safe until we have done something to bring about our safety. We don't know what is ahead of us. The Lord is a faithful God and will never fail you; He will do His Part of the Covenant. A commitment needs to be made with God this year. God is a God of Covenants. We as Christians lack the boldness that Joshua had. We shouldn't shy away from the truth! When you pay no importance to your commitment you will compromise with lies. When we are honest with ourselves, the greater part of our problems are solved. Our actions are judged by God. God pays attention to the little things that we as Christians may sometimes overlook. Our promises that are awaiting us require boldness. Brothers and sisters, let's do our part of the bargain! Be serious with God this year. We have to be in line with God's Will in order to get blessings. AMEN
1 Samuel 17:32-50 The Battle Is The Lord's 32And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 38And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. 48And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. We have to watch what we hear from people, especially when God tells you to do something- for they can either increase or decrease our faith. Use the little faith you have to press on in life! We should know the sort of God we are serving. We cannot be victorious without fighting the war first. Whatever situation comes your way this year is there to strengthen you; we cannot build a good house unless the foundation is firm. The devil may have stood in front of us like a Goliath- but we, with the help of God, were able to OVERCOME! Sometimes we have to use our previous ordeals to get through our present obstacles. With God, all things are possible. If we remain under Him, He will remain loyal to us. Brothers and sisters, we should try to have a relationship with God, not just at the church service but day by day! Every testimony, regardless of size, is still a POWERFUL testimony. We shouldn't forget what the Lord is doing in our lives; big or small. Don't let go, no matter what the situation is- look up and receive the 'push' that the Lord will give you. God can use ANYBODY, no matter who you are. God used David, a small youth- this shows that God is no respector of persons. Brothers and sisters, we should go in boldness and confidence in these trials because God will surely fight our corner! When the Lord is fighting your corner, NOTHING can prevail against us. AMEN
Proverbs 20:27 Our Spiritual Bodies 27The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Every person that is created on this Earth has a spirit. The 'candle of the Lord' is 'searching all the inward parts of the belly'; the 'belly' is of the spiritual body. Something has to happen to your body to yearn for 'food'- the Word of God, spiritual nutrition which is light. Without it, we would be in darkness. When we light up, joy, hope, faith and strength will arise 'from our bellies' within us. The Spirit of God is within everyone. We need to feed our spiritual bodies with Christ-like things for the Spirit to search for something within us. There is a hymn that goes: There is a river Your spiritual body will sustain you through all the difficult situations, as it is kept alive by the Living Word, a never ending supply of water in this 'river'. When we open our minds to the Word of God, we allow His Word to enter into our Spirit. Our soul is content when the Spirit is filled by the opening of the Mind; all of these things interlink. Brothers and sisters, we need to continue to feed on the Word of God to keep our spiritual body alive. We need to ask ourselves these questions- do we have that river that flows from deep within our Spirit? Would God's Word come from deep within to deliver us in times of adversity? Are we confident that we will see the light when we leave our bodies? Accept the Word into your Spirit otherwise when you leave the body the Spirit will not be there- leading us to eternal darkness. Those who find the light will surely go to Heaven. If your spiritual body is present, you will never live in darkness. Brothers and sisters, we should feed our mind on God so our spirit is fed and this results in our soul rejoicing and praising God constantly, AMEN
Hebrews 2:1-3 Take Heed Towards The Things Of God 1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; 3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; 'Christian' means 'Christ-like'. The Lord wants us to live our lives without blemish. We receive our consequences through each choice we make. We should definitely by earnest towards heeding to the things of God. Paul said these words in this Bible passage. He knew the Grace of God, as he was a sinner before he wrote this. We should not let this slip out of our memories: when we disobey it never goes forgotten. At a certain time, God punishes the disobedience, despite His mercy and benevolence. Brothers and sisters, we should never take God for granted, as His Word is binding. 'Slow to anger; swift to bless'- God is only slow to anger because He has a time for everything...but when he is angry 'who can stand the wrath of God?'. If God never spared Adam and Lucifer, He CERTAINLY would not spare us for punishment. Repentance helps our relationship with God, whereas sin breaks our fellowship with God. When we sin we should repent and mend our relationship with Christ. God rewards those who show determination and effort to walk in His Ways. We must be under the Grace of God- but there are certain steps we have to follow. We should not have any room for complacency, as there are always things that we can definitely work on. God's Grace does not give us permission to do things which God does not allow. The condition of eternal life is for those who believe in Him. God's Promises will NEVER work until we meet the conditions of God. We should seek the Blood of Jesus to cleanse and forgive us, as we may sin even when we are doing the right thing. There are so many things go unnoticed when we are in our zeal to serve the Lord. We have every right to claim the promises of God if we do what God says. God does not demand any criteria for believers to receive salvation- the simplicity is profound. Salvation is great- we have so many benefits: deliverance, joy, peace and a sound body and mind for example. God is able to keep us from falling. If our lives are entrusted in His Care, God will present us faultless before the Father. Brothers and Sisters, we should look up to God and forget the distractions that come our way. We should also get the right mindset so we know how to get closer to God. We should serve God with FEAR so we can depart from iniquity and also take heed to the teaching because one day...we will no longer have a countless amount of chances. We have the chance to change...so let us do it now to prevent regret. AMEN
Genesis 25: 20- 33 God Does Everything For A Reason
20And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. 21And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. 23And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. 24And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. 26And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. 27And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. 28And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. We have to seek the face of the Lord and ask the Lord things when we do not understand why these circumstances are occurring in prayer, just like what Isaac did. When you seek the face of the Lord, God hears you. Things happen- don't just sit down- GO TO THE LORD! Who are we to ask God why? God knows what will happen before we can even make judgments on our circumstances. Take things to God in prayer when you don't understand things- God will definitely intercede for you. We should not try to change the course of direction. Brothers and sisters, let the Spirit of God use us for discernment. Look at things very closely because God is showing you things. Sometimes these things happen so God can show us His Glory. Everybody has a purpose in this life; we all have a calling in this world by God. Nothing comes by chance. All things work together for our good for those who love Him. Don't let the present spoil the future...don't ruin your future with one thing from the present because our future should be eternity with Christ. Do not let sin compromise this prospect for you. AMEN
Luke 14: 25- 27 'Take Your Cross And Follow Me' 25And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. God is a God of love. We should love God more than these people who are always around us. If we really want to follow Jesus we need to put God above everyone and everything. Our lives should portray Jesus whom we have believed. God knows what is good for us. These people have a big influence in our lives- but whatever God says goes! We should aim to be like Christ. Mankind has its flaws but God is flawless in all His Ways! Brothers and sisters, Jesus never fails and we should not put things of this world as a basis for hope and happiness. God can supply all of our needs and can do what these people cannot do to a extraordinary extent. We humans are reluctant to sacrifice; we love ourselves to much and are consumed by worldly habits- and then we wonder why God is delaying our heartfelt requests made in prayer. Brothers and sisters, we need to remember that we are not our own; we are a new creation in Christ. We can only win the victory and conquer when we humble ourselves. We need to 'deny ourselves' sometimes; we need to deny our worldly thoughts and dwell on things of the Spirit. If we serve God in spirit and in truth, God will exalt us above all people and make us the head and never the tail. Our families can NEVER save us; none of them can forgive our sins- but Jesus is the way to salvation and He wipes our slates clean in our Christian lives. We need to love God more than ANYTHING, as only He can deliver us. AMEN
Jeremiah 29: 11- 14 God Knows Us 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 12Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 14And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. God has very good thoughts about us and has plans for us and our lives. We should take heed towards the things of God. When we are in certain situations we do not bother to find out why we are in it. Just be obedient in times of strife for God to remove us out of captivity. We have so many things which God wants to correct in our lives; He wants to teach us lifelong lessons. Brothers and sisters, do not just listen to words that will soothe your soul when we fall into situations- privately ask yourself where you went wrong. We should go down on our knees and ask for forgiveness so that God will touch us. The Lord knows the thoughts that He has towards us; whatever we go through, He is always there with us. The only time we do not acknowledge that we are in the wrong is when God will leave us to solve our own problem. 'Time' is not in God's vocabulary; a day to Him can be 1000 years- but God's Love is paramount. If you love someone, you think good thoughts about the person. Brothers and sisters, we should be comforted by the fact that God loves us and that He would never put us in a situation that is not for our good. God will never leave us nor forsake us. God knows the end of our situations even from the beginning. We should trust that God will deliver us out of the situation. The Lord knows you. Keep on praying without ceasing. The Word of God will comfort us in situations. Brothers and sisters, let us not do anything that hinders our chance to develop a relationship with God. We always look for for quick answers- but the answer lies in our mouths. Seek the face of the Lord and He will restore us back to normality. God is a jealous God; He wants our total allegiance and our own heart all to Himself. Some of us have never experienced the joy of the Lord because we have not submitted totally to God. We need to check ourselves and ask God to work on us before we can say 'it is well with our soul'. AMEN
Isaiah 37: 14- 22 Take It To The Lord In Prayer
14And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD 15And Hezekiah prayed unto the LORD, saying, 16O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth. 17Incline thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open thine eyes, O LORD, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. 18Of a truth, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations, and their countries, 19And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 20Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only. 21Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent unto Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Whereas thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria: 22This is the word which the LORD hath spoken concerning him; The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee. The King was facing adversity and sought God's Face. God is omniscient. We should not worry about something that is already in the Lord's Hands. God will definitely fight our battles when we do so. When Hezekiah prayed, he addressed God openly and made his prayer especially to target the senses of the Lord. Though he was facing adversity at the time, he acknowledged that our God is a living God. Brothers and sisters, we may be facing tribulations due to us relying on things of the flesh. Hezekiah realized this flaw and took his problems to the Lord in prayer. His mouth delivered the whole nation; the smallest of things can have a massive impact. Once we make God big, our problems become small. Sometimes we have let God know what we see and hear. Do not be deceived and take the world at face value- there is a God. The world is made up of nothing with substance. The world constantly changes but Jesus never changes. The King did not pursue the things of this world for an answer; He went to the House of the Lord and God was moved by Hezekiah's heartfelt prayer. When we make a move and pray to the Lord, the Lord will make a move for us. When we encounter a problem we should take it to the Lord. When things are going great in our lives we should never forget the Maker who holds life and death. Time flies and Jesus can come at any time. Brothers and sisters, we should make God that one that we will serve until eternity. Seek God, for He will never forsake you. AMEN
John 11: 1- 44 We Need To See His Glory
1Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. 6When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. 7Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again.8His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. 11These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. 16Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him. 17Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already. 18Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off: 19And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. 28And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. 29As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. 30Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him. 31The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there. 32Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 33When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. 34And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. 35Jesus wept. 36Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him. 37And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? 38Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. 39Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. 40Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? 41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me 42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. 43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. God loves all of us equally; He is a God of Love. The Lord knows everything. When He heard Lazarus was sick, God knew that his illness was for the Glory of God. Brothers and sisters, the reason that God may not have acted on your prayers yet is because He wants His Glory to be seen. He has definitely heard your prayers, for He is a God who certainly sticks to His Covenants. Brothers and sisters, wait on the Lord, for God will shape you for His Righteousness. We need to walk in the Light. Jesus is the Light of the World and we need Him to direct our paths. Without Jesus we will definitely stumble, for without the Light we are walking in darkness. The Bible verses that contain these phrases 'Jesus turns our mourning into dancing' and 'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning' should reassure us that all things are possible through Christ and that all things turn out for our good. Jesus is the only one who can really comfort you in times of hardship. Brothers and sisters, we should pray to feel the Lord's embrace in times of adversity, for God's comfort shall see us through these tough circumstances. If we die, we have a hope of eternal life after death. '...Though he were dead, yet shall he live' (Verse 25) means our spirit shall live forever in Heaven only if we follow the Lord and His Commands. Verse 26 goes on to mention that we need to believe in God otherwise there is no hope for us after death (Hell- eternal damnation). Brothers and sisters, Jesus understands what we are going through. We need to believe that God will make a way for us in order to see the Glory of God. The Lord has something for us and all we have to do is just trust in Him. No situation is hopeless in the eyes of the Lord, for He comes when everything is hopeless. If your life is not right- get right with God! The Master cares for us. Nothing is too hard for the mighty God that we serve. Seek Him first because He is the Resurrection and the Life. We should allow ourselves to be alert and also for God to increase our faith in Him so we can see God's Glory in action. AMEN
Hebrews 9: 11- 22 Jesus- Our Personal High Priest 11But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 13For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 16For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. 18Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood. 19For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, 20Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. 21Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. 22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Christ came as a high priest of good things to come. He made a greater and more perfect tabernacle. He is our High Priest. With Jesus' own perfect blood he entered once into the holy place and obtained eternal redemption for us. If the blood of animals can purify the flesh, how much more is Jesus' precious blood? His blood is without blemish. Jesus became our Mediator. Because of this, we can have fellowship with the father. Verse 16- Where there is an agreement, someone has to pay the price. In this case, it was Jesus, who sacrificed His Life for our sins. Almost everything in the Old Testament was purged with blood. This why it is important to let the Blood of God cover all aspects of our lives. The Blood of Jesus contains power, forgiveness and sanctity. Because of His Blood, Jesus is able to redeem us from all sins. The life of the flesh is in the blood. This is can be applied to everyday lives, as doctors test the patients' blood even to the extent to discover if there is anything in the blood. Nothing can take our sins away; it is only the Blood of Jesus that can remove our iniquities and transgressions. The Blood of Jesus can overcome everything, including principalities and powers. Brothers and sisters, we need to trust and believe in the Blood of Jesus and its amazing power. AMEN
John 14: 1- 3 The Healer Of Troubled Hearts 1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. God's Love cannot compare to any other love. The heart is very important in the lives of mankind. The Lord is a jealous God and is jealous of what dwells in our hearts. The Lord sees right into the troubles of our hearts. Brothers and sisters, it doesn't matter what you are going through- God will take care of you. Jesus wants our heart- He doesn't want anything to dwell in there apart from HIM. Jesus is the only remedy for our hearts' troubles. The Lord did not give us the spirit of fear but of a sound mind. We should have a God-given hope and assurance that Jesus will show us the purpose in our storms and intercede on our behalf. Jesus is coming soon- are we prepared? If we are prepared, where Jesus is, we will be there also. Whatever the situation is, start anew and cast your burdens unto God. When the devil brings us down, we should not stay down- we should get back up and put all our trust in God. If we believe in Him, we have eternal life. We should not take God for granted. The Bible gives us all the help we need but it does not mention one thing- the time and the day of Jesus' Coming. We should get ready, for Jesus can come at any time. When we have Christ, we should know that 'absent from the body, present with the Lord'. Brothers and sisters, keep on believing in Christ and know that He will turn your troubled heart into a heart of peace and joy. AMEN
Matthew 27: 1- 16 Unconditional Love
1When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. 3Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. 6And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me. 11And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. 12And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? 14And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. 15Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. 16And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. Through Jesus' suffering was a plan- to save mankind from their sins. We should always give thanks for whatever comes our way, for all things work together for our good for those who love God. Jesus' immeasurable love for us causes Him to shed His Life for us. Some people change their clothes but do not change their heart. Brothers and sisters, when we sin, we need to repent and change our hearts, not just our outward appearance. You can fool the flesh but you can never deceive the Spirit. We should also not let money be the sole focus in our life, for when we die our worldly riches do not go with us, as Judas discovered in this Bible passage. If you are finding it hard do not worry- God will provide. If you are struggling in your walk with Christ, brothers and sisters, voice your concerns. It is not for others to judge you because if the Father knew we were perfect, He would not have sent down His Son for the removal of our sins. No matter who you are, you are valued in Heaven. God values each and every one of us. Use what God has given you- 'I give you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions'. If you have your power and you choose to put it in your pocket then somebody will come along and take your deserved status. Acknowledge the mighty power that God has given to you! Brothers and sisters, no matter what your problems or your downfalls are, do not think about how you are going to change or stop doing certain things- come to the Lord as you are. He will surely work everything out because of His unconditional love. AMEN
Luke 19: 29- 40 Fulfilling God's Will
29And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither 31And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. We should take the faith which we hold onto very seriously. God never changes and neither does His Word. For some of us, we get disturbed quickly by what others say- but we should not take this to heart and we should hold onto the Word of God. We should ask ourselves this question: 'How prepared are we for Heaven?' Brothers and sisters, can you tell yourself genuinely in spirit and in truth that, at any time, you will be ready to meet your Maker? There are times when you need questions, answers and consolation- and the only place you can find it is in His Word. This is only for the people who want to walk with Christ. The question asked earlier is relevant to the Bible passage because Jesus was prepared and through Him entering Jerusalem, He was openly declaring that He was and still is the Messiah. Jesus was ready to go to Heaven. Do we indeed really love the Lord? Jesus came down in even a lower form than the angels- he died in the image of a man. This shows that He loves us so much that He chose to relate and bless us just as the way that we were made, in order to make it easier to come to Him. There are some things that you used to do in your Christian life- your first love; things that motivated you to increase your zeal for God. We need to go back to our first love, as God rewards those who serve God in spirit and in truth. Jesus, within the time before He went back to Heaven, did everything! This is what we should do. Brothers and sisters, we should keep ourselves busy doing the things of God. In what ways do we seek to do the things that the world hates and the Father loves? Do things that will please the Father. It is only by God's Grace that we can fulfill His Will and the Holy Spirit is there to help us. The essence of Christian life is truth- we need to be truthful with ourselves and acknowledge our spiritual strengths and weakness. Brothers and sisters, don't let the weight of your problems press you down- persevere on so you can eventually say, 'I have fought the good fight'. Let's encourage each other and lift each other up in the name of Christ. By doing so, we will fulfill the Will of God. AMEN
Luke 23: 34 Forgiveness
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Men fears death, but Jesus was not afraid to die. Despite the pain and torment that Jesus was going through, He still prayed God's forgiveness for their sins- and also for everyone who will hear the Gospel. What other religion in the world has a Saviour that went through what Jesus went through and still prayed for their forgiveness? None. If everybody in this world could pray this prayer, there will be peace on Earth. Brothers and sisters, no matter what you are going through in life, it is nothing compared to the pain that our Lord Jesus Christ went through. Man's sin was the reason for Jesus' suffering. It is not what we see on the outside or have that matters but the love that is in our heart. Do you have love in your heart? Because of the love Jesus had, He was able to overcome the hate, as love is stronger than hate. Jesus loved us so much that He died to deliver us from sin. If you are not saved and want to change- this is your time. Jesus' Blood will wash away your sin and give you a new life in Him. Brothers and sisters, follow the Lord's example. Follow the way Jesus loved and forgave others. The greatest aspect of Good Friday is forgiveness. For some of us, we find it hard to forgive. Things in the world change but man's heart has never changed, as people still commit sin. The heart is deceitful- 'Out of the heart comes the issues of life'. We should be so glad that Jesus can change the nature of the heart- but only if we ask Him to with all our heart. AMEN
Luke 24: 1- 9 The Appreciation Of Jesus Christ
1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. 2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8And they remembered his words, 9And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. There was a 'great earthquake' (as quoted in the Book of Matthew) when the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. Why the great earthquake? Because Jesus has the power over all things, therefore the Earth has to tremble. The women did no longer have to seek the living among the dead in the tomb, as our living Saviour is alive forevermore. Death could not hold Jesus captive. The events of Jesus was already written in the Word, and all of these things should come to pass. Today, brothers and sisters, we should also remember that the same thing that happened 2010 years ago is happening now. Because Jesus has risen, we have hope in Him. Death has no power over us. Because Christ conquered the devil, we can also conquer the devil with the power of Jesus Christ. Satan has already been defeated! Jesus has won the victory. Brothers and sisters, we should celebrate and appreciate the price that Jesus paid for us with gratitude. Those women in the Bible showed their love for Jesus. Let us also do the same and spread the Gospel. Let's testify about the risen Saviour whom we believe in. AMEN
1 Corinthians 13:1-10 The Characteristics Of Love
1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. The love that is mentioned in the passage is the love of God. As mentioned in verse 2, if a person can move the 'mountains' in anybody's life (it can be physical sickness or an obstacle that takes time to disappear in any person's life) without the love of God, he is nothing. Because of this, it is possible that someone can do all these things without God's Love. If we have the love of God in us we can discern the false prophets from the ordained prophets. Brothers and sisters, do we show the love of God? Sometimes it is only the love of God that helps us in times of adversity. Maybe you think you had the love of God in you- but try comparing it to what Paul is saying in this passage to see where you stand as a Christian person. The love of God is not something that you obtain from men; it is a gift that you have to simply ask the Lord for. We can overcome the enemy with love. We should show love to others and we will see the glory of God. Brothers and sisters, we should never let the behaviour of people stop us from showing the love of God. Talent and gifts will pass away but the love of God is forever. Brothers and sisters, open up your heart to receive the love of God so that you can overcome the world with this. Many people have gone astray looking for worldly love, which is not the love of God. The love that Jesus had for us had all of these qualities. Jesus is the example of this love- unconditional love. Whatever Jesus did on this Earth, we can also do as believers. Any time we remember how much God loved us, we should try to love others in the same way. AMEN
John 19:30 'It Is Finished' 30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. Whatever Christ did on Earth was to fulfill the prophecies in the Scriptures. When Jesus said 'It Is Finished', He knew that His work on Earth was completed. Jesus never left anything incomplete, as He had to pay the ultimate price for the sins of mankind. Nothing could stop Jesus from completing the work of the Father, not even Judas' betrayal, Pilate and the High Priests' injustice or Peter's denial! Words are very powerful weapons. Because of the pain caused by some words said by others, it can sometimes stop us from doing our work for Christ. Even our own flesh can play a part in this setback. As believers, we easily get offended and refuse to continue the good intentions for serving Christ. Jesus, however, was different. Nothing deterred Jesus from completing His work. He finished what He started. So brothers and sisters, as Christians we should look to the Cross. If you want to see God's Glory in your life, you need to obey Him. Sometimes our deliverance is left incomplete because we are reluctant to pray without ceasing. The fact that Jesus is far above all is because His work was finished. Once we believe in the Blood of Jesus, His life and protection covers us because His Life is in His Blood. Jesus' Blood was perfect and without blemish. Brothers and sisters, we should plead for the covering of the Blood over our lives in prayer and God will act accordingly. The Blood of Jesus is the 'starting point' of our spiritual journey, as it cleanses us from all iniquity. Once we plead the Blood of Jesus, we obtain power through the Holy Spirit to overcome and do things that we could not do previously. Brothers and sisters, ask God to help you finish the incomplete hardships in your life. Because of the victory of Jesus at Calvary, we as Christians can also be victorious. Anything that the devil brings against us is FINISHED by Jesus. Whatever you are going through brothers and sisters, JESUS HAS FINISHED IT. Therefore look onto Jesus Christ, as nothing is too hard for Him. Brothers and sisters, pray for God to strengthen you and make you a conqueror in Christ. AMEN
John 20:19-23 'Peace Be Unto You'
19Then the same day at
evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And
when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the
disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. 21Then
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even
so send I you. 22And when
he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the
Holy Ghost: 23Whose
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye
retain, they are retained.
When the doors were shut, Master Jesus our risen Lord came in. There are no limits with Master Jesus when He wants to meet a need in our lives. No matter what fear you have brothers and sisters, Jesus is saying 'Peace be unto you'. Jesus has never left us. He is still with us supporting and helping us along the way with His unconditional love. The peace He gives us is not from this world but heavenly peace to calm and comfort all troubled hearts. Regardless of the doubt of some of the disciples in the passage, Jesus wanted to show them that He is alive forevermore. The scars on His hands and His side proved this. Jesus has sent us to preach His Word and rescue lost souls for His Kingdom. 'As my Father hath sent me, even so I send you'- This phrase is saying that Jesus has given us the power to fight against principalities and powers. As long as the Holy Spirit is in you, you have the unlimited power to go out and tell the dying souls that JESUS IS ALIVE and JESUS SAVES! Brothers and sisters, doubt always brings failure, not blessings. Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. In the disciples' time of difficulty, Jesus came and comforted them. Jesus will do the same for you, as He cares for all our needs. Brothers and sisters, thank God for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit in our lives, for He has given us power and authority to overcome all things in the Name of Jesus. AMEN
Luke 23: 35- 43 The Cross 35And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. 36And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, 37And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. 38And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. As believers we need to always look to the Cross, because that is where our victory is. We see at the cross what sin in men did to our Saviour and Lord. The betrayal of Judas, Peter's denial, the envy and hatred of the High Priest and the Pharisees, the miscarriage of justice by Pilate, the cruelty of the Roman soldiers, and the scorning of the rulers while our Saviour hung on the cross suffering and in pain. Yet at the cross we see the love of God, the mercy of God, the shedding of the blood for our sins, victory over sin, and the finished work of the Saviour. Moreover here in the passage we see forgiveness and the hope of paradise. Master Jesus suffered even when He did nothing wrong. Sometimes we as Christians suffer when we have done nothing wrong, and at such times we need to look to the cross for the strength to endure. The two thieves on the other hand were paying the price for their wrongdoings. Yet in their suffering for their sins only one of them obtained mercy, forgiveness and salvation because he humbled himself and repented whilst the other did not. When we sin we need to humble ourselves, accept our fault, confess it, and God will have mercy on us and save us. Look to the cross, see Master praying for His enemies, so you can also forgive, see His blood that paid for your sins, see His great love for you, see His mercy to the dying thief, see His finished work, He has conquered sin and the world, see His victory over the devil, and see the hope of Paradise. Never take your eyes off the cross, it is your victory, Praise God. Fellow Christians, no matter what you are going through, look to the Cross because the victory has already been won. If you are not saved, today is the day of your salvation, accept the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, accept the fact that you are a sinner, confess your sins and Jesus will have mercy on you and save you. Joy, hope and victory shall be yours in Jesus' Name!
AMEN
Acts 3: 1- 18 There Is Power In The Name Of Jesus
1Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. 2And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; 3Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. 4And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. 5And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. 6Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. 9And all the people saw him walking and praising God: 10And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him. 11And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering. 12And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. 14But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. 18But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. The man in this Bible passage, born lame from birth may have believed that his circumstance will never change, his family who brought him daily to the temple to ask for alms may have also believed his situation will never change. Fellow believers, the devil can cause us to believe our situation will never change, because we were born with it, its in our family, the doctor have said it or it is impossible. But its never too late with Master Jesus, for with Him nothing is impossible. The Name of Jesus has power to change any situation or circumstance. When we pray in the Name of Jesus all things are possible. God's Timing is always the best, the lame man has to wait for God's time. Sometimes it seems like we are waiting forever but God has time and a season for everything. At the right time God will give us whatever we need, for all things work together for good to those that love God. Brothers and sisters, God cares for us and will provide all our needs. The lame man was asking for money but God gave him the healing he needed so he can work to provide for himself. What a wonderful God we serve. God know, He cares for every need of ours, and He knows what we really needs. So dear brothers and sisters let not stop praying, lets keep on asking and His word is "ask and ye shall receive" and when we receive lets worship and praise him as the former lame man did. Let us not forget that there is power in the Name of Jesus. Let take the word of God like a child and we will experience God's power in our lives. God will not share His glory with anyone so when God uses us to do anything, let us not take the credit as if it was done by our own power or might for the scripture says "not by might and not by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord" Let always give the glory to Jesus as Peter and John did. Whosoever call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Not only has the name of Jesus the power to heal but it has power to save and deliver, so if you do not know the Lord Jesus, today is the day of your salvation, call on the Name of Jesus and He will save and deliver you from sin, and heal you. There is power in the name of JESUS and with God nothing is too late and nothing is impossible.
AMEN
Acts 14:11 Drawing Power From The Holy Spirit
11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. The Lord is faithful unto us. He always blesses us, not always through material things but through His Word. The Lord is always ready to impart blessing- but are WE ready? By looking at the previous verses in this chapter, we can get background information from this passage. Barnabas and Paul, being filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, preached the Word of God to the multitudes of people in Lystra and Derbe. After seeing the crippled man start to walk again, the people started to worship Barnabas and Paul. But these two men both knew where their Godgiven power came from- the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit comes upon you He will give you power. The cripple was healed because he had faith that God would heal him. Faith is important in our Christian lives. Our faith pleases the Lord. Brothers and sisters, today is the 50th day after the day of Pentecost. What is preventing the Holy Spirit from doing what He used to do among us? This is the question we need to ask ourselves, because the answer lies with us. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! We should pray to God to discover the answer and then make corrections in our walk with Christ. God calls people for particular purposes. Paul was able to heal the cripple not because of his good speech or his discipleship with Christ- but because of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. You will become powerful if you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of us pray and the devil does not shudder- brothers and sisters, ask for God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Fellow believers, people should be able to see something in you, which should be the Holy Spirit radiating through us. We should let ourselves be controlled by the Holy Spirit- 'drunk' on God's Word. It is not just about praising God when things are going well but also about facing times of adversity. Brothers and sisters, are you able to cope? You will know if you are if you are filled with Godgiven inner peace during this test of endurance. But there is good news- with Jesus we can rise to the occasion as victors every time! Sometimes because of what we do or say it can make people blaspheme or have a different picture of the God we serve. If we want to demonstrate the Holy Spirit, we have to work for it. We have to show our zeal for this demonstration in the way we conduct ourselves in our everyday lives. We ought to pray more and read the Bible more. As Paul demonstrated the Holy Spirit, we should also aim to do the same.
AMEN
Acts 10:1-6; Acts 10:38-43 Salvation Is In Jesus
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, 2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which give much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: 6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree. 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Cornelius was a devout man, a Gentile, yet he worshipped the Living God. He feared God, prayed to Him always and gave alms to the poor. Brothers and sisters, we need to have a relationship with Jesus, for He alone has the power to forgive our sins and to save us. Despite Cornelius' good works, it was not enough, he needed to know Master Jesus as his personal Saviour. Our Lord and Master, Jesus is more concerned about our soul and our salvation. God heard Cornelius prayers and asked him to send for Peter. God always hear and answer our prayers if we pray with a sincere heart. Peter preached to Cornelius and his family about Jesus' suffering and His resurrection. Death could not hold Jesus in His grave! He is risen and alive for evermore. It is only Jesus that can judge the living and the dead. The Holy Spirit used Cornelius' life to demonstrate our works is not enough to earn us salvation. Only Jesus. Fellow believers, we need to take Jesus seriously. NOTHING in this world can be compared to our salvation in Jesus. Jesus came to save the lost and to destroy the works of the enemy. We have to believe in Him. Brothers and sisters, if for some reason you have backslidden or have lost faith, this is the time to draw closer to God. If you think your works will save you, this is your time to come to Jesus. There is no time to waste; Jesus is coming soon! It is not too late- give your heart to Jesus, and He will save and heal you and your house. Praise God! Only believe all things are possible with Jesus.
6th June 2010 What Kind Of Spirit Do You Have? Numbers 13:26-33; 14:1-4 &24 God instructed Moses to send 12 men chosen from the twelve tribes of Israel to spy all Canaan and bring them their report about the land. After searching throughout the land ten of the men brought an evil report which brought fear and doubt to Israel, only Joshua and Caleb brought a good report. God was displeased with the ten men because their report cast doubt on His promise to Abraham to give his descendants Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, also His faithfulness, and His power to deliver them. With their report, they totally ignored all the acts of God in delivering Israel from Egypt (a super power in those days) without a fight, and all the victory God won for them, and the presence of God that was with them. My dear brothers and sisters, see what the bad report of these ten men did to Israel. Of all the people who came from Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were able to enter the promised land. We as Christian are just like the Israelites, we are striving to enter into our rest in heaven which our Lord Jesus has prepared for us, and in our journey we must be careful about the words that come out of our mouth, that they encourage and lift others in the body of Christ rather than put doubts and fear into people to bring them down. God will not tolerate such people and will deal with them as He dealt with those ten people. God spoke about the spirit which Caleb had. God needs such people in the church, full of faith and power to lift up his church and to do more exploit for His Kingdom. Watch the people you associate with, are they filled with the Spirit and full of the word of God to encourage you in the way? If not then find believers who will guide and encourage you in the way. What spirit do you have? What words comes out of your mouth? Master Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Fill your life with the word of God and believe that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly and above all that you may ask or think. He is a faithful God and if you trust in Him, He will lead you safely to heaven. Don't look at the bigness of your problem but look at the bigness of God. If God is for us, who can be against us, and we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. We overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the WORDS of our testimony. Praise God.
AMEN
Isaiah 3:10-11 It Shall Be Well With The Righteous People who do not know our Lord Jesus are controlled by the words of this
world and not the words from the Bible. As the text reads
‘Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him’ is a
great encouragement words from the Lord to us. Once we are born again Master
Jesus clothes us with His righteousness but we need to work our own salvation
by living right for God. Brothers and sisters, we have to do the right things
in order to inherit the blessings of God. We as believers need to do the right
things, hate sin, live righteously so that it shall be well with us as the
scripture has said. When we do not have the fear of God, we will not show Him the respect God
deserves; therefore the Word cannot take its full root in the foundations of
our lives. For those of you fellow believers that are parents you need to
teach your children the fear of God, because they are the future generation.
But we need to fear God so that we can teach our children, family, friends and
neighbours to fear God. Remember, brothers and sisters, that if we want to please the Lord we should
walk in TRUTH. Never give up doing the acts of God. Always go before the Lord
with your problems and encourage yourself with this Bible passage, for it
SHALL be well with you. AMEN
Jonah 1:1-17 God Sees and He Knows Who are we as humans to hide from God? Can we even hide from our Creator? God sees everything, yet we think that we can hide things from Him. Brothers and sisters, we need to stop thinking that God does not see and start living the life that is pleasing to Him. Jonah feared God yet he was running from the will of God to preach to the people of Nineveh, but God saw Him. Through this Bible passage, we see a demonstration of how powerful our God is, and that He is all seeing and all knowing, nothing is hidden from Him. We as believers, need to know and understand that we cannot come to church every week, shout our praises to magnify the Lord, yet outside of church we still continue with our worldly ways, and think, God has not seen it. The Lord today is telling us that He knows everything. We can NEVER hide ANYTHING from Him. Jonah’s disobedience to God brought a lot of woes to the sailors in the ship, which tells us that if we disobey God as Christians, it affects people around us, be it our spouses, children, family or friends. In order to save their life, the sailors threw all their goods into the sea, which also reminds us, the words of our Master Jesus that our life is better than goods, and therefore we must not worry because our Father in heaven knows our need and will provide for us. Jonah’s admission that he was the cause of the storm showed he has accepted his fault and as a result, the demonstration of God’s power, put fear into the heart of the sailors and at the end they became worshippers of the God of Jonah. Praise be to our God. Lets accept our faults when we sin and God will use it to glorify His name. To every teenager, fear God, and obey your parents and listen to them and God will bless you. Jonah touched the people’s lives and now they have seen what type of God Jonah serves. Now they have to watch what they do, because of the fear of God in them. The fear of God is not being scared of God; but RESPECT and acceptance of God’s greatness and power. God wonderfully and specially made us, and we are made in GOD’S IMAGE. God is the Creator; everything in the world belongs to Him and He is in control. Brothers and sisters, make it your aim to seek God first in your life; and let your lifestyle show this. AMEN
Proverbs 12:6 The Power Of Our Words Words are very powerful, and they come from many different sources, from our family, friends, from the television, radio, music, books, magazines, people in authority, and from our own mouth. Words have a lot of influence in our lives and depending from where it is coming from, it can either lead us into life or towards destruction. Words paint pictures in our mind, being it positive or negative pictures. The words from the wicked, from people who despise God and do not fear Him, in the Bible text above, is like a thief lying in wait to steal, or as a lion, or a snake ambush a prey to kill. These words from the wicked seek blood, that is our life, for the Bible teaches that the life of the flesh is in the blood. These words from the wicked or the world seek to capture our mind, our soul, our heart, our body and our will. Master Jesus said” the thief (the devil, the prince of this world) cometh not but to steal, kill or destroy. Brothers and sisters, anyone who follows vanities and the lies of the world misses the opportunity of receiving God’s Mercy. By being bound to the world, people lose complete freedom, as the devil steals their heart. Jesus said ‘I have come so that you may have life and have it more ABUNDANTLY’- this means that Jesus wants to save us and make us completely free of sin. Fellow believers, what is in your mouth, because as true believers there is power in our mouth. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak- so if your heart is of the world, your mouth will speak after the things of the world. The things of the world look very good, but it is only a trap to push us backwards in Christ. Our mouth can either deliver us or put us into bondage. The scripture above says the mouth of the upright or the righteous will deliver him from all the ambush of the wicked. Our mouth full of the word of God, prayer, worship, praise, thanksgiving, wisdom will deliver us from all the ambush from this world. And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb and the words of their testimony, as the Bible says in the book of Revelation. If you have been deceived, or backslide, your mouth can deliver you as you ask God for forgiveness and His mercy and He will pardon and save you. Praise God.
AMEN
Isaiah 40:26-31 Wait Upon The Lord We are called to look up high to behold the wonderful creation of our God; it is only then will we appreciate the greatness and Majesty of our God. Every act of God is far beyond human knowledge and understanding, as verse 28 states ‘there is no searching of God’s understanding’. Our God knows all that He does, and He has a plan and purpose for everything. Many a time we put our trust in things of this world that always let us down - it is about time we put our whole trust in the Living God. The Bible has survived through the ages because it speaks the Truth and because truth abide for ever we need to put our trust in God’s word rather than men. Brothers and sisters hold onto the powerful scriptures of God, and they will help you through hard times. Never forget your God under any circumstance! Because the God we serve has all power, when we sin, we have to repent and ask for forgiveness so that God can stand for us. No matter what you are going through, God has the ability to give you the victory you need - if you are weak He hold the power that will make you strong, for it is Jesus who gives power. Power is not given by the world, all power belong to our God and comes from Him. Fellow believers, anytime you believe from the bottom of your heart that God can do anything for you, whatever you ask in Jesus’ Name you will receive! Remember the scripture says, “Whatsoever we desire, when we pray, we must believe that we have received them, and we shall have them". Amen. Life and death are in the hands of our God, and death has no respect for age, the young die and the old die, that is the reason why we must get right with God for we do not know the day or the hour God will call us. Young men have strength but God is telling us, that even the young men can loose their strength because they do not know the God who gives strength. However the people whether old or young, who know their God and wait upon Him patiently in prayer, in worship, in service shall renew their strength, to overcome any problem both physically mentally or spiritually. Lets pray that God will teach us how to wait on Him daily to receive the strength we need on a daily basis. God is our source of strength for any situation we may face. Waiting on God will bring us peace and joy. We will mount up with wings as eagles; we can soar above adversity and also over principalities and powers. We can always overcome by faithfully seeking the Lord’s Face and waiting on Him. Dear brother and sister let have time for our God and wait on Him, for He hold in His hands the strength and power we need to live and overcome the enemy of our soul. God bless you all.
AMEN
Romans 12:1-21 Remember God's Mercy to You Dear Brothers and sisters remember and think about God’s Mercy to you. God have been good and merciful to all of us by sending our Master Jesus to die on the cross of Calvary for our sins and save our souls from hell, and because of that we need to live a true and holy life, because that is the service God require from us as believers! We must not follow after the world and the way they go about their life and business, because the Bible says that anyone who loves this world does not have the love of God in him. Finally we need to be transformed and have a renewed mind, so that we will see the goodness of the Lord, so that we will know what is acceptable to God, and know God’s will for our life. Dear brothers and sisters, unless we are able to fulfill what Brother Paul has said above, that is: remember God’s mercy, present our bodies a living sacrifice, live a holy life, be not conformed to this world, and renew our mind, we will not be able to prove that God’s word is true, we cannot see the goodness of God, and the will of God for our lives. In the body of Christ there is no competition; competition is of this world. Each part of the human body has different specialist functions, and this is the same in the body of Christ, we have different gifts within the body of Christ. Because God has given us a measure of faith each person in the body of Christ has the ability to do different things in Christ. The goodness of God will only come when we walk with God alone. From Verse 7 onwards the passage goes on to talk about particular things that we as Christian must do or must not do. Below is a list of these things:
These are the fruits of the Christian who remembers God’s mercy, a Christian who has presented his or her body a living sacrifice to God, just as Christ suffered in the body to overcome sin, a Christian who is not walking in the ways of this world, a Christian with a renewed mind as the bible says, if any man is in Christ he is a new creation, all things has become new, praise God. A Christian who does not live like this cannot bear these fruits. May we each day, remind ourselves of God’s Mercy and kindness to us so that we may have the power and grace to carry out what is required of us by the Lord. Let our life be a sacrifice towards God and let us depart from the world and its sinful ways. It is only then can we experience the joy, peace, healing, victory and our heart fulfillment, which is the will of God for our lives, it is only then can we taste the goodness of our God. It is time to change our mind and live right for God. AMEN
2nd Timothy 2:20-21 Vessels of God The church of God is like a great house full of vessels of different makes, some gold, some silver, some clay, some metal and some wood. These vessel can be a vessel of honour or dishonour. No one will eat from a vessel made of gold if it was not clean inside, but if a vessel is made of clay and clean inside everyone will eat from it. In the same way we as Christians are like these vessels from different backgrounds, have different gifts and talents but God cannot use us until we purge ourselves from sin. The Bible says without holiness no one can see God so without holiness God cannot use us no matter how gifted or talented we are. God is holy as the Bible teaches so we have to be holy. Dear brothers and sisters, God is ready to use anyone of us because He is not a respecter of persons, and in any country anyone who fear God and walk uprightly and in truth is accepted by Him; Whatever you are - you are a VESSEL that God can use! All we need to do is to clean our lives. Praise God. AMEN
1st August 2010 Ephesians 6:10-20 Put On The Whole Armour Of God We as believers need to be strong in the Lord, yes it’s the Lord who gives strength but we have our part to play in order to receive strength from God. Its up to us to trust and obey God our Father, so that He will give us the strength we need for every trial and temptation. Just as we have to physically put on our clothes to protect our bodies, so in the spirit we also have to put on the armour of God, so we can protect our soul from the devil wicked devices. Our warfare as the text explains are not with flesh and blood (not human beings) but with the unseen forces of darkness, principalities and powers (they have some power), rulers of darkness in the world, spiritual wickedness in high places (in the air) who work through people, the children of disobedience. Their aim is to cause us to sin, to cause us to fall from the grace of God. In order to stand and overcome them we have to put on the whole armour of God, which is the Armour of Light. We have to arm ourselves with the TRUTH, because it is the truth that sets us free and make us secure in our God. We need to put on the breastplate armour of righteousness, we need to get right with God in order to fight and overcome the devil and his works; if we walk in sin we cannot get help from God to defeat the works of the devil, God is holy so we have to be holy. The GOSPEL is the armour for our feet, our Christian walk. The gospel is the power of God to salvation in our lives, so we need to believe the gospel and support in spreading it around the world. We also should be prepared to answer questions that people may ask about our faith in the gospel. The helmet of SALVATION is a great weapon against the devil. Whatever trials and temptations he will bring against us, our victory is “absent from the body, present with the Lord. The devil can take everything in our life but he cannot take away our salvation, which is in the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore no matter what difficulties he brings to our life, we will stand because of our salvation. FAITH is the victory that overcomes the world. The devil is always throwing his darts at us; it could be through the mind, words, trials, temptation, and discouragement. Our faith, like a shield will protect us from all the attacks the devil will brings into our life. Our faith knows no defeat, because it is the faith in our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ, the Faithful one who have overcome sin, hell and death. The WORD of God is the sword of the Spirit, sharper than any two-edge sword, with which we fight the devil and defeat him “and they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” Once we put on our armour we are ready to engage and persevere in ALL PRAYER for the saints, pastors and evangelist who are working to spread God’s Kingdom on earth, not forgetting prayers for our family and friends. So dear brothers and sisters let be strong in the Lord by putting on the whole armour of God so that we will stand against the enemies of our soul, Praise God.
AMEN
8th August 2010 Proverbs 11:1 Maintaining A Balance
Just as anyone hates to pay for the wrong weight on a scale, God hates dishonesty. God is delighted when we walk in honesty, in truth. Whatever a man sows that is what he reaps, the more we give to God in seeking after Him the more we receive from Him. In our Christian walk of faith we are taught to walk in spirit and in truth, to walk in hypocrisy is an abomination to the Lord. As Christians, we cannot ‘cut corners’ in our service to God - we need to serve God with all our heart. Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. Brothers and sisters, we need to seek God’s face and find out who He is. Let this verse be a guide to you throughout life and also meditate on this verse. Fellow believers, we can deceive man but we can never hide things from God. God sees our balance whether it is true or false and at the right time He rewards those who have been faithful. Brothers and sisters, we need to do things as if the Lord is watching us, not to please men. Don’t let go of Jesus! With Jesus Christ in you, you are BALANCED. We as believers live in the world but we are not of this world, we are Christ’s. Dear brothers and sisters let us allow God to shape our character by meditating on the word of God and applying the word of God in our daily walk with the Lord. We need to live a life of righteousness. You cannot succeed in life by putting Jesus Christ on the side. It is time to seek the things of the SPIRIT in order to maintain a healthy balance in Christ. AMEN
15th August 2010 Luke 7:36-48 Thy Sins Are Forgiven
When Master Jesus came into this world, He accepted anyone who cared to invite Him to his house. And now, He never refuses anyone who sincerely ask Him to come into his or her heart. Master Jesus knew the woman that was weeping, wiping, and anointing his feet with the ointment was a great sinner- but SINNERS were the reason why our Lord and Saviour Jesus came down from Heaven; He did not come for the righteous but sinners to repentance. Oh what a love! Brothers and sisters let us serve and love God wholeheartedly. The woman in this passage never ceased to show her love for Master Jesus by her actions. We must also show our love to Him because of what He has done for us. Through the parable of the two debtors Master Jesus showed that the one who had the biggest debt would love most. Therefore even though the woman’s sins were many, she obtained forgiveness because she loved more. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Dear brothers and Sisters, it doesn’t matter how many sins you have committed - if you come to Jesus Christ with a genuine heart He shall forgive your sins and make you a new person. When we offer our whole heart in sincerity to God, He is ready to forgive our sin. Because we have been forgiven we need to love Jesus the more. Brothers and sisters, we need to prepare our hearts as a dwelling place for Christ. Jesus has done a great thing for us by paying the price for our sins. The songwriter was right when he wrote, “it is heaven to know my sins are forgiven” Oh what a joy, we have peace with God, it opens Heaven gate for us, now we can come to our God and cry “Abba Father”. We have to give our all to Him because He deserves all the glory and the honour. He has done so much for us out of His unconditional love and we have to honour Him by loving and serving Him with all our heart. If you do not know the Lord Jesus, come to Him as the woman did, call on His Name for forgiveness and you shall be saved. Master Jesus we love you.
AMEN
22nd August 2010 Daniel 11:32 Know Your GodDear brothers and sisters, in this world knowledge is very powerful and most people get paid money according to the knowledge they have or share. The Bible says my people perish for lack of knowledge. As Christians, we have to know our God, to be strong against the devil. We have to Know who our God is, in order to defeat all the lies and deceit of the devil. To defeat all his fears and discouragements. When we know our God as Creator of Heaven and Earth and all human beings, we know that He has power and control over all things, nothing is impossible with Him - we will not be afraid of whatever is happening in the world today because our God is in control. He is a Covenant making God - He was faithful to Noah, Abraham, He will be faithful to us through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; He is our Master and Lord, He is the Great Provider- He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus; He is our Healer- He sent His Word and heals all our sickness and diseases; He is our Righteousness - so no weapon formed against us will prosper, He is our Sanctifier, He is our Banner-He fight for us, He is our Shepherd - we shall not want anything, He is our Peace and He is There for us, for He will never leave nor forsake us, He is with us till the end of our life, He is our Light and Salvation, He is the Strength of our life, who shall we be afraid of. Truly the people who know their God will be strong and do exploit, for who can be against us when God is for us and with us - no-one! and we shall never be moved, praise God. My brother and sister, you will know no defeat when you know your God, so know Him, and seek only after Him. Do not envy sinners but fear God all the day long and your expectations will come to pass. Praise God. Our God is an awesome God and He reigns. He is more bigger than our problems, lets worship Him and make Him Big over all our problems. May God bless you as you seek to know Him. Praise God. AMEN
29th August 2010 Ezra 7:10 Following Ezra’s ExampleDear Brothers and sisters, we must persevere to do the will of God in our duty and service to God! The Lord likes a broken and contrite heart. If we want to come before Him we must come with humility and reverence. Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of God and also to do it’. We should ask ourselves this question, ‘Are we seeking the Word of God and determined to do them?’ Brothers and sisters, not only do we have to KNOW the Word of God, His commandments – but we have to obey them by doing them, by putting them into practice in our daily lives. It’s only then will we see the power of God in our life. It takes the conscious will of man to follow the Word of God. This perfect will of God is not automatic in our lives because the fall of man through Adam brought sin into the heart of man. It takes the Word of God and obedient to the Word to put right in us whatever was made wrong in our heart through sin. Fellow believers, we need to hold on to the Word of God. When we have done what Ezra did, the Lord will ALWAYS be faithful to His Word. If we want to teach others about God we have to let the Word of God be PART of our lives; we cannot just live anyhow and become living contradictions. As we allow the Word of God to rule our lives, we will all be able to impart the Word into generations to come. Our aim is to live right for God on this Earth so that one day by His Grace we shall join our Maker in Heaven, for ‘absent from the body present with the Lord’. Praise God.
AMEN
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