Be Ye Transformed

Text: James 1:2,
James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Also Romans 5:3 says ”And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

Study: The very moment a person surrenders to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the devil become annoyed. While the devil and his agents are unhappy, the angels in heaven continue to rejoice. Satan the devil will try all means to bring that Christian to ruin. Why because the Bible clearly states in 2 Corinthians 5:17 saying that ”Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This declaration makes Satan to be uncomfortable because he lost the person from his dark kingdom.
One of the best moments of every child of God is the day he or she became born again. It is a day when your heart is glad and rejoices because you are saved by Jesus Christ for eternal life so that you can have fellowship with the Father and be called a child of God.

During the course of your relationship with God, you will go through tribulations. There are many of them, and they are unique to every child of God; it is a training that God gives His children so that they can be empowered to endure the difficult times in life. This is exactly what Jesus Christ went through after He was baptized by John the Baptist.

The Bible informed us that immediately Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and lighting upon Him saying this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

Satan on hearing this pronouncements upon Jesus Christ, came to tempt Jesus Christ in other to see to Jesus down fall Jesus never fell.

Find a way to rejoice in the midst of the tribulations because of what they will produce in you. They will produce patience, experience, and hope in you. Patience, experience, and hope will then defeat all forms of shame in your life, and you will be a better person for God to use to bless the rest of the world. Praise the Lord.

Prayer: Almighty Father, you alone can give life and protection. Enable us with your divine grace to overcome this untoward tribulations pestering our lives in Jesus name Amen

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:9 (KJV)

Devotion: Embracing the LORD’s boldness makes success inevitable. Anxiety, fear, and doubt are products of the fallen nature of mankind. These are the spirits that war against our faith in the Lord. Moses passed the leadership baton to Joshua before his death but Joshua could not immediately take up his responsibility because of discouragement. This was the strategy the enemy adopted to stop them from reaching the Promised Land. God came on the scene on two occasions to encourage and strengthen Joshua before he was able to gather courage to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. As a Christian, God wants you to start this month well, therefore, He is asking you to be strong and courageous.
Hebrews 13:5 says ”Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”.

God is with you and will never forsake you. Since He is with you wherever you go, your victory is guaranteed. Have faith in His Word and walk in it to make this month your month of blessings, breakthroughs, and miracles.

No matter the travails of life, Be Courageous and have the stern belief that God is always there for you.

Prayer
Almighty and every Father, I put all my trust in you. Give me the spirit of courage to overcome challenges in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

Text: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:1-5 (KJV)

Devotion: Knowing that the Word is what you need puts an end to every form of lack. The Word of God is God; it had been with God from the beginning (Genesis 1:1).

Beloved, the Word of God knows your beginning and your end. It is the most essential thing you need to succeed in life. It has life to sustain you, light to direct you, and power to overcome all forces of darkness that seek to wage war against you. Everything in the world, including you as a human being, was created by the Word of God. It means, therefore, that as a child of God you can use the Word of God to get whatever you need.

The Word of God is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the light of the world that shines in the life of every Christian. In John 8:12 ”Then 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”. Also in Matthew 5:14 Jesus said to His disciples ”Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”. This simply means that whoever that accept Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour will no longer walk in darkness but the light will shine upon him/her.

Brethren, Do you apply the word of God as necessary? To effectively and efficiently apply the word of God, you need to search the Scriptures to find the Word that has the solution to your needs and speak them continually in faith, and the Holy Spirit will bring it to pass in your life. Proverbs 25:2 says ”It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter”. It is our duty as Christians to search for the word of God continually to enhance our spiritual nourishment and growth.

Also 2 Timothy 2:15 admonished us saying ”Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. Do you often study the word of God?

We should therefore not lose hope in the Word; be patient in faith and you will see the mighty hand of God in your life. Praise the Lord!

Prayer Point : My dear Father, thank You for Your undiluted Word. I’m excited to hear that it has everything I need to make life meaningful. As I begin to search Your Word, please lead me to find all the scriptures that minister to my needs. And as I declare them in faith, thank You for bringing them to pass for me to testify to others that Your Word really works, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Text: Matthew 4:1 -11

Devotion
Let me start by saying what was recorded in 2 Timothy 2:15 which says ” Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. This portion of the Bible is simply encouraging us Christians to continuously study the word of God to enable us spiritual nourishment and understanding to declare the word in our lives. Studying the word will also make us understand God better and do according to His ways.

It is interesting to note that the solution to overcoming temptation is the word of God in you. Our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ overcame the devil with the written word which He declared. This is an indication that there is power in the spoken word of God. Jesus Christ, our Lord. knows the word and quoted it to overcome the devil: that’s why He told the devil “It is written”.
      
It is not enough to know the Word of God in our heart but to use it as a weapon of warfare. Ephesians 6:17 says ”And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. The Bible is admonishing us here that it is not enough to have the sword in the sheath; it must be drawn and wielded to fight the enemy. So it is imperative to quote the word in every situation. No wonder John 6:63 says “The word that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”

This means that when the word of God is quoted, it moves to accomplish the purpose for which it was spoken. According to Isaiah 55:11, the Bible says, “So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Dear beloved, how much of the word do you know? Do you make use of it to overcome the devil?The word must be heard, read, studied, meditated upon, memorised, spoken or quoted at all times. The word of God has given us a leeway in  John 5:39 saying, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me.” So it is our duty as Christians to search, declare and testify His goodness in our lives with the word to surmount challenges seen and unseen that comes our ways.

As children of God who have vowed to carry out His will in our lives, how much do you apply the Word? It is a call for revival of our mind and soul in the things of God. Remember, the Bible told us in Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In conclusion, our minds must be transformed towards the word of God. As this will enable us to stand firm to declare the word at all times. All we need do is to request the Holy Spirit to teach us accordingly.

PRAYER: Oh Lord, let your Holy Spirit teach me your Word so that I can boldly use it to defeat the enemy in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

Text: 1 Peter 5:8 (KVJ)
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour’

Devotion : We are indeed living in an untoward generation backed up with iniquities manifested through agents if satan. From the text, we understand that the adversary is referred to as the devil.

An adversary is someone who always takes the opposing position, in other words, an opponent or an enemy. The devil is described as an opposition, opponent, and an enemy. He has nothing good in him and will never do good. He seeks people who are vulnerable to destroy them through hypocrisy and deception.

As Christians, we must understand that the devil is a spirit and can only manifest in his enslaved agents. A lot of people have yielded to become agents of Satan knowing and unknowingly. A person become an agent of satan if he or she exhibit the works of flesh as recorded in Galatians 5:19-21. Anyone that exhibit any of these have no place in the kingdom of God.

The only way a believer in Christ Jesus can outwit satan is to be sober and vigilant. Soberness and vigilance must go together to identify the operations of the devil and his cohorts of darkness.

According to the advanced learners dictionary, vigilant simply means wakeful, watchful, carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger.

A Christian should understand that the world is full of evil. No wonder Apostle Paul warned in Ephesians 6:12 saying ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places’.

Also Ephesians 5:15-16 admonished ‘Walk in Wisdom
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil’. The days are indeed evil based on daily happenings we see and hear from both the print and electronic media. We hear of killings all over the place by those who are anointed by principalities, powers, rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places.
It is also glaring that the youths have derailed from the path of righteousness towards the kingdom of darkness. People are pursuing wealth without wanting to do genuine work for a living.

Salvation preaching is fast fading from the churches and the devil has taking the mind of genuine Christians. Oh what an untoward generation. Parents are now borrowing money to buy android phones for their children to enter yahoo schools. The youth are now going extra miles in getting involved in money rituals by killing their fellow humans. Oh what a perverse generation.

Churches are now turned to business centres with continuous measures of seeking for money instead of fulfilling the evangelistic mandate given by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In Mark 16:15 Jesus said to them, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He never said go ye and preach the nonsense we are seeing these days.

Christians need to be vigilant because our saviour forewarned in St. Matthew 24:24 saying ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’.

Christians must therefore shun sleepiness, dull-mindedness, drunkenness, ignorance, and prayerlessness to overcome the adversary.

Let us therefore Put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Prayer
Almighty and everlasting Father, we thank you because you are omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God. We request you cloth us with your whole armour and endow us with the spirit of discernment to identify the activities of the agents of satan. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3 (KJV)

As children of God, our works and our thoughts should coincide, meaning our thoughts should work hand in hand with our actions. For this to happen, we must commit our works or plans into the LORD’s hands in prayer, and He will give us the right thoughts or directions as to how to achieve our works or plans. Proverbs 3:5–6 says ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths’.

This is the only way to ensure that your thoughts are in sync with your actions. Dear beloved, do you want to be established?

If you don’t commit your works or plans into His hands in prayer, you will not achieve them because you would have put pride in your heart, thinking that God is not necessary to achieve them. This will lead to failure.

Jesus Christ wants to be part of every decision we make so that He can take His rightful place in our lives as our Lord and Savior. That is why He gave us the Holy Spirit to abide with us forever (John 14:16). Therefore, let us involve the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, decisions, choices, and every action or work we do, and we shall succeed. Remember that success starts with having the right thoughts. Philippians 4:8 advocates ’‘Meditate on These Things Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things”.

Thus, involve Him in everything you want to do, and He will lead you to always win. Glory to God!

Prayer Point: My loving Father, thank You so much for making Your Word available to me. I meditate on it day and night. Please guide and lead me to make the right decisions, choose right, and take the right actions in order to be established and always win in Jesus’ name. Amen!

“For he that is not against us is on our part.” Mark 9:40 (KJV)

He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Luke 11:23”

The Kingdom of God is full of light and without any spot of darkness. It was not surprising that in His ministry on the earth, Jesus Christ always wanted people to take a particular stand; either they were for Him or against Him. So He said “either make a tree good and its fruits good or make the tree bad and its fruits bad” (Matthew 12:33).

Dear brethren, have you chosen to come into the light of the Kingdom of God or remain in darkness? Jesus on the sermon on the mount told His disciples in Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid”. No hypocrites are entertained, and neither are those who sit on the fence. If you are a born again Christian, let it show in your good conduct that you belong to Jesus Christ.

Be able to share the good news of Christ with the people in your sphere of contact. Anyone who interacts with you should clearly know your stand for Jesus Christ, that you truly belong to Him forever and are not ready to compromise your position, just like Agrippa, who almost became a Christian through Apostle Paul’s preaching (Acts 26:28).

Remember that if you claim you are a Christian but the things you do are in contrast to the teachings of Christ Jesus, you are against Him, and you will be marked for punishment if you do not repent.

Romans 12:2 warned “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. If you are for Christ, then your mind will be renewed through transformation and not conforming to this untoward generations backed up with iniquities.

Also 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. This simply means that immediately one surrenders to Christ, he becomes a renewed person filled with the Holy Spirit to neutralize the effects of satanic manipulations in the world.

Are you for or against Jesus Christ? If you are not for Christ, then you are for the devil. No wonder Apostle Paul told the Galatians in chapter 6:17 saying “From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus”. Anyone who is for Christ must bear the marks of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:11 admonishes all Christians saying “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”. In this present dispensation where the various signs of the end are everywhere, people still fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness thereby going against Christ.

The scripture is very clear about the end as recorded in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 saying “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away”. The vices listed in the scriptures above are increasing on daily basis not just within our immediate environment but all over the world. These happenings were previously told by Jesus Christ to His disciples as in Matthew 24:1-end.

Anyone who is not standing for Christ is therefore referred to as a member of the synagogue of Satan. Revelation 2:9 declares “I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan”.

I urge you to stand for Christ Jesus, and your life will move from glory to glory even in the midst of challenges.

Prayer Point: Our heavenly Father, thank you for enlightening us today from your Word of truth. Give me the grace each day to stand for Christ Jesus wherever I find myself. Let many lives be touched and blessed through me because of my stand for Christ even in the midst of challenges. In Jesus Mighty Name Amen. Thank you Holy Spirit.

“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. Luke 11:23”

Devotion : This was a profound statement made by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is clear that no one can be on the fence in this world; you are either for Jesus or against Him.

Either you are winning souls for Him or you are turning souls away from Him; there is no middle ground. Those who are in the world or those who are not born again are against Jesus Christ; no one can dispute it.

However, those who are born again must ask themselves whether they are for or against Jesus. This is the truth from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s point of view.

Dear beloved, it is time for you to ask yourself this personal question: “Am I for Jesus Christ or against Him?” We are in a perverse generations marked by immoralities thereby deviating from what is right.

In Philippians 2:5, Apostle Paul admonished saying “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”. He was telling them to develop a mind of love, true fellowship, avoid being selfish and understanding among brethren as recorded in Philippians 2:1-4.

Any one not living ideal Christian life is not on the side of Christ. Any one on the side of Christ will not yield or support evil practices. Romans 12:2 says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”. Are you proving what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God?

Dear beloved, let us strive and be on the Lord’s side so that heaven will be our portion.

Prayer: Almighty and everlasting Father, grant us the grace to walk in your stead and be on Jesus side. This we ask in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1 (KJV)

A shepherd is a person who tends and rears sheep. A shepherd is also someone who guides or directs in a particular direction. Making the Lord your shepherd puts an end to all lack. He is the great provider. If He could turn five loaves of bread and two fishes into abundance to feed five thousand men, not counting children and women, then He can truly take good care of you as recorded in Matthew 14:19–21.

We make Him our shepherd when we believe in Him and make Him our Lord and personal Savior. He guides and directs us through the Holy Spirit. Remember that He is the way, the truth, and the life, so you are guaranteed a wonderful destination if you follow Him (John 14:6).

You can hear His voice if the Word of God dwells in you richly, and it becomes easy to follow Him and enjoy the best of Him.

Dear beloved, make the Lord Jesus Christ your shepherd, and be intimate with Him through the fellowship of His Word and His Spirit. Then enjoy all the good pleasure of His will till eternity.

Prayer Point: My dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word. I make Jesus Christ my shepherd today and make up my mind to become intimate with Him in order to enjoy the best of Him. Please let me never forget to fellowship with Him every day. Amen!

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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.” Matthew 28: 18-20 (KJV)

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has given a mandate to teach all nations the gospel. The ability to teach the word of God is an indication of readiness to fulfill the commandments of God. The ability to teach God’s Word comes from the Holy Spirit. Are you inspired to teach the word of God? What do you use the teaching talent for?

It is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit to empower us and equip us with all the skills needed to teach His Word.
John 14:26 says “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”. What He requires from us is to be teachable and cooperative under His tutelage, and we will acquire all the skills and gifts to be able to teach like Jesus Christ.

There are some who think that they cannot teach, so they don’t even try or make themselves available for training. Dear beloved, never have such an erroneous thought; simply make yourself available to the Holy Spirit, and He will do the rest. Desire to work for Him, and join the department responsible for teaching God’s Word in church or your place of worship and submit to authority.

Additionally, get your own Bible and other supplementary materials, and you will be equipped to do the Lord’s work. 2 Timothy 2:15 says “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. There is need for continuous study of the word of God to enable us grow spiritually.

He has promised to be with you, so trust Him, and He will work wonders through you like He did in the life of Apostle Paul. Just make yourself available to the things of God.

Prayer Point : My dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word of encouragement. I make myself available to you. Please train and equip me to be able to teach and function in your Kingdom, drawing many people to your Word, in Jesus’ name. Amen.