Month: September 2020

“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.

Text: “Pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV)

Introduction
According to the English dictionary, to pray is to make request with earnestness or zeal, as for something desired; to make entreaty or supplication; to offer prayer to a deity or divine being as a religious act; specifically, to address the Supreme Being with adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving.

The text has admonished us to pray without ceasing. And to pray without ceasing in Christianity simply means continuous rendering of supplications to God through our only Saviour Jesus Christ.

The most painful aspect of the Christian life is when you feel your prayers are just hitting the ceiling and returning to you. In other words, you feel your prayers are not being answered. This feeling is normal when you are frustrated and you want a quick solution to your problem or challenge.

Dear beloved, have you given up on prayer? Even though you may feel your prayer is not being answered, don’t give up on prayer.

First of all, know that it is a feeling from the devil and his demons to make you give up on prayer. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ admonished his disciples in Matthew 26:41 saying “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. There are lots of tribulations surrounding our living but consistent prayers makes temptations to be averted in our daily lives.

Secondly, if truly your prayer is not being answered, then you are living in doubt. James 1:6-7 says “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord”. Every elements of doubt should be removed from our lives but instead let us have faith in God.

Finally, if truly your prayer is not being answered, then you are not praying according to the Word of God. James 4:3 says “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts”.

Beloved, you can overcome this feeling by rebuking the feeling and the devil or demons behind it. In addition, declare words of faith by saying, for example, “Thank you, Jesus Christ, for rewarding my faith, glory to God!” and burst into thanksgiving and rejoicing. We should learn to declare the word of God in our lives. The psalmist in Psalms 119:46-47 says “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved”. As a child of God, let us not be ashamed in declaring the word of God and obeying His commandments.

Finally, pray on the basis of the Holy Scriptures, and let them be the evidence of your faith. Having the right motive for your prayers, your faith will be rewarded physically.

Remember that any time you pray correctly, God will initiate the process spiritually for the answer to manifest physically, so be patient. Write the prayers down so that you can easily recognize their answers and give glory to God. The more you give glory to God for answered prayers, the happier He will be to do more for you.

Prayer Point : Dear heavenly Father, thank you for teaching me from your Word not to give up on prayer. Please create a burning desire in me to always pray without ceasing, in Jesus’ Name Amen.

From the scripture above, the children of God has been given divine promise to overcome challenges militating against them.
Matthew 10:1 says “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease”.

Mighty and everlasting Father, give us the grace to cast out unclean spirits, diseases in Jesus name.

“Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” Psalm 91:13–14 (KJV)

There are two worlds in the universe: the spiritual world and the physical world. The laws that operate in these two worlds vary. We must understand that mankind is first a spirit, having a soul and living in a body.

Thus mankind has the ability to relate with spiritual things and physical things. The level of knowledge and revelation about evil spirits and how to handle them are much clearer in the New Testament than in the Old Testament. For example, in the New Testament, the doctrine of casting out demons and devils was started by Jesus Christ (Mark 1:25–27).

After defeating them and making public ridicule of them, He asked us to do the same to the devil and his demons (Mark 16:17–18).

Dear beloved, never entertain the devil and his demons, because they are sinful, wicked, and destructive. They operate mainly through deception and lure their victims into their net to destroy them. They are responsible for sin, diseases, disappointment, failure, sicknesses, death, etc.

Any time you sense their presence, cast them out in the name of Jesus Christ; never give them room to operate, and you will always win. When you indulge in sin, you give them room to be around you and harm you. Love God, and He will always give you power over them so you can keep trampling them underfoot.

Yes, as a child of God, you are not free from the devil’s attack. The devil is always looking out for Christians to win back into his kingdom. No wonder Jesus cautioned his disciples in Mathew 26:41 to watch and pray so that they will not fall into temptation.

More so, 1 Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.

No matter the antics of the enemies, let us find solace in the promises of God upon our lives as recorded in Philippians 4:6-7. We are not afraid because he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. You are an overcomer.

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word about how to keep the devil and demons away from me. Please continue to inspire me to love you and people, and always keep the devil and his demons far away from me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” Matthew 7:15 (KJV)

Deception is the greatest weapon of the devil, who is the archenemy of the children of God. No wonder Jesus Christ described him as a murderer and a liar from the beginning.

Jesus said in John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it”.

Satan’s nature is all about telling lies to deceive people in order to make them sin against God and end their career, vision, joy, life, etc. He achieves his plan through his children (agents) such as prophets and anyone who will buy into his lies.

A lot of people had been lured into the satanic enclave through so many means especially through getting rich. Satan has the capability to make someone rich and after which the person becomes an agent of his.

Satan will deceive some people that he will make them have husband, pregnant, give them societal recognition etc. but will end up hypnotising them. This is peculiar to miracle seekers going from one spiritual house to the other.

People no longer study the Bible to gain understanding of the dictates of God’s word but instead navigate from one place to another looking for miracle workers who are devils incarnate deceiving and luring their victims into the dark kingdom. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ admonished his disciples in Matthew 26:41 saying “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. Are you watching and praying?

Remember that satan deceived Eve to sin against God, and Eve then influenced Adam to sin against God (Genesis 3:1–6). This sin plunged the whole world into sin, but thanks be to God for sending Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ overcame all the deceptive strategies of the devil to show us that we can also overcome all the devil’s deceptive strategies as recorded in Matthew 4:1–11.

Dear beloved, have you been deceived by any false prophet? Any time you lose your hold on the Word of God or become ignorant of the Holy Scriptures, you become vulnerable to the false prophets.

Remember, they also use the Holy Bible, or Holy Scriptures, but twist them to lure people to believe in them and then subsequently deceive them and rob them of their dignity, money, reputation, virginity, property, or any valuable in their possession. No wonder the Word of God describes them as wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Beloved, if you have been deceived by any of them, learn from your experience. You can also report them to the authorities, and always be on your guard by being a student of the Holy Scriptures; don’t be afraid to confront them by using the Scriptures if they try to lure you again. Pray for discernment of spirits, and the Holy Spirit will always alert you to know them.

On the other hand, if you haven’t yet been deceived by them, please watch out for them by studying the Word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you. Then you will not become a victim.

Prayer Point: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word about false prophets. Please give me the gift of discernment of spirits to be able to know these false prophets, and also give me a retentive memory of your Word to retain your Word and overcome the activities of false prophets. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.