Be Ye Transformed

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.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4 (KJV)

Being heaven conscious makes one ready at all times for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Heaven is the ultimate eternal reward for the upright in Christ, thus missing it leads to eternal disappointment.

The opening scripture gives us a picture of the wonderful events in heaven. It is a place of real perfection, where there is no decay, death, sorrow, or pain. It is also good to know that the former things, that is, things associated with decay, death, sorrow, pain, disappointments, and everything associated with sin, have passed away.

Dear beloved, are you conscious of heaven? Being conscious of heaven in our decisions, choices, and everything we do makes us ready for the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ Jesus.

This consciousness is needed for us to focus on our God-given assignment and to finish it to the glory of His name (John 4:34, 19:28–30).

Prayer Point : Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your timely word. Please make me conscious always about heaven that I may focus on the assignment you’ve given me and finish it to the glory of your name, in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Psalms 119:46-48 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
v.47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
v. 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

Introduction
Let me begin by saying that faith is at the centre of Christian life. Faith plays significant role in our spiritual growth and development. The Bible declares in Hebrews 11:1 that “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Also Romans 10:17 stated that “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”.

What does it mean to declare ones Faith in God?
To declare ones faith in God simply means acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Savior. Apostle Paul admonished us in Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”.
Declaring one’s faith in God also means declaring the truth overs errors, trespasses and other involvement in worldly practices. Declaring faith in God is to speak fearlessly and courageously about the goodness and Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the more reason why Apostle Paul declared in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”.

These declarations are actions of faith and complete trust in God. The psalmist in chapter 119:46 says “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed”. This statement identified David declaring his faith in God.

The fundamental question
How often do you declare your faith in God? Do you testify God’s goodness in your life?
Therefore, declaring faith in God is also declaring the word of God.

When one testifies the goodness of God, you are proclaiming the word of God to people as a result of your previous meditations of the the word of God.
So as a child of God, how often do you meditate on the word of God? The scripture is very resolute in 1 Timothy 4:15-16 which says “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee”. Also Psalms 119:48 says “My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes”.

Some people meditate on the word of God but are ashamed of declaring it. These group of people need revival because they are spiritually deformed. This is negating the divine command give to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Matthew 28:19-20 which says “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 alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ warned in Mark 8:38 that “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels”.

So why are people still ashamed in declaring the word of God?

1. They still conform to this world as against the admonition given 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”.
2. People still fellowship with darkness as against the admonition given in Ephesians 5:11 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”.
3. People do not have the mind of Christ as against the admonition given in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”:
4. They are filled with the works of the flesh as recorded in Galatians 5:19-21.
5. They still belong to the synagogue of Satan as recorded in Revelation 2:9 “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan”. And also Revelation 3:9 says “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee”.
6. Prayer
   Almighty and everlasting Father, empower me to declare my faith in you always in the areas of my life, my family, my job, my business, my ministry and every aspect of my life in Jesus Mighty Name Amen.
7. Almighty God, let your word empower me with spirit of discernment to identify and differentiate between good and evil in Jesus Mighty Name Amen