Using the keys

 

Revelation 1:1-18

I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave (Revelation 1:18).

 

 Read Acts 4:1-20 and consider what it means to have a clear understanding of your authority in Jesus.

What does it mean for you to have an identity based on heaven’s view rather than earth’s? What are some areas where you believe Jesus is calling you to walk in a greater sense of His authority?Based on the bulky size of the key ring that holds my car and house keys, losing it shouldn’t be an issue. But it seems that I’m always searching for my keys, and they’re hardest to find when I need them most. One time I lost a set of keys after wrapping up gift baskets we had made for a youth fundraiser. I imagined someone opening her gift, only to wonder how to claim the house and car that came with her basket!

 

In John 14:12, Jesus tells us, “Anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” This teaching has been a difficult one for me to wrap my mind around—especially reading about the incredible miracles Jesus performed. I’ve come to realize, however, the difference between knowing I’m a citizen of His kingdom and actually living as one.

 

Intellectually, we digest the truths of Scripture and seek to put them into practice. Yet one of the key elements of Jesus’ ministry was His authority—not in the sense of telling people what to do, but in His understanding of who He was and is. Extending far beyond information, His identity—and thus His authority—comes from heaven, not earth (Revelation 1:13-18). So should ours.

 

His life for ours, the cross was an identity exchange. But Jesus didn’t need to go to the cross to reclaim power He had somehow lost. After all, He had already demanded that the grave relinquish the dead, that bodies be healed, hearts be restored, and demons flee.

 

He died to hand us keys we had lost due to our sin. But, like any set of keys, ownership is only effective as we use them (Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:18-19).

 

 

 

 

 

Thief of time

 

Luke 9:57-62

Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family (Luke 9:61).

 Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-3 to see why it’s best to serve God now instead of later. Look up Acts 24:22-27 to see what happened when Felix put off making a decision.

 

What steps could you take this week to build God’s kingdom? How might God want you to change patterns of procrastination in your life?

 Maneesh Sethi hired a woman to sit at his computer and watch him as he worked. Armed with a list of his tasks, her job was to slap him if he tried to put off working by checking Facebook or scanning other websites. Later, he employed a tall Swedish man to do the same job—that guy hit a bit harder, according to Maneesh. Oddly, this rather extreme measure worked. Maneesh claims that his “slappers” helped him become 98 percent more productive by preventing procrastination during his workday.

 

It’s important to be productive in whatever job God has given us. Paul wrote, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically” (Romans 12:11). But we should also be diligent in our work for His kingdom. Jesus said, “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (John 9:4).

 

Someone described procrastination as “the thief of time,” and this seems to fit with the sense of urgency Jesus wanted His followers to adopt. Once, Jesus invited a man to follow Him, saying, “Come, follow Me.” But the man said, “First let me return home and bury my father” (Luke 9:59). Jesus replied, “Your duty is to go and preach about the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60). Then another man said, “I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family” (Luke 9:61). Jesus, who sees past our excuses, replied: “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

 

God has called each of us to use our spiritual gifts to serve Him. If He’s tapping you on the shoulder today, asking, “When will you serve Me?” don’t put it off. Let Him know that you’re available—first time.

 

NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 27:27-44

Trust The Al Sufficient God..

 

 

I like to be in control. And the truth is, you probably do too.

 

“I’ve got this.”

 

“I can handle that.”

 

“I can make my own choices.”

 

The huge problem with this kind of self-sufficient thinking is that it puts you at the center of your life. Instead of our all-sufficient, sovereign God.

 

Find out why this is a recipe for sin and disaster.

 

It is not by might…..

Today is “Tomorrow”

Proverbs 27:1 Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

 I read some research by psychologist William Morriston who reported that 94% of the 3,000 persons he surveyed were enduring today in order to get to tomorrow.

 Do you know anyone like that? Perhaps you are one of those.

 Tomorrow, you’re going on vacation. Tomorrow, you’re going to get the house cleaned. Tomorrow, you’re going to start your diet. Tomorrow, you’re going to balance your checkbook. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

 The only problem is…tomorrow never arrives. When it gets here, it is today. And today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

 It is always today. Act accordingly!

Choosing the Longest Line

 

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits…” (Psalm 130:5)

“The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion… Blessed are all who wait for Him!” Isaiah 30:18

 A young boy went  grocery shopping with his mother. Seeing the two checkout lines ahead, he made a quick strategic call: “Look, Mom! Those customers are moving faster. Let’s get behind them.”

 Why was he in such a hurry? Was he late for a football game or television program? Was an important person waiting outside the store? I suspect that this boy had just fallen victim to the no-time-to-wait mentality so many of us adults have.

 Waiting is not one of my strengths (and I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment; most of us really dislike waiting). I identify with Carlo Coretti, who wrote, “This pursuit of impatience easily drifts into my spiritual life. Wait on God? Wait for God? I need an answer now! An even more dangerous thought process proclaims, ‘I need spiritual maturity now.’”

 Has the pursuit of impatience drifted into your spiritual life as well? How does one gain spiritual maturity in a fast-paced world?

 Decide to choose the longest line up at every chance. Pray while you wait in line so you can live by the pace of the Holy Spirit.

Never Forsaken

 

Frequently we pray that God will not forsake us in our hour of trial and temptation, but we forget that this prayer should be on our lips at all times. There is no moment of our life, however holy, when we can live without God’s constant upholding.

Whether in light or in darkness, in communion with the Lord or in temptation, we at all times need the prayer, “O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God.” (Psalm 38:21) A little child, while learning to walk, always needs her parents’ aid. The ship abandoned by the captain drifts at once from its course. Likewise, we cannot do without continued aid from above.

Let it then be your prayer to-day: “Do not forsake me Lord. Father, do not forsake your child, or he will fall by the hand of the enemy.

 Shepherd, do not forsake your lamb, or he will wander from the safety of the fold.

Great Gardener, do not forsake your plant, or it will wither and die. ‘O LORD, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God,’ and do not forsake me at any moment of my life. Do not forsake me in my joys, or they will absorb my heart.

Do not forsake me in my sorrows, or I will murmur against you.

Do not forsake me in the day of my repentance, or I will lose the hope of pardon, and fall into despair.

 And do not forsake me in the day of my strongest faith, or my faith will degenerate into presumption.

Do not forsake me, for without you I am weak, but with you I am strong.

Do not forsake me, for my path is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot live without your guidance. The hen forsakes not her own brood, and I ask that you will even more cover me with your feathers, and permit me under your wings to find my refuge. ‘Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.’ (Psalm 22:11) ‘Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.‘ (Psalm 27:9)”

 Question: Have you ever felt forsaken by God? Were you really forsaken

Let Go and Let God….Know God is in Control

 

Psalm 46:10 (GW) “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth

Psalms 46:10 KJV “Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth”.

Every day, you have to decide who’s going to be in control of your life — you or God.

 That choice is a battle. There are things in your life that you want to control. You want to make your own rules. But stress relief always starts with letting God be God. It always starts with saying, “God, I’m giving up control, because you can control the things that are out of control in my life.”

 Psalm 46:10 says, “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God. I rule the nations. I rule the earth” (GW).

 I don’t know what you’re going to face this week. You don’t, either. But I can already tell you what God wants you to do: Let go, and know. Let go of control, and know that God is in control. Let go, and know! This is the first step to calmness in your life.

Whenever we face out-of-control situations, we tend to go to one of two extremes. For some of us, the more out-of-control our life gets, the harder we try to control it. Some of us do the exact opposite: We just give up! We have a pity party and invite ourselves to it.

 Both of those reactions to stress are foolish. They The number one reason we under stress is because we in conflict with God. We are trying to control things that only God can control. We can’t control our husbands or our kids or your wives or our job or our future or our past or any of that stuff. The more we do it, the more we are trying to play God, and that puts us in opposition to God. Not only are we going to lose that conflict, we also going to be tired.

 From today learn to let go and let God; and the testimonies would be amazing.

Millions of people pray the Serenity Prayer, which is based on the Lord’s Prayer, but most have never read the last eight lines to the prayer: “Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking as Jesus did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with you forever in the next. Amen.”

 That’s where the power is! There is power when you surrender to God the very things you’ve been trying to take control of from him.

 What is the result — physical, emotional, and spiritual — when you surrender to God the things you want to control?

 

 

Follow God's Guidance … follow the narrow road that lead to life

Matthew 7:13–14 (NIV) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

A few years ago my wife and I trekked a remote area of the Ogun state forest in Nigeria. We’ve done a lot of trekking searching  for plots of land to establish my life dream – a holiday resort  for stress relief  of  most of our chief executives who hardly find time to cool off , so we felt fairly confident. But the old-growth forests provided a new experience.

 Instead of clear paths cutting through thick underbrush, we found stretches of huge trees in all directions, with smooth forest floor coated with a bed of fallen leaves. No dirt path visible. Nothing to indicate which way to go, except for small path markers nailed to trees.

 At first, we could scan into the distance and spot the next marker and know which way to head. But sometimes path markers were missing. We found several broken off, or resting in the dirt near the base of a tree. When the path seemed to disappear, I forged ahead. Eventually I pulled to a stop. “I have no idea where I’m going.” My wife muttered, “That never stops you.”

 We backtracked to the last marker and tried a new direction until we found the elusive next symbol. Our trek that day reminded me of the adventure of following Christ. He might give me a glimpse of the final destination, but most of my life journey, I’m aiming just for the next small path marker up ahead.

 My steps lead through rocky terrain, beautiful scenes and swampy marshes. Often God’s guidance is as clear as the white diamond markers on tree trunks, giving me courage for tough climbs and wet treks. Other times, I struggle to see the path. I struggled in a likely direction for a while and then need to backtrack a bit, stand still and listen until Jesus gets me back on track. His narrow path is the only one that will lead me safely through the wild forests of my life and home to my eternal destiny.

Wait a minute: Ask Jesus to show you clear path markers for the next step in your journey on His path. 

 

 

 

A Devotion to Help Strengthen Your Marriage

 

Hebrews 13:15 (ESV) “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

Staring back at me from the bathroom floor is a pile of dirty clothes. Specifically, size-large gym shorts, one sweaty workout shirt, an undershirt, well-worn briefs and haphazardly balled-up socks. As usual, the mass of neglected garments sits not inside but beside the hamper, clear evidence that my husband has been on the scene.

Today, as I stare back at the messy mound, I folded my arms across my chest and smile. Laugh, even. I catch myself elbowing past annoyance and choosing gratitude instead.

I once heard a radio talk-show host doling out advice to a complainer bride who had called to gossip on her clutter-hound husband. “It sounds to me like you've got two options,” the host said. “You can live in happiness with a sometimes-frustrating husband or you can live in sparkling cleanliness alone.” The comment went deep, both for the caller and for me.

Besides the relationship between humankind and God, marriage is the only covenantal bond noted in Scripture. Which I assume means it's a connection prized by God. I want my attitudes and my actions to show that I prize it as well, and I'm realizing more and more that part of how that gets worked out in my life is by knowing what things to focus on and what things can stand to be overlooked.

I thank my heavenly Father for giving me a man to know and be known by, to love and be loved by, to serve and to be served by each day. My darling husband may be prone to untidiness, but untidy companionship carries a certain appeal when it involves such a magnificent human being.

Thank You, Lord, for eyes to see an abundance of blessings all around.

Shake Off Fear—Embrace Blessing!

 

 

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

 

Did you know that fear can cause you to forget things? Now, I’m not talking about forgetting a phone number or someone’s name, though it may cause you to forget things like that. Instead, I’m referring to fear that causes you to forget the blessings, the anointing, the power of God—all these possessions you have because you are saved!

 

 It happened to Timothy, who was mightily gifted and graced by God for the ministry that God had given him. Yet he forgot this in the midst of fear, and Paul had to remind him (see 2 Timothy 1:6). He had taken his eyes off of God and focused on fear so much that he couldn’t see anything else.

 

 Let me tell you something friend: You are tremendously blessed! If you get your mind distracted by fear, then you will fail to see your blessings in Christ. Fear will blow out every light in your soul, take the blue out of your sky, and the joy out of your life.

 

Friend, wake up and count your blessings. Rejoice, for you are an overcomer in Christ!

JEALOUSY... THE CAPSULE OF STAGNATION

Most people can’t succeed in life because they are jealous. They are jealous of their friends, neighbors and with everyone who are successful. Jealousy comes when the person next to you is better than you. He is much more fair, successful and have more supporters than you do that’s why you are jealous.

 

To win the race of life you have to think winning. If you think about defeating your opponent, you will never win. If you want to be a professional, you have to complete with your opponent, not with the person. If your opponent is better than you that mean there is something about him. Try to figure out what he does and follow his path.

 

Most of the time we make decisions based on our emotion. We keep ourselves busy competing with the person and forget about our overall goal. As a result, your competitor will be more successful and you will leave with failure.

Don’t be jealous of anyone and try to improve your skills. Your battle is against life, not with a person.

 

Jealousy is one of the top reasons of failure and also the secondary reason to kill someone.

 The sky is to big to us to fly. Birds don't collide  in the sky for lsck of space.

 

Strive to manaifest your life dream for the benefit of mankind.

A Time to Think

 

May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God's presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of myself as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love. –

Adversaries

 IN THIS WAR OF conquest that we all must wage, there are also the adversaries with whom we have to wage it; and they are adversaries of flesh and blood. They are human beings like ourselves, each of whom is fighting the same war toward the same end and under a banner emblazoned with the same word that our banners bear, and that word is of course Myself, or Myself and my Family, or Myself and my Country, Myself and my Race, which are all really MYSELF writ large.

It can be the most ruthless of all wars, but on the other hand it need not be. Saints and sinners fight it both. Genghis Khan fought such a war under such a banner, but so did Martin Luther King, Jr. It can be the naked war of the jungle, my ambition against your ambition, my will against your will, or it can be war more in the sense of the knight at arms who abides by the rules of chivalry. If often it is the war of the unjust against the just, it can also be a war of the just against the unjust. But whichever it is, it is the war of flesh against flesh: to get ahead, to win, to gain or regain power, to survive in a world where not even survival is had without struggle.

Giving the Devil Plenty to Mourn About

 “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead.” Colossians 2:12

People often ask me, “Why do Baptists immerse people—put them fully under the water—when a new convert to Christ is baptized?” Because that’s what God’s Word teaches. When you go under the water that is a picture of your death and burial. When you come up out of the water that is a picture of your resurrection. “Buried with Him.” “Risen with Him.”

 If I died and you took me to the cemetery and sprinkled a few granules of dirt on my head, have you truly buried me? No. The very word “baptism” means to immerse.

Your baptism is a funeral service: Dead to the old life. Raised to newness of life. And the devil doesn’t like that. The baptismal is a liquid tomb, and the mourner who comes to that funeral is the devil. Let’s be sure he has plenty to mourn about.

Would You Turn Down a Pardon?

 

“For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28

In 1829 George Wilson was adjudicated guilty and given the death sentence for murder. But Wilson had some friends who petitioned President Andrew Jackson for a pardon.

 

Jackson granted the pardon, and it was brought to prison and given to Wilson. To everyone’s surprise, Wilson said, “I am going to hang.”

 There had never been a refusal to a pardon, so the courts didn’t know what to do. Discussion went all the way to the Supreme Court, and Justice John Marshall gave this ruling: “A pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends upon the acceptance by the person implicated. If he does not accept the pardon, then he must be executed.”

 God loves you and wants to pardon you, but if you refuse Him, you will die and go to hell. Cast yourself upon Him completely, and receive the free gift of His forgiveness today.

 

Have you repented of your sin and believed upon the atoning work of Christ’s blood on the cross? Being good doesn’t get you to heaven. It is only Jesus.

 

Endeavour no to crucify Jesus Christ once again by your persistent sins and adulterous way.

 

Be holy for He is Holy.

You have no time you have only NOW.

Friend, are you yet spending all your time chasing wealth, honour, and power? What is their total worth? A billion dollars? Twenty billion? Or, perhaps, the whole world? Then there is the true worth of the world; 

NOTHING.”But the day of the Lord’ says the spirit of God, “will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Now, consider this: at least 85 people die every minute! that means 5,100 every hour, 122,400 every day. 3.67 million every month and well over 44 million every year!

That is not all. Now the tragedy is that majority of these people- hold your breath  – go straight to hell screaming, weeping, and wailing and groaning with the pain and terror of hell where they will sorrow day and night, forever, all through eternity.

FOR MINISTERS OF GOD

 In ministry, to attempt to please everybody is to end up pleasing Satan. There are people who dislike you for what you are doing. 

There are those who dislike you for what you are not doing. Certain people's full-time job is criticism. 1Cor 4:1-5. 

Always remember that your number one audience in ministry is God.

A Day In My Life With God

A Day In My Life With God

This is how you give your battle to The Lord. 

Tell Him that you are done fighting and you are giving it all to Him.

Tell Him you will no longer worry about it or even think about it.

 Tell Him you can't do this in your strength. 

Tell him you need Him to do it all. Then every time anything comes to your mind concerning this battle, just say to yourself,"I've given it to Jesus," and go about your business or maybe even start praising Jesus, or quote Scripture, or sing a hymn.

 Do whatever it takes to keep your mind off the battle, because this battle it is no longer yours. The battle is the Lord's!!!