29/5/2013 0 Comments Do you feel betrayed?Have you ever been betrayed? Someone close to you was disloyal, your friend, a person you least expected it from.
To be betrayed can be hurtful and naturally painful, but what is Gods response to betrayal? Position yourself as a leader. You have a board of deacons whom have been with you for a long time. Then it is revealed to you that one of them will betray you. At that moment you are having a meal with them on the same table, eating with your enemy. This is what happened to Jesus. Have you ever thought of what other things could have happened when Jesus was eating with the disciple he knew would betray him? Various accounts of this incident can be found in Matthew 26: 20 – 29, Mark 14: 17 – 21, Luke 22: 21 – 23 and John 13: 21 – 30. Jesus could have threaten Judas or dealt with him otherwise but he did not. How exactly did Jesus respond? He told Judas the consequences of his actions and continued business as usual. The ordinance of breaking of bread was established there right in front of his enemy with all the emotions of being betrayed by a person close to him. Our human reasoning cannot comprehend how Jesus responded, but one thing is sure. Jesus committed it into the hands of the father. 1 Peter 2:22 – 23 “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:” Thank God for Jesus and the great example he has set for us. Do you feel betrayed? Forgive and commit yourself to him that judgeth righteously. Remember that Romans 12:19 – says ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head’. There is no point in trying to fight Gods battles. You may not always be able to explain betrayal. Don’t blame yourself. Did Jesus not pray before he choose his disciples? He sure did. Rather commit yourself to him that judgeth righteously. Romans 8:28 – says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” In the time of betrayal, run to God, the rock of your refuge. He will protect you and guard your heart and mind. Don’t respond in the flesh but commit yourself to the bishop and shepherd of your soul. B.O
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16/5/2013 0 Comments Can man limit God?The Lord has His ways and the wise agree with the ways of the Lord. Its amazing, but in certain ways we can limit what the Lord wants to do in our lives if care is not taken. I recently heard a testimony and l was eye witness to the account.
A lady was about to board a plane in June 2012. She said that she heard very clearly three times ‘ do not board that flight’. She went to the airport and told the airline that she does not want to board the flight. The airline told her, that they cannot refund her money, she either boards the flight or loss the money. She choose to loose the money and thank God she did. The flight crashed with NO survivors. When she was giving the testimony, she held the ticket for the flight and waved it standing on the pulpit. Thank God she obeyed and listened to the warning of the Lord. The Lord wanted to deliver her, and her obedience to the Lord did not limit Gods delivering power which was manifested on her behalf. A very sobering lesson, disobedience to the voice of the Lord can limit God. In the book of Numbers 20, Moses disobeyed the Lord. This was the consequence: Numbers 20: 12 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Lets look at another scripture: Deuteronomy 31 : 1- 3 1 And Moses went and spake these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in: also the Lord hath said unto me, Thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 3 The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said. If you note from verse 3, Moses said that he is 120 years old and can go no more out and come in and also (which means in addition to this), the Lord had told him (Moses) that he cannot go over Jordan. Moses would have taken the children of Israel across the Jordan had he not disobeyed the Lord. Which means that Moses would have been given strength and everything required to complete the job. There would have been no need for Moses to say ‘ l cannot go in and out’ in verse 3. We properly would have had an account of a 120 year old still leading the children of Israel. He would have been strong enough to do it, but he limited God. The children of Israel also limited God. Psalm 78: 40 – 43 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy. How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan. Please read the full account in Psalm 78. So can we limit God? Sometimes, yes we can, in many ways. We must be careful not to limit God in what He wants to do in our lives. Many today are refusing to yield to Him and come to the Lord. The Lord wants to reveal His saving power to many. The Lord is faithful and able to do exceeding, abundantly, above all we can ask or think. Refuse to limit the One who wants to do great things through you and for you. An ever great, awesome and faithful God! Abraham is a good example of one who did not limit God. Quick to believe and obey. The Lord wants to do great things and He will as long as we let Him. He is ever ready to do good! 23/4/2013 0 Comments He saith unto Peter!Towards the end of Jesus earthly ministry, Jesus took three of His disciples to pray with Him.
Matthew 26: 36 - 41 36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. In the book of Mark the account of verse 40 says: Mark 14: 37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? From this account, Jesus took three of His disciples along to pray with Him and one of them was Peter. Since there were three disciples, why was the question ‘ why are you sleeping can you not pray’ addressed to Peter only? And if you note it, the Lord called Peter by name. I think it is safe to say that, at that time Peter did need to pray because of the attack and temptation that was coming his way, but he slept. The Lord is very specific and He deals with us as individuals. He knows what we might each face individually, and He knows the plans that He has for each individually. This is why we cannot afford to run and do like others. Yes they may be Christians, but we cannot afford to disobey what the Lord has specifically told us to do. Remember that He may not have instructed the others to do the same. In this account, all three disciples i.e. Peter, James and John (Mark 14: 33) were supposed to be praying, but the Lord addressed the question to Peter because as earlier stated it is safe to say that he was the one who was going to face the more severe attack and temptation. He: i.e. Peter and not James and John denied the Lord. He should have prayed. So what is the Lord saying to you? But others are not doing it, does it matter? Only Peter fell and not James and John because the attack was towards Peter. Whatever the Lord tells you to do, take it as a specific instruction for yourself and do it. What others are doing around you does not matter. The instruction is for you, and the Lord knows why. Just obey! Thank God for church services and home church meetings, however we must spend time with the Lord ourselves and know what He wants us as individuals to do. We must each know and hear His voice. So my question is, what is the Lord saying to you!. Whatever it is, just do it! B.O One of the responsibilities of the Christian believer is to live a blameless, pure and faultless. In our society today and I guess it wasn’t much different in the past it would seem that it is increasingly more difficult to
live a blameless and faultless life, with aggressive secularism and the accompanying “freedom” to do whatever we like as long as it feels good and it’s not hurting anyone. 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. 14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky Philippians 2:12-15 It seems like such a tall order, especially for the young or new believer to comprehend the blameless and faultlessness of being a Christian. Such a tall order, one would think they could never achieve it and so would not even be worth try in the first place. However, the Sacrifice of Christ does provide ample provision for the believer to live a blameless life blameless. However, the bible never promises complete sanctification this side of heaven, but we definitely must give it our best shot. As Colossians 1:21-22 suggests, one of the result of Christ’s sacrificial death is that we would be brought into God’s presence (qualified to come into God’s presence) as holy and blameless 21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, Colossians 1:21-22 (NRSV) I particularly like the New living translation version of these verses:- 21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. He has brought you into his presence and you are holy and blameless and you stand before him without a single fault”. Without a single fault, blameless, Me? Yes indeed you. He has invited us into His presence where sin could not stand, He has invited us in to his presence even though He is pure and cannot stand evil (Habakkuk 1:13) What does all this mean then? Our spiritual position in Christ is that we are faultless and blameless. We are indeed faultless and blameless, not by any of our own good deeds, but only through what the sacrificial blood of Jesus has accomplished for us. Our knowledge of, and our faith in this truth is what will enable us to increasingly live out our blamelessness and faultless nature in this crooked and perverse generation. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Jude 24–25 (NKJV) S.O 1/4/2013 0 Comments Walking with GodEnoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24). The original Hebrew meaning for walked implies that Enoch went up and down, in and out, to and fro, arm in arm with God, continually conversing with him and growing closer to him. Enoch lived 365 years—or, a "year" of years. In him, we see a new kind of believer. For 365 days each adult year, he walked arm in arm with the Lord. The Lord was his very life—so much so that at the end of his life, he did not see death (see Hebrews 11:5).
Like Enoch, who was translated out of life, those who walk closely with God are translated out of Satan's reach—taken out of his kingdom of darkness and put into Christ's kingdom of light: "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). Enoch learned to walk pleasingly before God in the midst of a wicked society. He was an ordinary man with all the same problems and burdens we carry, not a hermit hidden away in a wilderness cave. He was involved in life with a wife, children, obligations and responsibilities; Enoch wasn't "hiding to be holy." By: David Wilkerson Read full article at: http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/devotions/2010/walking-with-god 4/3/2013 0 Comments Jesus still took him!!Are you struggling with issues in your life? Do you feel that the Lord wants to use you in some way however you have struggles? Or are you just a Christian, you may not particularly feel any specific call however you just want to please the Lord at all times. The good news is the Lord has great plans for us all. He has designed us all for a purpose. Jeremiah 29: 11 For 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.
Now just imagine Peter. The Lord told Peter that he would deny him three times. Peter was so adamant that it would not happen. So many factors would have contributed to that response. Mark 14: 27 – 33 27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. 30 And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 31 But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. 32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; Now lets look at the above account. The Lord knows better than we do. If you knew beyond a shadow of doubt that somebody was going to deny you three times, what would you do? If you were going to pray, especially a significant prayer, would you take such a person along with you? But watch the mercy and goodness of our Lord. Jesus still took Peter. 32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. 33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to very heavy. The Lord told his other disciples to sit down, while He took Peter, James and John with Him. Just note that, the final most important prayer He prayed during His earthly ministry, Jesus knowing very well that Peter would deny him, still took him along. What an amazing Lord! The Lord sees our hearts beyond our weaknesses. The Lord knows our weaknesses but still delights to use us. The Lord knows that we are all ‘work in progress’ so stop being too hard on yourself. The Lord kept Peter as one of the three, despite all. And see what happened? Peter ended writing part of the bible and was also used mightily as we can see in the book of Acts (Acts 15:5). This is also a lesson for leaders that have flock and people that they mentor. The bible says in the book of Psalms 147: 5: Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. The Lord understands our weaknesses and short comings. Is this a licence not to work on ourselves? No. The point about this article is that we are all work in progress. The Lord has called you, has plans for you, and still desires to use you. When we fail, its then we must run to the throne of grace for mercy. The Lord is not surprised when we fail for He is not caught unawares. He truly delights in us. Even as the Lord still took the Lord is still calling you. Stop being hard on yourself, respond to His love, keep close to the Lord. As the days go by as you grow up in Him, more of Christ will be formed in you. What you fell for today, will be history and no longer a temptation tomorrow. Let the Lord have His way. B.O article by Don Hooser
Jesus and the apostles exhort us to actively "watch"! We need to understand all that they meant and the wide-ranging implications. Our survival and salvation could depend on that understanding and action! The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, "Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. See All...). The rest of the verse is clear, but what does "watch" mean? Paul wasn't telling us to be passive spectators—of entertainment or anything else. He meant something far different. This article focuses on New Testament scriptures with the verb "watch"—important scriptures that are often misunderstood, ignored and neglected. How important is it that we "watch"? Consider this: The biblical command to watch is several times coupled with the command to pray. Is prayer important? Extremely so! And so is the command to watch! Watch means to stay wide awake When the New Testament commands us to "watch," it is usually the translation of one of two Greek words ( gregoreuo and agrupneo ), which have similar meanings—to "stay awake" and to "be sleepless." They are usually meant in the metaphorical and spiritual sense—to be vigilant and on guard, fully awake, aware, alert and intently focused—with several applications and implications. Please read full article at: http://www.ucg.org/bible-study/jesus-warning-watch-just-what-did-he-mean/ 31/1/2013 0 Comments Be focusedIn Genesis 25:25-33 Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for food
. Their Mum Rebekah had been told by God that the boys will struggle and indeed that the older will serve the younger as a matter of fact their names reveal this Esau means hairy while Jacob literally means supplanter or ‘someone who takes the place of’ blessing (i.e. the blessings of his father). Rebekah intervened in that she told Jacob what to do, She got Jacob to wear Esau’s clothing so that he will smell like Esau ( no deodorant in those days). Jacob could not see properly however he could smell him. The mum to cover up got Jacob to cover his arms with hair so that he will feel like Esau. Rebekah finally cooked the kind of meal that her husband likes Esau cooking for him. She probably thought Esau how to cook it anyway. It now required Jacob to have the courage to carry out the plan. remember he has rightfully purchased the birthright from Esau with a bowl of food. If Isaac had found out Jacob would probably have got a curse a instead of a blessing. Although what happened was not nice , there are still a number of things that are interesting and applicable to life from this account. The first thing would be that even though you have the grace to do a job or something sometimes you also need the courage to step out and do it. Jacobs very own name reveals his nature but he still needed encouragement from his mum to carry it out and step into his blessing. He also needed the courage. If he got found out he would have been cursed even though his mum and probably his dad new this was his destiny. Secondly, every success needs meticulous planning, and sometimes that planning might need knowledge that you do not have. In this instance Jacob needed the knowledge and expertise of his Mum. She then planned the act meticulously because she had the knowledge of her husband’s likes and behaviours Note that his Mum was placed there by God, and was someone he trusted. God always brings someone we can trust and that would help us on the way to destiny, our way. We have to recognise them. Jacob must have been close to his mum and trusted her completely. Finally even though you are destined to do something you will need to struggle to and fight for what is rightfully yours. You need to be prepared to adjust and be flexible. Jacob wore Essau’s clothes so he could be like him to get the blessings. I implore you to keep your focus on destiny and be prepared to fight. Be flexible, step out of your comfort zone and be courageous in going for your God given destiny and let God do the rest … bring time and chance your way. A.O 2/1/2013 0 Comments The engrafted Word! The word of God must be “engrafted” into our hearts. The reason for this is made clear in the book of James; “and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21b).
The same as when grafting a grapevine, the nurseryman takes great care in ensuring that precision is used to join the cutting to the wild rootstock. If the graft is not accurate then the job would prove to be a waste of valuable time. In a similar sense, if we do not take time to engraft the word, to take the words out of the pages of the Bible and implant them into our hearts, we will waste our lives! We would become no different to those Old Testament religious hypocrites of Jesus’ time who paid “lip service” to the Lord, whose hearts were far from Him. One very decisive determining factor that marks those under the New Covenant is the fact that the Word is engrafted upon their hearts; (Hebrews 8:10-13). Where is the Word of God today? Is the Word of God limited to the ink printed on paper? Or do we read it often enough, meditated upon it enough, that it has become “engrafted” in our hearts as well? To have the Word of God “engrafted” in our hearts is not possible without daily reading of the Bible. From/ read full article at: http://www.churchofchrist.com.au/Lectures/Doers/The%20Engrafted%20Word.htm 9/12/2012 0 Comments The Abundant LifeDo you really know why Jesus came? If you do, are you experiencing everything He bought and paid for with His blood? If you are not, have you asked yourself why? Or are you giving yourself excuses by saying maybe God does not want me to have this or that.
The bible is very clear about why Jesus came, in John 10 vs10, Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly’. The dictionary describes abundant as, ‘plentiful, fullness, rich, copious and affluent’. A life of abundance is a life so full and rich that it attracts attention and influences others. This is the reason Jesus gave His life, for us to have a rich life; spiritually, emotionally, marital, relationally and financially; ‘richness in every area’. In John 10 vs. 11, ‘Jesus said I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. An exchange took place at Calvary, ‘He gave His life in exchange for our death, i.e. everything that death represents. In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam, the day you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die’ ’.We know that Adam lived until he was 930 years old, after the fall (Genesis 5:3).So he did not die physically but spiritually, i.e. separation from God. Adam who was made in the likeness of God (Genesis 5:1), the God of abundance fell from his exalted position after he bowed his knee to satan by obeying him. He was therefore separated from the source of abundant life. In Romans5:2,the bible says, ‘Therefore just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned’. Separation from God means separation from His will for mankind. It means separation from the abundant life God preordained for us (see Ephesians 1:3-5). The coming of Christ therefore has one purpose – to restore us (mankind) back to God and the original intention of God for us; ‘life of abundance’. In Romans 5:17,the bible says, ’For if by one man’s offense, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. Through the death of Christ, God’s grace towards us has been released in abundance to enable us to reign in life; to reign means to rule as kings and queens, to be supreme and to have the strongest influence. Ask yourself a honest question, are you reigning over your circumstances or is it the other way round? If you are not, you are living below what Christ purchased for you with His blood. You may even be saying, but I am already a Christian, I go to church, why am I not reigning as a king? I asked the same question many years ago when I was going through a difficult time. I went to God in prayer and He has since then been showing me what I am sharing with you. The bible says in Matthew 11:12, ‘And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force’. You have to take what belongs to you, all that Jesus purchased for you, by violence – they will not automatically happen because you are a Christian or you go to church ever week. In John 10:10, ‘Jesus said that the thief (i.e. the devil) comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. Thieves go to places where they can get valuable stuff, they do not visit people who are poor or have nothing of value. The devil therefore comes just like he did in the garden to steal that which belongs to you – ‘what Christ came to give you’. God has done His part by sending Jesus. Jesus did His part when He died and gave His life in exchange for our death. Our part is to receive Him and all that He obtained for us. In John 14:6, Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. He is not a way, but the way to the Father and the abundant life. Therefore the first step to the abundant life is to receive Jesus (the way) as your Lord and saviour. Acknowledge what He did on the cross and ask Him to come into your life. He has been waiting for you to take this step of faith to your abundant life. The second step is to begin to spend quality time with Him (the source of abundant life) in His word and in prayer. This is vital to continually live a life of abundance. Let us look at John 15: 4-8, the word abide is mentioned in these verses on few occasions and it means to remain or dwell. If you remain in Him through His word then you remain plugged in to the source of life. The opposite of abundance is lack hence wherever there is lack (lack of spiritual growth, lack of health, lack of money, lack of marital harmony etc) there is no abundance in that area. Our attitude is not to accept this but to go into the word of God and find out what the word says about the situation and begin to declare it by faith. Hebrew 4:12 says, ‘the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword’. Also Acts 19:20, says, ‘so the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed’. To prevail means to overcome, triumph and to abound. The word of God has within it the power to overcome any situation. Therefore as you declare the word over the area of lack, the power of God begins to produce change in that area. Make a quality decision today to spend time in the word; reading it, listening to anointed words on CDs and meditating on it. Get connected to the source of life and see the Lord manifest Himself in your life beyond your dreams. Dr T. O |
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