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Thursday 12 December 2013

YOU TOO CAN BE REFRESHED

TEXT; 1 KINGS 19:7-8

“The angel of the lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you. So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he travelled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Elijah had just had victory over the prophets of Baal, and when Ahab told Jezebel about what happened; she was bent on killing Elijah. Being devastated, weak and weary Elijah flee for his dear life. “He came to a broom tree sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “ I have had enough lord he said. Take my life, I am no better than my ancestors” (1 Kings 19: 4b-5). Instead of God granting his prayer of frustration, God sent an angel to provide him with food, after eating the food he was refreshed and strength came back to his weak body, and he was able to continue on his long journey that he felt was over.

Elijah felt dejected and helpless; but in that state of confusion God provided him help (He is a compassionate God). This is an assurance that in that predicament, He has not left you to deal with it alone; help is coming your way today in Jesus name.

There are some situations in life that makes you wanting to throw in the towel, many times we think we don’t deserve what we are going through, and we don’t see a way out of it. Therefore we settle for the idea of taking a drastic decision like Elijah called on God to take his life.

Many people believe that it is better to end their lives than to continue in the problem. The scripture says there is hope for the living (Ecclesiastes 9: 4). God refreshed Elijah and restored back his strength, if you call upon God to refresh you body, soul, and spirit, He would give you strength to carry on your journey in life without getting tired or weary, and He will find solution to that pressing issue.

Elijah was refreshed and reinvigorated, you too can be refreshed, call on Him today, for His strength makes perfect in weakness.

Wednesday 11 December 2013

HE KNOWS YOU NEED THEM

TEXT: MATTHEW 6:31-33

“So do not worry saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly father knows you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

God loves His children and He does not want us to lack any good thing. He knows all our needs and He is always ready to provide all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Nevertheless for the provisions to be provided you need to seek Him FIRST, you need to love him genuinely and obey all His commandments. Your heart should be taken off the pleasures of this world and delight yourself in the lord ALWAYS.

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Instead of seeking God; many have wandered away from God in search of what to eat, drink, and wear (they forgot that God has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches). It is the blessing of God that makes riches and does not add sorrow, wandering around looking for how to make ends meet may yield little or no result, you may not have anything to show for your hard labour if you decline to seek God first. Our text says seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL OTHER THINGS shall be added to you (these includes what you did not ask for). But people are seeking other things and neglecting God, and this will only end in frustration!

If we can trust God with all our hearts and let go of our will for His will, we wouldn't need to go through hardship in life. One day of God’s favour is better than many years of hard labour. He said in His word that if you FULLY obey the lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give to you today, the lord your God will set you high above all nation (Deuteronomy 28:1).

Stop struggling, seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ALL OTHER THINGS shall be added to you because He knows all your needs.

Sunday 8 December 2013

THE VOICES

The Voices

GOD’S VOICE	SATAN’S VOICE
Stills you	Rushes you
Leads you	Pushes you
Re-assures you	Frightens you
Enlightens you	Confuses you
Encourages you	Discourages you
Comforts you	Worries you
Calms you	Obsesses you
Convicts you	Condemns you
Is sincere	Is deceptive
Co-ordinates	scatters
Directs you	Misleads you
Promotes you	Demotes you
blesses	curses
Repairs you	Destroys you
Mends you	Breaks you
Gives life	kills

Choose whose voice you want to hear.

By
Bola Praise

© (2013)

www.vesselofpraisemusicministry.yolasite.com

Saturday 7 December 2013

THE GATES (PART TWO)

TEXT: MATTHEW 7:13-14

“You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide FOR THE MANY WHO CHOOSE THAT WAY. 14 but the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, AND ONLY A FEW EVER FIND IT.”

In the first part of this topic I explained why the gate to the kingdom of God is narrow and why the road is difficult. I also talked about the criteria for entering through the narrow gate (Holiness).

In this second part I want to talk about “The highway to hell is BROAD AND ITS GATE IS WIDE FOR THE MANY WHO CHOOSE THAT WAY.”

Unlike the first gate that is narrow and can only contain one person at a time (because the Christian race is an individual race). With many conditions to meet, and only few people gains access to it.

The broad way that leads to hell is free without any restriction, no code of conduct, no criteria to meet, no rules and regulations, in fact it is a place of lawlessness! It is a place where all manner of bad behaviours are accepted, you are allowed to enjoy your free will on earth (To go face the nemesis in hell). You can enter this gate with as many people as you want (That is why it is broad). The entrance gate to hell is wide enough that people can go in convoy; friends can go in together, husbands and wives, colleagues at work E.T.C. the gate is for multitude of unrepentant sinners. Many things that take people to go in through this broad road are things that look good, pleasant and attractive to our flesh. We all love things that gives comfort but if care is not taken, those things that give comfort can lead someone to hell. If we have an opportunity in choosing from going through a hard task and choosing an easy task, we would all jump for the easy one; because nobody loves doing anything that is cumbersome when you have an easy alternative. Looking at it from human point of view it is easier to go through the broad way and the wide gate where there is no restriction, and where nothing will hinder your movement; because the way is broad enough for easy movement. Most of the time whatever comes easy does not stand the test of time, the value of a thing determine the price that will be placed on it. Things of low value will attract low price and vice versa. When you look at the rewards and all that you will enjoy when you get to heaven, you would see that the price is worth paying (Nothing good comes easy). Many people are still postponing the day of their salvation, many are “saved” but they are still engaging in sin. If the trumpet sounds today and you are caught in sin, those days of your holy living may not save you. Let us live each day as if it is our last day on earth. May the good and merciful God give us the grace to live above sin in Jesus name.

Stop at this point! Look at yourself and evaluate your life, what are those things you are doing that are contrary to holy living? These are things that can make people to tread on the broad way and end up going through the wide gate. God is a merciful God; He said if we confess our sin and depart from it, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1John 1:9).

The road you take today will determine your gate of entrance and your gate of entrance determines your eternal destination (choose right today).

Go to God with sincerity of heart and ask for forgiveness, you have the opportunity to make amends while you are still living, tomorrow may be too late remember there is no repentance in the grave! (Hebrew 9:27).

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Thursday 5 December 2013

THE GATES (PART ONE)

TEXT: MATTHEW 7:13-14
“You can enter God’s kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide FOR THE MANY WHO CHOOSE THAT WAY . 14 but the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, AND ONLY A FEW EVER FIND IT.”
Inasmuch as our God is sovereign and all powerful, yet he does not impose or shove anything on us. He has the power to enforce anything on us His creatures, yet He gave us the autonomy to make choice. If you study the scripture; you would observe that when God was speaking to the people of Israel, He told them the benefit of obeying him and the consequences of their disobedience; He would then leave the ball in their court. Whatever choice you make today will impinge on your future. God will not force anything on you; He will not impose His will on you (even though He knows better than you). He will only analyse to you the cause and effect of any action you take.

The text describes the way to the kingdom of God as narrow, this is because the kingdom of God is not for all and sundry, it is for those that are sanctified, those that are separated from the world and unto God. For example; having an international passport in most cases does not guarantee you entry to every country. What guarantees you is having the country’s visa stamped on your passport. If your international passport is not stamped with the visa of the country you want to visit, you may be denied access to the country, except if the country is a visa free country. The only access to the kingdom of God is HOLINESS (difficult road). Holy living is the visa that you need to gain entry to the kingdom of God (Without holiness no one can see God. Hebrew 12:14).
All believers have the “passport” (accepting Jesus as your personal lord and saviour). But it does not end there; you need to work out your salvation with fear and trembling by living holy, so that you can gain entry to His kingdom. The road to the kingdom of God is difficult because there are rules guiding you on how to walk on the road. These rules are the opposite of what our flesh is craving for. For you to walk the road successfully you need to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
Our visa to see God is HOLINESS and God will not bring down His standard for anything that is why He made the gate to His kingdom to be narrow because many people will not enter it. May the lord count us among the few that will enter through the narrow gate in Jesus name.
You would be scrutinised properly before you would be given entrance to the narrow gate, you cannot rush in, you cannot go in convoy, none of your family member can go in with you base on your on account, except if they meet the criteria. We will all stand alone and give account and be examined before we would be allowed in. The race to heaven is a personal race, there is no group judgement, and the gate is made to be narrow so that there won’t be escape for anybody by running in or dodging in with friends and family. There is order in heaven, so we will all be on a straight line and wait for the judgement. Going in through the narrow gate cannot be achieved through our human effort and wisdom; we need the grace and mercy of God to be able to reign with Him. Ask for the grace and mercy to please Him today, SO THAT YOU CAN ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE.

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Tuesday 3 December 2013

DON’T MIX AND MATCH

TEXT: MATTHEW 9:16-17

“Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving and even bigger tear than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskin, for the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskin so that both are preserved.”

There is a popular slogan that retail shops are using to make their customers to engage in impulse buying (buying what they did not have plan to buy). This slogan is called “MIX AND MATCH” this means combining things that are not related .This implies that you are at the liberty of pairing together what you would like to buy in the shop. You can choose from different styles, brands, colours and textures that are available. There is no restriction on the choice you can make. For example if a particular ladies suit is supposed to be sold by pairing Red top with black trouser, during mix and match offer; you can decide to match your desired colours together by picking different colours or style to suit your purpose.

As dedicated children of God; our ways of life should portray us as children of light, and not the mixture of light and darkness. Once your mind is made up to serve God, the scripture describes your transition from the world of sin to God’s family as being “a new creature.” This implies that you have been created newly by God through Jesus Christ.

However as a new being in Christ; you should be different from who you were before meeting with the lord, your body should be offered to God as a living sacrifice, your mind should be renewed and void of any unholy thoughts. A new man should not borrow from his or her past life (Old man). Your old man should be dead as your new man comes alive. “As obedient children do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” (1 Peter 1:14). Some claims they are believers, but their character and way of life is like that of unbelievers, when they talk; there is no reflection of God in their conversations. These category of “believers” are those that are borrowing from their past (Mixing and matching the old and new man). Borrowing from your past life by going back to those bad habits you had renounced the day you gave your life to Christ is like patching new cloth with an old cloth, and pouring new wine into an old wineskin, and the result may be dangerous. Don’t mix the old man with the new man. Both cannot live peacefully together in the same abode which is your body. “No man can serve two masters... (Matthew 6:24). The day you gave your life to Christ marked the day the Holy Spirit took His abode in you; you cannot match light with darkness. Therefore live as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).

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Sunday 1 December 2013

JESUS: AN EVERLASTING GIFT TO MANKIND

MATTHEW 2:1-2

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."

The Christmas season is significantly known to be a season of exchange of gifts. Friends and family give gifts to each other, people are anxious in anticipation to unwrap their gifts to see what gift they have gotten.

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, the irony of this season is that instead of the celebrant to be given gift, we are the one getting gifts. That is what God used the birth of Jesus for; he is the gift of God to all mankind. The wrapped gift that we get from friends and families does not give us everlasting joy, the anxiety and happiness does not last forever. Over time; you may get tired of the Christmas gift and start thinking of having another thing, the joy and the eagerness of getting a new gift fades with time. The Joy that Jesus gives to those that believes in him can never end, it last and last forever. Jesus as an everlasting gift to mankind is a gift that you cannot finish “unwrapping.” By the time you get closer to him, he will be introducing himself to you in different ways. (2Cor 9:15) “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” You cannot get tired of the gift of God (Jesus) to mankind; that is why the scripture says in Luke 1:33 that his kingdom shall be forever, it will never end.

Jesus Christ will forever be relevant; he can never be out of date neither can he be out of fashion! Unlike other gift that we get from friends and family, they can be outdated with time, they can be broken or damaged.

Jesus brought to us love, peace, joy, so that we can spread this love to others around us.

He wants us to use this season of his birth to give the gift of love, peace, hope, joy and reconciliation to people around us. You may buy expensive gift for people, and the gift may not meet their need, or they may not value it as you expected. Showing them the love of God by introducing them to Christ and reconciling the lost back to their maker would make a great difference that would affect their eternity.

Jesus wants us to use this season to reconcile ourselves back to him, make amends of your ways. Accept him with all your heart, serve him more, and renew your vow of love with him. May the blessing of this season be for us and our household in Jesus name.

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Thursday 28 November 2013

YOU ARE THE EPISTLE OF CHRIST

TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 3:3

“Clearly you are the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God. Not on tablets of stone; but on tablets of flesh, that Is of the heart.”

As believers; the kind of life we live is being read by people around us. We are not living in this world unobserved; somebody somewhere is looking at you. What unbelievers are doing that people will not remark, if you as a believer indulge yourself in such thing, your Christianity will be questioned. Our scripture reference says we are the epistle of Christ written not with INK but by the SPIRIT. As long as you are genuinely saved, the Spirit of God has taken his place in you, thus you are not expected to do things in your old way any-more. Your living should be guided by the Spirit of God living in you.

Believers are living bibles (the epistle not written in ink). Unbelievers want to see you the example of God in your attitude, they want you to live what you preach, because we are their Bible written not with ink that they want to read. Some people may deliberately stir a problem so that they can see your reaction and know if you are really doing what you preach. The scripture says we should let everything that we do, be to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Don’t wait till you get to church or when you are on the pulpit before you will put on your “Christ like garment”. Always remember that all eyes are on you as a follower of Christ, therefore use everything in you to preach the gospel and bring people to the kingdom of God. It is not enough to preach the gospel with your mouth, while your character and your attitude scare them away from coming to God. Having a good attitude towards everybody makes evangelism to become easy; people will be willing to come to Christ without much ado, if we live right. The bible that unbelievers would read is what they read in the lives of believers. There is a widely held saying that says “seeing is believing.” it is when unbelievers are convinced by our character and attitude that they will love to serve our God, Therefore live right daily.

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Wednesday 27 November 2013

I AM ALL YOU NEED

I am your strength when you are weak,

I am your light in the midst of darkness,

I am your way through the wilderness of this world,

When you need a shoulder to lean on; I am there.

I am your eyes to see divine treasures of life,

I am your wisdom; cos foolish is the wisdom of man,

I am your safety in time of trouble,

And your refuge in the period of affliction.

I am the good shepherd that laid his life for his sheep,

I am your ever present help in time of trouble,

I am your solid rock your rock of comfort,

I am your lord, your fortress and deliverer.

I am the bead of life; in me you will have peace,

I am your stronghold, your shield, the horn

Of your salvation, the air that you breathe in.

I am your solid rock, in whom you will stand forever,
All other grounds are sinking sand.

I will be a rock of offence and judgement to your enemies,

I am the Lamb of God slaine for your sin,

Lo! I will be the lion of Judah to destroy your enemies.

I am the way, the truth, and your everlasting peace and joy,

Just seat at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.

By -Bolatito

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Tuesday 26 November 2013

ARE YOU RIGHTEOUS TO KEEP SECRET?

TEXT: MATTHEW 1:18

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about; his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with a child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a RIGHTEOUS man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he has in mind to divorce her quietly.

Joseph was to be married to Mary when he discovered that she was pregnant, Joseph did not know that it was the Holy Spirit that came upon her and made her pregnant, but when he found out that his wife was pregnant; he decided to keep it a secret because he does not want to expose her to public disgrace.
The scripture described Joseph as a righteous man, his righteousness made him to cover his wife’s “shame”. You can imagine what could have happened to Mary if the husband had exposed her to the public, before he would discover that she did not engage herself in any disgraceful act with another man.

Many couples these days are not worthy to be called righteous men/women, because they are not ready to cover the weakness of their spouses, rather they are eager and happy to tell the whole world the negative side of their spouses.
What these so called spouses fail to understand is that when they are bent on disgracing their spouses, they will also have a share of the disgrace. The scripture says we should carry each others cross… (Galatians 6:2).
Nothing should make you to expose your spouse to any public disgrace, the bible says "therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they will become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
Subjecting your spouse to public disgrace is not the solution to any problem, it is better to calm down and listen to what God have to say about the issue like Joseph did.
If you disgrace your spouse by exposing his/her weakness/ secrets, you will share in the consequences. Problems, weakness/secrets should be dealt with in the family without exposing it to the public.

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Friday 22 November 2013

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 16:9
PAUL WRITES, For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. So what are you focusing on? The open door or the adversaries, the opportunities or the obstacles? In 1866, an amateur geologist noticed some South African children playing with a glistening rock. He asked the children's mother if he could purchase it. Thinking it was worth nothing, she gave it to him. Later when he examined it, he discovered that it was a premium 21 carat diamond. when word got out, a Scottish mineralogist named James Gregory was sent to investigate. He reported that South Africa wasn't suitable for finding diamonds. He speculated that the previous discoveries had resulted from ostriches, of all things eating the gems in distant lands and depositing them in South Africa via their dung. A few days after Gregory's report was made public, an eighty- three- carat diamond was found in the area that he had visited. It is now known as star of South Africa, and it launched the region's first mining operation in what is today the largest producer of diamonds. And what about Gregory? His name lives on, but not as he might have wished. In the diamond industry, when someone exhibits bad judgement, it's called "pulling a Gregory." If you ask God, He would help you find the "treasure" in your field (Matthew 13:44-45). If Jesus could turn water into wine and feed five thousand people with a boy's lunch, think what He can do through you. The question is, what do you see? The open door or the obstacles?

Written by Bob and Debby Gass copyright 2013 UCB Ltd.

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Thursday 21 November 2013

GIVE PRECEDENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD

TEXT: JOB 23:12

“I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12)

As obedient believers; how to walk in obedience to God’s word should be paramount in our hearts, we should place our priority on how we can live to please God, rather than striving to make success in life.

The book of Joshua 1: 8 says “this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thy shall meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.”

Your success in life depends on how important and serious you take the word of God, if you commit yourself studying and obeying the word of God, you will not need to be struggling on how to make it in life, because the word of God empowers, enables, elevates, instructs, gives divine wisdom and ideas that can transport you to a height you can never imagine. If you give priority to the word of God, the Holy Spirit would endow you with great ideas and new revelations by changing the scripture into pictures that will change your life forever.

There are many benefits in giving priority to the word of God, when you devote your time studying; you are gaining access to God’s treasure banks; where fresh ideas and revelations can be gotten. Let not your priority be on the pleasures of this world, not on power or wealth; but on the word of God, because it is in him you can find true riches and peace of mind. “Submit to God and be at peace with Him, in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instructions from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart.” (Job 22:21-22).

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Sunday 17 November 2013

THE PRICE I PAID FOR YOU

I was hated by the world,

Yet I love all creatures,

I was beaten and despised,

Yet I have compassion for all men,

I was humiliated and tortured,

Yet I show mercy to mankind,

I was wounded and bruised,

Yet by my stripes you were healed.

I was thirsty and was given sour wine,

Yet I give living water, the river of life,

I was arrested by the Sanhedrin guards,

Yet I give freedom and set captives free,

The world was hostile and resentful to me,

Yet I showed humility and meekness,

I was oppressed and afflicted,

Yet I did not open my mouth.

I was nailed on the cross and became weak,

Yet I give strength to the weak in spirit,

Betrayed by Judas; helpless I was on the cross,

Yet I am the help of the helpless,
All these I did for you, I paid the price in full

I died in your place because I love you,

I died for you so that you can live for me,

Are you living for me? Or nailing me on the cross again?

By -Bolatito

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