YE WILL NOT COME TO ME

"Ye will not come to me,"
Hear the sadness in His voice,
Not 'cannot' come, but 'will not' come,
For they had made their choice.

They stayed with prejudice and sin,
With stubborn heart and will,
Preferring the devil, who is come
To steal, destroy and kill.

"Ye will not come to me
That ye might have life," He said,
The One, who shed His  precious blood
And died in our stead.

"Ye will not come to me"
Does the lord say that of you?
Though you have proved His goodness
Leading you to repentance, too.

Behold now is the accepted time,
Behold, now is the day
Of salvation, so don't put it off,
There's danger in delay.

Danger, that His Spirit
Shall not always strive with man,
Danger that death's hour shall come,
So trust Him while you can.

By- Joy Patterson

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ONLY GOD CAN TRANSFORM MAN

TEXT: EZEKIEL 11:19

As human beings, we are limited in power, wisdom, strength, and the determination to stay focused. We love to do what is right in the sight of God, but as much as we love to do what pleases the lord, our flesh is wagging war against us from doing the will of God.

As much as we are still living in this body of sin, it will be a real struggle to put our body into subjection. God says without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

In our text, the Almighty God told the Israelites that He would give them an undivided heart and put a new Spirit in them; He said He would remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh, so that they would follow His decrees and careful to keep His laws.

God decided to transform Israel from being a rebellious nation to a nation that will follow God and keep His decrees. Israel was rebellious despite several warning and punishment from God, yet they refused to change, then God decided to change their hearts, to give them undivided heart and put a new Spirit in them.

I believed that the Israelites would not have loved to be disobedient deliberately and sin against Him. Because they are human beings, they could not live above sin without the help of God.

God knows our capacity, He knows our frames and what we are made of (clay) He know that as long as we are still living in our flesh, we are prone to sin, because the flesh attracts dirty things, that is why He promise us that if we call on Him; He will save us. You need to call on God to do His spiritual surgery on you to transform you to a believer that will be able to live above sin. We need His divine intervention to be able to live according to His decrees.

Romans 7:15-18 “I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do, and if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out….. Apostle Paul was lamenting about his flesh ruling over his spiritual man. He said he wanted to do good things but the evil living in his sinful nature is over ruling the good in him.

This is what is happening to all human beings, we all desire to do good, but the sinful nature of man does not permit us to do so always. We should cry to God to transform us to believers that will be able to live above the body of sin. We should ask God to grant us the grace to live right always. 

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THE KINGDOM KEY

TEXT:  MATTHEW: 16:19

The lord Jesus said in the scripture that he would give us the kingdom key, that whatever we bound on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we lose on earth shall be lose in heaven.

The kingdom key represents authority; he has delegated some of his authority to us as his followers. He wants us to operate at a higher level, He wants us to do more than he did when he came to this world (John 14:12) As believers, we should be bold to use the kingdom key to do “GREATER THINGS” as he has promised us.

The authority has been given to us; all we need to do is to exercise it. This kingdom key is so powerful and effective that it can open all doors, it is a multi-functional key. It can bound, lose, it can be used to open and it can be used to lock.

To be able to use the kingdom key effectively, we need to engage in intense prayer, quality worship and solid faith that can move mountain.

You cannot get a desired result from the kingdom key, if you fail to use it. If you have the key to a house, you don’t need to keep knocking and waiting; all you need to do is to use your key to open the door and safe yourself from unnecessary stress. So also when you engage prayer, praise, worship, fasting and faith, problems will be solved.

When you use the right approach and tools to get things done, you will get the right result, but when you use wrong approach and tools, frustration and disappointment is certain. Engage the kingdom key today, to bind, lose, to open and to lock. The multi-functional key is with you, use it!

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WATCHMAN WHAT OF THE NIGHT?

Watchman what of the night?
The day will soon be gone,
You have heard the faithful word,
Have you passed it on?

Have you given warning
To sinful, wicked men?
Or has your tongue been silent?
O heed God's call again!

I made you a watchman,
I called you to stand,
To give the wicked warning,
Throughout this troubled land.

And what about my people,
Who are not living right?
Have you warned them also?
Watchman, what of the night?

I need faithful watchman,
Who will cry aloud, spare not,
Until the fear of God shall come,
And victory shall be wrought.

Watchman, what of the night?
Would you see this land made whole?
Then be My faithful witness,
And deliver thus your soul.

How could this people hear
Without a watchman true,
I have made, and i have sent-
Can I depend on you?

By-Joy Patterson.

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LOOKING UP TO JESUS

TEXT: MATTHEW 14:25-31
Looking up to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith..... (Hebrew 12:2) Jesus is the only one that can fill the longing that is burning in every heart. Whatever you are going through now, fix your gaze on him, do not get distracted, do not allow fear to take your eyes off him. There is no solution elsewhere aside of the lord Jesus; he is the only lasting solution. Continue to look up to him with faith.
Peter saw Jesus walking on water; he called on Jesus to tell him to come, immediately he started walking on water because he trusted the one that called him to come (Faith). His eyes were on Jesus and he was able to do the unusual (he walked on water). He was unable to finish because he allowed fear to take his eyes off Jesus and he started sinking!
Fear is the power of believing in the negative more than the positive, while faith is believing in the positive more than the negative. The one that you believe in will happen to you, when Peter believed that Jesus can make him walk on water, he did walked on water, and when fear made him to see that it is impossible to walk on water, he started sinking.
Faith makes you to float over your problem, though the problem is there; it will not wear you down, rather you will walk over it. Fear on the other hand makes you to sink like peter sank. fear causes its victim to sink in the river of trouble, our God is a merciful God, as soon as Peter called on him to safe him from drowning,   he came to his rescue. Are you sinking in the river of trouble? Or have you sunk already? Call on the lord Jesus today to rescue you. He is our ever present help in time of trouble. He is waiting for you to make that SOS call to heaven. When he rescues you, don't take your gaze off him again.
Keep looking up to Jesus the author and the finisher of your faith, remember nothing good comes from this world but above (James 1:17) Keep looking up to the hill for your help. Shalom!

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IN YOUR PRESENCE OH LORD

Your word assures me

That in your presence,

There is fullness of joy

And at your right hands,

There are pleasures forever.

In your presence; in safety I dwell,

And in peace I live, no harm

Or discomfort in your presence,

In your presence; lack turns to abundance,

In your presence; you rebuild and restore.

In your presence; you give me

Double Honour for shame,

In your presence; my weakness

Turns to strength,

In your presence; my sins are bolt out,

And I become a new being,

Justified freely; by the blood of Jesus.

In your presence; my joy overflows,

In your presence there is

Sound of abundance all year round,

In your presence destiny is fulfilled,

In your presence; peace, safety, divine health,

And victory, are constant.

Why should I wander away

From your wonderful presence?

When your word made me to know

That better is one day in your house

Than a thousand elsewhere.

By Bolatito

© (Bolatito .c. Peter)  ( 2013)

All right reserved.

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ON THE TOP OF THE HILL

The battle was set in array,

As Israel with Amalek fought,

While up on the top of the hill,

God's blessing, the man of God sought.

When Moses held up his hand,

Joshua prevailed 'gainst the foe,

But Amalek was winning the war,

When Moses' hands were down low.

And the battle against Satan and sin,

Though men fight faithfully still,

Will not be won on the field,

If there's no one on top of the hill.

"To prayer," is the rallying cry,

Don't delay to do the Lord's will,

Lift up holy hands in His name,

You're needed on top of the hill.

For there's power in prayer, don't you know?

Without Jesus nothing is done,

Remember, it's not on the field,

But on the hill, victory is won! 

By- Joy Patterson

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HOLY SPIRIT: OUR REVEALER

TEXT: 2KINGS 6:8- 13

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is inseparable from the lives of believers. When Jesus Christ was ascending, he said he will send us the comforter that will teach us all things and will remind us of everything he had said to us. For any believer to be able to function and dwell in the will of God, Holy Spirit must be active in his or her life.

The scripture says in Amos 3:7 that God does not do anything without revealing it (through the Holy Spirit) to His prophets. The ministry of Elisha was successful because he walked hand in hand with the Holy Spirit. In our text; the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he was planning to set up a camp in a particular place for the king of Israel, while he was still planning this, the Holy Spirit had revealed the plot to prophet Elisha.The prophet sent word to the king of Israel to keep off from the place.

In 2kings 6:30-33, the king was angry with Elisha and he vowed to kill him, Elisha was sitting in his house with some elders. The king sent a messenger to him, but before he arrived, the Holy Spirit had revealed the king's plan to Elisha.

The Holy Spirit also revealed the bad that Gehazi did when he went back to Naaman to collect the gift rejected by Elisha, after Naaman’s healing of leprosy (2 Kings 5).

In Acts of the Apostle 21: 10-11 The Holy Spirit revealed to a prophet named Agabus what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem. He used Paul’s belt to describe how he would be bound in Jerusalem for preaching the gospel. Though Paul went, but he already had the knowledge of what will happen to him there.

The disciples were able to preach the gospel successfully with the help of Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit accompanied them everywhere they went to preach, and He tells them where to go and where not to go.

As believers; we need to constantly live in the Spirit, we should be filled with the Spirit always. The Holy Spirit is more than able to reveal to you ideas that will change your life forever, he can reveal to you the plan of the enemies. He is able to tell you what will happen in the future, he is capable of revealing to you the solution to long standing problem.

Holy Spirit can only dwell in a holy place, for the spirit of God to dwell in us; we need to purge ourselves of any unholy things. Ask the lord to cleanse you and endue you with the Holy Spirit today.

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LIFE'S MYSTERIES

If we could see beyond the veil,
And life's mysteries unfold,
We'd see the providence of God
Is a story yet untold.

There were times we've been in danger,
Yet the lord had interposed
To deliver and preserve us,
Thing are not as we supposed.

An He has worked together,
Yes, all things for our good,
And that includes those bitter things
That were not understood.

And when the lord said "No", not "Yes."
To our earnest, tearful plea,
'Twas because He had a better way
That our eyes could not then see.

And when He brought us too the end
Of our resources, 'twas that He
Might be our all, our Everything,
So draw closer to Him we'd be.

Thus behind each circumstance you face,
Trace His loving, nail-pierced hand,
Just trust your lord, who is in control,
For one day you'll understand.

By Joy Patterson

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BREAKTHROUGH PRAYERS 2

·        Psalm 138:8- The lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, o lord, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands.

·        Prayer- oh lord my God, fulfil your purpose in my life, and do not abandon me in Jesus name.

·        Isaiah 41:11- All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.

·        Prayer- oh lord, let those who rage against me be put to shame; and let them be disgraced in Jesus name.

·        Psalm 3:7- Arise, o lord! Deliver me, O my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked.

·        Prayer- arise oh lord to deliver me, strike all my enemies on the jaw, and break the teeth of the wicked in Jesus name.

·        Psalm 4:1b- Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. 

·        Prayer- oh lord, answer me when I call on you, relief me from all my distress in Jesus name.

·        Ephesians 5:13-14- But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, o sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

·        Prayer- father, expose all the handiwork of darkness in my life in Jesus name.

·        Prayer- oh lord let your light shine into all good things that the enemies has covered in darkness in my life and let them become visible in Jesus name.

·        Psalm 66:8- Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard.

·        Prayer- oh lord bless my life and let your praises never depart from my mouth in Jesus name.

·        James 1:4- Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

·        Prayer- oh lord, as I persevere in your kingdom, perfect and complete every good thing you started in my life, do not let me lack any good thing in Jesus name.

·        Psalm 18:32- It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

·        Prayer- father strengthens me and make my ways perfect in Jesus name.

·        Ezekiel 27:4- Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection.

·        Prayer- oh lord, with your hands of perfection, build and beautify my life in Jesus name.

·        Psalm 27:13- I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living.

·        Prayer- father cause me to see your goodness in the land of the living in Jesus name.

 ·        Psalm 65:11- You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.

·        Prayer- oh lord, crown this year for me with blessing, and let me experience overflow of breakthrough, and cause me to live in abundance for the rest of my life in Jesus name.

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HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE GOD?

TEXT: HEBREW 11:24-27

There is no doubt in saying God loves us unconditionally. We did nothing for Him before He decided to create us in His image. The bible says in John 3:16 that for God so love the world that He gave His only begotten son…. God demonstrated His love for us by allowing Jesus to die for our sin; even when we were still sinners.

God’s love for us is not based on any condition; His love for us is unfailing, unending, and unfading. The love that the lord is showing us daily should be reciprocated by loving Him in return, but some believers are fond of loving God when things are going well with them. When there is a condition that needs them to show their genuine love for God, then it will be discovered that their love for God is only conditional!

Moses was brought up in the palace by Pharaoh’s daughter, when he grew up he refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Instead he chose to be mistreated along with the people of God. If Moses did not love God, he wouldn’t have given up affluence for poverty. Moses could have decided to stay with Pharaoh’s family to continue to enjoy the luxury in the palace, but because he loved God; he decided to demonstrate his love for God by moving from riches to rags.

He went extra mile to demonstrate his love for God even when it was not convenient for him. He could have decided to stay in the palace to be enjoying the pleasures of sin that will not last.

Joseph is another example of true love and dedication to God. When he was in Potiphar’s house, Potiphar’s wife wanted to lure him into sin of adultery, but he decided not to sin against God. He was jailed for the offence he did not commit. He could have gone into sin with the woman, so that he would gain her favour in his master’s house. He was ready to go through any hardship because he loved God and he does not want to sin against God. Can you take risk for God? Can you stand your ground in Christ even though it involves suffering?

We should ask God to give us the grace to love Him as He loves us. We need to love Him unconditionally. Demonstrate your love to God when it is convenient and when it will make you to go through hardship. Jesus demonstrated his genuine love for us by dying on the cross. He was flogged, spat on, and mocked. Yet he decided to die for our sin, because he loves us genuinely. Demonstrate your undying love for God by damning all consequences to please Him at all time. May the Almighty God grant us the grace to stand for Him in all situations in Jesus name.

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MY FRIEND AND I

We went along to the mission

In a little portable hall,

The preacher warned that someone there

Could hear God's final call.

We'd both been under conviction

For many, many days,

And we knew the lord was calling,

For He means just what He says

We'd put off trusting Jesus

Until the final night,

Now in the valley of decision,

The devil put up a fight.

"Ye will not come to me, that ye

Might have life," the saviour said,

I seem to see Him on the cross,

Dying in my stead.

I took Him as my Saviour,

There and then i was born again,

And because i wanted to tell someone,

I turned around to my friend.

She was sitting beside me weeping,

I'll never forget the sight,

As she dried her tears and whispered,

I'll get saved- but not tonight!

I told her the danger of putting it off,

For the future she could not see

But she shook her head and quietly said,                                 

"That could never happen to me."

She did not know that that same night,

She would awake with a terrible pain,

The doctors tried but nevermore

Did she consciousness regain.

I followed her coffin along the road,

Past the little portable hall,

I knew then that it was my friend,

Who had heard God's final call.

O sinners friend, because there is wrath,

Beware, lest He take thee away,

Don't boast thyself tomorrow,

But come to Christ today.

By- Joy Patterson

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BE CAREFUL WHEN MAKING VOWS

 TEXT: JUDGES 11:30-39

A vow is a promise to do a specific thing.

As believers we are fond of making vows when we want God to do some things for us. Many make their vows out of emotions or anxiety, some makes vow out of ignorance, they don’t really know the implication of making a vow and not redeeming it.

Jephthah made a vow to the lord, when he wanted to go and fight the Ammonites, he said “ If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the lord’s and I will sacrifice as a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30-31).

Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. When he returned into his house, guess who came to meet him? His only daughter! She was dancing to the sound of tambourine of victory. Jephthah had no other son or daughter, the girl was the only child he had, when he saw who came out of the door of his house, he tore his cloth and cried, he said “Oh daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the lord that I cannot break.” He ended up sacrificing his innocent daughter to fulfil his vow.

The lesson here is that we should be very careful when making our vows, God does not joke with vows. “If you make a vow to the lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the lord your God will CERTAINLY DEMAND IT OF YOU and you will be guilty of sin.” (Deuteronomy 23:21)

Don’t make a vow out of your emotions; don’t let the situation you are in push you to make vows that you will find difficult to redeem.

Be sensible when making a vow, you are not compelled to make vows; are you?. Deuteronomy 23:22-23 says “If you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the lord your God with your own mouth.”

Vow sensibly and redeem your vows.

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GODLY COUNSEL OR WORLDLY COUNSEL?

 TEXT: 1 KINGS 12: 1-16

It is advisable to seek Godly and wise counsel so that we would not take a decision that can mar us. When seeking counsel; it is good to prayerfully seek the face of God for direction. Some people may give you an advice that would cause problem for you; it may be done deliberately or out of ignorance.

In the text, Rehoboam the King wanted an advice on how to answer the request  his people presented to him saying “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labour and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” He told the people to go and come back in three days; he went to the elders who had served his father Solomon. They gave him an advice saying “if today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favourable answer, they will always be your servants.”

Rehoboam rejected the advice given to him by the elders; he consulted the young men who had grown up with him. He asked them their advice on how to answer the people. They advised him that he should tell them that “My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with Scorpions.” Rehoboam paid dearly for this turn of event! Whose advice to take? Who do you go to for advice? Always seek the face of God to lead you towards right channel of counsel. The type of counsel you take can make you or destroy you.

Ask God for divine wisdom to know where to turn to for Godly counsels.

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FROM LACK TO ABUNDANCE

TEXT: 1 KINGS 17:10-16

You don’t need to work yourself to the point of fatigue before you will make it in life. The bible says the blessing of the Lord makes riches and adds no sorrow to it. (Proverbs 10:22)

The widow of Zarephath has a handful of flour and a little oil in the jug; she was planning to prepare it for herself and her son as their last meal before their death, because there was famine in the land.

Prophet Elijah called on her to prepare bread for him, she explained to him that the little she had left would only be enough for her and her son, but Elijah told her to prepare his own first. She did not argue further with Elijah, she went home and prepared the bread for him, not minding of what will happen to her and her son.

The scripture recorded that since that day, she moved from lack into abundance, because the flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, “ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD.” This statement shows that it is only God that can move someone from position of lack to a spacious place of abundance.

God is able to change the highest height of lack to a stream of abundance overnight. Certain conditions have to be met, in order for us to move from lack to abundance. These are:

·        Let the Lord be your shepherd (Psalm 23:1) if the Lord is your shepherd; it is sure that you will not lack anything. He will lead you to a place of abundance. The shepherd that leads sheep cannot lead them to the desert where there is nothing for them to eat and drink. So also if you are His sheep, He will lead you to the right path.

·        Fear and seek the lord (Psalm 34:9-10) If you fear the lord, you would lack nothing, because He has promised in His word that those that fear Him will dwell in abundance. He is a faithful God; He will not fail in His promise.

·        Stay and immerse yourself in His love (John 15:5) If you abide in the lord your source, you will forever flourish like a tree planted by the river side, that lacks nothing.

·        Give sacrificially (Luke 6:38) If you are the giving type; you will lack nothing. Don’t give only when it is convenient; give when it is not convenient also. Solomon gave sacrificially and he was blessed bountifully.

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WHEN THE BOAT IS FULL

There arose a great storm when the eve was come,
As, to the other side, they passed o'er,
The wave beat into the ship, it was full
Of water, far off from the shore.

To the hinder part of the ship He had gone,
The lord Jesus, on a pillow, there lay,
He was asleep, while the storm raged around,
So the disciples awoke Him say:

"Master, carest thou not that we perish?" And He
Arose, saying to the sea, "peace be still,"
He rebuked the wind, there was a great calm,
For all was subject to His sovereign will.

Are you out on life's sea and storm's at its height?
And your boat is now full, and you cry:
"Master, carest thou not that we perish? And you
Are fearful, because the waves are so high.

He careth for you more that you know,
And knows you better that you even think,
With Him in your vessel, rejoice in the fact
That it's impossible for you to e'er sink.

For He keeps you safe in His own precious hand,
You can't perish, He says in His word,
The winds and the waves are are under the control
Of your loving and true, sovereign Lord.

By- Joy Patterson

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THE GREAT NEEED

Let not your hands be weak,
Let your knees not feeble be,
For the master, he has come
And He calleth now for thee.

The need is great around us,
Be of good courage and be strong,
'Tis not by might, nor power,
But by God's spirit and we long

To see that great revival,
Which we desperately need today,
Seek and you shall find,
Is God's promise, as we pray.

He that goeth forth and weepeth,
Bearing precious seed,
Shall doubtless come again
With rejoicing, thus we read.

And God will keep His promise,
As you will surely see,
So keep on being faithful,
For the Lord hath need of thee.

By- Joy Patterson

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THE LORD IS WITH YOU

He stands with those who stand alone,
He hears the righteous cry,
His eyes are ever upon them,
The lord, who live on high.

He sits with those who sits alone,
Where there's a vacant chair,
And in the hour of loneliness,
They find the Lord is here.

He walks with those who walks alone,
Their Guide and stay to be,
The way ahead unknown to them,
The lord doth clearly see.

He cares for those who feel alone,
In the battle hard and long,
And in the dark night season,
The lord still gives the song.

So when you travel all alone
Along life's pilgrim way,
Fear not, the lord remembers
To walk with you each day.

By- Joy Patterson

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IS IT NOTHING TO YOU?

Is it nothing to you,
All ye that pass by?
That for you I did bleed,
And for you I did die.

Is it nothing to you
That I'm able to save?
Able to break
All the chains that enslave

Is it nothing to you
That i'd salvation impart?
If only you'd open
The door of your heart.

Is it nothing to you
That I want to come in?
To save you and cleanse you
From all of your sin.

'Twill be something to you
When death's cold embrace
Ushers you out,
The judgement to face.

'Twill be something to you,
When before the white throne,
You'll be facing the judge
To answer alone.

The Judge, who is now
The Saviour of men,
Is it nothing to you
I ask you again?

While now in time,
Do no longer delay,
But trust now in Jesus,
Receive Him today.

By- Joy Patterson

THE LAMB

The blood was on the lintel,
And on the side posts,too,
God said "when I see the blood,
I will pass over you."

The little lamb has died
In place of the first born sons,
And the blood had been applied,
There was nothing more to be done.

Perhaps some family had weak faith,
As the blood they did apply,
While others had much greater faith
That their first born would not die.

The size of faith mattered not,
'Twas the one they placed it in,
And through the blood that was applied,
They were perfectly safe within.

The lamb had died in their place,
Just as Jesus died for you,
And He has shed His precious blood,
Now there's nothing more to do.

Oh, trust this precious Saviour
To save you from your sin,
And wash you in His precious blood,
And make you pure within.

Then, forever safe in Christ,
Saved by grace alone,
Love and serve all your days,
The Lamb upon the throne.

By Joy Patterson

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JESUS BYPASSES PROTOCOL

TEXT: JOHN 5:2-9

Our God is all powerful, He does as He pleases. He does not follow routine or protocol to do His wonders. If He is set to do a thing, He may not do it the way people have been doing it, and He will get the best result that no one else can get.

At the pool of Bethesda sat a man with thirty eight years infirmity, he was unable to go into the pool to bath, for him to be cured. Each time the angel comes to stir the water, before he could get in, another sick person would get in before him. This continues for thirty eight years, but he waited beside the pool waiting for the day that his opportunity will come to go into the water.

On the day that his situation changed, he met with the lord Jesus Christ at the pool, Jesus asked him what he wanted, and he explained his ordeal of thirty eight years to Jesus. The protocol of going down into the pool to bath before being whole was broken that day. Jesus told him to stand up and take his bed and go. Immediately the man was made whole. A lesson from this is that no matter how long you have been expectant of a change in your situation, an encounter with the lord Jesus would put an end to the long protocol to achieve your success.

He will quicken and accelerate your progress, the years that you have spent in the “waiting room” would be redeemed, and you will give him all the glory.

A day of His visitation will make your success to be better than those that have achieved before you. Ask for His divine visitation today.

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HINDRANCES TO QUALITY PRAISE

Some factors are responsible for lack of quality praise to God. Talking of quality praise; it means praise that attracts the attention of God and it’s full of God’s anointing. God does not accept any praise; as I have earlier said, there are some conditions to be met before God will indwell your praise. God is a God of excellence, He demanded excellent praise from us, and He wants you to praise Him with understanding. You should know why you are praising Him; praise Him with faith, assurance, and confidence. Do not praise God with doubt, fear like I mention in previous chapter, in this chapter your attention will be drawn to conditions or features you need to posses to be able to praise God truthfully without any hindrance in your praise.

Sin is a determinant factor that separate man and God, sin put people from the high place that God has put them into bottomless pit. Sin demotes its victims and makes them to be irrelevant in the kingdom of God.

The account of Adam and eve shows how sin can destabilise its victim, they were in the Garden of Eden enjoying the glory of God, and they get the best things without labouring for them. When sin crept in; the glory of God departed from them. They started labouring hard, they were sent out from the Garden of Eden where God put everything in their care, all the benefits they used to enjoy was taken away from them because of their sin.

The bible says for all have sinned and fall short of the  glory of God, we are all sinners, but once you acknowledge your sin; and go to God for the remission of your sin, He is faithful and just to forgive you. If you are living in sin; you need to repent of your sin and make your way right with God. The bible says God’s eyes are too pure to behold iniquity; God’s presence cannot be evident where there is sin.

(Proverb 15:8)” “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him” you cannot be living in sin and ask grace to abound. Purge yourself of all sin and guilt; make your ways straight with God. Make sure that there is no hidden sin in your life for your praise to be acceptable unto God.

No righteousness of Jesus will cover any transgression that is continual, repent and get the remission of your sin; we are to be in remission of sin as the saint of the almighty God, without any traces of sin left in us.

You cannot serve two masters; as long as you are still servant of sin; you cannot be servant of God; neither can you be carrier of God’s glory. sin separates people from God, sin brings communication barrier between you and God, it also breaks your relationship with Him.
Another hindrance to quality praise is unbelief, people allow things that are happening around them to make them to be living in unbelief. The situation they are in makes it impossible for them to belief the sovereign power of our Lord, they are not sure if God can solve their own problem, their unbelief has made them to forget that with God nothing shall be impossible.Lukewarmness is another factor that hinders praise; you should not relent in your commitment to God. After giving your life to Christ; you need to be increasing in the knowledge of God, so that you will be relevant in the kingdom of God.

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THE RACE

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 2 Timothy 2:5

In the world of sport; all athletes run to get the prize, they are all competing for the prize. None of them wants to run the race aimlessly, none of them would say “I want to come last in the competition.”

No matter the type of race any athlete is running, be it hundred meter or marathon, the runner cannot finish with the same energy and strength he started with. His strength will be reducing as he continues the race. That is why some runners end up coming last in the race.

When competing in a race, your chance of winning depends on the amount of strength you have left before getting to the finish line. Some athlete started their race well with full energy and strength, but before getting to the finish line, they go out of strength, some may fall and people that are coming behind them overtake and win the race.

In the same vein, the Christian race is similar to the race I explained above. We are all running the race to get a prize- that is to make heaven. Every believer wants to make heaven, we want to get the prize and reign with Christ in eternity. Running the race is not an easy task; it takes the grace of God to finish well.

Along the Christian race, you will be faced with some obstacles that can hinder you, distractions that can cause you to lose focus, and storms that may want to blow you out of track. Hebrew 12:1 says “ Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.” It is not all that started the race that will finish well. Some started the race with full level of energy and strength, but ran out of strength during obstacles, distractions and storm.

Some fell while running the race and gave up by refusing to stand up. God has made provision for everything we would need to run the race, grace and mercy are available, His strength also makes perfect in weakness (11 Corinthians 12:9). If you are weak to carry on, call on him to renew your strength, He said those that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength. We need to go to God often to “charge” our spiritual battery because without Him we can do nothing.

Some believers fell during the race and they stopped running, instead of them to continue the race they start to condemn themselves. The scripture says if the RIGHTEOUS fall seven times, he shall stand again, this shows that anybody can fall.

If you fall; don’t stay there, go to God in genuine repentance, He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) The devil is busy planting things that can cause believers to fall during their race, he is the accuser of brethren, but our God is a merciful God. He does not want any sinner to die in their sin, He said whoever comes to Him He will no wise cast away.

No matter how far you might have gone into sin, don’t give up your Christian race, stand up and continue the race, in repentance go to Him, He said if your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). At the same time we should not abuse the grace of God upon our lives. We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We cannot continue in sin and ask grace to abound (Romans 6:1)

Let us all continue to run our heavenly race so that we would get the prize of glory; the race is not for perishable crown but for the crown that will last forever!

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