PROGRESSIVE BLESSING

TEXT: GENESIS 24:35, GEN 26:12-13, GEN 30: 41-43

And the LORD has blessed my master greatly; and he has become great: and he has given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and donkeys (Genesis 24:35).

 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great. (Genesis 26: 12-13).

And it came to pass, when the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and donkeys. (Genesis 30:41-43).

The scripture made us to know that it is the blessing of God that makes riches without adding sorrow (Proverbs 10:22). It is not your hard labour that makes riches, your intellectual knowledge or intelligence is not enough to prosper you.

If it is hard labour that makes riches; Peter wouldn’t have toiled all night without any tangible result to show for his labour. Peter’s hard labour was fruitless until Jesus blessed him by instructing him on what to do for him to record success (to launch into the deep-Luke 5:1-11).

The Lord assured us in Deuteronomy 28:12 that He would bless the work of our hands. This implies that you may work and struggle to no success if the Lord refuses to bless your endeavour. For anybody to record good and progressive blessing, you have to be in tune with God.

Our anchor scriptures describe the greatness of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The adjective used to describe their blessing and greatness was progressively increasing from generation to generation, from the first generation (Abraham) to the third generation (Jacob).

Abraham was described as great, Isaac was described as very great and Jacob was described as exceedingly great. This illustration shows that you and your generation to come can enjoy God’s progressive blessing, because this is the pattern He designed for His children. Hence, you must be in tune with Him, you must allow God to direct your path and you must live in total obedience of His word.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob obeyed God, they allowed God to direct their path, and they followed the leading of God without swerving or swaying away from His instruction. You and your generation to come can enjoy such blessing as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, provided you listen to God and train your children to live in the way of the Lord and not to depart from it so that they in turn would pass it to their children (Joel 1:3).

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YOUR NAME DEFINES YOUR DESTINY

TEXT: 1 CHRONICLES 4: 9-10
Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
Your name plays  pivotal role in you fulfilling destiny. We are being identified by the names we bear, also we are being differentiated by our names. Once a name is being mentioned in a statement; it makes the information more meaningful and easily understandable without any confusion.
Aside for the fact that names give more clarity to information, there are other powerful meaning and values hidden in our names. Name is like label, mark or a brand.
People were given their names for a reason. The names you are called reveals your personality, this means you will living up to the meaning of your name.
In other words, it can be said that your name shapes your destiny! Examples are bound in the bible- Jabez in our text was living the meaning of his name ( a child of sorrow). The text tells us that Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, yet there was nothing in his life to make him happy. His name affected his destiny until he cried out to God to bless him and enlarge his coast.
Jabez was more honourable than his brothers, nonetheless, the negative name given to him by his mother did not allow his glory to manifest.
The scripture did not record that Jabez's name was changed before God blessed and enlarged his coast, but God changed the effect of the negative name that was affecting his destiny.
There are some people that God will have to change their names before they can be blessed. Abram's name was changed to Abraham, Jacob was renamed Israel, Sarai was renamed Sarah before the blessing of God came to manifestation in their lives. It was not until Abraham and Sarah got their names changed, that the promised child came.
God also changed Jacob's name from deceiver to Israel the one that wrestles with God. These people experienced change of names and positive turning point in their lives.
Do you know the meaning of your name? Is your name giving glory to any evil God or deity?
The kingdom of darkness understood the importance of names, this is why they changed the names of the four Hebrew boys the Babylonians took into captivity. The Babylonians changed the names of these boys so that they can be fit for services and give glory to the Babylonian gods.
Daniel which means God is my judge was changed to Belteshazzar, the name that honoured Bel the pagan god. Hananiah was renamed Shadrach, Michael was changed to Meshach and Azariah was changed to Abednego.
It can be seen from what the Babylonians did to the Hebrew boys that any change of name signifies a change in relationship and commitment to a new life and relationship. The boys were made indirectly to embrace new relationship with their gods and not the God of Israel that they are used to, they changed their names to make them to be committed to the God of Babylon.
On this note, if you bear names that does not glorify God, if your name has an attachment with any God or deity. You may need to decide to have a change in your relationship and commitment with these negative forces, and embrace the best and worthy relationship with God.
You cannot enjoy the blessing and promise of God if you are connected with negativity. Be committed to God and have a great relationship with Him so that you can enjoy His blessing. If your name has a hidden negative meaning, or if your name is giving credit to any force of darkness; you need a new name like Abraham, Sarah and Jacob. Prayerfully cry to God like Jabez and you will experience a postive turning point in your life.

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FEAR THE LORD

TEXT: PSALM 128: 1-4
" Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.  Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.  Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD."
Our God is the omnipotent God that does as He pleases, no one can question or query Him for His actions. He owns both  heavens and the earth and all that are in them (Psalm 24).
By the word of His mouth were the heavens made and all of the host of them by the breath of His mouth (Psalm 33:6). His power and wisdom no one can fathom! He is a supreme and sovereign God that can promote and demote, He has the power to kill and make alive. He can raise the poor up and bring down the rich. He is the God that can make the poor to sit among the princes. In fact, our God is full of doing the unimaginable- He brought out water from the rock (Psalm 105:41), He brought money out of the mouth of a fish ( Matt 17: 27), He parted the Red sea and made the children of Israel to walk on dry land (Exodus 14).
Our God is the greatest Mathematician that can multiply five loaves of bread and two fishes to feed 5,000 men! All glory, honour and adoration to His name forever.
When the scripture admo ish God's children to fear the lord, the scripture is not saying we should dread the Lord or be afraid of Him. Rather we are to love, respect, cherish, honour and obey our God in humble adoration.
Living in the fear of the Lord means that you will not do what would make Him to be angry or upset. When you fear the Lord you would want to obey and keep all His commandments and follow His precepts to the letter.
When you live in the fear of the Lord you would always want to be on His presence knowing fully well that He's your all in all that can vindicate you from all afflictions.
Living in the fear of God is to your benefit. When you reference God and respects Him, there are blessings accrued to people who live in the fear of God that you would benefit from- you will enjoy God's everlasting love (P's 103:17) when God loves you, He would do everything to make you happy and protected.
Another benefit is that God will make abundant provision for you, and you will lack nothing (Ps 34: 9). When you fear the Lord there will always be food on your table. You will always have enough to eat (111:5).
Another benefit of living in the fear of God can be found in Proverbs 14: 26- you will have a secure fortress in God, and your children will enjoy God as their refuge.
Our anchor text outline other benefit of a man or a woman that fears the Lord these are:
- The fear of the Lord will make you a blessing to your spouse and children. Your family will flourish without lacking anything. Your children will excel
- You will eat the fruit of your labour, that is no wasted effort in all your endeavours.
- Blessing and prosperity will be yours.
Living in the fear of God has endless list of benefits. Below are more benefits of living in the fear of God.
1) For divine instruction - Ps 25:12
2) You will spend your days in prosperity and your descendants will inherit the land -  Ps 25:13
3) Enjoy the goodness of God - Ps 31: 19
4) Divine Protection - Ps 31: 20
5) Divine Revelation - Ps 25:14
6) Abundant life - Prov 14:27, 19:23
7) Divine satisfaction -  Prov 15: 16
8) Divine Confidence - Prov 14:26
9) God's Compassion - Ps 103: 13
10) Divine wisdom - Prov 1:7,9: 10
11) Power to live above  sin - Prov 8: 13
12) Life of integrity and faithfulness - Job 2:3
13) The Lord will delight in you - Ps 147:11
In fact! BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO FEARS THE LORD. Live in the fear of God and reference Him al all times so that you can partake of God's unending blessing for these that live fear Him. PEACE!

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NOT BY LABOUR BUT FAVOUR

TEXT: LUKE 5: 1-7
“So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.”
One day of God's favour supersedes many years of labour. No man can make it without the help and favour of the Lord Almighty. The scripture says Paul plants Apollo waters but it is God that gives the increase (1Cor 3:6). You may work and labour hard and have nothing to show for it. Your intellectual skills, your human effort and knowledge can take you nowhere without the favour of God!
Labouring with human knowledge and effort can be frustrating if the favour of God is absent. This is why many people toil around the shore of life engaging in different unproductive businesses, careers, and projects. Once one project is not productive as they planned, they switched to another one and another and continue in that pattern of failure until they get frustrated, weak, weary and depressed.
From our text, we can see the result of frustration in the statement of Simon to Jesus "But Simon answered and said to him” master, we have TOILED ALL NIGHT AND CAUGHT NOTHING... " (v5). Simon was a skilled fisherman; he had been in the business of fishing years before that very day of toiling without anything to show for it. In utmost disappointment he gave up and was washing his net to go back home empty handed.
However, the favour of God located him when Jesus chose to go into his (Simon) boat. Jesus turned Simon's disappointment into a net breaking miracle- FAVOUR!
When the favour of God located Simon who was preparing to go back home defeated, he was able to catch net breaking fish that he could not carry alone, but beckoned to the people around to come and help him. Favour moved Simon from level of failure to supernatural success without struggling and toiling for it.
The lesson of this story is that your human effort, skills and expertise may not generate the "net breaking success" you are expecting. It is the favour of God that can cause you to be successful without much labour or toiling.
Jesus said to Simon “launch out into the deep and let down your net FOR A CATCH." (v4). Simon was directed towards where his success lies without having to do trial and error with his net. Another lesson from this story is that ONLY GOD CAN DIRECT YOU TOWARDS YOUR SUCCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT. Hence, you need to be a beneficiary of God's favour for Him to help you. Do you realise that Simon was not the only fisherman around on that day of his divine favour and change in destiny? Yes, there were other fishermen around when Jesus chose to favour Simon. Therefore, you need to ask for the anointing of favour that erases the yoke of unproductive labour. For someone to be a partaker of God's favour, he or she must be obedient. Simon did not argue with Jesus that he was a skilled fisherman. He did not damn Jesus by saying “what do you know about fishing?" Instead he decided to obey in humility he said “nevertheless at your word I will let down the net." (v5b).
If you want to make headway in life, you need to be obedient to the leading and direction of your maker. God is our maker; therefore he has the instructions of our lives in His hand. To be successful we must adhere to these instructions.
I pray that the favour of God will locate us and terminate every yoke of hard and unfruitful labour in our lives in Jesus name. Amen.Image: Google Image

VOID YOURSELF OF PRIDE

TEXT: JAMES 4:6

But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 

Pride is the weapon the devil is using against people of God. Satan does not want to see anybody fulfil his or her God given purpose. He would make all effort to rid them of the glorious future that the Lord has prepared for them. This he would achieve by enduing them with the spirit of pride, the devil wears pride like garment on people.

The bible says “God RESISTS the proud and gives grace to the humble.” If a proud man is resisted by God, tell me how the person will fulfil destiny.

There are many that God have the plan of taking to a height they least expected in life, but after some success stories in their favour, the spirit of pride begin to manifest in them. Not knowing that the success that is making them proud is a tip of iceberg compared to what God has in stock for them.

However, instead of them to keep going higher on the ladder of success, they will be coming down until they are relegated to nothing! Did you just ask why? Because pride is a heavy burden and nobody can run or climb successfully at a faster rate having a load with him or her. That is why Hebrew 12:1 admonish us to throw of everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles…

The bible warned about pride in several verses of the scripture. Pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16: 18). King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon suffered from the sin of pride and he lost his kingdom to pride (Daniel 4). When Nebuchadnezzar came back to his senses and exalted God rather than exalting himself for his greatness and wealth, God reinstated him back to his throne.

His statement after he was reinstated showed that he had learnt his lesson that God is capable of subduing any proud heart. “And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Dan 4:37^b). Without God we can do NOTHING. That is why we should not allow the devil to fill our hearts with the spirit of pride. Apostle Paul knew this, so he wouldn't have to learn humility in the hard way like Nebuchadnezzar.

Paul understood that it is God that promotes and not human wisdom and effort. No wonder he said “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Whatever position you may be occupying, no matter the height you find yourself on the ladder of success, no matter the level of your achievement and greatness. DO NOT forget that it is by the GRACE of God that you achieved everything. Always have it in mind that you cannot do anything without God (John 15:5). Do not let pride disconnect you from God, because the result could be disastrous. I pray you will not lose your destiny to pride in Jesus name. Amen. 

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BY STRENGTH SHALL NO MAN PREVAIL

TEXT: PSALM 127: 1

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

God talk to His children through different means and channels. He relates with you with what you are conversant with, for instance; God can communicate the same message to people in different professions with examples and illustrations in line with their profession. For example, God can use different illustrations to explain a message to a teacher and a doctor. If you love playing golf, His illustration to you will be golf related. God’s illustration will always be from what you know and can relate with, He will not use something that is out of the blues to explain things to you, because He wants you to get the right understanding of what He is talking about. Therefore God has His way of expressing Himself to people by using different illustrations best known to the person He’s communicating with. God’s wisdom is unfathomable!

At my free time, when I feel like taking a break from work, I love to unwind by playing a particular game. The game has different levels, to move to the next level, you have to perform well and score high point. I do not play the game constantly, but only when I needed to have a break from writing or typing. There was a particular level that I got to that requires unlocking a key before I would get to the next level. I tried all I could to unlock this key, yet I was unable to do so, despite my effort and high scores.

I spent weeks (since I don’t play the game often) trying to achieve my purpose, with high scores, yet I was unable to unlock the key despite all effort, and techniques devised. All was to no avail. As I was determined to unlock the key to go to the next level, the Holy Spirit ministered to me using the game!

The Lord used the game to explain to me how human beings struggle to achieve greatness with human efforts and wisdom, with little or nothing to show for it. I was trying all human wisdom and effort to get to the next level, yet my effort was thwarted because I could not unlock the key that will take me to the next level. The Holy Spirit made me to see how human beings struggle to get to the next level of their life, by applying all human strength and wisdom, coupled with the best instrument, tools, and technique. Instead of getting to the next level, they meet with obstacles and walls of limitation.

The Holy Spirit made me to see that human effort is futile without the help of God. You cannot get to the next level of your life without God. It is God that will give you the key that will unlock your passage to the next level. Without this key, progress will be impeded regardless of the effort, tools and techniques. Ask God for the master key that will take you to your next level. I pray that the key that will unlock the door to our will not be stolen by Satan and his cohorts in Jesus name.

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QUERYING GOD?

(JOB 9:15-19)

"For though I was right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my judge. If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason. He will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him?”
God is all sufficient, the all knowing God that cannot be queried or questioned. The scripture says “God does as He pleases (Job 23:13). God can decide to promote the poor and make him sit among princes, and He can demote kings and princes and relegate them to nothing. Nobody can challenge the decision of the Lord Almighty, He cannot be taken to court, and nobody can judge Him because He is the judge of all judges. In fact, He is the chief judge of the universe!

There are some circumstances that had caused people to query where God was when their lives were in shambles. Some can even take it to the extent of saying “if God is truly existing; why are evil things happening to good people? The answer to these questions are not farfetched-   He is God of all flesh, His ways are not our ways, He decides who He wants to have mercy on (Romans 9:15).

Job was a man that did the will of God, he was steadfast and God was boastful of him. Yet the devil with the permission of God; attacked him to test his faith and loyalty in God. Job was upright and yet afflicted by the devil, however, Job did not query God, and instead he pleaded for mercy. “Though I was innocent, I could not answer Him, I could only plead with my judge for mercy.” (Job 9:15).

The lesson here is that no matter what you are going through, don’t query God, and don’t be angry with Him. All you need to do is to plead for His mercy. God cannot be taken to court, He cannot be flogged or beaten, and since you cannot fight God; the best thing to do when life is tough and difficult is to ask for His mercy and wait patiently like Job, and watch God elevating you to a greater height after your trial of faith.

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ENVY NOT THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED.

PSALM 73: 3-5, 16-19

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. (v 3-5).

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! (v 16-19).

The world is full of mysteries that only God can unfold, the world is full of “the good, the bad and the ugly situations.” Many are living in affluence; some are averagely okay while some are living below average. Some people are working tooth and nail to make ends meet; hence, some are acquiring wealth without having to struggle for it.

Many people that are walking in the way of the Lord; people that are living the totality of their lives to please God are struggling to survive hardship. However, those that have sold out their souls to the devil are flourishing and swimming in the river of affluence!

As human beings, we may be wondering why this is so, that is the irony of life that only God can unravel. In curiosity and maybe in anger, we may be asking questions as to why unbelievers should be flourishing in their evil ways, and why believers are wallowing in poverty despite their righteous living.

“Is the earth and its fullness not God’s? What about the cattle on a thousand hills, are they not for God? Did He not promise to supply ALL my needs according to His riches in glory? Did He not promise us the wealth of the Gentiles? Why are Gentiles flourishing while obedient believers are languishing in abject poverty?”

It is normal to feel this way because we are human. That was the predicament of the Psalmist when he wrote Psalm 73. Our God is a good God that promise His children good and expected end (Jere. 29:11). The bible tells us that it is only the blessing of God that make riches without adding sorrow to it (Prov. 10:22). The wicked that are flourishing with wealth amassed from unclean source are placed on the slippery ground (Ps 73:18). Wealth gotten from unclean source will not last, but the sorrow and trouble that the wealth will bring to the owner of the wealth will last forever! Their final destination as explained in our text is destruction, the Lord will cast them down to ruin, and they will be completely swept away by terror!

The success of the wicked will only last for a short period, and they will have their portion in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8)

“Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked, for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.” (Proverbs 24:19-20)

Do not envy the success of the wicked; do not run after material things at the expense of your righteous living. Do not race against heavenly things because of earthly things that are perishable. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul (Mark 8:36). The Lord knows the best thing for you, He will fulfil His promises for you, wait upon His promises, ENVY NOT THE WEALTH OF THE WICKED.

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AVOID INSTANT GRATIFICATION

TEXT: GENESIS 25: 29-34

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom)  Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

Everybody wants to get things done without having to wait or to be delayed. We live in the world where everything is expected to be done “instantly,” nobody wants to wait any longer. The world has become a “quick fix society” where instant gratification is needed for everything.

Gone are the days of slow and steady wins the race, in fact, people finds it difficult to wait on the queue at the till, drivers are always in a hurry, pedestrians can’t wait for traffic because they want to get to their destinations within a twinkle of an eye. Everybody wants to get everything done NOW without having to wait.

The new age of technology and the advancement of science, has made people to always be in a hurry to get things done like microwave. The world is creaming “I want it done now, I must have it now, and I don’t care what the future holds; all that matter to me now is “NOW.”!

Instant gratification is the desire to enjoy pleasure or fulfillment without delay or deferment. Instant gratification has caused some people to indulge or engage in unspeakable acts that has caused them irreparable harm, due to their lack of patience.

People are getting involved in various crimes, fraud, sexual immoralities and other sinful acts in other to attain or achieve a purpose. We all need to understand that life is not a bed of roses, and nothing good comes cheap. Consequently, whatever you get cheap or easily may not last. Our text explains how dangerous it could be when we want to get our desires met instantly without waiting for the right time. If you eat your fruit without waiting for it to ripe, you are setting your teeth on edge!

Esau was hungry; he wanted food at all cost at that particular time. He could not wait to prepare his own food; he went to ask for his brother’s food. The brother demanded for Esau’s birthright in exchange of the food. Esau allowed the hunger to overrule his sense of reasoning, he did not see any importance of the birthright at the moment of hunger, the birthright was meaningless to him, after all he could not eat the birthright to satisfy his hunger; and he was dead hungry!

Esau decided to trade his birthright (his future) for an immediate satisfaction that would last for a moment. Many people are like Esau, they are interested in their now and do not mind what become of their future. They look for instant gratification (what satisfy their now) the devil will use small thing to rob them of their glorious future like Esau! They trade their glory to acquire worthless materials.

Delayed gratification will not kill you; it will only give you the opportunity to get the best, because delayed gratification is equal to greater rewards. If Esau had endured the hunger; and waited to cook his own food, he would have eaten more that what he sold his birthright for, and he would not have lost his birthright too. However, because of impatience and love for instant gratification, he lost his glorious future! The blessing that belonged to him was given to his brother.

As a child of God, don’t let the challenges of life push you out of your patience to wait for God to act. Do not destroy your TOMORROW because of TODAY. Endure hardship; wait patiently for God your time of joy is coming. If you delay your gratification you will not regret it. Instant gratification will cost you something, you may get what you want now like Esau, but you will pay dearly for it in future. “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.” (Hebrew 12:16-17). Wait for God’s time and avoid INSTANT GRATIFICATION

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WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

TEXT: EPHESIANS 3:20

“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

There is great power in our thoughts. Thought is the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the use of our senses. Thought is the perception about a thing, circumstance or situation. Thought can be positive and negative, it can be said that your thought is what determines your action; and your actions shapes who you are or what you become. Your life will reflect your dominant thought, if all you think is negative; the same will reflect in your life. If you think positive at all times, you will experience positive transformation in your life always. This is so because whatever is not present in your thought can NEVER be evident in your life!

Our text talks about how our God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than our THOUGHTS AND IMAGINATION! Therefore, if you think positively, the Lord will do unto you more than your positive thoughts and imagination, consequently, if you think negatively about yourself; the Lord will do to you more than your negative thought and imagination. The scripture says “as a man thinks in his heart so is he” (Proverbs 23: 7).  This is to buttress the fact that whatever you think about yourself, so shall God make you to be.

In Numbers 14 when the children of Israel were complaining in the dessert, they said “If only we have died in Egypt or in the dessert… this utterance came as a result of what they had in their mind (thought) - they were “thinking aloud.” The lord replied them in verse 28 “As surely as I live declare the Lord. I will do to you the VERY THING I HEARD YOU SAY, in the dessert your bodies will fall…” Their thoughts caused them to utter words of destruction into their lives! The scripture says “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) either you are thinking it or you go a step further to confess it with your mouth, the Lord is ready to do beyond your thought, confession and imagination.

On this note, if you have been thinking negatively before, it is high time you changed your perspective. Even if the situation shows negative and unpleasant, your positive thought and confession can change the situation for good. Change your thought and your world will change, once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you are on your way to positive result and great success. Your thoughts create your future, THINK POSITIVE!

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MAINTAIN YOUR INTEGRITY

TEXT: JOB 2:3-9

“Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”  So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.  Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Integrity is the act of doing the right thing at all times and in all situations, whether or not anyone is watching. It takes discipline and determination to live a life of integrity, it takes years to build integrity but it can take a second to destroy what has been built over a period of lengthy years. The world has become a place where there is no regard for integrity, instead the popular slogan by Niccolo Machiavelli “The end justifies the means” has become an acceptable norm!

There are some situation we find ourselves that makes us wanting to doubt the power and the wonders of the name of God. Most of the time afflictions come after you have decided to walk uprightly with God, and have forsaken the way that leads to eternal damnation. Are you asking why this is so? Well the reason is not farfetched; Satan is a liar and a deceiver. He wanted to deceive you to believe that God is not a custodian of every good and perfect thing. He wants you to think and be convinced that he is the only one that can give you all that you would need to be happy, and enjoy the best in life. Satan deceives his victims by enticing them with “perishable blessing” to make them forget the giver of “imperishable blessing”- the only living God.  The lesson here is that dishonesty may give you instant gratification, but it won’t last. At times you wonder why sinners and unbelievers should be flourishing while believers are languishing in lack. Satan blesses his victims with quick blessing because he is sure that his time and that of his victims are limited (Revelation 12:12). He wants them to enjoy their short lived blessing, before they will end it up together in Hell.

It is when you have make up your mind to walk uprightly with God that Satan will be bringing afflictions your way so that you can change your mind against God, he is doing this to win you to his kingdom. Beware!

The text shows how Job was affected by Satan so that he would sin against God. God was pleased with Job for being upright and He was boasting about him to Satan. Satan detests when God is boasting about any of His children, he will make all effort to cause the person to compromise and sin against God. Hear God- “And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him and ruin him without any reason.”  God was impressed by Job maintaining his integrity despite all he was going though. “Job made up his mind and determined not to compromise. “I will maintain my integrity until I die” (Job 27:5^b). One good lesson here is that, no matter what is happening to us, we must maintain our stand in God. Do not throw caution into air, always maintain your integrity even in the face of affliction, be rest assured that God will come to your rescue; He will not leave you alone in the mess.

Job was afflicted with painful sores, the wife got fed up and told him to forget about his integrity, and instead “curse God and die” she advised! (Job 2:9).

Many times we go through tribulations and afflictions that “advisers” would be coming with different counsels and “solutions.” Be very careful to select what and who you listen to when you are in any difficult situation. Your closest people can be used by the devil to make you compromise your stand in Christ, and cause you to lose your integrity- like the devil wanted to use Job’s wife to cause his downfall.

If you maintain your integrity at the time of trial like Job did, the lord will bless you the way He blessed Job. “The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first… (Job 42:12^A). After the cross comes the crown, endure affliction to get the blessing. DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO DO SOMETHING THAT WOULD DAMAGE YOUR INTEGRITY. May the Lord grant us the grace to maintain our integrity in Jesus name. Amen.

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