ONLY BE STRONG.

TEXT: JOSHUA 1: 1-7
 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:  “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.  From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.  No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.  ONLY BE STRONG and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
God did not  promise us a problem free life, He never promised that we will sail through the journey of life without problems and afflictions.
In fact, He said it in His word that " in this world you WILL have tribulations, but be of good cheer for i have overcome the world." (John 16:33).
This is where some preachers are missing it, by giving new converts false hope when trying to win them to Christ. They tell them that once they give their lives to Christ, they won't experience any problem or hardship again. This is not so. Problems will arise, but the joy we have as Children of God is that the Lord is always be on our side to make us victorious over any problem or affliction!
Joshua was called by God to step into Moses's shoes to lead the stubborn Israelites after the death of Moses.
As outstanding as Joshua was, he was unable to set himself free from bondage of fear, he was afraid to lead the children of Israel. He knew what Moses went through in the hands of the unruly congregation of Israel. Thank God for His unfailingly promise and love for His children. He has promised never to leave nor forsake us (even in the deep pit of affliction or in the trouble water or sorrow and failure).
It took God's divine motivation and assurance for Joshua to have confidence to lead the people of Israel.
For Joshua to receive the grace to be confident and strong, God has to repeat and stress His divine support repeatedly.
Many great leaders and well endowed children of God are like Joshua. They are timid and lacks the confidence to lead and embark on their God given assignments.
Are you in that situation whereby the devil has robbed you of you confidence and boldness to fulfil your God given dream? The Lord is telling you now that you should be courageous for He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you. As He was with the patriarch of old in the Bible, so He will be with you. ONLY BE STRONG! You need boldness and strength to attain your God given purpose. Don't forget that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Be confident and be strong, God has got your back!
You will not fail. Don't allow the spirit of fear to truncate your destiny. Stand up with courage and boldness; embark on that vision, fulfil that dream, complete that assignment.
No dream of vision is too hard for you to complete, because faithful is He who has called you and who will also do it.(1 Thessalonians 5:24).
Do not look at the size and nature of the assignment, do not focus on the financial difficulties. Focus on the one who has called you. He is your present help in time of trouble. He will see you through. ONLY BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

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YOU SHALL DECREE A THING AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS

TEXT: JOB 22:28
"Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways."
There is great power of accomplishment in our spoken words. As children of God, the Lord has delegated some of His rights to us. One of these rights is the power and ability to decree a thing and see it become established.
Jeremiah 1:9-10 says "then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. "See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant."
If you have faith and you believe in God, you don't have much stress to deal with any situation; no matter how difficult it may look. All you need to do is to speak the word, decree what you want to see to come to manifestation; and it shall be done and established.
As you speak God's word with faith and confidence, divine power accompanies it to make it fulfilled. When David went to face Goliath in 1st Samuel chapter 17, from verse 45 down to 50.
Before David could raise his hand to fight the battle physically, he had fought and won the battle spiritually by sending out "God's spiritual bullet" ( name and the word of God).
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David."
The scripture made us to know that there is no force or power that is greater than the name of God. At the mention of the name of God every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2: 9-11).
The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs to Him and they are saved (Proverbs 18:10).
What difficult situation are you?  Don't be afraid to speak and decree the powerful word of God into the situation. Decree healing into that sick body, speak life upon that dead business, decree fruitfulness into that barren womb. What about the dead situation? Common speak life upon all those dry bones. The Lord is waiting for your declaration, so that He can stamp it with the zeal of accomplishment.
Do your part by decreeing the word, and the Lord will fulfil His own part by making the word come to pass. The only thing that could make a believer's word not to hold water when spoken is sin, unbelief/ lack of faith. Void yourself of sin, ask for forgiveness, repent genuinely, act in faith and be confident to decree a thing and watch as God backs up your word and bring it to pass.
I speak to you today that the power to decree a thing, and see it become established shall rest upon you in Jesus name. Amen.
Shalom.

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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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