WHAT CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD?

TEXT: ROMANS 8:35-39

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The above scripture is asking us a question and at the same time emphasizing that even in time of trouble, problems and afflictions; we should not turn our back against God. Nothing on earth is worth losing God for, no situation or problem is genuine enough to cause us to turn away from God our maker.

The later part of our text tells us that nothing in this world should make our love for God to grow cold; rather it should wax stronger because in every situation; God loves us and He is always with us, even in our times of darkness!

Our anchor scripture listed some things that can cause people to back off from serving God- Trouble, calamity, hunger, danger, persecution, being destitute, or death. In truth, many people throw in the towel when things are difficult for them.

However, there are some people that serve God more and better when they are in difficulty. Many people turn to God when during tribulation, distress, affliction, lack and hardship.

In other words, the problem they are facing drew them to God, knowing that He is their lasting hope and solution. Hence, as soon as they overcome the problem, they turn their back against God. Why?  This is because their problem has been solved and they don’t see any reason to stay with God again. The blessing or the divine turnaround was what separated them from God and not the problem {problem knitted them to God and they allowed blessing or answered prayer to separate them from God}.

Some people are driven away from God because of problem or affliction while some are driven away as a result of answered prayer. When God bless them, they believe there is no reason to serve God again!

Today, I am encouraging you not to allow problem or success to separate you from God. No success or breakthrough is good enough to separate you from God, and no problem is too big or bad enough to drift you apart from your maker.

If you are in the midst of trouble or affliction, hold on to God; let not your love for the lover of your soul go cold. Also, if you pray for blessing and He blesses you, do not be an ingrate by taking the blessing and rejecting the giver of the blessing.

Remember, in blessing, tribulation, lack, hunger, and in death, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.

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THE PRICE OF SUCCESS

TEXT: GENESIS 26: 12-16

¹² Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. ¹³ The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. ¹⁴ He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵ So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. ¹⁶ Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

As well as we all love to be successful; not all of us is ready to pay the price of being successful. There are many unpalatable situations that come with being successful- this I refer to as the “price of success.” Either you like it or not; as soon as you become successful, you will start paying the price that comes with success.

 Some of these prices are ENVY, HATRED, JEALOUSY, BACKBITING, BACK STABBING, HAVING TO LOSE CLOSE FRIENDS AND RELATIVES, and so on.

When you are at your struggling stage and trying to figure out your life, you may not encounter any problem- why?  This is because people have no reason to envy you because you have not achieved anything tangible. Nobody will oppose you because you have not made headway in your Endeavour. Rather, pity parties that are not ready to help you will be all over you.

As soon as your situation changes for better, you will also see negative changes from close friends and associates that used to pity you! You will now be wondering “are these not the people that were consoling and pitying me when I was struggling? Are these not the people hoping and praying for a change in my situation? Even your fellow believers that you pray together may end up becoming your enemies at your elevation!

Isaac came to Gerar because he had a problem of famine in his own land. He was well received in Gerar when he first arrived; he was living peacefully with the native of the land. Isaac had no problem with anybody until he became successful, the people that were friendly and accommodated him nicely suddenly turned against him in envy because the Lord has blessed him in the land.

The great lesson of this story is that you should be prepared to lose family and friends as you become successful! The people of Gerar that had loved Isaac turned to become the enemy of his progress. To truncate Isaac’s success; they filled all his father’s well with sand, even Abimelech that once gave an order to all the people of the land that nobody should molest Isaac and his wife if they don’t want to die ended up giving Isaac a “quit notice” from Gerar! This is to tell you that your friends and pity parties, those that you think are genuinely “upholding” you in prayer for a positive change in your situation may turn against you when you become successful.

To be able to stand and prevail over the devices of the enemies when you are successful, you must be sure that God is your sure foundation and stronghold. So that when the enemy comes like flood against you, the lord will fight for you and raise a standard against them on your behalf. Let God be the source of your success so that He can protect you against the enemies. Isaac was able to triumph in the midst of adversaries because it was God that blessed him. It is the blessing of God that makes riches without sorrow (Proverbs 10:22).

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CONTROL YOUR ATTITUDE LET GOD CONTROL THE HEAT

TEXT: DANIEL 3: 8- 27

⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹ They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! ¹⁰ You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; ¹¹ and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹² There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵ Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷ If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰ And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹ Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²² Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. ²³ And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”

They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”

²⁵ “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. ²⁷ And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

The Lord did not promise us smooth sailing journey in life, He never promised that we will always be seeing sunshine without dark cloud and rainy days. He only promise us  in John 16: 33 that no problem will over power us because He has overcome the world for us, therefore we should be of good cheer (positive attitude).

Along the journey of life, we will encounter situations that are not good or pleasant, because giving your life to Christ is not the assurance that you will have problem-free life, but your assurance as a child of God is that the problem will not overcome you; rather you will be the one to overcome the problem and come out victorious because the Lord is your ever present help in your time of trouble. As believers and as children of God; the battle of life that we are facing has already been won by God; therefore victory is certain for us!

The three Hebrew boys (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego) gave their loyalty to the Most High God; they refused to bow for the Babylonian god. They were arrested and thrown into the fiery furnace to die. These boys were able to control their attitude by not getting angry with God; they did not say "WHY  should they be arrested when they are loyal to the only true God." They did not ask God why He allowed that to happen to them, instead they continued in their loyalty to God. They were calm and trusting God to show His mighty hand to deliver them. These boys were of good cheer (they maintained positive attitude) as the Lord has told us.

They controlled their attitude during a challenging period; this made God to be pleased and happy to control the heat of the fire so that they will not be hurt. The Lord took out the heat of the fire, and turned the fiery furnace to “air condition” for the boys!

The fire was heated so well that it killed the people that threw the Hebrew boys in the fire. Yet these boys did not feel the pain, they did not die in the fire, the fire had no effect on them that when they came out of the fire; there was no smell of fire on them!

In the same vein, if you can control your attitude during a negative season, if you can maintain positive attitude when things are going wrong around you, the Lord will help you to control the heat of the problem so that you will come out unhurt and become better after the problem is over.

Many people throw in the towel; they say derogatory things to God when they are in problem. They are unable to control their attitude; they cannot be of good cheer as the Lord has admonished us.

Let us learn from the three Hebrew boys, let’s learn how to control our attitude during problem and affliction, and leave God to control the heat of the problem for us so that we would come out victoriously. 

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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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