Jul 17, 2017 |
“A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him. Finally she spoke: “This man was with Jesus!” Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know the man!” After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!” “No sir, I am not!” Peter replied. About an hour later someone else flatly stated, “I know this fellow is one of Jesus’ disciples, for both are from Galilee.” But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And as he said the words, a rooster crowed. At that moment Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered what he had said—“Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times.” And Peter walked out of the courtyard, crying bitterly.” Luke 22:54-62
What is making you to deny Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
Peter in the above scriptures was pre warned by Jesus Christ that he would deny Him but rather than pass the test he failed it.
There are issues in your life today that Jesus has warned you off before it happened and you are still behaving like Peter saying, “I don’t know the man”
The Bible is clear on areas of life that sin and temptations are waiting and we still take casual approach like Peter and do not take necessary precaution steps to avoid them and live victoriously.
Today take time to pray and make that quality personal decisions that you won’t deny Christ again.
God has given you the grace and ability to live a daily victorious Christian life.
When those test come up again in your life are you still going to say, “I don’t even know the man!”?.
Jul 14, 2017 |
“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. ” Proverbs 16:24
When you trip and fall please don’t stay down. Get up and rise again.
When you embark on a purposeful journey, when you are on a special assignment and out of nowhere you stumbled and fall don’t give up on that destination or your dream.
Please rise again
King Solomon in the above verses encourages you the righteous person to get up and finish your assignment.
Many children of God do start a project and once they meet with failure they automatically stop because they are ashamed that they fell.
One of the enemy’s strategies is to make you feel ashamed about your failure and therefore quit .You can stay in self pity and keep imagining that everyone is talking about you.
Remember how God sees you .In God’s mind you are a success and not a failure you and your story is not over.
That state of mind of being paralyzed and staying down is the characteristics of the wicked that stays down when he/she falls down because the true hope of God is not there.
“O evil man, leave the upright man alone and quit trying to cheat him out of his rights. Don’t you know that this good man, though you trip him up seven times, will each time rise again? But one calamity is enough to lay you low.” Proverbs 16:15-16
Be reminded that the evil man is always devising skills to make you righteous person give up on your purposeful life by setting you up for failure and thereby cheat you out of your right to succeed.
It’s your God given right to achieve your purposeful life and no matter how the enemy has tripped you to fail please get up and join the camp of the righteous.
The righteous? They rise again.
Jul 12, 2017 |
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’ Numbers 6:24-26
Almighty God spoke these words to Moses to pray over the people of Israel, yet they are a wonderful prayer for us as His people today.
In these verses we see His multiple Blessings
We desire His blessing and protection; we want Him to bless our careers, home life, relationships, but we also want His spiritual blessings – His forgiveness, His love, His strength, His guidance, His wisdom, which if we apply them to our lives, will protect us.
We ask Him to make His face shine upon us – smile on us.
“God smile on you and gift you,”
Smiles light up rooms; it makes such a difference when someone smiles at us.
If we want God to smile on us, be pleased with us, then we have to live our lives doing things He will be pleased with, things that bring Him joy, not sadness.
“A gracious person is a “grace-ful” person. “
God wants to give us so much of Himself, even though we don’t deserve it at times;
Like Apostle Paul desired to be more and more like Jesus so we should also be.
Peace seems the most elusive of the fruit of the spirit; we literarily swim in the stresses and strains of daily living instead of seeking God’s guidance and blessing.
“I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught. John 14: 25- 27
Today let’s ask God for His multiple blessings, aim to be “grace-ful” person,
and no matter what you are going through learn to be at peace with Him.
Jul 10, 2017 |
“From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” John 19:12
The Jews were bent on having Jesus killed and it was Pontius Pilate that had the determination to make.
His wife had a dream which confirmed to her that Jesus that was on trial before him was an innocent man and furthermore all what he could see for himself could not add up for Jesus to be killed and was considering setting Him free.
However when the Jews observed this they threw in a political blackmail on Pilate and he was asked to choose openly between his honest convictions and what is politically correct.
You are being faced daily too between doing what you know is the right thing to do and what is politically correct to do.
Are you Caesar’s friend or God’s friend?
“The Jews shouted him down: “If you pardon this man, you’re no friend of Caesar’s. Anyone setting himself up as ‘king’ defies Caesar.”
The crowd today is still ” shouting’ at you.
Will you take your stand openly with Jesus or will you follow the crowd?
Pilate chose to be politically correct.
So you too must choose between pleasing the crowd, or taking your stand with Jesus, even if it means losing an election, contract or monetary gains.
Which choice will you make?
“Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?” Matthew 16:25
Esther, Daniel and others in the Bible chose God and they were rewarded here in this world and eternity.
Choose today to be a friend of God.
Jul 7, 2017 |
“And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” John 9:2
When the disciples saw the man that was born blind their facts and logic led them to conclude and asked Jesus a question limiting HIM to choose one out of their two options.
Most of the time when we see facts and follow our natural senses to judge we may not be right like the disciples were wrong in their analysis above.
“Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” John 9:3
Jesus answered them above letting them know that its not logic all the time but knowing the mind of God on issues is foremost.
“But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” Acts 28:3-4
The villagers who first had an encounter with Paul on firsthand after his shipwreck logically concluded wrongly that nemesis was catching up with him however they were wrong.
It was another opportunity for God to showcase Himself “They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god!”
Their logical deductions were not right.
Don’t hastily conclude on matters.
Always find the mind of God on issues especially when you are pronouncing judgment.
“The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?” John 4:11
The Samaritan woman too logically concluded that since she could not see a bucket in the hands of Jesus how would HE draw the water to give?
Step up to know the mind of God on facts and situation reports before you conclude.
God is always at work in such situations .
Jul 5, 2017 |
“And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart: “ 2 Chronicles 19:9
Amongst the many reforms that Jehoshaphat had to do was to appoint some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, to handle the judgment of the Lord and for controversies.
However their compass was the fear of the Lord.
The king in challenging them to do their work right asked them to fear the Lord.
When we too act in our daily lives with the fear of the Lord we will make the right decisions concerning our relationship with Him and with other people.
Apostle Paul spoke about his own navigating compass too…. “ I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.” Acts 24: 16
How are you looking at issues today?
Do you readily know the mind of God on the issues you are facing?
Once you know the mind of God are you faithful and loyal to stand on what is right?
Paul gave the rare right insight into how he acts in the fear of God. He ensured that Both God and men cannot fault him.
He was steadfastly faithful and loyal to God and fair to all men.
What can we say about you?
Do you act in the fear of the Lord?
Are you Faithful to Him?
Are you like the Hebrew children that said “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. 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.” Daniel 3:17-18
Those three Hebrew children responded to the King with the fear of God in their heart,
Faithful and loyal even to the point of death but God came through for them.
As you act in the fear of the Lord, HE will show up for you.
