Dealing with the storms of life (3)

Text:Mark 4:35-41, John 15:5 Storms of life are part of our redemptive package. This whole world lies in wickedness(1 John 5:19). Jesus said the world will hate us because we are His followers, because the world hated him. The devil is after the followers of Jesus, still reeling from the humiliation at the Cross.In our text, Jesus never sinned; He is our Savior and Bishop of our souls, but storms came against His boat.So storms will come against any one.From the Bible, every divine elevation was preceded by a storm.Examples are Joseph, David, Daniel and the three Hebrew children,Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the children of Israel, the heroes of faith and contemporary men of God in the past and even today. We can also view storms as great examinations from God to see what we are actually made of. Who we actually are show more clearly when we are in a storm. Deuteronomy 8:2 says God humbled the Jews to humble them, to prove them, and to know what was in their heart, whether they would keep His commandments or not. As a new covenant believer, you know the whole commandment is fulfilled and SUMMED UP in " love your neighbor as yourself"(Galatians 5:14).How? Gal.5:15 says do not bite and devour your neighbor with your tongue.2 Corinthians 8:8 posits we should give to one another to prove the sincerity of your love: give forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, goodness, mercy,honor, peace, joy, patience, encouragement, support, helps, comfort, bear with one another all things,communicate with one another, think no evil of any one,endure all things for one another without complaining or murmuring, repent always for any mistakes or wrong especially during a storm. Love is the debt we owe our neighbor as believers, which must pay to fulfill the law. You might say, who is sufficient for all this? The answer is, no one except with the help of the Holy Spirit(Ezekiel 36:27).Actually these virtues are not actually to be ours, but the fruit of the Spirit.The believer, you and I are FRUIT HANGERS(BRANCHES) to serve the Lord Jesus(THE VINE) to display these fruit of Jesus Christ(John 15:5)for the world to see how to live abundant life.We are to allow the life of Jesus Christ inside us(Colossians 1:27, 1 John 4:4) to overflow into the world as rivers of living water to bless humanity, Alleluia. The treasure in our earthen vessel had been locked in for too long, held captive in the flesh.The flesh profits nothing; so why give your precious and valuable time to the works of the flesh, instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to display the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in us as a member of His Body. It is time to allow righteousness, holiness, riches, blessings, treasures and the abundant life of Christ inside us to overflow to our neigbors and humanity. In the last blog, I shared how God said in Amos 9:13, that the mountains before us, He will cause to bring forth sweet wine, and the hills before us representing any area of barrenness or unfruitfulness in our lives, God will cause to overflow with spiritual blessings. Storms in our lives are synonymous with hills and mountains or plainly stated obstacles and challenges. But we have a part to play!It is our responsibility to yield ourselves in our desires, thoughts, words and actions to the Holy Spirit to manifest these virtues through us, because to whom you yield yourself as servant to obey, ye are in deed servant.Shalom. So how do we respond to the storms in our lives, after deciding to allow the Holy Spirit to take over?

Dealing with the storms of life-2

The Bible tells us in Amos 9:13(amplified version), that the mountains before us will bring forth sweet wine, and the hills before us (which is interpreted to be any area of our lives which is barren or unfruitful) shall melt and bring forth an overflow of spiritual blessings.Beloved, we should learn to have God's perspective about life, its challenges and difficulties. Yes, the Devil and people mean it for evil, but your heavenly Father will turn it to be good. That was the testimony of Joseph in Genesis 50:20.The Bible calls them light affliction which is but for a moment working for us exceeding weight of God's glory. The Bible says as a seed of Abraham, you cannot be cursed. Alleluia,Shalom . So the first step is to be joyful, knowing it is a trial of your faith to see whether the patience component of your faith is working right, and after that you will lack nothing, because your faith tested and tried will manifest the blessing in your life.alleluia, glory to God(James 1:4, Hebrews 6:12).

Dealing the storms of life-1

Storms of life can come from God like with Jonah (Jonah 1:4, 4:8) or from the devil like with Paul(Acts 27:14) and with our Lord Jesus and His disciples(Mark 4:37). Right now you may be experiencing a storm in your life : financial, marital, health, family, job, spiritual, emotional etc.This is not new. To get to the other side you desire which Jesus paid for, you will encounter a storm to challenge your divinity or your claim that you are a Christian. Shortly after the Lord declared Jesus Christ as His beloved Son in Luke 3:22, Satan went to challenge him through temptation in Luke 4:3,9. Storm is like sitting for a promotion examination to a higher class. Strong faith is a danger to the Devil anywhere.So he goes all out to make your faith weak by bringing storms to corrupt your mind with condemnation, with mistrust and with complaining and murmuring. Those who challenged their storms are the heroes of faith today. So what should be our initial response to storm since it is the pathway to promotion and blessing. The Bible says in James 1:2 and 2 Corinthians 12:10,that we should count it all joy when you are faced with diverse temptations because it is an opportunity for God to be glorified.In James 1:12, if you stand your ground in joy to endure the storm knowing that the Lord is working for, with and by you, you will be blessed , and received the crown of life, and it is a proof that you love God.It is those that patiently endured that obtained the promises.

Restoration begins when our reasoning and understanding (mind) returns to us

Text: Daniel 4:28-35 Our minds play a pivotal role in whether we experience good health and prosperity in life (3 John 2). The issues of our lives come out of the thinking of our hearts in our minds.(Proverbs 4:23; 23:7). So the devil works hard every day using all his seducing demons to blind the minds of those who are unbelievers so that they will not receive the glorious gospel and be translated into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ(2 Corinthians 4:4), and for believers, corrupts their minds so that they cannot experience the abundant life in Christ.(2 Corinthians 11:3). He does the latter by making believers ignore the truth that they have the mind of Christ(1 Corinthians 2:16) and that they have received this sound mind from God because they are in Christ ( 1 Timothy 1:6-7). Our reasoning and understanding which takes place in our minds determine whether we will experience abundant life or not.No matter how much seed of good deeds or word we sow into our hearts, if we have no proper reasoning or understanding, they will not bear fruit(Matthew 13:23). Our level of understanding determines the level of harvest. The scriptures tells us in Proverbs 21:16, that any one that wander out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead or unfruitful people. So there is a way of understanding which the believer can wander from. Through our minds we can return to the reasoning and way of understanding.How? Our text tells us in verse 32 that we must acknowledge that the Almighty rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wills.Therefore your hard work, self help and skills are not enough. Nothing can come to pass except God hath commanded it.(Lamentations 3:37) The labor is in vain except the Lord builds the house(Psalm 127:1). It is the blessing of God that makes us rich and nothing else(Proverbs 10:22) Our text also tells us in verse 35 that all inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing before God almighty. So when Jesus took on the form of a servant, He immediately made Himself of no reputation before God.(Philippians 2:7) God does according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain God or say to Him " what doest thou? In verse 34, Nebuchadnezzar's reasoning and understanding returned to him and all his blessings were restored when he lifted up his eyes to heaven in prayers, praise and worship to bless the most High, praise and honor Him who lives for ever.His dominion is everlasting dominion. His kingdom is from generation to generation. As you acknowledge and give God thanks, the glory, honor and splendor and blessings are restored and return to you and excellency is added to you.Praise and extol and honor the king of heaven, all of whose works are truth and His ways , justice. Those who walk in pride, He is able to abase. So when reasoning and understanding come to anyone they too will worship and thank God, and the result will be restoration, alleluia.

The key reason for the believer's hardship

Text:Numbers 11:1, 1 Corinthians 10:10-11 Complaining,murmuring, grumbling or backbiting about anything or about anybody is the opposite of thanksgiving, and enables the wicked to execute his hardship on the believer, because God is displeased with such a person.It is the believer giving up his authority and power, which Jesus had given to him to the enemy, like Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden. Perilous times will mark the end of this age principally because people are unthankful(2 Timothy 3:2).Complainers, backbiters,murmurers, grumblers are on the same pedestal before God, as the proud, corrupt, lovers of money,lovers of themselves,boasters, blasphemers,unholy, disobedient to parents including God The Father.(2 Timothy 3:1-2) The major reason for corruption in the believer's life is because he is unthankful to God and to people and the root of that attitude is pride. Believers become cold in their love towards God because they are unthankful.When your love wax cold towards God and man, the scriptures say iniquity, corruption and turning away from godliness shall abound(Matthew 24:12). To prosper, Job 22:23 says you must put away iniquity far from your tabernacle that is from your body or your life. The key is in your hand.Put away ingratitude, complaining, murmuring,grumbling,and unthankfulness towards God and man, and then you will start prospering. Look for things to be thankful about in your life and in the life of others. Learn to appreciate and not be critical about others, finding faults.Every one has strengths and weaknesses. Focus on the strengths of others and your own weaknesses will attenuate considerably, and blessings will flow iyou lifer life. Watch your thoughts about others, because your thoughts will lead to your words and your words lead to actions or habits which determines your experience and destiny. The ball is in your court.Play it right. God bless you richly as you take heed.

BE THANKFUL TO GOD AND TO PEOPLE.

Text: Hebrews 13:15 If there is a debt we owe that Jesus Christ could not pay for us, which we need to pay continually is thanksgiving and praise to God Almighty Abba Father and to our Lord Jesus Christ.It is the key that keeps the plug of faith continually on the switch that turns on our breakthrough in every circumstance.Naturally, we give thanks when something has happened.Spiritually, the wisdom of God : the scriptures say we give thanks for things to happen. The Bible calls it sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. For God to hear us, we give thanks.To provoke the manifestations we give thanks.To perfect his hand in our lives, we give thanks.To multiply the offering and tithes we have given we continually give thanks. To resurrect anything not working right in our lives, give God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. For revelation, give God thanks. That was the secret behind Albert Einstein's revelation which culminated in relativity theory.When you appreciate anyone, your wife,children,brethren, neighbor you are appreciating God in them.Albert Einstein gave thanks to 100 people every day and revelation explode in his life. God,s wisdom for enforcing a turn around is sacrifice. The most potent sacrifice which everyone can give is THANKSGIVING. BE THANKFUL.BE GRATEFUL IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS.BE GRATEFUL IN GOD's MERCY WHICH ARE NEW EVERY MORNING.BE GRATEFUL IN THE WORD OF GOD's GRACE AND MERCY GIVEN TO US FREELY! IT WAS VERY SCARCE IN THE DAYS OF ELI.BE GRATEFUL IN YOUR LIFE! IN YOUR FAMILY!IN YOUR LOVED ONES!IN HUMANITY! IN ALL THINGS. WHEN YOU MAINTAIN A GRATEFUL ATTITUDE IN ALL THINGS KNOWING THAT GOD ALREADY PROVIDED A WAY OF ESCAPE AND SOLUTION BEFORE YOU ENCOUNTERED IT,BREAKTHROUGHS AND MIRACLES WILL BE YOUR CONSTANT EXPERIENCE!THAT LIGHT AFFLICTION IS WORKING OUT FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE EXCEEDING WEIGHT OF GOD'S GLORY.BRING GOD's GLORY INTO THE SITUATION, BY GIVING GOD HOT PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING, AND PROVOKE GOD TO BRING ABOUT A TURN AROUND, ALLELUIA

Be a vessel for God to use in 2013

Text : Ephesians 2:12, 2 Timothy 2:19 God created heaven and earth and He is a Spirit. God rules in heaven and earth, in heaven directly but on earth God uses man as a vessel and rules the earth through man.God does the work on earth through the man. Every human being is a vessel either unto honor or dishonor.The Bible says that some are vessels of gold,some are of silver and some are of wood. To be a vessel unto honor you must purge yourself by departing from iniquity, by keeping your mind that is knowledge, thoughts and imaginations stayed on the things of the Spirit in the Word of God, that is be not carnal minded.(Romans 8:6) and also by purging your conscience with the blood of Jesus(Hebrews 9:14) and also by loving the brethren(1 Peter 1:22).The more you love your brethren, the less iniquity you partake in, because love and iniquity are on the same continuum.(Matthew 24:12). There are so many sufferings today in the world.Our Lord Jesus Christ is the almighty Father's provision for all our needs (John 3:16). The believer is habitation of God the Father, God, the Son and God the Holy Spirit in his or her spirit. To be a vessel fit for the Master's use,our soul that is our mind has to be filled with the Spirit of Christ, so that out of us will flow the rivers of living water -rivers of blessing to bless humanity.Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us how to be filled with the Spirit.It must begin with genuine thirst and hunger to be used by God. DECIDE today to be the vessel carrying God's virtues and unction wherever you go, Alleluia, amen