Sunday, October 26, 2014

BLESSED


  BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may have an abundance for every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:8

Do you remember the words that God pronounced over Abraham? He said, “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2).

My friend, as you trust God to walk more and more in the fullness of Abraham’s blessing, have a revelation that He blesses you because He loves you, and gives to you the privilege of being a practical extension of His love to your community, your country and beyond.

God’s financial provision is for a divine purpose. Don’t use people and love money. Instead, use money to love people! When it comes to our relationship with people, it is always more blessed to give than to receive. Have an abundant eye and heart, look around for people in need and bless them. Let your light so shine before all men for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ!

Today, see His abundant grace abounding toward you and your family so that you will have an abundance for every good work!

“We live in a Heavenly Kingdom & regardless of what goes on down here, we’re gonna prosper!”

 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2).

God’s promises have been established from the foundations of the world. His Word is infallible!

FORGIVE AND LET GOD DO THE REST

Ephesians 4:32 - And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

People like to say, I can forgive, but I cannot forget. Have you heard that before? Now, in the first place, nowhere in the Bible does God tell you to forgive and then to forget. It is not in the Bible! The devil is adding something here to make the whole thing burdensome.

God only tells us to forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us a debt we cannot pay. When we do this, we do ourselves a favor because harboring bitterness and unforgiveness can sometimes destroy our health!

So just forgive and let God take care of the rest. When you really forgive, sometimes, He makes you forget. But sometimes, you still remember the incident because it was a major thing in your life. Yet, when you look back at it, the pain is no more there. The sting is gone and you are not bitter.

Joseph had forgiven his brothers before they came and bowed before him. He remembered what they did to him, but he did not remember it with bitterness. (Genesis 50:1521) So you may remember the incident, but the bitterness is gone because you have put the cross in the picture God in Christ forgave me. Daddy, I forgive you. Mama, I forgive you. My cousin, I forgive you.

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We walk by faith, not feelings. (2 Corinthians 5:7) Some people are waiting for feelingsI am waiting, Father, for the right emotion to come on me to forgive that person. That right emotion may never come!

No, forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer. Take out your diary and write it down: Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus name. Amen!

Once you forgive by faith, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!

TODAY LET “PEACE” SETTLE THE QUESTIONS IN YOUR MIND …

Did you know that as believers, each one of us has an internal umpire? You might be wondering why we need an internal umpire, but think about what an umpire does. An umpire lets you know what the rules or boundaries are. An umpire arbitrates matters that may seem unclear. They “call the shots,” so to speak. God has given us an internal umpire, the Holy Spirit, to give us boundaries, to show us God’s will for our lives, and settle any matters in our hearts that may seem unclear.

Colossians 3:15 in the Amplified says, “Let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state]…”

God has given us His peace as a special gift to rule in our hearts and give us finality in every decision. Like an umpire, His peace lets us know when we are safe and when we are out of bounds. Peace is right for all occasions. When we have peace in our hearts, we are able to discern the perfect will of God for our lives. On the other hand, in the absence of peace, there is turmoil and confusion. Anytime we feel unsettled about something, if we will go back and make a few minor adjustments, if we listen to the Umpire, we can find the place of peace again.

The Bible says to seek peace and pursue it eagerly. In other words, it should be our highest priority in any circumstance. Remember when Jesus was on the boat in the midst of the storm? The disciples were fearful and upset, but Jesus was in perfect peace, asleep in the back. When they woke Him up, He simply walked out on deck and said, “Peace, be still.” He spoke to the winds and the waves, and they obeyed Him. Because He was in peace, He was able to operate from a place of confidence and authority to speak to the storms that surrounded Him.

Today, eagerly pursue peace. Let it settle the questions of your mind. Remember, if you don’t have peace going into a situation, you won’t have peace on the other side of it. Whether it’s in a relationship, a financial situation, or an opportunity before you, never move forward without the peace of God. Let peace be your final authority because when you walk in His perfect peace, you walk in His perfect will. Listen to your Internal Umpire and stay on the course of blessing God has for your life.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace… (Isaiah 55:12, NIV)

HOW TO BUILD A GREAT MARRIAGE

'A wife should put her husband first, as she does the Lord.' Ephesians 5:22 CEV

If you want a great marriage, you’ve got to work at it every day. The Bible gives us God’s blueprint for one: ‘You wives must learn to adapt yourselves to your husbands, as you submit yourselves to the Lord, for the husband is the “head” of the wife in the same way that Christ is head of the Church and saviour of the Body. The willing subjection of the Church to Christ should be reproduced in the submission of wives to their husbands. But, remember, this means that the husband must give his wife the same sort of love that Christ gave to the Church, when He sacrificed Himself for her... Men ought to give their wives the love they naturally have for their own bodies. The love a man gives his wife is the extending of his love for himself to enfold her. Nobody ever hates or neglects his own body; he feeds and looks after it. And that is what Christ does for His body, the Church. And we are all members of that body, we are His flesh and blood! “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” The marriage relationship is doubtless a great mystery, but I am speaking of something deeper still—the marriage of Christ and His Church. In practice what I have said amounts to this: let every one of you who is a husband love his wife as he loves himself; let the wife reverence her husband.’ (Ephesians 5:21–33 PHPS) That’s how to build a great marriage!

EXPECT PERSECUTION

John 15:19 "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

We should not think it is strange to be persecuted. "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). We can actually rejoice because we are being persecuted for Jesus' sake, and the Lord will be with us in the midst of the persecution. When we stand before Him, there will be more than ample reward.

Persecution is a token that those persecuting you are under conviction. They realize that they are not living what your words or actions are advocating and in self defense, they attack you, who they perceive is the source of their conviction. If you understand this, it makes persecution much easier to take. They aren't just mad at you; they are convicted. When the gospel is presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, there will always be either revival or riot, but not indifference.

In the midst of persecution, Satan will try to convince us that the strife is all our fault. If he succeeds, then we back down and the pressure is off his followers. However, Jesus suffered continual rejection and persecution, yet we know that the problem was not with Him, but with those who rejected Him.

Jesus makes it clear that persecution is an inevitable part of living a godly life, so that we will not fall prey to introspection and self-condemnation when rejection comes. If our sinless Savior was rejected, then certainly we will be too. Don't feel guilty or condemned when persecution comes. The Word strips people of the disguises they have been hiding their sins behind, and the result is persecution.

ALL TOGETHER

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. — Psalm 98:4

For years my wife’s piano and my banjo had an uncomfortable and infrequent relationship. Then, after Janet bought me a new guitar for my birthday, she expressed an interest in learning to play my old guitar. She is a very capable musician, and soon we were, together, playing songs of praise on our guitars. I like to think that a new kind of “praise connection” has filled our home.

When the psalmist was inspired to write of worshiping God, he began with this exhortation: “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises” (Ps. 98:4). He called for us to “sing to the LORD” with instruments such as harps and trumpets and horns (vv.5-6). He commanded all of the earth to “shout joyfully to the LORD” (v.4). In this mighty orchestration of praise, the rolling sea is to roar with exaltation, the rivers are to clap their hands, and the hills are to sing out in joy. All the human race and creation are together called to praise the Lord in “a new song” of praise, “for He has done marvelous things” (v.1).

Today let your heart connect with others and God’s creation in singing songs of praise to the mighty Creator and Redeemer.

Let us celebrate together,
Lift our voice in one accord,
Singing of God’s grace and mercy
And the goodness of the Lord.

God can use ordinary instruments to produce a concert of praise.

TRUE TO YOUR ASSESSMENT …


Leviticus 27:12 - … the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.

Your colleague says that this week is going to be a lousy one because the new boss is mean. You disagree and say that it is going to be a blessed week. Both of you will go through the same week, but with very different outcomes. While your friends week will indeed turn out to be a lousy one, yours will be filled with the favor of the Lord!

In the Old Testament, when someone brought what he had to the priest for a valuation, whatever the priest assessed the value of the item to be, it was so. If he assessed it to be of good value, then it was of good value. If he assessed it to be of poor value, then it was of poor value.

Today, you are also a priest because of Jesus blood. (Revelation 1:56) And as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be. If you assess your year to be one of financial breakthroughs, so it will be for you. If you assess your life to be filled with divine health, so it will be for you.

There was a stroke patient who was bedridden. While listening to my recorded sermons, he assessed that with God as his salvation, his life would be long and satisfying. (Psalm 91:16) He believed that God would help him walk again. Not too long after his assessment, he was able to walk and was no longer bound to the bed! The next assessment he made about his health was complete recovery with God as his helper.

Actually, you have more authority than the Levitical priests of the Old Testament. They were of the old priesthood of mortal men. But you are of the greater and forever priesthood of Jesus! (Hebrews 7:8, 17) Not only that, you are a king-priest. (Revelation 1:6) In other words, you are a king as well! And as a king, your assessment is also binding because where the word of a king is, there is power! (Ecclesiastes 8:4)

My friend, this means that you have a double portion of assessment power. Therefore, boldly assess good things for your life, and it will be so for you!

KNOW WHO YOU ARE
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. - 1 Corinthians 12: 17–18, NIV

In the New Testament, John was baptizing a crowd of people and drawing a lot of attention. Somebody came up and said, “John, are you the Christ or should we keep looking?” Without missing a beat, John said, “No, I am not the Messiah.”

See, John knew what he was, but he also knew what he was not. It’s just as important to know what you’re not because if you don’t realize your limitations, you’ll get drawn into areas that may look impressive and may feed your ego, but they are outside of your gifting and calling, outside of what God anointed you to do.

Anytime you go outside of your limitations, it will be a constant struggle. Don’t let that be you! Instead, stay focused on what you’re good at. Follow peace in your heart and know who you are because God created you just the way He wants you to be!

BE TENACIOUS

'But none of these things move me.' Acts 20:24 NKJV

Paul writes: ‘The Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy.’ (Acts 20:23–24 NKJV).Dr. John Maxwell says one day when he was discouraged and tempted to quit, he took out a dictionary and looked up the word ‘quit’. After spending a few minutes considering that option, in a symbolic act of defiance he took out his scissors and cut the word right out of his dictionary. It didn’t make his problems go away, but it sure did strengthen his resolve. When every avenue looks like a dead end and you feel as if you’ve exhausted every possibility—you haven’t. There are always other ways, other options, other opportunities. Even if you don’t see them right now, they are there. So don’t give up. Former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey once said, ‘A champion is one who gets back up when he can’t.’ People who reach their goal keep going when they think they can’t. They’re tenacious, and as a result they keep moving closer to their goal day by day. Some days they may be moving only a few centimetres at a time, but they’re moving forward. They believe in their God–given destiny, they believe in themselves, and they say so. Now, saying you believe in yourself won’t guarantee your success, but saying you don’t believe in yourself will guarantee your failure. The truth is you’re not alone, God is with you. ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.’ (Isaiah 40:29 NIV) So be tenacious!
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