Hope beyond this life

 Hope beyond This Life

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
—1 Corinthians 15:13-14

Not only does the Bible tell us we will live beyond the grave, but it also tells us there is hope beyond this life. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves there is life beyond the grave for the believer. The Bible says, "He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).

No doubt this is why the devil has tried to discredit the Resurrection over the years. This is why, ever since the first century, he has been spreading his rumors about what happened to the body of Christ. And one of the oldest rumors of all was that His body was stolen by the disciples.

But claiming that the body of Jesus was stolen actually proves the resurrection of the Lord. His friends could not have taken it, because they left the scene and were convinced He was dead. The apostles had no reason to counterfeit a Resurrection they did not even believe in themselves.

And as we look at church history, we know that with the exception of John (who survived an execution attempt and was banished to the island of Patmos), all the apostles were martyred for what they believed. Don't you think at least one of them would have suddenly exposed such a lie if it were a lie? But they didn't, because none of them could deny what was true: Christ was risen, Christ is risen, and He is alive.

Pursuing Christ

 Pursuing Christ

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‘For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.’ Philippians 3:18-19 (NIV)

Paul comes down hard on Christians who live self-indulgent lives. Those who claim to be followers of Christ but live far from Christ’s model of servant hood and self-sacrifice. These people satisfy their own desires before even thinking about the needs of others

Freedom in Christ does not mean we are free to be selfish. For as Paul says in Galatians 5:13, ‘You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.

Paul says that these Christians live ‘as enemies of the cross.’ They are not intimate friends with Christ but are estranged from Him. Enemies even. With their minds set upon earthly things, they are consumed with what makes them look good and feel great. Pride is their god and destruction is their destiny

Though they give an appearance of godliness, their motive is not to please Christ. Worship is a distraction from work and prayer is an inconvenience that hinders pleasure.

Prayer:

‘Lord, with tears of sorrow Paul wept over those who had gone astray leading a selfish lifestyle. Keep me from my own self-indulgent pride and create in me a pure heart, so that I will be always pursuing Jesus my Savior.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name

AMEN!

Final Thoughts:

And so, we too must ask ourselves where our heart’s affections really lie today? Is too much of our time spent on efforts that will not endure in eternity, seeking earthly pleasures or satisfying our physical desires?

Let’s be honest, for those of us who think we have our priorities in the right order, we might need to review the astonishing truth that even doing God’s work can become an excuse for not seeking God.

Our minds might not be set on earthly things, but are they wholly set on Christ or the ministerial gifts that He encourages us to exercise? Even in doing what is right, pride can sneak in and our motives are not pure and pleasing to God. Let’s ensure that in all things, we are pursuing Christ alone

Be Greatly Blessed!

Lukewarm Ways

Lukewarm Ways

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‘Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.’ Revelation 3:19 (ESV)

We’re called to be on fire for God, to be passionate followers of Christ, and to intentional in how we live for Him. But it’s not always easy. Our faith can be pushed to the background, we can lose our motivation to seek God and we can become weighted down by things we have to face in life.

Seven churches are mentioned at the beginning of Revelation, the seventh being Laodicea. This church was told, ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other!’ (Revelation 3:15).

God doesn’t us to be lukewarm when it comes to our faith. He wants us to have zeal for Him. Zeal is enthusiasm, dedication or passion for something. In Revelation 3:19 the people were told to be zealous and repent.

And that’s exactly what we need to do too. We need to find our passion for God again. We need to get excited about Him again. God should be our top priority, the first thing we think of in the morning and the last thing before we retire at night. He should be the One we are living for. We need to repent of our lukewarm ways.

Prayer:

‘Lord, increase my passion for you. Forgive me for my lukewarm ways. I want to be found earnestly seeking you with a zeal and passion that keeps me close to you.’

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

AMEN!

Final Thoughts:

The Bible says to be, ‘never lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord (Romans 12:11). So how do we make sure we’re never lacking in zeal? We need to honestly look at what’s the priority in our lives.

Furthermore, we need to surround ourselves with people who are on fire for God. We need to make time to spend with God and be closer to Him. And ask Him to increase our passion. So today, let’s take the advice given to the church in Laodicea: be zealous and repent.

Be Greatly Blessed!

Commit your plans to Lord

Commit your Plans to Lord

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‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.’ Proverbs 16:3 (NIV).

The teacher explains to us in this passage that before we do anything it is best to trust totally in God and not in ourselves. However, we are not always good at committing the business of our life to God, are we?

Some people commit their work only superficially. They say the project is being done for the Lord, but in reality they are doing it for themselves. Others give God temporary control of their interests, only to take control back the moment things stop going the way they expect. Still others commit a task fully to the Lord, but put forth no effort themselves, and then they wonder why they do not succeed.

We must maintain a balance: trusting God as if everything depended upon Him, while working diligently as if everything depended upon us. What are we involved in at this time that needs to be committed to the Lord Every aspect of our lives, no matter how trivial we think it may be, ought to be placed in His hands, so that we give God permission to do as He desires. And as He works, so do we, using the skills, wisdom and knowledge to do our very best. We are to become intimate with God in whatever we do and every decision we make, and then He will lead us in the path we are walking upon.

Prayer:

‘Dear Lord, you know what I am involved in just now. I commit this project to you and trust that as I work well you will establish all that concerns me. Thank you.’In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

AMEN!

Final Thoughts:

What will it take for us to commit to the Lord all that we are involved in? How hard is it for us to leave a venture in His hands, rather than taking back control when things are not going according to plan?

Is our God big enough and mighty enough to be trusted with the outcome of our plans? If we truly desire success, we have no other alternative but to commit all to Him.

Be Greatly Blessed!

Jesus our great intercessor !

 Our Great Intercessor

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‘But Moses sought the favour of the Lord, his God. “Oh Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great favour and a mighty hand?”‘ (Exodus 32:11)

Favoured child of God, do you know that Jesus is constantly interceding for you?

Sitted at the right hand of our Heavenly Father, He’s always praying for you, blessing you, and loving you.

Do you remember the story of Mosses and the Israelites?

Whilst God was giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the Israelites revelled in atrocities under the leadership of Aaron below.

In their impatience, they had made for themselves a golden statue, bowed down to worship it and then claimed it was the god who had delivered them from slavery to the Egyptians. In effect, they turned their backs on our Father.

But Moses interceded. He remembered God’s true nature and prayed for Him to be merciful.

And God listened.

Although the Israelites deserved His anger, God was willing to forgive and restore them to Himself.

Moses plays an integral part in this narrative. He was the intercessor who stood in the gap that separated the Israelites from their God. A gap broadened by sin.

Imagine, if the intercession of Mosses was so effective, how much more when Jesus intercedes for us?

James 5:16 says that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

If God listened to Mosses prayer, how much more will He listen to the perfectly righteous Jesus Christ?

And in that, we’ve found favour with God. Not because we’re gifted, powerful or perfect.

Rather, it’s because of the perfect sacrifice and intercession of our Lord Jesus.

So whenever you feel weak, defeated, or that your prayers don’t seem to be effective, remember, Jesus is interceding for you Himself, and His prayers are surely effective.

Be Greatly Blessed!

Prayer:

Father, thank you for sending Jesus to intercede for me.For it’s only through His finished work that I can even stand in your Holy presence.Lord, draw me close to your heart and teach me your ways.

Help me to keep in mind that Jesus is always praying for me.Whatever I need, whatever I’m afraid of, whatever I’m worried about, I know that Jesus is already praying on my behalf.And if Jesus Himself prays for me, I can surely trust in Him.Bless your Name Lord. I’m truly honoured to be your child and have Jesus as my personal Intercessor.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

AMEN!

Trust In God's Timing !

 Trust In God’s Timing

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“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)Beloved, God has promised to make all things beautiful in its time.Trust in Him and let Him unfold the pleasant surprises He has prepared for you.He’s the one who sets the stars and planets in their precise orbits.He’s the one who times the tides and the waves.He’s the one who hears every beat of your heart.No detail escapes His care.So trust in His timing. Do not worry about when this will happen or when that will happen.Did He not send Jesus to earth at the perfect time to fulfil His promise?

If we can trust His timing with regards to our eternal life, why wouldn’t we be able to also trust His timing with our daily lives?So be rooted in His love today. Have faith in His strength and trust in His timing.For God has set eternity in your heart. All of time, from the beginning to the end, exists within you through Jesus Christ.In reality, all that you need has already been given to you. All of the promises of God have already been gifted to you.All you need to do is to believe. Let your heart dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven where all of God’s promises have already been fulfilled.Trust in God’s timing, and you’ll surely see the wonders of God’s hand unfold naturally in your life.

Be Greatly Blessed!

Prayer:

Father, I know that I can be impatient at times.Even though I know that you’ll make everything beautiful in its time, my flesh still tends to worry when I can’t physically see the progress that I expect.But Lord, I know that no matter what the appearances are, the truth is that you’re working behind the scenes on my behalf.

Teach me to trust in your timing Lord. Let my heart be still and sensitive to your promptings.For there’s no need to rush, worry, or fear, when I know that you are with me.Guiding me. Protecting me. Loving me.Thank you Lord. May all glory be to you.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

AMEN!

Bless the Lord O my Soul!

 Bless the Lord o my Soul!

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“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. Psalm 103:1-5

How do we handle it when, after having received healing from the Lord, the enemy tries to knock us down with the same symptoms and whispers in our ear, “God didn’t heal you. Look at you. You are still sick”?

That is a lie! We can’t listen to that kind of talk. Our response should always be:” WHAT DOES THE WORD SAY?”

“By His stripes we were healed” 1 Peter 2:24. PERIOD.

Here’s the question I once heard a minister say that we must ask: “WHO told you? WHO told you are…sick? WHO told you you’ll never measure up? WHO told you? A friend, a teacher, a parent? So what! What is God telling you?”

As always, we must turn to the Word and speak what Jesus speaks over us.

Prayer:

“Lord, thank You for Your Word which always stands true. May we always listen to the Word rather than any other voice. Correct us when we are listening to anything other than Your Word.”

In Jesus’ Mighty Name,

AMEN!

Final Thought:

We are healed by the stripes that Jesus took on His back. He forgives all our sin and heals all our diseases. (Psalm 103:3) That’s the Word. Jesus is the Word. We must believe what HE says.

This day let us make the decision to speak and believe what God says about us in His Word and not listen to the lies of the enemy. Hallelujah, Jesus is Lord of all!

Be Greatly Blessed!