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Scripture Text: Matthew 26:41; Luke 18:1

Jesus Christ told us His disciples about the parable of the persistent window and the wicked judge in Luke 18:1. He told this parable to explain to us how important it is for a man to pray and not to faint.

Sometimes, God takes sleep away from our eyes in the hours of the night so that we can pray to ward-off the enemy plans and dangers at the particular hour.

However, many find it difficult or unpleasant to pray. That very midnight hour will they make a cup of tea or coffee, switch on the TV, cross leg and start watching some movies when they're supposed to be doing serious and dangerous prayers. These set of people can be regarded as those with symptoms of prayer malaria.

Symptoms of Prayer Malaria

1) Sleeping while praying. This is dangerous as many snore and salivate in the place of prayer The enemy might have harmed and carried out their agenda before they wake up.

2) Ability to pray only when you are in the prayer meeting.

3) Inability to wait before the word for a long time in prayer.

4) Intensive fear for fasting and prayer, breaking fast out of forgetfulness.

5) Forgetting to pray and finding praye boring.

6) Blaming somebody else for your inadequate prayer life

7) Being suppressed at home to pray.

Believing that it is only when you thave a serious problem that you should pray.

9) Getting tired quickly when you pray.

10) Praying in English or only in your language and cannot pray in tongues.

11) When concentration is very difficult while praying. Your mind is just going all over the places, wandering like a vagabond mind.

12) When television and newspapers have taken over you prayer life.

13) When you hang around with friends who have prayer malaria.

14) Sleeping during prayer vigil while others are crying out their heart to God and getting their deliverance.

15) Eating heavy meal at night before prayer makes your spirit heavy and too tired to pray.

16) When bad thoughts fill your heart and your brain is telling you that your problems are bigger than your prayers.

17) Seeing unclear and cloudy visions, your ears ring like Samuel but you are too impatient to hear God's Voice.

18) You only pray at convenient times.

19) When you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is press your phone or read newspaper before praying.

20) When you have breakfast first thing in the morning before you pray.

21) When your prayer and phone are in contest.

22) When your prayer life is too weak.

What can you do to cure this prayer malaria?

- Repent from unknown sins.
- Ask God to ignite your prayer life.
- Learn to enjoy personal prayer and prayer meetings.
- Sing melody in your heart to the Lord for Supernatural insight into the things of God and have access to the secret of God.
- Spend time praising God, pray in the Spirit as they fill your environment with faith and you are never afraid of anything (Isaiah 65:24).

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you are reading this and you've not yet surrender your life to Christ, this is an opportunity to do so for tomorrow may be too late. Just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life; take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus Mighty Name I pray, amen!
Congratulations!!!
Peace!

Also listen to Dr D.K Olukoya Message: Revival Hour 26/08/24: Deliverance From Prayer Malaria.
https://www.youtube.com/live/MC3_GJHE73c?si=f_7SB53ahfnPvvvm

Scripture Texts: James 1:26; Proverbs 15:4


"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain".-
James 1:26

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 (KJV)

The tongue that is loose is the tongue that is out of control. Anything that lacks control can lead to significant harm. When the tongue has no control, it will curse, use inappropriate language, and confess inappropriate things. A tongue that is loose will be flippant, talkative, and insulting. A tongue that lacks restraint can be extremely harmful.

So, as a child of God, it is essential to know how to use your words correctly, because what you say has power. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue," says Proverbs 18:21. "Those who love it will eat its fruit." What does "life and death" mean? It just means that a man's words can make or break him. Everything, good or bad, that happens in a person's life depends on how they use their tongue. Correctly using your tongue will bring you good things, but incorrectly using it will bring you bad things. Things that happen to a person in life may be because of what he said in the past.For many, the words we use are normal, but they're not. According to John 6:63, Jesus told His disciples, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh does no good. The words I speak to you are spirit and life." Everything we say has power, good or bad. People possess immense power because God bestowed it upon them. One of these powers is the power of the tongue. But when it gets out of hand, it can be a very dangerous killer.

Many people today are bound by their tongues. This is a mighty part of the body that believers should pay close attention to if they want to get the most out of the power of the spoken word. Let's look at what James 3:6 says about the tongue: "And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin." This implies that the tongue is a component that contaminates the entire body and ignites nature. It likewise sets it ablaze. The Bible says that the tongue is a place where sin lives and spreads to the whole body. This means it can bind any body, no matter how small. The tongue is a powerful tool. People use it to curse individuals and praise God. It contains deadly poisons. You can use it for both friendly talk and bloody fights. The Bible says it can start a big fire, even though it's a small part of the body. The tongue can destroy many things, including lives, families, countries, and more.
 
As aforementioned, the tongue has unusual power. To keep the tongue in check, it is important to tone it. The Bible also says that you won't be able to control other parts of your body if you can't control your words. So, it is very important to hold our tongues if they are already loose and causing us trouble.

To train your tongue, follow these steps: 1. You must be truly born again. 2. You must be resolute in releasing yourself from an uncontrollable tongue. 3. You need to let the Holy Spirit speak through your mouth. 4. You need to read and learn from God's word. 5. You need to become hooked on prayer. 6. You need to hang out with reputable Christians. 7. You must act as a witness.Holding back your mouth is a sign of spiritual growth. In Proverbs 13:3, it says, "He who keeps his mouth shut will live, but he who opens his lips wide will die."

God bless you richly in the Mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, amen."

If you are reading this and you have not given your life to Christ, the time is now! Please confess this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now; come into my life; take control of my life; and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil; I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You, Jesus! In Jesus Mighty Name, I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

https://jesustrends.com/mfm/mfm-devotional-1-august-2024/
https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-2-august-2024-deliverance-from-an-unbridled-tongue/

Scripture Text: Luke 5: 1-11

We all make mistakes, and sometimes they are pretty bad. But we can rebound from failure and turn it to success.

The incident from Peter's life illustrates this wonderful truth. One time, Peter and his friends had been out fishing all night, but they had caught nothing. This was probably unusual, since Peter was a professional fisherman. He wasn't a novice. He probably had the best nets, owned a good boat, and knew exactly where to catch the most fish. Yet, Peter came to face shortfall. Even superstars strike out sometimes.

The next day, the fishermen were washing their nets on the seashore, feeling very tired and discouraged. At the moment Jesus came along and said, "Peter, I'd like to use your boat as a platform for a speech." So Peter let Jesus into his boat, and they launched out a little way from the shore. There Jesus could speak from the boat to the crowd standing on the shore.

After finishing his message, Jesus said to the fisherman, "Now let's go fishing. Launch out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Peter replied, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I'll let down the nets." When the disciples obeyed, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets broke.

The Moral of the Story
Jesus never performed a miracle without purpose. He always used his miracles to illustrate principles. This incident teaches us what to do when our best is not good enough.

Sometimes, we give something our best shot but still come up ten feet short. For example, you may study diligently for an exam and still get a 'C' grade. You may also work hard to make your marriage better but still don't see any progress. Life can be tough at times, and it's tempting to give up.

The interesting part of the Bible story is the comparison between the two catches. The disciples had worked all night and caught nothing, but later they went out again for ten minutes and caught more than they had before. It was the same lake, the same boat, the same nets, and the same people. So what made the difference?

There are actually three differences between the two fishing expeditions, and these differences give us principles to follow when our best attempts end in failure. Anyone applies these principles will be a genuine success in life. God intended them to be easy to understand, so that everybody could get in on the benefit.

But first we must realise that God is interested in our success; He is not interested in seeing us fail. Suppose your child told you: "Mom, I'm a total failure. Would you be happy inside of you? No! Of course, as a mother we want our children to be successful, to the best they can be. Likewise, our heavenly Father wants us to be successful in life- in our personal life, family, spiritual growth, finances, career, ministry and in all our relationships. So, there are three principles that can help us achieve this.

How to turn failure to a stepping stone
1. Appropriate God's Presence in your life.

A clue to this is found in Luke 5:3. Jesus was in the boat with the disciples. Christ's presence made a big difference! This time the disciples weren't fishing by themselves; God was with them. So, the first principle to turn failure into a stepping stone is for us to appropriate God's Presence into our lives. In other words, we have to get Jesus in our boat. That's the starting point. Nothing has greater influence on our personal success than whether or not we're living with Christ in our lives. For Peter, his boat represented his livelihood. When you're a fisherman, that boat is your business! It's significant that Peter made his boat available for Jesus Christ to use. Christ used Peter's business as a platform for ministry.

Does God have access to your job? Is your business available for Him to use at any time? Is He able to minister to people through your job? Too often we try to separate the secular and the spiritual; we have our Christian life nicely partitioned off from our career. But this prevents God from blessing your business or job. And the truth is, God will bless anything you give Him. If Him all your life, He will bless all of it. But if you give Him a part of it, He will bless just that one part. Don't miss the point in Matthew 6:33, as similar to our Scripture text: First Peter used his boat for Christ's purposes. Jesus took the boat and preached from it to reach people. Then, after Christ had to use the same boat to take care of Peter's needs.

2. Cooperate with God's plan.

We mustn't only appropriate God's Presence in our lives, but also cooperate with God's plan in our lives. Jesus told the disciples where to fish, when to fish, and how to fish. When God is guiding your life, you cannot fail.

Peter's reaction to Christ's guidance was beautiful. First, he didn't argue. He didn't say, "Wait a minute, Jesus! I'm the premier professional fisherman on this lake. I own the record. Who are you to tell me how to fish? He didn't ask, "Lord are you sure?" He didn't ask any questions, and he didn't hesitate. Peter might have been thinking that if he didn't catch anything at night, then he certainly wasn't going to catch anything in the middle of the day when the sun was glaring down on the water. But Peter didn't ask any questions; he just obeyed. Despite tired from working all night, Peter's attitude was perfect. He was eager to cooperate with God's plan.

Why do you think Jesus said to Peter, "Launch into the deep"? I think it was because it's in the deep water that the big fish are located. You only in catch minnows in shallow water. Most people live in the shallow waters of life. They simply exist on a superficial level. There's little depth to their lives because they're content to just play around the edge, never getting out into deeper water. Why? Because it's safer in shallow water. They think, "If I get out into the deep water, there might be some waves. They might rock my boat, and it might overturn. So, I'll just stay back here where it's safe and comfortable and fiddle around."

When God works in your life, it always involves risks, because God wants you to live by faith. Many Christians barely get their feet wet because they're afraid of getting in over their heads. They think that if they really get serious about their committment to the Lord, they may call them fanatics, or their family might really get upset or their friends might not like it. So, they're content to live in the shallows of life- and they miss out on so much.

God's plan for our lives is a good plan, one that'll work for our benefits. God is saying to us: "Let me get into your boat. Let me presence be with you wherever you go- in your business, in your family, in your marriage, in every area. Let me direct you. Cooperate with my plan."

3. Anticipate God's Promises
Luke 5:5 illustrates the third principle to rebound from failure and step up to success. In the second fishing attempt, the disciple were acting on the basis of God's promise to them. They went fishing again because they believed God would provide the fish. Now, Jesus didn't specifically say, "Peter if you go fishing with me, I promise you'll make a big catch." He didn't need to say that, because Peter realised that when Christ told him to go and fishing and also get into the boat and also told him exactly where to put down the nets, it wasn't going to come up empty! Peter expected God to act. He expected God to keep His promise. Peter wasn't depending on his own fishing ability or understanding, so he wasn't afraid of failure. He believed in the promises of God.

When you get God's Presence in your boat, and when you get God's plan in your head, and when you get God's promises in your heart, you cannot fail. Start expecting some wonderful results.

No matter the circumstances, it can work again in your life. If you're feeling defeated about any problems now, I suggest you read your Bible to find a specific promise from God, and then start claiming that promise. God's promise will inject a new hope into a hopeless situation. Real success often begins at a point of failure.

The point is this: God not only wants to bless our lives, but he wants to bless us so much that we have to share our blessings with others in order to keep us from sinking. He not only wants to bless us but wants to bless others through us. God blessed the disciples with more than they could use for themselves.

Try it again with Christ if you've failed at a thing. This will be a stepping stone to success and greatness for you. Maybe you feel like the disciples before Christ came along: "I've worked all night and come up with an empty net." Does that describe your attitude towards your marriage, your job, or another personal problem? You feel that you haven't made any progress so you've said to yourself, "What's the use? Why keep on trying? Why put forth the effort? Perhaps you have become a little cynical about life.

Peter didn't get cynical. He didn't say, "Lord, I've worked ten hours and didn't catch anything. That must mean there are no more fish in this lake." He knew that the fish were there- he just hadn't caught them yet.

Just because you haven't solved your problem doesn't mean a solution doesn't exist. It is often through failure that we learn the lessons that help us succeed. God's message to you is this: Don't give up! Try again, but this time do it with Jesus in your boat. He will make the difference!

God bless you in Jesus mighty name

In case you've read this and you've not yet given your life to Christ, the right time to let Him in is now!
Please say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now; come into my life; take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus Christ name I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Culled from: Warren R. "God's Answers To Difficult Questions: How Can I Rebound From Failure." New York.

Scripture Text: 1 Peter 1:15-16

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." -1 Peter 1:15–16 KJV

Being holy means that your heart is pure towards God. It means changing into the likeness of Christ and keeping your spirit, soul, and body pure before God. Being holy means that you have been cleansed and made fit for holy use and service. It also means that you have been given to God. It also means living a pure life in every way. You are holy when you walk in the Light. You are holy when you live in the Truth. You are holy when you walk the path of life. You are holy when you think like Christ. Being holy means sticking to what God's Word says. (Phil 2:5,; 1 Timothy 1: 5, Romans 8: 29, 1 Thessalonians 3: 13, Lev. 8:10–15, 1 John 1)

Getting to holiness is a process, not a goal. People who believe in God must depend on the Holy Spirit every day until they see God's glory. The way to be holy is through Jesus Christ. You are already on the way to righteousness if you have Christ in you, but you need the Holy Spirit to keep you going until you reach your goal in heaven. Giving in to the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, on the other hand, get in the way of hoilness.

Stephen, Abraham, Daniel, Isaiah, Elijah, and the Apostle Paul are all holy people from the Bible that we can learn from.

Stephen: The Holy Spirit was inside him. As the sky opened up to him, he saw the glory of God. He was brave when he preached God's Word (Acts 7:54–60).
2. Abraham was ready to give God his best thing: his only son Isaac. He had hope and walked with God. (Genesis 22; Isaiah 41:
3. Daniel: He kept himself separate from the dirty and filthy people by vowing in his heart not to contaminate himself with the king's meat or the wine they drank. He wouldn't bow down at the altar of the strange god (Daniel 1:7–15).
4. Isaiah: God cleaned his dirty lips with a coal of fire taken from the altar in heaven (Isaiah 6:1–.
5. Elijah: He disobeyed the king of Samaria and called down fire that killed all of God's enemies (2 Kings 1:18–19).
6. The Apostle Paul: The Apostle Paul loved the Lord more than anything else (Romans 8:35–39).

The most amazing thing is when God takes a bad person from a bad world and makes them holy. Then He puts them back into the bad world and keeps them holy there. Being holy means fighting the flesh, the world, and Satan all the time, because even the holiest people have flaws and problems when the Almighty weighs them (Romans 6:7; Galatians 5:17; James 3:2).
All real Christians pray and want to be holy. They work hard to get God's grace (Hebrew 12:14, 9:27). Each person will rise again with the same personality that they had when they died. Where will you go if you already don't know how to handle holiness? As Hebrews 12:1 says, brothers, let us let go of all the weight and sin that is easy for us to carry. Let us clean our bodies and minds of all that is wrong, and let us grow in holiness through fear of God.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus.

If you're reading this and you've not yet given your life to Christ, the time to do so is now! Tomorrow may be too late. Please say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus Name I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Ref: Olukoya, K.: Search the Scripture: "The Way of Holiness," Vol. 2, No. 2, 2022.

Scripture Text: Mark 6:31

Have you been experiencing stress after stress, and you've asked yourself this same question several times: how can I cope with stress?
Good news. There's a solution for you!

Many books today focus on self-improvement, which is not bad. Unfortunately, much of the advice being dispensed through television, radio, and print these days is highly unreliable. It's based on popular opinion or current thinking. These ideas are mere today's "pop psychology" that will be easily discarded next year for a new approach or therapy. Only the Bible can be relied on completely to provide truthful insights into the causes and cures for our personal problems.

God's Word has stood the test of time. Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free!". We can get lasting freedom from any form of stress by building our lives on the Truth.

However, it's not enough to simply tell you that the Bible is the answer. It's important that we show ourselves how the Bible provides solution to stress of life.
Apostle Paul said, "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and encouragement of the Scripture we might have hope" (Romans 15: 4). God gave us these to teach and encourage us.

How Can I Cope with Stress?
Jesus Christ was constantly under pressure. There were gruelling demands on his time; he rarely had any personal privacy; he was constantly interrupted. People misunderstood Him, criticised Him, and ridiculed Him. He had enormous stress, which could have made Him cave in. But as we look at the life of Christ, we quickly discover that He remained at peace under pressure. He was never in a hurry. He was always at ease. He had calmness about His life that enabled Him to handle enormous amounts of stress. How did he do this successfully? The answer can be simply stated: He based His life on sound principles of stress management.

If we understand and apply these eight principles in our lives, we will experience less pressure and more peace of mind.

Principle 1: Identification
Know who you are.

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). " I am at the door" (John 10:9 KJV)); I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6); "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:36). Christ knew who He was.

The first principle for handling stress in your life is to know who you are. This is critical to stress management because if you don't know who you are, someone else may try to tell you who they think you are. If you don't know who you are, you will subconsciously let others manipulate you and pressure you into believing you are somebody you aren't. A lot of stress in life results from our hiding behind masks, living double lives, being unreal with others, or trying to be somebody we're not. We feel insecure and are coerced to perform and confirm.

To balance stress of life, you need to find an internal balance of who you are. You must be able to say: And I know who I am by knowing whose I am. I am a child of God. I was put on earth not by accident, but for a purpose. God has a great love for me. He is willing to accept me. He Has a plan for my life, and because he put me here, I am significant. And because He put me here, I am significant. You must continue to know who you are so that insecurity won't hinder you until you address the stress issue.

Principle 2: Dedication
Know whom you are trying to please

The second principle of stress management in the life of Christ is found in John 5:30: "By myself, I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."

This second principle means that you cannot please everybody because, by the time one group becomes pleased with you, another group gets upset with you. Even God doesn't please everybody, so it's foolish to try to do something that even God doesn't do!
Jesus Christ knew whom He wanted to please; it was a settled issue with him: "I'm going to please God the Father." And the Father replied, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17 KJV).

When you don't know whom you're trying to please, you cave into three things: criticism, competition and conflict. But if you "seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness," then all the other necessary things of life will be added unto you (Matt. 6:33 KJV). This means that if you focus on pleasing God, it will simplify your life. You will always be doing the right thing- the thing that pleases God- regardless of what anybody else thinks. Don't blame others for what you chose to do by yourself.

Principle 3: Organisation
Know what you are trying to accomplish.

Christ's clue to the third principle of stress management is: "Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going " (John 8:14).

Knowing what you want to accomplish is the principle behind planning your life and setting priorities. If you don't follow this principle, you will be pressured by others to do what they think is important, not what you think. Either you choose to live by priorities or by pressure. There are no other options. Either you decide what is important in your life or you let others decide what's important in your life. Only by doing this can you accomplish your goals without stress.

Principle 4: Concentration
Focus on one thing at a time

If you find yourself pulled in different directions, then you will be under stress. Several people tried to detour Jesus Christ from His planned schedule. They tried to distract Him from His goal in life. " At daybreak, Jesus went out into a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them" (Luke 4:42). Jesus was going to leave, but they tried to make Him stay. Jesus responded, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent" (Vs 43). He refused to let less significant issues divert him.

Principle four of stress management tells us to concentrate. Jesus was a Master at this. Even though everybody had a plan B for Him, Jesus told them: "Sorry, I must keep moving towards my goal." He was persistent and focused. If you have 30 things on your to-do list, pick one at a time. After you finish one, go to another one. When you concentrate your efforts, you will be more effective than when you diffuse them. Don't let others make you tense, stressed or irritated. Focus!

Principle 5: Delegation
Don't do it all by yourself

One day, “Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him” (Mark 3:13). He appointed twelve men, whom He designed as disciples, so that they might be with Him and He could send them out to preach. In other words, Jesus delegated His authority.
The reason why you get uptight and tensed is because you think everything depends on you. You think if you let go, the world will fall apart, but it won’t. Jesus appointed and trained His disciples so that they could share His load. He delegated His work by getting others involved. The reasons people don’t like to delegate is because of perfectionism or insecurity. Either they believe that other people cannot do it better or they are afraid that another person might take up their responsibility. To be effective, you must get other people involved like Christ did and get some stress out of your life by doing it all.

Principle 6: Meditation
Make a heart of personal prayer

Jesus often got up “very early in the morning, while it was still dark... and went off to a solitary place” to pray (Mark 1:35).
The sixth principle of stress management is to make a habit of personal prayer. Prayer is a gigantic stress-reliever. It is a God's-given tool for letting off our anxieties. No matter how busy Jesus got, He made time for prayer. A little quiet time alone with God can be a decompression chamber for life’s stresses. We talk to God in prayers, we tell Him what’s on our minds and let Him talk to us as we read the Bible. We should look at our schedules, evaluate our priorities, and wait for instructions. Form the habit of a daily devotional time. Be silent before God. Many people don’t hear from God because they can’t be silent for a moment. It’s either they are busy watching TV, listening to music, or lost in their own thoughts. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Periodically stop through the day and recharge your batteries.

Principle 7: Recreation
Take time off to enjoy life.

Once Jesus’ twelve men gathered around him and reported all that they had done and taught,. “Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourself to a quiet place and get some rest’” (Mark 6:31).
Principle number seven for stress management is to find time for relaxation and recreation. Jesus looked at these men who had been working and told them that they deserved a break, and should take time off. So, they got into a boat, rowed to the other side of the lake, and went out to the desert to rest. One reason why Jesus could handle stress is that He knew when to relax.
Rest and recreation in life are not optional. In fact, rest is so important that God included it in the Ten Commandments for man to rest on the Sabbath. God Himself rested on the seventh day after creation for six days. God knows and understands that our physical, emotional and spiritual constitutions demand periodic breaks. Phillips said in Matthew 11:19, paraphrased, that Jesus came “enjoying life”. Paul also wrote that God Has richly provided “everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).

Principle 8: Transformation
Give your stress to Christ

The eighth principle of stress management is one that Jesus didn’t need because He is the Son of God, but we need because we’re merely human. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). So, the final principle of stress management is to give your stress to Christ. When you give your stress to Christ, He will transform your lifestyle from stressful to satisfying.

If you have never committed your life to Christ, you need a transformation. Give your life, with all its stresses, to Him and say, “Lord, please give me a new life. Replace the pressure I feel with the peace you offer. Help me follow your principles of stress management; in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.”.

God bless you in Jesus Mighty Name.

Peace!

Culled from: God’s Answer to Life’s Difficult Questions: Rick Warren

Scripture Text: Revelations 22:12

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12 (KJV).

There is no doubt that Jesus Christ will come back.
Many parts of the Bible and the Master Himself stress how certain it is that Jesus Christ will come back a second time. The things that are happening in the world right now are strong signs that Jesus is heading our way soon.

Let's see what Mark 13:32–37 (KJV) says:

32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

34 For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

As Jesus worked to save people on earth, He kept talking about how He would come back, which is both interesting and very instructive. He did everything He could to get people to understand this truth. Many people at the time didn't realise how important it was, which is a shame. While He was going up into heaven and the disciples were looking closely, two men appeared to them and told them for sure that He would come back: “And when he had said these things, while they were watching, he was taken up, and a cloud received him," As he went up, they kept their eyes on heaven. Suddenly, two men dressed in white appeared next to them and asked, "You men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven?" The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come back the same way you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:9–11).

It is certain that Christ will return, and very soon. God will take home His beloved people who have given their lives as a living sacrifice on the altar and who only live for Him in holiness and fear of Him. These people are not dirty from living in the world but are dressed in clothes of righteousness and purity. It's clear that a lot of Christians live their lives as if Christ will never come back. What have you been doing with your life? Are you ready for the King Who Is Coming Soon? Will you be found worthy to reign with Him when the Lord comes? Repent if you're not. Be ready; Jesus is coming soon!

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you are not born again and would like to give your life to Christ Jesus, kindly say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, I know I'm a sinner, forgive my sins, come into my life, take control of my life, and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, and I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You, Jesus. In Jesus' Mighty Name, I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new".- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-23-july-2024-be-ready-jesus-is-coming-soon/

Scripture Text: 1 John 2:15–17

The world we live in is full of sin; the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one, satan  (1 John 5:19). The wicked one uses his fiery darts" (Ephesians 6:16) in every way possible to burn the mind of a Christian. John the Apostle told people about the dangers of the world, which is the spiritual battlefield. In his first letter (1 John 2:16), he put worldly things into three groups:

1. The lust of the flesh: This is everything that makes you want to eat and drink. Human needs, like the need for food, drink, and physical satisfaction, are not inherently bad. However, the devil can use these good wants (within their own limits) to control people (1 Corinthians 6:12). In this type of temptation, satan uses good wants inside of people to make them feel bad sexual urges, like gluttony and fornication. The Israelites gave in to this kind of sin when "the people sat down to eat and drink and rose to play" ( Exodus 32:6; 1 Corinthians 10:7) Jesus was also tempted by the devil when he told Jesus to turn stones into bread, he was trying to get Jesus to give in to his fleshly desires (Matthew 4:3).
2. The lust of the eyes: According to Ecclesiastes 1:8, everything that pleases the eyes with endless needs is lust. From this type of temptation, satan uses outside attraction to make people want things that aren't naturally good, like wanting  to own a house or a car excessively, or something naturally bad, like wanting your neighbour's wife. Eve (3:6) and Achan (Joshua 7:21) both sinned in this way when they wanted something that they weren't allowed to have. Satan tried to get Jesus to do bad things by "showing Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory." He then told Him, "I will give you all of these things if you fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8–9).

3. The pride of life: This is everything that makes you feel proud, haughty, or arrogant. Satan uses thoughts of personal success (like being popular or doing well in school) to make people feel chaotic and unable to depend on others. There is no longer a fight against the flesh when someone gives in to the pride of life. The evil one has won the intellectual and sensual battle. They sinned in this way when they "acted proudly, stiffened their necks, and did not heed [God's] commandments" (Nehemiah 9:16). When the devil "took him up into the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple" and instructed him to disobey God (Matthew 4:5-7), Jesus was subject to the temptation of life's pride.
Daily, we deal with the world's pleasures, but let us remember that "the world and its desires are passing away, but he who does God's will will live forever" (1 John 2:17).

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ!

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now. Come into my life. Take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You, Jesus! In Jesus Mighty Name, I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read: https://www.ebglobal.org/biblical-articles/the-lust-of-the-flesh-the-lust-of-the-eyes-and-the-pride-of-life

Scripture Text: Ephesians 3:16–19

To understand what it means to be holy, all we have to do is look at Jesus. He is the source of all holiness in at least three ways:

Jesus lived a holy life and showed others how to live a holy life. The main things in His life that showed how holy He was were:
First, Jesus loved God. He wanted to do everything His Father told Him to do (John 14:31). God gave him all the power He needed every day, and He tried to show others God (vs. 9).
Jesus felt bad for hurting people; sin had no power over His life (vs. 30). He was devoted to the ideas of being good. He worked hard all through His life to stay close to God. Christ also cared about other people; He came to die for sins (John 10:15–17; 15:13–15). His life and death showed how much He wanted to help and save sinners. The way Christ engaged with people showed how holy He was.

The second thing is that we can't be holy today without Christ. It is impossible for us to live a holy life on our own, both before and after we are saved. We can only become holy by walking with Christ every day and being close to him. (Romans 12:1; 2 Timothy 1:9; Philppians 2:5, 14, 16a). "Seek to live like Jesus" is the best thing to do. So, ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?" Then do it!
One thing is wrong: being holy doesn't mean trying to be like Jesus and do what He did. As the Holy Spirit lives in you and guides your thoughts, words, and actions, you become holy by sharing in the life and character of Jesus. When you give your life to Christ, you get His mind. The growth of your mind rests on how willingly you follow Christ's instructions and lead through the Bible and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 1:16).

Third, He makes our hearts holy and full of His presence. God told us in Ezekiel 36:25–27 that He would clean us, give us a new heart made of flesh, and put His Spirit inside us. This leads to a life of submission (vs. 27). In John 14:16–20, Christ promised that the Holy Spirit would be another Comforter. He also said, "On that day you will know that I know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (vs 20). Take note of the promise that Christ will be in us when the Holy Spirit comes.

Paul made this clearer in Ephesians 3:16–19: "That he would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

It's not the world around us that makes it hard to live a holy life; it's our own sinful nature and satan's constant temptations. Instead, the biggest problem we face today with being holy is that we don't accept who we are in Christ. We become new people when we accept Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are holy because Christ lives inside us. This makes us new people and gives us the power to start living a new life in Him. Being aware of who and what we are in Christ is very important. We belong to Him! We are holy! We have to learn how to live our new lives, which changes everything else.

God bless you in Jesus Mighty Name, amen.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer: "Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, atke control of my life; and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil; I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus. In Jesus' Mighty Name I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Reference
Dr. D.K. Olukoya: The Way of Holiness, 2023.

Scripture Text: Romans 10:8–15

Our Scripture text today discusses the mission of the Word of God to reach out to both Jews and Gentiles, urging them to hear and believe in Jesus Christ. This mission is also a way to learn how to beautify our feet.

The only way to achieve this is for someone to preach the Word, as seen in Romans 14 and 15. The question arises: "How shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?" and "How shall they hear without a preacher?" How can they preach unless someone sends them? The scripture states, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things?"

For someone's feet to be beautiful, they must be carriers of God's word, the Gospel of peace, and the message of Salvation to the groaning world. The world is getting ripe for divine harvest, and God is looking for those who will carry the seed of His Word to the nooks and crannies of the world, so that unbelievers will hear and yield their hearts to God. The feet of those who carry this good news are the beautiful feet—the feet that bring the word of life and the message of hope.

In Mark 16:15, the Word of Jesus says, "He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures." This divine command asks all believers to preach good tidings all over the world and make disciples of them. God is still asking Christians to do the same today.

Simply put, God saves you to share the good news and attract souls to His kingdom. Doing this for God makes your feet look beautiful. Belief in Jesus Christ in one's heart results in acceptance by God (i.e., justification, imputed righteousness, and positional sanctification). Salvation is a broad term that includes many kinds of deliverance, and taking a public stand for Christ secures it for one thing: it saves the person making the confession from the potential discipline of God, as well as the loss of reward that those who are unwilling to identify themselves with Him will enjoy. Additionally, it often results in the eternal salvation of other people who hear the confession of faith and then believe themselves.

Are you still carrying about the feet of sin: rumor mongering, mischief, evil, strife, idolatry, lies, murder, fornication, malice, unforgiveness, unlovingness, pride, arrogance, heresis, witchcraft, sorcery, and adultery? You need to repent now! Such feet cannot be carriers of the Gospel of Christ but of destruction.

In conclusion, do you want to beautify your feet today? You need to first surrender your life to Christ, confess your sin, confess that Jesus is the Lord and Saviour, ask for the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of the Lord) to fill and direct you always, identify yourself with Christ Jesus by preaching His Word everywhere you go, in and out of season, and become God's megaphone to the nations of the world.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life; and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, and I enter the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus Mighty Name, I pray, amem."

Congratulations!!!
Forge ahead as a soldier of Christ and don't go back in the ways of the world. You're now a new creation.


Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-1-july-2024-are-your-feet-beautiful/.

Scripture Text: Mark 12:, New International Version

27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

Mark 12:27 (KJV) is a verse in the Gospel of Mark that addresses the doctrine of the resurrection, the eternal nature of God, and the hope of new life in Christ. The verse is part of a larger passage where Jesus responds to a question from the Sadducees about the resurrection. The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, tried to trap Jesus with a hypothetical scenario about a woman who married seven brothers, each of whom died, and then asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Jesus reminds them that in the resurrection, people will be like angels and will not marry. He quotes from the Book of Exodus, where God proclaims himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Our Scripture text delves into the unbiblical resurrection of the dead, focusing on the Sadducees' rejection of it. The Sadducees, the founders of their society, used a marriage code to deny the afterlife (Mark 12:18–23). Jesus uses exegesis to analyse the material in context and draw spiritual conclusions. They hold the belief that we all die, and they look for an Old Testament text to bolster this belief.

They learned about levirate marriages, in which a woman marries her husband's brother if he dies before she has children. Since a woman married to seven men in the afterlife appears absurd, they conclude there is no afterlife. Through exegesis, Jesus interprets the scripture in context and draws spiritual conclusions from it.

He cites Exodus 3:6 to illustrate that God declared Himself the God of the dead; hence, there must be an afterlife. An exegetical interpretation of the law concludes that the afterlife has no marriage, not that levirate marriages don't occur.

Modern Bible critics often make the same mistake as the Sadducees, drawing an irrational conclusion and failing to realize that it disproves their preconceptions, not Scripture. Jesus speaks about the resurrection from Mark 12:24 to 12:27, mentioning the circumstances, core content, and message "He is not God of the dead, but of the living." Bible students are confused about whether Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are dead and buried, are alive or resurrected.

J. W. Cooper argues that an immediate resurrection is possible and strongly advocates teaching an intermediate soul state after death. J. B. Green disagrees with Cooper, arguing that Hellenism, particularly Jewish Hellenism, has multiple viewpoints, and intertestamental Jewish literature does not provide genuine Old Testament comments.The Sadducees, a group of religious leaders, were concerned about the resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus prophesied the resurrection, likened death to a waking sleep, awoke the dead, foretold His own death and resurrection, and experienced His own resurrection. Over 500 witnesses confirmed Jesus' resurrection, and so will everyone. The resurrection to life and the resurrection to judgement or condemnation are different.Jesus is the resurrection expert and deserves attention.

In Mark 12:26–27, Jesus addresses the same problem as the Sadducees: the resurrection of the dead. He reminds them of Scripture they may have overlooked, highlighting the fact of the resurrection life by an appeal to Scripture and God's covenant faithfulness.In Mark 12:27, Jesus emphasises the resurrection: “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.” Both portions of this statement are parallel and contrastive.

For the Sadducees, God may have been a God of the dead to earlier generations. There is no resurrection or afterlife! This is false, says Jesus. God is real, including past generations. We can assure their resurrection, just as we can assure ours. Paul says, "For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Jesus' resurrection makes him Lord over both groups.

Revelation 14:13 follows suit: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. 'Blessed indeed,' says the Spirit, 'that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!'

To fit the Sadducee conversation, Mark 12:7 metaphorically describes the dead. In John 11:11, Jesus mentions Lazarus being asleep before he is resurrected. The disciples misinterpret Jesus and say that if he is asleep, Lazarus will recover. Jesus then declares, “Lazarus has died” (John 11:13–14).To fit the story into the Lukan parallel, Jesus uses paradoxes and obscure phrases. Differentiate between being alive "as far as God is concerned" and being alive as far as the people are concerned.

This verse holds deep theological and spiritual significance. It affirms the doctrine of the resurrection, which was a topic of much debate among various Jewish sects at the time. By affirming that God is the God of the living, Jesus is affirming that there is life after death and that those who have died will be raised to new life. This aligns with the broader Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead, as outlined in the New Testament.

The verse also speaks to the nature of God Himself, emphasizing the eternal nature of God and His relationship with His people. It serves as a source of comfort and hope for believers, knowing that God's love and care transcend the boundaries of mortal life. In conclusion, Mark 12:27 holds deep theological and spiritual significance, affirming the eternal nature of God's love and the promise of resurrection for all who believe in Him.

God bless you.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, please say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now; come into my life, take control of my life; and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, and I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You, Jesus! In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:
https://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Reflections-72-October-December-2020-TF-1.pdf
https://bible.art/meaning/mark-12%3A27
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/12-27.htm
https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/12/Mark-12-27.html

Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (KJV)

“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.” – 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (KJV).

Most individuals find it easy to talk about things that aren't important, like personal matters, other people, the weather, sports, the economy, politics, and other everyday things. But they often don't talk at all about Jesus and how He saved people, especially in their own lives.

The Syrian soldiers captured a young Israelite girl and sent her to work for Captain Naaman's wife. Not long after that, the young girl saw that her mistress's husband had a leprosy. She knew that the God she served in Israel could heal him. Instead of feeling sorry for herself and wishing her captors harm, she showed simple faith by telling her boss about her God and how He could heal her husband. All we have to do sometimes is point people to God. He will take care of the rest. That's already a big deal. People who have leprosy are looked down upon and embarrassed, and they are social outcasts. We can see how one little girl's faith set off a chain of events that led to a major work of salvation, deliverance, and healing in a situation that looked hopeless. God got all the credit.

In public, we need to be able to connect with Jesus and talk about our spiritual stand in Him with our friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and even our bosses.

Jesus is at the center of our conversations, and that can help others feel encouraged and free. Be like that little girl, beloved; be aware of similar chances, and make up your mind to talk about Jesus with someone today and every day. Talk about the Good News instead of just the news!

Have you spoken to someone about Jesus today? If not, do it now!

And if you're not born again, you can't successfully market Jesus because you don't know Him in the first place and will be a case of a blind man leading the blind. You need to give your life to Christ, know and understand Him, do His will, have testimonies of Him that you can market to others. Only by this can you be approved and successful.


If you would like to give your life to Christ, say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen"

If you've said that short prayer, congratulations!!! Now, hold on to Christ and forge ahead as His soldier. Don't go back to the bridges (sin) you've burnt.

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya
Also read https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-17-june-2024-marketing-jesus-in-your-neighbourhood/

Scripture Text: Psalm 51:17

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

This Bible verse is likely something you have heard before. You might have even used it in your own life or situation in some way. If you want to fully understand this verse, you need to know what a "broken and contrite " means.

Since our Bible verse says that God will not hate this, it's clear that this is something we should want or have. It is very important to find out if there is something we can give to God that he wants. I think we need to look at this verse from two different points of view in order to fully understand what it means.

What Is a Broken and Contrite Heart?

Viewpoint 1: Giving in to God's Will This text has some important words. Let us look at what they mean.

The word "broken" comes from a Hebrew word that means "to break."

The word "contrite" comes from a Hebrew word that means "to crush."

Heart: This word comes from a Hebrew word that means "mind," "will," or "inner man."

Spirit: This word comes from a Hebrew word that means wind or life.

All of these meanings should help us understand what a heart and spirit that are sorry for their sins really are.

Someone has a humble heart or spirit when their inner man or will has been broken, so they give up the things they want and go after what God wants. "I will no longer do this my way or on my terms," a broken heart or will says. "I will give in to your ways."

When a person gives their whole heart to God, He will never turn them away. I know that may make sense to you in a general sense. But what does this look like when used in real life? This could mean giving up your choices about your job, your ministry, and your marriage. In short, it means putting every part of your life through the lens of God's purpose and plan for you.

The words "my sacrifice" are also very important in this verse. What you give up must be something that is really important to you. It is not a sacrifice if what you are giving has no value. Take a moment to think about this question. You, your hopes, dreams, plans, and future. Are you ready to give up everything you are and everything you want?

At that point when you give up everything you want to follow what God wants for your life, you are really giving God something valuable.
Is it a surprise that he wouldn't say no to this kind of sacrifice?

What is the story this verse is about? Possible 2: Brokenness over Sin

If you know what this verse is talking about, you can look at it in a different way and get a better sense of what a humble heart and spirit are.
Nathan told David about his sin, and then Psalm 51 was written. 2 Samuel 11–12 tells us about the story of David and Bathsheba. To make a long story short, David cheated on Bathsheba, and she got pregnant. To hide his sin, he then had her husband killed. God can see all sin, so Nathan talks to David about it. When David felt sorry for his sins, he wrote Psalm 51. You can find another answer to the question of what a sorry heart and spirit are in this Psalm. David's broken heart over his sin against God is shown in Psalm 51. This is another sign of a sorry heart.

What should you do when you sin? When David was told about his sin, it broke his heart. This is what God wants you and me to do in reaction to sin.

I also want us to think about Psalm 51:16: "You don't like sacrifices or burnt offerings, or I would bring them to you." God doesn't want you to just do a routine that you think will make him happy, especially if it has to do with turning away from your sins. To put it simply, God doesn't just want deals on the outside; God wants changes on the inside. Being careful is important because if we are not, following God can become just a transaction. You follow the rules by reading your Bible, going to church, giving money, and other things. The trouble is that the transactions can turn into habits, like going through a list. Even if you check all the boxes, nothing really changes. This is not what God wants. His real goal is for people to change, and that can only happen if they change on the inside, in their heart or spirit. This is the thing God wants. If you sin so badly that your heart is broken, and you really want to turn away from it, God will never turn you away. To be even more clear, God doesn't want your things or anything you can do for Him more than He wants you and your heart. Bring your heart first, then your service, gifts, time, skills, or treasure. It's the kind of sacrifice that God will not turn away when you lead with your broken heart.

What Does It Mean to Have a "Contrite Heart and Spirit"?
There are two things I want us to think about as we read Psalm 51:17. They might help figure out what's going on in your heart today based on how you answer them.

1. What do you think about sin in your life?

2. How do you feel about following God's plan for your life?

God wants a heart that feels sorry for its mistakes. A heart that is broken over any mistake in your life and gives up its will for his will for your life. These two things should be the most important things in your life. Let them guide how you live and make decisions. This will make your heart in a place that God will never hate.

The Bible is not just about getting facts right or gathering information. That being said, don't get me wrong—getting the facts and knowledge right is very important. It's becoming clear, though, that facts are not enough. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law had all the facts, after all. God doesn't just want Christians who know all the facts, all the texts, and maybe even all the Greek and Hebrew. All of that is wonderful and great. But God wants your heart, no matter how great that is.

In reality, it doesn't matter how much you know about something if your heart isn't broken and sorry. People who know the facts are important, but people who give in to their heart are even more so. This is the kind of heart that God will never turn away: a heart that gives in. This is your sacrifice (Romans 12: 2)

If your heart is not broken, it's not right with God. God desires your broken and contrite heart, now! You need to repent from your sin and submit your heart and will to exchange with God's will.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus Mighty Name I pray, amen!

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/how-to-seek-god-with-a-broken-and-contrite-heart.html

Scripture Text: Mathew 6:
21-23

" But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness; every other thing shall be added unto thee" - Mathew 6:33

As a child of God who wants to spend all time with God, your first and most important goal should be to seek God and His kingdom. Anyone at the School of Success who wants to live a good life on earth and finally get to heaven must do everything they can to make that happen.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 12:1 and Proverbs 1:8–9 that the best time to seek God is when you are young, before bad times, and to follow God's good directions. To make this point even stronger, the book of Proverbs began with some helpful advice. Would you like to do well in life? Do you want to win in life's battlegrounds? You need to first look for God and find Him.

Nobody can see past themselves if they don't have Jesus in their life. Living without Him is like being dumb and a fool who doesn't understand anything. Beloved, this is a tragedy!

Only Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, can show you the Way and give you the power to become what His Father made you to be. Anyone can know the way of life and do well in life, but not without the Way.

Our human knowledge and skills are limited, but God, who is Wisdom itself, has the key to the storehouse of spiritual understanding and knowledge. So, if you look for Him, you will find Him, and He will lead you (Psalm 32:.

Taking all of this into account, you should look for God and Jesus. Learn more about God's world, and the other things in life will be added to you.

To learn more about God, read the Bible. Try to follow the rules set by God, and ask that the Holy Spirit will show you more about the Father and the Son.


In the name of Jesus, this discovery and a close connection with the Trinity will help you do well on earth and get to heaven at the end of your life.

God's ever-present spirit will never be with you until you are born again. In order to always win, you have to be born again.

God bless you, in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Please pray the prayer below with faith, if you want to surrender your life to Christ today:

"Please come into my life, Lord Jesus. I believe that You are my Lord and Savior. In my heart, I believe that You died and rose again to save me. Please forgive me for my sins. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter the Kingdom of Light. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-4-june-2024-seek-god-first/

Scripture Text: Revelation 20:11–15 (KJV)

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.


Is your name in the book of life? This is an extremely important question that should always be on the minds of all serious believers who are thinking about heaven. There are awfully many Christians living as if there is no end to the world right now. As you can see, this is part of the devil's plan to make Christians live carelessly, not thinking about the end of the world or when everyone will stand before God to be judged.

Without a doubt, every living soul has an end, no matter where they come from, their standing, their race, their colour, their sex, their level of achievement, or their beliefs. To be honest, no one really gets to live forever. You need to be very careful with how you live your life if you know and believe this.

When everyone is judged in front of the White Throne of the Almighty God, it will be a very scary day. The Bible says that heaven and earth cannot stand in front of His face. Everybody who has died will stand in front of Him and look through the books to see what they did while they were alive. The entries in the books will be used to judge every action, attitude, word, thought, relationship, behaviour, goal, passion, engagement, job, business, Christian service, marriage, and every other part of a person's life. After reading about your life in the books, it will be decided if your name should be added to the Book of Life or not. If your name is not in the Book of Life, you will be sent to the lake of fire, which is a very scary sentence.

Dear ones, hellfire is a terrible place to go. Are you sure that the book of life has your name in it? People who live in sin, don't fear God, and serve the flesh, the world, and Satan will never have their names written in the book of life. The same goes for people who reject Jesus Christ here on earth. Again, I ask: Is your name in the book of life?

If deep down in your mind you're doubting your standing with God, this is the right time to confess your sins and repent so as to be a partaker in God's Kingdom.

Say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now; I have sinned against You; forgive me of all my sins; come into my life; take control of my life; and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, and I enter the Kingdom of Life. Thank You, Jesus. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen."

Congratulations!

Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-22-may-2024-is-your-name-in-the-book-of-life/

Scripture Text: Psalm 34:11–13

The Bible tells us how to live a long and happy life, which is what every man wants.

Our Scripture text tells us  exactly what to do and what not to do if we want to live a long and good life.
 
"11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he who desires life and loves many days, so that he may see the good?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile."Psalm 34:11–13

James 3:6 talks about what a tongue is."And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of anture; and it is set on fire of hell" .

Living a good life is what every man wants most in life. People enjoy long days and want to live a full life.

In a secular society, this generally means that someone is very lucky and has a lot of money, good health, close family and friend ties, lots of chances to do fun things, and so on. Common conceptions of the "good life" primarily focus on health and wealth, often neglecting morality or character. Because our culture strongly encourages us to see the good life in these ways, believers are tempted to accept the world's definitions, which makes many people unhappy and boosts the pride of the few who "luck out."

In verse 12, David is now going in a different direction to define what a good life is by asking a question. Being godly, not having luck, is what the good life is all about—being godly rather than having fortuity. He uses Psalm 34: 13–14 as examples to discuss the good traits of life, demonstrating that living a good life aligns with God's perfect morals. David gives us three couplets to think about.

First, having clean speech is a sign of a good life (v. 13). It's filled with true and good words. Bad words and falsehoods suffocate life.

Second, do what is right (v. 14a). Saying no to sinful actions and eagerly seeking out good ones is what the good life is all about. The goal of real life is not to get rich and comfortable, but to do good things.

Third, there is a promise to keep the peace between groups that are at war or could be at war (v. 14b). Those who initiate conflicts lead dark lives. Peacemakers try to be like God (see Matthew 5:9).

Of course, hard work alone cannot lead to this good life. In the end, it rests on the fruit of the Spirit and God's changing grace working in the lives of his people. Still, that grace comes to us when we consciously try to live a good life, like Christ did, for his glory and our ultimate good. May the Lord push us in that direction in Jesus' Mighty Name, amen.

To train the tongue, you need to do the following:

You have to really be born again.
To save yourself from an uncontrollable mouth, you must have determination.
Don't let your words rule you; let the Holy Spirit do that.
You need to read and learn from God's Word.
You need to become hooked on prayer.It is important that you hang out with good Christians.
Witnessing is something you must do.

We need to hold our tongues if we want to live a long and happy life. Holding back our tongues is a sign of spiritual growth. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:3 that someone who keeps their mouth shut will live, but someone who opens their mouth wide will die.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen!

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus Migty Name I pray, amen!

Congratulations!!!

Continue in Christ's grace and righteousness.

Peace!

Also read: https://www.fighterverses.com/post/the-good-life-psalm-34-12-14
https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-21-may-2024-deliverance-from-an-unbridled-tongue/

Scripture Text: Luke 4: 18

Isaiah 9:2 says: "The dwellers in darkness and the area of the shadow of death have seen a dazzling light".

The Messiah brought renewal and redemption. This was mostly spiritual, but it might also emerge physically. Jesus began his work by declaring that the messianic age had arrived.

He read from Isaiah to say this prophecy was being fulfilled: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. I have been sent to proclaim freedom for the imprisoned, sight for the blind, release the oppressed, and the year of the Lord's favor (Lk. 4:18).

From then on, He performed miracles to prove his messianic calling, restoring sight to the blind, opening the ears of the deaf, casting out demons, and healing the lame, but these only showed humanity's spiritual blindness and need for spiritual healing.

The Messiah came to heal and restore all men who were blinded by the god of this age and kept captive by sin.

The Cause of Spiritual Blindness

Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they had free communion with Him. Though God warned them that disobedience would kill them, the serpent promised to open their eyes and make them like God, knowing good and evil. Their violation immediately replaced their innocence, which had allowed them to enjoy unfettered and delightful association with God, with a consciousness of sin and the sad realisation that their relationship with God was forever changed.
Disobedience exposed them to sin and rebellion and distanced them from God. The sin they permitted to thrive would spread rebellion and wickedness across the human family.

Degeneration corrupted humanity until it was spiritually blind and could not see God's glory. As mankind forgot its exalted estate and grew preoccupied in the carnal world, seeking the things that fulfill the flesh and represent sin, paradise faded.

Apostle John warned, "Do not love the world or anything in it. Whoever loves the world does not love the Father. For sinful man's appetites, eye lust, and bragging of his possessions and actions come from the world, not the Father. Whoever does God's will lives forever (1 John 2:15-17).

Ironically, opening our eyes to good and evil blinded us to God's glory and the unseen spiritual world. More carnal thinking blinds us to spiritual reality, leading to idolatry—worshiping created things instead of God.
As sin spread like a cancer through humanity, estrangement from God intensified until man worshiped dumb idols and sank into depravity.

Paul wrote to the Romans: For while they knew God, they neither honored Him nor gave thanks to Him, but their reasoning became senseless and their stupid hearts were darkened. They claimed wisdom but became idiots and traded the grandeur of the everlasting God for images of mortal man, birds, animals, and reptiles. God delivered them over to sexual impurity in their sinful hearts to degrade their bodies with each other. They worshipped and served created things instead of God, who is forever glorified. Amen.
Paul says, "To the pure, all things are pure," but to the corrupted and unbeliever, nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are defiled (Titus 1:15).

Israel called to be a beacon to nations

God told Abraham to leave his idol-worshipping people and follow him. God wanted to create one country for the Messiah to come and restore man to good standing with God, allowing him to enjoy relationship with God without sin.
To be a beacon to the Gentiles and transmit God's truth to the ends of the globe, Israel was given the revelation of God (Isa. 49:6).

This word revealed God's salvation plan through Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Anything that obscures Jesus Christ's revelation distorts God's plan. If we lose sight of Israel's ultimate mission and calling, we focus on temporary blessings and miss our salvation.

The writer to the Hebrews says Abraham and all true believers were still living by faith when they died, hoping for the glorious city God had prepared for them. Instead of receiving the promised gifts, they saw and welcomed them. They admitted to being aliens on Earth. Such statements indicate a desire for independence. If they had thought of the country they left, they could have returned. Instead, they wanted a heavenly country. God has prepared a city for them, so he is not ashamed to be called their God (Hebrews 11:13-16).

His dealings with Israel represented His Eternal plan of Redemption, yet many of the people grew oblivious to spiritual principles and saw their redemption to Canaan as an end in itself. If we get caught up in the present, we lose sight of our redemption—the heavenly recompense Abraham sought.

Israel received all the exterior laws, ordinances, and temple rituals of Moses' law to illustrate heavenly things through shadows and types. Many individuals grew to trust the shadows and kinds as if they represented their reality, blinding them to the spiritual things they were meant to illustrate. In current times, people see church as a building with special sanctity rather than the living stones, the members.

Pride caused spiritual blindness, and the nations worshiped dumb idols in darkness. Following the revelation of the only True God, Israel was spiritually more advanced than the surrounding heathen countries. Lord advised people not to be haughty or they would forget the Lord and become like the pagans: When you are full, praise the LORD your God for the good country he has given you. Do not forget the LORD your God and ignore His rules, laws, and decrees that I am delivering you today. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, build fine houses and settle down, and your herds and flocks grow large, your silver and gold increase, and all you have multiplies, your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of slavery.

Those who don't realize they're fallen and estranged from God won't see their need for redemption or the Redeemer. When the Redeemer came in humility, those who were proud of being the chosen people hated him (Isa. 53:3). They believed their relationship to Abraham guaranteed their status in God's household (Jn. 8:31-47). People grow blind to their wicked, fallen state as they flatter themselves (Ps. 36:2). I would not have known what sin was without the law (Romans 7:7). Moses gave the law to make us aware of our sinful nature (Romans 3:20) and our need for redemption. Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowing, you teach anti-stealing, do you steal? You who forbid adultery, do you commit it? Do idol-haters loot temples? If you brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking it?

Ez.36:22 says, “God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:17-24). Our condition must be acknowledged for healing and repair. That's why so many of Jesus' followers were social misfits, individuals with wounded pride and lacking self-confidence. Jesus healed a born-blind man in John. Jesus rubbed saliva-made mud on the man's eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. He followed instructions and restored the man's sight. The Pharisees were suspicious and hostile to this pleasant turn of events. In this tale, Siloam signifies “sent,” and only those who are washed and cleansed in God's sent one will be healed. Trusting their eyesight keeps them blind. The tale finishes with Jesus telling the Pharisees, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees with him asked, “What? Are we blind?Jesus responded, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains” (John 9:39-41).

Spiritual blindness is God's punishment for pride. Many Israelites were blinded spiritually like the Gentiles in their ignorance and pride. Then Jesus told them, “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” After saying this, he departed and hid himself from them. Though he had done so many signs before them, they still would not believe in him, so that the prophet Isaiah's word might be fulfilled.They couldn't believe. He saw his beauty and spoke of him, so Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” However, many of the authorities believed in him, but they did not confess it for fear of the Pharisees, who loved man's glory more than God's. They refused to believe in the sent one, therefore God hardened their hearts so they couldn't see.

The Soncino commentary on Isaiah 6:9 summarises unbelieving Israel's hardness of heart and spiritual blindness: “The people's insensibility to all that is Divine and indifference to the prophet's exhortation result in a lack of understanding and perception. The Soncino then discusses how long this blindness will last: “Only desolation, destruction and exile of the sinful majority will bring to an end the deplorable conditions.” For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will break them up and take them without help. I'll return home till they confess. In their suffering, they will seek my face (Hosea 5:14).

Accepting guilt is the first step to healing. Many falsely soothe unbelieving Israel by claiming God's favour despite sin and disbelief. Their hope is carnal, but no flesh will inherit God's kingdom. The flesh, where the deceiver thrived, has been condemned and defeated. God doesn't regard people. We should dread and adore him for his Israel dealings. Consider God's compassion and sternness: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided you persevere in His goodwill. Otherwise, you'll be disconnected. If they don't keep unbelieving, God can graft them in again (Romans 11:22). All unbelievers are spiritually blind to the beauty of their Messiah, even if the Scriptures seem to highlight Israel's spiritual blindness due to their past revelation. Just as a blind person cannot appreciate a sunset, a spiritually blind person cannot see the gospel's splendor without the Spirit of God. ..Even if our gospel is disguised, it is for the dying.

Unbelievers cannot see the Gospel of the glory of Christ, the image of God, because the god of this age has blinded them (2 Cor. 4:3-4). Light is unseen yet makes things visible (Eph. 5:13). We only “see” light when it illuminates anything. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe (Eph. 1:18, cf. 2 Cor. 4:6).

The Messiah opens the eyes of those seeking healing: We have not gotten the world's spirit but the Spirit from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. The Spirit teaches us spiritual realities in spiritual words. Because they are spiritually discerned, things from the Spirit of God are foolishness to those without the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10-14).

Just as the serpent deceived Eve by appealing to her senses (the woman “saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom”), the evil one continues to seduce people with fleshly desires to distract and blind them from God's eternal promises and invisible glory. I stress in the Lord that you must no longer live like the Gentiles, in futile thinking. The hardening of their hearts has made them ignorant and distant from God. Without sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality, indulging in every sort of impurity with a constant longing for more (Eph. 4:17-19).

Adam and Eve were immediately filled with guilt for disobeying God, but modern psychology advises us to hide our guilt as the result of a restrictive upbringing that harms our self-image. We may try to conceal our guilty conscience, but it should drive us to Christ for redemption. The Law of Moses was given so sin may be viewed as completely sinful (Rom. 7:13).
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).

Many are being duped into trading their eternal inheritance for a fleeting earthly shadow. Despite their ignorance, people adore produced objects over the creator. The devil brought Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth and their splendor to entice him. He said, “All this I will give you if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus replied, “Away from me, Satan! ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’ (Matthew 4:8-11). Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at God's right hand (Matt. 10:39).

Focus on heaven, not earth. Your life is hidden with Christ in God because you died. Colossians 3:1-4 says you will appear in glory with Christ, your life. Thus, we focus on the invisible. The visible is temporary, but the unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Carnal eyes cannot understand how sad their position is from God's perspective. The rebuke to the church of Laodicea shows that even believers can be blind to spiritual truths when they become carnal and preoccupied with worldly comforts: You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I recommend buying gold purified in the fire from me to become rich, white clothing to cover your shameful unclothedness, and eye salve to see (Revelation 3:17-18).

God's mercy and judgment coexist. Psalm 85:10 is fulfilled in Jesus Christ's gospel: Mercy and truth meet; righteousness and peace kiss. If we recognize that we are blind and wretched sinners worthy of judgment, we can plead to His kindness and be restored, but if we stubbornly refuse to heed His warnings and come to Him in self-righteousness, He hardens us until we are given over to the deceiver. “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” Spiritual blindness is judged when the Lord gives people who have opposed the truth over to a delusion: they die because they refused to love the truth and be redeemed. For this reason, God sends them a great illusion to believe the lie and condemn everyone who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil (2 Thess. 2:10-12).

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, wicked desires, and greed, which is idolatry. These will bring God's wrath (Colossians 3:5). Jesus heals the blind. He gives eye salve so we can see. But there's no time to delay because the more we oppose God and harden our hearts, the more He gives us our delusions—the judicial consequence of our hubris. As Scripture continually warns, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen!

If you've said this short prayer, congratulations!!!

God bless you!

Peace!

Also read: http://www.messianicgoodnews.org/restoring-sight-to-the-blind-isaiah-61/

Scripture Text: Luke 4:18

In Isaiah 61:1–3, the prophet outlined the mission that God had predetermined for the Messiah, which was to minister to the needs of those who were disadvantaged and destitute. He started off by saying, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to those who are economically disadvantaged." As the Bible says in Isaiah 61:1, "He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners of the prisoner's heart." Seven hundred years later, Jesus Christ opened His public ministry by speaking from this very book, applying Isaiah’s words to Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. According to Luke 4:18–19, "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the favour of the Lord." Upon reaching the conclusion, Jesus declared, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21), thereby establishing Himself as the Messiah and Servant-King that was promised to Israel and who would proclaim good news to those who were in need.


What Does It Mean to Spread the Good News to the Poor?

We refer to a positive announcement as "good news." The phrase "proclaim good news" refers to the act of announcing or communicating a message that contains positive information about some recent or significant events. The Greek verb euangelizomai describes this manner of behavior. The New Testament authors specifically attributed this word to the act of proclaiming or preaching the gospel, known as evangelion. The phrase "proclaiming the good news" refers to God's message of salvation for sinful mankind through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. The English word 'evangelise' is derived from the verb 'euangelizomai'. When we preach the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, we are evangelizing. This means that we are proclaiming the good news, which is that the kingdom of God has come to earth in the person of God's own Son, who brings with him the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life (Matthew 4:23; Romans 10:15).

The Old Testament used the term "the poor" to describe people who did not inherit anything, who were economically disadvantaged and had a low social rank, or who were oppressed, downtrodden, disadvantaged, and destitute. Not only were the poor helpless, but they were also dependent on influential individuals and unfavourable conditions. The term "poor" also refers to people who are dependent on God every day. The Psalms, in particular, use the concept of poverty both literally and symbolically to demonstrate the impoverished's reliance on God as their protector, deliverer, and saviour (Psalm 12:6; 35:10; 102:17; 116:6).

The New Testament carries over these ideas of "the poor," referring to both those living in poverty and those humble and living by faith in God as "the poor." In the great Sermon on the Mount that Jesus Christ delivered, the Lord begins with the Beatitudes, preaching that "God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours" (Luke 6:20, New Living Translation). Matthew 5:3 describes people as "poor in spirit" when they recognise their own spiritual destitution. They realise that they are in dire need of God, and they turn to Him in order to receive the most abundant blessings that God lovingly provides through trust in Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, imprisoned, conversed with Jesus to confirm his identity as the promised Messiah for Israel. "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor" (Luke 7:22). This is the response that Jesus gave to John.

According to Matthew 11:2, one of the authoritative signs that Jesus was the Messiah was the fact that He communicated the good news to those who were in need. The argument that James made was as follows: "Hasn't God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? "They are the ones who will inherit the kingdom that He promised to those who love him, aren't they? "

A New Living Translation of James 2:5 "When it came to the poor people whom Christ came to save," the apostle Paul explained the breadth of Christ's selfless generosity, saying, "You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ." Even though He was wealthy, He chose to become poor for your sake, so that through His lack of wealth, He could make you wealthy (2 Corinthians 8:9, New Living Translation).

Proclaiming the good news of salvation to those who were in need was the primary purpose of the entire mission that Jesus Christ carried out. In both a tangible and a spiritual sense, Jesus is a Saviour who fulfils the needs of those who are in need. A further point to consider is that He completely satisfies them (Luke 1:53; 6:20–21; Matthew 5:6).

However, it is important to know that you must be born again and Spirit-filled to be able to spread the good news. Without the Spirit of God upon you, you cannot share the Gospel to the poor. Similar to our Scripture text today, Romans 10:9–14 makes it clear that you must be first be saved before you can preach salvation to others.

[b]"9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[/b]Romans 10:9–14 (NIV).

If you are reading this and you are not saved, now is the time to give your life to Christ, for tomorrow may be too late. I'll encourage you to say this short prayer as you open your heart to Jesus Christ:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now. Come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You, Jesus Christ; Your in Mighty Name, I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Also read: https://www.gotquestions.org/proclaim-good-news-to-the-poor.html

Scripture Text: 1 John 2:16

The Bible teaches us that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is particularly true for monarchs, who are exposed to the temptations of pride more than the average person.

The pride of life is rooted in worldliness and a love for what the culture deems as achievements. It removes God from His throne and places the self in the seat instead of recognising His grace as the reason for what we have.

First John 2:15–16 warns against loving the world, explaining its dangers of pride. Satan uses the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to tempt Jesus into failing and not being proven perfect and blameless. Nebuchadnezzar, a Babylonian king, struggled with this pride problem. He had a dream about a tree feeding the whole world, but later saw the tree being cut down. The prophet Daniel informed him that the monarch was the tree who would be cut down and advised him to turn from his sinful ways, live righteously, and show mercy to the poor.

Nebuchadnezzar managed to humble himself for a while after hearing the prophet's message. As Babylon continued to grow in prosperity and win battles, he proclaimed that he built the house of the kingdom with the might of his power and in honour of his majesty. Because of his pride, Nebuchadnezzar lost everything. Pride can also bring Christians to a place where they lose access to the kingdom of God, just as it did with the devil.

In the book of Esther, Haman is a prime example of self-destructive pride in the Bible. He was angry with Mordecai, a Jew who saved his life from an assassination plot, and wanted to kill all the Jews in the land. Haman's inflated pride led him to boast about his wealth, children, and advancements above the princes and servants of the king. When Mordecai refused to show reverence, Haman decided to build a gallows from which to hang Mordecai, hoping that Xerxes would give him permission due to his high royal standing.

Pride, a distorted mirror that obstructs clear thinking and reason, allowed Haman to see only himself. Filled with conceit, Haman thought in his heart, ‘Whom would the king delight to honour more than me?’ The noble devised the most extravagant procession for himself, riding on the king's horse, in the king's robes, with the king's crown upon his head, parading up and down the city streets for all to honor. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” and this couldn't be truer for Haman, who spoke as if he wanted desperately to be the king.

The story of Haman is a great example of the ultimate payout of pride, as he was hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. The Bible says, “When pride cometh, then cometh shame” (Proverbs 11:2).

Uzziah, a tragic king of Judah, was initially a reformer who tried to serve God but ultimately led to his downfall. God reveals seven lessons regarding the dangers of pride: complacency, ungratefulness, self-reliance, covetousness, spiritual blindness, judgement, and public shame or humiliation.

Uzziah's reign began in 767 B.C. and lasted 52 years, from age 16 until he was 68 years old. Judah was in disarray when his reign began, and out of pride, Amaziah began a war against Northern Israel that God did not command or condone. Uzziah was a reformer who initially refused to follow many of his father's mistakes and initially trusted God. However, his pride led him to become complacent and tolerate pagan worship, which eventually led to his downfall.

Uzziah's downfall serves as a warning to all believers to never allow spiritual success to lead to complacency. Satan will try to pull them off their walk with God when they let their guard down. Tolerating evil in one's life is a snare that leads to greater sin and pain. It is crucial for believers to avoid complacency and strive for a more righteous walk with God.

Uzziah's failure to thank God for his wealth, security, and power led him to become ungrateful and destructive. He failed to give credit to God for his victories, leading him to believe that he was responsible for his victories, which in turn led to pride and his downfall. The Bible makes clear that God helped Uzziah until he made himself strong, but he failed to understand that he was separating himself from God as he sought to become self-reliant and independent through his wealth, security, and status.

Saul, the first King of Northern Israel, also committed similar sins, disobeying God's prophet and taking on the role of the priests. Moses warned the Jews not to be presumptuous by acting without the direction of God's appointed Levite priests, as failure to do so would result in judgment. Uzziah, Jeroboam, and Saul all presumed they could fulfil the role of God's priests when that was not their role.

The Jews also committed the sin of presumption by trying to invade the Promised Land after God judged them and told them that the first generation would need to die off in the wilderness because of their sins. It is crucial to never assume that you are following God's will when disobeying His Word or acting on your own. Always read the Word and pray for His guidance, as failing to do so may lead your flesh astray.

Satan, the father of pride, seeks your destruction through pride. His pride caused his downfall, as he believed he would ascend to heaven and become like the Most High. However, those who saw him would force him down to Sheol, where they would question him. Pride is one of the worst sins against God, and Uzziah's pride led to his downfall. In conclusion, pride can cause unholy things and lead to the pursuit of absolute power.

Satan's goal is to create chaos by causing God's people to rebel against His Word. He has led angels Eve, Adam, and Eve to rebel against God's rules, and he becomes the father of those who rebel. Rebellion is considered a sign of an "evil man," and according to Solomon, it is part of the spirit of "the prince of the power of the air." Samuel also referred to rebellion as the sin of witchcraft.

The Jews' lack of faith led to their repeated rebellion against God and Moses, leading to their being banished to the desert. Satan created a counterfeit to deceive people, offering strife, death, and misery for those who rebelled and followed Satan. It is important not to surrender to covetousness or one's own understanding, as Uzziah did not seek God's guidance in prayer. Spiritual blindness can cause one to become spiritually blind to sin, as seen in the rebuke of Uzziah by Azariah the High Priest.

Turning from God can also harden one's heart, making it harder for the Holy Spirit to guide them. Even though they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks. Their foolish hearts were darkened, and the Lord poured over their eyes and hearts. If God has allowed hardship to enter one's life or rebuked them, examine their life for any unconfessed sin.


Unrepentant pride can lead to God's judgement, as seen in Uzziah's leprosy. Leprosy causes the victim to lose feeling, leading to nerve endings in the infected skin and the loss of appendages. Sin causes the victim to become numb to the pain it causes, leading to feelings of impurity and greed. Pain receptors help prevent injuries from worsening, and unchecked sin can dampen the Holy Spirit's ability to convict one of their sins.

God will judge those who live in a world governed by pride and covetousness. Satan, like Uzziah, was blessed with power as one of God's most important angels. Like Uzziah, Satan caused him to covet God's power. Those who rebel out of coveting also violate God's Tenth Commandment and disqualify a person from heaven.

Illness can cause repentance. If a person lives in rebellion, God can allow them to become sick to bring them to repentance. The Lord will smite them with consumption, fever, inflammation, fiery heat, sword, blight, and mildew, and they will pursue them until they perish.

When God reveals your sins, repent. Saul and Uzziah failed to acknowledge their sins, and God judged them only after Samuel failed to repent of his sins. When the High Priest Azariah revealed Uzziah's sins, Uzziah also failed to repent.

In conclusion, leprosy, sin, pride, and illness can all lead to spiritual and physical health issues. It is crucial to repent when God reveals your sins and teaches you the right path to forgiveness. By humble yourself and accepting correction, you can live a more fulfilling life and experience the blessings of God's grace.

God bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen!

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now. Come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil and enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:
https://salvationcall.com/pride-life/
https://inspiredscripture.com/bible-studies/2-chronicles-26#gsc.tab=0
https://livingproof.co/the-dangers-of-pride-in-the-bible-and-tips-for-overcoming-it/

Scripture Text: Ephesians 5: 4

The book of Proverbs and the epistle of James have much to say about the use of the tongue. James 3:10–11 says: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?” Paul speaks in a similar vein: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths” and “Let there be no . . . foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place” (Eph. 4:29; 5:4).

But the way people talk to each other in public is getting rougher every day. People in public often say things that people would not say in polite company a generation ago. Even worse, some people who say they are preachers of the gospel use bad jokes and bad language in their lectures, saying they are just being real. These actions only lower the users' status and make other people more likely to use corruptible words.

Paul and James both felt the need to speak out strongly about the issue, which shows that it's not just a problem today. It was so common in the first century that new Christians needed to be told how to talk about it. The bad language of the streets is easy for us to use because we don't pay attention when we talk. As Christians, we should not speak without thinking, but with thought.
For the same reason Paul talks about speech above, we should only say "what is good for building up, as fits the occasion, so that it may give grace to those who hear." "Let there be thanksgiving in your words" is another thing he says (Eph. 4:29; 5:4).

We downplay how bad it is to use rude and offensive words. We say that we're just being honest or that it doesn't mean anything to us. Christ, however, tells us that we will be responsible for every careless word we say (Matthew 12:36). We should be more careful about what we say after hearing something like this from our Saviour. We should think about what we're going to say before we speak.

Also, we don't think about how our words affect other people. Bad jokes hurts, insults, and degrades other people. As Christians, Paul tells us to use language that builds up, not language that tears down. Language should be used to teach, scold, correct, and train people in right behavior. You should use it to bless people, not curse them. We should use it to thank and praise the God who saved us. But when the skin is strong, the tongue can't be held back in this way.

We can only manage our tongues with the help of the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit also helps us use our speech for the glory of God and the health of the church. We should think about how our jokes might hurt the people who are listening. For example: I think it would be "inappropriate" to laugh about drunk driving around someone who has lost a loved one to a drunk driver. Even if the humor is funny in theory, telling a joke or making someone laugh when they're not ready for it can hurt them personally. Don't tell anyone jokes if you're not sure if it's okay.

Last but not least, the only hard and fast rule about our freedom to joke around in Christ is this: if you're not sure that what you want to joke about is okay, then it is wrong to joke about it (Romans 14:23). If you think something is funny and you're sure it's not about something bad, and you're sure no one is getting upset, insulted, or tempted by your humor, then let it go.

However, if you have ANY DOUBT about any of that, it would be wrong to break your conscience, so please keep the joke to yourself. Of course, you can't just "decide" not to find something funny, just like you can't "choose" not to find someone sexually beautiful or "decide" to stay calm when they insult or abuse you. What you CAN control is whether you hold back or give in, stay away from those situations or look for them, or do something else to keep the urge to use inappropriate humour from turning into sin (1 Corinthians 10:13).

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus Christ, for in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

ALSO SEE:
https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2023/05/crude-joking/
https://412teens.org/qna/is-it-wrong-to-laugh-at-inappropriate-jokes.php

Scripture Text: Isaiah 20: 12-20

You may know the story of King Hezekiah if you've read the Old Testament. He changed things for the better and was a good king. We praise him for trusting God and wanting to save his country. No one else was like him (II Kings 18:5-7). He prayed and made deals with God to live longer. He had a lot of faith, was good, and did many great things.

But I wonder why he didn't beg God for mercy on his children and the people who would come after him. Why didn't he leave something better behind? Why didn't he choose to make many people happy? It's easy to answer these questions: Hezekiah didn't see things clearly.

Every man has flaws that make him unique. These flaws not only mark a man, but they also help define him. This is the kind of person Hezekiah was. Even though I respect Hezekiah a lot, I think he's kind of a sad person because of one big mistake he made in his life. Hezekiah had terrible blind spots. In what way? In the following three ways: He didn't think about his own death enough. He didn't see far enough ahead for his kingdom. He didn't see far into the future. In as much everything's well with him, the future of his people and kingdom were not his concern.

Think about how God told Hezekiah that he was going to die. After Hezekiah cried out to the Lord and begged Him, God sent the prophet Isaiah to tell him, "I have heard your prayer." I've seen you cry. Look, I'll heal you (II Kings 20:5). God made Hezekiah live 15 more years. What did happen, though? Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh during the last 15 years. He was not only bad, but he was so bad that God punished Judah by saying that Manasseh was the reason why Judah should be punished (II Kings 21:10–15).

Because Hezekiah didn't think about his own death, he reached the point where God's anger could not be stopped. Hezekiah also didn't see far enough ahead for his kingdom. When people from Babylon came to see him, Hezekiah showed them all of his wealth and kingly power. "Hezekiah showed them everything in his house and all of his land" (II Kings 20:13). Before he knew it, Hezekiah had made Babylon want to rule over his country. So much so that Isaiah went back to Hezekiah and told him that one day Babylon would take all of his kingdom's wealth and "there shall be nothing left" (II Kings 20:17). But what did Hezekiah say in response? "Hezekiah then told Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you spoke is good." He asked himself, "Why not? If there will be peace and safety in my days?" (2 Kings 20:19). Did you get it? He could have asked God to forgive him in the same way that he asked for His life. He even negotiated with God to have the shadow move back ten degrees instead of down, which God did (Isaiah 20:10). See how close Hezekiah was to God? Alas! Hezekiah only cared about his own kingdom and not the one that his children and grandchildren would run in the future.

Just like he couldn't see past his own wall when he thought about his own death, Hezekiah couldn't see past his own walls when he prayed, when he thought about the walls that surrounded his wealth and glory, or when he thought about the wall that held the way to the future. Hezekiah was a really great king. But because he was so focused on the present, he didn't make plans for the future of his country.

What can we learn from his mistakes that we won't make again?

First, your impact will live on after you die. People who come after you will be affected by the way you live your life now. What are you going to leave them? How do you want your faith in Christ to affect not only your kids but also the kids who will come after them?

Second, don't be proud of the good things in your life like Hezekiah did. Instead, keep your eyes on the one who brings life. During the war, Hezekiah put his faith in God. He forgot to trust God for the hard times that were to come, though.

You can trust God with what will happen after you die. King David gave his son Solomon a lot of things to help him build the temple. What can you leave behind that will encourage people to keep going in their faith? It might not seem important to be shortsighted. But, as we can see from the kings of Judah, it led to a sad end. Today is important, but tomorrow is even more important. One day, you'll be able to see what your impact has done. Either God will be praised, or you will wish you could do it again.

If you are in the path of short-sightedness like Hezekiah, you need to repent now, ask God for mercy to damage your spiritual blindness.

God bless you.

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:https://preachitteachit.org/articles/lessons-from-hezekiah-forgetting-the-future/

Scripture Text: Titus 2:7-8;

There are different role models but the true one is a godly one.

As Christians, God wants us to live a good life that others can follow, both inside and outside of church. The Bible tells us to be good people in God's place and around other people so that no bad things will be said about God because of us.

Beloved, the truth is that we live in this world but are not of it. As Christians, our end is heaven, where we will live forever with Christ Jesus. People should live by good examples of character so that others can see them and learn from them as long as they are on earth.

It's too bad that many Christians today don't show these godly traits; they don't teach Christ without words. Being a role model means that you show others how to be good by what you say and do. It means showing off your godliness so that others can follow your lead. Can you speak for that group of people? You don't have to be a boss to show godly traits.

Matthew 5:16–17, says; "Let your light shine before people so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven." This is telling you to make a big difference like a child of God should wherever you are. Put God's light on everything around you, including your home, business, market, neighborhood, and even your church. Don't forget that people want to read you. Some people want to read your letter before they read the Bible. Make sure that what you say and do shows who you really are and speaks of Christ. That you are a good and worthy representative of Christ is clear from the godly thoughts, actions, and words that many people learn from you.

Beloved, does God trust you to be His representative and example in the world today? As a Christian, he wants you to lead sinners to Christ and non-Christians to righteousness by the way you live your life. In reality, all Christians are called to share their faith through their everyday lives. You and I are to show the world Christ and all He stands for by living in a way that others want to follow. If you're not doing this already, I think you should start now.

The Bible says that you will know someone by their fruits, not by what they say. These fruits are qualities of good people. You are like a tree that bears fruit that must stay in the Lord as a child of God. This is how other people will see Christ in you and know Christ through you.

Think about these situations. A story was told about a Christian brother who was very religious and took time to teach others the Bible and pray. Someone who used to live next door and had recently joined the church saw him doing his normal church activities and asked, "Could this be the brother who used to live on my street and was called a fraudster but then disappeared?" People say that he always tricks people and then hides in different parts of the city where he can't be found. When this brother saw his old neighbor, he grabbed the nearest exit and ran out of the church. Why did he do that? His sins were now known to him. Do you know that God wants your life to be so interesting that it draws people into His kingdom? Always be a true Christian, whether you're with other people or not. Set a good example by being holy. Let other people see the good in you and do the same.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus mighty name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-30-march-2024-be-a-godly-role-model-1/

Scripture Text: Exodus 3:2

"The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed."
Exodus 3.2

Let's look at the story of Moses and the burning bush. What is the most amazing fire you've ever built, seen, enjoyed, or even been afraid of? There are a lot of answers to that question. Some people have been saved by fire when they were tired, wet, and cold in the woods. Fire has been a threat to some people since their own house burned down. Some of us know people who died in fires. Still, some people have shared their darkest and most private moments with loved ones while sitting by a beautiful fire. All of this is fire. An energy that burns and eats things. It's a wonder that shines with warmth and light.

It makes perfect sense that God showed up to Moses in a fire. In a fire, God spoke to one of the most important religious leaders in history. This story, which is told to us in Exodus chapter 3, is still powerful for all Christians, even if they have never been near fire or are not a great religious leader.

First, take note of Moses's calmness wonder. Moses is out in the desert. In fact, he is on a mountain, far from the woods. Moses saw that the bush was on fire but not yet destroyed. Think about this: it takes someone who is patient to observe that the bush isn't burning.

At first look, most of us wouldn't be able to tell if the bush was burning or not. In fact many will assume that the bush was burning. We see the light first when we see a fire, right? It won't be possible to tell what the flame did until some time has passed. I don't think Moses could have known for sure that the bush wasn't on fire until after some time had passed. To put it another way, his experience with the burning bush took some time. As he watched the fire for a while, he finally realized that the bush wasn't going up in flames. That is something we should all keep in mind as we think about God.

Almost never do we experience God right away in something. For now, it takes time for us to have good experiences with God. And they make us stop and sit for a while to see what is on fire and what isn't.

Then there is the powerful discovery itself. The bush was not consumed. This is the most powerful proof of God that people know of. God's strength, fire, kindness, and love are always there, showing that they are real.

Rudolf Otto, a famous German philosopher from a hundred years ago, came up with this way to describe God: "God is a Great and Fascinating Mystery" but said it in Latin. God is a huge and interesting Mystery. We want to be right next to that mystery, with nothing in the way.

We take off our shoes to get a better sense of what it was like. We also know a huge and interesting secret about fire. When we look into that midnight bonfire, we can feel it. There is still something about fire that interests us even though we know everything there is to know about its chemistry processes and reactions. For example, we know about oxidation and sparks. We are drawn to God's light. We want to learn even more about God as we learn more about him. What we know about God is never a full picture of God. What we know about God never consumes God.

Love works the same way. We are called to love each other with the same kind of love that God has for us (agape). One sign of mutual love is that when we love someone more, we find more love to give them. God's love is not what people mean when they say "zero-sum game." Do it! Give someone something because you love them so much. When you show unconditional love, you have more love to give. Even though love burns, it never goes out. The fire of love burns so sweetly, but it never goes out. Now we have the words.

Moses had an experience with the real God that he could not put into words. It was mysterious and powerful. It did use words, though. Moses, like all people, needed words to understand and be led. So he asks, "Who are you?" "What's your name?" In fact, Moses didn't say this at first. He had heard his own name for the first time from inside that fiery wonder. First, he was told that this God was really the God of his own family and that this God cared about people who were weak and unhappy. "I know what they are going through," this God told Moses.

Finally, God told Moses that he would send him to save those people from Pharaoh. Moses began to stumble at that point. He kept asking himself, "Who am I to do this?" "I'm not strong. There's no sign for me. I can't speak well. People aren't going to believe me. Again, who should I say is calling?" That's the question Moses had. Who do I say is calling? Who do I say sent me? "I Am Who I Am."  "Tell them that "I Am" sent you." God does use those words, but they are just as hard to understand as fire. I'm the person I am. It's not been clear what those words mean since they were spoken. It might be I Am What I Am. It might say "I Am Becoming What I Am Becoming." I'm changing into who I am. That is the version that talks about happenings and moving. The Bible's God is not just a "being" that has things and can't move. Someone once said, "God is not a noun; God is a verb." Just like fire.

Does fire mean something or something else?

God moves things around and makes things happen if God shows up in fire. The action of God, on the other hand, is not always bad. Moving of God does destroy things; it gets rid of what is wrong. It gets rid of things that aren't needed. Ultimately, though, God's will is for life and health, freedom and safety. That's the God who will always free people who are being abused and take them to the land of milk and honey. This is the God who will also move the people and lead us at night with a fire column. There is a fire God who says, "I am becoming who I am becoming." It will hurt me, but it won't consume me.

Are you in a burning fire situation right now? God is telling you, the God who sent Moses: The "I Am" is telling you that that fire, that situation, that problem will not consume you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. God loves you, and He will love you forever. Only believe Him, trust and receive Him into your heart today if you haven't already.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus' Mighty Name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:https://www.cathedralatl.org/sermons/the-bush-was-blazing-yet-it-was-not-consumed-1/

Scripture Text: Jeremiah 51:20


God needs believers to be His battle axes. Christians are soldiers and should always be war-ready. If God invites you to be His battle axe, I pray you will say, “Lord, I want to become your battle axe.”

God said, “You are my battle axe and you are to break into pieces ten things: The nations, the kingdoms, the horse and his rider, the chariots and his rider, men and women, old and young, young men and the maid, the shepherd and his flock, the husbandman and his oxen and the captain and rulers.” (Jeremiah 51:20).

The ten things God wants you to break have spiritual implications, but you are in a war. War has been declared against you even if you don't think you're fighting. War has been proclaimed against you, so fight or don't. “But I did not offend anybody,” you say. Why is war declared against me? Therefore, the Bible calls them ‘the wicked’. They need not be offended. They dislike you and want to prevent you from succeeding.

Weapons are used in fights. God wants battle axes. Battle axes are war weapons. Battles and conflicts occur. One tragedy of life is being in a struggle without knowing it. It is quite risky.

Your role is to fight destiny fulfillment's opponent. You must be reborn to be God's war axe. This will make you helpful to God and His kingdom.

Exodus 15:3 says God is a warrior. Romans utilised war axes long before today's memory verse. The handle is used to swing it and strike the enemy. Hand-to-hand fighting was its purpose. Its blade is sharp. Destroys. It cuts. Battle and war are symbolised by the battle axe.


No one mentions battle axe without a fight. If there's no war, no one mentions war weapons. God is a warmaker, thus His offspring shouldn't be civilians.

An unaware soldier will die cheaply in battle. You must fight whether you want to or not. The battle doesn't need your consent or knowledge. It does not care if you will fight. In addition, there is no neutral ground. It is a war between light and darkness, right and wrong, good and evil, righteous and wicked, circumcised and uncircumcised. Thus, without war knowledge, believers will die like chickens or become casualties.

You must be God's battle axe to fight faith and war well, beloved. God needs you as his battle axe to fight spiritual warfare and defeat the devil. Be God's war axe to bind and cast forth demons and undo darkness. You must be God's battle axe to conquer nations for Christ. Only God's battle axes can spread grace and rule the world. God's war axes rule life alone. Baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit and fire, you can be God's war axe.

To exist in this world and declare there is no war is to fail. The Philistines knew their fights, but Samson did not. Philistines brought their charms and fetishes to war. They incited Samson's arrest with various incantations. Samson kept fleeing because God was with him. When the Philistines seized him and took him to the grinding mill, they sacrificed to their gods first.
So the dark powers know about the conflict. Sorcerers and wizards realise there's a struggle. Principalities and powers know there is a conflict, yet many Christians are unaware. So the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries is renowned as where God trains your hands and fingers for war.


Warfare requires studying your enemy to know how to attack. Being uneducated in this war is disastrous. God is telling us what? “I want to undo the devil with you.” The Lord says, "You are a weapon, not a person. Stop acting human. General purpose machine gun, you're supposed to be. You're artillery, tank, rifle. You're a fighter.”

Devils want to weaken God's oil on your head. Keep him from doing that. Decide today to be God's battle axe. Rise as God's battle axe and release the captives, smash brass gates and iron bars. You can populate His kingdom and depopulate hell that way. I pray that Jesus would grant you the grace to be God's battle axe.


God will make you His battle axe until you are reborn. Continuous victory requires rebirth. I you would like to give your life to Christ, please pray the following prayer in faith:

Lord Jesus, enter my life. I believe You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe that Your death and resurrection saved me. I'm grateful for Jesus' salvation. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!!!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-14-march-2024-becoming-gods-battle-axe-i/

Scripture Text: John 14:5–6

As we see in today's Bible reading, many people still don't know the Way or who He is, just like Thomas.

Jesus Christ is "The Way" and our Lord and Savior. When Jesus speaks, He says that He is the way to God and that only He can make people right with the Father (God). This means that the only way to be saved and live forever is to follow Jesus' instructions and accept Him as Lord and Savior.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus also says that He is the Truth. In a religious and moral sense, He is the truth that God wants us to follow. He is the one who reveals God's truth to people and keeps everything going. Christ says that He is "The Life" and that He is the source of eternal life. If you believe in Him and follow His way, you will live with God forever. We can be spiritually born again through Christ and be sure that we will live again after death.
This sentence is very important to Christian faith because it stresses that Jesus is the only one who can save people. It makes the point that believing in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior is the only way to get to know God and live eternally. This passage may mean different things to different Christian groups, but it usually shows that Christians believe Jesus is the only One who can bring people and God together.

What makes Jesus "The Way"?

Jesus used the possessive pronoun to make Himself clear as "the only Way." They didn't understand where He was going or how they could follow Him because He was talking about a road or route. Like He had told them before, Jesus was telling them and us to follow Him. You can't get to heaven or the Father any other way.

After many years, Peter told the leaders of Jerusalem the same thing about Jesus: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). There is only one way to be saved, and that is in the words "I am The Way."

He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" in John 14:6. "I am the only way to get to the Father." Many people think that we can't be open if we don't accept all the people who come to God in different ways. That's a tough passage to read. But Jesus makes it very clear that we must go through Christ to reach God. So, when people ask, we should be bold to them that Jesus says He is the only Way. It can be hard to explain though but it's the "Truth", and anyone who believes you will have "Life". Having told them about the Way as Jesus Christ Has revealed Himself, all they have to do is say, "Lord, open my eyes."

If you haven't started walking in the "Way", this is the right time to start. The first step is to surrender to Jesus, the Way. He will show Himself to you, the Truth about Him, and you'll have eternal "Life".

God bless you.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Thank You Jesus Christ, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Scripture Text: Jude 1:20

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:20).

Our Attitude to Prayer

The things we forget to do, the things we don't do, the things we mean to do, and the things we put off are prayer. Still, it's the most important thing we need to do. We are missing out on the beauty of it when we don't participate in it. Think about it: being able to spend time with the One who made everything! And He instrusts us to do it! Don't we need to run to Him?

Because of how prayer works, it's important to know a few things that should make us want to pray in a way that line with the Bible.

To begin, we should understand that prayer opens doors. It's a way to get to the supernatural.

Second, we should know that being able to pray is a gift. We can talk to the Creator of the world directly through prayer, which is something no one else can do. This is a great honor that we shouldn't joke around with.

Lastly, prayer is full of opportunities when done the right way, which is what we will talk about. This is possible if you have faith and pray in the Spirit.

Perhaps you've heard the saying "prayer changes things." It's a cliché now that this statement is so well known and often used. Don't get it wrong, though—the words are still true. But should we think of prayer as a kind of "magical cure all"? I don't think so. What's so strong about prayer? Prayer is very strong because it comes from trusting in God. We should look at the kind of prayer that changes things now that we know this simple truth.

As you pray and ask for things, always do it in the Spirit, and stay alert with all persistence and intercession for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18).

You can touch God, be in His presence, and get what you need from Him through prayer, which is a process that has many parts.

How important is it to pray?

What the above texts show us is not only why we should pray, but also how we should pray. There's no question that prayer is what keeps us connected to the Lord. Some people find it hard to do this, even though it is one of the most important parts of being a Christian.

How many times have we been in a tough spot and felt like we had no idea what or how to pray?

Our Scripture text today starts to explain what it means to pray in the Spirit. To really pray in the Spirit, you have to think like the Spirit yourself. We are praying in line with God's will when we pray this way. That God hears our prayers and will answer them in His own time and way is something we can be sure of when we pray according to His will. This is what we read:

"This is why we trust Him: if we ask for anything that is in line with His will, He hears us." No matter what we ask, if we know that He hears us, we know that we will receive what we ask for (1 John 5:14–15).

How to Pray in the Spirit: Let's cite two examples.

First, let's look into two people in the Bible who help us understand and even value the idea of being in the Spirit. They may have been praying at the time, even though it is not said for sure, but it is a very real chance. Now, let's look at the case of the Apostle John. What he writes:

"On the Lord's Day, I was in the Spirit and heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet" (Revelation 1:10).

There is more to learn about being in the Spirit than just seeing this great vision. Being in the Spirit lets us hear from God. Because of that, he was "Revelation ready," which means that the Lord could speak to him through any means necessary.
Apostle Paul is the source of the second example we should also look into:

"It's probably not helpful for me to brag." I will talk about visions and messages from the Lord. I know a Christian man who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. I don't know if he was in the body or out of the body; only God knows. God knows if this man was in the body or not, but I know that he was taken to paradise and heard words that words can't describe. It is not legal for a man to speak these words". (2 Corinthians 12:1-4).

Paul was given the chance to see things that no one else had seen, just like the Apostle John. This gives us a better idea of how deep writing goes. Of course, we know that the Spirit walked with him while he wrote (2 Timothy 3:16), but what he saw helps us understand how big God is, which makes us praise and glorify Him.

Last but not least, it should be clear that we need to pray in the Spirit because Satan wants to stop our prayers. He cares more about our prayers than we think because he wants to stop and make it hard for us to have a close relationship with the Lord. He will do everything he can within the limits of his power to stop and hinder our prayers. These three things make it necessary for us to pray in a way that will help us beat the devil's tricks.

As we try to pray in the Spirit, let us remember that prayer is not a one-way conversation. When we pray, we should expect the Lord to answer us, making prayer a conversation. We should hear from Him soon because we prayed in the Spirit. He should answer with such urgency and power.

God bless you, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ.

But if you're reading this and you are yet to give your life to Christ, this is an opportunity for you to do so. Don't miss out in enjoying the grace of praying and growing your personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.

If you want to give your life to Christ just say this prayer now:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus Mighty Name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-it-mean-to-pray-in-the-holy-spirit.html.

Scripture Text: Romans 5: 10-11

Today, we raise our voices to thank the Father of Lights for giving us His son, and we also thank the Son of God, Jesus Christ, for giving His life for us on the Cross. I imagine what our lives would be like if Jesus hadn't died for us. Without the sin-forgiving blood of the Lamb of God, all people would have been doomed. Jesus, thank you for this!

Could you imagine what would have happened to you and me if Jesus hadn't shed His blood? Because of our sins and flaws, we have to keep sacrificing animals to make up for them. With the way things are going now, some of us might not even be able to buy it. And even if we can afford to buy animals once in a while, that doesn't mean we are completely clean. Hebrews 10:3 says that the blood of bulls and goats can't wash away sins. Once more, we thank Jesus for doing this for us, once and for all.

Jesus' death on the Cross made things right with God. Now, we have someone who can talk to the Father on our behalf and forgive our sins. We can now freely approach the throne of grace to receive the mercy that Jesus' blood has made possible for us. Praise God!

Have you dug yourself so deep into the miry clay of your sins that you think God can't forgive you again? It's a vicious lie. Your sins can be forgiven by Jesus' blood. You can be made holy by the blood of Jesus. All you have to do is admit, give up, and truly regret your sins. You can still use the blood that made peace for Mary Magdalene, no matter how deep you go into the occult. It's possible that you are deeply wicked; the blood that washed and dressed Rahab again is still easy to get. You can come to Jesus with your arms wide open and ask His blood to cleanse and forgive you. That will settle it.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you are yet a sinner, the time to repent is now! Surrender your life to Jesus Christ and enjoy His Blood benefits and best relationship with God. If you would like to give your life to Christ please say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, for in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!! You are now a new creation. Enjoy the benefits of the Blood of Jesus Christ!

Peace!

Also read:https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-5-march-2024-the-sin-atoning-blood-of-jesus/

Scripture Text: Galatians 9:15-33

What does it mean to seek righteousness by faith?

Paul says in Romans 9 that we should seek righteousness through faith instead of works.

What then shall we say? That Gentiles who didn't try to be righteous have already reached it—that is, righteousness by faith—but that Israelites who tried to follow a law that would make them righteous failed to reach that law. Why? Because they didn't do it out of faith, but because they thought it was based on works. The tripping block has been stepped on. –Romans 9:30–32 ESV

First, it's helpful to know what the Bible says about what it means to be good. When we talk about English, being righteous usually means being decent and honest. Someone has to do this on their own. That being said, Paul had a different idea than people who spoke English. According to the Bible, to be righteous means to be in good terms with God. Being moral is a part of righteousness, but it's not the most important thing. What matters is our relationship with God. Knowing this background helps explain the issue Israel was having. The people of Israel were trying to win the right to stand in front of God by being good. They failed at this. You can't earn a good position with God by being good in and of yourself.

It makes sense to wonder how we can even try to reach righteousness (right relationship) if we can't even work toward it. It's possible if you believe in Jesus.

Paul goes on to say:
Romans 10:8–13 says, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." This means that the word of faith that we preach is close to you. You will be saved if you say that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Because when you believe in your heart, you are justified, and when you admit with your mouth, you are saved. "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame," says the Bible. There is no difference between a Jew and a Greek; the same Lord rules over everyone and gives his wealth to anyone who calls on him. Because "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
This verse tells us that it is possible to be right with God. Not because of what you do, but because of your faith in Jesus Christ. People who call on the Lord's name are saved. This faith is still going strong. Anyone who believes in and claims Jesus Christ can get it. Everyone can have faith! God wants to have a good relationship with us, not because we are good people. He is already working in us to make that happen. His word is close to us and inside us.

Pursuing justice through faith is the same thing as following Jesus Christ. The people who believe in him will not be shamed, that's what they say.
Faith isn't something that someone agrees with in their head once and is done with. Instead, faith is relying on the Lord Jesus Christ all the time.

How is faith different from works?
It means putting our trust in Jesus instead of ourselves. Faith is always focused on Christ. With Jesus, we know that we will always be right with the Father. We believe that Jesus can change us into his likeness.

In Deuteronomy 30, Moses wrote about this kind of hope. He did this with the help of the Holy Spirit. Paul thought about this text and used parts of it in Romans 10. We learn in Deuteronomy 30 that faith is not too hard or out of reach for us.
We have it in our mouths and hearts, so we can follow.
It's in front of us.
It is based on God (Christ). We should love God, follow his rules, and do what he says.
This is something we can give up if we stop depending on God or let ourselves be pulled away from him.
You can choose. We are told to choose life, because the LORD is our life.

Romans 10 and Deuteronomy 30 are interesting because they describe faith in a way that is very similar to the Arminian view of faith. Faith is not something that only a few people have and most people don't know about. Faith is possible for everyone, though, because God wants to be right with everything he made. Faith in Jesus is not out of reach for us because God has worked in us to make it possible. It really is open to everyone.
To be good by faith means to choose to trust Jesus Christ instead of ourselves. Not because of what we've done, but because of who we are. He'll never let us down.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ! Amen!

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read:https://wesleyanarminian./2009/08/18/pursuing-righteousness-by-faith/

Scripture Text: Isaiah 58: 5-14

The Bible talks about how God sees true fasting, which is different from the kind of fasting that most Christians do today. In His words, it is real fasting.

Our Scripture text today shows that even though many Christians fast a lot, they are not fasting the way God wants us to.


How should we really fast?

God Himself said what a true fast was in Isaiah 58. To really fast, we need to: -

1.Get rid of the chains of injustice by blaming others and talking badly about them;

2. Spend our time and money to help those who are hungry; - Meet the needs of those who are being mistreated.

3. We should not step on the Sabbath and should not do what we want on God's holy day. We should honor the Lord by not going our own ways.

4. Not do what we want or say meaningless things

5. We should feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and share our food with the poor who are moving around without a place to stay.

6. We shouldn't turn away from our own families.
God makes promises to people who fast in a real way.

God Has promised to do a lot of good things for Christians who fast in the right way.

- Our light will shine like the dawn;
- Our healing will come quickly;
- Our righteousness will go before us;
- The glory of God will protect us;
- We will call on Him, and He will answer;
- We will ask for help, and He will give it to us;
- Our light will rise in the darkness;
- Our night will become day;
- The Lord will always lead us;
- He will meet all our needs in a land that is scorched by the sun;
- We'll be known as "Repairer of Broken Walls" and "Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
- We'll be happy with the Lord. He will make us ride on the heights of the Lord.
- We'll eat the inheritance of our Lord Jesus Christ

"The mouth of the Lord Has spoken"

Brothers and sisters, have we been fasting against God's will? We need to think about who we are and ask God to show us how to please Him.

Also, now is the best time to accept Christ as your Lord and Saviour if you have not yet accepted Him into your life, because tomorrow might be too late.

Just say this short prayer: "Lord Jesus, I come to You now. Come into my life, rule it, and make it better." I'm leaving the devil behind. The Kingdom of Light is now open to me. Thank you, Lord. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen!"

Congratulations!!!

God bless you, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ!

Peace!

Scripture Text: 1 John 4:7

It'll interest you to know that the days we got born again was the same day we became like God, and not inferior to Him. At new birth, we're born of God's Word. Brother Peter knew this, so he equipped us with: "being born again, not of corruptible seeds, but of incorruptible, BY THE WORD OF GOD...(1 Pet. 1:23).

Besides Peter, Paul also caught the light of this revelation. In his words to Titus, he tells the later how he got born again, "NOT" by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved by washing, regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).

Qualities That Show You're Not Inferior To God

Ephesians 4:1-16; Philippians 1:27 & Colossians 1:10 are the Bible passages we must read to understand what the qualities we possess to show we're like God.

First, living a life in the manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ shows that we're like God. It's a life that brings steadfastness, standing firm, unity in one spirit, working or striving in partnership with Christ. Lazy Christians have to be one of the most disappointing things to God. Following Christ takes hard work.

Second is to live a life worthy of the Lord. To live this kind of life, we need to be born again and make Jesus Christ first in our lives. It's seen in our love for others, asking the Holy Spirit for the wisdom of God and spiritual understanding. We need to choose to live according to God's Word everyday, bearing fruit in every good work (Gal 5:22), growing in the knowledge of God and being strengthened for endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks are all ways to live a life worthy of the Lord.

Lastly is to live a life worthy of calling. This life of calling is a life that daily exhibits godly characters, has moral courage and personal integrity, behaves maturely, and expresses thankfulness and gratitude to God for all He Has done- Ephesians 4:1-16.

To bear fruit in every good work, we naturally open ourselves to increasing in the knowledge of God. It's an upward spiral: the more we truly serve God, the more we increase in His Knowledge, the more we increase in the Knowledge of God, the more we know Him, and the more we be like Him.

Brethren, it's necessary to reiterate that for you to be godlike, you need to give your life to Christ. This is the best hour to surrender to Jesus to show a life that emulates God and to be like Him.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus Christ for setting me free indeed from sin devil and hell, in Jesus' Mighty Name I pray, amen"
Thank You Jesus!

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.k Olukoya, Search The Scriptures Vol 2, 2024.

Scripture Text: Matthew 18:19

Today we'll look at how strong couples are when they agree (Ecclesiastes 4:9–12).

Marriage has been around for a very long time. God set it up. It is meant to be a happy, fruitful friendship that lasts a lifetime. But the devil is very angry at marriage and the people who are involved in it, just like he is against anything that brings glory to God. It is especially true for Christian couples getting married. The number of divorces around the world is shockingly high right now.

Christian marriages will help bring forth more and more Spirit-filled Christians who are vessels for God and teams for him. The truth is that Satan's kingdom loses people when there are more righteous people on earth. This is why Satan targets Christian homes and marriages. But we should remember that God, who Has known the end from the beginning, saw this coming and planned for it.

Satan and his followers can't hurt us because Jesus Has given us power and authority over them. We can defeat them whenever they try to cause trouble in our lives. So, if the enemy starts shooting darts at your marriage or home, all you have to do as a Christian is put on all of your armor and face him. When it comes to spiritual battle, the word of God is like a sword that cuts through everything. The Bible promises that the prayers of the righteous are powerful, intense, and miraculous.

Do not base your marriage on anything but God's word. Make Him the Lord of your home, family, and business. Also, make sure that you and your partner love each other and get along. Then, always engage in prayer of agreement together. The enemy can't get to you and your partner because of these kingdom principles. God will be a Wall of Fire around your marriage.

It's hard to imagine how powerful a couple who prays can be. The Bible says that two is better than one. Deuteronomy 32:20 also says that one will go after a thousand and two will go after ten thousand. Matthew 18:19 says that if two of you agree on earth about anything, my Father in heaven will do it. The Bible verses above are divine promises that praying with your partner will bring you and your marriage many blessings and testimonies.

Never forget how strong two people can be when they work together. Today, let Jesus Christ into your life, home, and family, and He will make things better for you.

God bless you in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

If you want to give your life to Christ, say this short prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now. Come into my life, take charge of it, and change it." I leave the devil behind and I enter The Kingdom of Light now opened to me. Thank you, Jesus Christ. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen."

Congratulations!!!
Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya: Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional, Vol 9, 2024.

Scripture Text: Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Which one is better? a living sacrifice to God or an offering of a dead body to satan?

Giving your body as a living sacrifice to God is better than giving it as a dead sacrifice to the devil.


To become a living sacrifice, you need to forsake your dead nature, the old man and sinful nature that is of the devil and the world, and then offer your life to God as a living sacrifice. This means that you make your body holy and pleasing to God so that He can use it for His glory. God only uses a living body which is holy, and not the spiritually dead.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (KJV)

God no longer lives in churches that were built by people. He promised that His Spirit would live inside us, His beloved children (2 Corinthians 6:16).
God made this same promise to the Israelites in the past (Ezekiel 37:27). His children, who are part of the new covenant through Christ, now make it true.

If you are a Christian, this means that your body is the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in it. Hence, the body must be kept holy, clean, and set apart for God in order for the Holy Spirit to live in it (Galatians 5).

It is also important that you hate sin and run from all evil appearances as stated in Galatians 5:19-21. According to 1 John 2:15–17, your life should not match the world and its empty things. You need to stay away from the pride of life, the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the skin.

A life completely given over to Christ, a life that has been crucified, is a daily and living sacrifice. These are God's real children who have been "born again" and no longer live their old lives. Someone who is brave enough to say, "I was crucified with Christ, but I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

The Fire Scripture for today tells us that if we want to be a living sacrifice, we need to change by renewing our minds. This is a spiritual work that starts inside and shows up outside. It will then be easy for us to see and follow the "good, acceptable, and perfect will of God." In order to do God's will, a Christian who feeds their mind with the truth of God's word every day and lets that Word guide their life is a living sacrifice. You can only learn and be led on the right road of life by reading God's word and giving your life to Christ and doing what is right. Without this, you are dead to God. I pray the Lord shows us His mercy in Jesus mighty name, amen.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I come to You now, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil and I enter into the Kingdom of Your Light. Thank You Jesus! In Jesus Mighty Name I pray, amen.

God bless you.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Also read: https://flatimes.com/mfm-devotional-29-january-2024-a-living-sacrifice/

Scripture Text: Psalm 137

There was a place and there's still a place called Babylon. Babylon is a place of captivity and rebellion.

There's a condition and operation called Babylon. It's a condition of rebellion. Though the physical Babylon doesn't exist now but there's a spiritual entity known as Babylon.

When you're in Babylon, you are in a strange land. You're labouring in cages, you're in a place of punishment, a place of reproach, you've lost the Fire of God like children of Israel, a place of crying and singing the Lord's song in a strange land.

In Babylon, we have people without vision; those who have no sense of direction; a person without conviction of the Holy Spirit; those who are helpless, powerless and oppressed by their enemies; those who are arrogant, foolish and have no respect for elders; those who don't like to take responsibilities for their wrong actions; the ones who have lost their glory; those in a state of sadness and melancholy; those are being mocked by their enemies; and whose lives are full of problems and rebellion.

The Babylonian churches and pastors have lost touch with God. They have lost their integrity. They scream at unbelievers but their messages is not effective enough to bring people to repentance to God. There's is no Power and unbelievers are not feeling the Power of God. The Babylonian pastors are those who have not received the Power and Baptism of the Holy Ghost; they are men of God who seeks worldly things before God and believe that they are not blessed by God by until they have their 12 or more cars or jeeps and private jets; their hearing from God and fire has died; God Doesn't trust them enough to commit Himself to them for they have rebelled again Him.

Babylon is a place where genuine love for God and His Power have gone down the drain; a place of spiritual dryness; where people are not filled with heavenly visions but dark visions; where people are not filled with Holy Spirit; where people have suspended God's programme to pursue their personal programme, an act of rebellion.

Babylon is a place of full of rebellions. God is no longer their Shepherd, rebellion is their shepherd. These people don't give the Message of Christ to unbelievers around their communities, churches, places of work, families, and environment. They are always afraid of how people will percieve them if they preach or pray in public.

Babylon produces witchcraft rebellion. A place of plenty efforts but with little results. A place of pronounced physical and spiritual famine. It's full of believers who have not turned the world upside down for Christ. People seek leadership role to control others but God Has not controlled them because they are rebels.

Symptoms of Babylon/Rebellion
1. Doing things God Has not ask you to do, even if it looks right (Proverbs 14:12-16).
2. Fear. Fear is rebellion to God. It simply telling God that you don't trust Him and He's not capable enough to save you ( Revelations 21:. When you care about what people will say more than God's will and purpose for your life, it's simply fear of man. You fear and live your life according to the prescription of people rather than the Fear of God (Proverbs 29:25). The 12 spies saw themselves as grasshoppers before their enemies and they missed entering the Promised Land because of fear (Numbers 13). Fear has hindered many from sharing their testimonies, evangelism, praying in public, speaking the truth and so on. If you don't trust God enough then you have no fear of God but man.
3. Independent Spirit. These are rebels who love to do things only in their own way. They have no regards for church principles and the work of God. They are not team players and believe no one can question them the way they want to live their lives. In marriages, they are too independent to obey or submit to their spouse and feel they don't have to depend on anyone. Jesus Christ chose His discipline to work with Him so He wouldn't have to work alone. If Jesus was not a lone ranger, then who are you?
4. Sick Tongue. Having a sick tongue is a symptom of Babylon. Sick tongues are rebellious, full of lies, gossiping, talkativeness, and gambling tongue.
5. Disobedience to God is also a symptom of Babylon

What is the Solution?
The Bible solution is to get out of your Babylon and return to your first love... Obedience and submission to God are the fundamental requirements to get you out of the rebellious and arrogant Babylon.
Here are the things to do:
1. Search your heart and examine if God is in the centre of your heart. Are you fearful and disobedient? Are you doing what God did not ask you to do? Are you too independent for God? Thes are the questions you must answer.
2. Confess the truth about your rebellion to God by being specific about the area you have taken control of your own life rather than in God.
3. Make a clear choice and submit totally to God (James 4:7).
4. Decide to walk in obedience with God so as to avoid the situation where God will cut you off like He did to King Saul (1 Samuel 15: 22-31).

God bless you in the Mighty Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You now. Come into my life. Take control of my life and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil. I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus Christ. In Jesus Mighty Name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya sermon.