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Religion / Sow In Tears; Reap In Joy! by topshore(f): 6:11pm On Nov 22, 2022
Scripture Text: Psalm 126

"Lo, children are the heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is a reward from Him"- Psalm 127:6.

Parenting is all about sowing with tears and reaping with joy. Every parent look forward to see and enjoy the dividends of their labour and investments in the lives of their children. Parents are sowers!

Like a tree, the life of a child is a seed planted, nurtured to grow to become a young plant, and later to a full grown and strongly established tree that grows branches and bring forth fruits. The stages you went through nurturing your child from the womb, to labour and travails, the sweat, sacrifices (both physical and spiritual) are the tears you're sowing. If such child's destiny is not derailed, diverted, manipulated or fragmented, you'll surely reap and enjoy according to God's divine purpose.

However, how do you nurture your children?
It's a very terrible thing to labour in vain. I pray that we shall not labour in vain in Jesus mighty name (amen). So, to avoid wasted labour, it's very important to bring our children up in the way of the Lord so that they don't depart from it when they grow up.

The four daughters of Philip (the great evangelist and Christ's disciple) are good pointers and worthy to mention. Philip's daughters were undefiled and prophetess of God. They were God's mouthpieces (Acts 21:8-9). Can you say these about your children?

As godly parents, we need to honestly answer these questions:
- Do you concentrate on yourself and leave your children to themselves without teaching them the way of life as a child of God and how to relate well with others?
- Are you busy with your career and personal achievements at the detriment of your children?
- Do you leave your children care totally with helps, carers, nannies, neighbours and son without you paying attention or having time to check on their physical, emotional and spiritual welfare?
If you are guilty of these, you need to stop!
If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do? These loopholes are the likely sources of evil seeds into the lives of children uncared for by their parents. When these evil seed grows, parents shall also reap the repercussions of the carelessness and inability to watch over God's own heritage entrusted to them. Have you ever thought about why God didn't give your nanny that very child He entrusted to you? So, why entrust the child to the nanny? Are you telling God you can't run His divine errand? God cannot be mocked. What you sow, you'll surely reap. Please, repent!

Our children are our future glory, it's advisable that we build them up having divine purpose in mind. Not only our children but our children's children. Lois and Eunice, the grandmother and mother of Timothy, respectively sowed good seed seeds into his life, such that he became a committed disciples of Paul and reputable man of God.
Don't bring your children up like Eli's who reaped premature death and lost his priesthood.

The divine mandate God Has given to us parents is to: "Be fruitful, and multiply, subdue and replenish the world"(Gen 1:28). Let's nuture our children to prosper in the things of the Kingdom of God. Even after we've all gone back to be with the Lord in future, our generations shall continue to prosper in the Lord. God Himself testified to Abraham's godly parenting, what can He say about you?

God bless you.

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!

Culled from Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Vol 7, 2022.


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Religion / Benefits Of The Blood Of Jesus by topshore(f): 7:57pm On Nov 15, 2022
Texts: Revelations 12:7-11; John 6:53-58

"And they overcame by the Blood of Lamb, and by the word of our testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

In the world today, where many live in bondage, defeat, sickness, failure and despondency, one of the powerful weapons of God to save His own is the Blood of Jesus.

The benefits of the blood that Jesus shed for us on the Calvary are inestimable and far-reaching. The benefits are:

- The Blood of Jesus earned us forgiveness from sin and its consequences, ransomed and saved us as well as justified us (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:28).
- The Blood of Jesus heals us (1 Peter 2:24).
- The Blood of Jesus makes us overcome the devil. The blood of the Lamb was the instrument by which the army of heaven led by archangel Michael defeated satan and his rebellious angels. They could not prevail against the blood of Jesus and the word of testimony; they were cast of heaven in defeat and shame! As believers, the blood of Jesus Christ is available for us to use against the onslaughts of the enemy. We are more than conquerors!
- The Blood of Jesus redeems us from the curse of sickness, poverty, and untimely death (the curse of law) Galatians 3:13. When Adam and Eve sinned, curses were inherited through them. However, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die and she'd His Blood for our redemption from the curse of the law and its various manifestation or consequences. So, when we give our lives to Christ, we are washed by His Blood and we are no longer manifesting under the curse of law.
- The Blood of Jesus buys us back from the devil. We had been sold to the devil through Adam and Eve's sins but the Blood of Jesus Christ atoned for us and bought us back from the devil. To get us back from the devil, Jesus Christ paid with His Life and Blood, once and for all!
- By the virtue of the Blood of Jesus Christ, we have been declared righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- This same Blood of Jesus has moved us from the enemy's kingdom (darkness) into the Kingdom of God(Light), and we have gained unmerited favour of God (Colossians 1:12-13).

However, you must, please, give your life to Christ to enjoy the maximum blessings attached to the Blood of Jesus Christ!

God bless you.

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 and take control of my life. 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!


Ref: MFM Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Vol 7

1 Like

Religion / These Walked In Spirit... by topshore(f): 12:49am On Nov 09, 2022
Joshua 24; Genesis 12:1-15; 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Joshua, Abraham and Apostle Paul amongst others were Biblical examples who walked in the Spirit.

Joshua

He was a fighter. He built his faith and courage on the book of law as the Lord instructed him. Israelites were too tough to be led and that was why Joshua was afraid to continue from where Moses stopped. But God told him to be courageous (Joshua 1: 6-cool.

Joshua walked in the Spirit because:
- He served his master humbly and faithfully.
- He believed God's instruction and obeyed them.
- He was a prayer warrior.
- He led God's people according to the laws of God.
- He loved the presence of God.
- He was a mighty man of valour.
- He stood firm on the side of the Lord.

Abraham
He was the father of faith. He walked upright with God and the Holy Spirit. Even God testified to it by Himself that Abraham was His friend and faithful. Think about it! Abraham waited for years before he received his promised child from God. After Isaac was born, that same that gave Abraham a promised child instructed him to give him up for sacrifice. What would you have done if you were in Abraham's shoes? You must have cussed, murmured, complained, backslide and say all manner of unclean things to God. But you know what? Abraham did no such thing! He didn't even question God why He would do that to him. He simply obeyed. Abraham's lifestyle caught God's attention and proved God to bless him. Abraham tapped into the supernatural at different levels. He walked in the Spirit because:
- He was a man of peace
- He obeyed God.
- He believed God.
- He was a great intercessor.
- He paid his tithe and offering
- He had the habit of building altars to God everywhere He went.
- He abandoned the idols of his father's house to follow God.
- He honoured and feared God.
- He was a friend of God.

Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul is a must study for every believer. He was one of the best who walked with the Holy Spirit
- He didn't look at the persecution he faced, nor the sufferings he went through. His gaze was on the Cross (Jesus Christ), the Author and Finisher of our faith (1 Corinthians 9:26)
- He did a lot of exploits for Christ.
- Despite his weakness he didn't settle for sin. He relentlessly fought against sin and the flesh (Gal 2:20). He counted all his previous achievements as dung that he may win Christ.
- He released captives and pulled down strongholds because God helped him and showed him mercy. That was why the kingdom of darkness recognised him but couldn't stop him.

Brethren, like Apostle Paul, do you fight the good fight of faith and keep your faith? If no, the right tine is now!

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 changed 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!

God bless you.

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya, Mountain Top Life Daily Devotion, Vol 7, 2022.
Religion / Are You Alright? by topshore(f): 11:06am On Oct 25, 2022
Yes, I'm talking to you! Are you alright?

Don't take offense, please. I'm only checking on you if you're alright with God. Is your heart right with God?

Being alright with God have benefits you cannot measure. Let's look at Biblical examples who were alright with God and how they benefited from it.

Moses
- He was faithful to God
- He forsook the riches of Egypt to follow God
- He lived a life of fasting and prayers
- He kept on desiring God's presence
- He prayed for his followers and always stood in gap for them
- He taught God's people the laws of God
Moses was alright with God, he saw the glory of God and was greatly used for miracles, signs and wonders and for the deliverance of the children of Israel from captivity in Egypt.

Enoch
The Bible doesn't say much about Enoch but he pleased God (Gen 5:24)
How can we please God?
- Fear God (Psalm 33:18)
- Preach the Gospel (Mathew 28:19)
- Humility (1 Pet 5:5)
- Give sacrificially and cheerfully (1 Kings 8:63)
- Intercede for others (1 Tim 2:1-3)
- Obey His Commands (Ex 19:5)
- Broken and contrite spirit (Ps 34:18)
- Show love and mercy to others (Micah 6:cool
- Have clean hands and pure heart (Psalm 24:4-5)

To be continued...

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this after me:

"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!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Culled from Mountain Top Life Daily Devotion Vol 7
Religion / How To Become God's Oracle by topshore(f): 5:05pm On Oct 18, 2022
Scripture Text: 1 Peter 4:10-11

Who is an oracle of God?

An oracle of God is a believer whose word matter in heaven. Only Kingdom-minded and heaven-focused Christian can be God's oracle, not just anyone.

If you are not serious with your spiritual life and try to be an oracle of God demons will mess you up just like the evil spirit that attacked sons of Sceva by asking you: "Jesus I know, Paul I know, who are you?

If you're an oracle of God;
1. Your word will matter in heaven and in hell.
2. You'll become the mouthpiece of God or God's Spokesperson like prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Isaiah.
3. God's word will be very powerful in your mouth as it is in the mouth of God Himself. You'll speak as God's prophet and issue divine utterances.

4. You'll become a voice for heaven like John the Baptist was.

How Do You Become God's Oracle?
- Repent Repent!! Repent!!! From all known sins, repent!
- Be holy within and without
- Be an addict of God's Word an prayers.
- Make your heart right with God, always.
- Don't use your mouth for vanities.
- Don't entangle or conform yourself with worldly affairs.
- You must set yourself free from all demonic influences.

There's a huge reward attached to being God's oracle, and that is everlasting grace of God to do ALL things.

God bless you!

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this: "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."

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Culled from Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Vol 7, 2022.
Religion / The Fruit Of Meekness by topshore(f): 3:33pm On Oct 11, 2022
Scripture Text: Mathew 5 :5

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

It is noteworthy to say that christianity is a call to transform character, attitude, dispositions and habits. One of the characters necessary for anyone who claims to follow Christ is to possess the spirit of meekness. What then is meekness?

Meekness is simply the act of controlled power. Meekness can be likened to the ancient Greek tradition where the power of a ferracious male horse is applied by bits and bridle. Brother! Sister! We know you have connection, power, authority, wealth, position but the ability to bring these under control means meekness. Meekness is related to humility, gentleness, mildness, restraint, simplicity and so on. When you have power to do something according to the dictate of human nature, meekness will make you submit to the leading of the voice of the Holy Spirit within you and distinguishes you as a believer rather than a tyrant.

You may be thinking or saying that people with step on you, take you for granted or see you as weakling if you are meek. No! Meekness is not weakness. It is not timidity. It is not passivity. It is not naivety. It is a strength! A rare one at that! Meekness is a positive vibe and life-flow in you from the Holy Spirit. When you have the spirit of meekness, you will never seek revenge over anyone who has truly offended you neither will you allow yourself to be bitter or bear grudges against your offenders.

Submission to authority and people whom the Lord Jesus Christ have placed over you in every sphere of life is meekness. However, many believers of today are unruly, disrespectful, judgemental, and unteachable. Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour is a great example of meekness. He exemplified the life of meekness. He was abused, despised, molested, beaten, battered, mocked and betrayed yet He never complained or reacted negatively against anyone. He was never embittered towards anybody. Look at when His disciples told Him to call down fire like Elijah (Luke 9: 51-56) or was it when Peter tried resisting arrest of Jesus by using a physical weapon to cut off the ear of the opponent, all Jesus did was to reprove Him disciples for such actions. Jesus told them that He could as the Father to send Him more than twelve legions of angels but He denounced so that the Scripture could be fulfilled. What a humility! (Matthew 26:51-52).

Brethren, surrendering to the Will of God even if it's difficult is meekness. As a Christian you should count it as a great privilege that God remembers you among all the people He created to carry out a task for Him. Instead of you to accept the task with great joy and surrender to His will, all you is to murmur, grumble and whine. You'll be complaining of the temporary discomfort, whether minor or major and become rebellious to your Creator. This not so for the one who has the spirit of meekness. He rather submits and says, "yes Lord, send me!"

The passionate plea of the Lord Jesus Christ to all of His disciples (Matthew 11: 25-30) is to incorporate meekness as part of our inner beauty. Meekness adds the ornaments of peace and grace to the lives of believers.

Conspicuously, those who have no spirit of meekness will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:22-23). Beloved, without being genuinely born again, sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit, there's no way you can possess the spirit of meekness. And without meekness, you'll continue to misrepresent Christ, mislead souls and bring reproach to name of God. So, repent!

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 name I pray, amen!

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Culled from Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Volume 7
Religion / How To Receive God's Word Like Children by topshore(f): 12:39pm On Oct 04, 2022
Scripture Text: Luke 18:15-17

"People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them." — Mark 10:13-15 (NIV).

What exactly did Jesus have in mind when He said this? He was really specific with children in response to the disciples’ impudent behavior and the attitudes they displayed. They had been arguing about which of them “was the greatest” (9:34). Then they had exhibited a narrow, exclusionary spirit in complaining to Christ about the person driving out demons in Jesus’ name because he was not “one of us” (v. 38). They were also trying to prohibit the little children from coming to Jesus. Putting it all together, we can conclude that they were probably ignorant, calculating, controlling, self-centered, exclusive and prideful, or otherwise.

Let's examine some of the characteristics children possess that made Jesus Christ specific about them.

A child receives:

- Simply, not over-analyzing

- Open-mindedly, with no pretentiousness

- Trustly, with complete dependency.

- Joyfully, without thinking of the correct response

- Loudly, kids are not quiet and definitely not silent

- With fun and laughter, not dull or dour

- Humbly, asking for help and knowing they don’t have all the answers

- Once they receive, kids can’t help but talk about it to anyone who will listen.

Jesus presented a gentle openness to the children. He touched them with compassion and protected them from others. We are called to follow Jesus’ example. Children are not irrelevant, little beings to be discarded. They are to be valued, loved and shown compassion. In an act of kindness, Jesus laid His hands on the children and blessed them. Children are not irrelevant in His kingdom. They are valuable. Jesus is equally accessible to every individual, regardless of age, gender, nationality or social status. Eternal life is available to everyone.

Children, in their weakness and vulnerability, have much to teach us as adults. As we grow, the hardness of the world often makes our hearts callous. Children have a humble openness to the message of Jesus and the salvation He offers. We can learn from their vulnerability.

This leads us to the question: How well do we receive the kingdom of God, and how we share it with others?

God has promised us that we will inherit the kingdom. So the crux of the matter is to receive God’s grace and his promises for the kingdom to come like a child: humbly, simply, loudly, joyfully, and to share it with others.

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

"Lord Jesus, 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 name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: citeschurch.com; compassion.com; opelikaobserver.com
Religion / Cheap Grace! by topshore(f): 11:04am On Sep 27, 2022
Scripture Text: Galatians 1:8

8 "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!"- Gal 1:8 NIV

Preaching without any Gospel content is simply cheap grace.

These days, many preachers, pastors and evangelists have turned preaching to mere entertainment with the absence of Biblical content. Sometimes ago, there was a church who did a street dance evangelism. They dance! dance!! dance!!! and said to their audience "Jesus died for you- just pick up a booklet". What a cheap grace! This was saddening because there was no single content of the Gospel of Christ to their audience, it was pure entertainment.

There is now a compromise of the Gospel just to keep a crowd. Many churches and evangelists have resorted to false Gospel while the reality of the real Gospel is misrepresented. Preaching and one-to-one evangelism is weak and this is becoming more and more paramount.

The term "cheap grace" was coined by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship, published in 1937. In that book, Bonhoeffer defined "cheap grace" as "the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communication without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ. Grace being sold in the market like a cheap jacket".

We must keep our Gospel content tight, undiluted, endeavour to communicate with Biblical facts and not compromise the Truth for the sake of the audience.

How Do We Avoid Cheap Grace?

Cheap grace can also be called LCD (Lower Commonism Denomination) Gospel, easy believism and must be avoided.

1. We should based our preaching on the Truth. For instance, we can preach the Gospel by telling the audience Biblical story about the "Thief on the Cross". Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross depicts forgiveness of sin, death, resurrection and incarnation of the dead, as well as Paradise (Luke 23:43). Our preaching must be intellect bu has to leads people's heart to Jesus Christ.

2. We must reach the cause of the problem. The root and fruit of sin and how to avoid it (Gen 3).

3. All our preachings must lead to the Cross where Jesus died and resurrection in after-life by the Power of God. We must let them know that Heaven is real and Hell is real. Jesus was a dying man but also regarded as the "King" at the Cross- He is the King of kings.

4. The Gospel must not be preached only for discussions, considerations or deliberations, it must be for decisions. You must present the Message of Christ to people with the tone of urgency to the matter at hand, for tomorrow may be too late.

5. Let your Gospel reveal that the only way man can have access to God is through Jesus Christ alone- the Way, the Truth and the Life.

6. Preach "costly grace" rather than "cheap grace"! Let your audience know that it cost Jesus Christ His life to give us His grace. It was not a grace cheaply given, someone had to die and that was God's only Son! The grace came with a great price- shedding of the Blood of Jesus! Costly grace is all about being a disciple of Christ, leaving all to follow Him. There's always a sacrifice made in "costly grace".
As opposed costly grace, the danger of "cheap grace" is that it misleads people. People will think they are on the right path with God when they are actually treading the path of destruction and eternal damnation.

7. Preach to press Christ on people and make them decide on that spot. Rather cut off your right hand than letting a sinner escape repentance!

Conclusively, let's avoid cheap grace and embrace God's "Amazing Grace"- oh! How sweet the sound!

God bless you.

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, for in Jesus' name I pray, amen"!

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Ref: OACMinistriesUK
Religion / Woman, Learn From Deborah! by topshore(f): 1:18pm On Sep 20, 2022
Scripture Texts: Judges 4:4-7; Proverbs 31:10-31.

Today, we'll talk about a great woman in the Bilbe- Deborah and how women of this generation can learn from her.

Deborah was a mother in Israel and a deliverer. A wife, prophetess and judge whom God used to save the people of Israel at a challenging time. She was dauntless, determined, energetic, confident, intelligent, clear-sighted yet she was not power drunk. A woman of great character indeed!

Deborah was highly esteemed by her people because she respected everyone despite her high position and strength. This is evident when she shared her plans to overcome Jabin and Sisters to bring freedom and deliverance to her people. She did not take the actions all by herself because she had the power, she shared the vision with Barack, one of Israel's military leaders. Barack refused to engage in the campaign unless Deborah was ready to counsel and guide him and others
She gave the word of battle to commence and the Israelites, with God's help, overcame the great army of Sisera (Judges 4:14-16).


What Are the Lessons to Learn From Deborah?

All women in these generation can learn from Deborah with some of the attributes she possessed below.

1. Deborah had passion for freedom and deliverance for her people. In this generation, women should rise up in prayer and claim freedom for their generation, their nation, town and family.

2. Deborah never attributed praises meant for God for herself. She gave all due glory to God. In whatever we do, we should never accept the glory due to God for He only used us by giving us such opportunity to do it.

3. Deborah reflected the leadership attitude of a godly woman who fears the Lord in Proverbs 31:10-31. We should also emulate her in this aspect.

4. Deborah is among the outstanding women in history. Make yourself stand out by making yourself available in God's House. God can make you a vessel unto honour if you yield yourself completely to Him.

5. Deborah was a mediator, a counsellor and an adviser. She had the ability to plan, direct and delegate duties, just as she called Barak to share her vision with him. She encouraged Barak and acknowledged his role in leading the Israelites to victory. Let women in this generation acknowledge and give honour to whom it is due.

6. Deborah was trusted by her people. Because she was very confident, courageous yet motherly, her people trusted her. Do people around you trust you, woman!?

7. Deborah was a mother in Israel. She didn't question God. She simply had the faith to do what God told her. Whether the people followed her or not did not bother her. Her only concern was doing what the Lord called her to do without allowing anything to get in the way.

8. Deborah refused to allow her gender to hinder her from doing God's Work. Nothing and no one should hinder you from doing God's work as a woman.

9. Deborah maintained a healthy balance between marriage and ministry. She was a wife and prophetess (Judges 4:4). She fulfilled her ministry and family responsibilities without allowing one to hinder the other. Every minister, whether male or female should live a healthy balanced life. Let there be a healthy balance between your ministry and other departments of your life. Do not allow any conflict between the family and the ministry.

10. Conclusively beloved, let's be good examples, whether you are a man or woman, like Deborah and make yourself available for God's use.

However, you can't do this on your own. You need the help of the Holy Spirit. And for you to connect the Holy Spirit, you must have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and He must be alive in your heart.

If you are yet to give your life to Christ Jesus and you would like to, 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!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Message
Religion / How To Receive Power: 7 Biblical Sources by topshore(f): 10:58am On Sep 13, 2022
Scripture Text: Ecclesiastes 8:4

" Where the word of a king is, there is power, who may say unto him, what doest thou?"- Eccl. 8:4 KJV

There are many sources of power but the best source of power is from God.

There are seven(7) Bible references that give an expository on how we can source for and receive God's Power.

1. Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
- The more the Word of God we know, meditate, memorise and use or do, the more "Power" we receive from God.

2. Romans 1:6
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
- If we are not ashamed, and do spread the "Gospel of Christ", we will receive the Power of God. There's no salvation anywhere else but in Christ Jesus.

3. James 5:16-18
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."
- Another source of God's Power is through prayer. The more we pray, the more we discover. The more we discover, the more we recover. The more we recover, the more revelation. The more revelation, the more successful we become.

4. Revelations 12:11a
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony".
- We can get the Power of God through the Blood of Jesus to overcome satan and his agents.

5. Acts 1:8
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- The Holy Ghost is another source we can get God's Power. When we have received the Holy Spirit, He will fill us afresh and to the brim daily with God's life.

6. Philippians 3:10
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."
- The Resurrection Power of God is the sixth Power source from God to us. We should connect to it everyday.

7. Isaiah 57:15
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."
- Holiness and Brokeness give Power. The humble spirit and contrite heart attract and receive God's Power.

However, if you are not born again you cannot receive God's Power.

This is another opportunity for you to give your life to Christ, repent from your sins or re-dedicate your life to Christ so that you can connect to the sources of the Power of God.

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!!!

God bless you.

Peace.

Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya Message
Religion / Key To Access The Power Of God by topshore(f): 12:05pm On Sep 06, 2022
Scripture Text: Mark 9: 14-23

Embarrassed, frustrated, disappointed, disgraced and hopeless were Christ's disciples when they couldn't heal the sick boy with dumb spirit that his father brought to them for healing. The boy wasn't healed until Jesus Christ intervened.

It's not that Christ's disciples were fake but they were powerless at the time. That was why Jesus Christ told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they received the Power of God ( Luke 24:29). After the Holy Spirit came upon them, they received Power to witness Christ from Judea to Jerusalem and to the ends of the world. They healed the sick, cast out demons and performed many miracles for soul winning to Christ.

Where there's power, there's no struggle. Having power as Christians is our birthright. We need power to confront spiritual wickedness, sin, death and satan. Blame is a lame defense for powerlessness and powerlessness makes you a slave. What is that thing within, occupying space so that the power of God cannot come in? You see, anything in your life that heaven is against leads to powerless.

The questions is, how do I get God's power?

1. New Birth in Christ: You must be born again! 2 Corinthians 5:17

2. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and every other thing will be added to you ( Mathew 6:33). The mistake you're making is that you're seeking every other thing first before God and His Righteousness. Stop! Take the right turn now!

3. You must be a lamb of God. God's power and anointing only fall on His lambs, not goats who are stubborn and disobedient to Him.

4. Pray and ensure that your foundation is in Christ and purged with the Blood of Jesus. If the foundation is spoilt, what can the righteous do?

5. Pray and Fast: Jesus Christ told His disciples in our Scripture Text today that these go not except through fasting and prayer.

6. Become a friend of God.

7. Let the Word of God be your life line (Psalms 119:105, 18, 89)

8. Have violent faith in Christ (Mathew 11:23).

9. Love God and love your neighbor (John 14:24).

10. Pray for the Power of God to overshadow you.

God bless you.

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!

Culled from: Dr. D.K Olukoya message
Religion / Are You Prepared For Eternity? by topshore(f): 8:51am On Aug 30, 2022
Scripture Text: Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation"- 2 Corinthians 6:2

"Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4: 10-12

Calvary greeting to you Brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we all know, there's time for everything underneath the earth. The question to you this morning is: "Are you prepared for Eternity? This time of the world is for the preparation of where you will spend your afterlife and who you want to spend it with.

You must start preparing for eternity in time for there'll be no second chance to prepare once you have crossed the border out of this world we are. There's a specific day on the calendar (though you may not know) where all your preparation for eternity will be over. Whether you are prepared to experience unending joy with God or everlasting agony in fire of damnation with satan depends on what what happens during your lifetime. For a rudder (as small as it is) determines the direction of a great ocean liner, in the same vein, that which is done in time influence eternity.

How do You Prepare in Time?

1. The answer to this is: Don't wait! Receive Jesus today and tell others about Him. There is a deadline, but God gives direction through Jesus Christ. Tomorrow may be too late.

"Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” - James 4:13-15

2. If you have an uncertain or unsettled matter within you, with anyone, or with your Creator (God); now is the time to settle it. You have no guarantee of any more time to prepare for eternity neither can you put off responding to the One who made you and gave you time.

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."- Matthew 24:36-37.

3. Prepare for Eternity by coming in faith to the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ. Come to Him in time and He will save you and bring you to Himself in Eternity.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."- Matthew 11:28-29.

Time is short and scarce my brother, my sister. And the more scarce something is, the more valuable it is. Gold and diamond would be worthless if you pick them up like pebbles on the side of the road. Time would not be so precious if we would never die. But since you are never more than a breath away from eternity, the way you use your time has eternal significance. Prepare to meet your God!

God bless you as you do so, in the name of Jesus, 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. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Forgive me, Have mercy on me and Lead me to spend Eternal life with You, in Jesus name I pray, amen!

Congratulations!!!

Peace!

Culled from Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional Vol. 7 Jan-Dec 2022
Religion / Salvation Is A Must by topshore(f): 5:27pm On Aug 23, 2022
Scripture Text: Titus 2:11

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men".

The word "salvation" comes from "soretia" which means deliverance from sin and salvation from evil. It's the same as redemption. Man cannot save himself from sin or deliver himself from evil. Man needed God to rescue him from sin and evil. As a result, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save man from sin.

Salvation is the work of God that sets human beings in the right relationship with Him and with one another. What we are being saved from are broken relationships with God and with other people that unleash the evil forces of sin and death in the world. Salvation is the first of all the healing of broken relationships, beginning with healing that reconciles the Creator and the created, God and you. Your reconciliation with God leads to freedom from sin and newness of life that is not limited by death. The central moments are Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. You were reconciled to God through the death of His Son. Salvation is the best gift to a lost soul and until you are born again, you cannot have access to heaven and nothing can save a man outside of Christ. " Jesus is the source of Eternal Life" and until you accept Him, life will be full of crisis. You cannot understand God through human thinking, but through Jesus Christ.

Salvation is personal; you must repent and believe the good news. You must confess and repent of all the sins you have committed in the past. Beloved, there is no other name under the heaven by which you or any other mortal can be saved except the name of Jesus Christ. No man shall enter heaven except he is born again. Your status as a child of a great man or woman of God will not qualify you to make heaven. Your closeness to your pastor will not either. Genuine salvation entails saying farewell to satan, sin and the world and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. It is the key to living a victorious and fruitful life on earth and reigning with the Lord in heaven. It is the greatest miracle!

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!!!

God bless you!

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya- Mountain Top LifeDaily Devotional Vol 7, 2022
Religion / 7 Reasons You Are A Powerless Christian by topshore(f): 12:11pm On Aug 16, 2022
Scripture Texts: Mathew 10:1; Acts 1:8

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8

"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean. spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."- Mathew 10:1

Who is a Powerless Christian?

A Powerless Christian, as seen in our Scripture texts above, is someone who has no power of Christ in his or her life and has not received or experienced the Holy Ghost.

What Are the Things Responsible For Powerlessness?
The reasons are uncountable but we will consider seven (7) strong reasons:

[b]1. Sin: This is the major culprit. The more sinful your life is as a Christian, the more powerless you become (Galatians 5:19-21). Sin deanniots grace and reduces your spiritual strength (Romans 6:1,2).

2. Lukewarmness: If your heart is not on fire for God you are lukewarm (Revelations 3:16). The deep power of your devotion to God will strike more power to your manifestation. Getting far away from God is getting close to disaster. Closeness to God is closeness to power. If you on fire, you'll become too hot to handle. If you are cold, you can be easily identified and conquered. But if you sit on the fence (neither cold or hot), you will be spit out.

3. Ignorance: What you know determines how strong you are. If knowledge is power, then ignorance is powerlessness. The mysteries you know connects you to the raw Power of God and that power gives you absolute access to God at all times (Psalm 25:14; Deuteronomy 29:29).

4. Timidity: Lack of adequate spiritual aggression, zealousness for pursuit of God's power leads to powerlessness. David's audacity was what threw Goliath off balance. Goliath was used to soldiers running away from him but he was shocked, unprepared and confused when a boy ran towards him with stones and slings. The Power of God in David gave him the gut to carry out the offensive attach towards Goliath, and God the Almighty and His Hosts gave him victory.

5. Biblical Illiteracy: When you don't even study the Bible how can you connect with the Holy Ghost that can give you power? It is only when you read, meditate and understand the Scriptures that you can get power. After all, the Holy Spirit cannot remind you of what you don't know or have not seen or heard before (John 14:26). The principle is read, study, meditate, understand and be the doer of the Word of God. God inspires us with the Word and the Holy Spirit brings it to our remembrance to act according to God's will.

6. Conformity: When you are too engrossed with the things of this world, you will continue to become powerless as a Christian. Not conforming to this world means we are not to desire what God doesn't desire (John 4:4). As a Christian, you are to be easily identified, distinguished or stand out from among the worldly minded people as God commanded us in His Word (2 Corinthians 6:17).

7. Prayerlessness: Jesus Christ told His disciples who were sleeping while He was watching vigil at Gethsemane, and praying out His out to God to: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”- Matthew 26:41. When you cease to pray, you can easily fall into temptation. God's Power and His Spirit moves in prayer. It was at the Prayer Meeting of Jesus' disciples at the Upper Room that the Power of God fell upon them as fire and they received the Holy Spirit and Power as Jesus had promised them (Acts 2:1-12). So, when you pray, you'll receive God's Power and Holy Ghost.[/b]

Brethren, this is the time to give your all to God and receive His power. 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 worls. I say bye-bye to the devil, I enter into Your Light. Thank You Jesus, in Jesus name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya's Message.
Religion / Backslider: Please, Come Back To God! by topshore(f): 2:56pm On Aug 09, 2022
Scripture Texts: 1 Samuel 7:1-14; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".- Mathew 11:28

"Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separated, saith the Lord and touch not the unclean things and I will receive you".- 2 Corinthians 6: 17

Calvary greetings to your Brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you backslide from the way of the Lord? Come back to God!

A decision to come back to God will require a change in your heart- your thoughts, motives and desires. If you are not totally yielded to God, these three things- thoughts, motives and desires can turn you away from God. If you are already in this situation, coming back to God will start with being honest all about what is going on in your head and heart.

Our Scripture Texts today make us understand that God wants the totality of our lives. He doesn't want to share us with anyone or any idol.

In 1 Samuel 7:1-14, we read about the Israelites turning away from God Almighty and getting involved in idol worship. As a result, God forsook them. Samuel rose to action by saying that if they were truly sorry, they should do something about it. Many times, we complain about our problems to God but we refuse to change and do what God requires from us. Samuel told the people that they should return to the Lord and serve Him only. They were to get rid of foreign gods.

In the same vein, the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:17:
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separated , saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." This means that we must totally separate ourselves from the sinful nature of the world. This is the only way God can accept us as His son or daughter.

Apostle Paul urges believers not to have any relationship with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Any relationship that can weaken our Christian commitment, integrity, and standard with God should be avoided as this may also lead to backsliding. We are to avoid relationships that can force us to compromise our faith in God.

Beloved, idolatry of today is beyond serving the gods of woods and stones. Whatever holds the first place in our lives becomes our god. It can be money, position, success, material goods, husband, wife, children, career, business, phones and other gadgets, movies, etc. Anything that the place of God in your heart is an idol. There's really no difference between your commitment to these material things or human beings and your commitment to idols of woods and stone. That's why God said we should come out of the world and be separated unto Him so that He can accept and bless us as His own.

What Are the Benefits To Enjoy When You Come Back To God?

There are lots of benefits you enjoy when you come out from among the world and come to God.

1. You'll be accepted into the family of God. Remember the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:22; John 1:12).
2. God will give you assurance of eternal life with Christ. Life with Christ is a new life that begins on earth and continues forever with God (Romans 6:23).
3. God will give you rest from all struggles, labour and sufferings (Mathew 11:28).

The question now is : How is your relationship with God? Have you gone away from Him? Is your heart right with God?.

God created us to have fellowship with Him but if you have walked away from Him, you are missing out on the main reason you were created. Now is the time to come back! Please come back to God, now!

What Do You Need to Do to Come Back?

1. Repent from your sins.
2. Have godly sorrow for your sins.
3. Put away everything that takes place of God in your life.
4. Always remember that whatsoever you place first above God is an idol.
5. Commit yourself to sering the true and only God Almighty.

God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ.

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

Congratulations!!!

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold! All things have become new- 2 Corinthians 5: 17

Peace!!!

Ref: Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional: Vol. 7, 2022.
Religion / The Aaronic Blessing: Components, Meaning And Guidelines by topshore(f): 3:52pm On Aug 02, 2022
Scripture Texts: Numbers 6:23-26; Deuteronomy 28:1-4

Calvary greetings to you Brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today's Scriptures confirm that it is the will of God to bless His people. These ancient prayers of blessing help us understand what blessing are supposed to do in our lives.

“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’'

Meaning of Aaronic Blessing

Aaronic Blessing reveals the kind of God we have and serve, and what He wants for His children. Aaronic blessing is also in triplicate which signifies the Trinity in action: 1. God the Father bless you and keep you. 2. God the Son makes His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. 3. God the Holy Spirit lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Aaronic blessing is a blessing with authority because it is from our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a blessing according to His divine will for our needs.
1. God will favour and protect you.
2. God will be pleased with you.
3. God will be gracious unto you, that is, He will show you mercy and compassion.
4. God will give you His approval.
5. God will give you peace.

What are the Components of Aaronic Blessing?
1. The Lord bless you" is the first promise for you in the Aaronic Blessing. This implies life, prosperity and good health. The Bible talks about spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). What this means is that all the good things that God gives His children such as salvation, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, power to do God's will, the hope of eternal life with Christ, and so on.
1. The Lord keep you." The word "keep" means protection. This means that the Lord is our Shepherd who keeps watch over His own.
2. The Lord makes His face shine upon you". This is the light of God upon you that will give you joy, light, and radiance that will make you stand out and to glow in darkness.
3. "The Lord be gracious unto you." This signifies kindness and help from God. God was gracious unto you when He forgave your sins and saved through His Son Jesus Christ ( Ephesians 2:8-9) - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast".
4. "The Lord lift up His countenance upon you". This involves God taking you into Hi Presence to see His face. This is a picture of a father smiling and taking pleasure in His child, which you are.
5. Lastly, "The Lord gives you peace": Jesus said in John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." this is the work of the Holy Spirit in your life- to give everlasting peace. This is not like the peace which the world offers, but the peace of God which comes with the absence if conflict. God's peace is confidence assurance in any circumstance or situation. the peace of God in you will take away fear, doubt, uncertainty and numerous forces that are at war within you. Beloved, Jesus Christ is ready to give you that blessing of peace only if you are willing and ready to accept it from Him.

Guidelines to Receiving Aaronic Blessing
All these blessings are for you to enjoy if you a true child of God. That is, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. If not, beloved, do it now so that you can enjoy the full blessings that God has for you.

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' name I pray, amen!

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: "Mountain Top Daily Devotional" Vol7, 2022.
Religion / A-Z Of Spiritual Deliverance by topshore(f): 12:34pm On Jul 26, 2022
Scripture Text: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Obadiah 1:17

You may wonder why you have not experience a true or complete deliverance despite series of fasting and praying. The answer is not far away. Spiritual Deliverance is setting our body, soul and spirit man free from the possession, dominion and oppression of satan and his demons. It is a state where the life a Christian is completely taken over by the Spirit and Power of God.

Spiritual Deliverance done without holiness and the backing of the Holy Spirit are just mere waste of time (Mathew 12:44-45). This means that it is the backing of the Holy Spirit that will set you free completely.

Let's look at the A-Z of Spiritual Deliverance as a guide for those who are willing to be completely delivered by the Holy Ghost.

A- Accepting the Lord as your Lord and Saviour.
B- Breaking from ungodly people and association.
C- Cast out demonic spirit and cleanse your house and possessions by the Blood of Jesus and in the name of Jesus.
D- Dedicate your life Christ
E- Educate your spirit man with the Word of God always.
F- Follow peace with all men./b]
[b]G- Guard and put on your spiritual armour (God's whole armour) day and night.

H- Have perfect hatred for bondage
I- Invite the Fire of God into your life.
J- join a local church that believes in spiritual warfare.
K- Keep your mind with diligence.
L- Locate the unprotected of your Goliath and hit him with the stones of fire.
M- Make positive confession at all time.
N- Never underestimate the enemy.
O- Overcome the strongman assigned to any situation in your life.
P- Pull down every stronghold assigned you.
Q- Quench all the fiery darts of the enemy by taking up the shield of faith.
R- Read your Bible and pray every day.
S- Send curses back to the sender.
T- Take battle to the gate of the enemy (offensive attack).
U- Undo every burden and evil loads placed upon your life.
V- Violence is the only language the enemy understands and violence is the total requirement for victory (Mathew 11:12).
W- Warfare should be done daily.
X- X-ray and examine yourself daily, if you are still standing in the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:12).
Y- Yield your life completely to God.
Z- Zeal and aggression are needed for complete freedom.

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

God bless you.

Congratulations!!!


Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya Message "Sunday Eagle Hour, 24th July, 2022".
Religion / The Secret Of True Success by topshore(f): 3:19pm On Jul 19, 2022
Scripture Text: Mathew 6:33

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well"- Mathew 6:33

The Psalmist said in Psalm 37:25 : "Since I have been young and now I am old; yet I have never seen the righteous being forsaken nor his children begging bread"

God measures our success with the yardsticks of obedience, faithfulness, and righteousness. If we are faithfully doing the work of God, we are successful in His eyes. In God's eyes you are successful if you have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. You are truly successful if you love God with all your heart.

When God speaks of success in Scripture, He relates it to a focus on His Word and the inner activity of meditation. Meditating on Scripture involves bringing God’s Word into our hearts so that it gives direction for every area of our lives. By walking in obedience to God’s Word, we can fulfill God’s purposes for our lives and experience true fulfillment and success.

Two Major Biblical Examples of True Success
Joseph

Joseph was one great example of a true success. He was a man who was successful because he served the Lord wholeheartedly. Because his father Jacob had given birth to him in old age, the first to whom his favorite wife Rachel had given birth, Joseph was a favorite son. Joseph proved to be a trusting, faithful young man whom the Lord blessed, much to the dismay of his brothers. It would appear that Joseph had inherited some very basic, yet important, spiritual qualities from the great spiritual patriarchs before him: from Abraham, a commitment to God and a faithfulness that could stand the test of adversity; from Isaac, an underlying spiritual sensitivity that would make him subservient to the divine will even in the face of death. Joseph also gained from his father Jacob a steadfastness that would give him the capacity both for hard work and outright rejection from others. These were to prove to serve Joseph well. The LORD was with Joseph. He was successful and lived in the household of his Egyptian master. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned. (Gen. 39:2-4)7 Even when Joseph was wrongly accused of infidelity with his master's wife and was imprisoned, the Lord’s favor brought him success with the prison warden that all of the other prisoners were placed under Joseph’s administration (Gen. 39: 21-22). Indeed, “The warden did not concern himself with anything that was in Joseph’s care because the LORD was with him and whatever he was doing the LORD was making successful.” (v. 23)

Even greater success lay ahead for Joseph, for God had given to him the ability to interpret dreams (cf. Gen. 37:5-11). It is not surprising, then, that an occasion came for Joseph to interpret the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s officials who had fallen into disfavor with him. And Joseph’s interpretations came true (Gen. 40:5-23). One of the officials, the king’s cupbearer, was restored to Pharaoh’s service and so was available when Pharaoh had a pair of troubling dreams.8 Because none of the king’s diviners or wise men were able to interpret the dreams, the cupbearer recommended that Pharaoh summon Joseph. Because of his God-given ability to interpret dreams, Joseph successfully interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams (Gen. 41:14-36) and was promoted to be the second most powerful ruler in Egypt (Gen. 41:37-45).

Joseph truly had become “successful.” But it was not for Joseph alone that the Lord had given trustworthy Joseph such success. When the predicted seven years of famine, which Joseph had foreseen in Pharaoh’s dreams cf. Gen. 41:27) came to pass, Joseph’s elevation to power became the means for bringing his people to Egypt (Gen. 42-47). Through Joseph’s success, a whole nation and his entire family was delivered from the great famine in Egypt.

Daniel

The second person who was truly successful was is the prophet Daniel. Daniel (together with three friends) was taken captive in the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 605 B.C. Daniel’s spiritual and moral integrity and trustworthiness soon became evident to his captors. Moreover, the Lord had given Daniel the ability to interpret dreams, which enabled him to achieve great success in the court of King Nebuchadnezzar (e.g., Dan. 2,4), including the king’s recognition and praise of “The King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just” (Dan. 4:37; cf. 2:47).

When Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, Daniel was able to interpret, giving all reverence to God. Also, he was given a spirit of excellence and wisdom to not only read God's writing on the wall to King Nebuchadnezzar but interpreted in terms of the internationally known Aramaic: “Numbered, weighed, and divided” (vv. 26-28). Accordingly, Daniel once again achieved great success, being proclaimed: “Third ruler in the kingdom” (v. 29). True to his interpretation, Babylon fell to the invading Persians under King Cyrus that very night (vv. 30-31) and King Belshazzar was killed. 9 Daniel’s success was to continue even into the era of Persian dominance.

Like Joseph, Daniel was faithful and whole-heartedly committed to the Lord. Both were indeed men of spiritual and moral integrity as God’s chosen servants. In what follows, we shall explore several keys to godly success as indicated in the Scriptures.

Other successful Biblical examples were Moses, Joshua (Joshua 1:cool, David, Solomon (Prov. 3:5-6), Nehemiah, Job and our Lord Jesus Christ.



Promises of God for you when you seek True Success


You will have good success.
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:cool.

Whatever you do will prosper.
“His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:2–3).

You will excel in wisdom and understanding.
“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. . . . I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation” (Psalm 119:97, 99).

You will have power over sin.
“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. . . . Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:9, 11).

You will discover how to live.
“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:4).

Your success will be obvious to all.
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all” (I Timothy 4:15).

You will make Heaven

John 1:12 says: “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name”. So, are you looking forward to eternal life in the kingdom of God, then accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, so that it shall be well with you now and forever.

Seek God's Kingdom; See True Success!

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

"Lord Jesus, I come to You today. 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 Jesus name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!
Religion / Holy Spirit, Our Senior Partner! by topshore(f): 9:17pm On Jul 11, 2022
Scripture Texts: John 14: 16-21; Acts 8: 26-39

The Holy Spirit is the Promise of the Father. He is God's divine Executive Agent in the world. The Lord called the Holy Spirit another Helper, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter.

The Holy Spirit is also our Senior Partner. In a partnership, the senior partner is at the top while the junior partner is below him and subservient to him. Though the senior partner leads and makes decisions, they both work towards achieving a success in their vision or project. The Holy Spirit is our Senior Partner when He is the Mentor and we are His mentees. He is the Master and we are His servants; He is our Teacher and we are His students; He is our Leader and we are His followers.

For the Holy Spirit to be our Senior Partner, there are things we need to do. We must depend absolutely on Him and live a holy life and please God in ALL our ways. We must establish consistent intimacy and fellowship with Him. We must also let Him direct our lives and get His leading or guidance on all matters before we make decisions or act. We must do the work of God in the power of the Holy Spirit rather than in the flesh. We must submit to His leadership, obey His guidance and instructions as well as follow His promptings at all times.

How To Make Holy Spirit Our Senior Partner?

- Being addicted to God's Word: We can only know the Will of God through His Word and the Holy Spirit is the One that can teach us and remind us all what Jesus taught us. By this, He will become our Senior Partner and give us the understanding grace to do the Lord's bidding and will.

- By living a consistent life of purity and obedience, we can make the Holy Spirit our Senior Partner. Making the Holy Spirit our guide, teacher and director shows our allegiance or submission to His leadership. He will then guide us in our business, career, marriage, ministry, finances and all spheres of life. Even as a preacher, He leads by inspiring our sermons for He knows those who will be in church and their needs.

- Building our day to day and moment to moment relationship with the Holy Spirit gives us access to being in partnership with Him. When we are consistent in our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will not only become our Senior Partner but He will also reveal deeply to us the Father, the Son and Himself . In the same vein, our level of infilling will increase from minimum to maximum and manifest greater dimension of anointing and miracles.

- The Holy Spirit can be our Senior Partner through evangelism. This can be called corporate partnership. In Acts 8: 26-39, the Ethiopian eunuch's conversion was accomplished by the collaborative effort and partnership between the Holy Spirit and Philip. It was the Holy Spirit who gave Philip the strategy for converting the Ethiopian eunuch. He guided Philip to preach Jesus to the man. The man declared " I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God". He was baptised and his soul was harvested for Christ through evangelism.

Benefits of Making The Holy Spirit Our Senior Partner

1. After experiencing His baptism, we can receive the help of the Holy Spirt for further infilling and His fire.
2. Making Him our indispensable ally and leader determines how much of His blessings we are able to receive.
3. He will move us from lowest to highest level of infilling. From ankle level, to knee level, to waist level and then to the overwhelming level as the Book of Ezekiel states the kind of different levels. This will make our effectiveness and results in life and ministry become exponential.
4. He will make His immeasurable power available to us to fulfil our purpose and scale hurdles in life and ministry.
5. We will be able to access His fruit and gifts, well equipped and excel in ministry.
6. We won't be able to lean on our own understanding anymore but will acknowledge the Holy Spirit in ALL our ways and He will direct our paths. He will be our best guide for correct direction to succeed in life and towards eternal life.
7. He will comfort and help us constantly by bearing our burdens and clearing our paths from destructions and evil judgements.
8. The Spirit of God is All-Knowing. He is our Teacher and Illuminator. When we make Him our Senior Partner, He will give us deep insight and understanding about the Scriptures and teach us all truth (John 14:26).
9. The Holy Spirit will also defend and protect us in our life matters. "When the enemy shall come like a flood, the Spirit of God will lift up a standard against Him" ( Isaiah 59: 19b).
10. He will convict us of our wrongs and teach us the path to righteousness or doing things right and the right time.

Brethren, we cannot survive this world without the help of the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we are nothing but with Him we are everything in Christ Jesus. Make Him your Senior Partner today and you're sure on the path of life.

God bless you!

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 devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus for saving me, for in Jesus mighty name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!


Ref: Mountain Top Daily Devotional Vol 7
Religion / Re: Love Is Patient! by topshore(f): 10:36am On Jul 09, 2022
Tennyjot:
I like your write up. Can i know you ?


All glory to God, thank you.
Sure you can know me. My name is Grace. What would you like to know about me, please?
Religion / Love Is Patient! by topshore(f): 1:35pm On Jul 06, 2022
Scripture Text: Galatians 5: 22-23

Calvary greetings to you brethren. We bless God for the gift of life to us, and for the special gift of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who died to save us from sin and destruction. All glory be to God, amen.

Love and Patience are part of the fruit of the Spirit. They are intertwined and all must possess these fruit as a gate pass to the Kingdom of God.

The man who loves would patiently wait for the improvement in others. Love endures pain, sorrow and anger. Love would endure selfishness, critical spirit, and immature spirit from the other person. Love that is patient is not judgmental in rushing to criticize somebody based on assumption or expectations. Love that is patient does not harshly retaliate or promptly punish. It exhibits self-restraint in the face of serious provocation. Patience does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. So to be patient is to be long tempered not short tempered. Patience is putting up with others without fighting. You are not upset, angry or revengeful when you are inconvenienced or when they take advantage of you or when you are made to wait for someone who is moving at a slower pace. Patience will not strike after being insulted. Patience is to refuse to pay evil back for evil. Patience is to turn the right cheek when you are slapped on the left side. Patience is not to keep malice at all, let alone three weeks.

True love is patient; it waits without murmuring, it never gives up and it's willing to suffer. Being unfaithful in your marriage vow is not love. Love endures suffering and impatience against anyone is evident that there is no love. True love will wait patiently. Love that is able to turn to hatred overnight is not love, but true love would go through fire, sorrow, trouble to endure suffering. Impatience against anyone is evident that there is not true love. I want us to examine the quality of love in your heart. True love does not steal other people's money. It doesn't do strange things.

Conclusively, true love will wait patiently for the Second Coming of Christ and won't disregard the Word of God. If we claim we love God, we should love His Son, Jesus Christ. God first loved us by giving us His only Son to die for our sins that we might have eternal live. Not only must we love God but also we must love our neighbours as ourselves, as these are the two greatest Commandments of God to man. Without these, we can not inherit God's Kingdom. I pray that the Holy Sprit will teach us how to love 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, I enter into the Kingdom of Light, in Jesus name I pray, amen".

God bless you.

Congratulations!

Peace!

Ref: Sound The Battle Cry Vol.22 No 7&8 Part II
Religion / Love- The Gateway To Heaven! by topshore(f): 12:54pm On Jun 28, 2022
Scripture Text: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”- John 13:34-35

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."- 1 Corinthians 13:13.
No matter how hard you can pray or how good you can read and memorize the Bible or how angelic your voice may be when singing praises to God, if you have no love the chances of making Heaven is very slim, if not impossible.

"If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The Corinthians had a very wrong view of true Christianity, they thought that Christianity is a prophetic knowledge. They thought Christianity is the ability to speak in tongues, they thought that Christianity is just miraculous power. But they ignored the fact that being a true disciple of Christ is by possessing the fruit of love.

There are so many people who never enjoyed any good relationship with anybody, they have no friend. They completely lock themselves inside and box themselves in where no one can penetrate. When you tell them to change from this way of life they ignore you. God is love, his own love is unconditional, impartial, everlasting, infinite and perfect.

Love is never wasted. It may not get the reaction expected now, but it is never wasted. Love that expects positive reaction or result always is not true love but conditional. Love that expects something in return is not true love. The Lord wants us His disciples to have true love. Love never makes any demand. Love only gives, it does not stop giving because the other party does not appreciate. The true lover does require people to meet any condition. The perfect lover would devote himself or herself to others, as Jesus did.

Christ devoted Himself to us but what did He get from us? We crucified Him but did He complain? The most outstanding thing Christ did for us was to love the unlovable and all the world despite our sins. He did like a criminal because of us yet He had never committed any sin. That's what true and divine love is all about! But many of us are quick to write off anyone who offends us. Even if the person does not know what he or she is doing, we retaliate at the slightest offence.

Beloved, if you are going to fight, fight to improve that relationship as husband and wife not to destroy your home through divorce. Don't fight for separation, fight for reconciliation. Fight to preserve good relationship with your family, not destroy it. Fight to win your spouse over and not to lose him or her. Fight to save your marriage, don't fight to break it. Fight to solve the problem, don't fight to just salvage your self-pride. So, if you're going to fight, do it right to win, don't fight to lose.

A loving person will always strive to control all the unloving attitudes with his or her will power. In fact, you can be saved and inherit God's Kingdom without spiritual gifts. You can make heaven without receiving the word of knowledge and so on. But you cannot be saved or make heaven without LOVE. Love is the gateway to heaven! All the tools and talents are waste of time without love. Love sums up the whole Christianity and it is the distinguishing mark of a true Christian. Without love, spiritual gifts are useless.

The trouble we have in the hose of God now is that we have a lot of Christians who do not greet each other , who do not like each other, who keep malice, unforgiving spirit against each other. What the Bible is telling us is that those who have that kind of attitude are not disciples of Christ. They may be coming to church but they are not true disciples. So, examine yourself if there is anybody you don't greet? Is there anybody that you are not happy with anytime you hear his or her voice? If yes, then you need to repent because it is evident that you are not a true disciple of Christ and not ready for Christ's Second Coming for the saints. You need to sit down and re-adjust. When love is presented before you, you can choose what to do, you can decide to love yourself, which is selfishness. you can also decide to love your God as your neighbour, as Christ commanded- Mathew 22: 35-40.

The Bible says, whoever loves his brother is in the light whoever hates his brother is in darkness. When you concentrate all attention on yourself then you are a selfish person and you don't have the kind of thing would demote you from being a true disciple. Love for self is the love that drinks water and your neighbour is thirsty, but no water to drink. Love of self is the love that has two hundred skirts and two hundred blouses or shirts and trousers and somebody else is naked, but the person cannot say, take to cover your unclothedness. Love of self, is when there are things to be shared, the best part for himself or herself. Love of self would make a person to speak about self but deaf to other people's words or concerns. Love of self would make a choice and force that choice on somebody else. Love of self is self-pitying. Love of self advertises their own and despises those of others. Love of self would put on slippers and have extra behind while somebody else is walking about bare foot. The greatest of human suffering is caused by love of self. If we love God and love our neighbour as ourselves, then we fulfill the whole of God's Commandments. Then we will be recognised as true disciples of Christ. His love must be in our heart. That love in our heart would flow out according to Corinthians 13:1-3. Fulfilling God's Commandment is hence a sure path to inherit the His Kingdom and reign with Christ forever and in eternity.

Surrender your life to Christ today and make Him your Lord and Saviour.

If you would like to give your life to Jesus, 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 the Kingdom of Light, in Jesus name I pray, amen"

Congratulations!!! Welcome to the fold of Christ!

God bless you.

Peace!

Cull from Dr. D.K Olukoya's message
Religion / Letters To The 7 Churches: Cue, Promises And Warnings! by topshore(f): 11:02am On Jun 21, 2022
Scripture Texts: Revelations 2-3

Jesus’ letters to the seven churches recorded in the Book of Revelation considers how Christ’s message speaks to the church today. The apostle John, who wrote Revelation, was in exile on the prison island of Pátmos. While on the island, John was given an astonishing vision of God’s final victory over evil and sin. It all began with a majestic vision of Jesus in his glory, recorded in Revelation 1:9-20

Let's examine the Letters to the seven Churches

1. The Church of Ephesus- The Church that Has Abandoned Its Love for Christ and His Teachings (Revelation 2:1-7): In the church at Ephesus, Jesus finds a lot to praise, but his heart is broken by one glaring absence: love.

2. The Church of Smyrna- The Church that Remains Faithful Amidst Persecution (Revelation 2:8-11): The church at Smyrna was under persecution for their faith. As Jesus speaks to these men and women, he reminds them that he is greater than any suffering—greater even than death.

3. The Church of Pergamum- The Church that Compromises Its Beliefs (Revelation 2:12-17): Jesus calls the city of Pergamum the place “where Satan has his throne” (Revelation 2:13). You might think that such a church in such a place would be a persecuted church, but that was not the case. Satan’s tactic against the church was much more effective than persecution; he sought to corrupt the church from the inside.

4. The Church of Thyatira- The Church that Follows False Prophets (Revelation 2:18-29): Jesus expresses anger at the church at Thyatira, coming to them with a rod of judgment and a sword to cut them apart. He gives them time to repent, but if they refuse his grace, he says he will come in swift judgment.

5. The Church of Sardis- The Church that is Spiritually Dead (Revelation 3:1-6): The church at Sardis had the reputation of being alive—vibrant, Spirit-filled, open to God’s work, obedient to God’s Word. But as Jesus looked at this church, he saw a deeper reality. The church was not wicked or immoral, but dead, unresponsive to Christ.

6. The Church of Philadelphia-The Church that Patiently Endured Despite Weaknesses (Revelation 3:7-13): The city of Philadelphia (in Asia Minor) was a door for the Greek language and culture to spread into the surrounding region. In this letter, we see a new door of opportunity was wide open in Philadelphia for the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was open to a small band of seemingly weak and uninfluential Christians, a band of Christians very much like us.

7. The Church of Laodicea- The Church with a Lukewarm Faith (Revelation 3:14-22): This is the Church that makes Jesus sick. Jesus says that the church in Laodicea is lukewarm, neither cold nor hot and would spit them out of His mouth. In this letter, Jesus expresses his desire for this church to see the reality of their own condition and of the world around them.

Cue, Promises and Warnings!

With these thoughts in mind, we should read these letters with a pair of lenses, not one. The first lens should ask the question, “How can our church learn from the message Christ gave to each of these seven churches?” The second lens should ask, “How can I learn from the message Christ gave to each of these churches?” We cannot emphasize this second question strongly enough because though we can diagnose the spiritual condition of a congregation as a large, single group, we can only change as a group (whether for good or bad) one person at a time. It is useless to diagnose the spiritual weaknesses of your church, for instance, if you make no progress in overcoming your personal weaknesses as a member.

Overcomers are True Believers
The preferred identification for these overcomers mentioned at the end of end of these letters is those followers of Christ who persevere in their faith to the end of their lives. No matter how many trials they face, even if they face martyrdom, they do not recant. They do not just start out by claiming to have faith in Christ. They demonstrate the reality of their faith in Christ by finishing their lives, as well, as followers of him.

Near the end of Revelation, John writes, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son” (Rev 21:7). The context that precedes this statement indicates that John is referring to all believers, not just a small group of those who’ve experienced a special level of victory which others have not. In Rev 21:3, he says that God will dwell among his people. In Rev 21:4, he says that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. In Rev 21:5, he said that God will make everything new. As you can tell, these are the eternal blessings that God will give to every believer, not just some. To make this even more clear, the following verse contrasts this group of people with those who will be cast into the Lake of Fire, which are those who are outside the born-again family of God. There is no third group of people who are rescued from the Lake of Fire on one hand but denied the blessings of God’s eternal kingdom on the other. Either you’re an overcomer or you’re cast into the Lake of Fire. According to John, every believer is an overcomer.

Some of the rewards previewed in these letters clearly refer to rewards given to all believers, not just some.

Those who overcome, for instance, will not be “hurt by the second death,” which is a reference to the Lake of Fire (Rev. 2:11; cf. Rev 20:6, 14; 21:8.
They will also be allowed to “eat from the tree of life” (Rev 2:7; cf. Rev. 22:2, 14).
What’s more, they have assurance that Christ will not “blot out their names from the Book of Life” and Christ will “confess their name before the Father” (Rev 3:5; cf. Phil 4:3; Matt. 10:32; Luke 12: 8.

What Do You Need To Do To Be an Overcomer?

- Be born again
- Accept Christ into your heart and make Him Your Lord and Saviour.
- Ask God to forgive your sins to behold His Glory.
- Accept the peace of God in your hearts
- Stand for the gospel of Christ.
- Walk by faith not by sight.
- Acknowledge that you cannot do anything in your own strength expect through Christ's.
- In the face of opposition stands for Christ.
- Remains faithful no matter the cost- chose Christ over what the world offers.
- See spiritual victory as more important than physical prosperity.
-Know that a victorious and is one who may experience suffering and even physical death but will not experience separation from Christ.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, 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 Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!
Religion / The School Of Holy Insanity! by topshore(f): 10:56am On Jun 14, 2022
Scripture Text: Mathew 11:12

The Almighty is the president, vice chancellor and principal of the school of holy insanity. He was the One who made Isaac to be conceived when the mother was 90 years old and father 100 years old. It makes no sense. It is madness. It was Him who made the burning bush that was not consumed. It makes no sense. He divided the Red Sea and water was standing as walls and people were passing through it. He ran three million people through that. It makes no sense.

He was the One who kept Jonah in the belly of that fish for three days, and it vomited him back to the place where he should be and nothing happened to Jonah.

How can you explain somebody being thrown into a lions’ den and the lions did not touch him? And then when they threw other people in, the lions just ate them straight up? It makes no sense.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown into the fiery furnace and the men who threw them there burnt to death while these men were walking about in the fire? It makes no sense.

Baalam’s donkey started speaking; a donkey verbally rebuked Baalam for wrongfully beating him? It makes no sense.

The sun and moon stood still for Joshua to continue the battle.

Jesus healed the man by spitting in his eyes.

God picked men to fight in Gideon’s battle just by the way they lapped up water.

The wall of Jericho falling down by just blowing trumpets round the city seven times? Makes no sense. It is the kind of thing you will be told to do and will say “ah this makes no sense. It looks like madness”.

Jesus too exhibited symptoms of holy insanity. They called Jesus a mad man because He was not saying the things that are normal. The truth is that in the spirit realm, there is no normalcy. Things are not the way we see them here, in the spirit realm.

Do you desire to operate like Jesus did? Do you want to flow generally in the spirit of His power? Then, if you have not been called a fanatic, or an unreasonable person, it is unlikely that you are like Jesus. Paul was also addressed as a mad man.

Jesus was saying what was not normal. They said “do not do any work on the Sabbath day” but He was busy healing people on the sabbath. “Do not eat with sinners”, He was eating with sinners. Even the demons acknowledged Jesus. Although theologians rejected Him, the demons accepted that He was the Son of God. Jesus spoke to water, trees, demons, dead bodies, fever, sicknesses. A sign of holy madness. Jesus was the person who saw His family and said “they are not my family, my family is those who do the will of God”.

Jesus used saliva for healing. He walked across the Sea. Even His friends did not see Him as somebody who was normal. He was acknowledged by demons as well. He spoke to storms and was always doing things out of the ordinary. By the logic of men, the activities of the old prophets will not make sense to people. Elijah called down fire. He also called down water. This is strange. Very strange. But he was able to demonstrate the power of God in his own time.

What I am saying is this, your words should become the sword of fire so that when you start speaking them, demons will begin to flee. If you walk according to God’s plan, you will take steps that will make people think you are mad. That is why in the history of the world, many of the great men were misunderstood by their generations. All the men who made impact in scriptures were members of the school of holy insanity.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were mad men. They refused to bow to that image even at the point of brutal destruction. They said they preferred to burn than to bow. A little bit of holy insanity is needed to make any progress even in life. Whether it is a race, exam, competition, in this world we live in now, unless we are able to catch serious fire and show some holy insanity, it will be difficult to make headway with the bombardment of demons of this generation.

The kind of insanity that blind Bartimaeus exhibited, that Jesus looked him straight in the eye and said “thy faith has made thee whole”, that is: the temporary insanity you showed now, not caring those saying ‘shut up, you are disturbing us’, and when you saw that your garment was disturbing you, you threw it away, and you kept screaming until your screaming, and prayers you were praying were heard; is needed today.

Blind Bartimaeus was not saying his prayers, he was crying them. Sometimes a man gets to a stage where saying prayers is no longer relevant. It requires crying them. Anytime those prayers are cried, there is a regulation in heaven that God will never ignore a desperate cry from the heart.

But there is a school you have to enroll in. It is the school of holy insanity, the kind of school Bartimaeus enrolled in. The testimony of the apostles is that the apostles were described as men who turned their world upside down. That is, they were like mad people. To the people of the world, they looked crazy. That was their testimony, that wherever they entered, there was holy trouble. They were holy trouble makers harassing demons, tormenting long term problems, putting to shame stubborn pursuers, causing serious uproar.

“These men who have turned the world upside down”. That was the description of our forefathers. I am not too sure about whether we can be described as such because there are many of us who have not even turned themselves upside down, let alone turn others upside down. That is why you must enroll in that school. Was it only the apostles who were accused like this? No. They also said Jesus was possessed. So even the Lord Jesus Christ whom we serve was referred to as a mad man, because what He was saying did not sound normal.

Heaven has an expectation for everyone to live in its divine plan. When you live in that divine plan of heaven, definitely you will live outside the expectations of this world and the people of the world will find you strange and see you as a mad person. The record about the apostles was that they were men who had turned the world upside down for Christ. This should be the kind of accusation they should be accusing each of us, that as Christians we are turning the world upside down.

It is because many Christians are normal, that is why we are having the problems we are having now, both nationally and internationally. We are not supposed to be normal. They told Jesus “you are a mad man”.

Jesus Christ says He has given us the power. Why are we not using it? Unfortunately like I always say, there is no gentle way of addressing evil. Every method to arrest anything evil is violent. There is no gentle way to clean a septic tank.

Believers nowadays are so scared. They are afraid, some are hiding their Bibles, some enter a vehicle and are afraid to pray, they are asked to shut up and they shut up very quickly instead of praying. You need to join that band of holy insanity. So three things needed this morning:
1. Surrender your life to Jesus.
2. Repent of every known sin.
3. Join the company of holy mad people.

If you would like to surrender 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 the Kingdom of Light, in Your name I pray, amen."

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya Message (G.O MFM Worldwide)- February 5th, 2022.
Religion / Wastage By Carelessness! by topshore(f): 1:46pm On Jun 07, 2022
Scripture Texts: 2 Corinthians 2:11; 2 Timothy 2:26; Ephesians 6:11

Wastage is the action or process of losing or destroying something by using it carelessly or extravagantly. Carelessness negligence; or failure to give sufficient attention to avoiding harm or errors.

God created us all to be perfect and beautiful. God has equipped His children with everything they need to live victoriously in life, but many Christians have fallen out of Gods' original plan for them and have disconnected from His power, presence and perspective due to carelessness.

From our Scripture Texts today, we can see that satan is an adversary of God's children and act subtle to rob them of their God's given blessings. He goes about to ensure that waste their lives on earth. A wasted life is the one without purpose known on earth. The original purpose of God for creating us in this world is to give Him pleasure; and the greatest concern of heaven about us is to know "why are we living on earth". It's not surprising that many can not answer this simple question.

Things the enemy (satan) is interested in wasting in a man's life if he is careless include:
1. Life
2. Opportunities
3. Time
4. Money
5. Virtues
6. Blessing
7. Talent
8. Career
9. Calling
10. Marriage
11. Anointing
12. Virginity
13. Labour
14. Labour
15. Health
16. Knowledge
17. Children
18. Birthright
19. Resources
19. Parents
20.Friends
21. Destiny


However, of all the precious things God has given us, as mentioned above the most dangerous things to waste are: life, destiny, opportunity and time. Once you waste these it's finished and irredeemable.

So, for us to avoid any wastage, we must always be at alert. Watch and pray!

If you are not a born again, you are the first target and have been wasting your time since your birth. You need to connect to your Source (God) and recover the things you still can. If you claim to be a Christian but you are swimming and diving in sin, this means you have been long away careless with your life and you need to rededicate your life to Christ and disgrace all the acts of satan.

I[i]t is a fact that anyone who lives on earth, dies or raptured but doesn't inherit the Kingdom of God has lived a wasted life. [/i]

But there's solution and another opportunity you must not waste due to your carelessness. What is this solution?

1. Repent! Repent!! Repent!!!
2. You must be born again by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ and accepting Him as your Lord and saviour
3. Determine that wasters cannot have power over you.
4. Declare war from the Host of Heaven against wasters through fervent prayers.

If you would like to give your life to Christ, just say this:
"Lord Jesus, I come before You now. Come into my life. Take control of my life and change my world. Thank You Jesus, for in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Culled from Dr. D.K Olukoya message
Religion / The Sin Of Ingratitude by topshore(f): 1:54pm On May 31, 2022
Scripture Text: Luke 1:10-19

The sin of ingratitude one of the signs of the end time mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:1-15

The Bible tells us that in the last days there will be:
- Terrible/difficult times
-Lovers of self and money
- Boastful and proud
- Scoffing at God
- Disobedience to parents
- Abusive
- Ungrateful (Unthankful, Ingrate)
- Unholy/Unsacred
- Unloving
- Unforgiving
- Slanderous
- Lack of self-control
- Brutal/Cruel
- Hatred towards goodness
- Treacherous/Betrayals of friends
- Reckless/rash
- Conceited/Puffed-up
- Worldly pleasures
- Knowing but denying the Power of godliness...

However, we will be delving into the sin of ingratitude.

We can see the way God values our gratitude towards Him through the examples of the tem lepers in our Scripture Text today. The only leper that came back to thank Jesus Christ after he received healing was not even a Jew. He was a Samaritan. This shows that it is not only the Jews that could please the heart of God but also the Samaritans. Jesus' questions were: "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? (Luke 17:17). It was evident that Jesus was very displeased and disappointed at the ingratitude of the nine lepers that were healed by Him. The Lord notices and appreciates those who thank Him, regardless of their social ,political, spiritual, financial, race, ethnic, tribe status.

It is noteworthy that only the leper that came back to thank the Lord was made WHOLE. That is, he received his permanent healing. There is the possibility that the other nine lepers could become leprous again but this one grateful man was cleansed for a life time by Jesus Christ.

Those who appreciate do not suffer depreciation. Ingrates do not have glory. Most Christians today do not appreciate God's grace upon their lives. They have hardened their hearts to the point that they no longer see God as the source of their gifts. They have become a law unto themselves. The reason the Bible takes such a strong stance against un-thankfulness and ingratitude may be that God knows that the end result of such arrogance is a reprobate mind (Romans 1:24). When we remind ourselves often that all we are and all we have is a gift from God (James 1:17), we are guarding ourselves against idolatry and pride.

Types of Ingrates
1. Divine ingrates: These are Christians who are ungrateful to God and His grace and Power.
2. Parasites: They loach on people as if it's their right without an iota of appreciation towards the giver.
3. The Blank Ingrates: They don't remember anyone who has helped them.
4. Vampire ingrates: They bite the fingers that fed them.
5. Evil ingrates: They return evil with kindness.
6. Strategic forgetters: They deliberately forget the act of kindness towards them.
7. Sugar ingrates: They are friendly when they can get something from you but unfriendly when they can't get anything from you.
8. Envious ingrates: No matter the act of kindness you show towards them, they still envy you and may harm you.
9. Lavicious ingrates: They will help you lavish your wealth or become "Mario" or "Oliver Twist" on someone else's possessions at any slight opportunity given to them.
10. Complainants ingrates: No matter what you do to help them, they will always complain- like the Israelites in the wilderness.
11. Pride ingrates: They are the set of people who still "carry shoulder" or show arrogance towards their helpers.

Possible Effect of Ingratitude
- You shut off your destiny from those who can or will help you.
- You may shorten your progress in life
- You may attract divine curses
- You attract bad things or bad energy towards yourself
- You invite evil angels or demons into your life.
- You may shut down the door of your mercy
- You lose may things
- Your children may suffer from unhelp
- You will surely face the law of karma or face nemesis by being paid back in your own coin.
- It will weaken your spiritual life.
- It may affect your generation negatively.
- It may cut of your healing or making of whole.
- You may be assisting in handing over your glory to the enemy.
- You glory may be turn to shame.
- You may provoke God's anger and invite divine curses.

What Do You Need To Do?
1. Repent! Repent!! Repent!!!
2. Learn to praise and appreciate God in thanksgiving over everything (1 Thessalonian 5:18).
3. Appreciate everyone who assists you in one way or the other.
4. Honour those who appreciate you genuinely because they are very rare.
5. Count your blessings rather than what you don't have.

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

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

Congratulations!!!

God bless you!

Peace!
Religion / God's Greatest Concern! by topshore(f): 10:07am On May 24, 2022
Scripture Text: Mathew 10:34-39

Calvary greetings to you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a great privilege to be alive today and thank the Lord for the work of His grace in our lives.

Today, we will be looking at what God's greatest concern is. That is, what is the greatest thing that is in the heartbeat of God and is expected of us to do to please Him as His Children.

In our today's Scripture text, it is written: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me"- Mathew 10:37.

What Christ is trying to tell us here is that He is our Priority. God- the Father, Christ- the Son, and the Third God Head- Holy Spirit, all One God should be our top priority in life over any other person or thing we hold dear on in high esteem. Anything that takes over the first position of God in a man's life has become an idol and makes him unworthy before Christ Jesus. If you love your father or mother more than Christ, you are unworthy. If you love your son or daughter more than Christ, you are unworthy, if you love your husband or wife more than Christ, you are unworthy. If you love your life, money, business, job, successes, ambitions, dreams and et al more than Christ, you are unworthy.

However, the greatest concern of God is found in Mathew 9: 37-38.

"The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest"- Mathew 9:37-38 KJV.

From the above Scripture what does God expects of us or what is Christ telling us to do?

1. There is plenty of harvest but very few workers. Harvest here means lost souls that need to be won for Christ to expand the Kingdom of God. But there are no workers in God's vineyard to harvest these souls for Him. So, the greatest concern of God here is for you and I to make ourselves available in totality and make God's heartbeat our top priority by registering in His Vineyard to work for Him and harvest these lost souls. After all, we and all things were all created by God to give Him pleasure, why are we the unavailable for Him? What is the essence of our being on earth if God's concern is not our priority?

2. Another thing that is God's concern is for us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. We don't have to be seeking for money, fame, children, success, etc. first before God. What God needs us to put before us first are not all these worldly things- that would eventually be eaten by moth or destroyed by fire at the end- but He wants us to seek His "Righteousness" and "Kingdom- Heaven"- Mathew 6:33. Only when we seek first what is of God's great concern that He Himself will arise to supply us everything we need without us struggling or toiling hard day and night before getting it. He will supply our needs with supernatural ease and will bless us without any sorrow added.

3. Mission is another greatest concern of God. Going on mission for Christ is the heartbeat of God. Mathew 28:19-20 tells us about the Greatest Commission. " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen". -KJV
Someone has to go on this mission for Christ. Someone has to send them. If you can't go, you can send people to go. You can invest your money for the mission if you cannot invest your time. Your money go a long way to help those who want to invest their time for the mission of Christ. You can buy Bibles, Christian Books, contribute towards the establishment of a Church Branch where the children of God can fellowship, especially some remote areas that do not have any presence yet. There wouldn't have been any church in Africa after all, if there was no mission carried out by the earliest missionaries from the West. There are still some countries and areas that need Christ presence. They too must know Christ through us and enjoy the privileges of God.

4. Evangelism: This is one of God's greatest concern to show us as His true disciple. We should be fishers of men to God's Kingdom wherever we are and harvest souls for Christ. We must be Kingdom Seekers, Kingdom Builders, Ambassadors for Christ wherever we may be. We may not all go on a mission or be missionaries but we must all be evangelists of Christ through the different gifts of the Spirit God Has put in us. Above all, our lives, word, conduct, act, motive, action, character, appearance, emotion, relationship, affection, fellowship, home, family, church and society at large must be channels of evangelism and epistles of Christ to win lost souls to Christ.

Albeit, no one can satisfy God's greatest concern except by the help of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in a sinful heart. He only dwells in a heart where Christ resides. Our heart can only receive sanctification through the Blood of Jesus. To enjoy this cleansing, holiness, righteousness and the Spirit of God, we must be born again and accept Christ as our Lord and personal Saviour.

So, if you are reading this and your heart desires to please God and carry out His great concern but you need help to be free from sin. No worries! It's very simple. What you need you do is to only give your life to Christ by saying this short prayer:

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

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya Message- "The Greatest Heaven Lamentation"
Religion / Allegiance To The Holy Spirit by topshore(f): 9:38am On May 17, 2022
Scripture Text: John 4: 1-24; Galatians 5:16-18

Calvary greetings to you brethren in Christ. Today we'll be looking at the benefits of showing allegiance to the Holy Spirit.

As believers one of the Christ' qualities that should be evident in us is to show a strong allegiance to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the third God Head. He is a spiritual being who also have emotions like us. He's being sent to us by our Lord Jesus Christ as our companion, to walk with us in the way and will of the Father, to complete His works in us, and to save us from this wicked, sinful and dangerous world.

By allegiance we meant to say that our "loyalty" and "faithfulness" must be to the Holy Spirit alone and no other spirit. The Holy Spirit is always pleased when we obey and depend only on Him so much that He gives us strength and wisdom to live according to God's plan for our lives.

The Holy Spirit is our constant ever-present Helper. He reminds us of who we are in Christ. He convicts us of our sins so that we can confess and receive forgiveness from God.

Benefits of Showing Allegiance to the Holy Spirit

There are many advantages that accrue to believers who show strong allegiance to the Spirit of God. When we are fully devoted to Him we will enjoy the following blessings of God:
1. Comfort on all sides of our lives
2. Peace of God that surpasses all understanding
3. God's Love
4. Light of God and His Presence will always be with us and we shall not stumble in darkness.
5. Our souls shall be watered and refreshed continuously and we shall never experience any form of dryness in life.
6. Our prayers and altars of prayers will become strong and be a good savour to God.
7. We shall prevail with God and man (Gen 32:28)
8. We'll have a great, deep and divine understanding of the Scriptures and spiritual eyes to gain insight into the mysteries of the truth in God's Word (Psalms 119: 18).
9. Our strengths will be renewed when we wait upon the Lord. We shall walk and not be weary, walk and not faint and mount up with wings as eagle's (Isaiah 40:31)
10. The presence of God will never depart from us (Hebrews 13:5)
11. There will be blessed assurance for us
12. Our faith will move mountains
13. We'll receive constant and consistent answers to our prayers.
14. We'll have certainty and confidence in the Lord.
15. Our usefulness to God will increase.
16. We shall be fruitful in every area of our lives.
17. The power of darkness shall flee before us.
18. We shall rule in the midst of our enemies (Psalms 110:2).
19. We shall be friend of God.
20. Christ will dwell richly in us and we'll never make foolish mistakes or decisions.

However, walking contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit is walking against God and the consequences are grave.
We are not to grieve the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:31-32) whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption ( Ephesians 4:30). When we act against the Holy Spirit, our sins cannot be forgiven forever. Hence we must never allow ourselves or situations lead us to grieving Him. We should rather please Him and be devoted to Him.

You definitely cannot have access to the Holy Spirit if you don't have Christ in you. Hence if you would like to give your life to Christ just say this 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, in Your name Jesus Christ I pray amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you

Peace!

Message culled from Mountain Top Devotional.

1 Like

Religion / How To Provoke The Angel Of The Lord To Action by topshore(f): 2:54pm On May 10, 2022
Scripture Text: Hebrews 13:1-2

Angels started their activities far back from Eden (Gen 3:24). They are spirits of heaven who worship God and appear in different forms.

Though all the good angels are angels of God, or angels of the Lord, there is one special angel who is distinct and unique from all the other angels, he is called the "angel of the LORD."

Both Old and New Testaments of the Bible speak of this angel as the "angel of the LORD," the "angel of the Presence" or the "angel, or messenger, of the Covenant." He appears in many important contexts in Scripture. The manner in which he is described sets him apart from all the other angels. The angel of the Lord when swung into action brings God's presence, answers to prayers, supernatural provisions, divine healing, heavenly ministers, supernatural turnaround and shaping of history, judgement and also rewards.

The angel of the Lord could appear as:

- A mighty angel who acted as the special representative of the LORD.

- God the Father assuming a human body.

- God the Son, taking a body for a short period of time.

These three possible appearances are evident in Biblical examples who had the privilege to experience the angel of the Lord.

The angel of the Lord appeared to:
1. Hagar: The first recorded appearance of the angel of the LORD was to Hagar, Abraham's mistress, and the mother of his son Ishmael.
The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude" (Genesis 16:10).
This angel said He Himself would multiply the descendants of Hagar. After the appearance of the angel of the LORD Hagar said. She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me" (Genesis 16:13).
She believed that she had spoken directly to God.

2. Abraham And Sarah At Mamre: Three men appeared to Abraham and his wife Sarah at the plains of Mamre. They had come to inform Abraham and Sarah concerning two matters. The son that God had promised them would be born to Abraham and Sarah the next year, and the evil cities of Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed. One of the three visitors who gave them this information is specifically called the LORD. The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day (Genesis 18:1).
-To Abraham On Mount Moriah
God told Abraham to bring his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. Abraham obeyed and was about to take Isaac's life when God intervened. The angel of the LORD stopped Abraham saying: "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (Genesis 22:12). He called a second time to Abraham: The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven (Genesis 22:15). In this instance the angel of the LORD, who called out to Abraham, seems to be the LORD Himself.

3. Jacob: This angel appeared a number of times to Jacob. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am' (Genesis 31:11). Jacob wrestled all night with a man who finally disabled him. The next morning Jacob understood that it was God Himself whom he had wrestled: "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved " (Genesis 32:30). At the end of his life, Jacob spoke of God, and the angel of the LORD, as identical: "The Angel who has delivered me from all harm - may He bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth" (Genesis 48:16).

4. Moses And The Burning Bush: The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up (Exodus 3: 2). The angel explained who He was. He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:6).

5. The martyr Stephen emphasized this special event: And after forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush (Acts 7:30).

6. Children of Israel: God promised to send His angel ahead of the children of Israel. "I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Be attentive to him and listen to his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him. But if you listen attentively to his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes. When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out" (Exodus 23:20-23). The Israelites were told that they must obey this angel because the name of the LORD was in him. Since God would never share His name with any created being, this angel must be God Himself.

7. Isaiah the prophet: He wrote: "I am the LORD, that is My name; My glory I give to no other, nor My praise to idols" (Isaiah 42:cool. Since God will not share His name or glory with anyone else, this angel must be God.

8. Joshua: An imposing personage appeared to Joshua. "When Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" And he said, "No, rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant?" And the captain of the LORD's host said to Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so" (Joshua 5:13-15). Having Joshua immediately remove his sandals reminds one of the LORD telling Moses to remove his sandals in God's presence at the burning bush.

9. Gideon: Gideon was a man who was called by God to raise an army to defeat the innumerable Midianites. Because Gideon was a timid person, God paid him a visit to assure him that all would go well. After the encounter Gideon exclaimed! "Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die" (Judges 6:22). If it was only an angel, and not God, that Gideon saw, then why was he afraid for his life?

10. Samson's Parents: The angel of the LORD appeared to a Hebrew woman to announce the birth of a son, Samson. He was to deliver the people of Israel from their enemies. The angel of the LORD did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, for we have seen God" (Judges 13:21,22). They identified the angel of the LORD with God Himself.

11. Lot: He recognised two angels and gave them hospitality in his house hence Lot and his household members were saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire (Genesis 19: 1-21)

Some Reasons the angel of the Lord is the appearance of God Himself


1. He is identified With God: In some contexts, the angel of the LORD is identified with God.

2. Power To Give Life: The angel of the LORD is said to have power to give life (Genesis 16:10). Only God has this power.

3. All-Knowing: The quality of omniscience, or knowing everything, is attributed to the angel of the LORD (Genesis 16:13; Exodus 3:7).

4. Judge The Earth: The angel of the LORD is called the "Judge of all the earth" (Genesis 18:25). This is a title that belongs to God alone.

5. Forgive Sin: The Bible says that only God can forgive sin. "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). Yet the angel of the LORD had authority to forgive sins (Exodus 23:21).

6. Receive Worship: Worship belongs to God and Him alone. Yet the angel of the LORD was worshipped by Moses and Joshua.

God In Human Flesh

The evidence from these appearances seems clear. At certain times in the past God took upon Himself a human form to appear to people as the angel of the LORD. Though we do not know exactly which member of the Trinity is in view, the most likely candidate would be God the Son.

However, though the angel of the LORD is sometimes identified with the LORD Himself, there are other times when they are distinguished. Therefore we can conclude that on some occasions the angel of the LORD was God Himself, while at other times he was merely a messenger sent from the LORD.

The angel of the Lord strictly follows the instructions and commandments of the Living God. Most time, it is the appearance of God Himself in a human body, Who shows no mercy to the enemies and great mercy to His children. "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).

How Can We Provoke The Angel of the Lord to Action?

1. By having a strong faith in God
2. By the Word of God (Psalm 103:20): The angel of the Lord responds to the Word of God as it reminds God of His Word and provoke Him to action.
3. Using or saying the right word: Sometimes, what we say at a particular time comes to pass, which is as a result of the angel of the Lord representing the presence of God at that time. So, we should always choose our words carefully and declare positive things.
4. Fasting and Prayer in holiness: This can also provoke the angel of the Lord as seen in the case of Daniel (Daniel 10:10-21).
5. Believing in the Supernatural: That you can see what others cannot see
6. By True Worship of The Lord: Praise and worship of the Living God bring down the presence of God provoke the angel of the Lord to action.
7. Prayer: Binding the demons and loosing the angels of the Lord in a place.
8. Fear of the Lord: The angel of the Lord encompass to who fear Him.
9. Trust in God provokes His angel to action.
10. Generosity: Those who are hospitable will pure and holy mind tend to attract a certain level of mercy from God that ordinarily we may not get from Him. We should always go out of our ways to help people for we know not who might be the angel of the Lord (Mathew 8: 8-10)

Having said all these things, it is important to NOTE that only those who believe and do the Will of the Father can know or have access to His presence. For you to enjoy the supernatural presence of God there is need to get close to Him. You can only get to Him when you are born again and have totally surrendered your life to Christ as your Lord and saviour. Also, God dwells in a holy place. Only those will clean hands and pure heart can ascend unto the hills of the Lord. In essence, of you want to provoke the angel of the Lord to action, you must be righteous and holy and make Jesus Christ your friend.

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, 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 for in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!

God bless you.

Peace!

Ref: Dr. D.K Olukoya message
blueletterbible.org
Religion / Christians: Flee From All Appearances Of Evil! by topshore(f): 1:41pm On May 03, 2022
Scripture Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:22

Calvary greetings to you brethren in Christ. We thank God for His saving grace upon us and the precious gift of life Christ to us all.

Without much ado, let's all consider things that appear like evil and a must for us to abstain from if we consider ourselves as true children of God, saved by Christ.

1. Following friends who follow night life-style
2. Telling lies- you tell people exactly opposite what a situation is for whatever reason.
3. Sitting and chatting away your precious time with smokers and drunks at the bar or ungodly places.
4. Gossiping or paying attention to gossips.
5. Caught in a compromising situation of any kind that doesn't give glory to God.
6. Watching porns.
7. Exposure of your body-God's Temple to the public or any form of indecent dressing.
8. Permitting the opposite sex to touch sensitive parts of your body, especially someone who is not your spouse.
9. Exposing your private parts to opposite sex while sitting.
10. Going or traveling around to conferences with opposite sex to be with them with an ulterior motive.
11. Lack of Scripture indepth and knowledge.
12. Weak prayer altars.
13. Poor reading culture- especially Christian literatures and books that can boost your spiritual life.
14. Lack of quiet time with God.
15. Inordinate love for positions.
16. Unholy attention to money or too much love of money.
17. Entertainment lovers- bringing comedians to the altar of God in the Chirch. The Church is a sacred place of prayer and worship not an entertainment centre.
18. Sermon proof Christians- the Word of God doesn't penetrate into their lives. They always have a second opinion to every word that comes out of a preacher and turn the Bible upside down. They only select and hold on to the sermon that is convenient for them and discard the one that brush their egos. They love to go and stay long in the church but don't have a change of heart towards God.
19. Hypocrites who preach Christ to others but do exactly opposite what Christ expects from a true child of God.
20. They lack faith and only believe what they see.

If you are guilty of one, some or all of the aforementioned, you need to repent and turn to God before it is too late. There's room at the Cross and the grace of God is not a passport to sin but to avoid sin. God is merciful and always forgives.

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

"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, come into my life, take control of my life, and change my world, in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

Peace!
Religion / Emotional Affairs! by topshore(f): 11:57am On Apr 26, 2022
Scripture Text: Philippians 4:8

Abstain from all appearance of evil! Once it's looking like evil or sin, flee!- 1 Thessalonians 5:22

What is Emotional Affair?

The term emotional affair describes a type of relationship between people. The term often describes a bond between two people that mimics or matches the closeness and emotional intimacy of a romantic relationship while not being physically consummated- Wikipedia

Emotional affair can also be called emotional infidelity. Emotional infidelity involves a partner engaging in any activity with another person, whether real or imaginary, which has a negative impact on the established relationship. The person becomes emotionally unavailable, and this impacts the physical and emotional energy they can extend to their partner.

Emotional affairs often start out as a harmless, platonic friendship, but can develop into infidelity when someone becomes too invested in and too reliant on someone that is not their partner. It's important to distinguish here between close, healthy friendships and emotional affairs.

Married partners must value their relationship the way the Lord does and work on ways to strengthen it and build closeness. The Lord also forbids adultery or lusting for a person outside of marriage (Proverbs 6:25; Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:28).

Causes of Emotional Affair?

Emotional affairs are often a result of feeling neglected, misunderstood or overlooked in a relationship. If a person believes that their partner does not value them, or does not have time for them, then they might strike up a friendship with a new person who offers more emotional investment and support.

Some Signs of Emotional Affair

Today, many people are innocently having emotional affairs, which may be injurious to relationship with their spouse and with God. Some signs you must not overlook are:

1. When you intimately think about someone or opposite sex more than your spouse to the extent that you are having sex with the person in the dream. You prefer to discuss or confined with them rather than your spouse .
2. When you see someone and you are sexually aroused and the person is not your spouse, especially when such feeling doesn't bother you or immediately leads you to ask for God's forgiveness and total repentance.
3. Speaking with the opposite sex for hours while you don't talk long with your spouse, especially on sensitive issues that may be emotional.
4. Pointing out your lips or carrying your body in front of opposite sex seductively.
5. Hugging an opposite sex who is not your spouse in a compromising way.
6. Frequent contact with someone you may be attracted to and who is not your spouse.
7. Sharing secrets with someone who is not your spouse.
8. When you have a physical chemistry around someone who is not your spouse and you are not doing anything to stop that feeling.
9. You share things with the other person that you haven't shared with your spouse.
10. You think about this other person as the source of your strength whenever you are facing any challenge but never think of your spouse in such manner.

However, if emotional affair is not well handled, the possibility of it turning into physical intimacy is very high.

How To Overcome Emotional Intimacy

- Be an immigration officer to the door of your heart. Guard your heart and know the thoughts that come into it.
- Don't be too friendly with an opposite sex who is not your spouse.
- Avoid sharing your problems with someone who is not your spouse, especially with an opposite sex who is having similar issues or problems.
- Be godly, holy, self-disciplined, and guard your mouth.
- Do not spend more time with another person than you do with your spouse.
- Avoid secret conversation with an opposite sex who is not your spouse.
- Do not share intimate details of your life with anyone before sharing it with your spouse.
- Live transparently. Do everything as if your spouse were present
- Devote personal time to prayer and Bible study. Ask God to put a hedge around your marriage (Job 1:10).
- Avoid emotional and sexual affection that can destroy your marriage or home.
- Ask God for the manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in you, especially self-control.
-Plan time with your spouse on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis and use those times to build emotional closeness.
-Maintain a pure thought life. Do not entertain fantasies about other people.
- As shown in today's Scripture: Philippians 4:8 "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are:
True
Honest
Just
Pure
Lovely
Of good report
Virtue
Praise
Think of these things.


God bless you, 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, in Your name I pray, amen"

Congratulations!!!

Peace!
Religion / The Essence Of Christ's Death For Us by topshore(f): 2:07pm On Apr 19, 2022
Scripture Texts: Romans 5:6-10; Hebrews 10:1-23; Ephesians 2:1-21

Happy Easter! Jesus is the reason for the season.

Christ did not die for us in vain! There are reasons he died for you and I and shown in today's Scripture texts. That's why we need to appreciate God and not take Christ's death for granted.


1. It's the demonstration of God's love for us

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us"- Romans 5: 6-8

2. Christ's death reconciled us with God


"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!"- Romans 5:9-10

3. Christ’s Sacrificed Himself for us once for All

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins- Hebrews 10:1-3
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”[a]
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”[c]
And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary- Hebrews 10:1-3

[b]4. We have been called to Persevere in Faith

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:4

5. We have been Made Alive in Christ

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Hebrews 10:5-10

6. Christ Has joined us to Him in One Body

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. Hebrews 10:11-23


7. To Prepare Us For His Second Coming and Judgement Day

The second coming is when Jesus returns to judge all mankind – the living and the dead. The living includes all who will be alive when he returns. The dead includes everyone else, all who have lived and died physically. Jesus said that everyone who has died will be raised from the dead and be judged (John 5:26-29).

8. To Have Eternal Life
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

We need to appreciate God's love for us by taking deep reflection over what Christ's death bestowed on us. Also, we need to totally commit ourselves to Christ our Lord and Saviour. That's the only way we can appreciate Him even though we can do nothing to compensate His great offering of Himself.

If you would like to give your life to Christ just say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to You today, come into my life, take control of my life and change my world. Thank You Jesus, in Your name I pray, amen.

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!

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