The Original Plan of God.

 In the beginning there was the Word, the Word was with God and was truly God. God is self existent. He was, is and is to come. He was in the past, is in the present, and is in the future. God existed before creation. He is the creator of heaven, earth and everything in the two dimensions.

God created the heavenly realm. Among the heavenly created was satan. Satan was referred to as Lucifer. He was put in charge of priesthood in heaven and governance on earth, long before man was created. He led worship in heaven, and governed earth. It is his priesthood that enabled him to bring influence on earth and everyone obeyed him. The grace that he carried made everything work in his favour, and everything was in order. He held the two roles until iniquity was found in him. He rebelled against God, and was thus relieved of his duties and cast out. His rebellion was in the sense that he wanted to be like God and share in His glory. God will never share His glory with anyone in whichever realm. It is His and His alone.

When Lucifer was cast out of heaven, he came to earth without the grace he had as a result of priesthood. He brought disorder on earth, and with the angels he was cast out with, they started working against the kingdom of God. God reconsidered His plan for the earth and set out to restore earth to its glory. He therefore downloaded Eden Garden from the heavenly system and created Adam, a man of His likenness and image to cultivate the land and have dominion over the earth, restoring its to the original glory of God. Eden had everything man needed. So man was put in place of Lucifer to do what Lucifer could not do as a result of iniquities.

Lucifer devised a plan to cause man to rebel against God. Satan visited man in form of snake and convinced Adam, the first creation, to rebel against God. When Adam ate the fruit that God had warned him not to eat, God mourned about Adam falling from His grace. He cast out Adam from the garden of Eden, and caused enemity between the children of man and of the snake. He cursed the soil that man would have to sweat to eat from it.

Satan and his angels continued their works against the kingdom of God. For the love that God had for His creation on earth, He sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to redeem humanity from sin and death that was brought about by the iniquity of rebellion. It is through the pain and the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross that those who believe in Him shall live eternally with Him. 

Holy Spirit is our Strength.

We are living in the days that JESUS talked about in JOHN 14 & 16. The Holy Spirit has already been given to us as our helper. Halleluyah! We are no longer helpless. We need not fear or be dismayed. No situation is too difficult for our God. We receive The Helper in JESUS Name!

John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask The Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." 25 "All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 16:7. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, The Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that He will receive what He will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you."

It is our obligation to obey the Commandments.

Jesus said something very simple yet very challenging in John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments" Our love for God should always be accompanied by appropriate actions. Even in our daily living, we cannot claim to love our fellow human beings without accompanying it with appropriate actions. How much more our love for God? King David was a perfect example in the bible of a God lover. He is described as a man after God's own heart. A man who sought after HIM passionately. A man who despite his failures tried his best to do God's will. A man who had a passion for spiritual things.

The fact that many Psalms were written by David is one of the evidences that he loved God and had a passion to do HIS will. The difference between David and King Saul his predecessor is that Saul was self-willed but David always desired to do God's will. When Israel went into war with the Philistines, Samuel the prophet was supposed to come and offer a sacrifice to God but He delayed for 7 days. Saul decided to do it himself yet he knew that only priests were allowed to offer sacrifices to God. By so doing he violated God's commandment & for that reason God rejected him and chose David, a last born son in Jesse's household, a shepherd boy who seemed inexperienced. God did not look at his outward appearance but at his heart.

Friends, when God looks at our hearts what does HE see? Does HE see a man/woman after HIS heart or a self-willed person who only seeks after his own desires? Can we wait for God to come & bless us in HIS own time especially when HE seems to delay? Can we go before God and just worship HIM without reminding HIM that we are jobless or in dire need of a physical blessing? Can we make a complete thanksgiving prayer without asking God to bless us with something?

I pray for us today in JESUS' Name that God fills our hearts with the spirit of love for HIM-a passionate undefiled love that is always accompanied by appropriate actions as a demonstration that we are the people after God's own heart. Regardless of our circumstances & physical appearances, I declare that our hearts will be for God, full of the desire to do HIS will. So shall it be in JESUS Name.

Our Relationship with God.

Our scripture today is all about seeking God. It is drawn from the Songs of Solomon-a very misinterpreted bible book which doesn't talk about a physical relationship between a man & a woman. It is written to symbolically describe an intimate relationship between us & God. The bible also describes the church as a bride being prepared for the glorious return of the Bridegroom Who is Jesus Christ. Our today's scripture is therefore not talking about a human being looking for his or her human lover. It is talking about us seeking God until we find HIM. In this world we can spend our days, months & years chasing after many material things, but the most fulfilling thing to chase & to find is God.

Song of Solomon 3:1 All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. 2 I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. 3 The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. "Have you seen the one my heart loves?" 4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me.

The writer of this book sought after God who he called "the one i love" on his bed in prayer, then in the city through the streets & squares where he found the watchmen (intercessors). He prayed with them/ asked them whether they had seen the one he loved but they had not. But as soon as he passed them, (praying & believing more for himself), he found the One he loved. This month as we pray beyond intercessors even with fasting, we shall find God- The One our hearts love.

Friends, this season, let us go deeper in personal prayer like David whose heart thirsted for God alone in Psalm 42. Let us pray beyond the spiritual watchmen. Let's not just send prayer requests & wait for people to intercede for us. We thank God for the great intercessory role they play but let’s go beyond them & seek God for ourselves like Hannah who prayed until God removed her barrenness & gave her Samuel. As soon as we pass the spiritual watchmen & go beyond them in faith & prayer, we shall find JESUS, the one we love. Let us hold HIM & not let HIM go.

A man Ought to Pray.

Abba Father in JESUS Name, we come boldly into your very presence through the blood of Jesus Christ, to call on Your Holy & Mighty Name. We seek you this morning according to Your Word. Thank You that you have continued to speak to us in Your Word, causing light to shine in our hearts & our paths. Thank You for causing our souls to prosper and our bodies to be in good health because of Your Word in III JOHN 2. Meet every need & every heart desire according to Your Will. Keep the hope of your people alive. Renew our strength oh' LORD & let your banner of victory over this pandemic remain over us, for you have already conquered it.

Thank You for so many blessings bestowed on us. If there be any among us who has not seen these blessings, open their eyes to see them. Cause them to know that you never lie because you are God from beginning to the end. Command this new day & new week for us oh' God according to JOB 38:12-13. Cause this new dawn to know its place for our sake. Take hold of the ends of our nation & the earth for us oh' LORD & shake the wicked out of the affairs of our lives so that we may enjoy every blessing that you have for us.

We exalt You oh' LORD in your rightful position in our lives, families & nation this festive season as we command the heads of the ancient gates and doors of our new day, week & season to be lifted up so that the King of glory, Jesus Christ may come in & take HIS place in our lives-PSALM 24:9 We acknowledge Your sovereignty oh' LORD over our lives.

Take your place of authority over our nation LORD & manifest your great power over every position that the enemy of our land seems to have taken. Take the reign of our nation LORD & do not allow the scepter of the wicked to remain over our land which you have allotted to the righteous. Deliver us from the manipulations & lies designed to conform our nation to the worldly standards set by the wicked. We uproot everything that you never planted in our nation oh' LORD in JESUS Name.

Stand in the Gap.

God is always looking for someone to stand in the gap for others. It is a great gift for one to give themselves to be pleading with God on behalf of others. Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. It is not easy to intercede for people and to plead with God to show them mercy because many times they may not even deserve that mercy. It may be that they even sinned & rejected God but God who is rich in mercy can still come through for them when we cry to HIM for help on their behalf.  Though the Canaanite woman was not an Israelite, JESUS delivered her daughter because she persistently pleaded with HIM for mercy. Nothing is too hard for our God. Let's give ourselves to stand in the gap for others, even those who seemingly don't deserve mercy from our God.

Matthew 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly." 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us." 24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." 25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said. 26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." 27 "Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." 28 Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Halleluyah.

Stand in the gap. Someone will be delivered.

God has delivered us from adversity.

 Hanna's main adversary was barrenness which gave rise to shame/reproach, mockery, bitterness, anger & lack of joy/heaviness. When God turned back her captivity and gave her a Samuel, she sang a song of thanksgiving to The LORD her deliverer. It's time for us to sing our song of thanksgiving as we remember how God delivered us this year from that barrenness, shame, reproach, mockery, lack, scarcity, destruction, sickness, depression, bondage etc.

1 Samuel 2:1 Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. 2 "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 3 "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. 4 "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. 5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. 6 "The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. 7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; on them he has set the world. 9 He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails; 10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed."

God is always Faithful.

The sun was very hot in the wilderness by day & the Ultra-violet radiation could have seriously harmed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness. Probably most of them would have died of cancers as a result but God protected them with a pillar of cloud that never left them a single day. No wonder Moses would not have it that God's presence would fail to accompany them in that difficult journey. At night, because desert temperatures were extremely low & it was very dark, God provided them with a pillar of fire to give both warmth & light. These two pillars also enabled them to travel both by day & night for 40 years. Exodus 13:21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

This supernatural pillar that God gave HIS children was a symbol of HIS great faithfulness. It is an encouragement to us that God never leaves us nor forsakes us. What a great comfort that the children of Israel experienced especially in the night when the pillar of fire illuminated their paths & gave them warmth in the freezing night temperatures! Friends, there is nothing like God's presence being with us in our life journey! Nothing & no one shall stop us both "day & night" No matter how hot things are, there will be a pillar of cloud covering us that "the sun shall not smite us by day. No matter how cold & dark it is, there will always be a pillar of fire to give light & warmth in the night so that the "moon shall not harm us by night". Be encouraged people of God. Let nothing stop you in your journey of faith "day or night". Allow The LORD'S presence to go with you so that HE will be your helper always". Remember to lift your eyes to God alone for help.

Psalm 121:1 "I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

You cannot do God's will without Him guiding you.

It would have been a disaster for Moses to lead God's people without HIS presence. Likewise, if there is anything we need desperately in our journey of faith, it is the presence of The LORD. Moses knew this secret and in Exodus 33, HE refused to lead the people of God without HIS presence. HE refused to take them one step further without the presence of The One Who got them from Egypt. I beseech you today that we put a demand on God for HIS presence to go with us. As HE promised Moses in our today's scripture, so it is unto us. HIS presence will go with us & HE will show us HIS glory. We receive HIS rest too! Hallelujah!

Exodus 33:12 Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." 14 The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 17 And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."

Psalm 144:13. Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields; 14 our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of distress in our streets. 15 Blessed is the people of whom this is true; blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

We are in a dispensation of time in which God is doing great things. Scripture is being fulfilled. Somebody who consistently follows this ministry of the Word sent me a testimony this week. He is a farmer and his flock has been increasing in a very amazing manner. This testimony to me looks like an exact fulfilment of the above scripture. This is a man who has really been serving God in the mission field where the poorest of the poor live. Last year he sent me a prayer request about his rental houses not being occupied and despite the pandemic situation, God sent him tenants & all the houses were quickly occupied. When the country was reopened, he quickly went back to his mission field to minister to the poor. What a wonderful calling that is!! I know that God is also rewarding your labour of love for HIS people. I am personally experiencing a dimension of blessings that I have not seen in my life before. God is rewarding me for my labour of love for HIS people in this ministry of The Word & many others that I do by HIS grace. Hallelujah! Below is the testimony of our brother about his livestock.

Praise God our savior and redeemer. Please humbly let me give a testimony. Last month, God blessed my project so much. One goat gave birth to twins and the other one gave birth to triplets. As we entered the month of November, the pig gave birth to 11piglets. Am very happy about your last month prophecy although I'm not remembering it for now. Thank you so much woman of God. All glory to Jehovah.

May the LORD increase his flock more & more & enlarge his territories so much that he will never lack provision to give to the poor, so that indeed God will continue to be glorified. You may not be a farmer like this brother but God will really surprise you with an explosive increase! Please remember to testify & to give glory only to God. HE alone is worth our praise. I declare that our blessings are secure. There will be no breaching of walls & no captivity according to The Word of God. There will be no cry of distress in our streets in JESUS Name. HALLELUJAH!

Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.

Prophet Elijah and the account of his dealings with a widow from Zarephath are recorded in 1^st Kings 17. The Lord was withholding rain from Israel. The drought was in judgment of the nation’s rampant idolatry, led by the royal couple Ahab and Jezebel. The Lord commanded Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel, where a widow would provide food for him. He obeyed, finding a woman gathering sticks. He said to her, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink,” and, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

The widow, however, was in great need herself. She responded, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” She expected the meal she was about to fix to be the last for her family. She had no other prospect than to die of starvation.

Elijah’s answer was surely a test of her faith. He told her that she was to make some food for him, anyway, using the last of her ingredients for him. He added a promise: “For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.” The widow’s faith was evident in her obedience. And God was faithful to His promise: “She and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.” The widow’s food supply was supernaturally extended, as promised.

Elijah stayed there for some time, living in an upper room of the widow’s house. The woman’s son later died of an illness and, in her anger and grief, she blamed Elijah for his death—she assumed God was judging her for her sin. But Elijah cried out to God: “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”, and the child was restored to life. When the woman saw this, she said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

This account is also mentioned in the New Testament. Early in His ministry, Jesus was speaking in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth. He said, “In truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow” (Luke 4:25–26). Jesus’ point was that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Just as Elijah found more faith outside of Israel than within it, Jesus found little faith in His boyhood home. As if to prove His point, the people of Nazareth grew enraged and attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 4:29).

The account of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath offers many insights. First, God often uses unlikely people and sources to accomplish His purposes. Second, God’s mercy extends to all people, both Jews and Gentiles, and the Sidonian widow was blessed for her faith (Acts 10:34–35). Third, God requires faith (Hebrews 11:6). The widow’s miracle only came after she prepared a meal for Elijah—an act of sincere faith on her part. Faith is very important to a Christian life.

Ahab and Jezebel.

According to 1 Kings 16:33, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel served as leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel during a time of much evil in the land. King Ahab was an Israelite king who married a Sidonian woman named Jezebel and became involved in worshiping Baal, the god of her people. Ahab built a house to Baal in the capital city of Samaria and made an Asherah pole as a tool of pagan worship. We are told, “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

 

As recorded in 1 Kings 18:4, Jezebel was likewise known for her evil actions. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. After her marriage to Ahab, her first recorded action was cutting off the prophets of the Lord. Obadiah, a God-fearing officer in Ahab’s court, noted that Jezebel killed many prophets, despite Obadiah’s efforts to save them: “Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD’s prophets by fifties in a cave and fed them with bread and water?” (1 Kings 18:13–14).

 

It was during the time of Ahab and Jezebel that Elijah was the prophet in Israel. Satan had his couple on the throne, but God had His man in the field, performing miracles and leading a revival against Baal-worship. The three-and-a-half-year drought that Elijah prayed for was part of God’s judgment on the wickedness of the nation and its leaders.

 

When Elijah confronted Ahab near the end of the drought, the king said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). But Ahab had it wrong. Elijah was not the one bringing trouble on the land. The prophet corrected the king: “I have not made trouble for Israel . . . but you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals.”

 

After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and had them killed at Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18), Jezebel issued a death threat against him (1 Kings 19:2). The queen went on to plot against Naboth, the innocent owner of a vineyard that Ahab coveted. Jezebel had Naboth killed so the king could confiscate his land (1 Kings 21), and she prodded her husband into many other wicked acts besides: “There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.”

 

Ahab’s death was predicted by the prophets Elijah and Micaiah (1 Kings 21:19; 22:28). Jezebel’s gruesome death was also predicted by Elijah (1 Kings 21:23). True to the prophecy, Ahab was killed in a battle with Syria. Later, Jezebel was thrown from a tower, “and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her” (2 Kings 9:33). Then, “when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands” (2 Kings 9:35). Just as Elijah had said, the dogs ate Jezebel.

 

In Revelation 2:20, Jezebel’s reputation lives on as Jesus speaks against the church at Thyatira: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” The woman’s name in Thyatira was probably not literally “Jezebel,” but her immorality and idolatry in preying upon God’s people was very Jezebel-like.

 

Both Ahab and Jezebel were leaders of God’s people who forsook the Lord and served other gods. The royal couple earned a reputation for sin and violence, and they both suffered violent deaths as part of God’s judgment on their actions.

The Sons of Sceva.

Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” One day, the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. This is recorded in Acts 19:13-16

Sceva had been exorcising demons for a long time. Many would have considered him one of Ephesus’s finest exorcists. He hardly ever failed. Even when the people weren’t really helped, at least they felt better momentarily. All seven of his sons had followed him into the family business. It was a family business.

 Apostle Paul fellow came to the town of Sceva. He preached gospel and exorcised in the name of Jesus Christ. With his new Jesus method, he wasn’t just revolutionizing the whole industry, but he was also stealing their business. After a little industrial espionage, however, they had figured it all out. It was this Jesus fellow’s name that seemed to work. The Sceva family felt that by using Jesus’ name like Apostle Paul was enough to rejuvenate their family business. After teaching his sons this wonderful new mantra, Sceva sent them out to try it on one of their newest clients who seemed to be harmless enough. There was no way one man would overwhelm or defeat them.

The young men surrounded the demoniac, and immediately tried out the new formula. “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out,” they chanted. Before they knew it, the evil spirit in the man answered them; “I know Jesus. In fact, I’ve heard about Paul, too. But who do you think you are?” The old demoniac jumped on them and beat them to a pulp. He even ripped off their clothes, and the young men ran for their lives, bleeding and naked.

 This story teaches us that spiritual power comes by being under the authority of Jesus Christ. The only type of Christians whose authority the enemy respects are those who are clearly under the authority of Christ themselves. This is the true secret of all spiritual authority. If Christ is not the Lord of your life, and if you are not walking under His authority, all the Christian slogans and trite sayings in the world are not going to save you. You have to believe in His power and let Him be your Lord and savior. Only then you’ll the spiritual power that can put the spiritual enemies away.

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit.

The believers are distinguished from the unbelievers by the fruits they bear. The believers are filled by the Holy Spirit who enables them bear good fruits. The nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, as the bible mentions, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control.

Love is the ability to overcome selfishness. It is the ability to put another person's needs before ours. It is self sacrifice. We are only able to love because God loved us first. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can love perfectly.

Joy is an active choice of an attitude happiness. It is based on the eternal hope we have in Christ. Joy is more than the emotional happiness. Joy comes in the comfort of knowing that God has it all covered through Jesus Christ.

Peace comes when we avoid anxiety by taking our worries to God through prayers and supplication. Our Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over sin and death, and He is our hope. We should take our worries to Him and avoid anxieties which might cause us more worries.

Patience is the ability to extend mercy on others, reacting in love instead of anger when we have differences with others. Patience is also the ability to be calm during trials and temptations, knowing we have the hope in Christ, the hope of eternity to sustain us.

Kindness means looking beyond our interests to the interests of others. It also means not being vindictive. This means that we don't pay evil for evil. That we don't revenge. That we should return evil with good, whether the recipient deserves or not.

Goodness means being charitable and generous to others, both in our abundance and in need. It means sharing what we have because a hand that gives is more blessed. Our sharing should not be based on whether we have enough or not.

Faithfulness is our loyalty to God. His holy word says that whoever is faithful in small matters will be rewarded. You cannot be faithful in big matters when you cannot be faithful in small matters. In your dealings with people, be faithful.

Humility is being able not to attach more than enough value or importance to yourself to a point that it is pride controlling you. It is the ability to bring yourself to the level of others without depicting yourself more important than others. Humility is becoming a good servant of the works of God, doing them without giving credit or profit to yourself but giving all glory and honour to God.

Self control is the ability to have power over one's sinful desires. The ability to overcome flesh desires and fulfill that which is right and upright before God. We all struggle in some way in controlling our sinful desires but the Holy Spirit is always there helping us to gain the control.

We bear these fruits of the Holy Spirit only because the Holy Spirit lives in us. We can't bear even one of the fruits if the Spirit of God doesn't live in us. It is by His power that we bear these gifts. God's mercy and love through Jesus Christ enable us to bear these fruits and live in union with Him. It is not our effort but His.

The Irrevocable Gifts.

Have you ever heard of irrevocable gifts? Talking about irrevocable, your guess is true that I'm not talking about the gifts that we give as human beings. We, human beings, tend to praise ourselves when we give gifts. We also expect gifts in return😊Our gifts are perishable. They have a lifespan. They are physical gifts.

The gifts that I want to put emphasis on are the gifts of God through the Holy Spirit. These are spiritual gifts. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to faithful followers of Christ to serve God  for the common benefit of His people, the church. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 lists wisdom, knowledge, healing, discernment, prophecy, faith, miracles, speaking in tongues and interpreting them. These gifts are divine power to help us do what He has called us to do. We receive gifts according to the grace given to us. The Holy Spirit gives us as He wills. 

When the Holy Spirit gives you these gifts, they are irrevocable. Romans 11:29, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." It may surprise you that all of us believers have these gifts. The holy word says that each person is given a gift to show that the Holy Spirit abides in them, and the gift is for the benefit of all. 1 Corinthians 12:7 says "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." So it is our responsibility to ensure that we don't let pride rule us and override on the gifts. At the same time, we should ensure that we don't get into self denial in the guise of humility. We have been given the gifts to utilize them with humility, diligence, cheer and simplicity. Credit or profit isn't for our take, glory is His. With the gifts, we should seek for the good of all, giving glory to God.

We wrestle not against flesh.

There are two spiritual kingdoms in existence. The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. The Kingdom of God has Him on the throne. He has His messengers, the angels and the spirits. The Kingdom of God is eternal. It has no beginning or end. It existed in the beginning of all things. It has been in existence since time immemorial. It is founded on the mercies and love of God as Creator and sustainer. it is the supreme kingdom, meaning it is way above the kingdom of darkness. The two kingdoms are in contrast, and incomparable.

The kingdom of darkness began when lucifer, Satan, disrespected God and desired to sit on His glorious throne. God lamented that lucifer had fallen from His grace, and had to remove him from His Kingdom. That marked the beginning of the kingdom of darkness. Satan fell with a third of the angels and spirits that he had convinced to rebel against God the Creator. So the kingdom of darkness was established, with knowledge of the above and powers, and it has been working against the Kingdom of God since then. Despite causing havoc on earth against God's people since its beginning, the kingdom of darkness has never defeated the Kingdom of God. 

There are scriptural evidences of the two kingdoms locking horns but I want to bring to your attention just one scripture that pictures this out. During the times of Daniel in the Old Testament, Daniel dreamt of a statue made of 4 elements, whose interpretation was four successive kingdoms that would begin with the Nebuchadnezzar's reign and after the fourth, God would establish a fifth Kingdom that would be everlasting.  So Daniel fasted for 21 days repented the sins of the people and drawing closer to to God. It was on the 21st day that Angel Gabriel appeared to him. The angel told Daniel that God had heard his prayers the moment he started fasting and praying but the angel was prevented from reaching Daniel by the prince of Persia. The prince of Persia was the demon that controlled Persia, the region where Daniel live! Principalities!!!!!!!! Oh God's people keep praying!!!!!

Angel Gabriel told Daniel that God sent Arch Angel Michael on that day and helped him to keep the prince at bay, and that's how he managed to reach Daniel to bring him the answers of his prayers! The angel, after encountering Daniel, told Daniel that he has returned to continue fighting the prince till victory is achieved! From this scripture, you can see two kingdoms fighting. AND it is evident that God's kingdom reigns over the kingdom of darkness! How privileged we are to have a Supreme God whose Authority extends everywhere, authority that defeats demons and their agents. The authority of the kingdom of darkness cannot defeat us if we let God fight for us🙏. He has never been defeated. Those He leads have never and will never be defeated!!!!

Victory Belongs to God.

God Almighty is victorious in all His battles. His battles are those battles that are fashioned against His people. His battles are those that are directed to His holy altar and His messengers. He fights for them. He defends them.

The biblical story of Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego is a reflection of this. These four were among the captives from Jerusalem that were held captive by the Babylonians. The king of Babylon ordered that no one should pray to the true God, and any help would only be sought from Him. At that time, Daniel was praying thrice each day, facing the Jerusalem temple. Even after the declaration was made by the king, Daniel continued praying to God. 

There rose against him the men he was serving with at the royal court of King Darius. They requested the king to sign a bill that would see anyone disobeying the declaration put in the den of lions. Once the king signed, they reported to him that Daniel was going against the declaration. The king was troubled because he loved Daniel for his diligence in serving the royal court. He talked to Daniel and said "May the God you diligently serve save you." Then he ordered for him to be thrown into the den. The king hurried to the den in the morning to check on Daniel. To his surprise, he saw Daniel resting with the lions in the den😇 He called for his removal from the den, and he came out unharmed. The king exclaimed and ordered that they will be worshipping the God of Daniel. The king then ordered for the men who were against Daniel to be put into the den. The lions devoured all of them before they could even drop on the floor of the den!

   It also happened that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonian made an idol and ordered all people to bow down and worship the idol. Anyone that didn't bow to worship the idol would be put in a furnace to be burnt. Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego refused to worship the idol. They were seized, and the king ordered for preparation of fire, 7 times hotter than the normal. Strong men were chosen to tie and roll the three into the huge fire. The fire was so big and hot that the men burnt as they rolled the three into the fire. When the people were observing the three in the fire, they saw four people dancing in the fire and not being burnt. The fourth person was the angel of God. The king asked for them to be called out of the fire. The three came out totally safe, not bearing any mark from the furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that the only God to be worshipped was the God of Meshack, Shadrack and Abednego. What a great God we serve!

The two accounts are evident that victory belongs to God. That He fights for His people. That we only need to obey Him and to trust Him, and victory is guaranteed!

 

God Answers Prayers.

Almighty God is faithful and answers prayers. No righteous person prays in vain. A righteous person is a person who has been made clean by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, and lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. For anyone who is in spirit is not under the law of sin and death, thus is a righteous person. A person who obeys the holy word and lives by it is a righteous person.

During Elijah's time, idolatry was common. I idolatry is the worship of idols. Idols are items or images that are worshipped in place of the true God. The idol that was being worshipped at that time was Baal. So there was a contest at Mount Carmel between God's prophet Elijah and 450 prophets of Baal. Each side was to provide the sacrifice, and the fire was to come from whom they worshipped. Baal prophets made their altar and prepared their sacrifice. They called unto Baal till noon but he turned up not. Elijah's turn came. He made an altar and prepared his sacrifice. He even ordered water to be poured onto the altar. He prayed to God in Heaven, and He provided the fire! All the Baal prophets were slaughtered dead!

The biblical exodus also testifies that God answers prayers. During the eras of Moses and Joshua, the chosen spokesmen of God to the Israelites, there are countless instances when God answered prayers instantly and delivered nations into their hands. Any time they prayed as they went to war, they always conquered, even without physically engaging in the battles. God dried up Red Sea and R. Jordan momentarily to let His people cross over. Miracles that only Him could do! What a great Father we serve!

God provided the fire to defend His glory and majesty. He answered the prayers because He is alive and always ready to help His people. I will live for Him!!!!

Blessed Beyond Curses.

What God has blessed, no man can curse. If He calls you blessed today, no curse will ever take effect on you! Oh how sweet it is to know that He blesses for good! 

To your attention I will bring a scripture that stamps authority on the fact that His blessings are eternal, and He doesn't revoke His words. He has exalted His word above His name such that everything He speaks comes to pass. Numbers 22:1-25.

There was a Moabite King named Balak, and during his reign, there lived a God's messenger called Balaam. When the Moabites saw the large population of the Israelites and heard what they had to the Amorites, they got troubled. King Balak sent his messengers to Balaam, requesting him to go with him to curse the Israelites so that they would weaken and it would become easy for him to defeat them. Balak believed in the fact that whoever Balaam blessed remained blessed, and whoever he cursed remained cursed. For the first time, God warned Balaam not to go back with the messengers as He would not let him curse Israelites as He had blessed them. So the messengers returned to Balak.

Balak sent a second group of messengers, more senior than the first lot. God allowed Balaam to go back with them but He gave conditions to Balaam that he shall speak only what the Lord gave him. So he saddled on his donkey and set out to go meet Balak. While on the way, the anger of the Lord was rekindled and the angel of the Lord appeared with a sword, ready to kill Balaam. The donkey saw the angel and escaped the wrath. It happened for the second time. For the third time, the angel of the Lord appeared in a very tight place where the donkey could not maneuver through, so the donkey lay down. Balaam smote the donkey angrily, and the angel of the Lord opened its mouth. The donkey complained to Balaam seeking to know why he had beaten it the three times and it has never boycotted his commands. When Balaam responded to the donkey that he would kill it if he had the sword, the angel of the Lord opened his eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord. He bowed down and lay flat, confessing his wrongs. The angel of the Lord then let him continue with the journey and instructed him not to say anything other than what the Lord would give him.

On arrival, Balak was glad to see him, as he thought his mission would succeed. They offered three rounds of sacrifices, each 7 bulls and 7 rams. After each round, Balaam blessed Israelites with the words that were put in his lips by the Lord. Balak was very much upset with this, and he ordered Balaam away from his presence. Balaam returned home, having fulfilled God's instructions.

All these things happened because God could not curse a generation that He Himself had blessed. Systems may rally against you, family may turn against you, situations might not go your way, but what God has written for your life will never be traded for anything! He has exalted his word above His name. Keep your head high and take heart in knowing that He has got you covered!

There is life after death.

It is definite that this earth and heaven will end, and a new earth and heaven will be established. It is also definite that there will be life after death.

Do you think that the new earth and new heaven will be established after everyone has died? Do you know that there are two types of deaths? There is physical death and spiritual death. Physical death is separation of the body from the spirit while spiritual death is separation from God caused by sin. 

I will submit and admit to you that not believer will die a physical death but we will all be changed. The dead will rise from death a new creation, and the living will be transformed into a new creation. We will be a new creation that will not be subject to death or condemnation. Death is brought about by sin, whose foundation is the law. Our union with Jesus Christ will render this law null and void, and apparently we will be free from death. It is safe to say that death will be the last enemy to be defeated.

God is Love.

Have you ever doubted the ultimate love of God? Do you have any reason to support your doubts?

Picture this. Almighty God offered His only begotten son to ransom a generation that has absorbed itself in sin. A generation with audacity to kill His messengers and to abscond His commandments. A generation that is helpless and cannot live on its own. A generation that disobeyed God since creation. You can imagine such kind of love 😊 God loved His creation from the beginning. He looked at His creation and admitted that everything was good. He kept looking for ways to reclaim and redeem His creation once the creation fell from His abounding grace. To Him, it seemed a perfect ransom to use was His only begotten son, who had no sins, to redeem His people. What a way to do it!

God is love. God is loving. His love is unconditional. His love is eternal. He loves beyond the grave💓💓

For all the days of my life, I will never doubt God's love for His creation!