Forgive One Another

Bible Text: Matthew 18:21-35

It is said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. The issue of forgiveness is not an easy one.

Christians have been called to forgive one another even as God forgives us. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)

Jesus illustrated this with a parable. There was a servant who was forgiven of his debts by his master, ten thousand bags of Gold. He however threw his servant into jail till he was able to pay him back his hundred silver coins.

We like this wicked servant who have been forgiven of our debt and continue to be forgiven by God find a thousand and one reasons why we should not forgive others when they offend us.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32). As new creatures in Christ, forgiveness is one major character that we should possess. It does not matter what the offence was or if the offender has asked for forgiveness or not, we have been called to a new life and we must clothe ourselves with forgiveness.

Unforgiveness does not only affect our spiritual life, but can also steal our joy and peace of mind. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)


Follow this link for a sermon today:
Preacher: Bishop T.D Jakes
Topic: Forgive and let it go
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzSW9Joekbk 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I pray for a spirit of forgiveness. Help me to not hold on to grudges but learn to forgive even as you forgive me of my sins.  

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Except the LORD

Bible Text: Psalm 127:1

We have been advised on several occasions that hard work is the key to success. We see this in our day-to-day life, we wake up early and go to bed late, save, invest, all in the quest for a successful life. 

However this is not the way to achieve true success. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. (Psalm 127:1)

When we do not commit our ways to God, we toil in vain. Although it may seem that our ways are successful through the things we acquire, it is not a success in the eyes of God.

We must fully rely on God for our strength. How can we do this? Relying on God means obeying his commands and being his true ambassador. Our way of life should be that of light and not darkness. We should always constantly pray for strength and be careful to let our ways be in line with the will of God for our lives. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

To rely on God however does not imply laziness. Where we fold our hands and expect manna from Heaven. Note the words of the Psalm, the builders build, the watchers watch. Here it shows that they are working hard but the only thing lacking is that they are are not relying on strength from God.

So we have to update our success formula where hard work equals success now becomes hard work + God equals Success.

When we work hard and achieve all that we think we have achieved, we gain the whole world and lose our Soul. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)

We have no power of our own

We depend on you Holy Spirit

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I pray for strength for my every day activities. Help me to live according to your will that my success in life will be pleasing in your eyes. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

Even Now, God is Working it all out

Bible Text: Exodus 14:21

The Red Sea in front and Pharaoh and his army behind, The Israelites did not have much of a choice. There was no means of escape, only God could save them from this.

God through Moses brought deliverance to the Israelites. All through that night God caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind: And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21)

All through that night God was working. The Israelites' situation seemed hopeless. How could they be saved from Pharaoh and a sea that would swallow them up once they dared stepped into it. God had a plan. He made a way, a dry land out of a mighty bursting sea. and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.(v21) 

However things may seem. God is working. His ways are not your ways. He knows what he is doing. That strong east wind that needs to blow over the Red Sea is being commanded to do so even now. God is working even now! All you have to do is to believe and put your trust in him.

God is working; He's still working

God is working even now

Though we often don't know just how

God is working, He's still working

God is working even now.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me Lord to be still and wait for your deliverance for I know you are working even Now!

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Our Sins, He Forgives

Bible Text: Micah 7:19

When we fall far from God's will our guilt causes us to write ourselves off. We feel our sin is unforgivable.

Judas Iscariot felt this way. He had betrayed his master for 30 silver coins. After realising what he had done, he tried to fix it in his own terms. He went to return the bribe money to the Chief Priests and the Elders which did not turn out so well for him.
(Matthew 27:3)

Eventually his guilt led him to take his own life.
This is not the way God wants his children to deal with their sin. When we sin against God and we realise our mistake ,we should be remorseful and ask for God's forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). God is bigger than anything we could ever imagine, and in the same way he is bigger than the greatest sin we think we have committed. He says we should confess our sins to him and he is faithful and just to forgive us. If God is ready to forgive us then why should we condemn ourselves and refuse to forgive ourselves, but rather continue sinning or even in the worst scenario take our own lives as Judas did, just because we think our sins are too big for God to forgive. He will completely clear our sins from our identity, and we will rather bear his identity as children of the most High God.

He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all [a]their sins Into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19)

However, this love that God has towards us that causes Him to cast our sins into the depths of the sea does not warrant us to keep on sinning, all because we know that He is able to forgive us. Jesus forgave the adulterous woman who was brought before him to be stoned, and more importantly he left her with these words, Go and sin no more. (John 8:11)

Jesus is able to take away all our sins, washing us white as snow. Whoever the son sets free is free indeed. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18). It is never too late to be washed in the blood of the Lamb.

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I confess my sins today, Forgive me and wash me as white as snow. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

God is a Shield

Bible Text: Daniel 6

Those who have encountered any life threatening situation will better understand and explain what it means to have a shield at such crucial moments. When people narrate their narrow escape from death during a war it always includes a situation or a place that shielded them from direct contact with death.

Daniel needed a shield. His enemies set a trap for him knowing quite well that come what may, irrespective of the order of the King, Daniel will pray. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” (Daniel 6:5)

The plan was to get Daniel killed because he was exceptional and was going to be put in charge of  the whole kingdom. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. (Daniel 6:3)

 Daniel was eventually thrown into the lions' den as he had defied the law that anyone who prays to any other god or human being except to the King within the next 30 days will be thrown into the lions' den. (Daniel 6:7)

Daniel took refuge in God. In the lion's den God shut the mouth of the lions. No harm came to Daniel even in the face of danger. God was a shield to Daniel.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

God's protection to those who take refuge in Him, those who put their trust in Him for complete provision and protection, is like that of a mother hen to her chicks. The mother hen wards off all prey from her chicks with the little strength she has, how much more our God who is all powerful. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I put my trust in you because You are my shield. Shut the mouths of any lions the enemy has assigned for my destruction.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

No other gods

Bible Text: Exodus 20:3

The Ten commandments was given to the children of Israel as a guide so they live according to God's standards and enjoy blessings from doing so.

The first two commandments places emphasis on  our relationship with God and its importance. You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below (Exodus 20:3-4)

We mostly hear of a man telling a lady that she is his number one. This sometimes implies that there are others he has but only that she is the number 1. No. This is not how we should treat God. God should not be our number 1 among the many other gods you have, He should be the only One. For he is a jealous God and will not share you with anyone else. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (Exodus 20:5)

In our present times however things other than wooden or golden idols have taken God's place in our lives. We tend to worship these things and cannot imagine a life without them. These "idols" could be our spouse, children, properties and other things we place our all on. 

Once we bow down to these idols, worshipping these things our love for God grows cold and colder each time. God knows we need these things and he will gladly supply our needs but when we worship the creation instead of the creator we destroy our relationship with the only One we cannot live without, God. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Let God be our only One, and he will surely bless us and the generations after us. the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 2:5-6)

I

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. You are my God and have called me by name. Lord help me to have no other gods before you. 

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Ambassadors of Christ

Bible Text: 2 Corinthians 5:20

An ambassador is a person who represents a state or organisation. An ambassador's conduct and attitude reflect that of the state he represents.

Such a person knows he has a duty to perform and will be held accountable in the case this duty is not properly carried out.

We Christians are Christ's ambassadors. We represent God here on earth. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:20). 

To better represent Christ we have to know who he is and what it is to be like Christ. Christ is love and he showed us this love by his sacrifice for our sins.  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 who have experienced Christ's love are then to tell of this love.  Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2). We are also to show this love through obedience to God and a deep love for the welfare of our neighbours. We have to imitate Christ, not a photo-copy but an exact copy of Christ. 

A Christ Ambassador is a good samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37) . A Christ Ambassador values his neighbour more than himself (Philippians 2:3) . A Christ Ambassador is kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. (Ephesians 4:32). A Christ Ambassador Preaches the Gospel of Christ (Matthew 28:16-20).

Are you a Christ Ambassador?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me to be your ambassador, representing you here on earth.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.  

Amen!

The Lord is Good

Bible Text: Psalm 34 

The Psalmist begins on a note of praise to God for the things he had done. The Lord had delivered him from his fears. He was thankful to God, telling of His goodness to everyone. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Thanksgiving should be an integral part of God's children. Most people do not see the need to publicly tell of the wonders of God in their lives. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalm 34:4-5)

Here we see how a word of encouragement is brought out of giving thanks to God and testifying about His goodness. We are to testify of God's goodnesss no matter how small we think it is. There may be someone struggling to keep up his faith in God. A word of thanksgiving telling of God's marvelous works would encourage such a person that God can also come through for him.

 In verse 9 we see that it is only those who fear the Lord who receive something from him. In thanking God a word of advice is brought out. A call to fear God is made. Noting clearly that those who fear God will lack nothing. They too will eventually have a cause to Give God thanks.

The Psalmist who had experienced God's goodness calls on us to likewise Taste and See that God is good. In order to taste we have to trust that the one we call upon is able. When we taste we let go of all doubts, closing our eyes to the world and focusing on Jesus, ready to enjoy the delicious flavor of his goodness. Tasting is believing in the amazing Power of the I AM.

When we taste, we will see that he is good. There will be physical evidence of this goodness. Moses tasted and the Red Sea was divided (Exodus 14), Joseph tasted and he was released from prison to be placed in charge of Egypt (Genesis 41:41-43), Elijah tasted and the Lord answered him by fire (1 Kings 18:16-39).

Do not delay, open up your heart, taste and see that the Lord is good. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. You are God and there is none like you. Help me to put my trust in You that I may taste and see your goodness.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Without Faith

Bible Text: Hebrews 11:6

When little children place demands on their parents they do not put into consideration that their parents may not be able to provide what they wish for, they just ask and are in expectancy of their requests.

This is how faith in God should be. God's children should put their faith in God trusting that all he does is for the best because he makes all things work together for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Noah was commanded by God to build an ark. His obedience to God must have brought much ridicule. He was to build and ark for a flood he had not seen. (Genesis 5:32-10:1)

Noah's faith in God is what caused him to obey God's instruction and in so doing Noah and his family were saved from the flood.

It is often said seeing is believing but with God we must believe without seeing. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Faith is what sets a child of God apart from the lot. Hebrews 11 states many people in the Bible whose faith set them apart and aligned them to receive from God. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,(Verse 17)

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. (Verse 30)

Having faith in God leads us to full submission and obedience to his will. We lay aside all doubts and anchor our hope in him. When we exercise this faith we fully trust in him and this saves us a lot of heartache about the uncertainties we have about our lives.

Once we have faith we believe that he is always with us and we have peace even in the midst of our storms.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. Help me have faith in you even if it is as small as a mustard seed.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Believe and You shall Receive

Bible Text: Mark 11:22-25

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1). When we pray to God our faith in his ability to grant our request is what makes the difference.

On several occasions Jesus commended the faith exhibited by those who called upon his name for a miracle. To the woman with the issue of blood He said: "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (Mark 5:34)

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. (Matthew 9:28)

Your faith speaks a million. It proves that you know the God you serve. The God who is more than able to do exceedingly above all that we could ever ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20). This Faith in God can be as little as a mustard seed,which is about 1mm in size, we can move mountains. 

What then prevents us from having faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed. This is from doubt that grows from our little knowledge of God. God is our able God. We must fill our minds with truths about him, this will help clear all doubts and allow us to receive from God what we ask. 

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. I believe that you are God and you are able to do exceedingly above all I have asked you. Renew our faith in you O Lord.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!

Soar on Wings like Eagles

Bible Text: Isaiah 40:31

Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

We often grow weary and tired. Our own strength does not seem to carry us as far as we need to go. Our strength fails us in the face of adversity. Trying times leaves our spirit broken and heavy.

However waiting upon God, Hoping on God, renews our strength. This expectancy in God to deliver us builds our trust in Him. Not only do we have a renewed strength, we have the God-courage to face our situations head on. This is likened to the eagle full of vigour and strength, who uses the pressure of the storm to glide higher into the sky.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

(Isaiah 40:29)

hWhen we put our trust in God, obeying his Word, even when we run we will not grow weary and when we walk we will not be faint. No circumstances will be able to shake us. Life's ups and downs will only be a stepping stone to the great things God has in store for us.  Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. (Psalm 125:1)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I commit my life in your hands. My strength is in you Oh Lord. Renew my strength as i wait on You.

And unto Him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could ever ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen!