Monday, July 6, 2020
Who is the King Uzziah in Your Life?
Text: Isaiah 6:1
It was when King Uzziah died that the glory of God was revealed to the Prophet Isaiah. While King Uzziah lived, the Prophet Isaiah was on his own. His ministry had no impact and he could not manifest.
Who is the King Uzziah in your life hindering the glory of God from manifesting? Your King Uzziah could be some powers who do not want you to go like Pharaoh who did not want to release the Jews. Your King Uzziah does not want you to possess your possessions. Your King Uzziah has forced you to come to a standstill.
You King Uzziah could be a cluttered mind hindering God from entering to have a place of rest. A cluttered mind is a confused mind, anxious, worried, depressed and discouraged. If your mind is far away from God buying and selling, how would God answer your prayers? How would His countenance shine upon you? (Psalm 80:14)
Before Elijah could call down fire from heaven, he repaired the broken altars of the Lord. Before the glory of God can manifest in our lives, we have to repair the broken altars of the Lord in our minds. Our minds have to be free from the control of the strangers buying and selling in it. Our minds are the factory of life where our thoughts for evil or for good are processed. Is your mind controlled by God or by the Devil?
Prayers:
Every King Uzziah in my life, hindering the glory of God from manifesting in me, come out and die in the name of Jesus
Every King Uzziah in my mind chasing God away from me, be uprooted and die in the name of Jesus
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
Blaming an Enemy For Every Condition?
John 7:30 says, ' Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him because His time had not yet come.''
Some ministries are teaching and influencing their members to fear and blame an enemy somewhere for every negative condition in their lives. Their sermons are always focusing on enemies, witches and wizards, thereby creating fear in them and causing them to live in fear of everyone around them and even among themselves.
In some nations including Nigeria, messages about an enemy sells so fast and so well that great numbers attend deliverance services seeking to be delivered from an enemy behind their negative condition. Even when it is crystal clear that their condition is a result of their own wrong choices, they still blame an imaginary enemy somewhere for it.
We should realize from the Scriptures in John 7:30 that nothing an come our way if it is not God's timing for such challenges to occur. If the challenge is not part of God's plan and purpose for our lives, it will not occur. If God has purposed for us to go through a challenge, then no amount of prayers can change the plan. No amount of prayers would have averted Joseph's experiences in the hands of his brothers but he maintained his faith and relations with God who eventually lifted him up.
Jesus moved about with fear. Therefore, a christian believer should not be living in the fear of an enemy and be glorifying Satan. We ought to be more God conscious than being Satan or enemy conscious in our christian lives. If we carry about an enemy conscious mindset all the time, wars and battles may never cease in our lives. The Bible says that what a man thinks, he becomes.
At God's own time, what He has purposed for us will surely happen (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We should have the purpose to seek and serve God faithfully in whatever condition to please Him. The Bible says that when the ways of a man pleases God, his enemies will be at peace with him.
Are our hearts right in the sight of God? (Ats 8:21). Are the little foxes that spoil the vine ( Songs of Solomon 2:15) residing in our hearts to hinder the presence, the power and the glory of God in our lives? Are our hearts filled with bitterness, hatred, malice, unforgiveness etc which are ladders and doors through which the Devil penetrates our lives to do havoc? If we have these little foxes in our hearts, we need to first seek to be delivered from them before seeking to be delivered from the external enemies.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
Lagos Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
Saturday, June 27, 2020
LESSONS from the days of Noah and Lot - Luke 17:26-30 (2)
‘’And as it was in the days of Noah,
so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they
married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into
the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.’’ (Luke 17:26-27)
‘’ likewise also in the days of Lot;
they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but
the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all.’’ (Luke 17:28-30).
Lesson 2 - Rejecting
the Ark of Salvation
God always
warns men about an impending judgment and destruction for sin. Are we listening
and heeding His calls to us for the salvation of our souls? He sent Prophet
Jonah to warn the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh about the need to repent from
their wicked ways or else they would perish in their sins.
Repent or
you perish in your sins is one of the messages of the Gospel (Luke 13:3). God
warns men to repent because He is a merciful God who is not willing that men
perish but that they come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He is merciful and more
willing to exercise mercy than judgment (James 2:13).
In the days
of Noah, God created an Ark for the salvation of men based on repentance.
Unfortunately, only 8 persons entered into the Ark and were saved from
destruction while the unbelieving multitudes that refused to repent perished in
the 40 day floods due to their disobedience and unbelief in God’s Word.
The Ark of
salvation that God has created to rescue men from eternal death in this Last
Days is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is the sacrifice for the sins of
men. He is the one who died at Calvary, was buried but rose again from the dead
and is living forever more (Revelations 1:8). Jesus’ resurrection conquered
death and sin and is the assurance of eternal life to anyone who believes in
Him.
As God
warned in Noah’s days, He is warning and calling for all men to repent and be
converted in this Last Day. He has set aside a day to judge this present world
on account of sin and that day is the Day of Judgment also called the Day of
Wrath or Day of Reckoning (Acts 17:30-31).
Man born in
sin is estranged from God and doomed to eternal separation if he dies in sin.
He must be reconciled with God first before he can spend his eternity with God.
The reconciliation is what salvation is all about i.e. sin and death must be
conquered in the lives of men which Jesus Christ did for all men by His
resurrection from the dead.
If men
reject the salvation which God offers the world through Jesus Christ, there are
several reasons as there were in the days of Noah and Lot. In the days of Noah
and Lot, many doubted God’s calls for repentance and salvation. Therefore, one of
the reasons is unbelief in God and what He says (His Word).
Unbelief was
one major reason why the multitudes perished in the days of Noah and Lot. Many
who perished in the days of Noah doubted the reality of the flood just as some
today are denying the reality of Hellfire as an eternal place of punishment and
torment for lost souls. Some even deny that God and Heaven are real.
The Bible
says in 1 Corinthians 1:18-20 that the preaching of the Cross of Christ is
foolishness to those that are perishing but to those that are saved, the
message of the Cross is the power of God unto salvation.
The unbelief
of men in the Word of God does not invalidate God and His Word (Romans 3:3-4).
Salvation is personal and an individual decision as every man will render a
personal account of his life before God on the Day of Judgment.
There are
many false doctrines that are circulating, blinding the eyes of men from seeing
the truth. ‘Rather than diligently seek for the truth that sets free, many are
seeking and following after popular opinions instead of convictions and are
being led astray by false doctrines.’’ (Warren Wiersbe).
The Bible
writes in 1Timothy 4:1 that in the Last Days, many shall fall victim to seducing
doctrines of demons that leads astray. Men are falling for other ‘gospels’ or ‘teachings’
that are contrary to the teachings of the Gospel of Christ.
Some deny
the death, burial and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some deny that Jesus
is the Son of God. Some do not accept that Jesus is God who came in the flesh. Some
deny the existence of the Trinity. Some do not accept the reality of the Holy
Spirit as one of the Trinity. Some do
not believe the virgin birth and the deity of Christ.
Some believe
in the false doctrine of eternal security or ‘Once saved, forever saved’ and
the doctrine of good works which is religion without salvation. Some do not
believe the reality of Judgment saying that because God is Love, He cannot cast
unrepentant sinners who died in sin into Hell. They seem to forget that the God
of love and mercy is also the God of Judgment (Isaiah 30:18)
Some deny
the existence of a Heaven and a Hell. Some believe in a place called Purgatory
where they say they would go after physical death to be cleansed of their sins
and from there would be transported to Heaven. Some do not accept that Jesus is
the Saviour of the world and that He died for the sins of all men. Some do not
believe that the Blood of Jesus cleanses one from sin.
False and
strange teachings of demons are one reason why many doubt the Gospel of Christ
and are rejecting the Jesus Ark of salvation as in the days of Noah and Lot.
These false doctrines are a leaven that corrupts the whole in the lives of
those who believe them. False doctrines are a reason why those who subscribe to
them will not be allowed into the Ark unless the leaven is purged out of them.
Admission
into the Ark of Salvation is by faith in Christ. To inherit eternal life in
Christ which is the only solution to eternal death, one must believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and make Him his Lord and Saviour.
One must
confess Jesus with his mouth and believe in his heart that He was raised from
the dead and is alive forever more. One must surrender his heart and life to
Jesus Christ and allow Jesus to be the director and controller of his life
going forward (Romans 10:9-10) (Revelations 3:20).
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
The Sin You Are Covering (Proverbs 28:13)
Proverbs 28:13 says, ' He that covers his sins shall not prosper but whoso confess and forsake them shall have mercy.''
David's sin in 2 Samuel 11 to 2 Samuel 12 was adultery which was punishable by death in Leviticus 20:10. In connection with sin, there is always an unforeseen element that the sinner does not take into consideration that would expose the sin he thought had been perfected, requiring another sin to cover it up.
David did not know that Uriah would not go to his house to sleep with his wife Bathsheba. He had thought to use Uriah's visit to conceal his adultery. A second sin is required to conceal an earlier sin. David conceived of another plan to get Uriah drunk supposing that in a state of drunkenness, he would go home to his wife. The plan failed again to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. Making a man drunk is sin.
David became desperate and the only option he considered to be available was to plot the murder of Uriah and to use a means to make it look legal. He used his nephew Joab, the Army Commander to organize how Uriah would be killed in battle.
David may have thought to satisfy his passion by having sex with Bathsheba but never considered that she would become pregnant. He did not have the intention to kill her husband and take her over but when she became pregnant, his involvement could not be concealed so he opted for murder.
His first sin was adultery (2 Samuel 11:4-5)
His second sin was deception to cover up the first sin (2 Samuel 11:6-11)
His third sin was making Uriah drunk (2 Samuel 11:12-13)
His fourth sin was plotting the murder of Uriah to cover up the first sin (2 Samuel 11:14-15)
His fifth sin was his hardness of heart (2 Samuel 11:22-27), thinking that the sin had been effectively buried but he did not reckon that God would react to it. He quickly married Bathsheba after her 7 days of mourning to conceal the pregnancy.
The sin which King David legalised, God called it by its proper name, MURDER!
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
David's sin in 2 Samuel 11 to 2 Samuel 12 was adultery which was punishable by death in Leviticus 20:10. In connection with sin, there is always an unforeseen element that the sinner does not take into consideration that would expose the sin he thought had been perfected, requiring another sin to cover it up.
David did not know that Uriah would not go to his house to sleep with his wife Bathsheba. He had thought to use Uriah's visit to conceal his adultery. A second sin is required to conceal an earlier sin. David conceived of another plan to get Uriah drunk supposing that in a state of drunkenness, he would go home to his wife. The plan failed again to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. Making a man drunk is sin.
David became desperate and the only option he considered to be available was to plot the murder of Uriah and to use a means to make it look legal. He used his nephew Joab, the Army Commander to organize how Uriah would be killed in battle.
David may have thought to satisfy his passion by having sex with Bathsheba but never considered that she would become pregnant. He did not have the intention to kill her husband and take her over but when she became pregnant, his involvement could not be concealed so he opted for murder.
His first sin was adultery (2 Samuel 11:4-5)
His second sin was deception to cover up the first sin (2 Samuel 11:6-11)
His third sin was making Uriah drunk (2 Samuel 11:12-13)
His fourth sin was plotting the murder of Uriah to cover up the first sin (2 Samuel 11:14-15)
His fifth sin was his hardness of heart (2 Samuel 11:22-27), thinking that the sin had been effectively buried but he did not reckon that God would react to it. He quickly married Bathsheba after her 7 days of mourning to conceal the pregnancy.
The sin which King David legalised, God called it by its proper name, MURDER!
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
The Power of Your Tongue
Text: Proverbs 18:21
'' Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.''
God called Gideon a mighty man of valour though he was fearful and was hiding from the Midianites ( Judges 6:1-16). He also called Abraham the father of many nations while he was barren and had no child. Who God says you are is what YOU ARE!
Do not use your circumstances to describe who you are. Do not all yourself a failure, a victim, debtor, sickler or a good for nothing. Do not use words which signify defeat to describe yourself. Rather call yourself a victor, champion, winner, highly favoured, blessed, great, unbeatable and unstoppable.
Do not accept what men call you. Call yourself what God calls you, not what the events of life calls you. Call yourself what God says you are and not what the events of life says that you are. Do not permit the devil to discourage you or to kill your faith in Christ. Tell the Devil that you are a new creature and there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ( Romans 8:1) (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God says that you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a peculiar people to show forth his praises, who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. God calls you a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore live a holy life before God and let your life be a positive confession of the power of the Gospel that transforms lives (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Decide that the words that you will speak henceforth shall be faith filled words. Cancel every negative words that anyone has spoken against you in the past (Lamentations 3:37). Cancel any negative confessions that you made against yourself in the past. Open your mouth and confess loud, bless yourself and prophesy good things about yourself, family and ministry.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
'' Death and life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.''
God called Gideon a mighty man of valour though he was fearful and was hiding from the Midianites ( Judges 6:1-16). He also called Abraham the father of many nations while he was barren and had no child. Who God says you are is what YOU ARE!
Do not use your circumstances to describe who you are. Do not all yourself a failure, a victim, debtor, sickler or a good for nothing. Do not use words which signify defeat to describe yourself. Rather call yourself a victor, champion, winner, highly favoured, blessed, great, unbeatable and unstoppable.
Do not accept what men call you. Call yourself what God calls you, not what the events of life calls you. Call yourself what God says you are and not what the events of life says that you are. Do not permit the devil to discourage you or to kill your faith in Christ. Tell the Devil that you are a new creature and there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus ( Romans 8:1) (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God says that you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a peculiar people to show forth his praises, who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. God calls you a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore live a holy life before God and let your life be a positive confession of the power of the Gospel that transforms lives (1 Peter 2:11-12).
Decide that the words that you will speak henceforth shall be faith filled words. Cancel every negative words that anyone has spoken against you in the past (Lamentations 3:37). Cancel any negative confessions that you made against yourself in the past. Open your mouth and confess loud, bless yourself and prophesy good things about yourself, family and ministry.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
Thursday, June 25, 2020
From Affliction to Testimony
Texts: Luke 21:13; James 1:2-4
Affliction is a part of life. Everyone will experience some affliction in this life because every man will go through a wilderness in this life. It comes at different times and in different dimensions. However, one can convert his affliction to a testimony.
What is affliction?
Affliction means suffering, going through pains, state of lack and want, agonies, deprivations, oppresions, torments, torture, tribulation, persecutions, troubles etc.
Causes of Affliction:
1)Through personal sins where the Bible says that no sinner will go unpunished though forgiven. Therefore, chastisement from God for personal sins could be a source of affliction in the life of a man (Leviticus chapter 26).
2) Through inherited affliction where we may be suffering for the consequences of the sins of our forefathers. Lamentations 5:7 says that 'our forefathers have sinned and we bear their iniquity.' Also Numbers 14:18 says that God will visit the iniquity of a father on his children to the third and fourth generations.
However, we can reverse any inherited afflictions by crying to God for mercy to separate us from the consequences of the sins of our ancestors. James 2:13 says that mercy prevails over judgment and Deuteronomy 24:16 says that a child shall not be put to death for the sins of his father.
3) Decision to follow Christ can bring affliction. 2 Timothy 3:12 says that those who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer tribulation. Matthew 5:10-12 says that we should rejoice if we are persecuted for the sake of our stand for righteousness.
4) God may ordain an affliction in the life of a man to fulfil a divine purpose. For examples, the afflictions experienced by Job and Joseph were not caused by sinning. The Amalekite raid on David's camp at Ziklag was not due to sin. The man who was born blind in John Chapter 9 did not commit sin and neither did his parents commit sin to the effect that he was born blind.
Purpose of Affliction:
In every affliction, there is a purpose, lesson and a benefit. James 1:2-4 says that affliction in the life of a christian as a trial of faith works out patience and perfection. 1 Peter 5:8-10 says that God can use it to elevate, strengthen and establish us in the faith.
Tough times can create a better personality where some improve on themselves spiritually. During difficult times, people learn to become prayer and bible addicts. Some discover hidden talents and abilities.
Many great hymns, songs and books were written during periods of affliction. For example, Pilgrims Progress which was written about 400 years ago in the prison by John Bunyan, is the second best selling Christian book in the world after the Holy Bible. Also many of the epistles in the Bible were written by the Apostle Paul while he was in the prison.
Affliction is temporary. Psalm 34:19 says that God will deliver the righteous out of afflictions. Psalm 30:15 says that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will make a way out of every temptation.
How to come out of affliction
Do not murmur against God during periods of affliction. The Jews who murmured in the wilderness perished in it and did not reach the Promised Land of milk and honey.
Serve God with a whole heart like Caleb and Joshua did in the wilderness of affliction (Numbers 32:12).
Rejoice always in the Lord like Paul and Silas in detention who prayed and sang praises to God despite their pains in Acts 16:25 which caused God to deliver them through an earthquake. When Hannah left Shiloh, her countenance was no longer sad and she became a mother of several children. Habakkuk 3:17-19 encourages us to rejoice in the Lord in periods of lack and want.
Be holy and righteous in the Lord. Job and Joseph had the opportunity to commit sin against God but they did not do so. Eventually, Joseph left the prison for the palace while Job's latter days were more glorious than his beginning.
Cry unto God in prayers. Psalm 34:17 says that when the righteous cry, God will deliver him out of all his troubles. Jabez cried unto God and he became more honorable than his brethren. The cries of Mordecai reversed Haman's evil plot to destroy the Jews in Persia and Mordecai rose from gateman to a Prince in the land.
Encourage yourself in the Lord which David did when it appeared that all hope was lost in 1 Samuel chapter 30 when his camp was raided by the Amalekites. He pursued them and recovered all he lost.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
Affliction is a part of life. Everyone will experience some affliction in this life because every man will go through a wilderness in this life. It comes at different times and in different dimensions. However, one can convert his affliction to a testimony.
What is affliction?
Affliction means suffering, going through pains, state of lack and want, agonies, deprivations, oppresions, torments, torture, tribulation, persecutions, troubles etc.
Causes of Affliction:
1)Through personal sins where the Bible says that no sinner will go unpunished though forgiven. Therefore, chastisement from God for personal sins could be a source of affliction in the life of a man (Leviticus chapter 26).
2) Through inherited affliction where we may be suffering for the consequences of the sins of our forefathers. Lamentations 5:7 says that 'our forefathers have sinned and we bear their iniquity.' Also Numbers 14:18 says that God will visit the iniquity of a father on his children to the third and fourth generations.
However, we can reverse any inherited afflictions by crying to God for mercy to separate us from the consequences of the sins of our ancestors. James 2:13 says that mercy prevails over judgment and Deuteronomy 24:16 says that a child shall not be put to death for the sins of his father.
3) Decision to follow Christ can bring affliction. 2 Timothy 3:12 says that those who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer tribulation. Matthew 5:10-12 says that we should rejoice if we are persecuted for the sake of our stand for righteousness.
4) God may ordain an affliction in the life of a man to fulfil a divine purpose. For examples, the afflictions experienced by Job and Joseph were not caused by sinning. The Amalekite raid on David's camp at Ziklag was not due to sin. The man who was born blind in John Chapter 9 did not commit sin and neither did his parents commit sin to the effect that he was born blind.
Purpose of Affliction:
In every affliction, there is a purpose, lesson and a benefit. James 1:2-4 says that affliction in the life of a christian as a trial of faith works out patience and perfection. 1 Peter 5:8-10 says that God can use it to elevate, strengthen and establish us in the faith.
Tough times can create a better personality where some improve on themselves spiritually. During difficult times, people learn to become prayer and bible addicts. Some discover hidden talents and abilities.
Many great hymns, songs and books were written during periods of affliction. For example, Pilgrims Progress which was written about 400 years ago in the prison by John Bunyan, is the second best selling Christian book in the world after the Holy Bible. Also many of the epistles in the Bible were written by the Apostle Paul while he was in the prison.
Affliction is temporary. Psalm 34:19 says that God will deliver the righteous out of afflictions. Psalm 30:15 says that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will make a way out of every temptation.
How to come out of affliction
Do not murmur against God during periods of affliction. The Jews who murmured in the wilderness perished in it and did not reach the Promised Land of milk and honey.
Serve God with a whole heart like Caleb and Joshua did in the wilderness of affliction (Numbers 32:12).
Rejoice always in the Lord like Paul and Silas in detention who prayed and sang praises to God despite their pains in Acts 16:25 which caused God to deliver them through an earthquake. When Hannah left Shiloh, her countenance was no longer sad and she became a mother of several children. Habakkuk 3:17-19 encourages us to rejoice in the Lord in periods of lack and want.
Be holy and righteous in the Lord. Job and Joseph had the opportunity to commit sin against God but they did not do so. Eventually, Joseph left the prison for the palace while Job's latter days were more glorious than his beginning.
Cry unto God in prayers. Psalm 34:17 says that when the righteous cry, God will deliver him out of all his troubles. Jabez cried unto God and he became more honorable than his brethren. The cries of Mordecai reversed Haman's evil plot to destroy the Jews in Persia and Mordecai rose from gateman to a Prince in the land.
Encourage yourself in the Lord which David did when it appeared that all hope was lost in 1 Samuel chapter 30 when his camp was raided by the Amalekites. He pursued them and recovered all he lost.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone:+2348035978352
Obedience to God - the Key Factor! (2)
In the previous part is the story of how God anointed King Saul and empowered him for service. He was directed by God to carry out a task designed to fulfil a purpose. To carry out the task required total, complete and unconditional obedience without excuses or constrains. However, King Saul failed in his call through his failure to obey God totally.
God's command to King Saul was the total destruction of the Amalek nation including its king and livestock. Saul proceeded to Amalek where he was victorious over the Amalekites but he was not assessed by God according to his military victory. He was to be judged according to his total obedience to God's call. He failed by sparing the King of Amalek and the best of the livestock presumably for sacrifice to God.
We must be careful to obey God who will not assess or judge us according to the greatness of our accomplishments but by our total obedience to his commands. Human reasoning as in the case of King Saul often leads to failure. Human intentions opposed to God's will, no matter how worthy cannot replace godly humility and obedience.
Fear caused King Saul to disobey Samuel's instruction to wait for him at Gilgal to offer sacrifice to God. Before Prophet Samuel's arrival, the Philistines had gathered for war while the chicken heart Israelis deserted Saul. Out of fear, he proceeded to offer the sacrifice by himself without consulting God. Fear does not allow a Christian to become king over his circumstances.
Lessons:
Disobedience brings rejection. Though Saul claimed that he had obediently done what God commanded him, he had been partially obedient based on the elements of obedience in his action. True obedience must be complete and total. Regardless of his great military victory over the Amalekites, his partial obedience amounted to failure. True obedience does not shift blames which Saul did (1 Samuel 15: 21).
The response of Prophet Samuel in verse 22 reveals the priority of obedience to God. Religious sacrifices for which Saul spared the livestock of Amalek is no substitute to full obedience. Saul's disobedience therefore meant a rejection of God. God rejected him as King and as a result, he lost the inheritance which his descendants forever would have benefited. Obedience to God, total and complete is the most infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love to God.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria.
Phone+ 2348035978352.
God's command to King Saul was the total destruction of the Amalek nation including its king and livestock. Saul proceeded to Amalek where he was victorious over the Amalekites but he was not assessed by God according to his military victory. He was to be judged according to his total obedience to God's call. He failed by sparing the King of Amalek and the best of the livestock presumably for sacrifice to God.
We must be careful to obey God who will not assess or judge us according to the greatness of our accomplishments but by our total obedience to his commands. Human reasoning as in the case of King Saul often leads to failure. Human intentions opposed to God's will, no matter how worthy cannot replace godly humility and obedience.
Fear caused King Saul to disobey Samuel's instruction to wait for him at Gilgal to offer sacrifice to God. Before Prophet Samuel's arrival, the Philistines had gathered for war while the chicken heart Israelis deserted Saul. Out of fear, he proceeded to offer the sacrifice by himself without consulting God. Fear does not allow a Christian to become king over his circumstances.
Lessons:
Disobedience brings rejection. Though Saul claimed that he had obediently done what God commanded him, he had been partially obedient based on the elements of obedience in his action. True obedience must be complete and total. Regardless of his great military victory over the Amalekites, his partial obedience amounted to failure. True obedience does not shift blames which Saul did (1 Samuel 15: 21).
The response of Prophet Samuel in verse 22 reveals the priority of obedience to God. Religious sacrifices for which Saul spared the livestock of Amalek is no substitute to full obedience. Saul's disobedience therefore meant a rejection of God. God rejected him as King and as a result, he lost the inheritance which his descendants forever would have benefited. Obedience to God, total and complete is the most infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love to God.
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria.
Phone+ 2348035978352.
Obedience to God - the Key Factor! (1)
Our fellowship with God requires our obedience in a total, complete and unconditional form. To disobey God is to reject Him as Lord and Savior of our lives and to invite disastrous consequences upon ourselves.
The story of King Saul (1 Samuel 15:1-35) is a well known scriptural example of a man who was anointed by God for service but who fell from favor through the sin of disobedience, the consequences of this sin and how it applies to all believers today.
His anointing was a tremendous one just as his fall was one of the most tragic moments in the Scriptures. King Saul was the first king of Israel after the era of the Judges. During his coronation, he was anointed at Gilgal in 1 Samuel chapter 11 and through his anointing, he was divinely and highly empowered by God for service.
The fall of King Saul was a gradual process which began in 1 Samuel chapters 13 and 14 and it affected his spiritual and moral life. He was however warned by the Prophet Samuel who reminded him of his anointing and gave him a last chance to be faithful and obedient to God. Obedience to God is vital for continuous anointing.
The Holy Spirit the believer receives at the time of his conversion is the evidence of his anointing which is for service and power but total obedience is vital for a continuous flow of the anointing in the believer's life. We must take note of this fact as we work and serve the Lord according to his will.
The anointing is based on a call which is also based on what God purposes to be the best for His people. In Exodus 17:8-16, the Amalekite nation did an injustice to Israel and God had promised to punish Amalek for this injusticce. King Saul was to be used to fulfil the promise.
Therefore, God's call to Saul was based on the remembrance of that injustice to Israel by Amalek.
Saul's obedience was to determine the working of that call. Likewise today, our total obedience to God will determine the working of His purposes for our lives.
Based on his anointing for service and power, God commanded King Saul to totally destroy the Amalekite nation just as He had commanded Joshua in Deuteronomy 7:1-6. The instruction to Saul was not new and there was to be no excuses or constraints. Unfortunately, King Saul failed to obey God in accordance with His Will which was the last straw that broke his back.
To be updated
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos, Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
The story of King Saul (1 Samuel 15:1-35) is a well known scriptural example of a man who was anointed by God for service but who fell from favor through the sin of disobedience, the consequences of this sin and how it applies to all believers today.
His anointing was a tremendous one just as his fall was one of the most tragic moments in the Scriptures. King Saul was the first king of Israel after the era of the Judges. During his coronation, he was anointed at Gilgal in 1 Samuel chapter 11 and through his anointing, he was divinely and highly empowered by God for service.
The fall of King Saul was a gradual process which began in 1 Samuel chapters 13 and 14 and it affected his spiritual and moral life. He was however warned by the Prophet Samuel who reminded him of his anointing and gave him a last chance to be faithful and obedient to God. Obedience to God is vital for continuous anointing.
The Holy Spirit the believer receives at the time of his conversion is the evidence of his anointing which is for service and power but total obedience is vital for a continuous flow of the anointing in the believer's life. We must take note of this fact as we work and serve the Lord according to his will.
The anointing is based on a call which is also based on what God purposes to be the best for His people. In Exodus 17:8-16, the Amalekite nation did an injustice to Israel and God had promised to punish Amalek for this injusticce. King Saul was to be used to fulfil the promise.
Therefore, God's call to Saul was based on the remembrance of that injustice to Israel by Amalek.
Saul's obedience was to determine the working of that call. Likewise today, our total obedience to God will determine the working of His purposes for our lives.
Based on his anointing for service and power, God commanded King Saul to totally destroy the Amalekite nation just as He had commanded Joshua in Deuteronomy 7:1-6. The instruction to Saul was not new and there was to be no excuses or constraints. Unfortunately, King Saul failed to obey God in accordance with His Will which was the last straw that broke his back.
To be updated
Ayodele Adegbulugbe.
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos, Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
The Bread Alone Message
Matthew 4:4 says, " Thou shall not live by bread alone.''
Questions to ask yourself as a Christian:
What is Christianity all about? Why am i a Christian? Why am i following Jesus Christ? Am i following Jesus for eternal life or is it for the miracles, the signs and the wonders alone? When God blesses me or fails to bless me, will i turn back from following Him?
In Matthew 4:4, the Devil tried to derail Jesus from His mission by tempting Him to turn stones to bread. Today, the Devil is still using the same tactic to derail the focus of men from the things that are eternal or have everlasting benefits to the soul.
Bread as food for the body has temporal value and no eternal values to the soul and spirit. Both the body and the bread nourishing it are mortal and perishable. Bread in this context includes money, riches, fame, pleasure and power which men run after in this world.
We need bread to sustain the mortal body and God has made abundant provisions in His Word for our physical comforts and well-being in this world but not at the expense of the welfare of our eternal, immortal souls. When a man dies the physical death, his body that is mortal returns to the dust but his spirit returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7) because the spirit is eternal and immortal.
Though God is interested in our well being in physical terms regarding the needs of the body, He has much more interest in our spiritual prosperity which is the reason why He sacrificed Jesus for our salvation. He wants us to live by the whole Word of God and not by bread alone.
Many Christians are running after signs and wonders. Though the Bible says that without signs and wonders, men will not believe, the ability to perform miracles is a proof of calling and ministry. However, the Devil too can perform miracles. If we focus our attention more on the seeking of the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, the miracles, the signs and wonders will surely manifest.
The strategy of the Devil is to make men concentrate on the bread for the body alone and neglect the welfare of the eternal and immortal soul. Many ministries are preaching and teaching a 'bread alone message' which do not point their members to heaven. Their mainly earthly prosperity messages address the vanities and the mundane attractions in the world for the mortal body but not for the immortal soul of man.
These ministries usually operated by satanic agents and false teachers do not teach the whole word of God. They focus much more on fanciful topics while avoiding the topics that address sin, repentance, holiness and righteousness, discipleship etc. They teach that God will bless them as they are - worldly and unrepentant. The Bread Alone Ministries are leading their congregations to eternal destruction by making them comfortable in sin.
We need to devote much more time and attention to the things that have eternal values, which will count much more at the end of our lives on earth. Labor not for the meat that perishes but for the meat that endures unto everlasting life ( John 6:27). Labor not to be rich. Cease from thy own wisdom. Do not make the acquisition of riches or other matters of temporal values your chief end in this world (Proverbs 23:4).
Rather we should labor more to enter into eternal rest (Hebrews 4:1)
Labor to help the poor (Ephesians 4:28)
Labor to win souls (Philippians 2:16)
Labor to support the weak (Acts 20:35)
Labor to perfect the saints (Colossians 4:12)
Labor to be accepted of God (2 Corinthians 5:9)
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
Questions to ask yourself as a Christian:
What is Christianity all about? Why am i a Christian? Why am i following Jesus Christ? Am i following Jesus for eternal life or is it for the miracles, the signs and the wonders alone? When God blesses me or fails to bless me, will i turn back from following Him?
In Matthew 4:4, the Devil tried to derail Jesus from His mission by tempting Him to turn stones to bread. Today, the Devil is still using the same tactic to derail the focus of men from the things that are eternal or have everlasting benefits to the soul.
Bread as food for the body has temporal value and no eternal values to the soul and spirit. Both the body and the bread nourishing it are mortal and perishable. Bread in this context includes money, riches, fame, pleasure and power which men run after in this world.
We need bread to sustain the mortal body and God has made abundant provisions in His Word for our physical comforts and well-being in this world but not at the expense of the welfare of our eternal, immortal souls. When a man dies the physical death, his body that is mortal returns to the dust but his spirit returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7) because the spirit is eternal and immortal.
Though God is interested in our well being in physical terms regarding the needs of the body, He has much more interest in our spiritual prosperity which is the reason why He sacrificed Jesus for our salvation. He wants us to live by the whole Word of God and not by bread alone.
Many Christians are running after signs and wonders. Though the Bible says that without signs and wonders, men will not believe, the ability to perform miracles is a proof of calling and ministry. However, the Devil too can perform miracles. If we focus our attention more on the seeking of the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, the miracles, the signs and wonders will surely manifest.
The strategy of the Devil is to make men concentrate on the bread for the body alone and neglect the welfare of the eternal and immortal soul. Many ministries are preaching and teaching a 'bread alone message' which do not point their members to heaven. Their mainly earthly prosperity messages address the vanities and the mundane attractions in the world for the mortal body but not for the immortal soul of man.
These ministries usually operated by satanic agents and false teachers do not teach the whole word of God. They focus much more on fanciful topics while avoiding the topics that address sin, repentance, holiness and righteousness, discipleship etc. They teach that God will bless them as they are - worldly and unrepentant. The Bread Alone Ministries are leading their congregations to eternal destruction by making them comfortable in sin.
We need to devote much more time and attention to the things that have eternal values, which will count much more at the end of our lives on earth. Labor not for the meat that perishes but for the meat that endures unto everlasting life ( John 6:27). Labor not to be rich. Cease from thy own wisdom. Do not make the acquisition of riches or other matters of temporal values your chief end in this world (Proverbs 23:4).
Rather we should labor more to enter into eternal rest (Hebrews 4:1)
Labor to help the poor (Ephesians 4:28)
Labor to win souls (Philippians 2:16)
Labor to support the weak (Acts 20:35)
Labor to perfect the saints (Colossians 4:12)
Labor to be accepted of God (2 Corinthians 5:9)
Ayodele Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com.ng.
Lagos Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The Compromised Christian (2)
Pharaoh told the Jews in Exodus 8:28 that;
'' I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness: only ye shall not go very far away...''
By this 2nd compromise, the Devil allows you to become a Christian but tells you not to go faraway from him. He tells you that:
''Christianity is a foreign religion, do not be mad about it.''
'' Do not be a narrow minded Christian.''
" Do not be a fanatic.'
"" Holiness is not possible."'
'' Do not be a narrow minded Christian.''
" Do not be a fanatic.'
"" Holiness is not possible."'
This 2nd compromise tells you to remain in the twilight where you can easily be overcome by darkness without resistance.
Christians whose seeds fell on rocky soil in the Parable of the Sower are victims of this compromise. They lacked deep roots.
When the Jews were redeemed by the Blood of the Passover Lamb, they were commanded to leave Egypt meaning separation from the world.
Christians are called out of the world to be a chosen generation and a peculiar people, called out of darkness into the marvellous light ( 1 Peter 2:9).
We must go very far away from the Devil. We must cross the Red Sea to enter into the Highway of Holiness ( Isaiah 35:8) to be able to reign with Christ in eternity.
Compromised Christians have no eternity with Christ. We need to examine our lives as Christians whether we are close to Egypt or very far away from it.
We shall not fall into this trap of the Devil in Jesus name. We shall not go from the church to eternal Hell in the name of Jesus Christ.
If we have fallen already, the mercy of God will restore us to the faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
Pray: Spirit of Egypt, come out of my life in the name of Jesus Christ.
After Death is Judgment
Once to die, then judgment ( Hebrews 9:27).
Are you ready for that judgment?
Jesus tells us those that will make either Heaven or Hell ( John 5:24)( John 8:24)
Jesus tells us those that will make either Heaven or Hell ( John 5:24)( John 8:24)
Judgment day will decide where one will spend his eternity either Heaven or Hell depending on how he lived here.
God never brings judgment without prior warning. In the days of Noah, the message of repentance was preached for 120 years before the judgment came yet multitudes perished in sin through willful disobedience.
Only one life to live and no repentance after death, no second chance in the grave.
Readiness to meet Jesus is worth more than anything in the world - money, houses, lands, career, businesses, families etc.
Repent before it is too late. Give your heart to Jesus the Saviour ( Revelations 3:20).
Only One Life !
Life is a gift but for a while ( James 4:14) Many are so busy that they forget how short life is.
Life has no guarantee of tomorrow. One may be alive by morning and be dead by night ( Psalm 90:9-10)
Only one life to live here and prepare for your eternity. How are you living your life now?
Is it to pursue power, riches, materialism at the expense of your immortal soul ? ( Matthew 16:26)
Do you have time for God?
How you live your life here will determine your eternal destination.
How you live your life here will determine your eternal destination.
Do not listen to deceivers who say there is no Heaven or Hell. The Bible warns about Hell in so many verses including Matthew 5:22, 29,30.
It will be an eternal tragedy to miss Heaven. No man can tell how much time he has left to live.
Repent now and make your ways right with God before it is too late.
Repent now and make your ways right with God before it is too late.
No more delay, today is the day of your salvation. Now, now, now is the accepted time to repent ( 2 Corinthians 6:2).
Confess your sins to Jesus, make Him your Lord and Savior and walk with Him on the Narrow Way to Life.
There is no salvation in any other name than Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life ( John 14:6)
Rejecting the Ark of Salvation?
Multitudes perished in sin during the Judgment of the first world in the days of Noah. Only 8 souls who entered into the Ark of Salvation were saved.
Those who perished did not perish because they sinned but they perished because they rejected God's Ark of Salvation.
God was willing to save them from their sins and eternal destruction, but they rejected the Ark preferring destruction rather than salvation.
The message of repentance was preached for 120 years in that era, yet only 8 souls were saved from that destruction.
They were saved because they heeded the message of repentance and entered into the Ark of Salvation.
Jesus Christ is now our Ark of Salvation to convey man into eternity with God. Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior or rejecting Him?
God forces no one to be saved or to perish because He created man with freewill.
The 8 that were saved in the world of Noah chose to be saved while the multitudes that perished chose to perish.
Choose Jesus, choose eternal life
Reject Jesus, choose eternal death.
What is your choice?
Your choice determines your eternal destination.
Reject Jesus, choose eternal death.
What is your choice?
Your choice determines your eternal destination.
The Ark of Salvation is waiting and it's doors will soon be shut. Have you entered?
Enter now that you have the time and the opportunity. Further delay can cost one his eternity.
Repent now and enter into the Ark of Salvation before it is too late. God is not willing that sinners perish but He cannot force anyone to repent.
Rejecting the Ark of salvation means choosing to be separated from God in eternity and to go into the Lake of Fire.
The choice is yours !
Pray: Lord, have mercy on me, I am a sinner.
Pray: Lord, have mercy on me, I am a sinner.
Remember Lot's Wife ( Luke 17:32)
She was delivered by grace from the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah but looked back and became a pillar of salt.
Are you a Christian saved by grace but now looking backwards? Examine your life whether you are still in the faith ( 2 Corinthians 13:5).
Lot's wife perished after her salvation because her heart was attached to the things of the world.
This tells us that salvation can be lost and is not an unforfeitable possession.
Do not listen to deceivers propagating the false doctrine of 'Once saved, forever saved.'
You have a role to play and a responsibility to maintain your salvation and guard it against possible loss.
Is your heart far away from Christ, merely serving Him with your lips? ( Matthew 15:8)
Do you love the world and its lusts contrary to loving the Father? ( 1 John 2:15-17).
Is the fire still burning in your heart or already quenched by the love of the world ? ( Leviticus 6:12-13)
Are you living for the flesh, minding the things of the flesh above the things of the spirit ?( Romans 8:1-13)
Check your christian life again whether you are still in the faith or already looking backwards and headed for destruction like Lot's wife?
Are you fellowshipping with the Light or mixing with the darkness in the world? ( 1 John 1:6-7)
Repent and amend your ways before it is too late. May we not go from church to Hell in Jesus name.
Sheep Christian or Goat Christian?
Matthew 25:33 says, ' and he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left.''
Jesus is referring to the church. There are both sheep and goats in the church.
On the day of judgment, they will be separated. The sheep will be admitted into eternity with Christ while the goats will be sent to eternal Hell.
We need to have a sober reflection of our Christian lives. Are we His sheep or are we goats in the body of Christ?
Jesus recognizes only the sheep. He says in John 10:27, ' my sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.''
We need to ponder about 4 issues from the verse in John 10:27
Are we His sheep?
Are we hearing His voice?
Does Jesus know us?
Are we following Him?
Are we His sheep?
Are we hearing His voice?
Does Jesus know us?
Are we following Him?
The sheep is a meek and gentle animal, not troublesome like the goat. A disciple of Jesus should be as a sheep, submissive to the shepherd, Jesus Christ and easy to rule.
A disciple as a sheep is peaceful, obedient, teachable, loving, humble and trusting.
The goat is a stubborn animal, disobedient and difficult to control. There are many goats in the body of Christ. A goat Christian will not take to correction but accuse of being judged.
He does his own will, not the will of the Shepherd. Jesus says in Luke 6:46, ' why do you call me Lord, Lord, yet do not do what I say?
Examine your life if you are still in the faith. You claim to know Jesus, but does Jesus know you? Jesus knows only His sheep, not the goats.
Are you a sheep Christian or a goat Christian? Do we manifest the characteristics of the sheep in our lives as Christians or the characteristics of the goat are manifest?
Are you following Jesus or following the world? Whose voice are you listening to? Is it the voice of Jesus or the voice of the Devil?
May we not go from the church to Hell in Jesus name.
Are You Ready?
Like a thief in the night
Jesus will come
Like a thief in the night
The Lord shall return
Like a thief in the night
The Lord shall return
Are you ready, are you ready?
Are you ready?
For the coming of the Lord
Who died for you?
Are you ready?
For the coming of the Lord
Who died for you?
Are you ready, are you ready?
Are you ready?
For the coming of the Lord
Who died for you?
Are you ready?
For the coming of the Lord
Who died for you?
Brother, watch and pray
Sister, watch and pray
Sister, watch and pray
Like a thief in the night
Jesus will come
Like a thief in the night
The Saviour shall return.
Jesus will come
Like a thief in the night
The Saviour shall return.
Go and Tell Them
Go and Tell Them
Go and tell them
Go and tell them
Jesus died for every man
Go and tell them
Jesus died for every man
Go and tell them
Go and tell them
He is coming back again.
Go and tell them
He is coming back again.
Prayers for Grace Not to Fall
The power of God to keep standing and not to fall, rest upon me in Jesus name ( 1 Corinthians 10:12)
The power of God not to fall in the faith rest upon me continually in Jesus name ( Luke 22:32)
The power of God not to return to the world like Demas ( 2 Timothy 4:10), rest upon me in Jesus name.
The power of God not to look back like Lot's wife, rest upon me continually in Jesus name ( Luke 17:32)
O Lord God, keep me by your power (1 Peter 1:5)
Power of God to be focused on Jesus Christ as the author and the finisher of our faith, rest upon us in Jesus name ( Hebrews 12:1-2).
The power of God to run our Christian race victoriously and be among the overcomers that Jesus is coming for, rest upon us in Jesus name ( Hebrews 12:1-2).
Lagos, Nigeria
Spirit of the Fear of God
The power and the grace to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives, come upon us in Jesus name ( Luke 1:74-75)
Power to perfect holiness in the fear of God, come upon us in Jesus name ( 2 Corinthians 7:1).
The fear of God to depart from evil, come upon us in Jesus name ( Proverbs 16:6)
Spirit of the fear of God; spirit of counsel; spirit of might; spirit of knowledge, spirit of wisdom; spirit of understanding and the spirit of the Lord, rest upon us all in Jesus name ( Isaiah 11:2)
Preparing for Vanity or for Eternity?
' they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.' ( Luke 17:27).
Those that perished in the Judgment of the first world in the Days of Noah devoted the totality of their hearts, energies and time to the affairs of the world but paid no attention to the afterlife and things that are eternal.
Are you currently making the same error? Are you devoted to pleasures but having no time for the matters that have a direct bearing with the eternal destination of your soul?
Are you devoting all your time and resources to make elaborate preparations for New Year Day celebration; Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day and many other worldly celebrations which are one day events but making virtually no preparations for your eternal destination which is everlasting and timeless, unending.
Have you repented and converted? ( Acts 2:38)
Are you born again? ( John 3:3)
Is your name in the Book of Life? ( Revelation 20:15)
Have you crossed from death to life? ( John 5:24)
Are you cleansed in the Blood of Jesus ?( 1 John 1:6-7)
Do you confess Jesus as Lord? ( Romans 10:9)
Have you inherited eternal life in Jesus Christ? ( John 3:16)
Are you born again? ( John 3:3)
Is your name in the Book of Life? ( Revelation 20:15)
Have you crossed from death to life? ( John 5:24)
Are you cleansed in the Blood of Jesus ?( 1 John 1:6-7)
Do you confess Jesus as Lord? ( Romans 10:9)
Have you inherited eternal life in Jesus Christ? ( John 3:16)
If you have not, that means you are making the same tragic error that occurred in the days of Noah. Those that perished gained the whole world but lost their eternal soul ( Matthew 16:26). They lived for their mortal bodies but neglected their immortal and eternal soul.
They lived their lives for the mortal flesh while neglecting spiritual values that are eternal. Their hearts were devoted to carnality above spirituality and made no concrete plans for their eternity.
Have a sober reflection. Are you now living your life on Earth as in the days of Noah? Running after vanity at the detriment of your eternity?
Repent now and enter into the Ark of salvation before it becomes too late. Jesus is our Ark of salvation. Those that perished in the days of Noah perished because they ignored the Ark of Noah, which was their Ark of salvation.
ayodele adegbulugbe
Lagos, Nigeria
Phone: +2348035978352
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