Before His death…
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever
Amen…
After His death and resurrection…
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Your presence is with us … (2Cor.6: 16b)
For thy will has been done on earth as, as it is in heaven … (Heb.10: 7-10, Jms.1: 18)
You are our daily provision … (Heb.13: 5-6)
And forgiven us our debts, so we forgive our debtors … (Eph.4: 32, Col.3: 13)
And led us out of temptation, and delivered us from the evil one … (Col.1: 13)
For ours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever … (Eph.2: 19)
Amen…
– emeka ofia
If there is anything I wish to God the Christian would accept, it is the fact that He has been given a heritage in the King domain of God. The truth of God’s word is that you and I have escaped the corruption of this world and have been made partakers of God’s own divine nature.
Ephesians 2:2 says Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
I love the way our walk was described …“in time past”.
Today we take a peep into the fact that the Christian has been set free from all powers of the evil one and we begin this discussion by referring to a parable of Jesus. The scene was not a favourite for the Pharisee’s. Jesus had made numerous comments about the unfaithfulness and the hard impenitent nature of their hearts. But then he capped it up with this parable describing the man possessed of evil. I have heard many make reference or even sight this parable in discussing about how the Christian ought to take heed lest he is possessed of a devil. A close look at the Word shows however we ought to take heed how we attribute all statements as being descriptive of the man born again.
Verse 44 of the 12th chapter of Mathew is insightful. The word of God says that unclean spirit came and findeth the place empty, swept and garnished.
We see from God’s word certain attributes of the Christian who is born of God. But the word “empty” is not found as an attribute of the man born again. You are not empty waiting to be filled with any thing that may just pass by. You are not a holiday resort for the devil and his cohorts.
If anything we realize that for being a child of God in Glory, the Christian has received the full measure of God’s spirit.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Gal 4:6
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 1st John 4:13
God has filled you through and through. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:16 You are not empty rather you possess in you the very life of God.
The word of God is explicit on the fact that the life of the Christian is hid in Christ and in God. Let’s see what Col 1:14 says Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Once you and I were not the people of God but now are we His people that we may show forth the excellent virtues of the one who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. For “In Christ was life and this life is the light of men the light shineth in the darkness and darkness could not comprehend it not”.
You and I are not empty. I wish to God you would understand that in you is the life of God. Bible says this is the record that God has given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son Christ Jesus. Consider the fact that you have not received the Spirit which is if this world but the sprit which is of God. This is what you and I now possess as a heritage.
Dear believer, before you consider seeking for deliverance, realize you ought to ask yourself this question – Do I know the kind of Spirit I have been made of?
You’ve been delivered dear friend.
– Dr bolaji akanni
Jesus Christ answered the following questions correctly before he died. Apostle Paul did the same. All men whose lives were declared by God to be successful did the same. Why shouldn’t you do likewise?
# 1. Who am I? – Sounds simple and common, but it goes a long way to determine if you end up in life a success or failure. Your identity defines your activity. A fish is expected to swim. When you hear a bark, you think of a dog. The label you place on yourself determines what your mind is predisposed to do and consequently, the lifestyle you live. Paul always introduced himself as “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God“. (Eph 1:1). Who are you?
# 2. What am I here for? – This is your purpose for living. Why do you see yourself qualified to still be on earth. The computer keyboard is used for typing information into the computer. If it stops functioning, it is not better than plywood. What are you doing that makes you believe the world still needs you? Jesus Christ said in John 10:10 (NLT) – “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness“. What is your purpose for living? If you don’t know the mission you are to accomplish, then you may never get to a point in life where you say like Jesus – “It is finished”, or like Paul, “I have finished the race”, or in modern lingua – “mission accomplished”. What are you meant to do, finish and accomplish?
# 3. Am I living in line with my purpose? – Those who have succeeded in answering the first two questions correctly should endeavour to answer this everyday. It is meant to give you focus and direction. Without focus, distractions are constantly celebrated, energy is readily wasted and life is lived unfulfilled. Without a compass, a pilot is assumed to have said his last prayer. Without a map, a voyager may not get to his destination even though he started sailing well. Paul said in I Cor. 9:26 (NLT) “I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step“. Is there purpose in every step you take in life?
Beloved, I believe one day you will love to stand before God and say confidently that – “I accomplished my mission on earth”. You will want to receive God’s commendation for living a successful life. Why not take a timeout to answer these questions correctly and consequently reflect the answers in your lifestyle. Remember, only the living can make decisions, so act now!
tope aladenusi
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 14:17 NLT
Be patient in trouble and always be prayerful. Romans 12:26 NLY
I once heard the story of a man who gave his son a puzzle to solve. He disarranged a world map puzzle and gave his son to arrange it back because he was disturbing his meditation. Unknown to him, at the back of the world map puzzle was the picture of a man. The boy did not waste time arranging it back and this surprised the father greatly. He asked the little boy how he did it and his response was “If the man is right, the world would be right”.
When problems arise in your marriage and everything seems to be in disarray, and you are considering where to start from, remember what that little boy said – “If the man is right, the world would be right”. The solution could just be you. How do I mean? When you act right or decide to put things right in your own life, it influences a change in your partner thereby making your marriage right. Let the change in your marriage or relationship start from you. You don’t have to wait for your spouse to change first. Be an actor of love and not only a ‘reactor’. Take time to pray about the problems and situations you are going through, committing your spouse to God. I am confident that He would make a way out for you. One thing I found out about prayer is that it changes you first. So let your prayers change you for your situation to become right. Allow God to work in your life and your spouses’. Let your actions be commensurate to your prayers. Pray for a change and expect a change.
At times, the solution may be a change in character or habit. Majority of problems in homes are caused by character and habit differences. For instance, a dirty wife with a shabby dress sense and unsubmissive attitude has gracefully invited problems into her home. Such a woman would be wasting her time if she goes 40days fasting and prayer because of the problem. All she needs to do is to change her ways first. Check your life first; it could be your spending habits, nagging attitude, pride, anger, culinary skills, nonchalant attitude…
What are those things you need to do away with? Let the change start from you, be determined to win your spouse back with love and humility. Pray to God, learn of Him and let Him work on your character. God wants to dry away your tears, heal your heart and relieve you of your pains, only just allow Him to perfect His work in you, remoulding your character. For when He changes you, it influences your partner to change, normalcy returns and then your heart is filled with joy. I Peter 3:1 sets the tone – Wives, in a similar way, place yourselves under your husbands’ authority. Some husbands may not obey God’s word. Their wives could win these men for Christ by the way they live without saying anything.
After the change has come, remember to always succeed in your marriage everyday.
busola oshinubi
Love never gives up, never looses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 14: 7 (NLT)
Perhaps you are at the crossroad about to make a decision; Quit or endure? You are facing a lot of problems in your marriage that is getting you hardened by the day. You have probably exerted efforts to make your marriage work instead, it is growing worse. Love has turned sour; seeing your partner irritates you. Uhm … You say marriage is not a bed of roses.
I can understand how you feel. Marriage may not be a bed of roses to you but even if it were so, the rose plants I know have thorns in their stem. Sometimes you may get a small ‘sting’ while trying to pick the roses. Marriage may not fit exactly like what we were being told in the fairy tales “and they lived happily ever after”. It usually comes with very big challenges. Before you make your decision to quit, I would like to remind you that God is so much more interested in your situation and He wants a turn around for you so that you may enjoy the blessedness of marriage. Like the phrase, “it’s not over until it is over”, I know your innermost desire is to see a turn around in your marriage.
Consider this: The way you respond to life determines what you get from it – Gal 6:7. Your attitude affects a lot of things and as you truly desire a change, be positive in your mind. Don’t base your marriage on feelings because they can be very deceptive rather let it be based on choice; the choice to always stick together; choice to love no matter what. See those problems as a challenges; a challenge to love better, to be more patient; to learn. When you see problems as a challenge, you have already laid a foundation for change and for the solution. Challenges are meant to make you better. It works when you are positive in your mind about your situation, believing that turbulent times will pass away. No matter the situation, make a decision today that you will win your spouse back to love.
Have you ever considered why a larva has to go through a lot of struggle in the cocoons to become a beautiful butterfly? Of course to get rid of the ugly part. If the Larva had refused to see the cocoon as a challenge and decides to react negatively, it would die as a larva.
Regardless of the situation, be positive in your mind, don’t give up in Love. Be determined to win your partner back. Then you will enjoy the blessedness in marriage. You will begin to succeed everyday in your marriage.
– busola oshinubi