One of the difficult things to say is ‘No’. God….!! It is heart-wrenching at times to utter the word. But as a Christian I am steadily realizing that I cannot afford to be all – patronizing. If you and I do not learn to say ‘NO’, our life is headed for destruction. Let him be hurt. But compromising my stand/destiny for the sake of your comfort/emotions is something we must refuse strongly. The man Paul struck me as one who is not scared to say ‘NO’.
A point came in his life when he could have remained silent on just a seemingly-simple matter as eating with other gentiles or fellow Jews as an outward show of observance of the law. But rather than be swept by the deceit and hypocrisy of the time; as painful as it was to stand against a friend, he stated the obvious and here we are enjoying that benefit. Reference: Galatians 2: 11-14.
There is a time to be quiet and a time to speak up for the truth. Learn to do this and protect yourself. The Bible says in Jude that ‘Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.’ (Jude 1:22-23). The KingJames Version says ‘..hating even the garment spotted by the flesh’. I can imagine these were not the ‘all – patronizing’, ‘let-us-just-be-a-little-more–accommodating kind of Christians’. They stood for the truth in word and in deed. Let’s learn to realize that as Christians, the filthiness of the world is not an excuse for the stench we choose to carry. We ought always to be a sweet- smelling fragrance of Christ’s death and resurrection.
– Dr. Bolaji Akanni
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
There are quite a number of things which we have reserved for the few but which ironically is the legitimate right of any one born of God i.e. anyone who has believed in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
One of such is the fact that we are anointed by God with the Holy Spirit.
2nd Corinthians 1:21 – 22 states “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
The Christian is the anointed one. His anointing did not come through some cheap means. No! It was God that anointed Him. Realise that contrary to the old testament times, as many as simply believe in Christ Jesus have actually been anointed with God’s Holy Spirit. Now this speaks of you.
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified) John 7: 37 – 39
This is remarkable because even early in the ministry of Jesus he identified the fact that it is mere faith on his death and resurrection that guarantees this, and not our zealousness or the works of our hands.
Now let’s see Acts 2:32 – 33
“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
In the eyes of men, we are prone to excluding or including ourselves in some fair show of humility but God does not know such. What he has done for one, He has done for all. No man can be more anointed than the other.
Why is this so? This is because the object of our anointing is the Holy Spirit of God who is a person and not some measurable entity. If it were some other inanimate material we may understand but the scripture above says God has given the earnest of the spirit into our hearts. John 3:34; 1st John2:20,27
Let us read Ephesians 1: 13 – 14 together “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
See also John 14: 16 – 18 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
I get dismayed when Christians lose sight of what God has done. The Christian is anointed. If you deny your anointing then you are not born again. Then you can’t see the Kingdom of God which means you are still hell bound. This is the pitiable reality.
You have received this anointing from God.
Again we fail to realize that our anointing is not a ‘once in a while’ thing. Appreciate the expression “till the day of redemption”; see another one “forever”; or can you fathom “dwell”.
Reminds me of some friends of mine who love to travel light because they know they won’t be long where they are going to. But God didn’t come to stay awhile. The bible says He dwells in you by virtue of this same anointing.
I bring you Good news friends we have been anointed of God. You have God resident on your inside. His Spirit is at work in you even as we speak. You are not destitute of the presence of God neither are you of His power. You have His ability resident within you.
I leave you with these words from 1st Corinthians 3:21 – 23
“Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.”
I am tempted to add to the list above “that great man of God” and “that anointed man of God”. But you see the truth is – all things are yours.
God is at work within you my brother and sister. Paul understood this early when he said in Galatians 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:). Not another one or another anointing, it was the same. We all have been made to drink of the same spirit.
Never look down upon your Christianity. God is at work in you.
Brother, sister, continue basking in the anointing you have received already.
– Dr. bolaji akanni
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” I Peter 2:24 (NIV)
Your reality is created by your perspective. The position from which you look determines what you see. If you’re looking down from the mountain top, everything looks so small. But if you are looking at things from the ground, everything looks so big.
You many have been diagnosed by medical science as having an incurable disease. What matters is not what the doctor said. What matter is what you see. What do you see?
Do you see yourself as a sorry case marked for death? If you do, you’re looking from the ground. If you will, you may follow me down the Via Dolorosa, up the mount ofGolgotha to the place of the skull where the savior was crucified. Then look down at your sickness from that mountain and you will find out that you are not ‘the sick’ but ‘the healed’.
Jesus bore forty stripes minus one on his back and bled on that mountain to secure your healing. By his wounds, you were healed. Walk into that healing by faith today. It is yours NOW!
– Dr deji Oyebamiji
“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, EVEN AS THE LORD THE CHURCH”. Ephesians 5:29 (KJV)
I am the flesh of Jesus’ flesh and bone of his bones. When God created man in the garden, he made him alone. Then, we are told that God caused him to fall into a deep sleep, took a rib out and formed a woman out of it. He brought the woman to the man and the man said: ‘This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh’. When he said that, he meant that the bones and flesh of the woman came out of his own bones and flesh. But more than that, he also meant that he was obligated to nourish and cherish the bones and flesh of the woman as he would his own bones and flesh.
Now, Ephesians 5:30 tells us that just as through the deep sleep and awakening of Adam, Eve was made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones, so also, through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have been made flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones.
Therefore, in the same way in which Adam was committed to nourish the flesh of Eve as his own flesh, Christ also is committed to nourish and cherish this mortal body of ours as his own glorified body.
Do you now see why sickness and disease can’t just come and drop it’s baggage on you? Your body is hooked up to the body of Christ. He is committed to nourish and cherish your body as his own.
A body nourished and cherished by Christ should not have cancer, skin disease, HIV or any such thing. Why? Because Jesus’ body simply doesn’t have any of these. Heed the call of victory today and walk into your dominion. You are bone of Jesus’ bones and flesh of his flesh!
– Dr. deji Oyebamiji
“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” Ephesians 5:30 (KJV)
Who are we? What advantage do we have for being Christians? Where do we stand in life? Christianity is a life of all round victory – victory for the spirit, victory for the mind and victory for the body.
For the spirit, Christianity is ‘being one spirit with God’ (I Cor. 6:17). For the mind, Christianity is ‘having the mind of Christ’ (I Cor. 2:16). For the body, Christianity is “being flesh of Jesus’ flesh and bone of his bones”.
Don’t embrace a partial Christianity. Embrace a total Christianity – a Christianity that presents salvation for the spirit, for the soul and for the body.
What does it mean to be flesh of Jesus’ flesh and bone of his bones? It means whatever cannot affect his flesh and his bones should not affect yours. It means that you share in his divine immunity to sickness and disease. It means the life that flows in the flesh and bones of Jesus now flows in you. It means the health of Christ is in you.
Can you see it? Can you believe it? Walking in the divine health that God has given to us is not a matter of prayer and fasting. It is a matter of spiritual discovery. Discover today who you are. Embrace your new identity and enter into a whole new life of victory over sickness and disease.
To be continued …
Dr. deji_oyebamiji