Posts Tagged ‘Christ’

Unveiling the Mystery of Sanctification…..

Posted: February 10, 2013 in His Word
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Welcome to church!!

Sorry this category hasn’t been populated in a little while, doesn’t mean I haven’t been going to church. Ok I’ll be honest and say I have missed a few services in the last few weeks, but we’re back on track now!

Message for this week is titled: unveiling the mystery of sanctification and it was sometime in October 2012. Bible and notepad out yet?

He started by saying that the priority of God for everyone is sanctification. I Thessalonians 4:3-4  ”It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,”

2 Timothy 2:19-21. If we are of God, we should be like Him in all things, including holiness. How else are we to walk/work with Him? Amos 3:3 says “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”

Note that the righteousness we get by salvation can only be maintained by sanctification. Isaiah 59:1 Zechariah 3:3

Holiness is an observable trait, not a hidden secret; people should be able to see your righteousness in the way you speak and act. 2 Timothy 2:10

2 Thessalonians 3:3-7 There is a war waged against our righteousness day in, day out; that war is waged against our destiny.

In Luke 22:3, we see that “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve”  and are reminded of the need to always remain too hot for the devil and his cronies to ‘settle on’. The same way flies never settle on steaming food, we should remain too hot for every appearance of evil!

Instruments The Enemy Uses to ‘Paralyze’ Our Lives

  1. The spirit of this world. 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.  For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
  2. The lust of the flesh; the lust of the eyes
  3. The pride of life. Please read Proverbs 6:16 and  2 Chronicles 6:19. James 4:6 says “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

What Has God Given Us To Overcome All Three?

1. The spirit of love. Romans 8:37. In order for us to please God our love for Him must never be in doubt. Romans 5:5

The commandments of God are only grievous to those who don’t love Him, and Philippians 2:13 posits that this deep love only comes via an encounter with the Holy Spirit. Next time you get an instruction from God and you feel yourself murmuring or complaining, ask yourself if your love for God is still ‘on point’.

2. Keeping right company. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” The easiest way to miss it is to follow someone not headed in your direction.

How Do I Engage With This Spirit of God?

  1. Have a hunger and a thirst for pleasing God. Isaiah 55:1-2
  2. Engage your faith. Matthew 11:12

The major reward/result of sanctification is favor. Do you want to enjoy God’s favor? Please Him, by being like Him!

Have a super productive week!

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HE IS LORD, YES HE IS

Posted: January 27, 2013 in His Word
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“Christ alone, corner stone, weak made strong, in the Saviour’s love, through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all”

Above was one of the worship songs we sang at Hillsongs, Dominion Theatre this morning. I sang every word of the song with all my heart! Want to know why?

Apart from the fact that I really love this church, and missed it terribly, at the end of the day, Jesus is Lord of All. Whether it’s raining or snowing, He is Lord, if you’re hungry or fed, sick or well, poor or rich, white or black, He is, and remains Lord of All, including you.

There seems to be so much evil going on in the world right now; sickness, hunger, wars, horrible leadership from even more horrible leaders, and people are suffering – almost difficult to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ through all this. But, He is Lord.

Your name is higher

your name is greater

all my hope is in you

your word, unfailing

your promise unshaken

all my hope is in you

That’s another song we sang.

Very quickly, think of a World Leader you admire and imagine you were given a choice of whom to serve/work for; that World Leader, or the person who sweeps your street. Who? I thought so too – I’d choose the world leader in a flash, no doubt there!

In the same way, we’re all better off serving Jesus, surrendering our thoughts, worries, and desires at His feet, and living for Him everyday. We’re better off casting all our cares, fears and burdens on Him, because He’s more than able to turn things around for our good, take out pain away, and keep us wrapped in His love.

We need to make Him Lord of all though, not Lord sometimes. So He’s not Lord of the weekdays and we’re in charge of the weekends; He’s either Lord of all, or not Lord at all. Our decision.

Have a super productive week!

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OVERCOMING SIN BY THE BLOOD

Posted: June 5, 2011 in Blogs from and about school!, His Word
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I’m sure you might be wondering about the new attitude to the chronicles on this blog; I know, I feel like I’m doing great too! Basically, I think it’s because I’ve got some free time now, and I’m also trying to satisfy you so much that when I get to Nigeria and get too busy (not like I can ever get too busy for you), you’ll remember these happy periods!

Ok, today’s post is from a sermon by my Papa in Abuja, Bishop David Abioye! I actually was in church when he preached this message sometime in late 2009 but when I asked my darling sister to send me Mp3′s with messages, one of them had this sermon! I listened to it on one of ‘those days’, and below I have reproduced my notes,. Be blessed as you read! Err, and I hope you went to church today!

*All scriptures are taken from King James Version of the Bible*

OVERCOMING SIN BY THE BLOOD

Sin is worldliness, and worldliness is made up of these three:

  1. the lust of the flesh – Galatians 5:19-21
  2. the lust of the eyes
  3. the pride of life – 2 Tim 3:1-5
1John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.” All unrighteousness is sin – anything I cannot share a testimony about or do in public; anything I do/say/think that is wrong is sin.
Colossians 3:3 “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
2Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Hebrews 12:4 “Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”
  • I must resist sin with the same intensity I resist sickness, poverty, and unpleasant circumstances. How do you resist sin? By engaging the power of your will!
Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live”
Genesis 39:8-9 “But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what [is] with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand//[There is] none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou [art] his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
There are three dimensions to the Blood of Jesus:
  • The Speaking Blood – when I am confronted by evil thoughts, desires ideas, I can plead the Blood. Hebrews 12:24 “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of] Abel.”
  • The Sprinkling Blood – I can sprinkle the blood and purge my conscience. Hebrews 9:12 – 14 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption [for us]//For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh://How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
  • The Drinking Blood (the communion) – partaking of the flesh and blood of Jesus not only ensures that the life of Jesus is continually infused into mine, wiping anything in me that doesn’t please Him. John 6:53 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.”
What The Blood Of Jesus Does/Can Do For Me
  • The Blood of Jesus is my ticket of redemption. Colossians 3:13-14. Revelations 5:9. Ephesians 1:7-9
  • The Blood cleanses. 1John 1:7
  • The Blood purges (from stubborn characters, besetting sins, etc). James 4:6, 1Peter 5:8
I pray that as you administer the Blood of Jesus (whichever way you need it), it answers for you in Jesus name, amen!
That’s it! Do you have anything you want to share with us? That’s what the comments section is for!

P:S – I didn’t write out all the scriptures because I didn’t want the post to get too long, and also because I hoped you’d reach for your Bible to do some reading for yourself!

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MAN’S JOURNEY TO GOD

Posted: May 26, 2011 in Blogs from and about school!, His Word
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So exactly three weeks ago Captain invited me to his church, Elshaddai International Christian Center, and I said I’d go, especially since Pastor Creflo Dollar would be ministering! We picked a second friend from New Street Station and rushed to the church, about 10 minutes late. The service and message are the thrust of this chronicle; all scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

To start with, I love their choir! Wow! Melody.com.net.co.uk.anything else you want to put there! You know when, even if you didn’t want to worship, you just find yourself doing so? That’s what great, heartfelt music can do to/for you. Plus they all looked beautiful, if my memory serves me right they all had a touch of pink on.

After the Pastor welcomed the first timers, Pastor Dollar climbed the podium, and I must confess he really looks fit! I mean, I’ve been hearing of him since I was a child and I’ve got some odd 20 years on my watch and he still looks like this? Let’s digress a bit, have you noticed that men of God have this youthful look despite their ages? Look at Daddy Adeboye; I was at Festival of Life in April and my friend reminded me that he would hit 70 this year and I was like wow! Talk about God ‘renewing their strength like that of the eagle’.

Back to the service, Pastor Dollar’s message was titled, ‘Man’s Journey To God’. Welcome to church dear reader, get your bible and pen out! He started by saying “comparing your situation with someone else’s belittles the process/miracle God took you through to get there”. Meaning that if you have a Honda Civic and all you’re interested in is your friends’ Armada you are not only ungrateful, you’re making a mockery of whatever lifting God enabled you to have to get that car. Get it?

1 Peter 2:2 -”As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”

  • the journey to God will be filled with opportunities  for progress and development. Giving your life to Christ doesn’t automatically mean you’re ‘there’. It’s a process.; don’t neglect the process trying to get to the prize. It is foolhardy to look at someone in the faith and desire to be where they are without following the steps they’ve taken to get there.
  • Growth and development are necessary, heaven is only for overcomers! It is in over coming of a thing that promotion comes so if you cry/run away every time a challenge comes you will remain on the same spot! You better believe that quitting is not an option.
  • Difference between growth and development: growth is a natural, gradual process, like a baby growing up into an adult. Development requires effort, pressure, like a guy trying to get his abs ripped, or a person trying to master a skill.
Phil 1:6,9 – “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ/And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment“
  • God is committed to your development. Your attitude to any challenge you face should be seeing it as another opportunity to triumph and further develop yourself and thank God for the opportunity already! A way to do that is not to get comfortable with wherever you are; look for opportunities to develop yourself
  • The devil doesn’t trouble any christian who isn’t a threat to him, so you best be worried if there are no trials, temptations or challenges coming your way!
  • Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping someone else dies. (Insert narrative) – I was very touched by that word, especially since at the time I had just heard of some stuff a ‘friend’ had done behind my back and I was trying not to show how upset I was even though I was literally roasting inside! I have since let it go, truth is now I can’t be bothered, I really can’t. (Narrative over)
  • Pastor Dollar also said that we have to practise loving stuff that isn’t lovely to perfect our love.
James 1:3-4 – “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Ephesians 4: 11-15 – “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Pastor Dollar said there are three stages of spiritual development
  1. Babyhood: they are innocent (no past), ignorant, irritable.
  2. Childhood: unsteady/unreliable, curious (always getting into other people’s business). They are also talkative which is further divided into evil speaking (talking about the faults and failures of others), vain speaking (always talking about themselves) , and foolish speaking (babbling about any and everything)!
  3. Manhood: the point when you esteem spiritual things higher than the natural
Romans 13: 1-12
Pastor Dollar also had something to say about church members who feel it is their place to ‘correct’ their ministers:
  • God will handle the moral failures of his servants, it’s none of my business! He appoints all existing rulers (spiritual and otherwise). To rebel against constituted authority is to rebel against God and there’s always a punishment for that. Numbers 30: 1-8 (read in your time). There is freedom in submission but bondage in rebellion.
Deuteronomy 24: 3 -4
Mark 10:3-5
You can listen to the message for yourself here http://www.elshaddai.org.uk/messages/mansjourneytogod.mp3 and I’ll end with his final word, and mine to you too: an excuse is just another nail to build a house of failure so quit making excuses for where you are, and start doing something about it!
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