Verse of the day

Monday, 18 September 2023.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.

Psalms 34:4‭-5 NKJV

Insights

The Holy Spirit Helps Us

This I must say is one of the most beautiful assurances that we have in Christ Jesus. The divine assistance to ask God what we do not have the human intelligence or capacity to ask with the help of the Holy Spirit.

We know that our human mind is incapable of comprehending the depth of the mysteries and beauties that the Lord has for us, so we must depend solely on the Holy Spirit.

One scripture we must hold dear to our hearts is Philippians 2:13. That God is at work in us to do His and His pleasure. After all, we are created for His pleasure. God wants to be in us, talk in us and through us, work in and through us, and walk in us. This made the assessment of Paul more beautiful.

In Him (God) we live, move, and have our entire being. Those who tried to live outside of Him always lived below expectations because they lacked the backing of the Highest Intelligence.

To think with our carnal mind will only lead to the decay of spiritual man. We often try to explore our inherent strength rather than cling to His. However, we know that by human strength shall no man prevail.

I must say that the privileges of being God's children are beyond us. That God helps us when we are weak is incredible and astonishing. No wonder the Bible referred to Christ as our greatest High Priest who can sympathize with us in our weakness.

He feels for us when we are discouraged, deflated, unhappy, tired, and experiencing other negative emotions. He comes to our aid and sends us His peace to suit us amid our deepest troubles. This He does because He is faithful and kind.

Do you remember that time when you were so weak that you could not pray? That point when you are so discouraged that you lack the strength to pray. That was the state of David and his mighty men, but even at this stage, you can count on the Holy Spirit.

One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to help us in that phase. He begins to pray for us with earnestness that we are incapable of us. The beauty of this is that we can trust the Holy Spirit to assist us in praying.

Since no one knows the mind of God save the Spirit of God and also He knows our mind. Therefore, He can better pray for us and pray beyond what our human mind can comprehend. Praise the Lord.

Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:27 NKJV

You can count on Him to help you even when you are in the lowest place spiritually.

Groaning That Can Not Be Uttered

Only the Holy Spirit knows the depth of God's desire to save the world. As we lend ourselves to be a tool of salvation to the world and people around us. We can trust the Holy Spirit to do the best job through us.

By this, I mean, that when our brains and knowledge about a subject are exhausted, the Holy Spirit takes us to another dimension in prayer with deep anguish and passion that may not be fitted for words.

In this state intelligence and knowledge are buried under the tears and agony of the Holy Spirit as battles are being won, victories secured, souls saved, and nations being turned to God.

This work can only be done by the Holy Spirit. That is the more reason why you must ask for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and keep asking daily until you overflow in the anointing of the Spirit.

Thank God we have the Holy Spirit to help us when we are weak. We can trust Him to strengthen us always and give us all the support we need to live a victorious Christian life daily.

Action Point

Depend solely on the Holy Spirit and He will lift you from your lowest point to a supernatural height. He wants to help you, but you must allow Him.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 8:26 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/rom.8.26.NKJV

Today we see the three things that make a successful life. Anyone who has all of these would be deemed to have a great life. Unfortunately, so many people never enter into all these. It's either they have one or two but not all. 

Not many rich are honorable, and not many honorable who are rich enjoy a long life. Also, not many who are honorable and live long do have riches. Again, not all who live long have either riches or honor. But God wants us to have all this to live a satisfying and well-pleasing life. 

He is lending to anyone who cares and desires to have this full life of absolute fulfillment to try out doing two simple things. 

1. Humility 

Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.

Proverbs 18:12 NKJV

The humble is the friend of God. You can be sure God will not withhold good things from him.  Certain such individuals will enjoy the influence and riches of God. 

The first form of humility God wants anyone to exhibit is to surrender his or her life to Him for salvation. This means that you must be willing to accept the plans of God for the salvation of mankind through Christ Jesus. 

You may not understand everything but when you drop all your knowledge and ability to cling unto God for His unmerited favor and you are saved. Only those who are humble get saved. 

God in turn will give you eternal life and then prolong your days. With a long life will He satisfy you and show you His salvation every day. 

Humility is first of the heart. Pride destroys faster than any form of sin. When you are humble in the sight of the Lord, He will promote you before men. A proud man will have God to deal with because He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  

The second form of humility is towards other people. It is the fragrance of your humility before the Lord that will reflect in your outer life among people.  You will truly be a shining example of the humble nature of God. 

A humble and meek man can not die anyhow. Such a fellow makes very few enemies. Even when there is a plot against him it will be exposed. Those who gang up against the meek are in trouble no matter how close they are. 

The Bible recorded that Moses was the meekest or humblest man on earth. This status carries divine coverage. When Aron and Miriam spoke against him,  they found themselves in God's net.

2. The Fear Of The Lord 

Those who fear the Lord have the favor of God. Not those who do eye service but people who deeply revere God because of His greatness and power. 

To fear the Lord is to love life and prevent death. 

The fear of the Lord prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Proverbs 10:27 NKJV

A man who fears the Lord needs to fear man. You are guaranteed divine protection,  wisdom, knowledge,  understanding, honor,  wealth, and many more benefits when you fear the Lord.

In short, to fear the Lord is to do what He wants you to do at all times. This will tend to all the blessings of life.

Do you want riches to enjoy the benefits of life, honor among men, and long life to have a lasting legacy? Try these two methods of greatness that God has given and you can never miss out on any of the benefits.

By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.

Proverbs 22:4 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/pro.22.4.NKJV

Often times life presents us with difficult situations and circumstances. These bewildering situations often make the human heart faint.  

In such situations, we like Gideon are quick to ask questions and query if God was ever with us. We wonder if He is truly our very present help in trouble.  

When you find yourself in such situations, you must be reminded of the many promises of God to us who are His children. He has promised to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). 

Jesus in particular said He will be with us always until the end of the age. You can count on God to be with you in the midst of the battle and come to your rescue at the best time (Matthew 28:20; Psalms 46:5).

While you pray and wait for His divine intervention, you must be of good courage. You must never entertain any fear in your heart.  

Fear is the greatest enemy of victory. Those who are frightful never win their battles. They die before the battle ever begins. The noise of the horses and their riders sends them into hiding but the righteous must be bold as a lion. 

In whom do you hope? 

Some trust in chariots and horses, that is, their wealth, connection,  influence, wisdom, skills,  and other things. In the end, they fall but those who put their hope in the Lord will be strong and stand firm (Psalms 20:7-8). 

As long as you put your trust in the Lord, He will always strengthen your heart and prepare your heart for victory. 

Never forget that you must be strong and take courage not in yourself but in the Lord and His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). The only reason why you are sure of victory is because Jesus your Lord is always Victorious. 

Don't be deceived to think that you can be strong and have good courage in yourself, you will be digging your own pit instead. 

How To Build Your Courage

It is no secret that faith comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). The word of God is the sole courage builder that any child of God can trust. 

This is because God's word is alive to address every problem in your life. The word of God also makes known to you God, and through the knowledge of God, you can be victorious. 

Again, when you meditate on the word of God, you will see stories of how God has delivered His children in the past, and your faith will be built so strongly to confront your enemies. 

One of those instances was found in 1 Samuel 30:1-31. In this chapter, the enemy raided the home of David and took his wife and people captive. The pain and grief were so great that the men wept until they had no strength left. 

But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. That was the turning point, God gave him the marching order to pursue the enemies who were gone three days before, to overtake them,  and to recover all. God gave David a huge victory and he returned with great spoils. 

When you take courage in the Lord, your heart will not faint and you will be able to win all your battles. When God told Joshua to be strong and courageous, He also told him to meditate on His word. 

True courage can be found in God through His word. The word of God is alive, therefore meditate on it day and night.

While you wait for God to show up for you, you must cheer up and not wear despair on your face because you can be certain that He will do you good.

Verse Of The Day

Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

Psalms 31:24 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/psa.31.24.NKJV

From Death To Life

This is one of the greatest promises of Christ to everyone who believes in Him. We know that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life to those who believe in Christ Jesus.

The Bible made it clear that through the failure of Adam, the entire human race was plunged into the abyss of sin.

Everyone became a sinner at birth and is deserving of death. David made this clear when he declared in Psalms 51:5, that he was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin his mother conceived him.

The case of everyone was hopeless until God sent His Son Jesus into the world to take care of the problem of sin by dying on the cross to pay its price in full.

Now, no one should be condemned again. No one should ever face eternal punishment again because Christ has paid it all. As true as this is, there is a condition to obtaining this endless life with God.

This can be found in John 3:16. If anyone believes in Christ, such will not perish but have eternal life. Those who trust in Jesus for salvation will not experience divine judgment because Christ has taken their sin upon Himself.

This experience is passing from death to life. It means that when we die now, we will live forever with God. However, those who die without possessing this life will have eternal death or condemnation.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2:1

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:4‭-‬5

Now you are a new creature in Christ Jesus, your old life died with Christ and you are now raised with Christ into a gloriously new and eternal life.

So what should you do now when you have eternal life?

It is not enough to have obtained this life (that is, eternal life), it is better to keep believing in the one who gave it to you. You must not in any case or under any circumstance for any reason stop believing and obeying the one who gave you the life.

Jesus said, you should not only hear what He has to say but you should do it. Remember, the key to sustaining this new life is simply doing what the owner asks you to do.

When you live daily believing in Christ and obeying His words, you are guaranteed eternal safety. No more condemnation, you can now live the God-life in full here on earth and then in heaven.

Action

Keep believing and obeying Christ and you will always live above the condemnation of sin because you have eternal life in you.

From Death To Life

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

John 5:24 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.5.24.NKJV

Verse of the day

Wednesday, 13 September 2023.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2

Don't Be Like The World

The Bible tells us that the world we see will one day pass away with all its fashions, entertainment, glamour and you name it, but only those who do the will of God will abide forever (1 John 2:17).

We know the world is of very little worth though it looks attractive. It does not have eternal value. One day everything in the world will be burnt by fire.

Can you imagine how magnificent the Temple and Palace were? They were one wonder of the ancient world but they ended up being burnt with fire.

The Lord also gave us what the true value of the world is. He said, that even if a man manages to gain the whole world, and loses his soul, such a fellow has wasted his life.

So, the world is not worth pursuing. Whether it is the Porsche, Bentley, Ross Royce, the gold, diamond, luxury houses, the best of wines, or everything called the best in the world, they will one day fizzle out.

The World System

Believers must know that there is a system guiding this world and it is antichrist. Everything has been designed to choke the life out of everyone who dares to believe in God for salvation.

In short, the system of this world is designed to make you sin against God. Never forget, however, that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God (James 4:4).

What should the Christian do?

You are in the world but not of the world. You are of God and you must live by godly values. This is because greater is Jesus in you than all the demons in the world (1 John 4:4).

You can not afford to compromise your faith in God to achieve anything in the world. You can not bend to the rules of this world to fit in among the crowds.

You must understand that the world will present you with rich dainties as was presented to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshac, and Abednego. But you must determine in your mind that you will never defile yourself with the pollution of this world (Daniel 1:8).

Sometimes, you will be offered seamlessly harmless opportunities that lead you to live in an ungodly manner or steal your opportunity to serve God.

You will be asked to change figures and falsify records but you must never forget the instruction of the Lord:

"My Son, if sinners entice you, say: No!" (Proverbs 1:10).

Don't go about saying, I will do it once and God will forgive me. Well, God will truly forgive you, but your life would have been left with a scar.

Do not go about trying to get wealth illicitly, knowing that it is God who makes a man rich without adding sorrow to his life. On the other hand, when you make riches through corrupt worldly means, you can be sure of many sorrows attached.

Let God Transform You

Every day, God is working on us. His goal is to make us in the image of Christ. This work of God is consistent and cumulative. But you must allow Him. No one is capable of changing his life, therefore you must turn to God for help to live a better Christian life.

God wants to change the way you think, the way you talk, the way act, the way you dress, the way do business, and the way you live in general.

Remember that there used to be a way in which you lived in the past until you became a child of God. God wants you to unlearn the way of the world and its value and learn the kingdom-life.

How does God intend to achieve this? He wants to transform you by His word. His word is capable of cleansing and reforming the human heart (John 15:3; Hebrews 4:12).

Therefore, you must spend quality time in the word of God. Stay in the assembly of Godly people. You can no longer enjoy the company of your old friends. They will likely take you back to the world.