Abiding TV

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25 NKJV).

The fear of man is one snare that every Christian will have to face and conquer at some pointing life.

As long as you care more about other people’s expectations and what they think about you than what God’s Word says about you, you will not be free to fulfill God’s call on your life. So, how can you determine if you are ensnared by the fear of man? Let me ask you a few questions:

Do you get depressed when you perceive people are thinking negatively about you?
Do you feel insecure if your Christian peers think you are carnal or that you’ve missed God?
Do you spend hours thinking about how to set the record straight?
Do you always seek to justify your decisions or actions?

This type of thinking is indicative of a spirit of fear—specifically the fear of man—operating in your life. The fear of man is a form of mental bondage that serves as a snare. It will entrap you with worry and will rob you of the inner peace that is yours in Christ.

Jesus said, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (John 5:44 NKJV). In other words, receiving honor from man prevents you from seeking what comes only from God.

Instead of caring what others may think of you, cast the care of your situation onto God and then trust Him to sort things out His way. Trusting God will free you from the snare of the fear of man. When you cast off your care and trust God to look after your reputation, insecurity will be a thing of the past. You will no longer need to look to people’s opinion of your for security (after all, their opinions are subject to change).

Who you are in Christ is unchangeable. So release yourself from the snare of the fear of man and put your trust completely in God. When you do, you will enjoy a life of freedom, secure in the knowledge of who you are in Christ.

Confession: I refuse to allow other people’s opinions of my ideas, decisions, and actions to ensnare me and steal my peace. I cast my care on God, knowing that He cares for me and will sort out everything to my benefit. My security is based solely on God’s Word and who He says I am in Christ.

Author: Jerry Savelle

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Colossians 1:13).

Our opening text states your present position in the presence of God. You’re located there now. You’ve been translated from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. That’s where you live, and that’s the perspective from which you should see everything in life. You’re not weak or poor. You’re loaded and sufficient in all things; you have everything you’ll ever require for life and godliness.

You’re a success and you’re moving from glory to glory. See the glory of God on your life, and refuse to see things from another perspective. The Bible says, "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God" (Psalm 87:3). Live in the reality of who you are in Christ. God’s Word is light; use His light to see the glorious things that He’s spoken concerning you.

When an X-ray is turned on you, it has no consideration for whatever is placed under it; it’s directed straight to your bones. In the same way, the Word of God is directed to the human spirit. When the Word of God tells you something, it’s according to the light of God; how God sees it. For example, in Revelation 2:9, Jesus said to the Church in Smyrna, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)…." The people might have been living in penury, but Jesus said they were rich.

You may be reading this and you’re in debt, but if you’re a child of God, you’re rich. That’s exactly how God sees you in the Word—rich! All the time you were waiting on Him to "do something" so you could pay your rent, He was actually expecting you to rise up to who you are. He’s not aware that you’re broke or poor, because whenever He looks at you, He sees an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ; the possessor of all things.

See with His light, and you’ll discover that what you thought was an impediment has no foundation. See with His light and you’ll always be at peace, because all you see will be solutions and your inevitable victories. Hallelujah!

Confession

I’m in the light of God; I see with, and by that light! I’m what He says I am, and I have what He says I have, and I can do what He says I can do. He’s given me all things freely to enjoy. And I’m living from a position of rest, knowing that I’m a joint-heir with Christ.


further study: Jonah 2:8; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Psalm 36:9

: 2 Corinthians 2:5-3:1-6 Proverbs 14-15

: 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18 Jeremiah 22

In a vision, I saw the branches of a beautiful flowering tree. The blossoms were abundant and beautiful. A mighty wind was blowing the branches around, but not a flower fell to the ground.
"Beloved. Though the evil winds have been threatening you, you are planted upon a Rock. You shall not be be moved. Not one flower shall fall from the planting of the Lord. I am the Vine, you are the branches. My streams of Living Water shall cause you to flourish, for you have been planted in the house of your God. I have filled you with My Spirit and you shall bear much fruit in these last days.

Do you feel the change of season coming, Dear One? There is a change of season and a change of Winds. Those winds of adversity which have tried to destroy you shall be overcome by the Winds of My Spirit. Behold, the winter is past and flowers have appeared. Your Husbandman's Voice is heard in the land. The gentle yet powerful breezes of the Spirit are refreshing you and revitalizing you. I am doing a new thing, do you perceive it, My Child? Old things have passed away. You are the blossoms of the Lord, giving off My fragrance to those who are saved and to those who are perishing. Those who perpetrate evil shall be blown away like chaff, but the righteous flourish in the house of their God. Breathe in the Breath of Life, Beloved. Drink in the Life giving Water of the abundance of My House. I am the only wise God, your Savior. Trust in My unfailing love. You shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, and whatever you do shall prosper. I am well able to keep you from falling, My Love, and to present you faultless before the presence of My glory with exceeding joy.

..John 15:1 I am the true vine, and My Father is the Husbandman. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing

..James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

..Psalm 1:3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, whatever they do prospers.

..Psalm 92:12 The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the LORD, They will flourish in the courts of our God.
..Psalm 52:8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

..Song of Solomon 2:11For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. 12 The FLOWERS have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. 13 The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the VINES IN BLOSSOM have given forth their fragrance. Arise, My darling, My beautiful one, And come away!
..Jude 1:24Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.

..2 Corinthians 2:14But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantly in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. 15For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one, we are an odor of death and demise; to the other, a fragrance that brings life.

Memorise: 
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:12

Read: 1st Corinthians 12:1-7, (KJV)
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.


Bible in one year: 
Jeremiah 19:1-22:10,
Psalms 49

Message:
The Kingdom of God on earth, the Body of Christ, or the Church are synonyms that symbolize an organized Christian population worldwide or a group of Christians in a particular location. The management and administration of the Church in the twenty-first century, calls for diverse skills and talents required to administer any civil organisation. These skills consist that of professionals and artisans from various works of life including, public administration, accounting, engineering, law, etc. The Scripture provides examples of individuals who have been equipped to carry out tasks or responsibilities of professional nature. Exodus 31:2-4 says: Open Heavens Sunday 4 September 2016:- Diversity of Gifts but the same Spirit.


“See, I have called by name Bezaleel the Son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass.”

It should be noted here that the deployment of skills for the construction of the tabernacle, production of interior decorations, fabrication of garments and worship utensils, were considered as spiritual assignments. God in His infinite wisdom has deliberately endowed men and women, young and old, with special gifts and abilities for the work of the ministry. Consequently, the deployment of every gift in the service of God should not be viewed as secular only, but as a spiritual assignment that requires spiritual commissioning to ensure success. Also, Christians should view their gifts and special abilities as deliberate endowments from God for the primary purpose of promoting the work of the ministry. 1st Corinthians 12:7 says:

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

I pray that your service in the House of God will be a blessing to the Body of Christ and will be profitable to God in Jesus’ name.

Using myself as an example, I consider it a great honour to be counted worthy as vessel of honour in the hands of the Almighty God. It is also an unmerited favour because everyone that has yielded himself to be used of God in any capacity has been mightily blessed in return. I am thankful to God for how far He has used my skills, education and expertise; I also pray that my service will bring maximum profit to the kingdom of God in Jesus’ name. What about you?

Prayer Point
Father, please pour your spiritual gifts upon me and use me for your glory in Jesus’ name.

Open Heavens Daily written by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Joshua 1:1-9

I learned a valuable lesson the night before I preached my first sermon. My mother shared a verse that God laid on her heart for me: Joshua 1:9. I memorized that scripture about courage just as fast as I could, because I was scared! Later, I read the whole passage and realized that strength and courage are tied to concentrating on God’s Word. For this reason, a personal time of meditation with God should be a priority in our life.

When we are in daily communion with our Lord, we can more easily accept that He is in absolute control of everything facing us. Whether we are pummeled by adversity or overwhelmed with joy, God has our circumstances well in hand. Spending regular time with the Father allows us to bring Him all of our concerns and feelings. Then He can rejoice with us or cradle us according to our need.

Praying through Scripture and asking God to speak to our heart about what we read is our privilege as Christians. When we’re quiet before the Lord, we have the opportunity to receive His guidance and power for navigating our circumstances. Consequently, God restores our weary soul and renews us for another day.

I personally believe that every morning when we roll out of bed, we should spend a little time on our knees. We ought to entrust each day to our heavenly Father, going over our schedule and committing the time to Him. The morning is like the rudder of our day—how we begin steers our course throughout. Are you ready to let God be your captain?

Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 23-25

“As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT, second edition).

As followers of Christ, we need to remember to be generous.

Why is it so important to remember to be generous? Here are three ways it makes an impact on our lives.

It makes you happy. Acts 20:35 says, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (NLT, second edition). Notice Jesus didn’t say it is not a blessed thing to receive. It does make you happy to receive. But the world will tell you that you will be happiest when you receive. Jesus turned that idea around and said that you will be happier when you give than when you receive.

It just makes sense. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (NIV). Every one of us wants others to be generous with us. Do you think that by sowing miserly selfishness you’re going to reap a generosity from God and others? God says that’s not the way life works. There is a law of sowing and reaping. So if you want to reap generosity, you have to sow generosity.

It shows the world what God is like. The Bible says, “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT, second edition).

When it comes to generosity, what encourages me is to remember the incredible generosity of God. Look at the world we get to live in. Look at the life he gave us. Look at the way he meets our needs. God is the perfect model of generosity. And when we are generous with others because of God’s generosity toward us, it points others to God.

Talk It Over

Think of a time when you were happier to give something than to receive it. Can you think of a time when you were more blessed to receive rather than give something?
What are some ways that you can sow generosity in your life?
In what ways has God been generous with you? How do you show him your thankfulness?