One more reason

Ephesians 4:20-22

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

Beautiful Scripture. We are to learn Christ. And when we learn him, he teaches us to put off the old man. Halleluyah! Overcoming sin is a product of eternal life. One more reason why we should not agree to allow anything stop us from fellowshiping with God continually.

We know that as children of God, we can enter into his presence boldly no matter what our state is, because God has no oprphans. We also know that nothing can seperate us from the love of Christ.

If you are a child of God, you have eternal life in Jesus Christ and eternal life is knowing God. According to God's design, we do not overcome sin and then come to God because we cannot overcome our sinful nature without God. Instead, we are to come to God just as we are and then receive eternal life which will enable us to live above sin. Then we are to live  by our new nature which is above sin.

Romans 8:1
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. ⁶ To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot; ⁸ and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.


Having the Holy Spirit in us, is our only hope of living a life that pleases God. When we receive his power to do right,  we are now able to put off sin and the works of sin. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us and God teaches us how to put on the new man as we learn Christ. As we fellowship with him through the Holy Spirit in his Word, Worship, Prayer, Praise we grow and become more like him as discussed in Practically In Love

We have discussed some of the effects and benefits of eternal life and of having a living relationship with God in previous posts. The ability to live right is one more/main reason why we must keep our relationship with God thriving and ongoing. Sometimes we feel we cannot relate with God because of our sin but it doesnt work that way, it is supposed to be the other way around. When we make mistakes or have problems, if we allow guilt or anger seperate us from God, that is when we  would begin to do more and more things that we do not want to do.

We must, protect our relationship activities with God, fight to keep your spirit alive, fed and taught. It is by learing Christ that we over come sin. You are always welcome in God's presence. He gives you the knowledge and the enablement to put away the old man. The order is, come to God, learn, and do away with the old self.  Remember the practical tip about how to read a passage of scripture? Okay do that with this inspiring passage below.

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
 The New Man
¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of^[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
 Do Not Grieve the Spirit
²⁵ Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. ²⁶ “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, ²⁷ nor give place to the devil. ²⁸ Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. ²⁹ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. ³¹ Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. ³² And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:11-32)

One more reason to fight every tought or feeling that tries to keep you from God's presence: You need God to Win over your old self. The first two parts of this passage show us the right order

In summary: You become a new man as a result of what Jesus Chirst sacrificed on the cross. Receive God's forgiveness and righteousness. Learn how to be like Christ. Act on what is being learnt and make a consious choice to do the right thing.

Knowing the right thing to do and having the enablement to do the right thing and even wanting to do the right thing are all the things we get from God by excersizing our eternal life and interacting with the Holy Spirit. Having all these things doesnt mean we will automatically do the right thing.

We have to make the consious decision to use this leverage to do what is right. Never accept sin in your life and never allow it keep you away from God either, keep coming into Gods presence keep feeding your spirit. Keep fighting against temptation and keep winning. If you have fallen 6 times, it only proves that you have stood 6 times, you are getting better at standing strong. Never accept sin as  permanent feature in your life no matter how strong the tempation, keep standing, keep rising, keep growing. Through it all, God is never going to turn his back on you, Jesus made sure of that, when he took your sins on the cross. Our sin grieves the spirit of God but the blood of Jesus atones on our behalf and we have right standing with God when we repent. Dont let anything stop you from repenting and coming back to God. Keep your relationship with God inseperable. Fill youself with his word always. it is the tool with which he transfoms us.

Romans 12:2
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. 

If the enemy can come and tempt you while you are praying, then dont stop yourself from praying when you have fallen.

Fight For Your Life.

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord my God, maker of heaven and earth. Help me to live a life that is pleasing unto you. In Jesus Name Amen.



Do  you want to start a personal relationship with God to please him?  It needs to be through the sacrifice of Jesus, God sent Jesus to pay for our sins because no man can pay for his sins by himself. You DONT have to try to become a bit cleaner or better or holier before you approach God. Dont hate yourself, God loves ou. You only need to accept his sacrifice and ask him to make you clean. The natural nature of man since Adam sinned was to be bound to sin, but eternal life gives us the power to become a new person with power over sin who can plese God. Please pray this prayer today and unlock within you, a new level of ability to please God.

PRAYER

Lord I thank you for your love, thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sins so that I do not have to pay for them before I can approach you. I cannot pay for my sins. I accept the sacrifice of Jesus who died and rose again to shed his blood and wash away my sins. I ask you Lord to wash my sins away and make me a new person. Come and live in my heart and teach me to live a life that is pleasing unto you by your Holy spirit. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen

Get Connected...Stay Connected - Practical 2

Matthew 6:32-33

³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

If you give yourself to God, you will be amazed what he will give you in return.

 

Falling in love is easy in most cases, because it just happens. Remaining in love on the other hand, is a truly different story, it requires work. There is no sweetness in a loveless relationship and therefore any relationship worth keeping is worth investing in.

Man is called to KNOW God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. God put everything we need in life inside himself. That way, he could give them to us when we need them. Unfortunalty sin came and separated us from God and offered cheap substitutes to the original plan of utter greatness God had  for man. Imagine man (ADAM) who had the abilitiy to name all the animals and know their names, now we (man) with the same body and configuration now strugglesto remember up to ten phone numbers by heart. Mans greatest ability is revealed when we are connected to God and that is what God wants us to have. Man was designed to remain connected with God and this is the reason he sent Jesus Christ to die, cleanse us and connect us.

John 3:16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Eternal life is knowing God

John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Knowing God is an ongoing process of relationship and communication and in knowing God, lies all the riches of the power of his Glory which is revealed in us as we become like him.

Luke 10:19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

One of the benefits of eternal life is that we can worship God in the way he desires.

John 4:22-24

²² Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. ²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. ²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God Loves worship! And when we worship God amazing things happen.

Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Here are practical tips for getting your worship going.

Key Tip: Remember to be present. Worship is one of the most amazing intimate activities we can have with God. It is important to have our minds on God.

Worship, just like praise and prayer can and should take place anywhere and anytime. As a result of this, sometimes it is difficult to be present when we worship. One’s mind may stray to what to cook for dinner even while still on his/her knees singing a ‘love’ song to God. Or in many cases it becomes a time to excersize vocal cords and try different parts of the song. Sometimes our minds may stray to worry or something stressing us. There are so many things that try to creep into our minds when we are worshiping God.

But worship isn’t a song, a tone of voice or a place. We worship God with our whole selves through our spirit and the Holy Spirit.

TIP 2: Speak to the Holy Spirit, ask him to help you worship God. Take a deep breathe and clear your mind.

TIP 3: Whenever you catch your mind going places when you are worshiping God, just put your mind on him, think of how awesome his love is, remember how he continues to love and save you, consciously fill your mind with thoughts of his greatness. Imagine his presence, how mighty He is and how much he loves you. Make it all about him and even when your voice sounds nice or coarse, evenwhen you remember something you are supposed to do just don’t dwell on it.

Concentrate on your father who sent Jesus all the way to suffer and die, JUST so that you may know him. Halleluyah! Let him have your company, Jesus died to make that possible.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends...John 15:13

Remember that when we interact with God, we become an the best versions of ourselves, great things occur and heaven comes into our everyday lives (Miracles Happen).

TIP 4: Being present doesnt mean we cannot pray, worship or meditate on God's word all through the day.  It just means that we need to be conscious of what we are doing, when we are doing it. In a relationship we need to be aware of the other person.

Dont be suprised when God talks back...it is so definite that he will. Infact, mix the Word, Worship and Prayer into your everyday life and watch what happens.

Halleluyah!

Glory!

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank you Jesus for the work you did on the cross. Thank you father for your grace and interest in my life. Hallowed be your most holy name. Help me live my life on earth according to your purpose for me at my highest level of ability in you. Refine me like Gold into who you made me to be without anything holding me back from your best. I am the head and not the tail. My family is a source of blessing. Strengthen my pastors in their walk with you lord, though the enemy may come like a flood, Lord raise them high above sustain them by your power that they will not fall in Jesus Name. My finances are blessed. Help me to forgive all, including myself of all wrong doing and come boldly into your presence. Forgive me Lord for my own wrong. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen. This is a blessed day.

 

PS: Take out 5 minutes today to give God exclusive Worship time.

Practically in love

Lets get practical!

When last did you get lost on your way home? You probably know the way home so well that you can walk or drive home without even being conscious of your journey. That illustrates the difference between knowing something and knowing about it. This builds on the last post Get Going...Start Knowing

Daniel 11:32

³² Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

John 17:3

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

The words 'Know God' represent 'Experiencing God'. We know things by experiencing them, we gather knowledge about people or things by engaging with them. I may know all the facts about a place by looking at pictures, reading about it and so on. But I will still need a tour guide or a map when I go visiting because it is not my home.

Knowing God is simply a relationship. The most valuable relationship we can ever be in, because the more we function in that relationship the more we tap into the eternal life God has given us. Being in an active relationship with God creates a lie force within us that fulfills this scripture and many others. Almost everything in this world is easier said than done, so if we are to fight to keep our relationship with God we need to have a practical idea of how to do it. Below are some tips:

When God said, lets create man in our own image, he had something in mind. According to design, we become that imagine when we are connected with him because we were created to function through his enabling. That is why 2 Corinthians 3:18 says But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When we interact with the Holy Spirit, we become God's true image from glory to glory. The Holy Spirit is the key to every step towards knowing God. Remember what Jesus said about him?


John 14:15

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

So Practical Step 1 to making this relationship work is to interact with the Holy Spirit. This is a better version of a relationship with anyone so it involves:
- Speaking
- Sharing thoughts and feelings
- Asking for help
- Asking to be taught
- Asking for understanding


God is a spirit and our spirit relates with his spirit. This is covered more interestingly in the Functionality Revealed post. Have you read it?

Practical Tip 2: Be present when speaking with the Holy Spirit, do not be absent mined, or throw words around in passing all the time. Clear your head of other thoughts. 
Dont just give seconds, those are good but you also need to share time. For example, you can turn off the radio on your way to work. 

Our relationship with the Holy Spirit consist mainly of us throwing absent minded thoughts at him? Even when we whisper 'Holy spirit help me' we need to remember that we are actually speaking to someone.

The beautiful thing about being in relationship with God is that every single thing we do that reveals God to us has a life giving effect on our own lives and 

For example, God's word has a sanctifying effect on our souls:  
John 17:17 -Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Practical Tip 3:
Try to pray this prayer or something like it before you read your bible. 


Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law. (Psalm 119:18). Now remember you are talking to the Holy Spirit, so say these words to him. It works


Practical Tip 4:
Read your bible every day. Many of us try to read our bibles once in a while. The issue is we do not actually interact/engage with the words. Have you every read a scripture, closed the bible then you realize you cannot remember a thing you just read? Or even after a message on Sunday, you cant remember the message except for a joke the pastor made? Make an effort to Be Present. Meditate on the word, think about it, don't do speed reading with the word, breezing through a chapter to get the 'main gist' :D. Even if you read 5 verses (I suggest you read every single word). Read it more than once, actually think about the word you are reading so it moves from short term to mid or long term memory.


It helps to apply it to a situation you are facing or might face. This way you are actually absorbing what you have read.
So lets practice...STOP READING THIS FOR A SECOND. Go back to one of the bible verses that are pasted here. Take a deep breathe,pray they prayer and actually read those words again.

This is the sure way to get a relevant word to your life each time you read the bible. When we read the scriptures we can get 4 good types of information:

-  Our literal interpretation or application of the words written (from our minds) - This is risky it can be deadly, because we can misinterpret or misapply the word.

- The application the Holy Spirit gave someone that we heard or read somewhere (from memory)
- The application the Holy Spirit gave us the last time we read/heard it (from memory)
- The application that the Holy Spirit will give us afresh and anew for ourselves and those around us

Halleluyah! The last three are all great, they are all good but sometimes the Holy Spirit wants to show us something new because we need something new. Every word in the bible has treasures in it, some we know, some we have never heard. Halleluyah! The more he shows us in the word, the more we know what he is saying, the more we know him. Just like you know more about your friend not just by what they are saying but also by how they are saying it. Remember God's word is living, giving new things everyday and wants to give them to you. Halleluyah!

So each day, one major thing we should be fighting isnt necessarily the person we are fighting with but the urge to spend the day without getting any word into our spirits, we need to fight the urge to just say a prayer in passing and make ourselves speak to the communicate with the Holy spirit. Fight For Your Love, Fight For your Life. Knowing God is eternal life.

Prayer for Today (Remember, Be Present while saying this, you are talking to someone)

Glorious God in heaven, I thank you for your love and interest in me. Who is man Lord, who am I that you are so mindful of me? You love is truly amazing. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit I pray from this day forward that you will open my eyes to see the wondrous treasures in your word. I love you lord and I pray that rivers of living waters shall flow out of my belly even as I fill myself with you. Make me more like you, take me deeper in love with you Lord. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen

----

When we are present and we are conscious of the Holy Spirit in our relationship activities, God reveals himself to us through his word, worship and prayer like never before and we begin to live a life that cannot be described as anything less than amazing. The next post will discuss more Practical Love activities for our number one relationship. Hallelujah!

Get going...start knowing

Whats all the fuss about eternal life? Well eternal life is not living forever or existing forever is something totally different actually. It is defined clearly in the verse below.

John 17: 1  When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, ² since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. ⁴ I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do.

God gave Jesus the power to give us eternal life, and Jesus accomplished that.

This is an important and beautiful scripture that we all should read and absorb as much as possible. Jesus came to give us all eternal life and Verse 4 shows that Jesus succeeded in doing this work. He defines eternal life as knowing God and knowing Jesus whom God sent.

Its is as simple and as complicated as that. 

All the outcomes of eternal life come from 'knowing God and and knowing Jesus whom he has sent.' This means that the core of being a child of God is knowing God. When we know our God and Jesus whom he has sent then we live out the scripture in Daniel 11 that says:

...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.

 In eternal life there is health, wealth, success, deliverance, protection, salvation, love, peace, victory and an endless list of blessings. Not only does eternal life give you all these things, you also become bold and start getting other people to know God and have eternal life. Like 2 Corinthians 2:14 says Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

  
This whole love story between God and man is centered around his desire for us to know him. When we know him we will live in, exhibit and fulfill all the wonderous things he has in store for us. We would be the REAL mighty deliverer of creation that he has called us to be, and nothing can stand in our way. This version of us is activated by out knowledge of him. Every precious promise of God is accessed through eternal life. Halleluyah! 

Eternal life ensures we live in our rightful place which Ephesians 2:6 says is seated together with Christ in heavely places.  Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Here is my questions to you today:

- Do you know God or do you know about him?

The enemy fights daily by trying to take away our knowledge of God or by trying to prevent us from getting any knowledge in the first place. We may fight many battles in a day, month or life time but the battle that matters most, is the one to sustain our relationship with God. An on going knowing of him.

Ephesians 6:10 says Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 

We have a mighty, awesome glorious God, who has all power, is the only true God, worthy of all praise and honour. We need to live the life he has designed for us. We live this life by knowing him Colossians 2:10-15

Colossians 2:10-15

¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
¹¹ In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins^[a] of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.


What we need to remember as believers is to:
Resist anything that stops us from getting to know God.
Ignore anything that stops from discovering what God's word has too say about us
Fight anything that fights our ability to know God and Jesus whom he sent.
Spend time nurturing our relationship with God.


Remember that knowing about God is different from knowing him. Just like knowing about Steve Jobs is different from knowing him (like his children would).


So many battles we end up fighting wouldn't even start if we KNOW, so lets get going and start knowing.





Prayer
Almighty king, my redeemer my helper. Alagbada Ina! There is no body greater than you. Help me Lord, that I may know you and the power of your salvation

Do not agree

Do not let the devil convince you that he can attack you because you did or that.
At every point in time, put on the whole armor of God and hold up your shield of faith, knowing that there are no orphans of God; only children.

Never stop praying, studying the word, worshiping and speaking in tongues. No matter what has happened, proclaim your rights as a Child of God because you are righteous, by the blood of Jesus, that washes away ALL sin.

No devil can condemn or judge you and say, "She has been mean today, so I have a right to attack her." No. The enemy only tries to attack your faith, by putting your sin before you to build guilt. And if your faith is tied to your 'works' or 'self-assessed holiness' then it is sure to be lost whenever you fall. Once your faith is gone, your become an easy target.
Guard your faith jealously.

At all times, when you face a situation, boldly declare. I am a Child of God! satan has no power over me! Keep saying it till you believe it. He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. The enemy has no choice but to flee when you bring Gods word. But thats what guilt does, it makes you doubt your rights to those promises. Dont fall for it.  If things God gave you are slipping out of your hands "Health, wealth, opportunities e.t.c" Speak God's word boldly and command the situation to obey.

If you don't believe me, read Romans 8:33

No one can bring a charge against you. No one!

Jesus is the one that condemns and he is the one interceding on your behalf. He is the one who died and rose again for you. You are covered, justified.

Romans 8:31 also says IF God be for us, who can be against us?....

The key here is actually 'have faith not guilt'

We have the ability to please God and we should. Because when we became his children we accepted him as our Lord. This means we will serve and obey him. His word says that even when we are unfaithful, he is faithful. The reason to stop sinning is not to buy things from God. It is because we love him and it grieves him when we do.

Unfaithfulness to God, feeds off a nature that does not build faith. It feeds off a nature that does not believe, so one can expect that living by that nature can only lead to destruction. Not because God's promises stop being available to us, but because the devil uses the guilt of people's actions against their faith and they let him walk all over them.

So this is how guilt works:
1. A CHILDofGOD(COG) is walking right in the centre of God's will for them. Full of Gods word and power. Aware of Gods promises and walking in them. Doesn't take nonsense when things go contrary to the word of God. He/She decrees accordingly and it comes to pass
2. COG might fall for temptation leading to a mistake
3. Devil tries his luck to steal something from the person
4. Person is about to pray and activate his rights
5. Guilt comes and says "Really? Are you sure you have a right to that?
6. Person wants to search Gods word and feed his spirit. Guilt again "Really? Don't you think you are too filthy to be in God's presence?"
7. Person reads less and less of the word, prays less and less (forgetting all his/her rights). Less word = less faith not less rights.
8. Person who still has all the same rights as he/she did in number 1 allows the devil steal/kill and destroy. Because faith is gone.
9. Person who still loves God is weakened by starving his/her spirit from Gods word and presence, leaving COG who still has all rights and privileges from number 1, living like a victim of circumstance.

Say God Forbid!
God Forbid!

At some point my people, we are going to have to realize
-That our righteousness comes from God.
- Nothing can separate us from God's love.
- No devil has a right to judge you or punish you because you sinned.
- We live holy because we love God. Not because we are buying his blessings
- Living in sin, hurts a persons soul, it erodes faith and grieves God.

My Advice: Read a bit of the bible everyday, no matter how sinful you feel and pray always. If you read the earlier post "Animated For Purpose" you will probably better understand why I say this.

PRAYER:
Thank you Jesus for the wonderful work you did on the cross. You did a truly complete work. Giving my all that pertains to life and Godliness and securing it in the blood of Jesus that washes all sins away. devil, I command you to get your hands off my stuff. Get your hands off my life, my brain, my health, my finances. I do not care whatever your reason is, Jesus has paid it all. He went to hell and made an open show of you, I belong to him and he is the judge now. I cover my self with the blood of Jesus and I have a right to all the blessings of the saints. I decree a double portion of blessing in my life for all that was stolen from me by the enemy in Jesus Name. Amen.

Worship God like you know you are his.

If you felt unsure if you can pray this prayer kindly read this again and study Romans 8:33 and Romans 8:31-32
Godbless

He Has No Orphans

God has no step children.

I know what it feels like, to come into God's presence and feel like you have betrayed him.

You feel like an unworthy stepchild  (much like what the prodigal son must have felt)

You know God loves you, you once loved him totally / you still love him totally.

The things is, you are not sure.

Youve been doing some things lately or for a long time now and when they started, you were sure of your stand.

You even tried repenting alot of times, or maybe just a few.

Now Its been a while and you're no longer repenting (But you are sorry)

You know its wrong but you know you will do it again

You know that the things that made you fall in the first place, still hold you down

They hold you back from letting go

The only thing is, you miss God, you miss his presence.

You miss the way you felt in worship 

You miss the CONFIDENCE his love gave you to come into his presence boldly

I know what it feels like to be about to worship God wholeheartedly and ask yourself, "Isnt there a special ritual I have to perform before I start to worship?"

Maybe I need to ask for forgiveness first. But I am going to do this thing again. I m not ready to stop. 

I am still angry, still lying, still stealing, still seeing that person e.t.c

How can I just start singing from my heart as if everything is alright. Isnt that wrong?

How can I enter his presence when I am still living in sin?

My friend, my brother, my child, I have been there. But God has no orphans, step children or ex-children.

Forget about yourself ad throw yourself at his feet.

Can I ask you please today, worship him with ALL your heart

Forget about your sin and focus on his love

You have no other father, and yours wants you, just like that.

Worship him let him make you whole,

Worship him, he's in control,

Worship your heavenly father, he will nurse you back to health

Worship is about Who God is, not what you've done

He is still wonderful

He is all powerful

His love is everlasting and he loves you

You are his child and his heart is for you

Worship your heavenly father freely

You are not an orphan, you are his

What You Need

Imagine this. Imagine that you are dreaming about God. Think about his, glory and majesty, how great and mighty his presence would feel. You can barely recover from the love that absorbs your whole body when you realize that the Ancient of Days has decided to grace your life with a manifestation of his presence.

Imagine that while still in wonder, God says these words to you "My dear _____, ask me for anything you want and I will give it to you." Imagine your mind racing, Oh! Lord what can I ask for. You cannot ask yet because you are experiencing something to wonderful, the presence of God is too amazing for you to contain, so you open your mouth to talk and words of praise, worship and surrender are flowing from the bottom of your heart. While this is happening you realize that the magnificent all powerful father, master, maker that you are worshipping just gave you a blank check. You are well aware that nothing is too difficult for him and you can tell that he wont hold back anything good from you, he can even give you a country if you ask for it. Now is the time to ask, Lord, Alagbada ina, please give me _______________________

What would you ask for?
What do you have on your list during crossover service or when a pastor says, ask God for 1 thing.
Someone has been in these shoes before (Solomon), he had a similar experience. Recently, I read the passage again and it made me wonder. How did Solomon decide on what to ask for? Lord! how do I know what to ask for, how do I know what I need?

You may know the story of Solomon already but remember that God's word is food for your spirit so I will paste this passage here. Read every line with the Holy Spirit as your guide.

1 Kings 3

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. ³ Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

⁴ The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

⁷ “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, ¹² I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. ¹³ Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. ¹⁴ And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

Wow! What a dream! The answer to how Solomon knew what to ask for is actually in his reply. Verse 6-9. Solomon's words show that HE KNEW that he did not bring himself to where he was. He knew he didnt become King because his father was king before him. He was well aware that God made him THE KING.  A life that is created by your dependence on God, can only be effectively sustained by leaning on God and tapping into his ability. Can you remember my post 'BOTTOMLESS YOU'? Solomon lived that principle.

Do you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities? 

Did you start a project and all of a sudden you feel its going out of your control?

Are you sitting at the head of an organization, a unit or a team and you feel grossly unqualified all of a sudden?

It is okay. All you need to do, is go back to the beginning. Who brought you here? 

If you didn't get there by your own strength and wisdom

If God pulled the strings and led you in that direction

If you know it was God's idea in the first place

Then relax. He is the great orchestrator and he will not lead you somewhere to abandon you. Lean on HIM.

Acts 17:28

²⁸ for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. God made David king and Solomon too. Solomon sat on the throne as King and realized that he didn't have on his own what it took to rule the Israelites so he tapped into his real source - God. He said:

- “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. 

- You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

- you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 

^- Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 

- So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

His key was humility. Sometimes we equate ourselves with the things that God has done in our lives. We attribute it to our smartness, our righteousness, our level of intelligence, education, circumstances of our birth and so on. We thank God for it, but somewhere in our minds we believe that God chose us because we are qualified. But the truth is, God doesn't necessarily call us according to our present qualifications, he qualifies us for our calling. When we think that we are qualified, it gives a temporary good feeling but it can often put us under undue pressure to keep up something we didn't start in the first place.

Look over your life, and if you can really come to realise and agree that there is no way you could have gotten where you are without Gods hand and blessing, then you will know exactly what you need to ask for in order to do his will.

Be encouraged to press-on

Be inspired to reach higher

Be ready for greatness

Tap into the bottomless-you that exists in God.

You can truly do ALL things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens you. After all, it is in him you live, move and have your being. What you need, He definitely has.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

My father God and king, you are beautiful beyond description. My God who has no abandoned projects, the all mighty, all powerful God. You are great, you do great things and you have all power in your hands. Thank you for making what you have made me today. A mother, father, husband, wife, leader, teacher, CEO, son, daughter, businessman e.t.c Lord when my heart is overwhelmed, help me to cast all my cares on you. Knowing that you who have brought me this far will not leave me until you bring me to an expected end.   I lean on you in my weakness, and my strength comes from you. Help me to submit to you in all things, knowing that your joy is my strength. I commit my family, friends, my colleagues, my pastor and the Church into your hands. Strengthen each on of us to be our best-selves in you. In Jesus Name.

Amen