All I know is that Jesus Works ~ Pastor Ituah Ighodalo

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1: 14 KJV

Text: John 1: 1-14

John wrote concerning Jesus after He had resurrected from the dead and ascended into heaven. Christmas is the only season in the whole year that is celebrated all over the world, irrespective of their social status, financial standing or politics. Why? There is just something about Christmas.

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1: 22-25 KJV. 

Paul made known to them that the only sign given is that Jesus Christ came to the world, bore our sins on the cross, died and after 3 days rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and now sits on the right hand of God the father.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  Zechariah 9: 9 KJV
Jesus has come! The Apostles tell us that the signs have come. Jesus was born of a virgin. We preach Christ crucified.

John talks about a true relationship with God through an understanding of who God is. He begins in John 1:1 saying that In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

What was John trying to say; only 3 beings exist on this earth and they take their existence from one being. This being is God, the Almighty Himself. These 3 beings are

1. God the father
2. His son; who is His word
3. His Spirit that exists inside of Him

John said in the beginning was this word that came from inside of God; the word that God birthed.
The only way people can know who you are is when the word goes out from your mouth. Before we were created, the person we will be was created in us. These things will come to life when we speak it into being.

Your words, your activities and your actions will live after you.
The word created Himself as a man. The word put on flesh, dwelt among us and died for our sins that we may be reconnected with God the Father. God can do anything; He decided that He will create Himself and dwell among us.

In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, the word was God, the word became flesh, the word dwelt among us, the word died and rose from the dead. The word brings to us salvation and the freedom from the hold of sin.
Whether we believe He is the son of God or not; all I know is that Jesus works!!! He alone is the one who saves, gives hope, He doesn’t give up on man, where we think we can’t amount to anything Jesus ensures that we amount to a great many things.

What decisions are you making?

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. Colossians 3: 1-2

There is a system failure in Nigeria. We have challenges that are open opportunities that we can all leverage on around us. We need to pray for the leadership that they know where they are taking us. If you are a leader yourself, raise yourself up so that you would know where you are going.

Very quickly this morning I want us to look at 4 things and 4 critical decisions that we must take as a people. In Colossians 3, Paul writing to a confused world said if you are living in Christ, we are to set our affections on things above not on things in the world. Then he says we are to mortify your flesh which dwells with things on the earth. What are those things you should mortify? Covetousness, inordinate affection, fornication which is idolatry. Idolatry these days in not only those who worship idols, it is the people who fornicate do evil concupiscence and covet what belongs to their fellow man.

God is angry because He does not tolerate any kind of unrighteousness. He says we must put off the old man and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge through the Christ that lives in us. Today ladies and gentlemen e live in a confused world. I stumbled on the American election campaign and the topical issue is what they were going to do with the LGBTQ community. They were asking the candidates how they would treat the people in this community. They asking about the people who are confused about their sexual affection an act which the bible called idolatry.
Now in the USA if you go to the hospital and you say your hand is bad and they should cut it off they say no hold on let’s see what we can do before we cut it off. If you take a child to the hospital who says she thinks she is a boy and doesn’t want the breast, they will cut it off immediately. Somebody was saying that they had a boy who says he thinks he thinks he is a girl. When they researched this boy and began to find out what he thinks he is a boy. They found out that they boy used to have a sister who had issues at child birth, the boy thought that if he is a girl his parents would love him more.

The whole world is upside down. There are some things that the world leaders need to decide on. In Nigeria and in individual lives there are some 4 things we need to make up our mind about. Today it is all about self, personal interest, selfishness, focus only on what benefits us alone as a human being. This is what is happening with our leadership, they are focused only on what is beneficial to them alone as a person.

For the first time in my life I was afraid to return to my home town because of what would happen. Few weeks ago, a friend of mine arrived in Benin and within minutes of arrival she had being captured and kidnapped. She was starved and deprived of water for 15 days.

The challenge we face in Nigeria today is where the common man has no hope. Nigerians as well as people all over the world are being victimized and terrorized because they are Christians. In the northern part of Nigeria and some other parts of the world people are imprisoned or killed if they convert to Christianity.

We need to decide 4 things in Nigeria

1. We need to make up our mind whether God exists or not. Jeremiah 10:23
2. The world needs to decide whether they are going to serve this God or not. Jeremiah 10: 20-22. The Lord is not doing what the church should do. Pastors have become selfish, self-centered and not teaching the people the way of the Lord. Some pastors have private jets that even their ministers cannot enter their jet.
3. The world needs to decide what their vision for their nations are; what do you want God to do for your nation, the church needs to decide what its vision for the nation is, you need to decide what God’s vision for your life is. We go around our lives not remembering that there is a God, God has a plan, God has a vision for nations and a vision for your life. We use God as a demand responding God and yardstick to meet our demands without giving Him the respect that He deserves. Where there is no respect of God there can be no rule of law and no direction for life. 
4. We need to decide what we will leave behind and what we will be remembered for. Nigerians need to decide what they are going to leave behind and people and the world will remember them for. 

As a people we must come together and fight the common enemy. We need to decide what we are going to become, and you need to decide in your own life what you are going to become.
If you have read these words today and you are undecided about where your life is heading, decide today and allow Christ to help you walk in the purpose that God has created you to accomplish.

Are you being manipulated?

Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ezekiel 34: 2 KJV

Ezekiel 34: 1-5; Isaiah 65: 23; Zechariah 8: 12

The spirit of manipulation is rampart around the world today. People try to manipulate other people to reap where they have not sown. For money and to have an edge over the other person, even in churches you find out that many people are into manipulating people to do those things they would rather not do.

We are in times and seasons where even religious leaders intimidate their members.

The spirit of manipulation is so bad that they see it as a way of life. Some churches these days manoeuvre the people so much that everything the members do are according to their saying. They impose their own personal doctrine over their members.

At a time, I went to my child’s school. The principal spoke to us that parents must be united in how they teach and train their children. That children have a way of manipulating their parents so they can get their way.

In the workplace there is the mentality of manipulation. A senior colleague works hard to ensure a junior colleague doesn’t get promoted.

This spirit of manipulation is evident everywhere we turn. The mater of manipulation is the devil. He ensures that he manipulates us to not get the reward from the promises of God. He continues to deceive and counter what God has said concerning us.

Why are we victims of inadequacies? It is because of the spirit of manipulation. Why are we complaining about not succeeding in our labour?

God knows everything and He expects that you will come to Him for the fulfilment of His promises concerning you. How many of your prayers have you gotten answers for this year?

There is one good part of manipulation and that is the one that God is involved in. God can manipulate the forces and things that happen in your life to work in your favour. That is why He said that all things work together for our good.

How do we overcome the power of evil manipulation?
• Live the word of God
• Contend with the manipulating spirit in the place of prayer
• Do not manipulate others so you are not manipulated
• Give your life to Christ and allow Him to walk the journey of life with you

The Power of the Cross.

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. 

Luke 24:2-6 (ESV)

We preach Christ crucified. As you go about everything you are doing this next few days, you need to think of the power on the cross. God is our healer and the power of the cross and resurrection can and will heal. The essence of Easter is the way that Christ brings to all; the Lord will make a way out of every situation we might find ourselves.

I want to assure you that God can do only what He has said He will do. This is a day of celebration and thanksgiving. Talk to God this Easter morning with everything that you have, tell Him all the things that you are going through and all the things that you need. Put your head on God’s shoulder this morning and talk to Him the only way that you can and in a way that you can have a conversation with Him.

Ask Him to come into your life and bring about the change that only He can bring. Have the expectation that He will speak and listen attentively to hear. Expect Him to heal, bless, forgive and bring about a change in your life. Bow your heart and soul before Him who says it is finished and finished the enslavement of sin in the lives of men.

If you are here today and you want to have a new start, to reconnect with Jesus. If you want God to bring about a special change that ensures that all hold of the devil upon your life is broken, He is asking you to come today. Open your heart and allow Jesus to come in and take His place. Let Him fill your life with the power of His resurrection. Come and meet Him that the foot of the empty tomb. The tomb is empty, Jesus has risen as the prophets have foretold. God himself is waiting for you and come rise in victory with Him even on a resurrection morning like this.

Father Lord we thank you, we truly bless and glorify your name. Your sacrifice over the life of your own will not be in vain.

Reflecting the character of Christ

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:16-26

The kingdom of God starts here on earth. All who live in sin cannot enjoy the presence and grace of God. Witchcraft is not only about riding about on a broom, if you wish them evil, do people harm; it is witchcraft. When we do all those things to our neighbour and to our body that does not reflect the nature of Christ we will not inherit the kingdom of God.
If we can imbibe the fruits if the spirit, we are living above the laws of Moses.

A lot of people are afraid to correct people and ensure they have good Christ like character so we don't lose friends or lose church members. The essence of sound Christian character cannot be wished away, they cannot be overlooked. In the past when people become born again the changes from the old to the new is visible. Unlike what we have this days the old is not becoming new. Born again Christians live together sin.

A lot of us suffer or face problems today not because of what we do today but for the offense we committed yesterday.

People must become Christ-like by their character and not just by the words of their mouth. Our attitude and behaviour must change; our Christianity mist show. A nation cannot experience proper transformation without the character of a large part of its people changing.

As Christians, our character must be one the world must be willing to emulate. The society has turned upside down because the essence of character has been lost. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. Galatians 5:2 KJV. If in your life, you do not have the fruit of the spirit, you are not a Christian in truth and Spirit.

The bible says if you do not have love, joy, peace, not long suffering; then you are not a Christian.
Today who does your character remind people of? Does your character remind people of Christ?Today we have Christians who can no longer tell the truth. People themselves do not want to tell or hear the truth.

We must be ready to pay the price for our Christ-like nature and Christianity. A Christian must be a bringer of joy.

Things we must do to share joy

• Help others to overcome their fear
• An encourager of people
• Give hope to people
• Your life must give a reassurance of God
• Give without regret
• Strive to perfection

Those things we think we want are not really what we need. A lot of us seek encouragement in material things and neglect the place of character in our life as a Christian.

Check yourself and see if you truly have the character of Christ? Do you accept correction with a joyful heart? Does the love of Christ reflect in you? Do you live in sin and call it modern living?

If your life doesn't reflect Christ, then you need to change the direction of your life.

We come to you Father with a contrite heart and ask that our character begin to reflect Christ. In Jesus name, we pray.

What is love?

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1 NIV

Love is giving. One of the greatest problem of the world today is a lack of lobe. 1 Corinthians 13:-11 says love suffers long....this means love is extremely patient. That if we love someone we will be extremely tolerant of them and their shortcomings.

Love says we must give them a long rope. If everyone could love one another as we ought to do life would almost be utopian because there would be no quarrel.

It says also love is kind. But the natural tendency of people is to instinctively be unkind. Why are people not kind?

1. Self preservation
2. Self centeredness

Love does not envy. It look down on people or gossip about people looking for their downfall. Love seeks people's success and celebrates their success.

Love is extremely humble. It does not lift itself up and is not proud or arrogant. We mist maintain our humility, normalcy, humanity and our originality that reminds us that we are no one without God.

Remember that the first bath you have someone will give it to you, the last bath you will have also someone will give it to you after you are dead.

According to to Greek there are 3 kinds of love but we speak of the love that comes of God. 1 John tells us that God is love and when we say we love, we simply mean we reflect God as an extension to our fellow mankind.

Love is an expression that never fails. It is how we express our feelings of gratitude, kindness, patience, humility, neighborliness towards man.

If you can pray and make the sun and moon stand still, the bible says one day it will fail. If we become as wise as Solomon the king of Israel, one day the wisdom will fail us. However, love will not fail you.
Love is greater than the strongest faith, it is better than the strongest hope. The love that reflects God will stand the test of time, it will pull you through the hardest times and give you the strength to go on.

God loves us greatly John 3:16. Anytime we think about God we should think more of a loving God
Jesus Christ loves us greatly that He gave His life for us. John 15:17
God wants us to love one another. 1 Thessalonians 1:5
If you truly love your neighbor you would have obeyed every law. Romans 13:8

• Love is an evidence of Christian growth. If you are growing in Christ you would truly love irrespective of who your neighbor is. 1 Thessalonians 3:12
• Love is a strong affection for another, unselfish benevolent towards your neighbor. (Webster dictionary). This is how the bible describes love
• Love suffers long, love says we must tolerate people for a long time
• Love is actively kind. A person who loves looks around for people they may show kindness to. 
• Love does not envy. It doesn't want for itself what belongs to another. It is not angry with another person for what they have. 
• Love is humble, not puffed up. It does not place a higher value on himself than another person
• It does not behave un seemingly, does no evil to oneself or to others 
• Love does not rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth 
• Love will always give you the benefit of the doubt. 

We must determine that the love of God must reign in our lives so we can have peace. Love is not an automatic emotion but a determined emotion that we work on daily. Therefor you must determine in your heart that you would love the person next to you.

If you truly love somebody;

• You will accept the person as they are Ephesians 4:2 and not as what you think they should be. Do not have the mind to change them. 
• You will speak good of one another and do good to one another. Hebrews 10:6... Look for a way of edifying and not destroying people. Correct in love with an attitude that lifts people up and not to pull them down or to break their spirit. Find something good to say about somebody because there is always something nice to say about them. 
• You will not quarrel or fight one another Romans 12:8, 1 Corinthians 13:7. You will not seek for a way to have your own back because a person has offended you. Love does not attack or antagonize people. You can disagree but you do not need to fight. 

Remember, it doesn't cost you anything to be nice!

Standing at the cutting edge pt.3

And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. 2 Samuel 5: 19

My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3: 10-11

When we say I AM the grace of God goes into work. Apostle Paul said “I AM WHO I AM by the grace of God” To be on the cutting edge we must believe who we are in Christ and as a creation of God. When we know Christ, we know who we are and become strong and bold to do exploits. Strength and the ability to do exploits is given to us from God through Christ who has brought us to the throne of grace.

We need revelation. We need to have an understanding of life before the birth of Christ and life after the resurrection of Christ. If we know him as a savior, then He will relate with us as a savior. We must know Him is all that He is. When God said “I AM” he means “I AM your healer, your deliverer, your savior, your prosperity, your home builder, and every other I AM that we can think of.

We cannot reign when we do not understand that we are righteous. For the bible says that the righteous shall live by faith. When we accept we are accept the gift of righteousness from God, then everything in our life adjusts to the believe that we are righteous and we begin to live that life. This puts us right at the top, with access to all that God has said concerning us.

Study the word of God and you will find out that all those negatives and superstitious believes is not what God has said concerning you. To stand on the cutting edge, we must accept and appreciate God’s love and the sacrifice that he made on our behalf. In our appreciation then we must then love others just as God loves us. In the same way that God has forgiven you we must also forgive others.
We must live to fulfill God’s purpose concerning us as children born of resurrection. The secret of standing on the cutting-edge boils down to one thing, putting God first. The bible says that David inquired of the Lord. Before he took a step to go into battle He inquired of the Lord and asked if he should go and if he would overcome. Most times we do not bother to inquire of God before we take that step. We just move and expect God to follow us. This is not the order of things; it must always be God first. Always go back to God, never be tired of going back to God every day.

We must put on the mind of Christ; this is the mind of victory. Accepting and thanking God for victory in all things that pertains to us no matter what the circumstances may seems like to the world. We are standing on the cutting edge because in Christ there is therefore no condemnation. This gives us the boldness to come before God and to His throne of grace!

Standing at the cutting edge pt.2

And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. 2 Samuel 5: 19 

My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3: 10-11 

We live in an information age and if care is not taken we will receive the wrong information. For as a man thinks in his heart so is he. Therefore, what we think and what we believe determines our future.
If God has said it he will do it, if He has spoken it then it shall come to pass. In Christ there can be no more defeat, no matter what the enemy tries we would always come out on top.  Why is this? God knows you personally. None of us is an accident.

It is an insult to the finished work of Christ for you to write yourself off as a failure. When somebody says that the bad occurrence is a family thing; it is wrong. The fact it happens in your family does not mean it will happen to you. The day you surrender your life to Christ, your case becomes different because the power that raised Christ from the dead now works in you.  We must understand that in this day of information we must filter what we hear. The only thing that is infallible is the Word of God. John 1: 1-5. You cannot separate Jesus from His word. Every word of God has a return ticket and before it returns it must be fulfilled.

Of all the kings of Israel, King David is still being celebrated today. He was a king of whom God gave a testimony that he was a man after God’s own heart. David thought us that is awesome and mighty in His power. He taught us that once we are God’s choice He will pick us out from where we have been forgotten.  There is a position we put ourselves in. Cutting edge means we stand out among our contemporaries. What do we mean by cutting edge?

One that excels in the place of prominence. God has placed us there in a place of prominence at the top of the mountain where our light can shine brightly for all to see. When you begin to feel you have figured God out, he will show you another side. Therefore, we must be mindful of what we call into our lives. God told Moses, “tell them that I AM sent you”. When we say I am what does it mean? It means that we have power in what we pronounce with our own mouth.

Standing at the cutting edge pt.1

And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. 2 Samuel 5: 19

My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3: 10-11

There is none of you that reads today this post that is here by mistake. Nothing about us as a person is a mistake. God has earmarked and ordained many great things to happen in our lives and through us. Jeremiah 1:4 tells us that even before we were formed God had mapped out the path of our life but we must be willing to accept God’s will to be perfected in us.

What end do you expect in your life; your health, marriage, business, place of employ? Every promise of God to us is Him telling us what He has perfected and not what He is about to do. As far as God is concerned everything about us and our life is concluded. Our part is to respond positively. In fact, the believer’s journey starts from “It is finished”. Everything is sorted out in Christ. When Christ is involved the journey is a fixed fight because Jesus has already won the battle on our behalf.
Even when the devil points that you have made a mistake, God is saying that His grace covers you because He has decided not to see it. For all of us who are in Christ in spirit and in truth have this grace.

When we function with understanding as believers, the struggle will be over. Often times we do not have an understanding of who we are in Christ. When God sees you, who is in Christ he sees a holy child. (if any man be in Christ he is a new creature.) A child of God is not under curse; for the word says that he who God has blessed no man can curse.

The forces that limit progress Pt1

Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 

Mark 11: 2-3 KJV

The bible tells us that there is a Colt somewhere tied down. Somebody somewhere had determined to limit the progress of that Colt. Every human being is created and designed to grow and make progress except there is a force that is limiting that progress. If you want to soar there is sometimes a force that is designed to pull us down. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 1 KJV. 

The minute a baby is born s/he begins to grow. If you observe there is no growth in the baby you begin to have concerned. At the creation the bible says that God blessed man. The original design of every man is to progress and grow. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen 1:28 KJV

But as we go through life we tend to find that there are some limiting factors that prevents us from growing. As time goes for most people, we tend to get used to this limitation and just stop trying. There are many forces that come against the normal progression in the life of man.

There was a research of insects put in a container. They initially try to fly, just as it is their nature to do. The container limits their flight. As this continues the flies stopped trying to fly and stayed down. Even after the glass container was removed they still refused to fly because they still felt the ceiling (limiting factors). This is the same for a lot of us. We are affected by the invisible bible ceiling that our mind, life, circumstances, has put over us.

Evidences that our progress is limited:

1. You just do not seem able to move. 
2. Working with nothing to show for the labour
3. The feeling that there is something missing in your life
4. Exerting too much effort in life struggles
5. Inability to finish and to finish well
6. Consistent failure at the edge of breakthrough

What are the things that limits progress?

1. Being tied down by the activities of men Mark 11: 1
2. Some limitations are generational Matt. 21: 2 Passed down from parent to children

There is a need to break free from any form of limitation. 

Life is a privilege!

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.4  14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11: 13-16 KJV

A young man a few weeks ago woke up in the morning, got dressed and went out. He came back had a shower, changed and was home to relax after a hard day. But he didn’t live to see the end of the day. It is a privilege to be alive but a lot of us take this privilege for granted. If things are not working well for us we blame the circumstances or the people around us for the things happening in our life. It is nobody’s fault, but yourself. It boils down to our attitude to life. It is all about you and how we chose to react to and accept the things that happen in our life.

The Bible says the fore runners of faith believed God to the end. The earth is not your home and so we are to live our lives to count for the home we would spend eternity in. It is important for us to make sure that the life we live counts and is relevant.

You know what? When a person dies, those alive forgets about him/her. Even from the preparation of the funeral the forgetting begins because life is nothing and there is nothing in this life.

Whatever life you have let us use it well. Avoid all those things that would make you miss your way. Remove from you the spirit of arrogance, pride, lying and all other vices.

What you need is to “MAKE LIFE COUNT”. Set your priorities right. Serve God well and serve Him properly. If you are not interested in serving God, don’t bother, Serve God because He deserved to be served. Serve Him in spite of your pain, in spite of your suffering, in spite of whatever challenges you are going through.

It is important that that we take God serious if we want to take him serious. Go into communion with Him, be one with God.

The Battle of Life

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 1 Sam 17:4,43,50 KJV

A lot of us have great potential and a lot more have great battle arrays. But we still are not able to win against the enemy and this is why we face so much difficulties in life. The enemy has someone who will always champion their fight. They are battle ready and are ready to fight with all they have.
Why does the enemy fight each one of us?

• The enemy wants to possess your land
• The enemy want to subdue you
• The enemy wants to make slaves of you; to enslave you
• The enemy does not want you to succeed and to fulfill your purpose

This is why we are working so hard each day and we do not see the fruit of our labour. For 430 years the Israelites were slaves in Egypt but the Egyptians were enjoying the fruit of their labour. In the same way, a lot of us work day and night, with hard labour but we do not enjoy the rewards of our hard labour. This is why we must fight to get our freedom. The world fights those who are not ready to fight.

The Philistines saw the start of Israel and were determined that they would not get there. They therefore used the bullying and intimidation that is common to the enemy -devil. He bullies you into thinking you can’t win. He begins by sending a champion, in the form of sin and vices. To take away your strength, then you begin to doubt yourself and you believe that he is right.

This strategy is to cover up their own weakness. Just like Goliath was not the strength of the Philistines, so also whatsoever the enemy is using to trick you is his weakness. All we need is to see it as what it is, the weakness of the enemy. This is because no matter how cunning or strong the enemy thinks he is, his strength can be overcome by the sling and stone of David.

What is this sling and stone? These are the word of God, fasting and prayer. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Matthew 17:21 KJV. Know God’s word for yourself, accept it for what and who it is (God’s word is God himself) and believe in the word. Live by it and pray His words, remind God of them through fasting and praying!

LIFE! as we see it

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Ephesians 6:10-12 KJV

As we tend to get a bit more casual with Christianity the older we are I our faith. We become a bit more relaxed and get a bit lazy here and there; we tend to forget that we are in a battle for life and of life. The heat of the battle does not reduce the closer we are to the finish line, in fact the enemy fights harder to see that we don’t finish the race well.

Apostle Paul was telling them in the early church that life is not easy. He said that life is a wrestle; according to him our problems are not the people (not against flesh and blood) we see but against spiritual authorities. Your brother is not your enemy, not your mother, your husband, your children, or that member in church. Paul described this authorities as

1. Principalities
2. Powers
3. Rulers of darkness of this world
4. Spiritual wickedness in high places

So he says we should put on the whole amour of God so we can win over the wiles of the devil. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 KJV. He says the devil is not coming to you frontally. It is not just a boxing match but a wrestling match, an intimate (body to body contact) fight. This means that the enemy is closer to you than you think. It means that we must be attentive, watchful, prepared, we must be able to resist the wiles of the enemy. Why? Because we fight a no -holds-barred match with spiritual authorities which works through the people around us.

In fact their is a principality, power and rulers of darkness operating in the spiritual that is holding us down. The principles that helps us overcome in this wrestling match are

1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Obedience
4. Dwelling in the word

We are to bring every thought we have to the obedience of Christ. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you Phil 4:8-9 KJV. We need to fight our battles in our thoughts and begin to bring under submission and obedience to Christ every one of those thoughts that gives the enemy a leg in the door.

At the end of our journey here on earth our desires should be that after we have done all, we are able to stand before Christ and the father knowing that we have fought a good fight and finished our race.

What is the solution?

And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 4: 4 KJV

Mephiboseth started out his life in affluence, the son of a Prince, the heir apparent to the throne of Israel, until death came knocking. He was not born lame, but at the age of 5 years and occurrence took place that brought a problem into his life (physical challenge). The fear of  the nurse who believed that the death of his father and grand father would open the door to his death decided to flee with the boy. In her haste to save his life, she inadvertently put him in a position that wasn't bargained for. This is the story of a few of us.

However, the God we serve after creating the heavens and the earth, looked at everything and saw that it is good. He alone knows everything and has the solution to every problem. He sees the end from the beginning. And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake? Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo–debar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 2 Samuel 9: 1, 5-6.. KJV. God knew what the end of Mephiboseth would be right from the day he was born. His end was determined even from the beginning.

There are problems but there are solutions. Before a problem comes into existence, the solution was already created in waiting for you to discover the solution to that problem. The reason why problems linger is because most of us do not seek the solution. We go around sticking our head in the sand and waiting for someone else to proffer a solution to our own problems.

A lot of us magnify our problems because of the fear that we attach to the problems. The maid of King Saul on hearing the King was dead in fear and haste was instrumental in Mephiboseth lame. When we are faced with problems in life, we are not to allow fear to make it worse. The first step towards getting a solution is to remain calm, let the peace of God have sway.

As children of God, and joint heirs with Christ, we have that capacity and power to turn problems to opportunities. Since we are made in God's image we are charged to be a reflection of God's nature. One of God's nature is to solve problems and rise above them.

A lot of us do not even know who we are in Christ. In Christ we are high above problems and born as solution providers. In most cases we are seated beside the solution to our problem. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. Genesis 21:19 KJV. Hagar had been sent away with her son. They had consumed the little that they had to eat, so she waited for death. But because of fear and the magnification of the problem in her mind, she didn't even see that the solution was beside her. It wasn't until God opened her eyes that she saw the well of water.

How did she come about this solution? And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. Genesis 21: 16-18. 

1. She lifted up her voice to God
2. She separated herself from the focus of her problem 
3. She had to be calm and not fear

So we have to be able to do this if we want to be the solution to our problems. We are born with the solution to all our problems, even before the problems arise. 

Living a significant life

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: Genesis 12:1

The life of a Christian has to be a reflection of God's nature. It is important to live a significant life because this is what makes life worth living. A lot of us do not live a significant life because we base our existence on acquiring and meeting basic needs.  We base what we achieve on buying cars, building houses, and acquiring things which have no eternal value. To us this is what makes life worth living. But after you are gone no one will remember what type or model of car you used 100 years after, no one wants to know if you lived in a house with 20 bedrooms 50 years from now. What makes generations to come remember you is the impact you made while you were alive, the live you touched, the changes you brought to your generation.


Living a significant life means leaving our footprints in the sands of life. A life that changes lives. People who have lived a significant life live on after they are gone from here. These people are remembered because they leave a legacy behind. Their significance is not based on worldly acquisitions. However, they leave a legacy that many generations to come find important to their existence and of great value. This is the life that we should model and strive for.

As Christians we must be a by-word that people overlook. In all honesty, it doesn't take money to be significant. Example of such a significant person is Mother Teresa. She was not wealthy in money but she lived a life that made kinds and world leaders seek her out.

As children of God to live a significant life we must seek first the kingdom of God, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you Mathew 6:33 KJV. It is our role and responsibility to look for God and be a reflection of heaven hear on earth. Living a significant life also hinges on how we think and what we think about. It is about us thinking right and living right.

What is the return on Christ's Investment?

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.  Matthew 10: 5-8 KJV

God is waiting to influence every sector of the economy and communities using you and I as a vessel to reach out to the people. The return on God's investment is to spread the gospel and as we do this everything that we lay our hands upon to do will prosper. God is set to use us as the performance measure needed to evaluate the efficiency of His investment in the life of man which He gave to us through His son Jesus Christ. How is he going to use us? He will be doing this through our adherence to his word "to go out and preach the good news". Hence, he would hold us accountable on that last day and even right from here on earth.

God is asking us today to examine our ways. We are to begin from where we are; a person at a time and to share the love of Christ and God's investment into buying the freedom of man from the clutches of sin and death.

Christ said this to his disciples and he is saying it to you today too; "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?" Luke 12:42. If you keep quiet when you are meant to talk; we are in a dangerous zone. We must be faithful and wise to be able to lead people. We lead them to Christ through the Holy Spirit who actually does the work of the leading using us as a vessel.

We must not be caught unawares when the time of the Lord's coming arrives. We will all give account on Christ's investment upon our lives. There is no room for excuses because we would not be doing the work of God by our own power.  All the work of God we are doing is done by the power of God that works in us. God has an accountability structure.

Evangelism is an intentional decision made by every believer to speak of the goodness of God and what God has done to man and us as individuals. "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8 KJV
When the power of God comes into our lives we are to be a witness and tell people about the kingdom of God; we are to witness so that our friends and people around us who live in the kingdom of men and the kingdom of the devil can be aware of God's kingdom and be renewed into it.

God is love and because of this he wants us to exemplify this love by showing God to all through the sacrifice God made through Christ Jesus. For God to get a return on this investment we as Christians must ensure that the flow and sacrifice of Christ's blood yields a profit. God is expecting us to share the good news everywhere we go, first in our immediate environment, and people we meet along the way through our journey of life; about Christ and the investment that God has made for man.

To get this job done, the spirit of the lord is available for us. "And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;" Isaiah 11:2 KJV. As we are here God expects us to arise; and as we go about our daily living, God is expecting us to speak to people about the goodness of God. We are to be involved in the lives of the people in our lives and we are to not only speak to them but we are also to pray for them. How often do we pray for the people around us? How often do we pray for people we do not know; praying for the people who are not a member of our family?

God is still on the throne and no one can limit him. He has called and he is waiting for you. If you are ready to be accountable we must live the lifestyle of a person that has been bought at a price. Our behaviour must be Christ-like. As you go, tell people about Christ; Jesus Christ is your identity. Evangelism is not meeting a person and inviting them to your church. When the Spirit of God leads us to a child of his we are to follow the 8 - I's that ensures that each soul God leads you to is won over for Christ.

1. Interest ( show interest in the person you are speaking to)
2. Inquire about the person
3. Intercede for the person God has directed you to
4. Insight concerning the life you are speaking to
5. Instruction to engage the soul 
6. Illumination of the life of person
7. Introduce them to Jesus first and foremost and not your church
8. Invite them to your church

Evangelism must be a way of life for you. Winning souls to the kingdom of God is the Return-on-Christ's-Investment upon the life of man. As a worker in God's vineyard we must ensure that we are part of this work to yield a bountiful return.

What foundation do you build on?

"These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock." Mathew 7: 24-25

On what foundation have you built your life? Foundation is the principle, idea or the bedrock upon which one builds a thing. As believers, Christ Jesus in the principle and bedrock (foundation) upon which we build our faith and our lives.

Like buildings and homes, they type of foundation we have is dependent on the type of structure we want to build. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? Psalm 11:3. The foundation for a bungalow would be different from that of a 4-floors building. This is the same with the life we live. What is the vision that we have for our life? Do we see Christ in it?

God has a great plan for us which is why he said in Jeremiah "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end". At the beginning of our life, God had built it on the most solid and perfect foundation but sin remade the foundation which made the building (our life) shaky. This is the reason that whatever we build on it cannot stand the test of times. Once trials and challenges rear up their ugly heads, we become tested and begin to shake.

However, we have a very good news today, a promise directly from God who gave us a better and perfect foundation. The joy that once we have Christ as our Saviour accept him as Lord, God reworks and gives us a new and better foundation and this is why Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 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". So to all believers who love God and live to reflect His nature, we are given a new foundation, one that the trials of life cannot shake.

Ask yourself today, what is your foundation? Are you a believer and lover of Christ? Is your life shaky? Seek God today and ask him to visit the foundation of your life and make it new again through Christ Jesus.

Let your life Preach Christ

"Let us make human beings in our image, make them

reflecting our nature

So they can be responsible" Genesis 1:26 MSG

As Christians we ought to pray, In fact we ought to not just pray but we need to have a prayer plan and list. We need a list so we can pray about everything that affects us and affects the life of the people that God has brought our way. As we pray we must also ensure that our person evangelizes and preach Christ daily. The things we wear, the things we say, how we relate with people and our every day way of life must preach Christ to people around us. 

A little act that we do will affect the life of the person we do it to. Find a way to help people so that your ways can preach the gospel of Christ. There is nobody that bends down to pick somebody up that does not rise up themselves. When you lift someone up, you are also lifted up.

Wisdom for Life - The Secret Things

"These proverbs can even add to the knowledge of the wise and give guidance to the educated, so that they can understand the hidden meanings of proverbs and the problems that the wise raise." Prov 1:5-6 GNB

The book of proverb was written by King Solomon, the son of King David who was the friend of God. While David was about to meet his maker he imparted unto his son wisdom he had acquired over the years. He said to his son, "There would be a day that God would visit you and ask you for something. Whatever God asks give it to him. When God asks you to pick a thing, ask for wisdom to fulfill his will and to lead his people."

The words of God are a light to the wise men. They help you to understand the secrets of God.

The book of Proverbs is a book that is filled with sayings of wisdom and they are necessary for daily living because it helps us to:

1. Know wisdom and instruction to perceive the words of understanding
2. Receive the instruction of wisdom justice and discipline 
3. Give understanding to the simple minded people 
4. Give wisdom to the wise to increase learning
5. Understand the the secret sayings of life 

The world is shrouded in secrets, hence the reason for so many secret associations, cults and places of meetings that seeks to impart the secrets of the world to their members. People seek out the secrets of the world and in their search for the secret things find themselves in places of darkness. 

But there is a secret thing that brings light to those that find it. This secret thing belongs to the Lord our God, but the things which are revealed belongs to us the children of God. The revelation of this secret thing is released to us when we become his children through acceptance of Christ as Saviour and Lord.  Which is why God said in Isaiah 45:3 "And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel." 

However, God has kept the information that we seek in the secrecy of his words. God hides his things in secret for the following reasons.......

1. For the wise to search for it
2. So that there will be diligent seeking
3. So that we will first of all fear God before seeking it
4. So that we can appreciate the things we search for
5. So that we become a friend to God
6. Helps us to deepen our relationship with God (Psalm 42:7)
7. Because secrets of God are precious and anyone who seeks it must deserve to find it

Secret things belong to God; wealth is not cheap. Anyone who has prospered, someone has paid for it. Therefore as children we must pay the price of knowing the secrets of God's word. The greatest relationship to open the doors of secret things of God is to been a friend of God. 

Therefore as children of God it is left to us to search out those secret things. We must make it our sole responsibility to seek God's secret so that we may have that relationship that makes us a friend of God. 

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We welcome you to Trinity House

Where the Father,Son and Spirit reside

There's nothing you can't overcome

If you believe then you will see

All things are made possible

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