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!

Love the Tool for an Excellent Spirit

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.  1 Corinthians 13: 1- 2 KJV

Here, Apostle Paul was speaking to the church of God in Corinth but especially more to the leaders of the church and the nation. He says that love is a very important tool in Christianity and leadership.
What is love? We need to research it and it is there in the scripture. Love is the strongest tool that binds man. When we research it we need to constantly compare to the definition of love we have.

The biggest test of our Christianity is not a test of what we do or say but a test of what is in our heart. It is our thoughts, what are we thinking in our hearts towards our brothers, neighbour? We are used to thinking one thing and saying something else. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. And no creature is hidden from God, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account. Hebrews 4: 12-13 NET

A man who goes about praising people while they cure those people in their heart does not exemplify love. Love must begin from the heart; it starts with how we relate with people and those things we say and think about them when they are not with us.

Having love in your heart towards all of mankind frees you from pain and the shackles of pain, hate, anger, failure and lack. Today I implore you to open up your heart to love. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Mathew 22: 37 – 40 KJV. 

A life without regret pt.2

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 

Luke 16: 22-25 KJV

A lot of people might end up with one form of regret or another if we don’t know what we do at the end of life or where we would be when death comes calling.

People generally fall into 4 categories which are;

1. A group of people who never knew what life could be. They live in complete ignorance of what life is or what their life could be. (the lame man at the pool of Bethesda)
2. A group of people who see a bit of possibility but do not have the capability or think they do not have the ability, capacity or right spirit to make the best of it. A lot of people see them themselves as non-achievers
3. A group of people who have opportunity, see the opportunity and have the capacity to make the best of the opportunity but misuse the opportunity. What they use the opportunity for was not what it was designed to be used for. 
4. A group of people who through sacrifice, knowledge and understanding made the best of all opportunities in the best way possible. They can say I have finished the race

A lot of people would look back and say, “if I had known”. In the first part of this topic we spoke about people who were facing death but didn’t want to die as they do not know where they would go after death.

A lot of people don’t understand life and what life should be. We spend so much time building up a future that brings a burden and life of regret. Luke 16: 19- tells of a very rich man who had more than enough to eat; there was a poor beggar who looked to eat of the scrap left to the dogs. According to the rich man he lived a very good life. He sat very respectably over the city but at the end of that life he had regrets.

What kind of life are we living at this time of our life? Are you going to say at the end of your life that it was a great life, a well lived life or will you say it was a life filled with regrets? Will be on your bed and spend the end of your life thinking of all you could have done things differently? Do you care for the ordinary person you see on the street? Do you see a beggar on the road and help them? Do you consider other people and make their life a bit more brilliant? How many of you pick up a child and send them to school? How many of you see your friend going through hard times and help make his life better? How many of you know the name of your staff?

The rich man had wealth but his life was a failure. The other one was poor but the life he lived ended in success.

A life without regret

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12: 1&7 KJV

This morning we look at the subject “a life without regret”. We will start and continue it through a few more posts.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-8 tells us a little story written by the man who was considered the wisest, most profound and richest man in the world at his time. A man was promised by God that there was none as wise as he was and there shall be known as wise as he is.

He says, ’remember your creator in the time of your youth’. Remember the lord in the days when you have the wisdom and capacity to serve Him. As in time, sooner than we think, the end of life as we know it on earth will come for each of us and our spirit will return to God who has given it. Solomon was saying that in spite of it all, he has a few regrets. We shall not have regrets at the end of our life in Jesus name, Amen
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One of my favourite people is a doctor. He said in his career he has witnessed 3 categories of people that pass through the hospital

1. People who are in a coma with no knowledge of what is going on in life. They are in a vegetative state with no strength or power over their own life. Someone else or a group of people have the say or control over whether they continue to live or the plug be pulled to end their life. A lot of people go through this category of life
2. There are a lot of people struggling with life. They have tears on their face and they are begging the doctor to save them. They are so afraid to die as they have no idea what comes after death. They are neither prepared nor are they ready for life to end. Alas, there is no one on earth who will not die; death will come for each of us at any time. I have seen death leave the poor and take the rich; take the rich and leave the poor, leave the weak and take the strong.
3. Then there are those who are peaceful, comfortable, calmly reassured and seem to know exactly where they are going when they die. They look death in the face and say, “death do your worst for I know where I am going”. 

You need to be prepared for that day so that you don’t look back and have regret. What are those things in your past that when you look back you begin to regret. Today is the time you must make amends because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

Some of us have wasted time on things that have no value, spent our life in anger and a lot other things that when we look back we would regret and wish we had done things differently.

We don’t want to wait till the time when we have to say I didn’t know that it would end like this, I wish I could tell you I love you, I wish I had not said those words, I didn’t know it would lead to death. Our prayer is that we would not live a life of regret so that in our old age we would be at peace with our past. Billy Graham said there are 3 things that science cannot solve

1. The wickedness of man
2. The suffering of the world 
3. The certainty of death

I don’t know how your life is going now. I don’t know if you are busy with the things of life, planning parties and thinking of how to look better than your neighbor; know this “Life will go on without you when you are gone”.

Jesus was speaking to Mary and Martha and He said Mary has chosen the most important thing “the kingdom of God”. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10: 42 KJV. What part have you chosen?

You must redirect, refocus and reprogram your life and leave all the struggles of life. If you are a living being visit the hospitals and see human beings like yourself who can’t help themselves. The second place you must visit is the mortuary so that you can see one day exactly how you must end. The third place is the grave, go there and see your final resting place.

Talk to Jesus today about your life; God has given us a special gift of life and we must make good of it. If someone like Solomon can look back and regret, then we need to check our life.

If there is something in our life that we have done that we regret or did that we find difficult to tell to anyone else; I implore us today to talk to Jesus about it. If you know you haven’t been close to Jesus as you should be, put your right hand on your heart and ask Jesus into your life so that He can help you and show you His mercy.

Making it through times of difficulties Pt. 2

And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 2 Kings 6: 24-25 KJV

Genesis 22: 21-22 let us know that hard times can repeat itself. Isaac wanted to use the old solution to the problem since it had happened before but God gave him a different solution and he was blessed. We read that Isaac sowed in the same land where there was famine and he yielded a hundredfold so much so that the people of the land where he lived envied him.

In Samaria during the time of famine, the solution came through a man that was not popular or loved by the ruling class of the land. The Lord spoke into the situation and it happened just as the man-of-God, Elisha, said.

Peter was a fisher man and they were at sea the whole night without catching any fish. In the morning a solution came in the form of Jesus using the boat first and when He was done asking them to set out. The fish they caught was more than they could handle.

We need to develop a nothing to lose attitude as seen in Esther 4:16. She was willing to lose her life in other to save her people. We must take a stand for Jesus today and every other day. When we take a stand for Jesus, He will stand for us.

Overcoming opportunities requires that we have faith. Move without expecting everything to be properly aligned. In life nothing is equal unlike the popular saying “all things being equal”.
We should learn to give our way out of our problems. It is when we are faced with challenges that we should give more. We are not only giving our resources or time. However, the most important thing is to give our life to Jesus Christ.

Ask yourself this simple question today as you face those good and hard times; “is Jesus a part of my life, is He in the boat of life with me?” If the answer is no, then you need to invite Him into the boat to help calm the storm.

It is not your business to figure out how God will do it; the solution and how it will come is in God’s hands. It is not our responsibility to figure out how; ours it to take action when He commands or tells us to. In Isaiah God says His words will not return to Him.

Making it through times of difficulties

And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 2 Kings 6: 24-25 KJV

Samaria was besieged by the army of the enemy, subdued and facing starvation. It was so bad that they ate dung of dogs and some women boiled their children to eat. Times were hard in Samaria but whether we like it or not, hard times are part of life.

Never say a man is great until you see his end. The bible is very sure; we live in a fallen world. Hard times can come in different ways; financial, social, marital, emotional. But whatever we are going through now, it is not new. For there is nothing new under the sun.

When written in Chinese the word crises comprise of 2 characters; crises and opportunities. Therefore, each hardship is made of the crises and the opportunity that it brings.

The man Job in the bible tells us that, Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. Job 14: 1-2 KJV
However right Job may be, Jesus encourages us with these words; I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage – I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 KJV

If you wake up tomorrow and situations of life change, the world will continue to go on.
What are the reasons for hard times?

1. Lack of adequate preparation
2. Past mistakes based on wrong investments, relationships, choices and friends
3. Lack of understanding of the times (sons of Issachar understood the times)
4. Compromises we have made, cutting corners, bribery
5. Lack of spiritual discipline; no prayers, no fasting, no meditation on God’s words Joshua 1:8
6. We forget that there are opportunities during the hard times

Any situation outside what God ordains as an answer to the hard times will lead to frustration because it is a solution that will not last. In a lot of times the solution to that very great problem may just be a very small solution.

We need God to make it through hard times for He alone can make a way out of difficult situations in life. Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43 : 16 -19 KJV. 

The Power of Praise 2018

 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 KJV

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 2 Chronicles 20: 20 - 22

The Lord inhabits the praise of His people.

When we gather together to praise God with a heart true and full of gratitude doors begin to open and chains holding us down are broken.

Just as Paul and Silas praised while they were bound in the prison and the chains, gates and all that held them captive broke open, we also gather today to praise God for 24 hours to open up the gates of success, and blessings.

Prayers climb up to God, however, the bible makes us understand that when we praise God comes down Himself to dwell and bask in the praise.

What does it mean to carry your cross daily?

We need to be concerned about the next person. We should exemplify care and comfort, people around us should never be lonely or left on their own. We should endeavour to be the friend that sticks closer than a brother.

People need help, so we should be ready, willing and available to help others. So many people are floundering in their journey through life. So many people are there waiting and all they need is for you to shine that light that would chase the darkness away for them.

God has put you in people’s lives to make a difference. Therefore, certain things are important in our role as the tool for shining the light on the life of the people around us.

1. Give hope to the people around you
2. Be a companion – ready to listen and help
3. Be the bridge that gets people from where they to where they are supposed to be

There are two questions for us today, questions that determine the level of understanding we all have.

1. Why do people look for Jesus?
2. What does it mean to carry your cross daily? 

To carry your cross daily is to take your destiny serious, to take responsibility on a daily basis. To wake up each day to fulfill that thing (purpose) your life is about. Your responsibility is to yourself, to the people in your care, to the nation and community you live in. 

To follow Jesus successfully, we need to be ready to be responsible for our choices and our purpose.
May the Lord give us the power to take up our cross and live up to the purpose for which we are born.

To live up to our purpose we need one key ingredient and that is knowledge. We must seek knowledge and the greatest source of knowledge is God Himself.  Therefore, we should seek the knowledge that God gives. We must ask God to help us and be with us. Every morning when we wake up we must commit our day and life into the hands of God.

We need to make sure we are in constant communication with God. We are to commit our ways into the hands of God always not choosing the day to communicate with Him or doing it alone in times when we are in a jam or in trouble.

Be ready to serve God irrespective of the level we are on the ladder of success. You need God more when you are at the top of the ladder because it is only by His grace that you will be able to stay at the top and use your position well.

What is life all about?

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 

Psalm 90: 10 KJV

Life is God’s idea. Life is short. The bible says the days of a man are 3 score and 10 years. The mountain of age is difficult to climb, in health, wealth and companionship.

The life we live is a loan that is given to us from God. We all will return the spirit to the owner to give account of it before our maker. So we need to treat life very carefully, warmly, considerably, respect, attention and care.

We agree that there will always be a storm in life just as we have it in nature. The storm will come but we will be able to rise above them.

What is life all about? What is the whole purpose of God bringing you to this life?

• The life we live is about serving God
• It is about the achievement and actualization of the purpose of creation

I think that life is just simply an exam and all that we come up with is just ways to pass the exam. It is simply how we work at passing the exam. The spirit is eternal, it doesn’t die and returns to God for our works and thoughts to be judged.

Our life is about how much time we spend with God and the amount of time we spend doing His will and reflecting His image.