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.

A NEW SEASON IS HERE!

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. Luke 24: 1-3 KJV

Like we have said in the last post, the story of our Lord Jesus Christ is true, because everything about Jesus worked exactly to perfection. The timing was perfect, the environment was beautiful and everything went according to plan.

Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes as would a lamb set aside for sacrifice. The second thing was that where Jesus was born was Bethlehem in a place where Lambs are reared mostly for sacrifice.  The Shepherds went in to see Jesus and saw him wrapped like a lamb set aside for slaughter. Then He was born in a place where lambs are kept.

Jesus went through all the stages that the lamb, unblemished, goes through before it is sacrificed. Our believe in Christ and all that He went through to connect us back to God the father sets us on that part that leads to life eternal. It also means that we as the new testament of the death and resurrection do not need to perform animal sacrifice because Christ has done it once and finished the work at Calvary!

On the day of resurrection, it was the start of a new season. The women went to the tomb where Jesus was buried expecting to see a dead body but they saw there a risen Jesus. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?   He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. Luke 24: 5-7. 

They met the stone that covered the tomb rolled away and an angel waiting to tell them the good news of Christ’s resurrection. This news they took to the Disciples of Jesus Christ.

Who paid the price?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. John 12: 24-25 KJV

Jesus was saying to His disciples that for something to be great and bring out much fruit, that thing/person must be ready to pay the price. Fruitfulness means to be productive and is not just about bringing out so much flower. It means to add value, to improve things, and be able to make things works. There is a price for productivity and fruitfulness. John 12: 21-32.  He that has no consideration for his life will keep it and he that thinks to preserve it will lose it. He says there is a price to pay for eternal life, lose your life and gain eternity. Loosing your life is surrendering to Christ the life you live.

Let it be known that everything in life has a price. One of the greatest problem of mankind is the feeling of entitlement. The feeling of getting returns without putting in the effort. The charlatans take advantage of people because those people are not ready to pay the price that they need to get the reward. If you see any man that is prospering or succeeding in life it means he has paid the price or somebody has paid the price for him.

Life’s success comes from paying the price, hard work, thinking right, having a plan, looking ahead and meeting goals. The successful have a life plan, a plan for marriage, an employability plan, a business plan and a general plan that is in sync with God’s plan for our life.
Jesus outlined the plan for his life on earth to make Him a success and He paid the price to get that success. Luke 4: 16-21. Joseph had a business/life plan for himself. Jesus was able to go to the cross and die because He had a clear vision of the direction on where His life was going.

What is the cost of what you want to become in life? Mark 10:32-34. Jesus outlines the cost of His perfect sacrifice that would result in the victory over death and the enslavement of sin. He knew that this had a price.

What price did Jesus have to pay for us to have salvation? Christ has already paid the price for your salvation. Why not take up that account and make good on it?

Jesus, the perfect sacrifice

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.  John 19: 31, 34 – 37 KJV

Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. His story is and remains the greatest story ever told. His sacrifice is the greatest and ultimate sacrifice ever made on behalf of man. We should not have any doubt whatsoever about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is every evidence and signs that this man called Jesus passed through Israel and died on the cross.

At every stage of the Christ’s walk to Golgotha; 14 things happened which are called the “14 stations of the cross”.

1. Pilate condemns Jesus to die
2. Jesus accepts his cross
3. Jesus falls for the first time
4. Jesus meets his mother, Mary
5. Simon helps carry the cross
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. Jesus falls for the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. Jesus falls for the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of his clothes
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is placed in the tomb

While Jesus was on the earth and till the end of time His teachings are there for those willing and ready to hear. So, He says “He who has an ear let him hear” but this only to those who God has given the opportunity to Hear.

What are the evidences that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice? There are about 7 things that makes Jesus a perfect sacrifice.

1. The bible says when He was born He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. When a baby is born in Israel it is cover with a little clothe but hen an animal is born without blemish and set aside for sacrifice it is wrapped in swaddling clothes
2. He was from a lineage of Nazareth who was born in Bethlehem. 
3. Jesus Himself has said it “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4: 18-19 NET
4. The perfect sacrifice must be a male lamb, the first born of its mother and must be without blemish. (This tells us we must try to live a life that is free from sin)
5. The lamb is used for sacrifice at the Passover. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice at the Passover and the Lamb of God
6. The bible says that when they came to Jesus on the cross He was already dead before the evening. They pierced the side of Jesus Christ and water came on one side and blood on one side. The perfect sacrifice must not have its bone broken and Jesus was buried without His bone being broken before His burial. 
7. Everywhere in Israel there is war because at the judging of Christ the people that spoke against Him before Pilate said “let His blood be upon us and upon our children” and so it happened. 

Have a blessed Easter celebration, may the perfect sacrifice of God for our lives not be a waste!

How to attract favour

Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 12 And there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret. Genesis 41: 9, 12 KJV

No one can succeed and excel in life without an element of favour. Favour is something we have not benefited, something that is given and gotten not because we are entitled to it but it is unmerited.
Our prayer should be that our favour will not pass us by. The word says that God makes all things work together for good to all those that love Him- Romans 2:28.

We should always be open to favour because it is at our most difficult times that God sends to us our destiny helpers. Sometimes our favour appears as people in a problem, as people who are needy or desperate, people who need our support. However, at that time we are going through challenges and the first reaction is for us to ignore them or turn them away; this is a favour test. Almost every day of our life God is given us a favour test. God brings us to places where opportunities and favour abound and in most cases they a shrouded in a disguise just like Jesus spoke to the people in parables.

Everybody in life needs a destiny helper. The prayer for us all is to not miss this people. Whoever and wherever they are. An ex-convict helped Joseph get to his destiny, a servant introduced David to his breakthrough (Saul’s servant said to the King that David’s songs could dispel demons.), a servant introduced Naaman to his healing. So favour may not come in any form of finery, usually it comes cloaked in a disguise that we usually may take for granted. Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. 1 Samuel 16: 18

Change can come and change can come suddenly. Sometimes our day of favour comes and we do not have the appropriate response to that favour. We have become limited in our own desires and we fail to see what God has prepared for us.

What do you need to do to attract favour? What do you need to do to make sure God remembers you and He lifts you up to the place where you should be?

1. Know the words of God and live holy
2. Obedience to the word of God
3. Have a forgiven heart, forgive people that offend you 
4. Be nice to other people- Be willing to serve other and be a vessel of favour unto others (if you are nice to people God would be nice to you)
5. Be willing to be sacrificial to other people
6. Be giving – live a life that is charitable

Did you know that man is a product of God’s grace? Pt 2

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1: 4-5 KJV

God’s grace and favour forms an edge around man and this helps us to succeed. Even when we go through the challenges of life we still enjoy God’s favour. Romans 8:31 says it most clearly that of God be for us who then (or what power) can stand against us? The reason why the devil was able to attack Job was because God withdrew His favour from his life. Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. Job 1: 10-11 KJV. The enemy cannot have their way in our life for as long as we are operating under the grace and favour of God.

It is important for us to know today that because we are alive and reading this post we are simply a product of grace. If you are alive and breathing we have grace working for us. The most damaging thing we can do to ourselves is to think that we are not worth it, to think we are not useful, to think we cannot make it. Let it be known to us today that because we are alive today we are on the road to making it already through the grace and favour of God.

You know the doctors would tell you that in every copulation between a man and woman, there is at least 3 million sperm cells that are released. Three million sperms that are running towards one egg, and anyone of the 3 or 300 million could have made it. But instead it was you that made it and got born into this world that God created. Look properly at yourself and say, “out of the millions of sperms I was the one that made it”. You ran ahead of all the others and won, so who can say that you will or cannot make it? You already beat millions of people hands down to be born and even now you still alive when many have passed on. Of course you will make it because that grave and favour that brought you this far is waiting for you to run with that same energy which you started out with at conception.

Ask yourself “If you are born of grace why is your life still a struggle?” Then there is a need to rethink your life, turn to Jesus and let him weed away all those things that are acting a barrier to the fulfillment of God’s grace and favour manifesting in your life.

Did you know that man is a product of God’s grace?

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1: 4-5 KJV

Man cannot exist without the grace of God; for without God we can do nothing. It is the grace of God that keeps us through the good and the bad times. There are so many things in life that we are powerless to. I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV. It is the grace of God that happens to them all. Romans 9:13 says that even God decides who he would favour. It says Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated.

What is grace? What is favour? Grace is the free unmerited favour of God, divinely given talent or blessing. It is the kindness and life of God. Favour is the over generous preferential treatment; it is an act of kindness beyond that which is due or usual; unfair preferential treatment.

God will favour us all; no matter how undeserving we are, doors of favour shall be opened to us. The simple reason is this, there are things we can control; what we eat but not how the food works in our body, we can control who we meet but not how they react to us. We can control a few things but not the final outcome of the things or situation. Therefore, there are things within our control but there are many things that are outside our control that are working towards making us something or the other.  The overall outcome of how we end up is dependent on the favour and grace of God. It is the grace of God pulls us out.

Man is born of and a product of grace. Nobody alive created himself; we are simply a product of the grace and favour of God. 1 Samuel 1: 20, Jeremiah 1:5. Therefore we are already favoured by God. How come even though we are born of grace things are bot working well for us, that we do not find favour? It is because there are destiny stealers. Some people their grace is stolen from birth, some it happens as soon as they are born and some it happens along the journey of their life.

Love thy neighbor as yourself - Neighborliness Pt. 2

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. Luke 10: 27, 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:1-2

Who then is your neighbor?

The cleaners who you see on the road, the homeless man at the street corner, the help who works in your house, the poor man who can’t afford a meal, the beggar on the street, the child hawking on the road, the mother who can’t pay bus fare and needs your help carrying her child on your lap in the bus because she has another one on her lap and a baby on her back. These people and a lot more are your neighbors. As a child, man, woman born of love we must express neighborliness towards all and not just as it pleases us.

Neighborliness is not geographic, it is expressive. It is to a person that you express neighborliness to. Without the ability to love and show love to people you have not seen, who cannot pay you back, people who hurt you, then you have nothing.

The riches and wealth we acquire is a waste of time without love. The bible tells us that without loving our neighbor we have not the chance of going to heaven. The toll gate ticket into heaven all boils down to one thing – LOVE. The love for God who first loved us and sent His son to die so that man all over the world may live in eternity. The second is the love for the man that God took his time to create -YOUR NEIGHBOR.

God is interested in the little act of love that we express to our neighbor. We daily have opportunities to express love with our fellow man. It is the little things we count as unimportant that counts the most. The bible tells us who our neighbor is in Luke 10: 27-37. At the end Christ asked a question;  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? Luke 10: 36 KJV

The pious man (born again, tongue speaking Christian or worshiper) passed by, the Man of God (Priest, Pastors, workers in the vineyard, e.t.c) passed by. These ones did not do anything for the neighbor who was in need. But the Samaritan (ungodly, not born again, occult person) passed and helped out the guy in need. Do you just pass by and go your way, or do you stop and express love to those in need of it? Are you the pious man/woman, the man/woman of God or are you the Samaritan?

In reply the Lawyer said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Luke 10: 37 This is what He is saying to us too today; to go and love our neighbor and express love towards those we feel do not deserve our love.