RHEMA From Heaven

Choices are inevitable in life. I have often said, living is choosing. This fact not withstanding we are not to make choices that will ruin our lives. 

For most Christians, if something is good, or seems good, or is nice, or is a great idea, or is lovely, they conclude that such a choice is a “go”. But you see, without God leading you or directing you by the inward witness, this same choice will end up surprising you because of the evil it will bring. 

You see, the Christian must not play blind when it comes to making choices. Your choice when it comes to career, marriage partner, education, ministry, and others must not be taken lightly.When you make any choice with limited knowledge and without divine leadings, you are in for a disaster. That’s what leads to the saying, “had I known”.

Many today are victims of bad choices or “fleshly led choices”. Some have been wrongly led or misled into marriages, careers, countries, and certain forms of alliances that have ruined their lives. The bible records how Lot, Abram’s nephew was guided by his natural eyes to choose the plains beyond the Jordan and pitched his tent toward Sodom as his new town. Lot was misguided by his eyes because in the natural he saw the land to be good and rich. But guess what, he chose the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

“And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other”(Genesis 13:9-11). 

When all was said and done, Lot left the place with nothing even though he went there very rich. 

Let God direct you before you chose things in life. Remember, choosing the wrong things in life will bring you a great loss. 

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Prayer: Father, I pray that by the indwelling presence of the Spirit, I will be daily guided in all I do. In Jesus name, Amen!

One of the things that every Christian must be bold about is spreading the gospel. Nothing must hold you down when it comes to making Christ known to others or living out your faith to win others to the Lord. 

As a Christian you need to be bold when it comes to sharing God’s word. Shyness and fear must not hold you back. In fact, you must never be ashamed to preach the gospel. In Luke 9:26, Jesus said “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”

Boldness involves the willingness to take risks for something or being courageous about something. You see, the gospel is the most important thing in this our sin doomed world. Therefore, every believer should stand up and rally round the spreading of the gospel. 

Beloved, don’t waste your strength on unnecessary things. We have people who “die hard” for sports and other worldly pursuits and don’t care what they give up in the process. 

On the other hand, we have believers who do nothing with the gospel they know and have. But dare to be different! Friend, heed to the master’s voice of “GO YE THEREFORE UNTO THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL” (Mathew 28:19). 

Be bold for God. Be bold to tell the world of the wrath of God that awaits all sinners. Be bold to tell the world that without holiness no one will see the LORD. 

Be bold to talk about Jesus. Go and labour in world to win the lost to the Lord.

Read: Mark 16:15-16 “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Prayer: Lord, I pray that my confidence in declaring my faith will never be curtailed by the happenings of life. In Jesus name, Amen!

Christians need one another. We are not in a competition of survival of the fittest, neither are we to bring down one another. God wants us to be each other’s keeper. Thus, you matter, and any other person also matters like you. 

When it comes to the body of Christ, we are to all mature and to come to the unity of faith in Christ. This aim notwithstanding, we as a body have believers of different levels in terms of growth or maturity. Some are very new in the faith, these are babies (1 Peter 2:2), and some have also gone past the baby stage whiles others too are also matured in the faith. But irrespective of how you see it, the body of Christ is made up of believers who are growing. It is a journey into perfection. We keep moving from one level to the other. 

The makeup of the body of Christ demands that we become each other’s keeper to ensure that everyone gets to his destination. Ephesians 4:13, says “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”.

As you grow in the Lord, have a brother or sister you are carrying along to help them also grow in the fear and in the knowledge of our Lord and master Jesus. 

You see, the mistakes of people must not let you “reject them” or let go off them completely. Any time a Christian brother or sister is carried away by sin that is when he or she needs you most. You must restore and help such a person to get back on track quickly so that the devil does not “harden” such a fellow by the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:13 says “But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication]”

Don’t let the devil deceive you into self-righteousness or to see yourself better than folks who miss it or give in to sin in their walk with God. The reason why you know more, and you are matured now is to help carry along the “babes” in the house of God. 

Hold the hands of someone as we travel on the narrow road of challenges, holiness, and rejection by the world to that “beautiful land” –Heaven

Read: Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual [that is, you who are responsive to the guidance of the Spirit] are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness [not with a sense of superiority or self-righteousness], keeping a watchful eye on yourself, so that you are not tempted as well. Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the requirements of the law of Christ [that is, the law of Christian love].”

Prayer: Lord, I pray for grace to soar higher in this new life. Lord, please give me the wisdom and the ability to always carry another young believer in this walk. In Jesus name, Amen!

The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) renders the same text as “…let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God”. 

To know how to perfect or make complete holiness, you must understand that, born again folks have been made holy. In the natural you can try to be highly moral, gentle or let me say a legalist, but that can’t make you holy. You become holy when you receive the very life of God. The Bible says “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1Peter 2:9). So becoming “holy” is not something you work for but it is something you are made into when you get born again. It is from there that you perfect it, mature in it, or complete it by letting the “spirit life” subdue the “flesh”.

As Christians, we don’t work for holiness but rather we walk in it. That is, you bring all your faculties and the members of your body to live in sync with the holiness nature you have received from the Lord.

If you are born again you have the grace and the ability to perfect holiness in the fear of God but if you are not born again yet, you can start now by accepting the Lordship of Christ. 

In perfecting or completing holiness, you consistently live with Christ consciousness. This makes you hate sin and anything that leads to it. For instance, a Christian who is determined to live in sexual purity -one aspect or area of holiness can’t be watching nude pictures, or pornographic stuffs on phones, etc, and still think sexual purity can be possible.

Another way to perfect holiness, is to flee or run away from youthful desires that generates sin. You see, any passion or zeal you have, whether emotional, mental, etc., if it’s not towards the things consistent with God’s word, it will take you out of the road of holiness.

Read: 2 Timothy 2:22 “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

Prayer: Father, I pray that I will be conscious of the holiness nature I carry in me in my daily life in Jesus name. Amen

The Bible says in James 2:15-17 that “Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?” So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

When it comes to dealing with God, and having results in life, your faith is key. Nonetheless, your faith must not only end with words. Your faith must be accompanied by actions. You can’t believe something and do the opposite of it. 

You must always act on the grounds of faith. Know that, just believing something by itself will not get the job done when you don’t live it out. 

One of the great mistakes many believers make is to confess their faith in the Word of God and at the same time contradict their confession by wrong actions. One preacher once wrote on this subject and said, “when we say that we are trusting God to provide for our financial needs, but at the same time we are worrying about how we’re going to pay our bills. There is no corresponding action there”. 

As a Christian your faith in the word of God must always inform or determine your actions. Irrespective of the storms that you may face, you must always stay put and act on the word. The word of God is reliable and always works. For instance, when you receive and believe the word on healing, you must not remain glued to that sick bed any longer. You get up from that bed and start to do that which you could not do before. It may be gradual, but that is a corresponding action to your faith, and it will make your healing fully manifest.

Don’t believe the word and do the opposite of it. It won’t bring you any results.

Read: James 2:14-18 “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

Prayer: Father, thank you that my faith always works. I pray that as act on your word I will see wonderful things and miracles. In Jesus name, Amen!

Life is governed by principles and laws. A principle simply shows how something works or why something happens. These principles or laws are clearly stated in God’s word. Thus, irrespective of who you are, you are subjected to them.

One of such principles in the bible is reaping and sowing. In admonishing the Galatian church, Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap”. (Galatians 6:7)

Looking at this law it will be a great deception to think you will reap good after sowing evil. Thus, when you sow evil, expect nothing different. Same applies to doing good. It is just a matter of time, and you will see the outcome. 

You see, people may not necessarily see the seeds you sow in your life, but the fruits cannot be hidden. See what Jesus said, Matthew 7:16-17, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit”.

That’s why if you want good results in your education, career, ministry, marriage etc., you must be ready to sow good seeds in terms of learning, prayer, counsel, and planning.

Beloved never take any action of yours for granted. It is the seed you are sowing today. Always endeavour to sow good seeds in your life.

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully”.

Prayer: Lord, I pray for the grace to sow good and beneficial seeds in life. In Jesus name, Amen!

Nothing shows you are wise in this world like winning souls for the Lord. That was the sole rescue mission of Jesus when He came to this world. So being here on earth, nothing must occupy us more like this agenda of God. 

When it comes to soul winning, it is the greatest responsibility of the believer. 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, “But all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ [making us acceptable to Him] and gave us the ministry of reconciliation [so that by our example we might bring others to Him] ” (AMP). 

In Mathew 28:19, the Bible says “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Mark 16:15 also says “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. 

You see, every Christian has a duty of making disciples or preaching the gospel to the unsaved.

You must never hesitate to share the Gospel to the lost or be ashamed of it either. The Gospel is the power of God that brings salvation. You must not be ashamed in this assignment. Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles” (Romans 1:16).

You see, what this messy world needs is the Gospel. This sin and devil ruled world needs the word of God that saves, heals, restores, and gives people an eternal resting place.

Beloved, don’t have the message that can save others and still sit down like there is nothing at stake. As you read this message, multitudes are descending to hell because they have died without knowing the Lord. Others are making serious mistakes that can cause them to lose Heaven. Be a soul winner today and forever. Hearken to the master’s call and save someone.

Read: Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Prayer: Father, I pray for the grace to be an ardent soul winner everyday and everywhere I find myself, In Jesus name, Amen!

God knows you before you came to this world. Not only that, but he also planned for you before you arrived. Like how one song writer put it “I have a maker, He formed my heart, before even time began, my life was in His hands”. 

Considering our opening scripture again you must believe and know that you are not a mistake or a biological error of your earthly parents. Some folks have been made to believe that their existence on earth was not planned by their parents, thus, the justification for the unfortunate happenings in their life. 

With all audacity, understand that you are a product of God. You are God’s child. There was a divine plan on you before you arrived on earth. We see in Jeremiah 29:11 that “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”.

Beloved, God had an agenda and a plan for your life before you were born. So, your real success in life depends on your knowledge of this plan and following it. Although you can do some other things with your life, knowing why God brought you into this world and doing solely that is what real success it. 

The Bible talks of Jesus the Savior of the world, the son of God and how he pursued the plan of God for his life and fulfilled it. “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God”. (Hebrews 10:7). The truth is that, if even the son of God had to follow God’s plan to succeed, then you can’t make it in life outside God’s plan. 

Knowing the plan of God for your life and following it brings success because as a Christian you must know that God only provides for the plans and vision he gives you and not the ones you heap on yourself.

You see, if you want to succeed in life, follow God’s plan for your life and not what the world is propagating. This is because, when your plan is from God, it brings you to a successful end. 

Solomon in his wisdom said “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

You must learn to subject your plans and visions to that of God. Yours might be good but God who is all-knowing has the best of all plans.

It is time to stop resisting the plans of God for your life and embrace it wholeheartedly irrespective of the challenges it may come with. From today, endeavor to yield to God’s plan for your life.

Read: Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than the your thoughts” 

Prayer: Father, I pray that my life will always be aligned to the master plan you have for me. In Jesus name, Amen!

Knowing the will of God for your life and in situations that you face is a glorious thing. This is what makes you more at rest or live in “total peace” in life. Folks who don’t know the will of God or what God is doing at any particular time or in any given situation will subject themselves to trial and error. But as a Christian, God wants you to have a life of peace and a life of purpose. This only comes when you know the will of God. 

As a believer you must know that the will of God is ultimate in everything. Knowing the will of God is what will make you command exploits. Knowing the will of God will make you live and do things consistent with what God wants and in effect have His backings in all that you do.

In our opening text, the Apostle Paul talked about how he and his team prayed for the believers at Colosse that they might be filled with the will of God. As a Christian, this must be your ultimate desire, that you will know the will of God.

Give yourself to prayer consistently if you want to know God’s will for your life and the will of God with regards to the era, we are living in. Prayer on this subject will help to align your thoughts, heart, and mind to the will of God that will be imparted by the Holy Spirit into your spirit. Beloved, know this that, to subscribe to the will of God, your flesh and your personal desires must be fully subjected to the Lord’s leadings. 

You see, it takes the will of God to live a life pleasing to him. You can’t please God when you are not living by his will and in his will. No wonder, Jesus prayed that “the father’s will be done in his life”. Do you know the will of God for your life? Do you know the will of God for your family? Do you know the will of God for your marriage? Do you know the will of God?! 

When you are in God’s will or living by God’s will you walk worthy of his call for your life. The Bible again teaches that, being in God’s will, leads to fruitfulness (Colossians 1:9-10). 

Be eager to know God’s will. Pray for it, search God’s word on that, and open your heart to be led by his Spirit.

Read: Hebrews 10:7, “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God”.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you will impress my heart with your will. Teach me your will. Open my eyes to see your will, open my heart to perceive your will, open my ears to hear your will. In Jesus name, Amen!

Life in general can be full of uncertainties. This can naturally make you anxious. For instance the issue of securing a good job,having your finances in shape, getting married, child birth, etc, can make a person anxious. These issues not withstanding, God wants us to live a worry free life. He wants us to believe Him when it comes to meeting our needs. Thus, choosing to be anxious makes you disobey God. 

In fact, being anxious in life is a sin. Just as lying, stealing, fornicating or any other form of unrighteousness. Most Christians have less considered it as a sin. But so long as the Bible says, don’t be anxious, doing it makes it wrong. 

Being anxious never produces any results. Anxiety will rather worsen an already bad situation. It will make you also feed your heart with doubt. 

As a Christian, God does not want you to respond to the challenging moments of your life by being anxious. God wants you to pray, and to make your requests known to him. That’s to say that, trusting in the Lord is the sure antidote to becoming anxious in life. 

You see, folks who remain in anxiety forfeit grace and the goodness that may be credited to them.

Never channel your energy wrongly. Focus on what God can do rather than to be worried.

Remember, God is able to help you at every cross road of your life.

Read: Matthew 6:25,27 NIV, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes. Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Prayer: Lord, I pray that the spirit of anxiety will have no rule over my life. I declare that I live a worry free life in Jesus name. Amen!