RHEMA From Heaven

Jeremiah 3:15 “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding”.

“One of the precious gifts a person can receive from God is a pastor. He is the shepherd of your soul. Hebrews 13:17 says “Obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you”.

A pastor is one of the fivefold ministerial offices in the Body of Christ. They are gifts in the package of “men” that God gives to feed His flock. See Ephesians 4:7-8 “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. That is why it says, when he ascended in high, he led captives in his train and gave GIFTS to men”

Ephesians 4: 11 says, “It was he who gave some to be apostle, some to be prophets, some to be evangelist, and some to be PASTORS and teachers”.

As a Christian your blessing – in terms of growing in the Lord and prospering is greatly connected to how you treat your pastor. Because of the important role a pastor plays in the life of a believer it is necessary to know how to treat your pastor.

The following are some important things every Christian must know and practice when it comes to dealing with a pastor, especially, your pastor in your local congregation.

First is, don’t criticize your pastor. No matter what happens, you must hold your pastor in high esteem. Don’t be a fault pointer against your pastor. You must learn not to condemn, attack and malign your pastor on any occasion. Instead of becoming a critique when they have challenges, be bold to stand with them. Don’t leave your pastor when things go against him. Show them great care and love just as they have done in your life rather than put them to public dishonor. -James 4:11-12, Ephesians 4:29, Jude 1:10

Secondly, don’t speak evil of your pastor. Speaking evil about your pastor is to present your pastor to the outside world without the honor that he deserves. It is God’s honor that is on a pastor.  Believers must therefore learn not to talk evil about them. Hebrews 5:4 says “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was”. You see, your pastor deserves to be honored.

Read: Numbers 12:5-9 “And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed”.

Prayer: Lord, have mercy on me if I have manhandled the pastors you gave me. I pray that I will honour the pastor over my life with all sincerity. Amen! 

John 14:30 “I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me”

In Ephesians 2:2 the Bible says “in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience”

In John 16:11 the Bible again says “and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged”

One thing you must know as a Christian is that this world is heavily influenced and ruled by the devil. The devil is operating in this world because of the high treason committed by Adam and delivering his delegated authority to him.

The bible in 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls the devil the god of this world. (In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ). You see, God, our heavenly father is not the one running things here on earth, the devil is. That is why he’s got a lot of things messed up, people’s lives, business, education, health, etc.

In John 14:30 Jesus said “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”. This is why you must stand your grounds as a Christian and use your authority in Christ to undo any schemes and tactics of the devil.

James 4:7 says “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. That’s to say that, you have what it takes to keep the devil off your space. You can keep him away from your family, you can keep him away from your finances, you can keep him away from your marriage, you can keep him away from your business but you must submit first to the Lord and resist him in faith.

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:11 “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. He has traps so beware”.

Prayer: Thank you father for the spirit of vigilance upon my life. I pray and declare that I will be on guard all the days of my life by the help of the Spirit of God to undo any satanic happenings around me. Amen!

Proverbs 6:26-28 “For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?”.

Temptations have substance. Every temptation has an element. This is what will drive you off your guard when left unchecked. Thus, knowing generally about temptation is not enough to help you overcome it. Know what it entails and try to deal with it.

Just as a tree can’t be made to die without taking off its roots. You can’t win the fight over temptation if you simply deal with the externals and not the real factors that gives temptation power over people.

In Genesis 3:1-6, the bible says “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. AND WHEN THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD, and that it was PLEASANT TO THE EYES, and A TREE TO BE DESIRED TO MAKE ONE WISE, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat”.

The above temptation and subsequent fall of man in Genesis shows that the woman was tempted on three important elements. The first was PLEASURE OR SATISFACTION – that’s seeing the TREE was good for food. Second was ATTRACTION – pleasant to the eyes and the third was STATUS – a tree to be desired to make one wise. This complicated web in temptation is what makes people fall anytime they are tempted even though God has made a way of escape to them.

In James 1:14-15 the Bible says “But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed, and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death”

You see, people don’t just fall to temptation. It is a weakness in them that they never treated or overpowered with the word and the Spirit of God. They simply left themselves unchecked and moving around with jargons thinking they are good and powerful Christians till the devil invites them for a dinner. Are you filled with pride, are you filled with the tendency to become disloyal, are you a lover of money, are your given to change when things don’t go your way? Well, the tempter is on his way.

Read: Gen 39:6-9 “And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you open my eyes to see the way out of every temptation that the devil brings my way in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

 

Temptations are real. Temptations come from the devil. Thus, if you live like there is no devil, you will do evil. Temptation will always come from the devil against the Christian to cause you to miss it in your walk with God.

In James 1:13 the Bible says “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone”
Matthew 4:1-11 says “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. and when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. and when the tempter came to him, he said, if thou be the son of god, command that these stones be made bread. but he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god.  then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, (the devil if you allow him can take you to places).  and saith unto him, if thou be the son of god, cast thyself down: for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, it is written again, thou shalt not tempt the lord thy god. again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, all these things will i give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the lord thy god, and him only shalt thou serve. then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

This passage reveals the most intriguing truths about temptation. It teaches that the devil always looks for opportunity to tempt us (so temptations won’t come when you are prepared for it), the devil will tempt you by appealing to your natural desires- that’s to say that he uses what you need or cherish at a particular point to lead you into sin, the devil tempts you on the word of God you have heard – either to doubt or disobey it, the devil will persist with the temptation against you, the devil will only leave you for a season after overcoming an earlier temptation, and finally temptation will never end so long us we are here in the space of the devil.

These facts notwithstanding, the Child of God has a choice when tempted. Temptation is not with a fixed rule that nothing can be done about it. You can decide to fall for a temptation or stand out when tempted. Whatever the temptation that may come your way, there is a way out. There is a way out from the temptation to live in immorality (sexual immorality, fornication, lesbianism, homosexualism, masturbation, pornography), ingratitude, fraud, disloyalty, etc.

You see, until you are tempted, you will hardly know what you can fall for. But before the evil days come fortify yourself with truth, truth from God’s word. Live the truth and let it become part and parcel of you of your life. This is what will make you win in the day of temptation.

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Prayer: Father, I declare in the name of Jesus that I will always be on guard to overcome every form of temptation that the devil brings my way. Amen!

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongue”.

When it comes to dealing with demons, there is a clear instruction from God. Cast them out! You don’t have to struggle or wrestle with them. Jesus simply said that those who believe shall use his authority; the name, to cast out demons. In matthew chapter 10, Jesus gave the disciples power against unclean spirits to cast them out.

Again in matthew 8:16 “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick”.

You see demons know and acknowledge the power in the name of Jesus. Dealing with demons is not a matter of physical strength or verbosity. It is all about the power in the name of Jesus and the spirit of God. This power is also vested in the christian. Your portion as a christian is to believe and exercise your faith in the name of Jesus.

Don’t act as though you are helpless when you hear demons and all their oppressions against people. You have what it takes to dislodge demons. Take action and let demons be on the run.

Read: Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.

Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for the enlightenment concerning how to deal demons. I exercise my God-given right over every demon in the name Jesus. I declare that my life, family and ministry is free from demonic activities in the name of Jesus. Amen! 

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”.

Demons are wicked and hateful and destructive spirits. These spirits are personalities just like any human being but don’t have bodies to dwell in. Demons love to find expression but can’t do it until they live in human body or anything that they can possess or inhabit.

Our world is not without demons. They are everywhere. This is because their source, satan, which is a dominant negative force in the world. Jesus called the devil or satan the prince of this world. These demons do the biddings of satan, that is to kill and to destroy. The bible is full of truths about people who were possessed by demons, oppressed by demons, suppressed by demons and influenced by demons. Because of the evil nature and mission, demons are often referred to as unclean spirit. In Mark 1:23-24 “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God”, we see how Jesus casted out a demon in a man in the synagogues when it cried out against Jesus to leave them alone.

In Mark 5:1-2 “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit”. We see the narrative on a man from the Gadarenes who had been possessed by demons and has lost his sanity till Jesus casted out the spirit.

Again in Matt 10:1 “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease” we see Jesus giving his disciples power over unclean spirits. These passages reveals the reality of the experience and activities of demons.

You see, until you cast out demons, they will execute their evil agenda against their victims. As christians, we need to rise up to the call and deal with these evil spirits. Not only that, we must not open any avenue for them to operate around us or even influence our lives. Most people instead dealing with demons or casting out demons have rather opened the door for them to operate through them. They get involved in immorality, disobey God’s word and yield to any evil desires that eventually opens the doors for demons.

You see, instead of being a victim to these evil spirit stand your grounds in the word. Be prayerful, be full of the word, learn to cultivate the presence of God through avoiding these acts will embolden your spirit to deal or cast out demons.

Remember, at the name of Jesus, every demon will submit. But you have to believe to do it. Not just mere oration of the name.

Read: Acts 8:5-8 “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city”.

Prayer: Today I receive divine enablement to cast out all demons and their activities surrounding my life, family and destiny. In Jesus mighty name. 

Proverbs 24:6 “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety”.

 Your definition to life determines your approach to life. Your understanding and perception about life determines your preparation to life. Most often than not christians have not looked at what life entails or what life is about.

You see, in as much as we have been brought into a life of Glory by Christ, you must stand and fight to take hold of this. In Proverbs 24:6 “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety”. In other word, life is surely a battle which you must fight to win. Until you see life from this perspective you will either blame God for the happenings around your life.

As a christian you must see life as a war and engage the right counsel to win. In 2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh”. The earlier you see life from this perspective, you will not appreciate the counsel you receive from God’s word and his anointed servants.

Wars are not won without intelligence. There is more to winning wars than just appearing at the war front. You need the right ammunitions, you need the right intelligence, you need hideouts, you need strategy, you need spies, just to mention a few. Having these elements makes your ability to win easily.

Thus, the nature of war or the opponent you are fighting will determine the kind of inputs you will need. Is it an attack on your health, finances, character, morality, etc. These are not mere battles. You need to also win. Fight to win. Get wise counsel. Don’t be deceived by mere and unpractical talks of inexperienced people when it gets to the realities of life. Wars either leave us with a loss or a gain, depending on how you fight.

Read: 1 Tim 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses”.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that every form of ego or pride hiding anywhere within me that prevents me from taking wise counsel will be destroyed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that from today to go my life will be lived according to wise godly counsels. Amen!

 

Prov 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small”.

Life will not always to be a smooth sail from your point of take-off to the destination you have in mind. Truth, fact, reality and experience has revealed that life is full of challenges or unforeseen happenings.

These happenings most often than not brings adversity. Adversity here means a difficult or unpleasant situation. It can also mean tragedy. But whatever the case, the believer must not or should not be overwhelmed by these happenings. In Prov 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small”. Thus, you must not faint in the day of tragedy, you must not faint in the day of difficulties, you must not faint when things don’t go well or as planned. That’s to say, stay strong and move on.

You see, the strength you need to stand in the difficult times is wisdom. In Prov 24:5 the bible says “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength”. The source of your strength is wisdom. It is Christ who has been made the wisdom for you. Thus, in awkward moments you need to engage the wisdom of God in you rather than get emotional, saying things or acting unwisely.

With this truth that difficulties are likely to show up in life as you move on with your achievement build capacity to be strong. Remember, the stronger you are spiritually, mentally, morally, financially, character wise, the better.

Don’t stay a weakling or remain as a “baby christian” your whole life time. This will cost you dearly. Arm up, stay strong, win battles. Overcome challenges. But will all come after you have built capacity for it.

 Read: Proverbs 24:1-10 “Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small”.

 Prayer: Father, I pray that your strength which you have deposited within me will come into full displace in difficult moments. I pray that the wisdom of God will always be my anchor in challenging times. Amen!

 

 

Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts”.

 The extent of your achievement is dependent on the source from which you tap or draw from. It makes a great difference when you draw your energy and inspiration from the Spirit. Your results become exceptional and lasting when it is done by the power of the Spirit.

You see, doing things with just your natural strength has a limit. This is because life by itself is more spiritual than physical. Like it is often said, for something to take place in the physical it must have taken place in the spiritual dimension.

In Genesis 1, before light came to bare or before there was illumination in the earth it was preceded by words and words are spirits. (John 6:63). So the physical earth or the cosmos was spiritually created before it manifested in the physical. This foundation of how the world came to being reveals to a large extent how one can get things done here on earth.

 This was why after the people of God, the Israelites returned from exile and were to build up the temple of the lord under the governor Zerubbabel, the angel of the Lord told him this work will be done not by physical might, nor by physical power but by the power of the Spirit of God.

You see, there are many today who want to rely solely on their educational levels, political power, economic power, beauty, etc. to get things done or make strides in life. But this will only end up in little achievement or even frustration.

You see, no matter what you want to do you need the Spirit of God for empowerment, for inspiration, for wisdom, for strength, for strategy, for courage, for foresight and to also overcome satanic utterances before you can get things done.

Beloved, take it or leave it, you need the Spirit at all cost. You need it to build, you need it for ministry, you need it to marry or get a life partner that won’t truncate your destiny, you need the Spirit to start something and finish successfully.

Read: Phil 2:13 “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”.

Prayer: Spirit of the living God, permeate through every aspect of my life and let all that I do be guided and protected by you. In Jesus name. Amen!

  

 

 

 

 

It is important to know what Jesus has done for you as a christian. In as much as he died to redeem us from the power of the devil and to save us, he also took our nature of sin. Thus, as christians we are no longer sinners, as in having the “sin-nature”. Our nature of sin has been destroyed.

You see, it is important you understand that the sin-nature is different from sinning. Folks who carry the sin-nature are not born again. They are no new creatures according to 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”.

As christians, this truth that we are not operating with the nature of sin must dominate you consciously. This is why you have to keep or maintain the righteousness consciousness. Christ became a perfect substitute for us and made us accepted. This is the more reason you have power over sin and can overcome any temptation of the devil intended to enslave you in sin. Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”. Rom 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace”.

The newness of life you and I have makes us live above sin because the nature of sin we had has been overpowered by the Lord Jesus.

Read: Rom 8:1-4 “here is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”.

Prayer: Thank you heavenly father for coming down to die for me and to be made sin for me. I decree and declare that the nature of God in me makes me live a life above sin. Sin no longer have dominion over me. In Jesus mighty name. Amen!