RHEMA From Heaven

1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy”.

Holiness is one of the subjects or topics that is mostly taught or discussed in the Christian fraternity. This tells the importance of Holiness in our walk with God.

This virtue of Holiness is the nature of God that is imparted to a person at salvation. It gives a person the sense of “worth” and a conscience that does not agree with sin or anything that contradicts the word of God.

Anything that is Holy is dedicated for a special purpose. It also connotes “separation” from common use or all others to one particular thing. This characteristics of holiness was predominantly revealed in the Old Testament with respect to the tabernacle that was erected by Moses and the items dedicated to the service. These items were not to be touched just by anyone and the people there ministered in the tabernacle were also restricted in what they could do or not do.

Thus, when the bible says “be holy” it means that you as a Christian have the capacity and the ability to do it. One, you have the Holy Spirit that guides you to be in sync with God’s perfect will and secondly you have the word of God that instructs you and teaches you what to do.

So for the Christian, living in Holiness is a choice. That’s to say that you decide to do it with the ability and impartation of God that is already in you or you can decide not to do it by also allowing your flesh and the world to control you.

That’s why the bible in 1 Peter 1:14 starts like “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance”. And it furthered it by saying in 1 Peter 1:16 that “be holy…”. That’s to mean that you need to be obedient to the lord as your father to walk in holiness.

You also need not to conform to the world. God has called you to walk in holiness. Never give in to any sinful act or the corrupt standards of this world.

READ: 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”.

Proverbs 6:6-9 (NIV) “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?”

One way to learn and improve yourself in life is by observation. By observation, I mean observing the right people, the right systems and or the right principles that surrounds and governs life. The book of proverbs throws light on how one can break or undo the challenge of laziness to become great in life.

You see, one great enemy to success in life is being lazy or sluggish. When we say someone is sluggish it means the person is slow to respond to things – whether opportunities, whether assignment to be done or anything that demands effort. Sluggish people are averse to activity. In other words, they go the opposite direction when it is expected of them to work. Same can be said of lazy people. They are not energetic or show enthusiasm to work. Lazy people are always disinclined to activity.

In breaking that attitude, lifestyle, culture, norms or conventions of laziness or sluggishness, the bible says go to the ant – to consider its ways and be wise. The bible says the ant has no commander or you can say supervisor, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food in harvest. That’s to mean that learn to do the important things in life without being told.

You see, most people who fail and don’t do well in life don’t do what they must do and also doing it at the right time or season. Don’t fold your arms or give yourself to sleep or inactivity when there is something very important to be done. Don’t wait for someone to instruct you about the time you must be off from bed to work, school or to attend to the important matters of life – BE WISE!

Get up! (Proverbs 6:9).  Do something worthwhile with your life.  Be punctual when given an opportunity to do something – either at work, school, church or anywhere you find yourself.

Remember, people who make it don’t lie in the bed of “doing nothing”.

READ: Proverbs 10:4 (NIV) “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth”.

Luke 5:4-6
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering saaaaid unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless, at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake”.

There is nothing as frustrating as doing the right thing without results. Such happenings bring a person into a state of apathy and also generates depression.

As Christians we are not left without God’s intervention in our endeavors. God always comes through when we get to our dead end. Thus, we need to keep the faith and still engage the principles of God’s word to emerge as victors.

The gospel of Luke tells how Peter experienced the miraculous in his fishing business after a fruitless venture at sea. Peter had come to dock his boat at the lake and washing the fishing net after a hard day’s work but nothing to show for it. (Luke 5:2) till Jesus showed up.

Jesus arrived and entered into Peter’s boat and prayed him to put out a little from shore. Jesus sat in the boat and taught people from there.

After using the boat meant for fishing to preach, He directed Peter to launch into the deep for a catch, this He did and saw an overwhelming results of all time. You see, Peter’s unsuccessful business attempt or fruitless efforts in that period did not end his quest to attempt again. This was revealed in his attitude towards the instructions of the Lord.

Although we can attribute the breakthrough of Peter to the obedience of the Lord’s instructions. We can also not forget his “giving to the Lord”. He made his boat – something about his business available to the Lord in a season where all was not well. He allowed Jesus to use something from his business and that opened a way for his miracle.

You see, God wants to help your business to succeed but you must also be willing to commit your business for the Lord’s use. In today’s era you can sponsor the things of God, you can give to God’s servants, you can take up the responsibility to fund project and activities done to promote the kingdom of God – these you must do not only when everything is good but when things aren’t working as well. This will bring God’s help to  you in an extra-ordinary way.

READ: Proverbs14:23. “In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury”.

Daniel 1:17-19 “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore, stood they before the king”.

God wants you to excel and to shine in all your endeavors. He never wants any of His children to be average or subscribe to mediocrity. This is the reason for special divine endowment like “knowledge”, “skill” and “understanding” in us as believers.

Knowledge means specific information about a subject or a familiarity gained by experience or learning. Skill means the ability to do something well, whiles understanding means perception or judgement of a situation. The bible makes it clear that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were endowed with these qualities.

When they had come to the end of training in the royal service in Babylon, they became exceptional and were found to be ten times much better than all the young men that competed them.

You see, in your journey to the top or your quest to shine in life you can’t downplay on knowledge, skills and understanding. You can argue vehemently against these priceless qualities and downplay their importance but the results that the holders of it achieve can’t be denied. No wonder God gave these qualities to the four Hebrew boys to shine in the service of the king Nebuchadnezzar. The bible says God gave them knowledge and skills in both books and life. (Daniel 1:17).

This verse also reveals the importance of books. Give yourself to godly and edifying books, academic materials, research papers, etc. if you want to shine.

God gave them “knowledge” which they engaged and made use of by searching books. Do you give your time to studying books? As a Christian, by the virtue of the Holy Spirit in you, you have wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Do you make use of it in your daily life or let down the importance of knowledge and understanding by following foolishness and engaging in frivolous activities in this day and age.

You see, you can’t shine when you don’t do anything. You can’t shine when you are not tested. You can’t shine when you are not challenged and you can’t shine when you are not striving in life. Don’t let anything take your shine. Be responsible in life. Take charge, do your best anytime and when given the opportunity.

READ: Eccl 8:1 “Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed”.

Matthew 15:25 “Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me”.

Help is an important factor for success in life. As humans there are things we can do for ourselves and there are other things that we need the help, support and contribution of others. This limitation of not knowing it all, having it all, and seeing it all, hearing it all, etc. makes help inevitable in life.

As humans we sometimes find ourselves in some fierce battles of life which has more to do with spiritual entities or forces. At this stage, there is less one can do in the flesh to outwit these evil forces. Our help in this moment does not or can no longer be the arm of flesh.

You see, the nature of your need dictates the kind of support that becomes relevant. You can’t use physical might to sort out a spiritual challenge. In Isaiah 31:1,3 “Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together”.

God warned the people of Jerusalem not to seek help from Egypt and not to trust in their horses as they are feeble and can’t help with the spiritual challenge or battle that they were faced with. In Matthew 15:22-28, the bible tells how a woman from Canaan came to Jesus to seek His help for her daughter that was grievously tormented with a devil. In Matthew 15:25, the bible says, “that she came and worshipped Him saying Lord help me”. Her plea to the Lord was honored. Jesus honored her trust in Him to help.

As Christians, we are sometimes confronted with many spiritual challenges. Some are known to us and others too we don’t know. But in any case, we can call on the name of the Lord for help in those moments and He will glorify Himself. Never let in the towel because of some evil forces and demonic happenings around you. Your help is in the name of the Lord. Remember that at the mention of the name of Jesus all power shall be defeated. Turn to the Lord for help when tides turn against you and He will make known His wonders.

READ: Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”.

James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”.

Faith is active, not passive. It’s the action you take as a result of the word of God that has come to your spirit.

Thus, when they say you have faith, it must be a demonstration of the word of God you have in your heart. That’s why when you pray as a Christian you must act out your faith. You must never look forlorn and dejected after making a prayer of request to the Lord. Jesus said in John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full”. Thus, when you pray, it is a done deal.

You see, when you start acting your faith you may look foolish for a while but not acting your faith at all will make you truly foolish. For instance, the story of Bartimaus the blind man tells how one can exercise faith. The bible says He cried out and said “Jesus, Son of David have mercy on me”. Everyone tried to shut him up, but he wouldn’t give up, he yelled even louder until his cry of faith got the Master’s attention and He healed him. (Luke 18:40-43).

In the 43^rd verse of Luke 18, the same people who tried to stop him rejoiced and gave thanks to God when they saw his miracle. You see, no one is ever a fool for faith. You’ll be ridiculed for acting your faith but it’s for the moment, wait until you get what you are asking for. The glory and joy of that miracle will completely overwhelm the ridicule.

A story was once told of a woman who went to church and was believing God for a miracle. As she made her way to the service, she said to the camera man “record me now because I will come out a different person”.

You see, though she was sick and invalid she was full of faith and certain of her miracle. Just as the bible rightly says “you shall have whatever you say”, the woman was healed. It pays to act your faith.

READ: James 2:20-26 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise, also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”.

Matthew 11:29-30 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”.

The instructions and responsibilities God gives you are not burdensome at all. It will help you live a stress-free life in this world of tribulation. 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous”. This means that God will never ask you to do something that is beyond your ability. In fact, all He asks and demands of you is to trust his word and act on it.

Think about this, all the sins you ever committed were immediately blotted out by the blood of Jesus! In fact, as numerous and terrible as they were, all you had to do was to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ and believe in your heart to be saved or turned into a new creature (Romans 10:9). You became righteous and were translated into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

You see, if it was simple for you to receive salvation and have eternal life imparted to your spirit, then you have to agree that life in the kingdom is that way-not stressful.

Living for the Lord is fully depending on Him for your livelihood – spirit, soul, and body. You take His word irrespective of how you feel or the situation you find yourself in.

Today, many have been deceived to think that it is burdensome to live for the Lord and easier to live for the things of this world. Well, this is far from the truth. The devil and this passing world have nothing better to offer to you as a Christian except trials, temptation, and persecutions to mention a few.

Remember, God won’t give you any instruction that is beyond your ability and neither will he demand from you what you will be unable to deliver. Letting go of His instructions and guidance will rather bring you stress, dissatisfaction, and depression.

READ:1 Peter 5:7  “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”.

Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace”.

The born-again Christian has power over sin. Sin no longer dominates the life of the Christian. In other words the child of God is no longer at the mercy of sin.

This truth notwithstanding, being in the flesh has some shortcomings. You will have temptations and trials. These challenges of the devil sometimes carries the child of God into sin and causes him to break fellowship with the Lord. When this happens, you need forgiveness as a child of God to move on with the Lord. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. It is very important to know and note that, this verse only applies to believers.

In 1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”.

These verses from the epistles of John shows that, it is possible to enter or to fall into sin if you don’t align your life with God’s word. It also reads that you can receive forgiveness and live in the consciousness that sin can’t rule over you. Thus, the fact that you did something wrong doesn’t mean you can’t get back in tune with the Lord.

You see, just as one confesses the Lordship of Jesus Christ and gets saved independent of his or her feelings, the same way when you confess your sins and faults to the Lord you will receive His forgiveness. Most Christians find it difficult to receive the Lord’s forgiveness. They move on with guilt and self-condemnation thereby opening the door for the devil to bring in the influence of the sin they were delivered from into their life.

You see, when you confess any sin and faults to the Lord, believe that you have His forgiveness. This has nothing to do with your feelings. All you have to do is to live with the word of God that “sin has no power over you” and consistently resist any attempt of the devil trying to lure you to give in to sin – whether lies, fraud, fornication, unfaithfulness, uncleanness, etc.

You have the grace of God to live a life worthy of your call as a Christian. Don’t allow anything to hold you in bondage. Free yourself from any sinful entanglement and serve the Lord whole-heartedly.

READ: Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”.

Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

 In Matthew 16:26 (NIV), the bible says “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Our opening text shows that the value of the things of the world put together can’t be compared to the value of one soul. Meaning that your worth as an individual is not dependent on what you have in the flesh but rather it is in what and who God has made you.

You see, life is not about material gain. If you were to be the sole owner of everything in the world – the cars, airplanes, skyscrapers, currencies, oil fields, gold mines, etc., that will still be nothing compared to the value of your soul. Jesus once said “take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15)

As a Christian your primary, fundamental, basic call or reason for being is not to amass wealth or to become famous.1 Peter 2:9 says,“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”. This scripture shows one profound reason for your existence. That is to declare the praises of God with your life.

In other words, your life must bring glory and honor to the Lord. The book of Revelation also tells another reason why you are here on earth. Revelation 2:26 says “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations”.  From this text you can see that God wants you to lean on His word and understand how His kingdom functions so you would function effectively in the world to come.

Finally, the bible said God has called you to bear witness. Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”.

These noble reasons is to help you live purposefully on earth and to also help you bring many who are living for the wrong reasons to the truth.

Channel all your energies and zeal daily for the right things and you will definitely fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

READ: 1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy”.

Matthew 18:19-20 “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”.

The bible teaches that there are different kinds of prayers. In 1 Tim 2:1 the bible says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men”, we see that we have prayers for specific request, prayer of intercession and prayer of thanksgiving (AMP). In Ephesians 6:18 the bible says “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints”.

Our opening text reveals the prayer of agreement. The prayer of agreement involves two or more people joining their faith together and deciding to pray concerning anything they desire.

For instance, if you want to effect a positive change in your job, family, health, or anything at all, you can call up someone who believes with you to pray in agreement. The prayer of agreement is the surest way to pray for results.

Nonetheless, to have results by this kind of prayers you must engage the rules that apply. Firstly, it must involve two or more people who agree. Secondly, the prayer must be directed towards something specific. Lastly, you must pray in faith and in line with God’s word.

Having done all these you can be assured of answers to your prayers. 1 John 5:14 says “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us”.  Don’t underestimate the power in cooperate prayers. It works and it will deliver to you speedily that which you desire from the lord.

READ: Psalm 65:2 “O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come”.