RHEMA From Heaven

Galatians 5:9 “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”

Most people don’t have respect or value for little things. Nonetheless, truth, fact and wisdom shows that little things matter greatly in life. Most often than not, the occurrence of any great thing is embedded in something little. For instance, all humans are born small, but they grow up to become adults and some even become giants. Trees are sown as seeds, and they later turn up to be great in the forest. These two examples, clearly tells why little things can’t be despised.

The nature of “little things” makes people overlook them in life. This is why some little things, especially wrong things, when left unchecked has the power to destroy big things in life. You see, most of the times you don’t have to do something big or “great” to destroy something awesome in life. All you have to do is just something “small”.

Life experience will teach you that, sometimes you just need one act of carelessness, one idle word, one negative comment and one wrong act to destroy something big and good in life.

Meaningful relationships, like marriages, ministry alliances, business associations, that has been built over years can go down in just a second because of “small things”.  In fact, small things have brought ministries, marriages, friendships to a “surprise” end

Solomon puts it this way “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards…” (Song of Solomon 2:15). You must know that, it is not the supposedly big things that you have in your mind that might be destroying something in your life, ministry, marriage or education. It may be something “small” left unchecked.

What wrong little thing are you tolerating in your life? Don’t be deceived that because it is not something big it is not a problem. Give it time, and you will see its devastating effect. Don’t wait for something little to destroy something big, deal with it. Is it about not being punctual, too much talking, overspending, anger, being quick tempered, or disrespect? Deal with it

Read: Ecclesiastes 10:1

Ecclesiastes 10:1,“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”

Just like spirits, words don’t die. This is the more reason Christians must be more cautious of the words they release when they talk. The nature and power of “words” makes it an important factor in life. This means that one can’t play with words and walk away.

There are three important things with which one can describe and understand words. First, words are vehicles. They transport or transmit faith or fear, love or hate, life or death. In Romans 10:17 the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Also Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”. Thus, any time you talk, you transport something or set something in motion spiritually. What have been transporting you all these years of your life? Is it faith or fear, love or hate, life or death?

In Mathew 12:36 the Bible says, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment”, thus men shall give account for every useless word they spoke, on the Day of Judgment.”

Secondly, words are seeds (Luke 8). Thus, just like any other seed, words when spoken get sown. It is just a matter of time and you will see the impact – whether negative or positive of the words you have spoken or keep speaking. Not only that, words because they are like seeds produce after their kind.

Thirdly, words are amplifiers. They amplify and reveal your thoughts. Words also amplify and reveal your character. Matthew 12:34 says “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. This is the more reason why you must not take for granted what people say.

Are you careless in talking? Do you make the wrong confessions about your life? Do you release words of doubt and hate? Well, no matter what you think, the spiritual nature of words can make your life bitter or better depending on what you say or don’t say.

Read: Proverbs 18:20-21 “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”

Matthew 12:37 “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (NIV)

The importance of words can’t be overemphasized. Proverbs 6:2 says “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth”. Thus, when you are talking or releasing words it is not just for nothing or only to convey thoughts, but you are also directing the course of your life- whether you will go up or come down. 

Words are used for creation, communication and expression; and we see the creative function of words in the scriptures. Jesus used words in healing the sick, raising the dead, and changing circumstance. He multiplied fish and bread, and opened blind eyes with words.

Even the lame were healed by words. Jesus spoke to the winds and waves and they were calm; He talked to a tree and it heard him. This shows us the importance of words.

In salvation, the Bible shows us the importance of words: Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”; how important words are.

As a Christian you must be guided by wisdom when talking. In fact, you need the tongue of the learned to talk well. Isaiah 50:4 says “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak…”

Speak words that will bring life, hope, and stir up your faith. Never let any wrong word proceed out of your mouth as you may live to bear the weight of it.

Read: Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one”

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

If people don’t live after death, they can’t be judged. So for judgement to be carried out after death means that life goes beyond the grave.

Maybe I have to say that one forgotten truth in today’s busy world is “life after death”. Many people scarcely think about this reality that is so close to everyone. If all you are concerned about is making money, travelling abroad, marrying, getting a good job, earning a degree and becoming a celebrity, then you will surprise yourself when the next world opens to you.

One important thing that must always ring in your heart is the subject of where and how you will spend eternity. To some it will be hell and to others it will be heaven. Don’t see it as a threat. Rather to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Whether you like it or not, death is certain. Whether it comes now or later. But the worst thing that can happen to a man is not death but dying without receiving God’s son as his savior.

There is no time to waste. Money without God is a real waste of time. Trust me no one can buy an apartment in heaven. “Wealth won’t help in the time of judgment, but righteousness will deliver from death” (Proverbs 11:4).

Let the bells of eternity ring in your heart. You are only here on earth for a season. Make a decision to travel with the Lord to the end.

Read: Revelation 20:11-15  “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Proverbs 16:25 “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”

It is good, it seems good, it is nice, it is a great idea, it is lovely says the choice maker till he is surprised at the end of the day with evil. This has been the fate of all those who made choices without any divine direction or wisdom from God.

This is why the Christian must not play blind when it comes to making choices that can cost you dearly in life. If you make all your choices based on what you see with your physical eyes, then get ready for a big surprise in the near future. I am talking about a surprise that will let you make the confession of the unwise, “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 has 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 choose 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.”

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. I see it as the very power of God working for the salvation of everyone who believes it, both Jew and Greek” (Romans 1:16- J.B. Phillips New Testament).

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.

Shyness and fear must not hold you in their grips. You need to be bold when it comes to sharing God’s word. Never be an ashamed witness. 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 and it demands that every believer should stand up and rally round the spreading of the gospel.

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 lose for it. On the other hand, we have believers who do nothing with the gospel they know and have. But dare to be different! Let this season be your wake up call. Heed to the master’s voice of “GO YE THEREFORE UNTO THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL”.

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 on 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.”

Galatians 6:1-2 “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ”

There is nothing like I walk alone in the Christian walk. We must all be each other’s keeper. The body of Christ is made up of believers of different levels in terms of growth or maturity. Some are very new in the faith, the Bible calls them 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 in perfection. We keep moving from one level to the other.

This means that we ought to be 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 have to 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]”

It is the fact that you may sometimes feel let down or disheartened by the doings of a brother or sister you are discipling in the Lord. But you have to go past your feelings to help them get back to God.

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.

PLEASE HELP! PLEASE PRAY FOR SOMEONE! PLEASE TEACH SOMEONE! PLEASE ENCOURAGE SOMEONE! 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].”

2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God”.

Holman Christian Standard Bible 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”.

You see, 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”.

Meaning you don’t work for holiness but rather you 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.

There are many unbelieving folks who have turned to following some set of rules in their attempt to put away some wrong behaviours or lifestyle. Well that is a genuine attempt to do something, but it is still the wrong approach. You don’t follow do’s and don’ts to become holy. You receive the life of God, the very nature of God that is Holiness to become holy. That is why salvation, born again, or accepting Christ is something that is priceless because it gives you something that you can’t work for.

Don’t forget: YOU CAN NEVER HAVE IT RIGHT, GET IT RIGHT UNTIL YOU START IT RIGHT. 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.

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.”

James 2:14 “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?”.

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.

You can’t have results in life when your actions does not correspond with faith. You must always act on the grounds of faith. Believing something by itself will not get the job done when you don’t live it out.

One of the greatest 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. Kenneth Hagin 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.

That is how to make your actions correspond to your faith. When you receive and believe the word on healing, you don’t remain clued 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.”

Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”

Life is governed by principles and laws, not emotions. These principles or laws are clearly stated in God’s word. Thus, irrespective of who you are, you must or are subjected to them.

A principle simply shows how something works or why something happens. One of such principle is that, you will reap what you sow. 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)

You see, it’s a great deception to think you will reap good after sowing evil. Though it might take some time to see the fruits of your actions, it will surely come. Meaning that, the results or consequences of your actions will definitely be revealed.

You see, people may not necessarily see the seeds you sow in your life, but the fruits cannot be hidden. It will be evident for all to see and you will be known by that. 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 endeavor 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”.