RHEMA From Heaven

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU HEAR.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech is good for building up others, according to the need and occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]”

Mark 4:24 “And he said unto them Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given“. What you allow into your ears has the power to make you or destroy you. You can be imparted negatively or positively from what you hear. Thus, the instruction from Jesus is very crucial.

Just as the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, so also does unbelief also comes from hearing words of men and the devil. Anything you hear or allow into your mind comes with something.

If you allow the word of God into your ears it will build faith, courage and give you a sound mind. On the other hand, if you also allow the ungodly opinions of men and the voice of the devil into your ears it will build fear and unbelief in you.

Don’t just allow people to say all kinds of things around you, especially when it is not inclined towards building you up. If you allow talks of fear, sin, and doubt, your life will follow suit. It does not matter which channel is bringing you what message, always be guided by wisdom before you pay heed.

Carefully select the songs you give your ear to, also be mindful of words or statements people will make going forward and you can be assured of an unending flow of grace in your life.

Read: Ephesians 4:29

DON’T BE SLOTHFUL IN BUSINESS

Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the negligent and the lazy will be put to forced labor”

Romans 12:11 says, “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”.

One version of the Bible puts it this way, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically”.

Laziness is one attitude or lifestyle that can hinder you from being successful in life. It will cost you a lot of opportunities and breakthroughs. You must be diligent and hardworking in all matters to be significant in life.

No lazy person can have success in life, because laziness makes you do nothing. Any time you give in to laziness you always try to avoid “work” or any activity that will demand your effort. Sometimes laziness makes you do “little” even though you have the ability to do more in life. So anytime laziness becomes your bedfellow you will hardly succeed in life.

You see, God wants to bless the works of your hand. So you have to put in great effort to whatever you are doing in life. You must put in an effort to serve God well, you must put in an effort towards your education and career. That’s just to say, attach some seriousness and urgency to life.

The truth is, you can’t put all your efforts into “sleep” and “chats” and still have a glorious future. You have to be up and doing in life before you can make it. Constantly engage yourself in productive things. Know when to work and when to rest or relax.

Most of the time, it is work or “labour” that brings favour. You can’t be moving from one end of your bed to the other after break for favour to fall on you. No! It never happens that way.

There is no incentive for being lazy. Rather laziness will make you a slave. Get up and work at something. Always put your efforts into productive things.

Read: Proverbs 12:24

YOU CAN HAVE SUCCESS IN LIFE

Deuteronomy 29:9 “So keep the words of this covenant and obey them, so that you may prosper and be successful in everything that you do”

Some people look at the current turn of events and conclude that it is no longer possible for them to succeed in life. Others are also of the view that living right and following the Lord fully will make success in life difficult if not impossible. But none of these positions is the truth. Our opening text reveals that, those that obey the Lord will be successful in all they do.

When it comes to success more has to do with what you do with the Lord as a Christian. No one succeeds without God. That’s why you don’t have to be ungodly before you can succeed also you don’t have to lower your Christian values and virtues before you can succeed. In fact, no one can have success by being evil.

You can’t become rich and wealthy through evil schemes. If you get any material gains from “sin” it is just a matter of time and you will go empty handed or you will throw away your faith in the process. Jeremiah prophesied of such people and said “Like a partridge that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. At midlife they will lose their riches; in the end, they will become poor old fools” (Jeremiah 17:11).

Having success in life has all to do with God. There is no good thing you can get without God. For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17). You can have success in your Christian life, you can have success in your ministry, you can have success in your education and finances, and you can have success in your relationship and marriage. In fact, you can have success all round.

The Bible teaches us how to have success. See God’s command on how to succeed in Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful“

If you allow God’s word to dominate you through meditation and constant practice there is nothing that will be impossible to you. The word will always put you on the path to success and greatness.

Read: Deuteronomy 29:9

HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work“

God never leaves any of his children frustrated and busted in life. You are never alone when you are confronted with the challenges of this world. God said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). This is what grace is all about. It is God with you in your race.

The Apostle Paul during one of his tough times prayed to the Lord to intervene, but God’s answer to him was awesome. See the response in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

You see, this grace is not only limited to the Apostle or some special people in the Christendom. The grace is for all. No matter what the situation you are in now, GRACE IS AVAILABLE. In fact, God is able to make all grace abound unto you. See 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work”

You have sufficient grace to have “all sufficiency”. Never look at the storms of life and conclude that there is no place for you. The grace of God that makes a “nobody” somebody is available for you. The Apostle Paul after attaining some great heights in life said “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me“.

You have access to the grace that “makes” a person outstanding in life. Looking beyond the cross, we are not only saved by grace, but we are also made prosperous by this same grace. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich“.

God’s grace is all round for the believer. It does not only rescue from the “grave”, it also makes your life beautiful. Yours is to acknowledge the grace of God and it will turn things for your good.

Read: Ephesians 4:7

SUBMIT TO CORRECTION

Jeremiah 7:28 “But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth“.

Correction is an important remedy if you want to make things right after missing it. Without correction it is likely that you may be driving on the wrong route with no restraint. You see, many folks have missed it when it comes to correction. Some don’t even know how to relate with it. Others misinterpret it, whiles others never submit or allow correction to perfect them.

The Bible said in the opening scripture that some people did not receive correction even though it was needed. Not receiving correction will keep you in a protracted error or mistake that will render you irrelevant in the world and in your walk with God. Correction is not a demonstration of wickedness and hatred. It’s rather a sign of love. God finds delight in those he corrects. Proverbs 3:12 “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” .

As a Christian, despising correction can even take away the covering of God over your life, and make you vulnerable. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:10 that, “the one who hates correction will die”. You see, it is very important to train your heart to receive correction. It will save you and make you fulfill destiny by that.

Never stay away from places that you can receive correction. Don’t run away from God’s word, don’t run away from your pastor, don’t run away from Church, and don’t run away from home. These are places that you can receive correction to make your life better.

Submit to correction. It will save you from an inexperienced lifestyle which may cost you your life.

Remain there! When was the last time you got corrected and what was your reaction?

Read: Proverbs 13:18

YOU’RE NOT OF THIS WORLD

John 17:14 “I have given to them your word [the message you gave me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it”

The Christian is in the world but not of the world. To be of the world means that the world is your source and reason for living. But that is not so with the Christian. Every believer is God’s offspring.

You are born of God. See John’s remark, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

The world is never the source of the Christian. The world always operates with systems and conventions contrary to God’s word because the ruler of the world is the devil (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus called him the prince of this world. John 14:30 says “I (Jesus) will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.” So like Jesus, you must never allow the world to have a hold of you.

To let the disciples know that they are not of this world, Jesus said in John 15:18-19 that, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you”. So the persecutions and the troubles that the world arrays against you is simply because you are different.

Don’t conform to the standards of this sin ruled and devil controlled world. You must live and function by God’s word. Live in the world, but be ruled by the word of God

Read: John 17:14

WIN THE BATTLE IN YOUR MIND

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”

Your mind is one of the fierce battle grounds that will and shall ever exist. No other battle ground in this life can be compared with the mind. Nonetheless, the fight in the mind is not a carnal or physical one. It is not a battle or fight with guns, grenades, war planes or nuclear weapons but with the devil himself. It is a battle with demonic ideas, suggestions, imaginations, philosophies, teachings, etc. and the traditions of men.

Every born again Christian is automatically engaged in this battle. No matter your age, colour or status the moment you get born again, the devil starts this fight with you.

Until you master your mind with the word you will not be successful in this battle. The devil will attack you with every wrong thing he once influenced you to do when you were not saved. These are the “high things” that will try to exalt themselves against the knowledge of God that you are now trying to subscribe to or live by.

In fact, he will lure you with that. Don’t be shocked when the devil brings pictures (flash back) of your past life to entice you- that is imaginations. Don’t be shocked when he tells you serving God is difficult- that will be an idea. Don’t be shocked when he attacks you with old wrong relationships and friendships- that will be suggestions.

Remember that he will use wrong suggestions, wrong ideas and fear to attack you. This has always been his weapon. He (the devil) will go as far as manipulating people around you to influence you negatively. He will attack everything good around you just to make your mind weak.

If there is any grounds the devil wants to weaken in your life, it is your mind. You see, no one gives up in life without doing that in the mind. Before you walk out of church physically you have done that in your mind. Before you go back to some old wrong lifestyle you have done that in your mind.

From the pastor to the church member, everyone is fighting something of the devil in the mind. As I am typing this RHEMA, I am also fighting something in the mind. Sometimes whiles preaching, I assume the status of a “dual” personality because I am fighting and still preaching at the same time. But I never give up. Still fighting on till all the foes are vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.

Like the old hymn: “Stand up for Jesus Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high His royal banner, It must not, it must not suffer loss”. Today, as you read this RHEMA, I know you are also a partner in a battle. But with God, you are already an overcomer, so win.

Don’t throw in the towel yet. Hold on. Fight on. Move on. No retreat, no surrender. Glorious days ahead. For we are not of them that draw back to destruction.

Read: 2Corinthians 10:4-5

DON’T BE A FORGETFUL HEARER

James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed“.

A forgetful hearer hears and suddenly forgets. Forgetful hearers develop a casual approach to the word of God. In fact, no amount of instruction or truth conveyed to such people bring any change to them.

People who don’t take God’s word serious soon become forgetful hearers. On the contrary, constant meditation on the word of God will rescue you from the bondage of forgetfulness.

Life is full of examinations, tests and opportunities. A day will come where you will be required to apply the word of faith you once heard. Such situations calls for promptings in your spirit and remembrance of God’s specific word on the subject you are faced with.

You must not forget the word of God at your disposal because it is “life for those that find it” (Proverbs 4:22). You see, having results in the Christian life is not just about hearing the word. It goes beyond reading your Bible or hearing a sermon. Until you work at the word you receive, results will never come. What you do with the word will determine whether you will make it or not. You will only deceive yourself when you hear the word and do nothing with it. James 1:22 says “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves“.

Any change you want to see is in doing the word. Go beyond listening. Start doing what the word of God says. That’s when you can be assured of God’s best for your life.

Read: Psalm 119:105

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS CAREFULLY

Proverbs 6:2 “That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge”

Your success in life to a great extent depends on your confession. The words you consistently and constantly release creates a world for you. Hence you can’t keep saying the wrong things and have the best in life. Since what you say is what you will ultimately get.

Jesus said, “you shall have what you say“. See Mark 11:23 “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith“.

The second important truth revealed in the Bible about words is that, they determine whether you will be condemned or justified. See Matthew 12:37 “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”. In other words, the words you release out of your mouth can bring you “freedom” or hold you “captive”. Meaning, you can bless or curse yourself.

Many people carelessly use wrong words and claim they are joking. But the truth is “words” are too serious and powerful to be toyed with. You don’t joke with things that have serious repercussions, do you? Do you pull a trigger of a gun filled with bullets and claim you are joking?

The power of the words therefore calls for great wisdom when talking. In fact, as a Christian you must be very much disciplined in the use of words. Don’t just say things. Always go with the rule of “mean what you say”, “say what you mean” and “say the truth”.

Your words can bring you up or send you down. Don’t just talk.

Read: Proverbs 6:2

LOVE AS BRETHREN

Luke 6:32 “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those who love them. “

1 Peter 3:8 says “finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous“. One version of the Bible puts it this way, “finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble”.

The believer is under divine obligation to love. Christians ought to love one another. You must not have a reason for which you can’t walk in love towards a brother or sister.

1 Peter 3:9 continues the love discourse by saying “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing“. When you walk in love you don’t render evil for evil, or insult with insult.

Love makes you a well of blessing to others. Love does not react to give evil. Meaning that, when you walk in love towards people and you are not treated in a good way, you must never give up in walking in love.

One deception that can get you frustrated is that everyone will reciprocate the love you exhibit or “walk in” towards them. Well, that should have been the case but not everyone has also matured in the things of God to give back love. This is why you must not base your motivation in walking in love on the “reciprocal effect”- I walk in love towards you, and you do the same to me.

You just have to move on with your love life no matter what happens. Never let someone’s reaction inundate your love. No! You see, as a Christian you must always “act” or do things intentionally. You must not react negatively to things in life especially when dealing with other members in the body of Christ. You must constantly live out God’s word. Lots of Christians have thrown away this awesome virtue of love.

You see, not walking in love affects you negatively. You miss out greatly when you don’t walk in love. Come to the place where you will not render or repay evil with evil. Today, we have people who curse and pray against other brothers and sisters because they think that they are the source of their woes. But thank God that such prayers does not receive heavens approval.

Jesus said in Luke 6:27-28 that “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

You see, you can’t know better than Jesus. If he says love, you better do so.

Read: Luke 6:32