DON’T BE LATE FOR SPIRITUAL APPOINTMENTS

Exodus 34:2 “And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount”.

Lateness or being late for spiritual appointments is one practice that won’t serve your interest. Not only that, even being late for events, and other important engagements never makes you an excellent person. Think of a student that is always late for a class, or a worker who is always late for work.  

To make it in life, you must learn to treat every meeting with God or any spiritual appointment with all seriousness. Meaning you must not show up late for church services, bible class discussions or any meeting that is designed to build your spirit, soul and body. You see, such appointments or meetings are strategic meetings that will bless you but it is also subject to you showing up and showing up at the right time.

There are many people who miss their blessing because they don’t keep to the timings of their appointment. Some come late and others never show up at all. You must come to the point of seeing every service of your Church as an appointment with God.

Prayer meetings, worship and praise meetings, teaching and preaching meetings are all appointments with God. You ought to take them seriously. When you treat these appointments with contempt; you will definitely miss God’s blessings.

The Bible in John 20:24 talks about Thomas’ lateness to the appointment Jesus arranged with His disciples after his resurrection. He was late for a service that would bless his life. Finally, he ended up with unbelief when told that Jesus was alive.

God once made an appointment with Moses and his instruction was straight forward, “come in the morning”. God was specific about the hour and the moment. See Exodus 34:2 “And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount”. You just don’t get blessed in Church. You must show up for the full time of the appointment for that to happen.

Always know that every Church meeting is an appointment with God that will bless your life.

Read: John 20:24-29

TRUE HELP COMES FROM GOD

Psalm 46:1
“O God our God, a very present help in time of trouble”

Help is one thing none can do away with in that whatever your status, level of achievement, colour or race, you will one day need it. Nonetheless, where you turn to for help in the time of need can make or unmake you.

When it comes to getting help, you can miss it, get into sin and error when you receive help from the wrong source and the wrong people. Help as it is must give you rest but getting help from the wrong people shall give you unrest instead. This is because the ordeal you will go through before and after the help, will sometimes be unhealthy for your Christian life.

For instance, seeking help from mediums, shrines or cults will end up polluting your spirit and destroying your faith in the Lord (1Kings 11:4-6). Also getting help from people who have ulterior motives will put you into a prison in disguise.

As a Christian, you must make God your first point of call in times of trouble. Hebrews 4:16 says “So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help” (CEV). This tells you that, it will take God to touch the hearts of people to help you sincerely.

Learn to depend on God for help. Remember, making men your source of help will bring you disappointment and frustration.

As you receive this divine help, learn also to help others.
Help!

Read: Psalm 121:1-8

WISDOM, KEY TO BUILDING THINGS

Proverbs 23:4 “Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established;”

Great things happen when people avail themselves to be guided by wisdom. Any time God’s Wisdom becomes functional in your life, you automatically become a builder in life.

The wisdom of God in a person’s life gives him or her the know-how to start awesome things in life. Wisdom teaches you how to accurately and practically apply what you know and also teaches you how to build and establish things. In fact, it’s a principal thing that must be sought for.

Wisdom will teach you when to act and what to do at any particular time. Proverbs 24:3 says “Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established”. You see, wishes never build anything. You have to be guided by wisdom to get things done in life. You don’t only need dreams.

Anything that you want to build will only happen when you have the wisdom for that. Wisdom ensures the success of whatever you build or want to build. Proverbs 24:3 teaches that “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established”.

Today, many have experienced catastrophes in life simply because wisdom was undermined. The Bible said of Jesus that He did mighty things because of wisdom. See Mark 6:2 “ And when the sabbath  was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?”

Wisdom always produces great results.  Let the wisdom in God’s word guide you in your daily life.

Read: Proverbs 23:4 and Proverbs 4:3

PRIDE BRINGS A PERSON LOW

Matthew 23:12 “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted”

Pride will never give you any best outcome in life. Although people who are proud do so in order to be recognized and to be accorded some honour, they rather lose it all.

Pride is simply exalting yourself above standards. Our opening text puts it straight. “Whosoever exalts himself shall be abased…” Pride is like one lifting himself up from the ground. It’s like making yourself what you are not.

Those who live in pride forget that God is the one who can make and unmake people thus they become full of themselves. It is important to know that pride can’t give you a place of honour and recognition like humility. You don’t have to live in arrogance and “self-exaltation” before you can be honoured in life. Don’t forcefully give yourself a “false standard of living” just because you want to show off.

These features of pride always rest in the heart. No wonder some say pride is something you are in your heart before it comes out. It is deep-rooted and you are the only one who sometimes is privy to that. Thus you can deal with pride by scrutinizing what is in your heart with the word of God.

Allow God’s word to impart you with the wisdom and the grace to be humble. Constantly pray not to be proud and deter yourself from any behaviour leading to pride. Not only that, be ready to receive instruction and counsel which is a safeguard to keep you humble.

Before you give in to pride know that “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit”. You see, pride will rather bring you low”

Read: Matthew 23:12

IT PAYS TO BE FAITHFUL

Proverbs 28:20
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent”

Whenever you are faithful you attract God’s attention for a blessing. Proverbs 28:20 says “a faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent” God always blesses the faithful. This is the more reason why you must be faithful to the Lord in all things

Faithfulness demands that you remain committed to God without wavering. Faithful people never make room for excuses when it comes to doing something for God. They thrive hard to be consistent and to meet the desired expectation. For instance, Joseph, the son of Jacob remained faithful to God even in the face of unfavourable circumstances. Joseph was sold by his brothers, he went into slavery, falsely accused and was finally cast into prison but he never became unfaithful to the Lord. (Genesis 39:1-3).

You see, serving God or the purpose of God will sometimes stretch you. But you must be determined to still go the extra mile or sacrifice to emerge victoriously. This is what faithfulness is all about. Faithfulness is not starting something never to finish. It’s about reaching the finishing line in the face of hostile opposition.

Don’t forget that being faithful will sometimes take away your comfort and convenience for a season but will pay off at the end of the day. Be emboldened to finish what you started.

Never remain uncommitted at any point in your life. Be faithful in all things. You have to be faithful in attending Church services, tithing, studying the word, and helping in the Church. Be known for your faithfulness.

Read: Proverbs 28:20

NOTHING IS HIDDEN BEFORE GOD

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”

The life of the believer is an “open field” before God. He sees all that we do and knows the motive behind every action of ours. Hebrews 4:13 says “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account”.

You see, you can’t be a mystery before God. He knows you very well. Knowing this truth must make you go about your Christian life with all sincerity. To proclaim and profess one thing in public and do something awkward from the “truth” you profess is nothing but hypocrisy and insincerity.

You see, God wants you to uphold the truth in all sincerity. Don’t be good on the outside when with people and throw away your innocence when alone.

Don’t deceive yourself. Be sincere in your faith so as to not use God and the Church as a cover-up for any evil deeds. The truth is that no man can be smarter than God. No! Very impossible. You can only deceive your pastor and your Christian brothers and sisters but not God.

Job 23:10 says “But he knows the way that I take…’. Friend, God knows the way you are taking. You can’t keep him in the dark. You can only do that to men. It is very interesting how people deceive pastors these days, but God is watching

Rather than covering up evil, confess your faults to another to be helped and be healed. Never be a Christian with “dead bones” in your cupboard, but rather do awesome and great things for God in secret.

Read: Luke 8:17

DON’T LABOR FOR THE WRONG THINGS

1 Timothy 6:9-16
“9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
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.”

Folks who want to make it in this world and God’s eternal kingdom must know what to spend their energies on. This is because you can mislead yourself into chasing after
something with “temporary” reward at the expense of an eternal reward

Jesus once said “Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God
the Father sealed” (John 6:27). There is a “meat” or a “reward” that has no eternal value. In fact, this world’s riches and wealth have no eternal value. They can’t go beyond the
grave

It will therefore be unwise on your part to spend all your energy and time “chasing” after these uncertain riches. Many Christians don’t understand this very truth, therefore they worry and weary themselves with things that can’t add to their eternal destiny. Some are very much concerned with money and want to just do anything for it without regarding the eternal consequences associated with it. But see what the Bible says in Proverbs 23:4-5 “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but
a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle”

Earthly riches are uncertain. They can leave you anytime. Rather than laboring all your life time for this to the neglect of God and even sometimes disobeying God’s word because of the way you want to get money, labor for the things of God.

Seek God first and he will give you both riches and eternal life.

Read: 1Timothy 6:9-16

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5:16
“This I say then, Walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

Walking or living by the spirit is one of the best choices a believer must make. You must be determined to live a spirit filled and a spirit led life. That is how you can manifest God’s
glory.

Living by the spirit demands that you live solely by God’s word. The believer that is governed by the word of God is simply walking in the spirit. One preacher puts this truth like this, “living a scriptural life is living a spirit filled life”.

Jesus said in John 6:63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit and life”. Also, living in the spirit is associated with manifesting the fruits of the recreated human spirit.

Galatians 5:22-24 says “But the fruit of the spirit (born again spirit or recreated human spirit) is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Those who are in Christ actually walk in the spirit and are full of love, joy, peace, self-control and the like.

Remember that you will always be a great blessing in the body of Christ when you walk in the spirit. Never allow the flesh to hinder you from walking in the spirit. Let go of
“bitterness”, “hatred”, “offence”, and any pain that others might have caused you.

Allow your “spirit life” to take over so that God can use you to manifest his goodness to our world.

Read: Galatians 5:16-26

DON’T FORGET TO KEEP YOUR VOWS

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”

A vow is a solemn promise to do a specific thing. As Christians we must come to the point of faithfully keeping our vows that we make to the Lord. You see, after making a vow, nothing must make you go back on your own words to do something different.
Keeping your vows tells how serious you are and how serious you take God.

There are many folks who make vows in Church and after some few days and months break the vows. But the truth is that, irrespective of your status or level in life a vow to God is a “vow”, and all you can do is to keep it.

You can’t make a vow to God and start doing something different. There are many Christians who have failed God in this area. Some have thrown away their vow to live a holy life, others have also thrown away their vows to sacrifice for the things of God, in fact
there are many vows pending in the Church too that demand the obedience and execution of believers.

You see, when things were tough and rough you made vows and conditioned them to the blessings of God. But now that you are abounding in the goodness of God, you have
failed to keep your vows.

Have you kept all your vows to the Lord? Have you kept all your vows you made in Church? Have you kept the vows you made to your pastor because he stood in the place as God’s servant? Answer yourself. Don’t skip it.

Vows have power. You either keep them or face the consequences for not keeping them. God’s word on vows is explicit. See it in Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”

Get up and pay your vows. You can’t say God should consider it as a “bad debt” or something irrecoverable.
God takes vows seriously.

Read: Psalm 15:4

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Jude 1:3
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share,
I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was
once for all entrusted to God’s holy people”.

Contending for the faith is fighting to preserve the faith for what it truly means and stands
for. One thing you must know is that your faith in God or your salvation is worth fighting
for. It needs to be preserved until it brings you the ” final reward” of stepping into the
eternal home of the saints- heaven.

You see, many anti-Christianity and God debasing things have entered into our world and
if nothing is done to maintain the “faith” that we carry, generations after us stand no
chance of making it.

Faith in God or salvation must make us God and more eternity conscious. This faith
which is an act of God’s grace must not be stretched unnecessarily. It is not cheap. Many
have been deceived to take the faith as a cheap thing on the tenets of grace.
Nonetheless, Grace is not cheap.

This understanding must make you stand up and contend for faith. It is worth fighting for.
Timothy was admonished to fight the good fight of faith and to lay hold on eternal life
(1Timothy 6:12).

Never comprise the values and virtues that the Christian faith demands. You may be odd
in your stand because of the times we are living in. But God will be “proud” of you for
standing for your faith.

Fight to preserve the faith, keep the Christian values alive and let posterity benefit from
you.

Read: Jude 1:1-5

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