RHEMA From Heaven

Two important things that matters in how we deal with people is how we speak and how we react or express our anger.
Failure in these two critical areas can destroy relationships and hinder you from the path of success.

You see, it is a display of great wisdom when you speak well and also delay or decline from anger. Nothing can better show your spiritual maturity than this, that is, how you speak or display anger.

James 1:19 says; “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]”.

Being slow to speak, has to do with chosing your words carefully when talking with people. Just as the Bible admonishes that, our words must be seasoned with salt and it must minister grace to our hearers.

See Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” and Ephesians 4:29 “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them”.

Being slow to anger also means that you don’t express your strong feeling of being upset at the slightest confrontation. As a believer, you must be a master of your emotions. In fact, you must be Spirit led and not fleshly led.

You must not allow your emotions to guide your actions. Don’t be a “reactive” person in life. Although people may sometimes go overboard when dealing with them, exercise your spirituality and wisdom by choosing not to act hastily or in an ungodly manner.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 says that; “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools”.

Learn to control your words and your emotions in terms of being angry.

Read: Proverbs 16:32 “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”

Study: Genesis 49:6-7

It is always a great privilege to have a spiritual leader in your life. This can either be your pastor or spiritual father. However, how you treat and respond to them determines if they become a blessing to you or not.

Your leader has a mandate from God to guide you on your God ordained path through instruction. That is why a disregard to your spiritual leader is a direct rebellion against God.

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.

You see, the reason why you must obey and submit to your spiritual leader is that it brings a benefit.
Every work of your leader is geared towards keeping your soul intact. This mandate is especially hard since they do not only face physical challenges but demonic oppositions as well. They literally fight through physical and spiritual barriers to keep watch over your souls.

Thus you can ease their task by being obedient to their instructions.
You must do this because they will one day give a report to the Lord about you.

The Living Bible renders the same scripture this way;
Obey your spiritual leaders and be willing to do what they say.
For their work is to watch over your souls, and God will judge them on how well they do this.
Give them reason to report joyfully about you to the Lord and not with sorrow, for then you will suffer for it too.

What report will your pastor give about you?
Are you responsive to their instructions?
Do you obey and willingly submit?
Or are you making their work harder for them as another version puts it;
“…Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery.
Why would you want to make things harder for them?”

From today, strive to be a good son or daughter that any local church is raising or nurturing.

Read: 1 Timothy 5:17
“Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine”.

Study: Hebrews 13:17-23

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.” (3 John 1:2)

The desire and expectation of God is that you will have an all-round success in every aspect of your life. The Bible reveals that God wants you well financially, physically and spiritually. Anything short of this is not God’s will for your life.
You see, it is “bad theology” or may be “wrong teaching” that God does not want the best for his Children. The goodness of God and the nature of God makes him give his best to us at all times.

Romans 5:8 says that “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”. You see, even when we were STILL sinners, God gave us His best. He made Jesus came to die for our sins. What more can’t he do for us now that we are his children.

For instance, if you are sick, don’t think for a moment that God has caused you to be sick. Sickness is not from God. Get this truth once and for all that sickness comes from the devil. He uses it to steal our potential to do good things in life. Not only that, when we live in sin, it beaks God’s hedge over our lives and causes the devil to strike. See Ecclesiastes 10:8 “…whosoever breaks a hedge, a serpent shall bite…”

When it comes to God, he wants you to live out your best by giving you His best. God wants you to fulfill your potential in life. The truth is, God sent Jesus because He wants us well. He wants us healthy spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, and in our relationships.

Once this truth saturates your mind and heart, you will be on your way to knowing and living the best of life.

Read: Obadiah 1:17: But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions

Every child of God can have an intimate fellowship with God. This is by constantly communioning with God and living by His word. By this, you are abiding in God.
You see, the presence of God is the very essence that fills the believer and empowers him to do exploits in life.

Jesus explained this truth as he taught his disciples in John 15:4;
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me”

You see, the branch of a tree cannot survive when it’s separated from the main tree. This is because, it is by the main tree that the branch receives it supplies.

Similarly, no child of God can fully function and live long without a connection to God. As a matter of fact, living outside God is ‘spiritual death’.

You see, God is our place of divine provision, safety and purpose. In other words, He is our source. We can’t live without abiding in him. You must understand that, all you need to live a successful life is found in God and no other.

Today, many believers are deceived to believe that God cannot provide for their needs or keep them safe from harm. This falsehood has kept many from enjoying the blessings of the Lord.

Make it a decision to abide in God. Make Jesus the Lord of your life. You can also abide as you keep God’s word in your heart and make a practice of it.

Read: Acts 17:28
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring”.

Study: John 15:1-15

The world is not just physical, it also has a spiritual dimension. There are spiritual beings like angels who are sent to minister to believers and there are also demons, whose sole agenda is to frustrate God’s will in our lives.

Demons are spirits which are wicked, hateful and destructive. These spirits are actual personalities and would want to express themselves just like any other human being.

You see, demons delight to use people to do their work. Thus, their choice to defile, corrupt, lead astray is most often done through humans.

Just as in the real world, we have people with different skills, experiences or some special attributes the same can be said of demons.

Their ultimate aim is to lead people to hell aside the affliction and troubles they brew for humanity.

Demons operate by either possessing unbelievers and oppression believers. They also try to influence believers daily, in order to take them out of God’s will.

But in the midst of all these demonic forces God has given you the believer power to deal with them. You have the power to cast out demons. You have the power to break any influence of demons over your life. And you also have the power to disallow demons from doing anything in your abode. (Matthew 10:8)

Don’t be ignorant. Demons are real. They are working day and night to destroy people and things. Stand up to the task and never let these forces bring you to nothing.

Read: Mark 16:17
“These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages”.

Study: Matthew 8:28-32

God is not a partial God as some would perceive or consider him to be. On the contrary, he is a righteous God and deals with all men through his righteous judgement. In fact, God deal with each one of us from the same compassionate heart.

The apostle Peter came to this understanding when he was led by the Holy Spirit to minister to a gentile family.
“Opening his mouth, Peter said: “Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God’s blessing]”
(Acts 10:34)

To be partial means to be discriminative or be a respecter of persons. Fortunately this trait cannot be found in God and neither must it be found in you as a Christian.

One thing that is certain with the nature of God is that He is not a respecter of persons nor status. He does not discriminate against who should be blessed or cursed, saved or damned, who should be lifted up or set down.
When it comes to salvation and attracting God’s blessings, only one principle applies and that is your faith working by love. (Galatians 5:6). Thus, God has given all men the same “playing field”. No one has an advantage over the other.

The unfortunate truth is that there are many who are not enjoying God’s blessings because they allow their background or status to disqualify them.

From today, approach God just as you are and he won’t cast you out.
Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need.

Read: Galatians 5:6
“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love”.

Study: James 1:5-8

Life is governed by principles and laws. A principle means a fact of nature that explains how something works or why something happens. One of such principle is that, you will reap what you sow.

Hence Apostle Paul in admonishing the Galatia church 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.

Always remember that, 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.

That’s why if you want good results in your education, career, ministry, marriage etc., you must be ready to sow good efforts of learning, prayer, counsel and planning.

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”.

Study: Psalm 126:5-6

Hebrews 3:15 “While it is said, “TODAY [while there is still opportunity] IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME [in the rebellion in the desert at Meribah].”

God is still out there calling people unto repentance in order to partake of his divine kingdom just as he did in days of old. And yet many people are still not responding to this great call from God, because they have harden their hearts to even hear and understand the call.

A Harden heart is one that feels no remorse nor regret for actions taken. In other words, a hardened heart does not want to repent. This is because sin and it’s pleasures has made it callous.

However God is still calling out to you today to soften your heart and receive him.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me”. (Revelation 3:20)

God wants to come into our heart to fellowship with you. He is making the invitation today to you as well.

You see, everyone has a ‘today’. Your today is the day you hear the Gospel being preached to you, or an instruction to change your ways to “inherit eternal life”. Have you hearkened to God’s voice? Have you obeyed the the word taught or preached to you?

It doesn’t matter if you didn’t respond yesterday, you have today also to respond. Don’t harden your heart. Remember today is all you have, tomorrow might be too late.

Read: Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord”.

Study: Hebrews 3:13-19

The best leader you can have in your life is God. Following the ways of God is the sure way to enjoy lasting success in life. That is why it’s important to subscribe to what ever God leads you to do.

The Bible says in Proverbs 14:12;”There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”.
You see, the only one that knows what lies at the end of a particular path you are taking is God, hence trusting Your own plans to succeed is a dangerous path to travel.

God leads us in many ways and one of such is by his word. That is why you must live by the word as a believer.
“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

He also leads us by his Spirit. The Bible says;
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come”. (John 16:13)
You see, every child of God can receive instructions and guidance from the Spirit of God. Thus your ability to receive and follow the Spirit’s leading is what would bring you success in life.

Many people are not enjoying all round success because the are not fully led by God. On the contrary, most are lead by personal ambitions and plans. They therefore replace God’s leading with their own plans.

But you see, it’s important to know that self effort only brings success when it’s predicated on God’s word. Be led by God in all your endeavors.

Read: Isaiah 48:17 “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go”.

Study: Exodus 13:17-22

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof… Ecclesiastes 7:8

It is a good thing to start new things in life, be it business, career, education, relationship or ministry. However, the most important thing is to finish it.

You see its not only enough to start or initiate something, you must put in a finishing plan as well. Thus, you must plan to start and plan to finish.
You were not called to do a half way job as a child of God.

In fulfilling his ministry on earth, Jesus said in John 4:34; “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”.
He was consumed with the passion of finishing the work he started on earth. He considered starting and finishing his work as the only thing that could satisfy him.

Similarly, God has called you to start and finish many great things.
Some people started school and never completed it, others have abandon businesses, marriages and ministries to mention a few. But you must dare to finish what you have started by the inspiration of God.

Don’t let challenges and hard times throw you down or make you quit. Make up your mind to finish. Press on till you get to the finish line.

Don’t stop half way!

Read: John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do “.

Study: Acts 20:17-24