RHEMA From Heaven

One of the priceless and precious things you can have in life is the voice of the spirit. In fact, nothing can be compared to it. Walking through life and hearing the voice of God makes you a stalwart.

You see, what the Holy Spirit says is the direction and guidance that the Holy Spirit gives to the Christian. It is through this leading that we can make real progress in life.

Every Christian must master the art of following the voice of the Spirit. Nonetheless, this can only be possible if you learn to know and distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from all other voices.

Most people who made great impart in the days of old knew and followed the voice of the Spirit. See how Apostle Peter described his experience in the city of Joppa when he was invited by a gentile. Acts 11:12 “And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house”.

Upon following the voice of the Spirit, God brought salvation and poured the Spirit on the gentiles for the first time.

Learn to follow the voice of the Holy Spirit in all that you do in life. Follow the leadings of the Spirit in the area of your ministry, education, finance, career, relationship and marriage, and all that concerns you.

Don’t act without hearing the voice of the Spirit. Remember that, as many as are led by the Holy Spirit, they are the sons of God. Always stay in prayer and be sure you have heard His voice before you start out to do something.

Read :John 16:13 “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”

Although many have used the word “maneuver” in relation to warfare by a well organized army, it is also something we can deploy or use in our daily walk as Christians.

The word “maneuver” means a planned action that is intended to obtain an advantage, a skillful or careful move, or overpowering a situation to achieve an end.
You see, your success in life is heavily dependent on how you master this art of maneuvering.

Life’s journey is not and will never be a straight line. It has ups and downs. It has mountains and valleys, it has lacks and wants, and all sorts of situations. You see, whether you like it or not, you will not only be faced with things you have planned for or made provision for. No! It has never been like that. That would have made life more certain and predictable.

The truth is that, you will see all kinds of situations in life as you move day by day. Some will be good, some will be bad, and others will be ugly. But that is not a reason to give up or let go of your vision or God given agenda.

This is why, you must be a master of maneuvers so that you will put up the best action to win even in the face of your worse moments.
You see, whatever the situation will be like, God expects you to win by putting the wisdom and the understanding you have to work.

The Apostle who described himself as the least but yet accomplished great things for God was a master of maneuvers. See what he had to say in Philippians 4:12-13: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me”.

People who are masters of maneuvers see every set back as a set up to move up.
Don’t sit and complain. Don’t sit and fold your arms because you are in a fix, or people have rejected you or no one seems to came to your aid.

Arise and maneuver your way through. Remember that, you are more than a conqueror. Don’t carry defeat and failure as a brand. It is not allowed in the Kingdom of God.

Read: Psalm 24:10 “If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength”

Self-control is the nature of the recreated human spirit. See Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Meaning that as a born again Christian, you have what it takes to put your emotions, and flesh under control.

Even though this is a great departure from the “way of life” of the old nature that is not to say it is impossible to be done. Self-control is ours as Christians but you must deploy it to make it vital.

Self-control is having rule over your spirit. One author defines self-control as self restraint, slow to react, and keeping ones emotions, feelings and behaviour within biblically accepted confines. Thus, anytime you deploy the virtue of self-control you don’t do things anyhow.

By self-control you are able to put your appetite or desires under check. You also get to know how to handle issues so that you don’t result to violence.

Although most people limit their understanding of self-control to “the control of sexual desires”. Self-control is broader than that.
It has to do with how you put your ” human nature” under control so that you don’t do stuffs that is inconsistent with the word of God.

Don’t think that self-control is not possible. As a matter of fact, the ability to exercise self-control is in you as a Christian. Put it to work and you will stand out among many.

Read: Proverbs 25:28 “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls”

Planning and preparation are two important factors for success. You can’t just walk through life and succeed without a plan and adequate preparation. You see, if you sit and wait for things to happen it is certain that you will not accomplish much in life.

One truth you must know is that, nothing good just happens. Every good thing that you want to enjoy will only come after planning and preparing for it.

As we draw close to the end of the year, start planning and preparing for the things the Lord will be requiring of you. You must know that, knowing God’s plan for your life can’t make you successful if you don’t plan and prepare to execute it.

No one gets to have a great future only by talking. You need to take great actions to get there.
You see, the future is always made from the investments of the past. Thus, the seeds of your yesterday and today determines the quality of your future or tomorrow. You can’t have success in life without planning and preparation.

Anything that you desire to see in the future or the coming year must be worked at.
Planning and preparation helps you to prioritise your life for success.

Read :Proverbs 16:9 “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

There are many things that people trust in today. But the Bible teaches us not to trust in anything except God. This is because trusting God puts us on the highway to success and victory in every endeavor we undertake.

To “trust” means to have confidence in someone or something. It is also a belief that someone or something is reliable, good, and honest. From this understanding of the meaning of trust, you must know that some things can’t be trusted.

You see, trusting in the wrong things can bring you to nothing.
For instance, trusting in riches will bring you into failure. This is one truth many people will argue against, but that’s what the word of God says. See Proverbs 11:28 “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.”
Also, people who put their trust in men, will be limited in life. See Jeremiah 17:5: Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.

You see, you can put your confidence in man, who is just flesh and blood and succeed. The truth is that, some people can be good and may want to help you genuinely but their life is not in their hands. Today they can be here, and by tomorrow they are gone because it is not in their power to give themselves life.

Thus, when the word directs that we put our trust in the Lord, it is for a good course.
God can’t die, God can’t fail, God can’t disappoint, and God can’t be taken by a misfortune. In fact, it is God that rules in the affairs of this life.

Psalm 5:11 says “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee”. Those who trust in God have every course to rejoice because God will forever stand for them without any fail.

David in Psalm 56:11 also said, “In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me”.

Resolve not to trust in the wrong things in life for they that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.

Read: Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord , and whose hope the Lord is”

Discipline is a prerequisite for success. You must be a disciplined person before you can succeed in life.
No matter how gifted and skillful you are, without discipline you will get no where.

People who attain any degree of success in life and sustain it, have one hallmark, discipline.

Without discipline you will just move in circles in life. Success in life requires a lot of discipline, don’t think otherwise.

One author once said “discipline is the training of your mind and building of your character, aimed at producing self-control”.
Anytime we are talking about discipline, we are referring to training your mind and body to maintain a positive composure in every or any circumstance you may face. So when you are disciplined you don’t misbehave when situations don’t favour you.

You see, it is only by discipline that one can be hardworking and committed in life. Starting well and finishing well requires discipline. Some people start and never finish. It is discipline that will keep you to focused on your God given vision till it produces tremendous results.

One great feature of discipline is that it gives you boundaries and puts positive limits on your life. With discipline, you can’t just drink anything, wear anything, eat just anything, watch just anything, sleep anytime, wake up from bed when you like, move with just anyone. No! A big NO! Discipline gives you invisible but noticeable walls. Invisible because you can’t touch or physically handle it, and noticeable because it’s effect can be seen.
The day you break down the walls of discipline, forget about success.

Remember that, it is discipline that makes any vision achievable and any mountain scalable.

Read :1Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

No one is a mistake or a biological error. You see, you are a product of God. There was a divine plan on you before you arrived on earth. We see in Jeremiah 29:11 that “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

You must understand that, heaven had an agenda and a plan for your life before you were born. Thus, your success in life depends on your knowledge of this plan.

The Bible talks of Jesus the Savior of the world, the son of God and how he sort for the plan of God for his life and to fulfill it.
“Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God”. (Hebrews 10:7)
The truth is that, if even the son of God had to follow God’s plan before he could make impact in the world, then you can’t make it in life outside God’s plan.

Knowing the plan of God for your life and following it brings success because God only provides for the plans and vision he gives you and not the ones you went to shop for yourself. If you want to succeed in life, follow God’s plan for your life and not what is trending in town.

When your plan is from God, it brings you to a successful end.
Solomon in his wisdom said
“I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14). You must learn to subject your plans and visions to that of God. Yours might be good but God who is all knowing has the best of all plans.

It is time to stop resisting the plans of God for your life and embrace it wholeheartedly irrespective of the challenges it may come with.

From today, endeavor to yield to God’s plan for your life.

Read: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than the your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

There’s time for everything, especially when it comes to the pursuit of dreams and visions. God does not just act or do stuffs. He works in times and seasons. Hence the scripture says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

God’s timing reveals how he set things to happen. However, this differ from individual to individual, family to family or nation to nation. What He may be doing right now in someone else’s life might not be what He wants to do for you right now. Therefore it is important to know God’s time and season for your life and follow it.

This is the very reason every vision, dream or plan you have as a believer must follow God’s plan. An understanding of God’s timing and schedule will put you right in the centre of God’s program or will.

Your life must be in sync with God’s time always. Don’t be in a haste to do stuffs. Never rush ahead of God who knows the way and has the future in his hand. Also, don’t be dull to hear and understand what God wants you to do at every particular stage of your life.

For instance, John the Baptist, had to remain in the desert until the time of his showing forth (Luke 1:80).
But you see he could’ve also missed out on God’s agenda if he had rushed to start his ministry ahead of God, or if he had stayed in the desert more than he should.

Following God’s time always comes with great blessings and opportunities. You enjoy great provision and safety when you operate in God’s time. God’s time is a time for great accomplishment and favor. It is in this time that God goes ahead of you to make every crooked path straight and level every mountain before you.
God’s time is a struggle free time. Things work out by themselves as you apply any small effort.

You can follow God’s time by following his word and the voice of the Holy Spirit. The word gives us divines pathways to fulfill destinies.
God will also lead you in his time through the counsel of your pastor. 

Read: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)
The heart is one important thing that every Christian must take serious. By the heart, we are not referring to the biological heart with its atria and ventricles. The heart referred to here is the human spirit, which is your inner man. This is what the epistles refer to as the “man on the inside”.

Although most people have mastered the art of mounting guard on the material things they have in life, they can’t be assured of success if the heart which is the most important is left out. The Bible says all the issues of life or the springs of life comes from the heart. This is what makes the heart a precious thing to keep, or guard with great effort.

For instance, whether fear, love, faith, hatred, or lust, it all flows out of the heart. Thus, keeping your heart means that, you do everything possible to make your heart remain in a perfect state or condition. Also mounting guard on your heart means that you don’t allow your heart to go astray or wander in wrong stuffs. So as Christian you must guard your heart against all improper affections. Left to itself, the heart of man will wander in carnal things.

Never forget that the state of your heart determines your moral character. The intention of your actions will always correspond to the dispositions that prevail within. On whatever side the weight of inclination hangs, it will draw the practice after it. Independent of all action, it is, in truth, the state of the heart itself which forms our character in the sight of God.

Take note of this truth: “you are known before the Lord by your heart and not only by your act”.
Consistently study and mediate on God’s word since it is the only way to mount guard over your heart and never allow ideas and opinions which are inconsistent with the word of God into your heart. In fact, ignore them as they come.

Read: You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. (Psalm 17:3)

God will see you through

That you are a Christian, born again, spirit filled, loving the Lord does not mean you won’t face trials and tribulations. On the contrary, your association with Christ will automatically attract trials but don’t be discouraged because you are not alone.

God is not a deserter. He won’t leave you in the midst of your trials.
He promised in Isaiah 43:2 that
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”.

You see, some of the trials and tribulations you go through would seem like waters overflowing you to sink you.
Some is like fire, and you many think you will be consumed, but remember that, in all these you are not alone. God is with you and he will surely see you through.

The Psalms puts this truth clear. The 4th verse of the 23rd Psalm reads,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me”

This is to show you that, any difficult and challenging times you survived and emerged as a conqueror is because of God’s abiding presence with you.

Don’t be too quick to quit or give up in life. You must learn to trust in the ever living presence of God in tough times.

Read: “For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help” (Psalm 22:24)