RHEMA From Heaven

Submit to the Authority in Church

“Let every soul be subject to the authorities that are above him. For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist are set up by God” (Romans 13:1). One way by which we can have order in life is when we submit to the powers that be. There are various forms of authority that everyone must recognize and hold in high esteem. These includes the family, the Church and the state.

God sets people in these institutions that we must submit to. From the above text, it is clear that submitting to authority is a divine instruction. God expects every Christian to submit to authority and especially in the Church.  

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”.

When you submit, you yield yourself to a particular course or order and comply with every given instruction. Thus when you find yourself in a local Church, you must not run your own show. You must not do things in the “opposite” to what you are taught. Rather you must comply with every instruction given to enhance your growth in the things of God in that particular local Church.

See the instruction to the saints in the Church at Thessalonica on the subject of submission; “Dear brothers, honor the officers of your Church who work hard among you and warn you against all that is wrong. Think highly of them and give them your wholehearted love because they are straining to help you…” (2 Thessalonians 5:12-13).  So submitting to authority in the house of God is not a choice. It is a duty that must be discharge irrespective of what you think.

Anyone who ignores the duty to submit is not only ignoring the people in authority but he or she is also ignoring the God that place such people there. The truth is that people who refuse to submit to authority are in rebellion. Such people make themselves vulnerable to the enemy or opens the door of satanic attacks against themselves. Not only that, some favors and divine guidance don’t come to them.

You must make living in submission to God’s authority your mandate in life. Never make your life contradict the teachings you receive from God’s house. In fact, never try to outsmart your shepherd or behave like you are “wiser” than the Spirit of God that is leading the Church.

Read: Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

Excel in the Grace of Giving

Christians must not only excel in godly virtues without excelling in the grace of giving. The believer’s excellence must be all round and not one sided. You must not only pursue holiness, faith and love without any record when it comes to giving. You must also be zealous when it comes to giving to the Lord and the local Church.

Today, we have Christians who don’t give to the Church. Some even think it is not worth it to give to the work of God. This thinking make them spend more on themselves and never care about the financial health of the Church.

Nonetheless, the fact is clear, when the Church is not financially sound it can do little in this world. This is why we must excel in giving individually and collectively so that the relevance of the Church can be seen in some areas. You see, until we intensify the giving in our Churches it won’t be long and the world will sink us into oblivion. 

But for you to be a “passionate” giver as a Christian, you must understand that your prosperity is for a purpose. In other words, your money has a mission. See Zechariah 1:17:”Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem”. You see, advancing God’s work is a combination of both spiritual power and prosperity. Having one without the other can hinder the work. 

Every Child of God that prospers financially must also see the need to support the Kingdom business and help other believers in the body of Christ. Although this is not a usual road people would want to take, that is what God expects from you. Don’t “dress” yourself with the wealth that God blesses you with. Learn to give it out without compulsion. See Acts 2:44-45 “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need”. 

Be a giver. Consciously and constantly be a Kingdom financier. 

Read: 2 Corinthians 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver”

The Holiness mandate

For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy (1 Peter 1:16).

Holiness or purity is God’s order or directive which must not be compromised. You must therefore live your life daily with this consciousness. Inasmuch as we have being made holy by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost as Christians, we must work it out.

One way to walk in the holiness mandate is to cleanse yourself from every filthiness of the flesh and in the spirit as the Bible says.See 2 Corinthians 7:1. “…let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification (holiness) in the fear of God”.

You see, you can only walk in holiness or live the holiness mandate only when you are born again. In the natural, you can try to be highly moral, gentle or let me say a legalist or a moralist. But that can’t make you holy.

You become holy when you receive the life of God or accept Jesus as your Lord. 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” (1 Peter 2:9). So becoming “holy” is not something you work for but it is something you are made into when you get born again. You only live it out by letting the “spirit life” or the “new life”subdue the “flesh” or your “carnal desires”.

Meaning that you don’t work for holiness but rather you work 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 behaviors or lifestyle. Well that is a genuine attempt to do something, but it is still the wrong approach. You don’t follow a set of rules to become holy. You must receive the life of God, which is holy to become holy. This is why salvation, born again, or accepting Christ is something that is priceless because it gives you a new identity.

If you are born again you have the grace and the ability to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Don’t comprise on that by following the sinful standards of this world. Nonetheless, if you are not born again, you can start now by accepting the Lordship of Christ and you will have the ability to live a holy life.

Read: 1 Peter 1:16 “You must be holy because I am holy”

Believe and speak

2 Corinthians 4:13 “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak”. It is one thing to believe God for something and another thing to receive from Him that which you believe.

Anytime you believe,you have a firm assurance that God will deliver on his word or will meet your expectations. But the truth is, believing alone will not get the job done. You must add your “words” to what you believe. In other words, you must confess that which you believe. You set your faith loose when you say what you believe.

That is why the Bible says “we also believe, and so we also speak”. You see, your faith in God demands expression. You must not believe in God and hide the expression of it. 

Mark 11:22-23 gives the account of how Jesus taught his disciples on this subject. Jesus taught them to have faith in God and to express it by saying it. See Mark 11:22-23 “So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says”.

You can’t believe God for something and keep mute. If you believe God for your healing and health, you must keep confessing his word on that. If you believe God for your finances, you must make that your confession.

Always learn to vocalize your faith no matter the situation you face.

Read: Mark 11:23

Our sufficiency is from God

2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God”. One version also puts it this way, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God”.

The Greek word from which the word “sufficiency” was translated also means ability or competency to do a thing. Thus the heading “our sufficiency is from God” can also be rendered ‘our ability or competency to do is from God”. God is the one who equips us to stand out in life.   

As a child of God, your being and your making can only be attributed to God and nothing else. Acts 17:28 says “for in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring”. You see, you don’t get to the top or accomplish great things because of your “own smartness” or special skills. No matter what you think, every skill and wisdom you have is a divine endowment.

Apostle John in his account revealed that whatever we have, whether a gift, grace, or a skill is given to us from heaven. John 3:27, “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven”.

Knowing this truth will cause you to walk humbly with the Lord and also help you overcome the pride of life. You see, to pride in yourself about your achievements and what you have can take your eyes off God’s Grace. It is therefore IMPORTANT to know WHAT you have and WHO you are is because of God’s sufficiency.

Read: Philippians 4:13 (AMP) “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency]”

Draw from the love account

Nothing is more awesome and spiritual than dealing with people from the bowels of love. Dealing with people from the heart of love is a proof that you are born of God.

1 John 4:7-8 puts it this way, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”. You can’t be a Christian and say you can’t love. The love life of the Christian makes him different from the people of the world.

The Bible says God has given us the spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7). Not only that, we also have a recreated human spirit that has the fruit (results) of love (Galatians 5:22). Romans 5:5 on the subject of love also says “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us”.

This is to tell you that the Christian is made up of love. Every fiber of your being is designed and fashioned in love as a Christian. It will therefore be a strange thing if the child of God does not walk in love towards people.

Thus, drawing from the account of love means that you are dealing with people from the divine deposit of love that is in you. You see, the Spirit of God in you does not and cannot produce envy, jealousy, wrath and wickedness, so you can’t deploy these “arsenals” when dealing with people.

No matter how people may treat you, pay them back with “LOVE”. That is being spiritual or living out the spirit life. Never resort to carnality when dealing with people.

LOVE! Let brotherly love continue

Read: John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”

Be obedient to the Lord.

Obedience is key when you want to excel in your walk with God. As a matter of fact, you can’t do much as a Christian when you are not obedient to the Lord. Following the Lord demands absolute obedience to his word,plans and purpose for your life.

Obedience to God will always set you on the path of blessing. Deuteronomy 11:26 & 27 says “See, I am setting before you toady a blessing …A blessing, if ye obey the Lord your God, which I command you this day”. You see, you can’t get the best and enjoy the good of the land when you walk in disobedience.

There are many people that are living in deception today because they think they can “pray God into action” or “use God” by means of prayer to get what they want irrespective of whether they are obedient or not. But it never works that way. Obedience will always precede a breakthrough or a miracle. See Isaiah 1:19, “If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land”.

You can’t disobey God and expect him to shower his blessings on your life. You must be committed to obeying the Lord whether you feel like doing it or not.

Make it a practice not to only listen to the word of God but to also obey it fully. No instruction from the word of God is insignificant.Every single word from the Lord must be obeyed without compromise or negotiation.You see, you must obey the gospel to be saved, you must obey the instructions that borders on living an excellent life as a Christian and also obey the teachings on doing ministry without blemish. In fact, nothing must be taken for granted.

Remember that obedience always pays.

Read: Deuteronomy 30:14 (NIV)

“To whom shall we go”
John 6:68 “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life”.
Following the Lord must be without any alternative. You must follow God wholeheartedly. That’s the only way the believer can enjoy and be blessed by the Lord.

Peter’s response to Jesus when he was asked by the Lord of his “exit plan” shows an unwavering commitment of the former. See John 6:67-68 “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Today, the body of Christ is suffering from lack of commitment from its members. We are faced with a situation other authors have titled, “fair weather commitment“.
We have Christians whose commitment is not absolute but dependent on “many things” in the Church apart from Christ. These are believers who are committed to God when all is well.

You see, as a Christian, Christ and matters of eternity must be the basis of your commitment.
You can’t be committed to God, and your local Church because of a friend or the crowd in the Church. If Peter’s commitment was motivated by the people following the Lord, their departure would have been his departure.

Nonetheless, although Jesus preached a “hard message” Peter and the other disciples still kept their gaze on the “eternal words” and not on their emotions.
This was the key to their survival and commitment.

When it comes to following God, don’t have an exit plan. Don’t let negative emotions, the challenges of life and friends interfere with your commitment in any way.

Read: Luke 9:62

Be vigilant by being prayerful!

Luke 22:46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

Aside following the voice of the Spirit, another way to be vigilant as a Christian is to pray constantly or consistently. Thus, the caution from the Bible “pray always without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Mathew 26:41 quoted the Lord’s word this way “Watch and pray”. Meaning that, believers must be on guard and pray. It is important to know that, being consistent in your prayer life has nothing to do with you attending a prayer meeting. There are lots of people today who attend prayer meetings but do not really make time to pray and wait on the Lord’s presence by themselves.

Thus, attending prayer meetings does not mean you are “prayerful”.  You must have your own regular and consistent time for prayer.  

Inasmuch as there are various kinds of prayer, prayer basically makes your spirit alert and helps you to apprehend many things long before they manifest in the physical.

Our text in Luke 22:46 was the word of caution Jesus gave to his followers when he found them sleeping instead of praying. You see, anytime you are not vigilant as a Christian, the devil finds space to operate in your territory. In fact, he makes you lose your hold in the midst of temptations and trials.

You see, there are many temptations that can be avoided by being “prayerful”. People who are prayerful will either sense the “hour of temptation” and avoid it or receive divine strength and wisdom to overcome any temptation that the devil will throw at them.

That is why you must not spend your time on frivolous things. Make time to pray consistently and regularly since it contributes greatly to your victory over temptations and trials.

Remember, when you don’t pray you will stray.

Read: Mathew 6:13

Be vigilant by following the voice of the Spirit!

Acts 27:10 “And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives”.

The above opening text shows how by the spirit, Paul knew that a journey they were about to take will lead to disaster.

Although Paul was on the ship as a prisoner to face trial in Rome for preaching, his spirit man was still connected to God to the extent that he could hear what the Spirit was saying concerning the future of the trip they were embarking on.

He perceived the ill consequences of the journey irrespective of his condition. Hear him speak, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”

But like many people do, they officer in charge downplayed the “voice of the Spirit” that was made known for carnal men’s voice. The Bible said, “But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship” (Acts 27:11).

You see, one way to be watchful is to hear the voice of the Spirit. Although Paul was not an expert in piloting a ship and does not even own one, the word he uttered by the hearing of his spirit from the Spirit shouldn’t have been taken for granted. 

Thus, in being vigilant, you must know when the Spirit must take over, you must know when expertise knowledge must submit to the voice of the Spirit and you must know when to tell the flesh, “You can no longer decide for me”.

Many people have rushed into the jaws of the devil by ignoring the voice of the Spirit spoken to them directly or indirectly through a man of God.

In the account above, the neglect of the word spoken by Paul resulted in the loss of properties and the entire ship.

Stay alert by following the voice of the Spirit.

Read: John 16:13