RHEMA From Heaven

Christians ought to be interested in the welfare of other believers. Your walk with God must not only be about you. 

We have a duty as Christians to be each other’s keeper. The body of Christ is made up of believers of different levels in terms of maturity; this is the more reason we must think about one another and help one another to grow in the Lord, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). 

In the Church, some may be newborn babies in the faith (1 Peter 2:2), and some may be children (1 John 2:1-2), whiles others too may be older in the faith. Know that the body of Christ is made up of believers who are on a growth path. It is a journey of perfection; thus, we keep moving from one level to the other. 

We must be each other’s keeper to ensure that everyone gets to his destination. If you can carry others along you must do it with love and wisdom. Don’t live with the slogan of “me, myself and I”. Have brothers or sisters you are carrying along to help them grow in the fear and in the knowledge of our Lord. 

The mistakes of people must not let you “deny them” or reject them. You see, when a Christian brother or sister is carried away by sin, that is when he or she needs you most. You must restore such a person to get him or her back on track so that the devil does not destroy the person.

Even though as a maturing Christian you may sometimes feel let down or disheartened by doings of a brother or sister in the Lord, you must go past your feelings to help them get back to God. 

Make room for a brother or a sister today. Don’t let the devil deceive you into self-righteousness or to see yourself better than such people.

Your maturity and your knowledge must not be used to “humiliate” the younger ones in the faith. 

Rather use it to help. On the other hand, if you are a new believer never isolate yourself from the maturing believers. Take advantage of the profitable relationship and grow up in the Lord.

Read: Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

Prayer: Lord I pray for grace to help other members in the body of Christ.

Your character matters. It will determine many things in your life. Therefore, building a solid character is a necessity. It is an invaluable asset that one can have in these last days. 

No one can succeed without a great or godly character. It contributes greatly to your success story. A positive character has always been the foundation for success. This consists of the virtues that the “new life” brings, namely, kindness, truthfulness, patience, honesty, endurance, etc.

You can’t be successful in life when you neglect these virtues. 

The truth is that you can master many things in life, but the absence of a virtuous character will bring you no lasting results.

A bad or weak character is a life lacking godly virtues, godly principles and discipline. 

Every day of your life gives you the opportunity to make your character better by engaging virtues, godly principles, and discipline. 

Be determined to build a solid character for your life since the consequence of a bad character is highly unbearable. A bad character can destroy a marriage, it can destroy a relationship, it can bring chaos to a family and bring confusion to a ministry.

Always remember that you are as powerful as your character. It has the power to make you and to also unmake you.

Instead of concentrating on things which are of lesser value in life, spend time building a solid and unquestionable character. Keep assessing yourself daily to ensure that you put your character in a way that can promote your success.

Read: James 1:4, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing

Pray: Lord, I thank you for blessing me with the Holy Spirit. I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, my character will stand out. 

Having success in life is not guess work and neither is it by coincidence. It takes the attitude of being responsible to have success and to maintain it. 

Being responsible means that, you make yourself accountable for anything or whatever you have been entrusted with- time, money, resources, people, relationships, opportunities, etc.,

One dictionary explains that when you are responsible for something, it is your job or duty to deal with it and make decisions relating to it. According to the Collins Dictionary, responsible people behave properly and sensibly, without needing to be supervised.

You see, for people to stand out in life, they must be responsible. These permeates all aspects of one’s life. You must be responsible as a Christian, you must be responsible in and with your education, you must be responsible in your matrimonial home, you must be responsible in your ministry, you must be responsible at your workplace, etc. 

Mathew 24:45 says “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season”. You see, it takes being responsible to do what is expected of you. Responsible folks know what duty or charge have been entrusted into their hands and they stretch themselves to deliver without giving any excuses. 

People who are responsible show that they are wise and faithful in what they do. As Christians, God expects us to take charge over our lives and anything that has been entrusted into our hands. When you are responsible, you produce results in your endeavors. 

Are you responsible? How have you managed time, money, and opportunities? Do you give excuses for what you MUST do? 

You see, no matter how you describe a reason for your failure, you have still failed. The only thing that defeats failure is success, and positive results. Have a clear understanding of what your assignment entails and devise practical ways to carry them out with perfection. 

Go all out and put in your best to carry out the task assigned to you. Learn not to put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Be diligent and your gifts will set you before great men.

Growth, order, and success are undeniable when you take responsibility of your life and everything that has been entrusted into your care.

Read: Proverbs 12:24 “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; But the slothful shall be put under taskwork.”

Prayer: Lord, I pray for the strength to be responsible in every area of my life. Amen!

Communication or talking must have a purpose. Aside conveying a thought or an idea to a person, what you say must be good, must edify, and must minister grace. When your “talks” satisfies these requirements then you are obeying the Lord on this subject. 

As a Christian God does not want us to talk anyhow and anywhere. When it comes to talking or communication, there is a divine standard. Missing out on this is nothing but disobedience to God’s word. The message translation put Ephesians 4:29 clearer “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift”. 

When you talk or communicate you must say good things- things consistent with the word of God, things consistent with the principles in God’s word, things consistent with the new life you have in Christ, and things that are true. 

When you talk or communicate you must edify people. That is to say that your words must instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually. Furthermore, your communication must educate, teach, coach, guide, enlighten, indoctrinate, better, uplift or elevate someone. Talking well demands that you must have the tongue of the learned from God (Isaiah 50:4). 

The bible again teaches that, when you talk, you must minister grace to your hearers. In other words, your words must bring an impartation. Grace is favor. Thus, when communicating, it must be with favor and blessings. 

Never give room to corrupt communication! Any communication that does not satisfy the divine order when it comes to communication is corrupt communication. How can you minister grace with insulting words, how can you talk good with shouting on top of your voice against people, how can you edify people with derogatory arguments over matters under discussion ?

When you talk don’t give room for evil to prevail. Don’t talk to bring quarrel, don’t talk with nagging and don’t talk with fights.

Read: Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man”

Prayer: Lord I pray for the wisdom to know how and when to speak. May my speech be void of corruption in Jesus Name. Amen

One author once wrote “Talk is cheap, but it can cost you plenty.” This is something everyone who “talks” must constantly bear in mind. 

The prophet Isaiah said “God has given him the tongue of the learned so that he should know how to speak…” Meaning that, to say something worthwhile, sensible, advisable, when talking is dependent on having a learned tongue. And the learned tongue comes from submitting your life to God and His word. No one can talk well without the wisdom that comes from the spirit of the Lord and his grace. 

Having the tongue of the learned also means that, you know how to speak a word in season. In other words, you know the words to use and the ones to avoid when talking to people. Not only that, but you also know when to talk about or on some issues with people and when to avoid it all together. Proverbs 25:11 says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver”. Proverbs 15:23 also says “a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

You see, from the above explanations, it means that, there is much wisdom needed in talking. For you to articulate words and express yourself rightly is something you must depend on the Lord for and make it a priority in your life. 

As Christians it is therefore important for us to be careful how we communicate what we want to say and to also be careful when we communicate what we have to say. Take it or leave it. Talking anyhow will cost you. Talk with the tongue of the learned.

Read: Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man”

Prayer: Lord, give me the tongue of the learned, that I may know how to speak, to impart grace to my hearers. Amen

Following God and working for the Lord demands sacrifice. You can’t follow the Lord effectively without sacrifice. In fact, the call to be a Christian is a call to sacrifice.

Sacrifice means to give up something of value for the sake of other considerations. When you sacrifice, you sometimes abandon something, surrender your will, forgo your comfort, renounce, or forfeit a privilege. 

Today, most Christians don’t see the need to sacrifice in their walk with the Lord. They only remain on one side of the lane where comfort and convenience are the order of the day. But that is not all about being a Christian. In fact, being with the Lord and being kingdom minded calls for great sacrifice.

When it comes to sacrifice, our example is Jesus. He is and was God but left all the glory He had and took upon himself the nature of man just to have us saved. Not only that, but He also gave up his life in a gruesome and shameful way. This is nothing but sacrifice. 

Another example to give on sacrifice was how missionaries sacrificed their comfort, risked their lives to travel around the world to spread the good news. Up to today we have great ministries like the Presbyterian churches, Methodist churches, Anglican churches, Baptist churches, etc., at the forefront of spreading the good news dating back into 19th century in Africa and some parts of the world. 

Beloved, come to the chambers of “sacrifice”. Be ready to sacrifice something for the course of God. Heed the master’s call without restraint and go all out to serve his purpose. Christianity is not about “me, myself and I”. We are not called for selfishness and self-interest. These are enemies to sacrifice. Think about God who gave his only son he could have kept for himself. This is what sacrifice means. It is giving out what will cost you; time, money, energy, comfort, wisdom, life, in fact, everything.

 Sacrifice now. Tomorrow might be too late. 

Read: Matthew 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me

Prayer: Lord, I pray for the heart to sacrifice for your work. Amen

Our opening text teaches the importance of little things. It tells how little things bring a big change or bring a great influence on something.

This understanding therefore shows that, little things matter greatly in life. Most often than not, the occurrence of any great thing is embedded in something little. For instance, all humans are born small from the fusion of tiny biological cells. This is something little but will bring big results or change. With time, we then grow to become adults and some even become giants.

The same can be said about trees. Trees are sown as seeds, and they later turn out to be great in the forest. 

These two examples, clearly tells why little things can’t be despised. 

The nature of “little things” makes people overlook them in life. This is why some little things, especially wrong things, when left unchecked has the power to destroy big things in life. You see, most of the times you don’t have to do something big or “great” to destroy something awesome in life. All you must do is just something “small”. 

Life experience will teach you that sometimes you just need one act of carelessness, one idle word, one negative comment and one wrong act to destroy something big and good in life. 

The same way little acts of virtue and value have the tendency to project you and bring you into the limelight. Mother Teresa, founder of The Missionaries of Charity once said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”. 

Be careful not to ruin meaningful relationships e.g. marriage, ministry alliances, business associations, that you have built over years because of “small things which are wrong”. No wonder Solomon puts it this way “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards…” (Songs of Solomon 2:15).

Pay attention to little things. They may not be significant to many people, but it may be the source of either a better or bitter happenings.

Read: Ecclesiastes 10:1, “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”

Prayer: Lord, help me not to overlook the small things that can destroy my destiny or make my destiny shine. Amen

It is God’s desire that you bear fruit as a Christian. In fact, much fruit. Being fruitful increases your value and makes you an asset. 

Just as a tree when planted goes through many phases till it gets to the fruit bearing stage, God expects our Christian life to be so. You must grow after being born again to produce godly fruits in character, deeds, and in the body of Christ. 

John 15:8 says “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father” (NLT). Our fruitfulness as Christians proves that we are his disciples and brings glory to him. Don’t remain a Christian with nothing to show for it. Your life, your character, your faith, love, and purity must be unique and in line with God’s word. These are the fruits you must bear as a Christian.

Another area you must be fruitful in is in soul winning. You must endeavor to reach out to the unsaved and get them born again. You must not only limit your Christian faith to church attendance. Go beyond that and become an asset to the kingdom. 

God has invested so much in you by giving you the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). Thus, you have what it takes to be fruitful. This is why you must bear fruit at all cost. Your life as child of God can only influence and impart others when you bear much fruit.

Remember that when you don’t become fruitful, you become less useful and sometimes without benefit in the body of Christ and the world at large.

Read: John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Prayer: Father, I pray for grace to bear fruits and that my fruits may abide in Jesus’ name. Amen

The word vocation is the same word translated as calling. It implies a new relationship or task. The Christian life is a calling. It is a call that brings us into fellowship with God and with one another. Every born-again believer has been given a “calling” and is expected to “walk worthy of it”. People who do not see their calling as a great thing never make any progress with it.

Ephesians 4:1-2 says, “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering forbearing one another in love”. 

The calling of God must be treated with some awe. That is why every Christian must live a life of dignity and virtue.

You see, if you want to walk worthy of your call then the virtues of meekness, longsuffering and forbearance should be your mainstay. Without these virtues your Christian walk will be worthless. These virtues must be the lenses through which you see life.

For instance, lowliness is what makes us conscious of our own nothingness and enables us to esteem others better than ourselves. “Meekness” or “gentleness” is what makes a person keep his power under control, instead of blowing up at the smallest problem.  The virtue of longsuffering enables you to tolerate the shortcomings, blunders, and frailties of others. Not only that, but you are also able to bear with one another in love. 

You must draw from these virtues constantly as you relate with people. It is a fact that some people will look down on you while others may take you for granted in walking worthy of the call, but you must let these virtues speak. 

Anytime these forces are at work, pride, arrogance, hatred, anger, impatience are conquered. Master the act of humility, longsuffering, lowliness, and forbearance. These virtues will make you win in life and be pleasing to God.

Read: Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”

Prayer: Heavenly father, I pray that I will walk worthy of the calling

Real life experience always reveals that people can either learn the easy way or in a hard way.

Learning the easy way simply means getting things done by following the wisdom that has produced results. It also means hearkening to instruction and direction to get “somewhere” without troubles. 

On the other hand, learning the hard way involves suffering unnecessarily by doing something without following a wisdom received or reasonable and timely instruction given. 

You see, there are some people who always want to learn the hard way. They always end up in life’s school of “hard knocks”. Such people find themselves in myriad challenges and precarious situations which they could have avoided by listening to God’s word and following a godly advice. 

Irrespective of who you are, you can put yourself in a tight corner or many difficulties if you don’t prioritize God’s word, godly counsel, and instructions.

It is better to learn by having knowledge imparted to you than to learn from a bad experience. For instance, you must not be diagnosed with an incurable disease just because you allowed your feelings to send you on a pleasure fair in sexual immorality before you learn to stay holy. This is a hard way to learn to stay pure.

Help yourself to avoid going to the school of “hard knocks”. Some bad and hard experiences will only steal your joy and take your life at the end of the day.

Hearken to a godly counsel! Never allow pride to make you think like you know it all. The Bible says that “lean not on your own understanding”. Break the spirit of pride and foolishness that may want to control you and follow wise counsel.

Read: Proverbs 9:9
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you will deliver me from learning from bad experiences. Amen