Category: February 2017

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Every day, we are bombarded with news of conflicts, natural disasters, diseases and new strains of drug-resistant viruses. We also hear of people losing their loved ones in freak accidents. And we ask ourselves, “Is there a place where I can take refuge from a world gone mad?” Yes, there is! God foresaw all these things and He has promised in His Word protection from every evil known to man. There is no trap set by the devil that our Father cannot deliver us from, if we trust in Him and take Him as our refuge. That is His promise in Psalm 91.

Whether it is an earthquake at midnight, a crazy sniper, an unknown virus or a terrorist attack, God says, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” (Psalm 91:5-6) Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now. (Psalm 91:9-11) They give heed to the voice of God’s Word, so you should give voice to God’s Word. This means that you should agree with and speak what God’s Word says about His preserving and protecting you. Then, angels are sent to minister for you. (Hebrews 1:14) Don’t say, “If it can happen to them, it can also happen to me!” Say, “A thousand may fall at my side and 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me!” (Psalm 91:7) The world says that you can expect danger all around. God says, “You are in this world but not of this world. You have My protection because you are of Me and in Me.” (John 17:14-23)

You have access by faith into the secret place of the Most High where no evil can touch you. There is no need to fear living in the end times because the Lord is your refuge and fortress. His Word says so. And those who trust His Word will find His Word completely true!

John 8:11

… “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

When Jesus was on earth, a woman caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him by the scribes and Pharisees, the religious mafia of His day. They tried to trap Him by posing a question that was difficult to answer: “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:5) Jesus answered, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7) The scribes and Pharisees began to leave one by one till none of them were left. The people in the crowd who wanted to condemn the woman could not.

But Jesus, the only one in the crowd who truly had the power to condemn her, would not. He then asked her, “Woman…Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10) He spoke such words of grace to her because He loved her. Also, by asking her the question, He was giving her a chance to speak words of no condemnation to herself – “No one condemns me, Lord.” (John 8:11) Jesus not only spoke words of grace to her, He also gave her the gift of no condemnation – “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more”. It was when she received the gift of no condemnation that she had the power to “go and sin no more”.

Today, you have the gift of no condemnation because the Son of God was condemned for all your sins. (Romans 8:1) Today, God cannot condemn you when you sin because He is faithful and just to what His Son has done. So if the devil tries to convince you that God is angry with you when you blow it, just say, “God does not condemn me today because He has already condemned Jesus at the cross 2,000 years ago!”

Unfortunately, we still hear people saying, “Go and sin no more first, then I won’t condemn you.” Maybe you have been saying this to yourself too. But God says, “I don’t condemn you. Go and sin no more.” He gives you the gift of no condemnation, so that you have the strength to go and sin no more!

Deuteronomy 28:4

Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…

The Bible records that Jesus’ spit healed a blind man (Mark 8:23-25), Peter’s shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15), and handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul’s body drove out evil spirits and diseases. (Acts 19:11-12) This tells us that what comes forth from our bodies can be so blessed that it brings about blessings and miracles to others. God said, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…” He was not just referring to your children, or He would have simply said, “Blessed shall be your children.” No, God meant that everything that proceeds from your body will be blessed. All that is of and from your body will be of top-notch quality!

This includes your health. So even if your doctor has said that you have a particular medical condition in your body, just believe that God calls your health, the fruit of your body, blessed. And expect to walk continuously in divine health! God calls your ability to think the fruit of your body, blessed also. You will impress your teachers and schoolmates in school with your mental prowess, or your superiors and colleagues at work with your innovative ideas and solutions. Your mental faculties will be of quality par excellence! If you are a parent, God calls your children, the fruit of your body, blessed. This means that they are special, having exceptional qualities. So the child you are taking care of is not just a child. You are holding a champion in your hands. He or she will grow up to be a general in God’s kingdom!

Because Jesus has paid the price – His body was beaten, scourged and pierced for you, all these blessings are yours. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body!

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Every day, we are bombarded with news of conflicts, natural disasters, diseases and new strains of drug-resistant viruses. We also hear of people losing their loved ones in freak accidents. And we ask ourselves, “Is there a place where I can take refuge from a world gone mad?” Yes, there is! God foresaw all these things and He has promised in His Word protection from every evil known to man. There is no trap set by the devil that our Father cannot deliver us from, if we trust in Him and take Him as our refuge. That is His promise in Psalm 91.

Whether it is an earthquake at midnight, a crazy sniper, an unknown virus or a terrorist attack, God says, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.” (Psalm 91:5-6) Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now. (Psalm 91:9-11) They give heed to the voice of God’s Word, so you should give voice to God’s Word. This means that you should agree with and speak what God’s Word says about His preserving and protecting you. Then, angels are sent to minister for you. (Hebrews 1:14) Don’t say, “If it can happen to them, it can also happen to me!” Say, “A thousand may fall at my side and 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me!” (Psalm 91:7) The world says that you can expect danger all around. God says, “You are in this world but not of this world. You have My protection because you are of Me and in Me.” (John 17:14-23)

You have access by faith into the secret place of the Most High where no evil can touch you. There is no need to fear living in the end times because the Lord is your refuge and fortress. His Word says so. And those who trust His Word will find His Word completely true!

John 10:10

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

When you are not enjoying abundant life, you will feel as if life is full of toil. In your heart, life is meaningless and empty. You feel like someone “grasping for the wind”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) If it seems as though nothing you do adds up to much, the Bible calls this life “under the sun”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) Someone who lives life under the sun may or may not know God, but God is either forgotten or not the center of things in his life. His thoughts are earthly and he does things to gratify his flesh. In the end, he finds life depressing and unfulfilled. Life under the sun is full of despair.

But this is not so with someone who lives life above the sun with God. For life with Him is filled with joy and pleasures at His right hand. (Psalm 16:11) Life is abundantly full and good just as Jesus promised – “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”. When you live life above the sun, your thoughts are heavenward and you become Christ-occupied. You live for Him because you know that all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) When you live for His glory, your life takes on a new meaning and purpose.

God’s Word says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) The Greek word for “consist” means “held together”. In Christ, all things are held together. And that is why when Christ is the central figure in your life, you will have it all together. Your mind will be held together. Your hopes and dreams will be held together. Your family will be held together by the cords of His love. Your life will not be empty, but full of God’s goodness because “Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory”. (Colossians 1:27)

Jeremiah 17:10

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

God makes it perfectly clear why we sin – it’s a matter of the heart. Our hearts have been inclined toward sin from the day we are born. It is easy to fall into the routine of forgetting and forsaking God. But we can still choose whether or not to continue to sin. We can yield to a specific temptation, or we can ask God to help us resist when temptation comes.

I’m sure that most have seen the demonstrations and riots lately in the news, where we find perfect examples of hearts that are just not right. The hatred that is being spread throughout social media and on the streets in our cities is horrible. And the same person spreading the hatred would want mercy if they were placed before a judge. That same person would not want anyone in their face shouting something obscene, or blocking their path.

2 Timothy 3:2 says, “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy…” And I an certain that a large number of these same people would clam to be Christians. Jesus changes attitudes and gives new life to individuals. What we don’t need is a theology of revolution, inciting violence – what we need is a Theology of peace – found only in Jesus Christ. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority, resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves…Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.”  (Rom 13:1-5)

Many have justified riots by claiming to seek justice, to right wrongs, to find vindication in a corrupt system of injustice. But look at the poisonous fruits of rioting: intimidation, violence, destruction, theft, mutilation and even murder. Where is the justice in these? The Bible – which is the foundation of true knowledge – warns all men, “You shall not follow a multitude to do evil” (Exodus 23:2) Riots are forbidden! No matter how just a cause may seem, in God’s eyes there is no such thing as seeking justice through a mob bent on revenge.

Genesis 39:2

The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…

You may have no qualification, position or money – nothing in the natural. But when the Lord is with you, you will end up with everything because He will cause you to be successful. Now success here does not mean millions of dollars, but success means that you will not want for anything.

Joseph had nothing when his Egyptian master Potiphar bought him from the slave market. Yet, even then, it was said of him, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…” Joseph became the slave a successful man? He was a nobody with nothing, not even a shirt on his back, not a dime to his name, and no one to turn to. All he had was the presence of the Lord. But it was precisely because of this that he was successful wherever he was. He eventually became the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, who set him over all the land of Egypt. Joseph was given power, authority and riches (Genesis 41:40-44), all because the Lord was with him.

It does not matter if you are a nobody with nothing in the natural. When the Lord is with you, you will end up with everything because He will empower you to succeed and live the abundant life. Indeed, you will end up enjoying His favor, goodness and grace!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is always directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is completely unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. We can only practice this kind of love if God helps us set aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love while expecting nothing in return. The more we become like Christ, the more love we will show others.

I am often asked how you can tell if a person is like Christ (Born again). They produce fruit. There are nine attributes that Paul sums up as the fruit of the Spirit. They are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23). The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives – we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want to have the fruit of the Spirit grow in us, we must join our lives with His (John 15:4, 5). We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law – to love God and our neighbors.

I often tell people I am witnessing to, that when two people give to each other, they will both receive. If both people are not giving to each other, then one is taking from the other. The only way that both can give is to have Christ centered in the relationship. Imagine what the world be like if everyone was giving to each other. All would receive!

1 Corinthians 1:31

…”He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

If someone were to ask you, “What must I do to be certain of going to heaven?” you would probably tell him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved,” wouldn’t you?

Well, a rich, young ruler asked Jesus the same question, but instead of telling him to believe in Him, Jesus gave him the law. (Mark 10:17-22) Jesus saw that the young ruler lived his life taking pride in his ability to keep the law to earn salvation and the favor from God. But because of His love for the man, Jesus had to show him that those who live by the law must realize that their self-efforts cannot save them. Jesus therefore reminded him, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery…’Do not steal…’Honor your father and your mother.'” The young ruler showed that his trust was in his law-keeping when he replied, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.” So Jesus had to tell him, “One thing you lack…sell whatever you have and give to the poor…and come…and follow Me.” When the young ruler heard that, he walked away sorrowful.

When we boast of having kept the law, it will always point out something we lack or have failed to obey. The law is so holy and perfect that if we don’t keep even one bit of it, it has no choice but to judge and curse us. (Galatians 3:10) That is what the law was designed to do. God does not want us to boast in our abilities to keep the law. If we are to have confidence in anything at all, if we are to boast in anything at all, it is in the grace of God. Only His grace can completely keep, save, heal, deliver and bless us.

So let’s not boast in what we have done or are able to do, but boast in His grace for us – that He is our strength, health, favor, provision, wisdom, hope, salvation and glory. That is how we will see ourselves enjoying our inheritance of abundant life!

Ruth 2:12

“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Have you ever wondered why, in some Bible stories, God asked the people to give what little they had to Him? It may appear cruel, but the truth is that God was setting them up for a blessing! God’s way is to use whatever we have, and multiply it back to us once we put it in His hands.

The widow of Zarephath had only a handful of flour and a little oil to make one last meal for her son and herself before they faced starvation. But she trusted God and used a portion of the little that she had to make a cake for the prophet Elijah. And God rewarded her by making sure that her bin of flour was not used up and her jar of oil did not run dry until the drought ended. (1 Kings 17:8-16)

Similarly, the boy who gave his little lunch of five loaves and two small fish to Jesus not only ate well, but he also saw it being used to feed more than 5,000 people with 12 baskets full of leftovers! (John 6:1-13)

Whenever we give what little we have to God, whether it is money, time or energy, it opens up our hearts so that God can fill us up with more. And when we give our lives to God, we can trust Him to make things right for us and to be the rewarder of our faith.

When Ruth, a childless Moabite widow, left the comfort of her home to follow her mother-in-law Naomi and the God of Israel back to a foreign land (Ruth 1:16), she was given a full reward by the Lord. God gave Ruth protection and ensured that she was well-provided for through Boaz, a wealthy relative who took on the role of kinsman-redeemer for her and Naomi. (Ruth 2:9, 4:9-10)

As you trust God with what you have today, know that He loves you and is setting you up for more blessings. So expect to see even more of His provision and abundance in the days to come!