ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (1):

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (1): 

We are beginning a series from today, and it will help us know some attributes of God as captured in the Bible. As we get to know His nature and how He works we can believe in Him even when all odds are against us. We begin with ADONAI NISSI, which means: The Lord my miracle. Or Jehovah Nissi-The Lord my banner. We can see this in Exodus 17:15 "After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-nissi (which means; the Lord is my banner)"(NLT) We notice from the text that, God gave Israel victory over Amalek. And He is also fighting on your behalf to give you victory in every battle. You are the apple of His eyes, so no enemy can defeat you: God is your banner! Do you see Him as your Jehovah-nissi or you are fighting all by yourself? Remember that, if the battle is the Lord's, then victory is assured! AB@TWD

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? 

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."(Ps. 27:13,NLT) One thing that sustained David in the face of trouble was his belief to see the goodness of the Lord. We must get to the point where we are fully convinced that, we shall enjoy life. We may look at the challenges around us and give up on ourselves; failing to see the gifts that have been freely given unto us by God. We see from our text that, even in his trouble times, David concluded: "Yet I am confident I will see the Lord's goodness while I am here in the land of the living."(NLT) That became his confession irrespective of the unfavorable circumstances. And God blessed him and made him great. "The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life...(Ps. 91:14-16,NLT) So you too what do you believe? AB@TWD

YOUR WORSHIP; YOUR PROOF?

YOUR WORSHIP; YOUR PROOF? 

"And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this mountain."(Exo. 3:12b,MSG) It is amazing how God used WORSHIP as the proof of deliverance from captivity. This is quite interesting: the proof that God had sent Moses, was to be seen after the people had finally left Egypt and not when they were still there. The sign was not even any of the miracles that took place in Egypt, because the devil could produce counterfeit through magic. The proof of your redemption, and the sign of your deliverance will be your ability to worship God irrespective of where you have been, what has held you captive, and the pain you may have suffered. Your worship will tell! Today God is sending a deliverer; now in the person of Jesus Christ to liberate you. "There is a Redeemer; Jesus God's own Son." And as the Bible saids, who the Son therefore shall set free, is free indeed. You are free to WORSHIP!!!. AB@TWD

UNCOVERING SIN(2)

UNCOVERING SIN(2)

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not..."(1 Jn. 5:18,NLT) Once we are born of God we don't "practice sin." In other words we may fall into it, but we don't stay in it, because the seed of God is in us. People these days do horrible things and still justify them. But sin is transgression of the law, therefore it doesn't matter whether it affects anyone or not. Once it goes against God's instruction, it is classified as disobedience and therefore it is sin. Sin is a choice and not the ultimate. So you can choose to do it or walk away. And you can choose to be enslaved by it or walk in the liberty wherein Christ has made you free. You were made as a "siGn" to the world, to show forth God's Glory. But when the God factor(G) is missing, sin begins to dominate. If you are a 'sign' don't allow sin to rule you. Because when it does, you cease being a sign to show God's glory!...For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God. What sin does is to take away that glory! AB@TWD

UNCOVERING SIN(1)

UNCOVERING SIN(1)

"How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word...I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not SIN against you."(Ps. 119:9,10,NLT) Sin is like a deadly poison that can kill slowly and unknowingly. It enters into the system and like a virus, attracts other deadly things. It spreads like bacteria and soon causes decay in one's life. You must therefore do everythingpossible not to fall into its trap. It must completely be avoided! This word came to me, as I thought about sin in general: "Sin has a smell and its a bad one. It makes the sinner carry an odour which can be smelled from a long distance, and so makes it easier for satan and his cohorts to make a trace easily. So whenever a person dwells in sin, the enemy dispatches sicknesses, diseases, and poverty to them. All these things are able to find their way to the individual living in sin, by the smell on them. For us to stay pure, clean and smell good, we much obey the word. It must be hidden in our heart. AB@TWD

SUCCESS FORMULAR(3)

SUCCESS FORMULAR(3)

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted...It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones."(Ps. 127:1,2,NLT) Over the past few days our focus has been to find out what the word of God teaches about how to be successful. We saw from the first message that, we need to have God's approval in all we do, and that way our success is guaranteed. We also saw the next day that, one other way to be successful is to study the word of God and meditate on it. Then by obeying what is says, we shall have good success. And our text for today says that, to be successful at or in anything, God must be the builder. Whatever we build without Him would be a complete failure. He must be the builder of our career, family, relationship, marriage, ministry etc. and success shall be our portion. Don't do it on your own, but allow Him to build for you. He is the master-builder! AB@TWD

SUCCESS FORMULAR(2)

SUCCESS FORMULAR(2) 

"Study this Book of instruction. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."(Josh. 1:9,NLT) We learnt from our devotional yesterday that, we need God's approval. And by acknowledging Him in all our ways, He shall direct our path and make us truly successful. Today we are looking at another success formular. Many people see the Bible as just another reading material. No wonder they forget what the word says in no time. It is because they only READ. We must move from the level of just reading, to actually studying the word. We must study to show ourselves approved. After we have studied it, we now meditate on what we have studied. But how can we meditate when we have nothing stored inside to meditate on? When we meditate on the word consistently, it may become part of us and now obeying it become much easier to do. It is ONLY after this that our success in life shall be guaranteed. MEDITATE! AB@TWD

SUCCESS FORMULAR (1)

SUCCESS FORMULAR (1)

"And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful.(Ps. 90:17,NLT) You can work so hard and produce little results. Hard work is good, but unless we have God's approval and guidance we can't achieve much. Some people may not fathom why they work from dawn to dusk but always end up with little to show for it. Peter was a victim too, He said: "Masterwe have toiled all night..." He thought his experience was enough to do it. But it was one word from Jesus that turned everything around. It is indeed God who gives us the power to get wealth. So what is this 'I've got it all figured out' attitude among some people? Paul at a point had to admit that, he could do all things by the strength he receives from Christ. Jesus said, "without me you can do nothing." We can't go to Jesus only during emergencies. He must be present in all we do. And as we learn to acknowledge Him in all our ways, He shall direct our path and we shall be successful! AB@TWD

ARE YOU READY TO DIE?

ARE YOU READY TO DIE? 

"About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah...went to visit him...This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness. When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, Remember O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you."(2 Kgs. 20:1-3,NLT) If God should send a prophet to deliver such a message to any of us, we may either say the prophet is demon-possessed or conclude he is not from God. What is our testimonial? What can stand for us as a memorial? Would we be bold enough to say just like Hezekiah did, "I have been faithful in serving you?" Many of us waste so much time on things that do not have eternal value. So when we are asked about the things we have done, we have nothing to talk about or boast of. But I pray God sees us faithful. Set your priorities right before it is too late! AB@TWD

SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE?

SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE?

"Kings and queens will serve you and care for your needs. They will bow to the earth before you and lick the dust from your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who trust in me will never be put to shame."(Isa. 49:23,NLT) When we come across scriptures like this, they may sound unbelievable. But until we move from dwelling on the logos (the letter that killeth) and begin to catch the rhema (the spirit behind the written word) we may not see the manifestations. The problem is the way we respond to the word. We can't just say we believe and leave it there. There must be a corresponding action that will yield results. The word of God is living and active; and Jesus said: The words that I speak, they are spirit and they are life. As we can see from our text, Isaiah is telling us that, those who will serve us and take care of our needs, are rather kings and queens. It may sound unbelievable, but that is how and what God has made you. Do you still find it hard to believe? AB@TWD

YOUR LATTER WILL BE GREATER!

YOUR LATTER WILL BE GREATER! 

"You crown my year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance."(Ps. 65:11,NLT) Many of us may have started the year with so much hope. And as the year is ending, we don't seem to have done much. Some dreams have been partly fulfilled whiles others are still pending. It is as if we shall end the year just as we started. But no matter how hard things may be, or how worse situations may get, I declare that; OUR END SHALL BE GLORIOUS. This is not just to make us feel good, but it is affirming and confirming what God has already established. Forever O, Lord thou word is settled in heaven. The Psalmist had a deeper insight and wrote: "You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water, it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so."(V9) If God is the one taking care of your life, you can be sure that He will water it, make it rich and fertile. Your best is yet to come! AB@TWD

RECOVERY MODE ACTIVATED!

RECOVERY MODE ACTIVATED! 

"The Lord will reply, Look! I am sending you grain and new wine and olive oil, enough to satisfy your needs. You will no longer be an object of mockery among the surrounding nations...The Lord says, I will give you back what you lost...Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God who does these miracles for you. Never again will mypeople be disgraced."(Joel 2:19,25-26,NLT) Whenever you come to God with an expectation it moves Him to act. For the expectation of the righteous shall not be cut off. But what God does through your expectation will be beyond your expectation. He stretches your faith and as you keep hope alive, He releases what you least expected. That is our God; He does mind blowing miracles. And He is with you even now to do the impossible and make happen the unimaginable. It doesn't matter what you may have lost earlier. I see God restoring all of them in these last two months. You shall have them according to your faith! AB@TWD

LEARN TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

LEARN TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH! 

"But the angel said, Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth, will give you a son..."(Luke 1:13,NLT) Some people pray for praying sake. They have no expectations and thus do it as a form of duty and a matter of religiosity. But prayers are meant to be answered and God wants to. Zechariah had been praying all his life for just one thing from God; that is a child. Now an angel appears to him with an assurance that, his prayers have been heard and answered. But look at his reaction: "Zechariah said to the angel, How can I be sure this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years"(V18). By this response, does it mean he had prayed for fun? He doubted the very word from God. "But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born..."(V20) He faced the consequences. God may have to do some people a favor and shut their mouths before they ruin their destiny! AB@TWD

DO YOU FEEL THE HEAT?

DO YOU FEEL THE HEAT?

"He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross..."(Mal. 3:3,NLT) I have heard that, goldsmiths spend a lot of time, sitting by fire to make sure there are no dross in their final product. Gold goes through intense heat to become pure. And the same amount of heat that helps to refine gold, to bring out its beauty is the same heat that is needed to take away the dross. Just as Gold is precious to man, man is also precious to God. You may have to go under some intense heat in life, to bring the beauty inside you. And as we can see in our text, the refiner actually sits down to watch the silver and gold burning. He doesn't take them out of the fire because He has a goal. When he takes the gold off the fire before its time, it may not glitter. God also wants to purify and take away all the dross in you. So when the fire gets hot, know that it is not meant to kill, but to make God see His reflection in you. And you can only see a reflection on the surface of pure gold! AB@TWD

YOU ARE JUST GOING THROUGH!

YOU ARE JUST GOING THROUGH!

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up..."(Isa. 43:2,NLT) There is no where in the Bible where it has been written that, once you become a Christian, you become trouble-free. In fact you rather would have more. "The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time."(Ps. 34:19,NLT) Is it not interesting how it appears the righteous rather go through "many afflictions" whilst the wicked live and enjoy themselves? "Don't worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong. For like grass, they soon fade away..."(Ps. 37:1-2) Yours is to keep your eyes on God and trust in Him. This is for you today: "Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."(Ps. 55:22) This must assure you that, God has got your back. You are just passing through them! AB@TWD

CAN YOU BE REMEMBERED?

CAN YOU BE REMEMBERED?

"Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name."(Mal. 3:16,NLT) Some people can live on earth without making any impact or anything. There is nothing they can be remembered for. In our text, we see that only the names of those who feared God and always thought about the honor of His name had their names written in the book of remembrace. People can be so concerned about almost everything except the honor of God's name. They see it as reserved for "those in ministry". But we are all in a ministry as far as God is concerned. God did not create anyone to just add to the numbers. He has a purpose for every individual, so no one has any excuse. May you discover your calling and purpose, and in that way you can place a demand of heaven, and it will respond. What would you be remembered for? AB@TWD

GOD IS FAITHFUL!

GOD IS FAITHFUL!

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."(1 Cor. 10:13,RSV) God is always faithful; even in times when it looks like nothing can be done, He makes a way. He is our present help in times of need! When the three hebrew boys were thrown into the furnace, He was present with them to prove that He is a consuming fire. When Daniel was cast into the den of lions, He was there to protect him, to affirm that He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He always shows us a way of escape out of every predicament. He is the always-on-point-never-disappointing God. When Moses was going to face Pharaoh, God told him to tell Pharaoh that "I AM has sent me." So in case you are also facing your "Pharaoh"(any stubborn situation) in life, declare in whose name you have come. And the "I AM" God will be there. He is faithful! AB@TWD

GOD'S SIGNATURE!

GOD'S SIGNATURE!

"I am the Lord; that is my name!... Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens."(Isa. 42:8-9,NLT) Anytime you see, "I am the Lord", then God is reminding us of what He has said or assuring us of what He is about to do. He makes His promises by starting and ending with "I AM the Lord, that is my name", to let us know the potency of such promises. "For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself..."(Heb. 6:13,KJV) The promise of God on your life may sound impossible. But God signed with His name for you to see the possibility, so you can hold Him by His word. Look at the tense used in verse 9, "Everything I prophesied HAS COME TRUE..." That means all the prophesies on your life have already been fulfilled. I know this may sound too good to be true. But that is our God; He calls those things that be not as though they were. His name is I AM, and that is His signature! AB@TWD

WHO IS BEHIND H.A.T.R.E.D?

WHO IS BEHIND H.A.T.R.E.D? 

"Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin."(Lev. 19:17,NLT) Have you at any point in your life entertained hatred? Watch it; the DEVIL is behind. He sows a seed of hatred inside people and causes them to do crazy things. The Bible therefore warns us to guard our heart with all diligence. Let me use an interesting word joggling approach to prove the one behind hatred. Let's have some fun with these words: Take a look at the spellings of the two words-H.E.A.R.T and H.A.T.R.E.D. Do you see one has five letters and another has six? The five letters that come together to form "HEART" are the same first five letters for the word "HATRED", but in this case they are disorganized. When we take these five letters from each of the words, one letter will be left standing on the side of hatred, which is a "D" (DEVIL in this context) NB: The devil is behind all forms of HATRED. Guard your HEART! AB@TWD

WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND GOD!

WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND GOD!

"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it."(Gen. 3:6,NLT) The devil deceived her that, when she eats of the fruit God had told them not to eat, she would "be like God". That is, do things like God and perhaps become OMNISCIENT. And was that the case? The same devil is deceiving many people today and making them think that, if they do one thing or the other, their eyes would open and they would "be like God". But there is a way, that seems right unto man, but the end leads to death. This was exactly what happened to the first man. Men have tried all means possible since creation to prove God. We have gone to space and the moon all in an attempt to find out who God is. But our God can not be put inside a test tube to be experimented upon. He is above science! Some things will remain MYSTERY and others will become HISTORY but God is still I AM! AB@TWD

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND GOD?

CAN YOU UNDERSTAND GOD?

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things."(Eccl. 11:5,NLT) Some people in our world today try to explain almost everything that occurs. Some of them may turn into soothe sayers, diviners and sorcerers with time. Unfortunately, some Christians are being influenced by some of these people. The truth is that, we cannot understand everything God does, neither can we comprehend His wisdom. A lot of things are beyond our human reasoning, so let us save ourselves the trouble and stop probing into everything that happens around us. No man has all the answers to all of life's questions. We must therefore not exercise ourselves in matters that are higher than us. Our God can not lose control. He has held the whole universe and their elements together since creation, so He knows what He is doing. God doesn't want to be understood, He wants to be believed! AB@TWD

BLIND OR DEAF?

BLIND OR DEAF?

"Listen you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! (Isa. 42:18,NLT) When I read this the first time, the obvious question was, "How can someone who is deaf be asked to listen? And someone who is blind, be asked to look and see? But I realized that there was more in there. It was not just talking about physical deafness or blindness, but one which was spiritual. Of a truth many people walk with their eyes and ears widely opened but can not see or hear God. Some of us are being shown deep things but we are failing to act. "You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don't really listen."(V 20) We behave as though we want God to send us some spiritual eye lense or hearing aid, so we can hear and see what He is doing and saying. Just as Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant to see the host of angels that had surrounded them, I pray for you too that, the eyes of your understanding be enlightened. Are you still blind or deaf? AB@TWD

CONFESS AND BE FREE!

CONFESS AND BE FREE! 

"Finally I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And you forgave me! And my guilt is gone."(Ps. 32:5,NLT) One of the topics for our devotionals last week was, 'What are you hiding?' and today David admits that, he finally stopped trying to hide his guilt. Anytime we go wrong, the first thought that comes to our mind is, how can I cover up this mess? Instead of confessing it there and then and be free. We have been deceived to believe that, once we are able to conceal our sins we are smart. But that to God is foolishness. Why would anyone think of being wise when they are doing wrong. Our loving father therefore gives us an open invitation. He says "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow..."(Isa. 1:18,KJV) What are you waiting for? The truth is, God knows those hidden sins so you better confess now and be free. AB@TWD

ITS WORKING FOR YOU!

ITS WORKING FOR YOU!

"Instead of shame and dishonor, you will enjoy a double share of honor. You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everything joy will be yours."(Isa. 61:7,NLT) This is a sure word! God being God can allow something that would destabilise an organised setting just to make way for you, and then reorganise the system with you at an advantaged position. He did same to Joseph. The whole land went into serious famine and in the process Joseph was promoted. He was sold into Egypt as a slave, but later became the Prime Minister. Under his supervision food was in abundant supply. His brothers had to travel to where they SOLD him into, to get food to BUY. Those who think they have sold you into slavery, will come to that same place to buy. In God's plan Joseph had to leave his father's house to get closer to his dream. Through some series of events, he found himself in in a foreign land. No matter where you also are now, God is bringing you promotion. Receive it! AB@TWD

WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE?

WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE?

"I slept, but my heart was awake, when I heard my lover knocking and calling: Open to me, my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night. But I responded, I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled? My lover tried to unlatch the door, and my heartthrilled within me. I jumped up to open the door for my love...I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him but there was no reply."(SoS 5:2-6,NLT) Let me paint a picture with this: Many of us behave just like the woman in our text above. We may give thousand reasons why we can't make time for our lover(Jesus). It could either be our job, our wife or husband, our children or some other things. And by the time we finally make up our mind, our lover would be long gone. Jesus may even come and go before some people know it. So be alert! AB@TWD