Topic: Discipline Brings Life [Thursday June 8, 2017]

Matthew 18:18-19 “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

Verses 18 and 19 have many applications, but taken in context, they are specifically referring to church discipline. Some might think that church discipline is only symbolic and carries no real weight; however, Jesus is making it clear that in the spiritual realm, discipline that is directed by the Holy Spirit has much power.

The scriptural commands concerning church discipline are designed to help restore the brother or sister who is in sin just as much as they are designed to protect other members of the body from that sin. If the person being disciplined repents, the objective has been achieved and no further action should be taken. Church discipline is two-fold. It consists of withdrawing both our fellowship and our intercession.

Proper intercession can actually keep Satan “at bay” though an individual is living in great sin. This is good if the person uses this freedom to repent and come back to God. But, if the person takes this freedom from the wages of sin to commit more sin, there comes a time when this form of intercession ceases to be beneficial. In that case, intercession against Satan’s attacks should be withdrawn, and we should actually retain that person’s sins unto him so that he can no longer get by without experiencing the death that sin brings (Rom. 6:23). As he starts reaping what he has sown, it, hopefully, will cause him to turn back to the goodness of God that he once enjoyed. This is the binding and loosing being referred to in this verse. Heaven and earth are affected by our binding and loosing.

This message was written by The Association of Related Ministries International (ARMI) is an extension of Andrew Wommack Ministries (AWM). ARMI is a unique partnership committed to providing resources to help like-minded ministers succeed in a spirit of excellence and to draw from the experience and expertise of both the AWM and Charis Bible College staff. (www.awmi.net)

Today’s Scripture: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” –(Proverbs 16:9, NIV)

Topic: Stay in Sync [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

Have you ever tried something and got the results you wanted and then tried the same thing again and got different results? This happened to Moses in the Bible. They needed water, and God told Moses to strike the rock. He struck the rock, and water flowed out freely. Another time they needed water again, and God told Moses, “Speak to the rock.” Do you know what Moses did? He went over and struck the rock. He thought, “Hey, it worked last time. It’ll work this time.” But it didn’t. God had a different plan.

The point is that we have to stay open and make adjustments to stay in tune with God’s plan. You can do the same thing the same way you did last time and get different results. It may not be something major, but like Moses, maybe it’s just something small. Sometimes a small tweak, a small adjustment can make a major difference in the outcome.

Today, make sure you aren’t doing things just because it’s the way you always did it before. Instead, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit of God inside. Follow His leading and stay in sync with the wonderful plan He has for you!

A Prayer for Today: “Heavenly Father, I submit my mind, will and heart to You. Help me to see clearly what Your plan is for me. Help me to stay close to You always, not living in the past, but pressing forward to the new things You have in store for me in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Topic: The Reason For Praise (Prt 3) [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

Don’t flatten your life because of a flat tyre, don’t discharge your destiny because of an uncharged battery. Don’t knock your soul because of a knocked engine, don’t leave yourself in a sack because you were sacked from a job! The fact that you are alive to even know what you need is enough to thank God for.

God can’t stop you from drowning until you stop frowning because a frowning environment is not His habitat, His habitat is praise (Psalm 22:3). If you want to terminate your drowning, stop frowning. Reorder your priorities. Understand that things are temporary but God is constant and except there is life, there would be no reason for things. So, Give Him praise!

Topic: Regret & Dread [Wednesday June 7, 2017]

Key Scripture: Philippians 3: 13,14

“I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling me upward.”

When making decisions in your life, it’s easy to start asking yourself the question, “Did I make the right decision?” And although some of that can be healthy, it can also quickly get out of balance and lead your heart to place of regret and dread. When this happens, it’s also easy to start regretting the past and dreading the future, and in fact, both are “thieves of joy.”

Many people stay trapped in the past. There is only one thing that can be done about the past, and that is to forget it. When we make mistakes or bad decision (which we all do from time to time), the only thing we can do is ask God’s forgiveness and go on. Like Paul, we are all pressing toward the mark of perfection, but none of us have arrived.

I believe Paul enjoyed his life and ministry and this “one aspiration” of his was part of the reason why. Like us, he was pressing toward the mark of perfection, admitting that he had not arrived, but having insight on how to enjoy his life while he was making the trip.

And if regret has us constantly looking backwards in the past, dread has us always fearing forwards concerning the future. I spend a lot of years with regret pulling one arm and dread pulling on the other. The result was that I felt like I was being pulled apart, and I didn’t even know what the problem was.

Dreading things can become a bad habit, an attitude that develops out of lethargy or laziness, or perhaps because of multiple bad decisions. Procrastination and dread often work together. An upcoming task is dreaded, so procrastination says, “Put it off until later.” That sounds good for a few minutes, but the thing is still there to be dreaded until it is finished. It would be far better to do it and be free to go on to other things.

Final Thoughts and Action Items

I have learned from experience that living life one day at a time is something that can be done. God gives me the grace for today, but He does not give me grace for yesterday or tomorrow. When I am trying to live yesterday today, I can easily start to second guess the decisions made and I find myself full of unanswerable questions and regret. When I live tomorrow today, I allow fear of the unknown to creep in and I can easily start walking through life with endless amounts of dread. Ultimately, living in either regret or dread is pressure. And what I’ve discovered over time is to take the pressure off by believing God and trusting His Word.

Action Items

Are you relying on the grace that’s been given to you today? Have you asked God to help you rely on that grace?

Make a mental list of how many times you either think or say things like, “I just regret that decision,” or “I’m really concerned about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Decide that today is the only day God has given you and commit to do the very best that you can. At the end of your day, ask God to help you change the habit of regret and dread.

Topic: Please God and Not Self [Wednesday 7, June 2017]

Memorise: Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. – John 4:34

Read: 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (KJV)

1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Bible in One Year: Joshua 8:9, Jeremiah 44:11-19, Hymn: Sing hymn 6

MESSAGE:

From Matthew 6:10, we understand that man was created to do God’s will on earth so that he can ultimately continue doing so when he gets to Heaven. Although God has a plan for everyone He created, He will not force us to do anything against our will, because He created us as free moral agents with the power of choice. After Adam sinned, he lost God’s glory and began to pursue a life of self-will (Romans 3:23). This self-will has ultimately led to self-centeredness in mankind. When you study the vices that the Holy Spirit forewarned us will be rife in the last days, you will discover that one common theme summarises them all: selfishness.

In the world of instant gratification and individualism that we live in today, it is either you are God-centred or self-centred. It is either you consider how an event will benefit God’s Kingdom or how you will personally benefit from it. If you are a lover of self, it will be difficult for you to really please God. Why? Your service will be plastic and superficial, having no depth in the things of the Kingdom. A self-centred individual cannot make sacrifices for God. All he or she is interested in is personal convenience, whether in service, worship or giving. If such a fellow gives a big donation to any kingdom project, you will discover that the motive behind the giving is to have it announced for the sake of his or her ego.

A self-centred fellow lives in rebellion against God. He loves pleasure a lot because it delights him. Samson lived such a selfish life, even as a leader of God’s people. He could not be controlled by his parents because selfish people are in charge of their own lives, not God or anyone else. His parents warned him against marrying an unbeliever, but he refused. He went ahead because she satisfied the lust of his eyes and that of his flesh (Judges 14:1-3). Your choice in life must be God-centred. Jesus is our perfect example. While on earth, He was mainly preoccupied with doing His Father’s will (John 4:34). Any time His personal desire clashed with that of His Father, just like it happened at the Garden of Gethsemane, He subordinated His will to God’s will (Luke 22:41-42). What kind of life are you living? Are you going about pleasing yourself or making God happy in all that you do?

Prayer Point: Father, in all that I do, help me always remember to please You and not myself.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

iOpenHeavens is the electronic version of the Hard Copy. The Open Heavens devotional application is available across all mobile platforms and operating systems: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Windows Mobile and PC.

Topic: Managing Your Home

Dear Reader,

It is with great joy that I welcome you to the midst of the year where every everlasting mountain shall be destroyed. It’s another time in God’s presence, so you are welcome to this life-transforming and inspiring teaching via the Word of God.  It is my prayer that at the end of this teaching, your life and family shall be transformed to the glory of God in Jesus’ name! This month, I will be sharing with you on Managing Your Home.

God made the human family an unbeatable team and established them as gods on the earth, but because Adam failed in family management. He lost control and was sent out of the Garden of Eden. God’s Word says:  Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden… (Genesis 3:23). May you not be sent out of your place of destiny in Jesus’ name.  This was exactly what happened in the case of Adam. This is why this week, I will be sharing on Man’s Placement in the Home.

Your placement in the Kingdom of God, as a man, is determined by how well you rule your home.  If you cannot rule your house well, God will not allow you to rule His church, because He knows that you will not succeed at it.  See what the Bible says about those to take up responsibilities in the Church. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? (I Timothy 3:4-5). Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well (I Timothy 3:12).

If you can’t rule your house well, there is a limit to how far you can go in the things of God.  This same truth is repeated twice in the same chapter, showing its importance.  How well do you rule your home?

To rule the home well, the man must be a loving leader, not a taskmaster.  Love is a necessary ingredient that a man must possess for effective leadership.  Christ rules the Church with the rod of love.  For the man to succeed, he must rule his home with the same rod. In fact, it is a scriptural commandment for the man to love his wife, as Christ loves the Church (Ephesians 5:25).

Remember, Christ loves the Church and gave Himself for us, even while we were yet sinners.  Husbands should also love their wives sacrificially, unconditionally and limitlessly.  Don’t forget, love is not love until it is expressed.  Express your love to your wife, in words and in deed.  As a woman, let me tell you one secret; no woman hates to be loved.  When you demonstrate your love to your wife, you will be able to govern your home with ease.

Man, if you must not suffer the kind of dethronement Adam suffered, you must have your home directly under your control. If your family fails, it is your fault and you will be held responsible by God.  After Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the garden, it was Adam that God called upon; not Eve, not the devil, but Adam (Genesis 3:9).  Even though God knew that it was the devil that deceived them and gave them the fruit, which Eve ate before Adam, yet it was Adam that God called upon.  Why?  Because God had already committed the management of the home into his hand.  Man, know that if the management of your family fails, you are the one that God will call upon!

Don’t make the kind of mistake that Adam made, so that you do not suffer what he suffered.  God’s Word says: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning… (Romans 15:4).  Both the man and the woman in the home must make sure that there is no communication breakdown between them.

Some men are fond of rejoicing at the fact that they are the head of the home, forgetting the responsibilities attached to that office.  It is not enough to rejoice at the great authority that God has vested in the man, but to live up to the responsibilities attached to it.  Anything happening to the body is felt most by the head.

Have you ever thought about that? The man occupies such a strategic position that can influence and determine what the lives of other family members will be like.  As the head of the home, live up to expectation, so that Christ can be magnified, not only in your life, but in your home as well.  Don’t let God regret making you the head of the home!

You need God’s grace to manage your home.  This grace is only available to you when you surrender your life to Christ. This is done by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. If you are ready for this new birth experience, please say this prayer: “Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today acknowledging that I am a sinner who needs Your forgiveness. I believe You died for me and rose again on the third day. Forgive me of my sins, wash me with Your Blood and write my name in the Lamb’s Book of life. Thank You Lord for saving me.”

Congratulations! You are now born again! All-round rest and peace are guaranteed you, in Jesus’ Name. Call or write, and share your testimonies with me through [email protected]; OR 07026385437 and 08141320204.

For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian bookstores: Marriage Covenant, Making Marriage Work, Building A Successful Home and Success in Marriage (Co-Authored).

A Promise For You From Bible Promises:

Topic: His Eyes Is On The Sparrows. Pt Two [07/06/2017]

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33. Read: Matt 6:25-34

Getting yourself walked up on how God will fulfill what He has promised you robs you of today’s peace and tomorrow’s joy. Worrying gives you work to do and adds nothing to your life. Worrying gives you migraine and troubles of the heart. If the Lord has promised you a good job, believe Him, pray, move out in search for job and God will crown your effort. Don’t stay at home waiting for that job to fall on you like a ripe cherry. Go out in faith because, a promise without proper pursuit will end one in frustration. Like we said yesterday, there is a part of God and the part of man. God in His part can never fail, do your part and leave God’s.

Talking to His disciples, Jesus told them not to worry about anything that pertains to this world. Among what He told them is that,  even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these lilies of the field. You must focus on Jesus alone to help you fulfill your destiny. The only antidote Jesus offered against the spirit of worries is, we must seek the kingdom of God first and his righteousness and every other needs of life shall be added on to us. He has you in mind and cares for you every moment, He will neither leave nor forsake you. Trust Him for your everything. He can’t fail you because He has never failed before. All you need to have all your needs met is Jesus.

#BiblePromisesPrayer

* Father, baptize me with the grace to seek You and Your kingdom first in Jesus Mighty Name