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The Meek and the Lowly in Heart!

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”

Jesus says, “take my yoke upon you and learn of me” – beloved, how are we learning of Jesus? When we take His yoke upon us we have to understand it is no longer of our own efforts that we are justified but by the grace and mercy of God. We are justified by His Faith. As we learn more of Him daily, we are fully renewed to His perfect image of meekness and lowly in heart. We are no longer burdened by own heavy laden which we labour with by trying to attain righteousness through works and good deeds of the law. Jesus has set us His disciples (you and I – Believers) free by being the Perfect Sacrifice and we are perfected in His RIGHTEOUSNESS when we take on His yoke. It is when we take on His yoke upon us and allow ourselves to learn of Him in Spirit and in Truth that we can be transformed into His character of “meek and lowly in heart”, and ultimately find rest for our souls.

The heart that does not yield to the Yoke that Jesus is talking about cannot be transformed and their soul is bereft of rest. The Lord says, “for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light”, it is devoid of all the complications of the Law, for He fulfilled it all in His Love. And thus commanded us in Matthew 22:36-38 when asked “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”

Beloved, upon these commandments are all the laws of the prophets hung as would see in the next verse. However, loving the Lord with your your heart, soul and mind and loving your neighbour as yourself, although a light burden, it is still a yoke. It requires total submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit and not acting in the sinful nature of the flesh which is contrary to the Spirit. That is why we must learn more of Jesus each day to imbibe His character by the Power of the Holy Spirit, so we too can become more like Him, “Meek and Lowly in Heart”.

Dearly beloved of God,  my earnest prayer for you is the words of Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:1-2 – “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”.

God bless you and keep your heart till the day of His coming. Amen and Amen!

Blessings

Pastor Joyce

 

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We are saved purely by the Grace of God and not because we are have done righteous works or have been more holy than others who are still blinded by the prince of power of the air. As a believer we cannot boasts of “getting it” or having exclusive knowledge of the truth, unless it is revealed. The privilege of Salvation gives us passage rights of Access to the Father through the Holy Spirit that is indwelling in a Redeemed soul.

Beloved, it is the Spirit that transforms us from death in trespasses and sin, – “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”- Ephesians 2:2.  Transformed from the death of blindness, whereby we were unable to see Jesus and the love of God, from death of deafness whereby we had no faith, for Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of God. Transformed from death of dumbness whereby we were unable to speak life because of unbelief or weakness, for with the heart a man believes and with his mouth confession is made. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, transformed from the death of Fear, the greatest weapon of the enemy in the warfare of mind control. If the enemy succeeds in binding a person with the spirit of Fear, the ability to operate in full identity of sonship is thwarted. But God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, of love and a Sound Mind.

Revelation of the Truth is outside the remit of man, it is of God that has mercy and up to Him to activate your freewill to seek and find Him. A heart that is seeking to know the Truth, will receive Grace. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” – Ephesians 2:10. God has already predestined you for a purpose, and the bigger your mandate, the fiercer the battle is for your soul. We cannot afford to joy in the fall of a brethren because that is a loss of soul to the kingdom of darkness and every soul is important to God. – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”. –  John 3:16-17. If an unsaved soul or a backslider dies whilst fallen, the soul is destroyed and that is victory for the enemy.

The bible is very clear on outcome for those who do not accept the invitation presented by the saving Grace of the only Begotten Son of God – Jesus in John 3:18, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. Beloved the Good News is, “but God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED); And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. FOR BY GRACE YE ARE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; AND NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD!!!!

Dearly beloved, Salvation is by Grace alone, you cannot be saved by yourself, no matter how self sufficient you are, that is why you need Revelation of the Truth. This can only be when you seek to know Jesus outside of sect doctrines and traditions. God reveals Himself by grace, to those who passionately want to dwell in His presence and walk in His Will for them. He then opens the eyes of their understanding, so that they can see beyond the letters and are able to testify in the Spirit. That is when you can “get it”.

The days we are in are treacherous and sin is no longer shocking, because the people have been subliminally desensitised. SIN is blatantly being played out to look as fun and people’s rights; but Sin is Sin, and an ABOMINATION  to God. We know the Grace of God abounds where there is sin, but Grace has a time limit and should not be abused, otherwise His Wrath is a consequent outcome for disobedience. However, there Great rejoicing by the Angels and all the Heavenly Host when one sinner repents. (Luke 15:10 paraphrased).

Beloved of God, this a call to REPENTANCE!

Jesus is coming soon; you too, can receive Grace of Salvation today, to live a life of purpose as you become transformed from DEATH to LIFE EVERLASTING. Amen.

Blessings

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Do you stop and think when you read Scriptures that challenge you like this?

The greatest fear man is faced with daily is the fear of death. Every human is constantly guarding against death. The value a man puts to his life is evident in how much he attempts to protect it.

People seek all kinds of security, whether in religion, science and technology,  metaphysics, astrology or whatever they think can protect from death. The devil wants man to believe he can exist outside of God. He may offer you the world in exchange for your soul and you may not even notice it because you have been blinded by your desires. 

Just how often do you check your motives to see if you are romancing the devil and in danger of loosing your soul?  Beloved, humanity has no immunity to death, except you have given your life to Jesus who came to destroy the works of the devil to guarantee you power to live above sin and death.

Self indulgence in this world would make you lose Eternal life with Jesus. The satisfaction of the flesh is temporary. Luke 13:24 says “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able “. Lots of people blatantly sin against God because of the desire to satisfy lust of the flesh. But how much do you love the Lord so that you may hate your worldly desires in order to do His Will for you?

Jesus did the will of the Father despite the pain of the cross, because the bible says that “for this cause He came from heaven”.  Matthew 7:13 says ” Enter ye through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and there be many which go in thereat”. The truth is, its only by the  Grace of God that we can enter.

Our life’s satisfaction should lie with God because it is great gain. Jesus offered Himself as the Living Sacrifice,  so that we are able to approach the Throne of Grace in surrender. Forsaking our lives in this world for the Glory of Life Eternal.

A life is worthless if it does not have Eternal Value.

Blessings

When was the last time you stopped to evaluate your life?

Comments below!!!

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The Bible tells us that Jesus and His disciples were at the marriage feast in Cana, Galilee, with His mother, Mary,  when suddenly there was a panic about the wine running out. Acting in wisdom and foreknowledge, she approached the Lord Jesus and simply told Him,  “they are running out of wine”.

You may be taken aback by Jesus’ response to this simple statement or may I say a coded request from His mother – “He said, what do I have to do with you woman. My time is not yet come” – John 2:4.  Obviously,  Mary was in revelation of the Extrordinary Being, her son was and quietly told the servants in attendance – “Whatsoever he saith, do it” – John 2:5.  How DOES THIS SIMPLE STATEMENT MINISTER TO YOU?

To all intent and purposes, the servants may have viewed this as normal everyday orders. However, this was a quiet affirmation of a mother with confidence in her son, to rescue a family wedding feast from a potential embarrassment. I say family because Mary was concerned enough about the wine running out.

Beloved, we saw that the servants’ compliance with doing ‘whatsoever’ Jesus said to them, however ludicrous it sounded, resulted in the first miracle by Jesus, recorded in the Bible   
     – Turning Water into Wine –

There are a lot of times that the ‘wine’ seem to have run dry in many believers’ lives or ministries. The times when you are holding on to Jesus, expectantly waiting for an answer to a supplication: Times when you are looking to be replenished or restorated. You need to to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit but unfortunately, most people miss the ‘opportune time’and have to suffer a momentary lack or a dry patch.

But why does this happen you may want to ask? Could it be because you failed to listen to instructions, or did not carefully read the details of the father’s manual regarding what next step to take? Perhaps we are afraid or maybe too stubborn and stiffnecked to follow guidelines. –

Beloved, God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power AND A SOUND MIND” – 2 Timothy 1:7  – A Sound mind to know and understand when “His Timing Is” – because in God’s timetable, Timing is key.

Mary said, “Whatsoever He saith, do it”.  Oftetimes,  what the Lord is saying in our particular circumstances may not make human logical sense, but HE is GOD and His plan for us, is of good and not of evil – (Jerimiah 29:11 paraphrased).

Beloved, I pray today, that at every stage in our walk with Him, we have the Grace to hear and the courage to do “whatsoever” the LORD is saying in our situation. Perhaps, we need to let go completely and allow God’s Will to be done so that his glory can be seen in us in Jesus Name. Amen.

Blessings

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The miracle of God’s Divine Love is a MYSTERY unexplainable and is unparalleled. How does one so love another, that he sacrifices Himself to save them? It can only be God.

This is the GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD and it must be true otherwise it would not have lasted this long.  If the crucifixion of Jesus did not have an Infinity purpose, it would not be commemorative and celebrated today, over 2000 years on and counting. It is for our sakes that Jesus as the WORD of God was made flesh, that HE may die the painful death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The bible tells us that he took upon himself the iniquity of man and he that was sinless became SIN for the purpose taking our place in death – (The wages of sin). His death and Resurrection thus enabled Him to present us pure, acceptable and justified to bring about full reconciliation with the FATHER, sanctified unto Eternal life in RESURRECTION

I love this analogy from an unknown author describing his perspective of what Jesus did on the Cross of Calvery for humanity. I must say this Author was truly inspired – “Try and visualise a convicted criminal in a Court of Law. “The Judge sentenced the the criminal  to death by hanging. However, just when the executor was about to enforce the judgment order, someone else decided to step forward and offered to take the place of this convicted man; to be killed in this cruel manner, just because he loved him”.

That man who offered to die in the place of the common criminal, is JESUS – Alive today and forever. He could not bear to see the GOOD work of God’s Creation in THE LIKENESS OF HIS IMAGE, get destroyed through the FOOLISH ACT OF DISOBEDIENCE of Adam; who believed the lie of the devil in the garden of Eden. Jesus saw the pain of the Father, in the separation by sin from man. Through this despicable lack of wisdom to choose right by Adam, man died in the spirit. This is the death acquiesced by every human at birth, from which you must be ‘born again’ and be Resurrected. Displaying a show of selfless love, Jesus offered to be the Bridge through which man may return to God. 1 John 4:10 says “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins”.

Jesus was the Lamb slayed before the foundation of the world and He is the Fulfilment of the Passover. By the BLOOD of His sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, the PERFECT EXCHANGE WAS MADE. Man was made good again and by that Precious Blood, Death is exchanged for Life, Sorrow for Joy, Sickness for Wholesomeness, Hatred for Love, Failure for Success, Captivity for Freedom, Sin for Forgiveness, Separation for Relationship with God and Hell for Heaven Eternally.

Dearly beloved, Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He says – “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” – Revelation 1:18

If you are reading this and you are not living in the Resurrection God has made available, this is the time to accept the Love of Christ that is reaching out to you today. Jesus paid the full price for sin, purchased your soul with His Precious BLOOD, so that you may receive it FREELY by Grace through Faith.

It is the Greatest Love Story ever told. JESUS IS THE LOVE OF GOD REVEALED. GOD is LOVE, He LOVES UNCONDITIONALLY. His Love for man predates Creation itself. His Love is ETERNAL.

HE DOES NOT CHANGE. 

Blessings

 

“Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre”,  – John 20:10-11

Mary Magdalene was recorded in the Bible as a woman that was loyal, who loved the Jesus passionately and was  radical in her expression of love. She did not care what anybody else was doing, she wanted to do right by the Lord. When you have a conviction about what your faith, there arises in your spirit, a stubborn resolve to OVERCOME against all odds.

When the disciplesarrived at the tomb and found the body of Jesus was no longer in there, they went away. But Mary would not leave until she knew exactly what had  happened to the body that laid in the sepulchre. Verse 11 tells us that she wept for she did not know where they had taken her lord. Her persistence paid off when she stooped to look inside the tomb. There she found the two angels who told her about the Resurrection our Lord Jesus. Mary would not give up on the Lord and guess what, when she stood up from looking down into the tomb, the Lord showed up. She was the first person that Jesus appeared to after He rose from the dead on Resurrection morning.

That is what happens when we find ourselves in situations that defies human interpretations and understanding. We need to dig deep, stoop down to inquire of the mind of God in such matters. Science may not be able to explain it, logic would not cut it and common sense now begins to make nonsense.

When your circumstance fails man’s intervention, that is when the miraculous manifests. God will not share His glory with anyone, when we persevere, God’s timetable kicks in. He never fails to respond to love, trust, faith, hope and diligence. He never fails, He always shows up on time

Beloved, step out of the box and surely, the Master will show up.

Blessings

Just before the children of Israel entered the promised land led by Joshua, Moses instructed them about the dangers hidden in prosperity. “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day”. One of the greatest dangers in Prosperity, is that a person can easily forget the days of small beginnings after they have prospered. The true character of a man is revealed when they no have money or substance.

Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings. With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one’s personal status or accomplishments,
With a positive connotation, pride refers to a satisfied sense of attachment toward one’s own or another’s choices and actions, or toward a whole group of people, and is a product of praise, independent self-reflection, or a fulfilled feeling of belonging.

Prosperity is defined “as the state of flourishing, thriving, good fortune and or successful social status. Prosperity often encompasses wealth but also includes other factors which can be independent of wealth to varying degrees, such as happiness and health”

The LORD God spoke to Moses about the children of Israel disobeying His commandments after they would  have come into the wealth of the land. We can see His concerns in Deuteronomy 8:10-14 “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage”

My focus in treating this topic is to address general behaviours when God’s people enter into the season of abundance that He opens unto us. Since January 2014 – The Word of prophecy and revelation that has come forth in my local Church is Marching Forward. We sought the Lord in fasting and prayers according to His instructions. The Lord confirmed clearly that we have entered into a season of Manifestation. In marching forward, you have to see God and step out in Faith, trusting Him. It brings alive the Scripture in psalm 119:89 – “Forever Oh Lord, Your Word is settled in Heaven”- true to God’s nature, all that has been settled in the spirit as a matter of protocol, He establishes in the surface at the appointed time.

Dearly beloved, when God speaks about manifestation of prosperity, you had better be ready, pay attention to details and be careful not to make the same mistakes made by the Israelites of old. As children of the New Covenant and thus the “New “Israel”, we are under the benefit of the Grace embedded in the Blood of Jesus. We have been inputted with the Righteousness of Christ, making us priests and rulers and joint heirs with Christ Jesus our LORD and Saviour.  Furthermore, there is the precedent of the well chronicled response by God to the folly of the children of Israel in their disobedience of His instructions. Therefore no Christian ought to make same foolish mistakes today.

I am very mindful of the dangers that line the path of prosperity. Like “land mines” they are usually not obvious to the ordinary eyes. Unless you have a prior knowledge an area or site is littered with land mines, one can easily become a casualty of their wicked purposes.  I would like to refresh your memory with regards to the objectives of this deadly weapon of war – land mines are designed to cause maximum damage to the victim.  So also is the little/big issue of the hidden enemy – PRIDE. There is an old adage that says “pride goes before a fall”. The Bible puts God’s perspective clearly on the issue of pride – ” For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased ; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” – Luke 14:11

God is very concerned about His people falling prey for this old enemy – which was the downfall of Lucifer, which resulted in him being cast down from heaven and manifesting into his present status – Satan. He attempted to exalt himself above his Maker – The Creator and Almighty God. The GREAT
I AM.

Isaiah 14:13-14 – reminds us of the magnitude of Satan’s pride –
“For thou hast said in thine heart,
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High”.

This is a classic example of what success can do to people. The pride issue is by the way not peculiar to unbelievers.
Success breeds
– Pride
– Confidence – may I say over confidence
– Insatiable Appetite
– Self glory
– Arrogance
– Feeling of Untouchable

It is a sad fact that, pride or prosperity without Christ gives a false sense of security, believing that “I can be whatever I want to be” – in other words you are a god unto yourself. This by the way is the whole message of the New Age Movement. The deception that you can attain godliness without God. After all, God said to Moses, “I have made you a god over Pharaoh”. In a twisted way, you start quoting Scriptures to justify your actions.

It grieves the heart of God when His people fail to acknowledge Him, to ascribe glory unto Him alone, for He is the One that created our hands to get wealth. Remember, He already created the wealth, so our business is to “get” that which is already settled in heaven and give Him Glory. In Deuteronomy 31:20, the LORD forewarned the Israelites saying, “For when I shall have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant”. There is nothing you have, that has not be given, so give thanks to the one that supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus.

Pride is the mother of arrogance
Humility is the antidote to the virus that is called Pride.
Prosperity without Christ is vanity and provokes God.
God is glorified when His people prosper. His covenant is everlasting when we keep His commandments.

Blessings

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” [This is] the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8–9

The ways of the Lord are difficult to fathom. When God calls you to a mission He shows you a picture of the Finished product, but the “blue print of the mission”, He reserves for when you are spiritually ready to  Launch out. After He has prepared you and see that you are mature to deal spiritually with the matters concerning the mission and able to handle the physical manifestation of the obstacles on the road to mission accomplished, then God will begin to reveal the details of the Assignment. The Lord is so intricate and loves unique variations otherwise, He would not bother to create the human with DNA specific to every person that he created.

Let us analyse man, the physical human being. The general physiology of a human person is one head, two eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, two hands, two legs, breasts, navel, hands with finger, legs with toes, hair on the head, bum with a dividing line. The male and the female species of the human being is differentiated with definitive organs which are instantly identifiable.  I call this the “human prototype”. Anything different from this prototype is considered a malformation or as we know it a disability, because it does not confirm with the human physiology as we have come to know it.

The Awesomeness of our God is a mistery/fact that science is still unable to discover or unravel, and the “intelligent mind” outside of God will continue to grapple  with this quest, until eternity is established. It is simply that God’s ways are different from our ways. God could have after creating Adam simply cloned him, but not my father the King of kings and the Lord of all creation, He decided to create the woman from the rib taken from Adam’s, after He caused a “deep sleep” to come upon Him. And for confirmation, Adam instantly acknowledged the woman as ” the bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh” when God presented the woman as he woke from his deep sleep. 

Every human being created as many as there are, past present and the future, each one has features unique to them. No individual is a xerox copy of another, to the minuscule details such as the strands of hair or the finger print; you do not even want to begin with the inside of the human being. God created every person different although with a basic prototype but the beauty of His creation is, as our faces are different so are our purposes, our calling, our destiny, mission assignment for which He created us. ” He created us for His specific pleasure”, – something, a purpose that pleases Him – “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”- Revelation 4:11. God in His nature does not create anything in a void. He does not speak unless He means for it to be accomplished for his benefit- His GLORY to be established.

Now let us go back to trying to understand the ways of God with regards to our individual Assignment here on earth.  From the above analogy we have established the fact that God created every man uniquely and such our callings are unique to us alone. Most importantly how He brings that mission into being is totally outside of man’s remit. He alone knows the details of the assignment and when He has completed the ground work in you, only then does He begin to unfold the red sea, the wilderness, the oppositions, the rejections, the hills and the valleys, the river Jordans. But you know what, He already knows and has equipped you with the capacity to deal with every situation that arises.

Let us call into remembrance Job’s experience in the “deep end” –  (God said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job). He knew Job was a man after His heart and that Job will not fail the test. So also He dealt with Abraham when God requested that Abraham gave as sacrifice his son Isaac in whom all the promise of ” father of many nations hung”. 

God works with you at whatever level at which you sign up for the mission, but will process you until you are fully ready to read the manuscript of the assignment. At this point, you are already convinced beyond a doubt, that He who started a good thing is able to complete it if you just trust Him.  Moreover, you have now come too far to go back and failure is not an option. In Matthew 16:24-25 Jesus said unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it”. 

That for me says it all! In v23 Jesus rebuked Peter very harshly when in his enthusiasm, unknowingly wanted to alter Gods plan of the Cross – ” Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men”. That must have been a rude shock for Peter,  being addressed as satan. ” For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?. So in obedience and acting in the faith of God as an Onward Christian soldier, you march on, taking orders from the Master; whose blue print when followed, despite the wilderness experience of trials and tribulations you are able to conquer and yield to the Cross by the Grace of God predestined before the foundations of the earth.

You know there is a prize awaiting you at the end of the mission “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” – Matthew 16:27 .

Our Lord Jesus made it a point to prepare His disciples to beware of the perilous times ahead in Matthew24:4-16 – “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 

Beloved, I strongly believe we are in those times predicted, before Jesus returns in all His Glory. I pray that you walk in the Will of God and will be ready when the Trumpet sounds.

Blessings

As sure as the Word of God
The Morning dawns with great promise
Very stealthily, the Glory of the new day established
The Wonder of the dawn is beyond expression
Night turning into the new day
Darkness turning into Light
As established at creation by The WORD
As It is Written in the Beginning

The Lesser light gives way to the Greater Light
The Boundaries set in place by the Creator Uncreated
The Changeless and Timeless God
The Immortal and Invincible, Ever Present God
The One whom every Element obeys
Testifying to the Awesomeness of Creation
The moon and the stars ruling the darkness
Bow down to the breaking Dawn as it Written
Making way for the rising sun
To give light and warmth to the Day as Written

The Beauty of the Dawn is Indescribable
It is without Controversy
The Authority in the Word is Affirmed
Proclaiming the Goodness that endures forever
It is as refreshing as a New Birth
The Morning Dew replenishes Creation
Just as it is written, giving Moisture to the ground

The Beauty of the Dawn speaks
Announcing the Heart of the Almighty God
Apportioning countless blessing to the New Day
Renewing God’s Grace for the Day
Renewing God’s Mercies for the Day
Proclaiming God’s Love for His creation
Giving New Hope for Salvation today
Confirming the Hope of the Believer Eternally
Until the Day when there will be no more Night
And the Glory of the LORD giving LIGHT perpetually
From Everlasting to Everlasting in the Beauty of His Holiness.

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”.

– John 15: 7-8

In our Christian culture of today, many people arm themselves with the Bible verse of “ask and you will receive”. Jesus gave clarity to this particular scripture in John 15: 7-8 as in the main Scripture above. Naturally it is unusual for a Testator to bequest an inheritance to a benefactor not known to him. Even if he wills his entire estate to a cat or a dog house, he must have had a connection with the animal or organisation. If you do not have a relationship with a person how is it possible to approach them for a favour or make a request. Even the worldly banking industry requires that a person has an account with them, which shows there is an established relationship for you to enjoy the benefits of the services provided for their customers.

Psalm 37:4 says “Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart”. There it is again, there is a proviso in God giving you your heart’s desires – “delight yourself in the Lord”. So where do we as Christian or ‘believers’ arrive with the concept that you can be ‘a master of yourself and living your life, how ever you wish, without abiding in Christ and expect that you will receive His blessings? Jesus said that those that love me are those who do my commands. John 15:9-11 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full”.

Beloved, if a person is not willing to obey the His Word as commanded that is evidence that they are not abiding in the love of Christ and definitely outside of the father’s love. Given this scenario it is therefore impossible for your joy to be full according to scriptures. There are people who deceptively believe they are enjoying the Blessings of God in their wrongly acquired wealth and prosperity. It is the Lord that gives the power to get wealth – My dear brethren, the Lord has made the WEALTH available before the foundation of the world. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus”.

According to a dictionary definition, Wealth is “a great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, or other riches – the wealth of a city. Or “an abundance or profusion of anything; plentiful amount – a wealth of imagery”. It went further to describe it in relation to Agriculture as wealth of the soil – being rich or valuable contents or produce. And finally wealth is defined as “the state of being rich; prosperity; affluence -persons of wealth and standing”. However it defined wealth in terms of Economics as:
a. all things that have a monetary or exchange value.
b. b. anything that has utility and is capable of being appropriated or exchanged”. – (The online dictionary).

Our father has made provision ahead of time, covering every aspect of human need to the extent of exchanging the life of His Son, Jesus on the Cross, as full payment for yours and mine sins. This exchange was made possible because Jesus obeyed the Will of the Father, having a full knowledge of the extent of the Love the Father has for the lives he created, in His image to be in relationship with Him. He is Jehovah Jireh. He does not require your sacrifices or any payment in return, but a pure and circumcised heart, that is willing to delight themselves in the Lord. This act of obedience of abiding in His love holds the keys to having full access to God’s provisions and enjoying His wealth without repercussions. This generation is hung up in clamouring for the vanities of this temporary world and would do almost anything to acquire earthly wealth. Some have sold their souls to the devils consciously or otherwise. Beloved, any wealth without Jesus being at the Centre of it all, is futile. It vanity upon vanity and a vexation to the spirit.

The real blessings of God are Eternal Life and the fruit of the Spirit. Whatever wealth and riches are evidence of the additions that come as the benefit of seeking first the kingdom of God first. As Kingdom citizens rooted in Christ Jesus, you are eligible to be enjoy all the physical attributes of wealth described above for the truth of the matter is – “the Blessings of God maketh rich and addeth no sorrows”. Therefore, when you have sought God in truth and in Spirit and in full alignment with his purpose for you, walking and abiding in his love, then, you have a legitimate right to ask whatever you will and it shall be done expressly for His own glory. Jesus said in John 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. King Solomon with all his riches and wisdom admonishes us in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil”.

I pray that the Lord enable you to abide in Him as His disciples, so that you bear much fruit to the glory of the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Blessings

Pastor Joyce