Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Be Ye Holy Series 4 -POWER TO LIVE HOLY
Gal. 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Have you ever struggled with an addiction or a habit which you seem unable to put an end to? Have you ever made countless resolutions that you end up breaking in the end? I bet almost all of us have experienced this at one time or the other.
Given the above, many have sort by strict adherence and discipline to achieve holy living. While this is commendable(before men at least), I believe that the truest form of holiness lies not in the adherence to rules but in a change of an inner nature. A man may bark like a dog but if he does not have the nature of a dog, he will never be able to live a dogs live to its fullest.
Many have adopted a life style that portrays the holy life but no change in the inner life.
The testimony of the Christian life is not in a changed life but is an Exchanged life.
Please do not misunderstand the statement above to mean that the Christian life would not affect or change you, in all honestly it would kill you!(not literally though) but the life you live would be so far removed from who you were because another person would live His life through you.
Without an exchange of our old nature or live for His(Jesus) life in the practice of holiness, we remain no different from the morally-sound Buddhist monk or other men who are morally sound but not born again.
The power to live a whole life comes from our connection to Jesus and not in the adherence of rules.
Just like the analogy of the computer that I have used through this series, if we open ourselves up to be operated by the Christ, He first of all uninstalls the old software(which is our carnal nature) and installs a new software(His divine nature) in us.
If this exchange does not occur in us, our best efforts at living holy lives would only be futile.
If we allow our lives to be run by Him, then the scriptural passage below becomes true for us:
1Jn 3:9 Those who are children of God do not continue to sin, for God's very nature is in them; and because God is their Father, they cannot continue to sin.
If we ever sin after this it could only mean that we have inserted a new software to operate through us that was never that which He imparts in us.
If you would surrender your ambitions, dreams and all to Him, seeking only to be operated by His Spirit, then can you find the power to live a holy life.
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Be Ye Holy Series 3:- OWNED BY GOD BUT OPERATED BY WHO?
Rom. 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Still building on the illustration of the computer(I set forth in the previous write up), I would like you to consider that a computer can be owned by one individual and be operated by another.
Please note that the book of Romans was written by Paul to believers in Rome. He wrote in Rom 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though Paul wrote to believers, he tells them that, who they yield themselves to, will determine whose servants they become. In Galatians, he wrote to the believers of being bewitched. That means they have been influenced to live in a certain way by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Owned by one yet operated by another.
In some churches today, it is easy to find men who will still lend themselves to be used by the devil.
We all, as believers, must realize that we are bought with a price. Someone died, so we can live.
Its like in all those old movies, where a man is saved from certain death and then he pledges his life to the one who saved him. He lives the rest of his life to serve the purposes of the one that saved him effectively becoming his bond slave. He is bond not by force but is obliged or honor bond to the one who saved him from certain death. That is why Paul spoke of being a bond servant of Christ Jesus.
However, the christian faith demands more from us. Having been saved from certain death, we are not only obliged to follow Christ but to declare his generation. To declare his generation means to live out the life he would have lived if he were still on the earth or to be a continuation of his legacy upon the face of the earth.
Holiness should instill in us the continued awareness that we have been bought with a price and that we are to continue his legacy. It becomes a question of it is not I that lives but Christ. As we invite him into our hearts, we by our continued obedience to his will surrender to Him as His servants. This remains the only reasonable response any believer can give when we consider the price paid.
Jesus has paid the price and if you have accepted His sacrifice then He owns you but in your daily living do you show this? Who operates you? Who determines what you do?
Are you owned by Christ and run by another?
Still building on the illustration of the computer(I set forth in the previous write up), I would like you to consider that a computer can be owned by one individual and be operated by another.
Please note that the book of Romans was written by Paul to believers in Rome. He wrote in Rom 1:7
To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though Paul wrote to believers, he tells them that, who they yield themselves to, will determine whose servants they become. In Galatians, he wrote to the believers of being bewitched. That means they have been influenced to live in a certain way by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. Owned by one yet operated by another.
In some churches today, it is easy to find men who will still lend themselves to be used by the devil.
We all, as believers, must realize that we are bought with a price. Someone died, so we can live.
Its like in all those old movies, where a man is saved from certain death and then he pledges his life to the one who saved him. He lives the rest of his life to serve the purposes of the one that saved him effectively becoming his bond slave. He is bond not by force but is obliged or honor bond to the one who saved him from certain death. That is why Paul spoke of being a bond servant of Christ Jesus.
However, the christian faith demands more from us. Having been saved from certain death, we are not only obliged to follow Christ but to declare his generation. To declare his generation means to live out the life he would have lived if he were still on the earth or to be a continuation of his legacy upon the face of the earth.
Holiness should instill in us the continued awareness that we have been bought with a price and that we are to continue his legacy. It becomes a question of it is not I that lives but Christ. As we invite him into our hearts, we by our continued obedience to his will surrender to Him as His servants. This remains the only reasonable response any believer can give when we consider the price paid.
Jesus has paid the price and if you have accepted His sacrifice then He owns you but in your daily living do you show this? Who operates you? Who determines what you do?
Are you owned by Christ and run by another?
Be Ye Holy Series 2 - HOLINESS BY CHOICE
Rom. 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
The clearest illustration of Holiness I have heard of in recent times, is that of a computer(heard it in an excellent teaching on Holiness by Apostle Arome Osayi, though I have expanded the initial illustration a little).
I will use this illustration as a reference point throughout the rest of these series. So your understanding of the illustration will be the key to understanding the entire series.
A computer could be put to several uses. It could be used to design webpages, prepare documents, store data; explore social media, skype etc. (I guess you get the general idea.) The only restriction the computer has is what type of program is installed in it. The type of program installed is in turn determined by who owns the computer or who will use it.
If the owner of the computer is a graphic designer;you would expect that he would have such softwares as help his profession. There may be several other programs that the computer can run, alongside the graphic designing software but it will be constrained to function as the user wants it. Hence the choice of program to be run by a computer is not dependent on the computers capacity but on its operator. Even though I have several programs on this computer, some of them I do not explore that often.If a program does not suit my purpose I can uninstall it.
What does the explanation above have to do with the topic of this write -up you may ask?
Well, you are that computer! Depending on who runs you or who you lend your body to, you will get an output,that is either holy or unholy. Like Paul said in the scriptural passage above.
If like the computer, you decide to install pornography in your "system"(by watching it); you expose yourself to an operator that finds that "program" useful. Many find that they are bond by addictions that they accommodated for long periods and fed. Hence an operator has come to fully utilize this program.
As a human being, you are physically capable of doing a lot of things but as a child of God, you must for the love of God deny yourself the explorations of these things. Do not install that software!
For instance, as a man I may have the capacity to chase after ladies but capacity should not determine what I do. As a fine young lady, you can deplore your body to seduce and attract to yourself any young man you want. You have that in built capacity. Once you wear a dress that exposes your curves you could easily gain the attention of any man but I ask again, the fact that you can do it does it mean it should be done?
That it can be done is not the only thing to consider, also consider if it should be done.
Satan is concerned with ability or power. If something can be done he believes it should be done. He said to Jesus, turn these stones to bread. Why not use the power that God gave you to do this? But Jesus was more concerned about authority. Who gave the authorization for this to be done? Who is the one that is running the software on this system.
Friend, Your life will serve a purpose but it all depends on whom you yield it to.
Holiness is a choice you make of whom you lend your capabilities to.
The clearest illustration of Holiness I have heard of in recent times, is that of a computer(heard it in an excellent teaching on Holiness by Apostle Arome Osayi, though I have expanded the initial illustration a little).
I will use this illustration as a reference point throughout the rest of these series. So your understanding of the illustration will be the key to understanding the entire series.
A computer could be put to several uses. It could be used to design webpages, prepare documents, store data; explore social media, skype etc. (I guess you get the general idea.) The only restriction the computer has is what type of program is installed in it. The type of program installed is in turn determined by who owns the computer or who will use it.
If the owner of the computer is a graphic designer;you would expect that he would have such softwares as help his profession. There may be several other programs that the computer can run, alongside the graphic designing software but it will be constrained to function as the user wants it. Hence the choice of program to be run by a computer is not dependent on the computers capacity but on its operator. Even though I have several programs on this computer, some of them I do not explore that often.If a program does not suit my purpose I can uninstall it.
What does the explanation above have to do with the topic of this write -up you may ask?
Well, you are that computer! Depending on who runs you or who you lend your body to, you will get an output,that is either holy or unholy. Like Paul said in the scriptural passage above.
If like the computer, you decide to install pornography in your "system"(by watching it); you expose yourself to an operator that finds that "program" useful. Many find that they are bond by addictions that they accommodated for long periods and fed. Hence an operator has come to fully utilize this program.
As a human being, you are physically capable of doing a lot of things but as a child of God, you must for the love of God deny yourself the explorations of these things. Do not install that software!
For instance, as a man I may have the capacity to chase after ladies but capacity should not determine what I do. As a fine young lady, you can deplore your body to seduce and attract to yourself any young man you want. You have that in built capacity. Once you wear a dress that exposes your curves you could easily gain the attention of any man but I ask again, the fact that you can do it does it mean it should be done?
That it can be done is not the only thing to consider, also consider if it should be done.
Satan is concerned with ability or power. If something can be done he believes it should be done. He said to Jesus, turn these stones to bread. Why not use the power that God gave you to do this? But Jesus was more concerned about authority. Who gave the authorization for this to be done? Who is the one that is running the software on this system.
Friend, Your life will serve a purpose but it all depends on whom you yield it to.
Holiness is a choice you make of whom you lend your capabilities to.
BE YE HOLY series 1-TRUE NATURE OF HOLINESS
1 Pet. 1:14-16: As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation: Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
Holiness. As a believer the importance of this word should not be lost on us.We are called a peculiar people and a holy nation. Holiness should be our lifestyle and our call is to be holy as our God is holy. Having said the above, I would like to ask, what does it mean to be holy?
Many associate holiness to a mode of dressing, a carriage or a solemn disposition while holiness will affect a believers dressing, carriage or disposition. These things should only be the outward working of that which is taking place on his inside.Holy living will affect your outward appearance. So many have set out strict rules in other to conform to God's standard of holiness. Morally sound principles are being put forward and legalism is fed large in our churches today. if these moral standards are adhered to without first an inner working in the life of the believer we become legalistic and carnal
Last Sunday, I sat in church to a teaching on Holiness and this teaching stirred my desire to learn more.
I have seen morally sound men and women who are not yielded to Christ. In fact their level of morality seems to exceed that of a believer. Jesus spoke of the righteousness that the Pharisee had and if you ever get to hear of the disciplines of a lot of Buddhist monks you would come to the conclusion that if a christian can attain such level of discipline then he will be perfect.
So my first question is this: what does Holiness truly mean?
I will attempt to define holiness as that thing which is of one sort or one source. it is homogenous in nature. Holiness means that a thing is reserved or kept aside for only one use. These definitions address two things: Source and reservation.
All true holiness must have its source from God; for as the bible says it is He that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Any holiness whose source is not from God is legalistic self righteousness and can only amount to filthy rags before God.
Have you been trying by rules and regulations to meet Gods standard? Do you seek by pious observation and strict discipline to attend what is freely given by grace? Do you trust your own ability rather than the mercy that God provides?
Let God be your source and He will live out His life through you.
Also a truly Holy person understands that he is reserved or meant to be operated by one Spirit and that is the Spirit of God. He avoids places or things that would bring another influence upon his life.
Based on this description, ask yourself are you holy? Are you of one sort or are you one person in church and quite another outside Church? Are you reserved for one use or do you deploy yourself to all and every kind of use? Are you committed to serving the purposes of God or the World?
To be continued......
Holiness. As a believer the importance of this word should not be lost on us.We are called a peculiar people and a holy nation. Holiness should be our lifestyle and our call is to be holy as our God is holy. Having said the above, I would like to ask, what does it mean to be holy?
Many associate holiness to a mode of dressing, a carriage or a solemn disposition while holiness will affect a believers dressing, carriage or disposition. These things should only be the outward working of that which is taking place on his inside.Holy living will affect your outward appearance. So many have set out strict rules in other to conform to God's standard of holiness. Morally sound principles are being put forward and legalism is fed large in our churches today. if these moral standards are adhered to without first an inner working in the life of the believer we become legalistic and carnal
Last Sunday, I sat in church to a teaching on Holiness and this teaching stirred my desire to learn more.
I have seen morally sound men and women who are not yielded to Christ. In fact their level of morality seems to exceed that of a believer. Jesus spoke of the righteousness that the Pharisee had and if you ever get to hear of the disciplines of a lot of Buddhist monks you would come to the conclusion that if a christian can attain such level of discipline then he will be perfect.
So my first question is this: what does Holiness truly mean?
I will attempt to define holiness as that thing which is of one sort or one source. it is homogenous in nature. Holiness means that a thing is reserved or kept aside for only one use. These definitions address two things: Source and reservation.
All true holiness must have its source from God; for as the bible says it is He that works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Any holiness whose source is not from God is legalistic self righteousness and can only amount to filthy rags before God.
Have you been trying by rules and regulations to meet Gods standard? Do you seek by pious observation and strict discipline to attend what is freely given by grace? Do you trust your own ability rather than the mercy that God provides?
Let God be your source and He will live out His life through you.
Also a truly Holy person understands that he is reserved or meant to be operated by one Spirit and that is the Spirit of God. He avoids places or things that would bring another influence upon his life.
Based on this description, ask yourself are you holy? Are you of one sort or are you one person in church and quite another outside Church? Are you reserved for one use or do you deploy yourself to all and every kind of use? Are you committed to serving the purposes of God or the World?
To be continued......
Thursday, 22 January 2015
WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION-RCN SERMONS
Hello All,
I have not been able to write for a while now but I would like to recommend a website of messages that have blessed me greatly and hope you would find it a blessing too.
RCN Sermons | Sermons By Apostle Arome Osayi and Other Servants of God
http://rcnsermons.org/
God Bless You,
Michael.
Monday, 1 December 2014
Kingdom Series- Living Under God's Restrictive Influence
Psa 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
If you are like me, you might not have given much thought to the famous verses penned down by David in the 23rd Psalm even though you know it so well. Today I started thinking about the above verse in the Psalm.
You see it was talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Many times we are faced with Life threatening situations and circumstances. I just returned from a trip to the North Central part of Nigeria and on our way there we were told that robbers were on the way we intended to take. When we were returning, a police officer who was in the same vehicle as I, shared stories of how men were shot to death along the same road that we were plying.
The times we are in, sees that the threat of death and dying, is not too far from us. Hence our need to be comforted in the face of all this.
You can receive comfort in the midst of the death threats. Peter who had a wife and maybe children fell asleep between guards even when he had the threat of being beheaded the next day by Herod. What makes a man sleep in the midst of a threat to his life? What stops him from worrying through the night, to sleeping to such an extent that he had to be hit hard at his side by an angel to wake him, when at morning light his children would have lost their father? It is because there can be comfort from God in the valley where the looming shadow of death seems to overwhelm us.
As I thought on the verse above, I wondered why David said that he found succour in the rod and the staff of God in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. What is this rod and staff that brings comfort in the midst of death threats? I wondered why a shepherd would carry a rod and then a staff. It simply did not make sense to have the two but now I am convinced that the rod and staff are one thing- A shepherds crook.
The Shepherd's Crook is a rod that has a hooked head. It is used by the shepherd to fight off animals to protect the sheep. supports him when he walks, and most importantly(for this write-up)the shepherd uses it to draw back straying sheep. When a sheep begins to wander away from the flock or the shepherd, the shepherd then stretches his crook and catches it by the leg or neck to stop it from straying too far from the shepherds protective presence or the rest of the flock. This crook restricts the sheep from wandering but also keeps him safe where it is not far from the shepherds help and protection.
Many want to live loose, without any control or restrictions placed on them. They do not want to feel any form of resistance on their lives. Some are angry at God's correction or when rebuked by God.They do not want any demands to be made on them to live right and they fail to appreciate the importance of this restrictive influence over their lives.
friend, If you still have this restrictive influence rejoice!
The reason why David said that the rod and staff gives him comfort, is because the Shepherd(God) is never too far when He is using His Crook. As far as, the shepherds crook can still reach the sheep, the sheep can be safe that he will be under the shepherd's protection. Don't seek to live life without Gods restrictions, you would be too far from His protection if you do.
If God still disciplines you, rejoice, because He is not too far from you! God is closest when He still corrects you. If you have noticed that you can do several bad things without feeling guilty, then don't be comfortable in that state of affairs.
Pro 3:11-12 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Does God still bring some restrictions to your life? Does His rod and staff bring comfort that He is close to you? That Shepherd's Crook you feel may have saved you from death more than you know!
Seek to live under Gods restrictive influence always!
If you are like me, you might not have given much thought to the famous verses penned down by David in the 23rd Psalm even though you know it so well. Today I started thinking about the above verse in the Psalm.
You see it was talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Many times we are faced with Life threatening situations and circumstances. I just returned from a trip to the North Central part of Nigeria and on our way there we were told that robbers were on the way we intended to take. When we were returning, a police officer who was in the same vehicle as I, shared stories of how men were shot to death along the same road that we were plying.
The times we are in, sees that the threat of death and dying, is not too far from us. Hence our need to be comforted in the face of all this.
You can receive comfort in the midst of the death threats. Peter who had a wife and maybe children fell asleep between guards even when he had the threat of being beheaded the next day by Herod. What makes a man sleep in the midst of a threat to his life? What stops him from worrying through the night, to sleeping to such an extent that he had to be hit hard at his side by an angel to wake him, when at morning light his children would have lost their father? It is because there can be comfort from God in the valley where the looming shadow of death seems to overwhelm us.
As I thought on the verse above, I wondered why David said that he found succour in the rod and the staff of God in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. What is this rod and staff that brings comfort in the midst of death threats? I wondered why a shepherd would carry a rod and then a staff. It simply did not make sense to have the two but now I am convinced that the rod and staff are one thing- A shepherds crook.
The Shepherd's Crook is a rod that has a hooked head. It is used by the shepherd to fight off animals to protect the sheep. supports him when he walks, and most importantly(for this write-up)the shepherd uses it to draw back straying sheep. When a sheep begins to wander away from the flock or the shepherd, the shepherd then stretches his crook and catches it by the leg or neck to stop it from straying too far from the shepherds protective presence or the rest of the flock. This crook restricts the sheep from wandering but also keeps him safe where it is not far from the shepherds help and protection.
Many want to live loose, without any control or restrictions placed on them. They do not want to feel any form of resistance on their lives. Some are angry at God's correction or when rebuked by God.They do not want any demands to be made on them to live right and they fail to appreciate the importance of this restrictive influence over their lives.
friend, If you still have this restrictive influence rejoice!
The reason why David said that the rod and staff gives him comfort, is because the Shepherd(God) is never too far when He is using His Crook. As far as, the shepherds crook can still reach the sheep, the sheep can be safe that he will be under the shepherd's protection. Don't seek to live life without Gods restrictions, you would be too far from His protection if you do.
If God still disciplines you, rejoice, because He is not too far from you! God is closest when He still corrects you. If you have noticed that you can do several bad things without feeling guilty, then don't be comfortable in that state of affairs.
Pro 3:11-12 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Does God still bring some restrictions to your life? Does His rod and staff bring comfort that He is close to you? That Shepherd's Crook you feel may have saved you from death more than you know!
Seek to live under Gods restrictive influence always!
Friday, 21 November 2014
THE HEART-FIXER
Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
First of all, I would like to apologize for uploading this topic before I had written anything on the article. It was a mistake. I had wanted to just write this topic and leave it until I felt comfortable enough to develop it,(honestly I have several topics that I left as drafts, that I have not developed. I guess if this error did not occur this would have been one of such). so here goes:
In our world today, heart breaks seem to be a common theme. Many suffer from broken relationships that they have invested so much in. In fact, I heard of a young man who drank poison and died because his girlfriend, whom he had been dated for years, broke off the relationship. The pain of a broken heart seemed too much for him to bear. Others have had their hopes dashed, in business deals or huge expectations. The events that unfold before our eyes gives no one the comfort or believe that things would be better. The uncertainty of what tomorrow holds, grips a lot of people with fear. Still others have been so betrayed, hurt, lied against and misrepresented that deep wounds have been created in their hearts.
Maybe as you read this your heart has been broken and the pieces never seem to mend. The Hurt we feel in our heart can leave us with a lot of negative attitudes that destroy other relationships in our lives or even ourselves. For example, have you noticed how children from broken homes, get so angry and rebellious. They feel betrayed, some even think it is their fault that their parents have separated and cant understand what is happening. Their hearts are broken and battered by the feelings of rejection and the pain of not having both parents like other children.
If you fall into any of the categories above or even if you suffer a broken heart, of which cause is not covered above, then I have good news for you.
Jesus in the above scripture gave a manifesto as to what he was sent to do upon the earth. One of the things he highlighted is that He came to heal the brokenhearted.
If you have ever been in a painful situation, like I have, many people may come with comforting words. Some in their words reveal that they have no idea what you are going through. They seek to deal with the issue on the surface and never can address the core of the matter but I know of one who can go to the very heart and deal with the pain. Thank God that Jesus does not say that He is just a comforter that helps me deal with the pain but He can ,if I will let him, heal that broken heart.
Don't take your life, give up or become bitter, angry etc
Friend, Take your hurting heart to the Heart-Fixer even if you're in a mess that is of your own making, He still welcomes you. Your broken, bruised and crushed heart can be whole again.
Jesus Loves you more than words can express, so much so, that He died to prove His Love.
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