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Metals react with the environment, some of the changes are irreversible, no second chance, no restoration! And so if your nature and you are unwilling to cooperate with God, there is only so much that God can do with you, other than that He would kick you out in His mercy and find someone else.

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Your spirituality-level of Christianity can be judged by your mannerism (Phil. 3:17-20), Your level of peace, good relationship and finally making it home to heaven as a conqueror is all tied to your spirituality – how far you defeated carnality on earth.

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His Woven Seamless Coat

By Pastor David Nkenchor – 29 April 2018

 

Bible Reading: John 19:1-24. (Matt.27:35; Luke 23:34)

The High Priest garment similitude – Ex. 39:1-… (22-24)
Significance of High Priest / seamless garment = PERFECT.
Implying,- No patch, No adjustment, Not fitted, Not joined together –

1 Cor. 5:6, Gal.5:9 “A little leaven …”,
I Jn. 2:15-17”Love not … world …
Matt. 6:24 “Ye cannot … mammon”
– PERFECT High Priest
– PERFECT Righteousness of the Lord which He has bequeathed unto us – Rom. 5:1; 8:1-2 (The Msg.)
– PERFECT PROTOTYPE, Sinless life in the body – Heb. 10:5, Jn. 1:14, Rom. 8:3; 1 Jn. 5:18; Rom. 8:29 “firstborn among…brethren”

Mk. 15:34, 37, Luke 14:25 – Israel observed the Passover at the 3rd hour (morning sacrifice / oblation) and 9th hour (evening sacrifice / oblation – time for slaying the Passover lamb) so Jesus our Lord Jesus Christ hung and gave up the ghost consecutively. Perfectly replacing the old priesthood with the eternal priesthood.

Ex. 28:2, Lev. 21:10-12b – Shortly after, Caiphas the High Priest tore his garment (perfect righteousness), temple veil rented in twain Mk. 15:38), confirming the end the old and confirming the establishment of the new, living and eternal priesthood. – Heb. 10:20-22 – While Caipas’ was torn, Jesus’ was preserved
Dt.19:15; Mt. 18:16; 2Cor. 13:1 “In the mouth of … established”

WHY TEAR / DIVIDE HIS OUTER GARMENT BY SINNERS?
– Our (self) out-borne righteousness remains as FILTHY RAGS and MUST be done away with by the instrumentality of worldly trials/temptations – Is. 64:6
– Except our righteousness exceeds … Pharisees” – Mt. 5:20,
Heb.13:10-11 “we have an altar…tabernacle”

WHY ALLOW THE VILEST OFFENDERS (Soldiers) GO AWAY WITH HIS SEAMLESS COAT?
-That the scriptures might be fulfilled –Psa. 22:1-18 (16-18)
– As the prodigal son (Lk. 15) He demonstrates His love by keeping our garment in expectation of our home coming
– As Gentile dogs (Mt. 15:23-28):
1. He left an indelible witness of our salvation in our hands. Jn 1:12-14, and
2. He ultimately made THE PROVISION for our salvation
Rom. 5:6-8 “while yet sinners…”,
Mt.18, Lk. 19:10 “for the son of man is come…lost”

WHY WAS HIS SEAMLESS GARMENT CLOSEST TO HIS SKIN?
Col. 3:23-24, “and whatsoever…”
Mt. 6:4,16,18b”secret works, open reward”
While our thought, intents and inward contemplation/transformation might not be seen by the public, God sees, weighs and rewards.Heb. 4:12, ISam.2:3b.
What will MY ULTIMATE reward be?
Our seamless garment (righteous works in this earthly tabernacle) e.g. faith, holiness, forgiveness, good works, et.c, enviable as they are while serving as THE HIGHEST WITNESS to the world MUST give way as we adopt / get transformed and translated into our incorrupted and immortal heavenly home call. 1Cor. 15:51-54.
LET US THINK ON THESE THINGS AND REJOICE IN THE HOPE OF OUR SALVATION.
Shalom

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Slaying the dragon of carnality: Making sure the good does not blind you to the best

Preacher: Afolabi Oladele

Texts:
Ps 40: 6 – 8 (NLT); Luke14:15; Isaiah 5: 8-10; 1 John 2:15-16; James 4: 4; 1 Corinthians 1: 3; Ps27:4-6; Matthew 28:18 – 20; Luke 12:42 – 48; Luke 15: 4-7; Philippians 1:12-17; Ephesians 3:8 – 10; Acts 20: 22-45 ; John 10:20; Ish 50; James 10; John 10, Luke 13; and Galatians 6.

Summary of Message:

We need to watch out for the situations or things that makes us focus our attention more on the present than on our destiny and our eternity. 1 John 2:15-16 states, Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

The best that God has for us is in relation to the Kingdom of God and not our current circumstances. James 4:4 says, You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

We need to put God first, this should be our desire as it was David’s, even a busy King’s desire was to only to put God first as seen in Ps 27:4-6 – The one thing I ask of the Lord- the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high above my enemies who surround me.
At his sanctuary I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music.

When this becomes our desire as it was Paul’s also, we will see that Grace is already available as seen in 1 Corinthians 1: 3 says, May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

As the church of God, in order to be balanced, we need to stand on two legs. We teach and are taught the word of God but do our lives evangelize to the world?

Matthew 28:18 – 20 states that 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Luke 12:42 – 48 states,

And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

The servants in this text knew and understood their roles as ministers. They knew the mind of their master and they knew that he had a goal, the goal of reaching a number of completion. In the same way, we need to ask ourselves, do we know the mind of Christ, do we know His goal and do we work towards it?

 

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

luke 15:4-7

The parable of the lost coin and sheep, were all aimed at reaching a complete number, reaching the goal of the master.

 

Paul was so driven by the goal of the master that he did not mind sufferings or insults. We need to do our part in reaching God’s goal. Let our lives reach out to those around us.

In order to reach God’s goal, we must learn to live a sinless life; working towards dropping our sins and leaving them for good. God wants us to delight in him and share this same delight with the world not living religiously. Ps 40:6-7 (NLT) 6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.7 Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” for your instructions are written on my heart.”

 

What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land. But I have heard the Lord of Heaven’s Armies swear a solemn oath: “Many houses will stand deserted; even beautiful mansions will be empty. Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine. Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain.”

Isaiah 5:8-10

 

Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”
In the times we are, we are seeing that the things of this world mean nothing and the only delight a child of God will have is the joy of looking forward to meeting Jesus. Luke 14:15

Points to Ponder:
– What am I doing in pursuit of living a sinless life?
– Do I know God’s goal and am I aligning with it?
– Is my life ministering/evangelizing to the world?
– Lord help me let go of any good that is distracting me from the best you have for me.

Prayer Points:
– Lord, help me live a sinless life and not just a religious one
– Lord, help me tap into the grace available to live a life for you

 

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Crucified With Christ Part 2

By Pastor Andrew – 4 March 2018

 

How long will God condone carnality? Answer, till it injures you.
Don’t cut off people’s ears, they need it to hear – Peter and Malchus (king or kingdom representative). You can carry your carnality – knife with you without Jesus complaining, it doesn’t mean He approves (JN. 18:10-11). You get to a point when you are supposed to know better – Paul in 1Cor. 13:11; Eccl. 10:16.
2 extreme cases where God spoke up (Ex. 4:21-25: Num. 22:22-32. Num. 31:8, Josh. 13:22).

 

We live in the age of prophecies fulfilling, yet we gloss over them, instead of using them as the standard to measure our walk with God. 2Tim. 3:5 is one – people will have a form of godliness. As we long as we are in the latter/perilous times, the spirit will come after anybody that wants to practice Christianity. So first, there is a spirit of “form of godliness” roaming seeking whom it may devour. We need to live with that daily! What’s the meaning of the word “form” and what is the meaning of the word “godliness”? that should help us to pin it down.
Form – mere (not real), semblance – something that resemble something – not the original.

Godliness is reverence, respect, piety towards God, holiness.
A “semblance of holiness” or 90% holiness is not acceptable – because what we call holiness is actually the nature and character of God (Hab. 1:13; Heb. 4: 14-15; 2Cor. 5:21). We are not better than old Israel that God sentenced to captivity for their sins. See His comments against them in Ezek. 36. 1 –

Yahweh
In the ancient world, names communicated something about a person’s character. See Ex. 3:12-14. In Ex. 3:15 Ex. 6:3.
Name discussed (Gen. 11:4 2Sam.7:23 Prov. 22:1). Name is SHEM i.e. fame, glory, reputation, memorial, monument. Strong: An appellation as a mark or memorial of individuality – by implication, honour and authority.
How do we meet His standard to maintain fellowship with Him that will take us to the Promised Land? There’s the crossing of Jordan in front of everyone before you get to the Promised Land. What is Jordan? Understanding this will help us. It means to descend, sink, to subdue, run down, to bring down – all from YARAD the root word for YARDEN which means one going down – descender. See Gen. 11:7; Gen. 26:2; Gen. 18:20-21
Crucified with Christ is total and true Christianity (Gal. 2:20; 1Cor. 2:2; 2Cor. 5:16;)

Character Upgrade
Because we live in Satan’s World
• Eph. 2:1-3
• Ps. 58:3
Those who serve the Lord must not bring in what they have, rather, their character must be suitable for the Lord’s use. This is possible only after you have gone through the process of refinement – character upgrade like Abraham and Moses.
• See Col. 3:10; Rm. 13:14; 1Cor. 13:11; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:14

 

Inside Egypt
The Exodus, note He didn’t tell them they were going to the Promised Land; He said, let my people go that they may worship me” (Ex. 4:5).
And here, the Lord began to lay a condition for heaven: unless you worship God in spirit and in truth (live to please Him John. 4:26) you don’t deserve heaven, the City of God. Also, by this statement God was questioning their knowledge of Him and their faithfulness – consistency. The desert and the hardships would unveil their nature.
You need to understand that the Lord will not use the things of man alone. Your talents or other forms of endowment by themselves are not useful to Him. They can only be useful to Him if He is the one using them – telling you what to do and what not to do. That was the first lesson Moses learnt, in the burning bush episode where the bush was burning but it was not consuming the wood.
God was showing him that He does not need what he has. He had been a general and a state builder in Egypt; these characteristics were of no use to God by themselves. God had to unlearn him – drop the nature of Egypt so that He could fill him with godly qualities needed for the job at hand.
• 2Cor. 4:7
• 2Cor. 3
Our person must have been dealt with by the cross. (Matt. 16:24-28)
(1Pet. 2:21)

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A Nation In Need Of God

by Evangelist Victor Aina – 28 January 2018

The Scriptures are clear on our responsibilities, as children of God, to our environment, geographical location and our country as a whole. Matthew 5:13-16 says that, we are the light of the world.

The number of believers and local assemblies in Nigeria does not reflect in our structure of governance, this shows that what is popular in Nigeria is a religious expression of Christianity and not the true church. The believers the church in Nigeria produces is a far cry from what is shown in the word of God. How do you explain that millions of people flock our religious gathering yet greed corruption, nepotism, in justice, impunity are on the rise. Unfortunately most of the leaders in government attend our meetings; some are elders and even pastors.

I want to say that God is still concerned about this people. He wants men to do what is right and turn from their evil ways. He still sends His servants to speak the truth to those in authority. In Jonah 1:1-2 God warned the people of Nineveh. Jonah 3:5-10 NKJV

Church leaders as well as believers have the responsibility to speak about the ills in our society making reference to the word of God. As long as they keep quiet the political leaders will think they are doing the right thing. Silence also communicates support for the wrong things they are doing. Luke 12:47-48 speaks of the servant who did not do what his master asked. Jer 1:17-18 – note the need to speak.

This is the time every believer needs to be strong and fight for what is right (do the right thing). This land needs healing. A lot of atrocities are going on in Nigeria – bloodshed, injustice, corruption.

The shepherds have their own portion of the blame, and the believers as well. In Ezekiel 34:1-11 God castigated the shepherds for not being willing to do what is right by their unwillingness to die and take the pain associated with Christ (Isaiah 56:7-12, 1 Peter 5:2) which is actually what makes us to be conformed to His image (Phil 2:5, Hebrews 5:8).

Will the Lord find me worthy to stand in the gap? (Isaiah 59:16 MSG)
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14 NJKV)
3 things here to motivate us
1. The Call of God
2. Conditions for our assembling
3. God’s warning to His people – judgment (Deut 8:19-20)

Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. “As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God – Deut. 8:19-20

 

Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent – Revelation 2:5.
Revelation 2:5 is a word to the church.

A call to repentance
This call is for selected people – note the words “My people.”
God’s reforms supersede economic reforms, it involves a special purpose (2 Chronicles 6:33).
then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name – 2 Chronicles 6:33.

The procedure is to be humble (James 4:6). We need repentance, prayer, patriotism (Psalm 34:17-19). One of our wicked ways that we need to repent of is wilful disobedience.
Steps to a new beginning for our land
i. My people – Isaiah 63:14-19
ii. Called by my name – (2 Chronicles 33:12, 13, 16-19; 2 Chronicles 6:37-39)
iii. Humble themselves, confess their iniquity and that of their fathers (Leviticus 26:40-41; James 4:4-10, v3)
iv. Pray (Jer 33:3, Paul Acts 9:11)
v. Seek My face – to inquire, beg, ask, make inquisition, make request, beseech (Deut 4:29-30, Isaiah 55:6-7; lam 3:40-41)
vi. Turn from their wicked ways – (Prov 28:13; isa 55:7; isa 59:20; Ezek 18:27-30)
vii. Will hear (2 Chron 6:27, 30, 33, 39 NASB)
viii. I will heal their land (Jer 51:9, NLT,KJV Jer 33:6)

Consequences of Obedience
i. God will hear our prayer (Isa 59:1-2, Psa 66:18)
ii. God will forgive our sins
iii. God will heal our land

Consequences of Disobedience
So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. “Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD. – Ezek 22:30-31.
(See also Ezekiel 5:5-13).

 

This is the time to be strong in the Lord and fight for what is right. A. W. Tozer said, “if we yearned after God as much as a cow yearns for her calf, we would be worshipping and effective believers God wants us to be, if we longed for God as a bride looked forward to the return of her husband we would be a far greater force to God than we are now.”

With what most of our churches are doing today, can we say that we have not failed God?
Does Nigeria need economic reforms or repentance? We need repentance.

The most brilliant man that ruled in Israel (1 Kings 10:23-24) built a temple church for God, impressed God so much with his humility and love for people (1 Chron 10:12; 2 Chron 6:28; 1 Chron 7:6-14), yet he failed God (Eccl 2:1-22, 15 MSG).

God put us here to enforce His will. Watch what you say (Matt 12:34-37 NET, Isa 8:11-13 NASB). Let only God be your fear.

The Lord rules in the affairs of men and He positions leaders. Do we have the right to expect more of our political leaders? Should legislators, executives and judges be held to a higher standard than mere pragmatism? Almost every office holder in the land embarks upon his service by swearing to serve the people, “so help me God.” If they are going to use God’s name we should hold them to it.
God’s requirement of leaders
 Govern as unto the Lord (2 Chron 19:4-7)
 Walk with the Lord
 Fear the Lord, He watches over the affairs of nation (Psa 33:10-12)
 Be careful in all they do

 

Then he set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. “Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.”2 Chron 19:5-7
You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the LORD your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with just judgment. “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. “You shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD your God is giving you – Deut 16:18-20, righteous judgment.
Romans 13:1-4 MSG reads that rulers do not bear the sword in vain, they should be a terror to evil. Is this the case in Nigeria? We need genuine repentance and a change of our ways

CASE STUDY of King Manasseh
God is angry at sin and disobedience, and this has led to the fall of individuals and even great empires. Sometimes humans don’t reflect on past events in history. Hezekiah, king of Judah, reigned in turbulent times in Judah just like our time, but he loved God and was a very humble leader. 2 kings 18, 19, 20 spoke of his good works, and that God added to his years. But his son Manasseh did evil in the sight of the Lord. He erected the altar of Baal, built high places his father demolished, walked in disobedience to God

2 Chronicles 33:1-19 shows that warning precedes destruction. There will always be warnings and pleading from the LORD before He vents His anger. The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people but they paid no attention. So the Lord brought against them the army commander of Assyria who took Manasseh prisoner – bound him and took him to Babylon. But God is so merciful, when Manasseh cried out to God for help and humbled himself the Lord had compassion on him.
People don’t want to listen to God’s word just like in the days of Manasseh, nobody is listening – lies, cheating, perverted sex, corruption, idolatry.
The church of God called to reach out to the world is silent – no strong prayer meetings to stem the tide of the enemy, no strong Bible studies and discipleship, no strong Bible based evangelism, no Sunday school. Sin has crushed the church and denied the church the anointing to subdue the land.

God is a God of second chance and He is merciful. Genuine repentance is always followed with new life. When God forgives He restores all things, and when genuine repentance takes place, transformation of life takes place. God forgave Manasseh and gave him a second chance. Manasseh acted on the opportunity immediately. He restored back what he tore down. He got rid of foreign gods and removed the images from the temple, as well as altars to idols that he built. He threw them out of the city and he commanded Judah to serve the LORD.
God will forgive and restore if our leaders repent but if they refuse it could be fatal, for God’s anger will descend.

A cry for help
“Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly; Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.” Joel‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NASB‬‬

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Pastor Dave Nkenchor

Generally speaking, Nigeria and her residents, especially true believers had it tough this year. We want some time-off from this excruciating and less-exhilarating year. Many just can’t wait to say “Good-bye 2017”.
This calls for some serious consideration, as:
– the grounds get more certain and slippery (2Tim 2:19 TLB, 2Pet. 1:19/Psalms 73:18, Jer.23:12 – “Wherefore, their ways shall be as slippery) ways…”
– both atmospheric-pressures seeks to engulf more, and, (Rom. 8:19, 22-23 / Is. 5:14)
– heaven and lake of fire beckons with offers of immeasurable worth. (2Cor. 2:9; 12:3-4, 1Cor.13:9-13 2 “for we…in part… I am known/ Rev. 20:14-15 “hell and death…of fire”)
Since God measures life by time, and time is mainly measured in years, we can conclude that our lives are measured by the years we live.
“The way one finishes the year often determines the way one runs through the New Year”; so, let’s intentionally strive to finish 2017 strong and well.
– Eccl. 7:8 + Heb. 3:14 – “For we are made partakers of Christ… unto the end;”
– Matt. 10:22, 1 Cor. 1:8 – “… who shall also confirm our faith unto the end…”
Year-ends for individuals and families usually signify time for:
1. Relaxation and Celebration After the Travails of The Year
2. Reflections (Looking back)
3. Stock-taking (Objective assessment)
4. Evaluation of Values (Thorough check on governing/guiding principles)
5. Plan for Consolidation or Termination (Build-upon or do-without)
6. Setting Goals and Priorities (Core targets)
7. Strategizing Execution (How, when and where)
These steps apply to Godly and non-Godly, spiritual and sensual, eternal and ephemeral pursuits.
4 MAJOR EVENTS IN THE 12th MONTH / YEAR-END:
– Nebuchadnezzar – Dan 4:1-33
Why wait till year-end?
vs. 29. He took stock, got lifted in his heart and incurred WRATH.
– The Rich Fool – Luke 12:18-20
He tool stock, was lifted in his heart and incurred WRATH – LOSS OF LIFE and DAMNATION?
NOTE: Jewish harvest is at year-end/12th month/Spring – Ada

– David, a man after God’s own heart – 2Sam. 11:1-12:10 (1Kings 15:5)
COUNT THE SEQUENCE:
Wrong position (straying) – seeing – looking – inquiries – processing feedback – sending messengers – taking her – her coming in – lying with her – her return – processing her message of pregnancy – deciding on 1st plot – sending for Uriah – discussion with Uriah – sending Uriah home – Uriah’s query – deciding od 2nd plot – getting Uriah overfed and drunk –deciding on 3rd plot and Uriah’s death – death-sentence letter to Joab – sending Uriah back to battle – receiving new of Uriah’s death – 4th plot – fetching for her – her becoming his wife. – 24 STAGES!!! What great lessons to be learnt.
NOTE: This does not diminish David’s value in God’s sight one bit, as he has repented and received pardon, but, it sure flawed his spotless record, provided for and set on course troubles in the Davidic lineage and remains canonised in the Holy-Bible for our example; SELAH.
Just a little leaven – Gal. 5:9 Can one take fire in bossom…go on hot coals and feet not burned? – Pro. 6:26-27
LESSONS:
“I am not as strong as I assume”
My ease/relaxation must be confined within Godly boundaries
Remain on guard, the tempter, adversary, devil is still @ work
Idleness and being at wrong places, tend to make us yield to the power of temptation and the flesh over God’s grace upon us.
The bed of sloth often proves the bed of lust –MHC

– Esther Est. 3: 7-15; 8:12; 9:1
Why did Haman wait till year-end to decide on his plot against Israel?
Why wait till first month/new year to circulate plot?
As our Lord and God seeks this time to be for sober reflections, thanksgiving and sharpening our spiritual edges for times ahead;
The adversary – devil seeks it for unbridled passion (fun! fun!! fun!!!), discontentment and sensualisation going forward.
This underscores our need to be more alert and watchful against devil’s devices this season. Rev.3:2 (Be watchful…),
2Cor:2:11b – (…for we are not ignorant… devices)

10 NUGGETS FOR FINISHING 2017 STRONG AND WELL:
Psalms 1:1
1. Be true to yourself. Case of Samson is instructive.
2. Remain watchful unto prayers
3. In addition to prayers, stay in God’s presence by walking in the Spirit. Like the Jews in Esther’s days, this year-end fasting meeting, is a good in-road
4. Bond with family, especially spouse. Pro. 6:26. Pro. 5 & 7 woman, Delilah, and the hunting man, lurks
5. Atmospheric pressures are strong and crucial. Watch your steps, activities and company (internal and external) this season
6. Be grateful and thankful to God and men
7. While praying and believing God for the good things as promised, like father Abraham, set affection on things above
8. Like a true Soldier at the hottest part of battle, beef-up your guard / discipline (2Tim. 2:3; Gal 5:1)
9. Propagate the gospel of Christ anywhere, everywhere, anytime and as occasion serve thee. Rom.:1:16; 2Tim. 4:1-2
10. Complete abstinence as much as possible cannot be over-emphasised – (1Thess 5:22)
SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE STILL STRONG AND WELL, Shalom.

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