We thank God that the tree of life which sin has deprived mankind from enjoying (Genesis 3:22-24), has through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross been made available for all Christians (Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14,19).
In the new creation, may you eat from the tree of life and live forever! In Jesus’ name!
May the Lord give you godly wisdom that will bear fruit in the lives of others (1 Kings 3:28) in Jesus Christ’s name! Enjoy fruitfulness in August. Happy New Month Bishop
Every temptation we face is often laced with a lie to deceive us that God is not good, not trustworthy, and does not have our best interests at heart (cf Matthew 4:6:11).
May God help you to identify the lie behind any temptations you face, so that you may emerge victorious from them. In Jesus Christ’s name! Happy New Month +
Early today morning, April 20, 2020, the Lord took me in a dream to a classroom setting. All lectures/lessons had been concluded, and all was set for examination to commence.
Thereafter, I came out of the classroom, with the mind of going to the house to pick something.
However, there was no way to get to the house because a roadblock had been mounted by armed soldiers.
When I told one of armed soldiers at the road block that I wanted to get home to pick something, he replied sternly, “NO”. At that point, I woke up from my sleep.
As I went on my knees to pray about the dream, the Lord told me He had allowed the Lockdown we are currently experiencing, so that we can undergo SPIRITUAL EXAMINATION.
While the world governments are preoccupied with physical examination to checkmate the spread of corona virus,
the Lord says we should be occupied with that which concerns our spiritual well-being. Just as the world is clamouring for physical checkups against corona virus, the Lord is urging us to give ourselves spiritual checkups.
2 Corinthians 13:5 says,
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you are disqualified
The lockdown, the Lord is saying to us, should be utilised to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith – if we are really Christians as we claim or merely imposters.
This is the time to Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13).
This is the time to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1).
This is the time to actively seek to grow closer to God, and not to draw farther away from Him.
This is the time to ask ourselves whether we are walking according to the gospel that we profess.
After the lockdown, that is, the time God is giving us for the SPIRITUAL EXAMINATION, the Lord says,
He will release the results of the SPIRITUAL EXAMINATION of each and every one of us, that life will never be the same again. The outcome of the SPIRITUAL EXAMINATION, would be a determinant of the kind of life we will experience after the lockdown.
Dear people of God, we wish to draw our attention for the third time to the following counsel we gave to us while the lockdown was to commence in Delta State on April 1, 2020:
Beloved in Christ, let’s seize the opportunity the lockdown provides to utilize to the maximum our QUIET TIME (personal devotion), COUPLE ALTAR (husband and wife having devotion together), and the FAMILY ALTAR (parents, children, etc living in the home having devotion together). It is time to Stoke the fire of these three altars (personal, couple and family) where the fire has simmered down, while we await Jesus’ second coming’.
As we conclude this message, we urge you to know
…that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, [19] but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-19).
And
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Now when [He] rose early on the first [day] of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
And they went and told [it] to the rest, [but] they did not believe them either.
Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
“they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
✝📃STUDY
The writers of the four gospels recorded how Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection. She was formerly possessed and afflicted by seven demons but her encounter with Jesus changed her history: She became His follower and the first evangelist to proclaim His resurrection. Jesus can always rewrite our history for good when we encounter Him. The disciples did not believe the news about Jesus’ resurrection until when He appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief.Unbelief is doubt, the opposite of faith;its consequences are great such as external condemnation(v.16). James asserts that anyone who doubts is unstable in his faith and cannot get anything from God. Secondly some Israelites did not enter the Promise Land because of unbelief (Heb. 3:19). We need grace to overcome this cankerworm in our journey with God.
Can you see the manifestations of believing from verses 17-18?Those that believe will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, take up serpents, lay hands on the sick and they will recover and if they drink deadly poison, shall not be hurt. Indeed the power of belief is immeasurable. Have you experienced any of the signs in your Christian life? Note, these signs shall follow them that believe, so be a believer and not an unbeliever.