GOD'S LOVE

So my topic for today's teaching is going to be titled God's love

 I know this seems like a very "redundant" topic and some might say, obviously everyone knows God loves them, but we move still because every now and then we need to be reminded of the magnitude of God's love for us, how encompassing God's love for us is. Basically, I don't think I'll be talking much or doing much explaining but rather highlighting scriptures that talk about God's love for you and me.

Basically we'll start from the very basic but important John 3:16 which says that God loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son for us so that we won't perish but we will have an everlasting life. I believe this transcends beyond the physical life but dwelling with him in heavenly places. When you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and has come so that we might be saved, you have eternal life.

Now, let's talk about His love for us in difficult times. Sometimes, it might feel like God is hiding or He’s not listening, but He is in the midst of the storm with you and I. He has not left your side and neither has he forsaken us. He’s holding your hand, hold on to him to be your peace in the midst of the storm. He’s crying WITH YOU over the heartbreak and difficult time you’re facing. I think that it's important to make conscious efforts to remind ourselves that He’s with us in whatever it is and that can be what gets us through today and everyday after that.

 Also, God never promises a perfect life. He does promise that He will be there every step of the way. God loves us and he knows our story and his plans for us are of good and not evil to give us an expected end.


Don’t be obsessed with money but live content with what you have, for you always have God’s presence. For hasn’t he promised you, “I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life!”
Hebrews 13:5 TPT

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

For hasn't he promised you that I will NEVER leave you and He won't loosen his grip on your life.

Just take note of this
Someone who does not love us will definitely not care so much about you to give you peace

A preacher said "God’s supply of grace will ALWAYS exceed our life’s demand for it.” His grace is enough for you and I and His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Matthew  11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  11:29 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.  11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

There is something about God’s power in the confession of our struggles. Vulnerability breeds honest community, and it is in that safe space that we receive healing. The secrets we keep create shame, we should  confess them to one another and to God and in that the power of shame is taken away and replaced with the power of our healing God.

Pastor Steven Furtick in one of his sermons explained that breakthrough comes at the point where everything seems darkest, when it seems like you're underground and you're covered. He used the illustration of a seed that has been planted by the farmer and stays underground for so long before it germinates and brings forth fruits. But the catch of this, is that the seed has everything it needs to survive underground. Everything, food, nutrition whatever it needs to bring forth fruit. And so do we, we have everything we need to survive at our darkest moments. Not only to survive but to thrive and grow and bring forth fruits. God loves us too much to leave us stranded.
 And on this note, I want to let us know that you are not an afterthought, you are part of a beautiful story, a part of His beautiful story. God knew you before you were born and has you in the palm of His hands and wants us to be happy and also grow too and know that growth is never easy or comfortable or what we want in some cases but it's what we need.

 Romans  8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.*

 For I am certain that not death, or life, or angels, or rulers, or things present, or things to come, or powers,

 39  Or things on high, or things under the earth, or anything which is made, will be able to come between us and the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

With this Bible passage, I end it, reminding us that nothing can separate us from God's love. This topic is always quite personal to me and I can go on and on talking about God's Love because I know how just reminding myself of His love has gotten me through so much and how amazing it feels to know He loves me that much and how I feel so powerful and confident knowing that His love is here to stay regardless of anything. I also think everyone should feel that type of love and know that it is available to them without conditions really and we as humans very often need to be reminded of this love that God has for us. He sees the depth of our hearts and loves us the same.

And songs does wonders to remind us of this love so please and please listen to music that just reminds you of his love or how amazing He is really. I could always help with that.

I want us to whisper a prayer for everyone with a hurting heart on this group and our loved ones not on this group. May God heal them and meet them at the point where they need Him most. May they understand the magnitude and depth of His love for us and may they always walk in that love too.

Thank you Lord for your word and we thank you that the entrance of your word brings light and understanding and we pray that may your word resonate deeply with us and transform our lives. Amen.

LIVING RIGHTEOUS IN AN EVIL WORLD

Gen 6:5-10

God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, "I'll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I'm sorry I made them."

8 But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.

9-10 This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

 That's the Message version.

 Read and digest it

 So, the world was evil. And corrupt. And bad.

 Everything mankind did was evil.

But Noah had a testimony, he was different

 He had integrity and he walked with God

Job 1:6-8 The Message 

6-7 One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, "What have you been up to?"

Satan answered God, "Going here and there, checking things out on earth."

8 God said to Satan, "Have you noticed my friend Job? There's no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil."

Satan did not even mention Job, but God was so proud of him he flaunted him

These two men, despite the widespread corruption around them then, were different.

Are you different?

Does your lifestyle, character, reputation, thoughts, attitude match your profession?

That's who you profess you are..

Many Christians are not different from the crowd. They join the crowd because

1. The want to feel among

2. They desire respect and certain privileges

3. They want to stay/form woke

4. They are ashamed of the Gospel

5. Join the trend

So they compromise their values and faith and join the bandwagon

 Noah had a testimony. Despite the widespread corruption around him, he was different. Stayed true to his God. He's still a model for us, thousands of years after

You don't have to please everyone. Everyone does not have to like you. As long as God is happy with you, believe me, you are okay

Trends come and go, ideas come and go, respect comes and go, privileges come and go, wokeness come and go.. But the word of God stays forever.

 2 Peter  2:8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)* KJV

 That was Lot. He refused to participate in the evil of his time.

Because something is popular doesn't mean it's right. Because everyone is doing it doesn't mean it's right.

Balance everything on God's Word

Finally..

 Psalms  1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. KJV

Proverbs  1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. KJV

This is just a reminder to us all.. Remember the Son/Daughter of who you are

Don't be a victim of the times

The Devil is smart. Most things that were outright evil then are being accepted as cool today

Technology has made everything easier to access. The lines are so blurry right now it's hard to know what's right and wrong anymore.

 Still, be careful.

Compare everything with God's word

Thing is, it's gonna get worse. And the fashionable thing, to appear enlightened, will be to flow along.

Don't!!!

Stay true to God. Stay true to His Word. Stay true to the Holy Spirit.

The Lord will bless his Word in our hearts in Jesus name.
                             

 Amen.

MEDITATION

MEDITATION

As defined by the Dictionary: focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.  To think deeply about something

What exactly are we meditating on and why?

Let's read Joshua 1 vs 8. Five different translations

Joshua 1:8 And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. (Message)

This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

Joshua 1:8 AMPC

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. (Amplified)

Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed.
Y'hoshua (Jos) 1:8 CJB

The scroll of this law will not depart from your mouth; you will meditate on it day and night so that you may observe diligently all that is written in it. For then you will succeed in your ways and prosper.
Joshua 1:8 LEB

First,  the word should not depart from our mouths,  we should meditate on it day and night.
The message translation says we should not even for a minute let this Book of revelation be out of our mind.

Why?
The reason to meditate on the word every minute,  day and night,  every moment is so that we nay be able to observe all that is written in the word.  All of it,  not some or the convenient words,  All.

The LEB translation says so that you may diligently observe it

Meditation is a key to the word of God coming alive in us

To meditate is to stop reading,  focus and contemplate on every word,  sentence,  phrase,  searching deeply for deeper and Fuller meaning. Weighing each word with scripture

When you search on Google for the definition of a word in the dictionary,  it doesn't just bring the meaning.

Sometimes it gives you 3-4 meanings,  with synonyms for each meaning

It comes up with sentences for the usage of that word. It gives full context and meaning to that word

When we start meditating,  what we are doing is typing a word in our dictionary. 

Then the Holy Spirit (the search engine)  is the one that brings us the results or definitions.

 In meditation,  we unlock the riches of the word. All of the hidden riches of the word of God is unlocked in meditation.

The word of God has an unending depth. We could search and search,  dig deeper and deeper but there will be no end.

Just one word,  but we can dig for the rest of our lives and keep uncovering layers of understanding,  revelation,  truth and life.

I don't think any man has discovered all the depth and significance to not even one verse in the Bible.
I don't think any man has. This is why I implore us,  whenever you are to read to verse especially a common one you know very well,  don't just rush through it.

I used to do that,  sometimes I will even rush it out from my head. Don't do that. That revelation you've gotten from that verse is not all

with my heart I meditate and my spirit searches diligently:
Psalm 77:6b AMPC

This is what happens. We meditate and the spirit searches diligently. To do something diligently is to be constant in effort to accomplish it. To be attentive and persistent

For the spirit to make due diligent search,  we must stay on the word long enough.

If I search a word on an online dictionary and I close the tab immediately. I abort the work of the search engine

So it is for us.  We should not be in a hurry to leave that word. When we meditate, we are reaching out to the Holy spirit to speak to us. Without the Holy spirit we cannot uncover or unlock any riches in the word.

We will only be faced with surface knowledge. Knowledge that can be reached by anyone because it is not covered or locked. We have to rely on Him to reveal when we meditate

Now while meditating,  because the human mind is very inquisitive,  questions pop up. As usual,  the Holy spirit is waiting for those questions to pop up so he can answer them

So here are possible general questions our mind asked.

- Who is the writer and who was he speaking to?
(Remember those secondary school comprehension question.  "Who said this and to whom?". This format sticks when we study the word also)

- why is the author or verse saying that? 
(Eg Why did Jesus tell Peter "feed my sheep"?
Why did God order people to be killed?)

- What does the verse mean?
(Meaning of feed the Lamb?)

- Does the verse contain a spiritual principle? 
(Paul advice not to marry of you can.  Personal opinion or spiritual principle?)

- How does this truth or verse apply to my life?


These questions are constant for me and many more. Some of us might share same or even beyond this shared here. According to Bob Sorge,  there are 5 things to look out for when studying the word


Context
You cannot understand a verse unless you know the context to which it is spoken.

Word Meanings
Look up meanings of the word if you don't understand or as the spirit leads. Original translations help a lot.  So you can also find the Greek/Hebrew word.

Cross references
Where else does the word occur in the Bible (for this search the original Hebrew word,  see how many times it occur and how it has been translated in each verse.  Some words have more than one meaning)

Repetition
If a word a repeated a lot in the Bible,  there is a need to pay attention.

Symbolism
Some words are symbolic and do not have direct meaning.
(Eg the Holy spirit as a dove.  This doesn't mean the holy spirit is a dove)

These 5 things have helped me a lot in understanding and interpreting Scripture correctly.


Luke 6 vs 45.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45) KJV

“Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts, but bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. Your words show what is in your heart.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:45‬ ‭CEVDC‬‬

When we meditate,  we deposit good treasures in our hearts.
And it doesn't stop there
The more we meditate,  the more we deposit.
The more we deposit,  the more we produce outward fruit and our speech and conduct is being change.

We become Christlike

Usually,  we see Christians that know the word very much,  they can quote anything but the fruit they produce is rotten. You even wonder how it happens.

It's because they memorize the word and know it but they don't meditate on it always! It is during meditation that the renewal of our mind happens.

And when our minds stay renewed constantly,  our lives are are transformed.
Meditation is not just your normal general Bible study meetings or word alive teachings,  it is Jesus feeding us directly through the Holy Spirit. In the place of meditation,  the word is customized personally for you and your situation.

 And it's not just a one time thing. 
When we stay meditating for a long while,  there is an appetite and hunger for more.

Appetite is an incentive to work; hunger makes you work all the harder.
Proverbs 16:26 MSG

The more you meditate,  the hungrier you get. You are filled,  the tasted uncovered layer is soooo sweet.  You hold it dear but you still want more

There is a mistake we Christians make. When the Holy spirit uncovers a layer,  we start jumping up and sometimes close the Bible. We are in a hurry to share on our whatsapo stories or social media out of excitement

There was a day I got a revelation in the word.  I had never seen that Scripture that way,  I started jumping in my room and shouting Hallelujah. The Holy spirit asked me after a while if I can sit down so we continue. If he had not,  the excitement of that day would have made me close my Bible as usual

That layer that excites you is not all that is to that word.  There is more food for your soul where that came from.

Revel in the revelation received but don't close up your heart. Continue the meditation.

You think you are full already? The one feeding you will enlarge your insides to have more space for more food to enter

Don't stop Him because you think you are full. Don't be in a hurry to run off with little or leave.

Meditation is gazing upon Jesus in His word,  stay there. Fix your gaze upon Him. Even when doing other things (work,  play,  on your way back home) , keep gazing on Jesus through His word

See,  when you gaze upon Jesus,  you see yourself. You see all His finished works have made you to be. If any part of your life is not aligned to it yet,  you are forced to adjust

Imagine me like this getting to know that Dangote is my father and I have all his wealth as inheritance,  the way my life will change ehn. From change of wardrobe to the way I talk sef

That is what it is like to gaze upon Jesus (through the word).  We see our true identity in Him and this causes a chance in our lives.

The Bible says in Him we have our being. Our identity is in Christ.  Gaze upon Him and see yours

This teaching today is an action point for all of us,  myself included.

I want us to take it serious. I didn't plan to teach this.  Never even thought of teaching it before but I believe the Holy Spirit has a reason for keeping me awake this midnight

ACTION POINTS

1. I need you to write down things you are struggling with as a Christian.  Search Scriptures concerning this struggle and what  Christ has made you to be which opposes the struggle.
Then meditate on the Scripture every time. While bathing,  cooking,  washing even before you sleep.
Do it every time till there is a change. Please make sure you write it down.  When you notice the change,  go back and mark it off that list. Pick the next struggle

2. 2. As we study daily here,  even if it is just one word,  let it stay in your heart all day. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you about it. To teach you till it causes a change in you.

3. Whenever you are teaching here or anywhere about a Scripture,  don't search online for meanings.  Don't collect second hand feeding.  Don't be quick to eat digested food elsewhere. Stay still and meditate.  Tell the Holy Spirit to speak to you Himself,  even if it is just one word.  You want Him to do the search and give you something. And you are not leaving till He does (Note that it is not bad to read and listen to other preachers.  Just a part of our action points)

If we are able to do all of these action points and take it serious,  I'm very certain you will see a change. Please let's write all the action points down now and make a commitment to this. Let's watch our lives change before our very eyes

I leave you with these:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 MSG


For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.
Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 AMPC

So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Follow the example of all that we have imparted to you and the God of peace will be with you in all things.
Philippians 4:8‭-‬9 TPT

Put into practice all we have talked about tonight,  and watch things change

ETERNAL SALVATION

So to our discussion from the week.

Those that are still waiting for a Messiah are not saved.

Those that no longer believe He is Messiah are not saved

Those that have never believed at all are not saved

So to start with, the answer to the 3 statements above is a BIG YES

This issue as actually been one the church has been going round on for years

Way before we were born

There are 2 extremes to it and I am not on either side.

Once Saved always saved Or If you say a lie and due right after,  you are definitely going to hell

I've been a recipient of these 2 teachings. I've leaned on both sides for some period. Both for very short periods actually. Even during those times,  I had my reservation.

The bone of contention was the second statement:

Those that no longer believe He is Messiah are not saved

Some of us were (are)  of the opinion that if a Christian goes on to become an atheist,  He is still saved because He was once a Christian

 Like I said during the week,  I get am before no be property

Who is an atheist? 

An atheist is one who doesn't believe in the existence of God.


Who is a Christian? 
A Christian is one who is Christlike. One who basically follows Christ


How does one become a Christian?

What makes us Christians, born again,  is our acceptance of Christ as our Savior.
Now,  an atheist is one who doesn't believe there is a God, talk more of coming to Him through Christ.

Now,  let's go back.

Can a Christian say they are not doing again? Does this mean they were never Christians?

Let's look at a couple for example.

Myself and Samson have been married for 20 years.  Today,  I wake up and demand for a divorce
Does this mean we were never in love? Or I was never truly married to Samson?

No.  It simply means I have made a conscious decision to end my marriage/relationship with Samson.

Samson wants to stay married to me.

He never wants to take away my position as his wife but what he cannot do is stop me from walking away

Cos it is by freewill I accepted to be his wife. I was not forced into the relationship so I cannot be forced to stay

Samson will beg me to stay. Even after I get the divorce papers,  because he loves me,  he will keep trying to reach me.

Because of his strong love for me,  the only time he will give up is when I'm dead. He will keep trying

Now let's go back to my marriage to Samson.

There are families in Nigeria that when you are married to them,  you get some privileges.

You are carrying the surname. It opens doors for you. But the minute you walk out,  those privileges end

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1 Timothy 4:1 KJV

If it is not possible to lose faith,  Scripture will not tell you and I to hold fast to our faith

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

2 Peter 2:20‭-‬22 KJV

These Scriptures here speaks of people that knew Christ.  They had a true relationship not mere head knowledge. Yet they went back

There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.

1 Timothy 1:19‭-‬20 MSG

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12 KJV

This was directed at Christians,  believers. He wasn't writing to those yet to accept Christ

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.
Matthew 24:10‭-‬13 KJV

This is directly from Christ

A lot of believers will be led astray.  Many will fall away.
Jesus mentioned these things

So yes,  it is very possible for someone to be once a Christian

For someone to say they are not doing again with the same mouth they used to accept Christ.

Very very possible

Let's go back to our atheist friend,  right back to when he accepted Christ.  What exactly was he accepting?

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:1 KJV

This is one of the things our then Christian,  Atheist friend received when He accepted Christ.

No more condemnation....Eternal Life

“Martha,” Jesus said, “ You don’t have to wait until then.  I am the Resurrection, and I am Life Eternal. Anyone who clings to me in faith, even though he dies, will live forever.  And the one who lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25‭-‬26 TPT


One of the things our friend received was Eternal life.

He had life before but then according to Biology , every living thing must die

It is a cycle.. You don't stay alive forever.

A sacrifice had to be paid for eternal life to be available for all. It was paid by Jesus. He is the source of the eternal life. He is the eternal life himself.

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Acts 17:28 KJV

This eternal life our friend had is not  just given by Christ but it is IN Christ.

What happens when our friend decided that He didn't want Christ anymore?

The presence of Christ was the Eternal life itself.  Rejecting Him is also rejecting Eternal life

What happens if he dies in this rejection?  

We read that there is no condemnation for they that are IN Christ.  Not they that Christ gave eternal life (Christ is the Eternal life)

Now that he is no longer in Christ,  He will face condemnation as everyone in the world. But till the very minute that he dies,  The love of God will keep trying to pull him out and reach out to him. It will never force him into acceptance.

If God could force us into acceptance of Him,  then the whole world is going to Heaven
Or you think God delights in people going to hell?

Definitely no.

So yes,  if an atheist regardless of his former belief or stance dies,  he is not going to heaven.

There is no sugarcoating it (except there is another way outside Christ)

If as Christians we sin or do wrong things then die,  are we going to hell?
No

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1 John 1:8 KJV

Christians do sin,  it is actually very possible to. But as Christians we are not characterized or identified by a life of sin. No matter how many times we make mistakes and sin,  we are forgiven

But it gets tricky.  Our lives are not to be controlled by sin.

And it is either we are controlled by the flesh or by the spirit.

Now here is my take.
If we continually choose to reject the work of the spirit in our lives and cling to the flesh,  our hearts harden.
It is very possible that we derail from here. It is very possible that stop holding honour belief from here.

The life we've received is in Christ and the Holy Spirit is the maintenance of this life.  If we constantly reject him and his works,  we reject Christ and his work too.

Let's look at John 15.

It says Abide in me, and I in you

He didn't say now that this branch is part of the tree,  that is all. Here Christ notes our choices and decisions to stay continually. To stay in continued fellowship with him. (Note that fellowship is not same as relationship.  Though fellowship  affects relationship)

He is asking us to do thongs which exposes us to Him more and more. To make the decision to stay always

Now what happens to those that do not abide in Him,  that choose to branch out

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:6 KJV

Let's note here that he didn't say "if anyone refuses to bear fruit, I will cast them out"

He says if they refuse to abide. A branch has no life unless it is on the tree. The tree is the source of life for it.

At what point of continually rejecting the Vine (tree)  is the branch cast out?

I wish I had the answer to this one but I do not as the Bible does not give a specific time.
5years,  10years?

But one thing I know for sure is that God doesn't want anyone casted out. His love is all up in our face always.  He'd prefer we have life than death

People will come on that great day and say, I casted demons in your name but the Lord will tell them I do not know you. Of course,  they accepted Christ but something happened along the line.
Remember the parable of the sower. The ones that believed but temptation came.

I think only Christ knows at one point anyone stops being truly in Him.

But one thing we all know is the road that leads to that place,  which is continual rejection of Christ nd the works of the Spirit.

When someone becomes so controlled by sin,  we say the person's conscience is dying or is dead
In our case,  what the person is killing is the spirit of God in Him

For those of us here,  I don't think we plan to reject Christ.

And if we've been living a life characterized by sin,  now is the right time to stop.
This is why we have the Holy spirit. Allow Him help you.  You can't fight the flesh on your own.

Finally,  we have Christ so we have Eternal life.  We actually have already started living it

God loves us so much He couldn't wait for us to come join Him,  He brought Heaven here (right inside our little hearts). Enjoy Him. If His presence is boring to us now,  then why do we look forward to Heaven?

What makes Heaven is not the streets of Gold, the precious stones or pearls,  it is the Presence of God and it is now in you and I.

Let us pray.

Lord,  we thank you for your word and all we've learnt today.
Help us to abide in you forever.  Let us not seek a life outside you.

For those of us that do not understand or agree with some things,  speak to us directly.  Teach us your truth now and always.

Amen

PRAYER

Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the  Lord , the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by My word."  

Wow! What a man! Elijah went down to the king's palace and decreed famine in Israel and it was so.... But in reading up on that story, you'll realize that it is not where it started.. In the New Testament, in one of my favorite scriptures, James, inspired by the Holy Spirit, shows us how Elijah could have this kind of results...


Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly(fervently in Prayer) that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. James 5:17 NKJV


We've heard a lot about prayer... And for want of time, I will not go in depth into the teaching of prayer. Right now, I just want to stir us to take action on what we already know... It's time to get into our prayer closet guys.... Jesus, and afterwards His Apostles, emphasized and lived a life of prayer... They were able to get the results they got because they were in constant communication with the Father.... Prayer is the lubricant of Christian life...By yielding to the Holy Spirit in the place of prayer, you can work possibilities on the earth that many never knew existed... Pray everyday.. Pray unceasingly.. It will not only change your life, It will save it..


Many times, the enemy has made attempts on my life, sometimes by bizarre incidents like when the fan in my room which was at top speed suddenly pulled out of the ceiling and fell next to me as i lay on my bed, or by direct attacks of demon spirits that I could see... In both occasions, amidst many others..... In those times, it was prayer offered up in faith before or during the events that saved me...


Prayer is also a way to show and build up our faith.... One translator goes on to say that He that prays in an unknown tongue (Praying in the Spirit) enhances his spiritual progress... And make no mistake about it, Progress in the physical is merely a demonstration of what has occurred in the Spirit realm.... The physical realm reacts to events in the spiritual...It is in the spiritual that everything is decided, the physical just plays it out...A life of prayer is a life of humility before God... It's basically you saying that you know you can't handle your affairs on your own...and that you need God's help... If that's the case, Prayerlessness depicts the exact opposite.... A life of consistent apathy to prayer is a life of pride, a pattern that says you are supremely competent in handling your affairs and you don't need any help from God...


And yes, if you have the time and capacity  to worry,  you have the time and capacity to pray.. In mark 10:23-24, Jesus would highlight that the way we get our desires granted by the Father is to first get into prayer.... Years later, Paul would reiterate that when he said "Be not anxious for nothing, but in everything, with Prayer, Supplication and thanksgiving, make your requests known into God"  Substitute sorry for prayer and see the difference that makes.


We are the generation of people who will unveil unknown dimensions in God to the world...but we'll never do it if we never stay in study and meditation of the Word and Prayer... In the New Testament, anytime something of note happens, it first happened in prayer.... The outpouring of the Spirit in the Upper room, the first miracle at the beautiful gate, the escape of Peter from Prison, the sending of Ananias to Paul, Jesus walking on the sea, the first conversion of a gentile, and many more.... Countless possibilities were unveiled because people dared to pray.... 


It's not always pleasing to the flesh, but if you'll maintain a consistent prayer life, you'll see your life change before your eyes.. And that change will affect everything and everyone around you...and the world at large.... That's what happened to Jesus, the Apostles and God's Genesis that we read about....That's what God wants to happen to you too..


Thank you for coming to my TED Talk...

SALT AND LIGHT OF THE EARTH by Amaka (15/07/2018)

So, WHAT IS SALT? 

Salt is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification. Salt it's of great importance and you cannot do without it. Jesus used "Salt and light" to signify the relevance or role of his followers on earth.

BIBLE PASSAGE: Matt. 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

You can be a good salt👍 or you can be a bad salt👎. You have the responsibility of either making yourself the bad or good salt. Bad salt is salt that is being contaminated with other minerals, causing a weakness in flavor or a bland unpleasant taste. "Other minerals" can be seen as distractions of the world. Let's mention them: Lust, drunkenness, etc. When you become contaminated, you become of no use.

I learned that in the time of Jesus, Salt was gotten from the DEAD SEA also known as SALT SEA. So when salt was drawn out and it got mixed up with the sand, it was almost impossible to separate them so it has to be thrown away. That was what Jesus was referring to in verse 13.

Let's look at some characteristics of a good salt.

Characteristics of a good salt with significance to the scripture.

1) A good salt is white and odourless:
This means you need to be clean and holy. Be pure and without blemish. Ecc 9:8. Heb. 12:14. Rev. 3:4. Some of us our salt is corrupted and there are things we need to set aside to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord.

2) Good salt is required in small quantity: 
You should not despise your smallness. God does not require big things to achieve results. For instance, when cooking a big pot of soup, do you need 6 spoons of salt to add taste to the soup? No🙅‍♀. We just need a little and the soup gets its taste. Prov 30: 24-28 talks about four things; the ants, the conies, locusts, and the spider. They are small but are exceedingly wise in going about their activities. God doesn't need much to prove a point. God, through Moses, used only a rod to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Samson used the jawbone of an ass to defeat the philistines. David used just a stone to defeat goliath. To God, little is much. You are much. YOU ARE ENOUGH🤸‍♂

3) You must be mixable and be able to scatter: 
Jesus mixed and related with everyone. Even the sinners. If you have the nature of God inside you, you have to mix with people. Let everyone taste this salt of yours. You can't isolate yourself and say you're salt. No! Relate with people, let them be curious about your God through your actions and character. Also, good salt can be scattered. It's is not a lump or cluster. You can go to any length to make impact. Daniel went to Babylon and was able to make impact. As the salt of the earth you need to make impact wherever you find yourself. Make impact with the ministry God has given you. Don't be an unprofitable servant. Reach out to people. Acts 8:5-6. May your impact cause joy to a city. Be sprinkle-able😁

4) Good salt is refined:
It is not found in the state that you see it. So children of God, you need to be refined. Everyone making impact today went through the process of refinement. Spend time studying the word. Spend time with the Holy spirit and ask him for growth and guidance in all you do.

5) A good salt is seasoning:
It gives value to taste. Once you put it in it goes to work. i.e brings out flavor. There should be something about you that brings a little more meaning into people’s lives.  Mark 9:50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. Don't lose your taste. Don't deviate from the gospel. Don't let your salt be contaminated by things of the world. Be in the world but not of the world. The salt in this verse also refers to the goodwill that "seasons" positive relationships between people.

We now know our purpose as SALT. Let's briefly move to light shall we?

WHAT IS LIGHT? 

It is a natural agent that stimulates SIGHT and makes things VISIBLE. What does Jesus mean by light? "Jesus also calls Himself "the light of the world." John calls Him "the life that is the light of men," "the light that shines in the darkness" (John 1:4-5). The light in us is His light, the indwelling Christ, the Holy Spirit within us"

In addition to being the salt of the earth, Jesus called us the light of the world. Jesus is the light of the world and he wants us to be that light also. You know what this light means? That you show people the way to Jesus. Matthew 5:15-16 tells us that we should not hide our light. Let people see the light that is in us. Let people want to have this light also and this will bring glory to our father.

We will stop here for today. I hope you know your purpose in the world as children of light. I pray that God will give us the grace to keep our salt uncontaminated and our light burning and I pray that the holy spirit will guide you and I in our journey to know God better. Amen🙏

Add taste to the life of others through your life. Remember, you cannot achieve it on your own. Keep thirsty to know Him more. God bless you and Jesus lovessss you😊💕💕