Month: October 2011

Posted in HOPE

Ask Believe Receive

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

The problem with most Christians today is they are praying, yet they are not receiving. They talk to their Father in Heaven, yet they don’t receive. I wonder what they say, how they say it, and why they are not receiving. In Ephesians 1:3, the scripture tells us God has already blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven realms, and they are in Christ. I met a pregnant lady with her husband one weekend at the mall. They were very excited about the shopping they had on the trolley. The shopping were the clothes for the unborn baby. At spot I remembered “LET US CREATE MAN IN OUR OWN IMAGE AND LIKENESS”.  God created you in His image and likeness, and He placed all you would need on earth in Jesus before he allowed you into the womb. Though that child was still in the womb, and only God knew whether it was going to survive, those guys were buying what the child would need before it would be born. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven…”

He chose you in him before the creation of the world. You were blessed before you came to the womb, and those blessings were placed in Christ. God knows our needs but He wants us to ask in faith, and in the Name of Jesus. Most of us are not receiving because of what Jesus said in John 16:24. He said “Until now you have not asked for anything in my Name.”

 My question is;

UNTIL NOW, HAVE YOU ASKED FOR ANYTHING IN HIS NAME?

Think about it.

HOW DO YOU ASK?

Surprisingly, believers today know how to complain to God. We behave like the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda, who when Jesus asked him a simple questio: Do you want to get well? Instead of answering YES, started complaining about what he had been through that “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” This man had suffered for 38 years and all he could do when someone offered to help was to talk about what he had gone through. Most of us today are suffering yet we complain (about our current situation, our Job, family, etc) without asking for any solution. The master explicitly said in His word that “ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU.”

God was pleased to place everything you would need on earth in Jesus. He doesn’t want to see us wanting in life so he made the provision for your needs before you were born. All you have to now is to ask for what you desire at “this time”. David understood this precept thus he said in Psalms 23 that THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT. You shall not want in life if you ASK whatever you need in Jesus’ Name, and in Faith. Next time you go to the Father in prayer, discipline yourself enough to quit complaining about the unpleasant situation you are in, and Ask for what you want Him to do to get you out of the situation. Quit talking to God about your problems because He knows them. ASK for solutions. Ask in Faith, and in the Name of Jesus.

HOW TO ASK

  • Ask in PRAYER

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to ask for our daily bread, in other words, to ask for our daily needs when we pray. Prayer opens heaven, and it gives us inner tranquility. In Philippians 4:6, we are to present our request in Prayer. Prayer is the master key to open every closed door of opportunity, prosperity, health, happiness, hope, etc. Always present your request in prayer. I asked some married women the convenient time they talk to their husbands about their needs. Some said “usually at dawn”, others said “after a special treat”, “after a family visit”, and to my surprise, some said “usually after a fight or misunderstanding, and he is ashamed”. As Christians, the best time we can pour our needs to the Father is during “PRAYING HOURS”. He hears us all the time but the best is through Prayer, when our focus is on Him.

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11: 24. When you ask in Prayer, have Faith that it is done, and it will be yours. Without faith, it is impossible to please the Father. How are you going to win a person’s favor when he or she is not pleased with you? And you can only get a promotion when the company is pleased with your performance. When we present our request to the Father, we should have faith that He is more than able to perform.

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord” James 1:6,7.

The scripture tells us that He is Faithful. He will do whatever He says or promises. In 1 Kings, Solomon said “Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses”. When we pray in faith, the impossibility becomes possible.

  • Ask in the Name of Jesus.

The “Name of Jesus” is the concession we have as believers. Whenever we ask in Jesus’ Name, heaven opens and blessings begin to pour on us. When we pray in the Name of Jesus, no one has the power to oppose. Jesus said in John 14:13 “I will do whatever you ask in my Name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14; you may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Present your request in Prayer, Ask in Faith, and in the Name of JESUS, and whatever it is that you ask for will be yours. And don’t forget to give thanks.

WHY AIN’T WE RECEIVING?

Most believers complain when praying. They complain in FAITH, AND IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Jesus never said Complain and it shall be given to you. He said ASK. I read through the book of Job, and one thing I found was Job was always complaining about what he was going through. Let us take this scenario; A Christian who needs a Job as a manager of a company. Instead of asking for what he wants “Father, in the Name of Jesus I need a Job as a Manager in a manufacturing firm. I thank you for giving me …in Jesus’ Name. Amen.” He prayed like this “Father, you know that I am not working. All my colleagues are getting good jobs, getting better pay, and building houses. I have been praying for months but no answer. People are laughing at me because I am not working. I thank You that you have heard me. Amen.”  This fellow was only complaining about his situation. Most believers spend time complaining, instead of asking.

Again, most of us ask for something for our pleasure. Our motive, most of the time, is to show off. For instance “Father, make me rich so that my friends will know that you are with me. Or give me a child so that people will know… ” When you have such motive, according to James 4:3, you won’t receive anything. God isn’t going to provide for you because of your friends, family, etc neither is he going to do what you want because of your righteousness. He is doing wonders today because He wants to make Name for himself. He wants whatever He does for you to bring Him glory through Jesus Christ. God gives grace to the humble.

MY PRAYER FOR YOU

It’s my prayer that God meets you at the point of your need. That He shows you the right path to succeed. That He takes away anything that will delay His promises concerning your life. I know and believe that from today you will ask in prayer, in faith, and in the Name of Jesus. Again, you will have a clear motive for whatever you ask. God bless you.

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Posted in GOD'S KINGDOM

SET FREE

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Most Christians are trapped in situations, or habits they can’t control. They really need a deliverer. They are expecting someone to come in to save them. I would like to state that we are all not perfect but we can be perfect according to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Hebrews 12:1, Paul said therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders, and sin that so easily entangles…” Notice he said two things; One is things that hinder us from being ourselves. And the second is the sin that so easily entangles us. He used “We, and Us” to represent himself and other believers, not unbelievers. This means that as Christians, there are certain things we need to break free from. I do believe that you are in a situation, or certain habit you probably want the way out. All you have been struggling for years is freedom. The most expensive thing on earth is freedom.

My question is ARE WE (CHRISTIANS) FREE IN THE WORLD TODAY?

The scripture tells us that if the son therefore shall set you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36. From the day you accepted the Jesus as your Lord and savior, your spirit, soul and body were set free. They were changed. Jesus came to set us free from the world of sin and death. He saved us, He transformed us but the world still remains the same with its evil desires. That was why Paul advised us to renew our minds daily with the Word of God .

Jesus paid the price we couldn’t pay, and he bought the Powers we couldn’t have afforded. He purchased our freedom for us;

He gave us freedom from sin and death

He gave us freedom from sicknesses and diseases

He gave us freedom from broken heart

He gave us freedom from poverty

He gave us freedom from all addictions

He gave us all the freedom we would ever need.

WHAT WENT WRONG

When Jesus was through with His work, He ascended to the Father’s right hand to make intercession on our behalf. He told us “see, all you would ever need to continue living prosperous and victorious have been provided. I have bought your freedom for you” so He cried out IT IS FINISHED! Meaning ALL IS DONE on earth. He went to the Father to intercede for us.

Why would he do that? He is making intercession because Satan is always accusing us before the Father, Revelation 12:10. Remember Satan is the accuser of Christians. You find it in the book of Job the first chapter. We must understand that Satan has access to the throne of God. He is not cast out of heaven. He is cast out of the throne room of God, but he has access to God, and he does something before God. He accuses us.  But Jesus is there for us. When Satan realized that his accusations were of no use, he put up a new plan. He went to the Bible and saw God’s Word that “MY PEOPLE ARE DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.” Hosea 4:6. He found out that our ignorance can kill us more than any of his actions. Thus he working to keep us from knowing the freedom God has given us through our Lord Jesus. In fact, that plan is working against God’s children. We now pay attention to news and science more than what God’s Word says. We read the Bible but there is no understanding. And the worst of all is we are searching for what God, through Jesus Christ, has placed within us. We have power on the inside of us. We have the power of attorney to function in the Name of Jesus. The scripture says at the mention of that Name Jesus, every knee bow and every tongue confess He is Lord, Philippians 2:10.

GOD ISN’T CREATING ANYTHING NEW

The freedom the world needs, the freedom your country needs, the freedom your family needs, the freedom you seek is not something God is going to create. He has already done that. When Jesus defeated Satan, and all his authorities, Jesus attained all powers in heaven and on earth. So he said in Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. We are free forever and ever.

DON’T LISTEN TO THE ACCUSER

Satan is deceiving many. He is constantly whispering into our ears that we can’t stop that addiction, we can’t be healed, we can’t stop sinning, etc. He is a liar, he has no truth in himself. If you don’t stand now to activate the power that is on the inside of you, you will forever remain slave to whatever situation or addiction you are in.

ACTIVATE THE POWER

Be encouraged today that you have overcome the world because Greater is He that is in you. Jesus has defeated the world of evil, frustration, fear, pains, sexual immorality, sicknesses, addiction, etc. That Power is in you as a child of God. You are set free indeed.

Posted in FAITH, HOPE, SOUL FOOD

IS THERE NOT A CAUSE?

Posted on by Uplifting Christ

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I believe everything happens for a reason. The devil can’t touch us as God’s children because of the hedge of protection around us. However, God does allow the devil for a reason. There is no way God will allow Satan and his demons unless He has a reason for that. And that reason is for their defeat. The situation may not be pleasant (like what happened to Job) but if we can maintain positive attitude toward that situation, I believe at the end, God will use what was meant for our downfall, harm, disgrace, death, etc to lift us up to a new and a higher level. He has promised to give us expected end but He never said anything about how the journey will be like.

WHO KNOWS GOD’S WAY?

Nobody knows how God does things. I have tried many years to understand how He works but the more I try, the more I get confuse. The scripture tells us God’s ways are above our ways, and His thoughts above our thoughts. As humans it is sometimes difficult to see from God’s perspective, or to understand how He works. You may not understand why you lost that lovely family member, why that fellow walked out of that relationship, why despite all your efforts the company decided to lay you off. You may not understand the situation you are going through now. But hear me today; they are happening so that God’s divine purpose for your life can come to pass.

In John 9, when Jesus and His disciples saw a man blind from birth, Jesus told them in verse 3 that “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” This means that some things (both good and bad) happen to us so that the work of God might be displayed in our lives, so that others will see how powerful our Father is. When something good happens, we tend to give Him thanks. However, we cry, worry, talks when something bad happens to us. Let us have in mind that all things work together for our good. When the scripture says all things, it means both good and bad. In bad situation, we should maintain our positive attitude, and give thanks to God. We should also know that He is more than able to see us through. Nothing happens to us, they happen for us. What was, and is meant for your harm will be used for your good.

TURN AWAY FROM PEOPLE

“When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, He said, Go away, the girl is not dead but asleep. But they laughed at him. After the crowd had  been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.” Matthew 9:23-25. From the story Jesus saw the girl was asleep but the crowd thought nothing good could come from her. When Jesus made the confession that she was asleep, the crowd laughed. Other people may not see what you see. The dream and vision you have today may be stupid to friends, family members, etc. They may say “well, you know this can’t work, it is impossible.”  If you don’t turn away from them, they will kill that dream and burry that vision. Remember the crowd was put out before Jesus performed that miracle. The same happened when David was sent to the battle field. . Eliab, his oldest brother, ridiculed his status and accused him of laziness, pride, and naughtiness. The scripture tells us in 1 Samuel 17:30 that “And David turned away from Eliab to another…” When you are facing the storms of Life, people will always talk you down. I will advise you turn away from friends, mothers, sisters, brothers, mentors, etc who believe that you can do nothing about that challenge. Know that, like Jesus and David, that situation or challenge is meant for you to bring glory to God. The same people who thought you can’t do anything about the situation will come back to say well done. The seed of greatness is in you.

GOD IS WORKING BEHIND THE SCENE

God is a loving Father who rejoices when His children make right choices in life. He doesn’t force us. He has given us the total freedom to run the race. When we make the right choice by accepting Jesus as our High Priest, He works behind the scene for us. Let us look at the work of movie production or television broadcast. Those working behind the scene do greater part of the Job. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, together with the holy angel are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, to ensure that everything works for our good. They constantly guard our steps and direct our decisions. Isn’t it a great privilege to have the Creator of the Universe working constantly behind the scene for you?

 

YOUR ENEMY CAN HELP YOU MORE THAN FRIENDS

Goliath was there for one purpose; to promote David from being a shepherd to a King. Every enemy or Goliath you see today is there for your promotion. Whenever you identify or see your enemy, know that it your time to move forward. They will plan evil against you; they will laugh at you, ridicule you and even attempt to kill you. But God will use those plans to push you forward. In the book of Esther, Haman planned all sort of evil against the Jews. He planned to hang Mordecai but in the end, he was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. This is what I am trying to say, had it not been Haman, Mordecai who was always at the king’s gate wouldn’t have been Prominent in the palace. His reputation wouldn’t have spread throughout the province, and he wouldn’t have become more and more powerful. Esther 9:4. Judas Iscariot also played significant role in Jesus’ life. Had it not been him, there wouldn’t have been crucifixion, and without crucifixion, there wouldn’t have been resurrection. Tell me, what would have become the foundation of our Faith? Our Father is a wise God. He knows all those people whose evil thoughts will push us up. Quit worrying about who is against you, who is planning to do you wrong, who has threaten you, etc. There is a cause for that. Those plans will be used by God for your good.

WHAT IS YOUR GOLIATH?

Let’s say Goliath represents the world, sin, all untruths, etc. As Christians, we are to take a stand against these things. However, I’ve noticed many Christians doing the exact opposite. I see Christians dropping the truth like a hot rock and buying into lies. I have watched Christians forsake what they once stood for, and embrace compromise. I have watched churches drop their stance on the Word, Faith, and Doctrine as they try to be more “relevant” and “comfortable” in an effort to draw in a larger crowd. We call ourselves Christians; we say that we serve a great and powerful God but many of us really live lives of defeat and inconsequence because we are afraid of the giants that we see before us.

 

 

YOU CAN BE A HERO

You can be a hero but you must be willing to pay for the price. Everyone wants to be like Carlos slim, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Facebook owner (Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes), etc. But I wonder how many of us will be willing to face the challenges they faced; the rejections, betrayals, defeats, pains, people who walked away because they had different opinions, the trials they faced, the sacrifices, etc. When we face negative situation, let us not write ourselves off. Keep on believing because there is a cause for that. Everyone loves a hero. Everyone loves a happy ending. Everyone loves a courageous individual who’s willing to go against the grain, beat all odds, and win the girl or boy in the end to marry. Everyone loves a hero. Everyone wants to be a hero. However, not everyone wants to pay the price of being a hero. The good news is you can become one because God has placed in you all you will need to be one. Just take steps of Faith and follow your heart, and mind which have been transformed according to God’s Word.

GOD WILL SHOW A PATH

In every situation, let us know that God wouldn’t have allowed that unless He has a purpose for that. He knows the end from the beginning, and He able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can think of, or ask. God used Goliath to promote David to his divine destination. He used Joseph’s brothers to push him up to be the Prime Minister. Moses killed, that wasn’t pleasant, but God had a purpose for that. Jesus was betrayed by one His disciples, His closed friend denied Him three times, and the rest fled. All the great men and women who ever lived pass through one test to another before they could achieve their aims. Don’t be angry at every closed door because God will open a new one before the old one closes. Always maintain a positive attitude, make the right confession, and renew your mind daily with the Word of God. God is bigger than anything you can think of. He gave up Jesus for us. And He is ready to do whatever we want. He has promised us a successful end. But He never said anything about how the journey will be like. All He said was He will be with us. There is a cause for everything, but as a child of the Most High, ALL THINGS will work together for your good.