Light defeats darkness by simply being itself. You turn on the light, and the darkness leaves. Light and darkness can't coexist. Neither can good and evil. Neither can the truth and the lie. Opposites can't coexist.
You can't be positive and negative at the same time. You can't speak gently and speak harshly at the same time. These are polar opposites. To choose one is to refuse the other. Herein lies the secret to your victory in every area and every relationship in your life:
Choose the specific opposite whatever is wrong in your life.
In doing so, you will expose and eradicate that wrong.
Think of a difficult relationship you're in, one where you feel like someone is treating you wrong. Say he's disrespecting you, or she is insulting you. You can defeat disrespect with respect. In fact, disrespect exposes and eradicates disrespect. I'll give you an example from my own life.
One morning I drove to a new job, not knowing what I'm doing or where I'm going. I approach a man who worked there and said, "Good morning." "What do you want?" he yelled. "Is this the right building for the recycling plant?" "Over there!" he yelled again. "Thank you sir." He didn't respond. Later that day, when I saw him again, he said, "I'm sorry for being so short with you this morning. I was in a bad mood because of all the work the guys left me to do."
Do you see how my respect defeated his disrespect? I said, "Good morning," and asked for his help. He responded rudely, but I thanked him respectfully. My respect overcame his disrespect. I didn't condone his disrespect, nor did I condemn it. I turned on the light of respect which exposed and eradicated the darkness of disrespect. So can you. Whatever is wrong in your life, in whatever area or whatever relationship, you can do the opposite of that wrong, and in doing so you will expose and defeat the wrong doing.
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21 NIV
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Why you have to stop sinning.
This is what the Lord God says,
"The soul that sins will die."
That's why.
This is why you and I must stop sinning.
We will destroy our relationship to God and those we love.
Yes, God forgives. So do our loved ones. But this doesn't change the death that comes from sinning.
Let's make sin real. Practical. Let's take it out of the theological hypothetical philosophical realm.
I'm married.
I've been married for 12 years.
I've never committed adultery, nor has my wife.
But what if I did? What if I broke the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery?"
What if my wife caught me, on our bed, with another woman, screaming in sexual pleasure.
Graphic you say? Yes, it is. Which is why my wife would most likely divorce me. How would she ever get that image out of her head? How would I if I caught her enraptured in another man's arms?
That sin would kill our marriage.
Sin kills.
Each sin kills.
Every sin kills.
Why don't we see this?
Why do we say things like, "We all sin every day, and we're going to keep sinning until Jesus comes back?"
Can I tell my wife that? Can I tell her that I'm going to keep committing adultery, or fantasizing about adultery, until Jesus comes back? Could I have told her that at the altar, where we were making our vows to each other, vows to forsake all others until death separates us? Because death separates us, and sin leads to death.
This is why you and I have to stop sinning.
"The soul that sins will die."
That's why.
This is why you and I must stop sinning.
We will destroy our relationship to God and those we love.
Yes, God forgives. So do our loved ones. But this doesn't change the death that comes from sinning.
Let's make sin real. Practical. Let's take it out of the theological hypothetical philosophical realm.
I'm married.
I've been married for 12 years.
I've never committed adultery, nor has my wife.
But what if I did? What if I broke the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery?"
What if my wife caught me, on our bed, with another woman, screaming in sexual pleasure.
Graphic you say? Yes, it is. Which is why my wife would most likely divorce me. How would she ever get that image out of her head? How would I if I caught her enraptured in another man's arms?
That sin would kill our marriage.
Sin kills.
Each sin kills.
Every sin kills.
Why don't we see this?
Why do we say things like, "We all sin every day, and we're going to keep sinning until Jesus comes back?"
Can I tell my wife that? Can I tell her that I'm going to keep committing adultery, or fantasizing about adultery, until Jesus comes back? Could I have told her that at the altar, where we were making our vows to each other, vows to forsake all others until death separates us? Because death separates us, and sin leads to death.
This is why you and I have to stop sinning.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Getting what you pray for
"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22
Is it possible to get whatever you ask for in prayer? According to Jesus, it's possible. He said,"If you an believe, all things are possible to those who believe." This includes answers to your prayers. Three things are necessary for you to get what you ask God for. Three conditions must be met for you to receive exactly what you ask.
ASK FOR GOD'S WILL
If you ask for God's will in prayer, God hears and answers your prayers. (1 John 5:14) So whatever you ask must of course agree with God's will, or at least it must not contradict God's will. For example, it's God's will for you to love the people in your life. If you pray for strength to love them, you can be certain that God will give it to you.
ASK WITH FAITH.
When you pray, ask according to what you genuinely believe God can do. Paul calls this your "measure of faith." You can receive whatever you believe. Think about what you can imagine, then ask with only the limitation of your imagination.
ASK SPECIFICALLY
How do you know if your prayer is answered? How do you know if it was going to happen whether you prayed for it to happen or not? Pray specifically. You have to ask for something that wouldn't happen without prayer. You don't need to pray that the sun will rise, but you may need to pray that the sun won't rise! That's very specific, undeniable, and irrefutable. It's something that only God can do.
Specifically and faithfully ask God for His will in your life.
When you do this, you will get exactly what you ask for.
If you want, pray with me right now.
Father God,
Show me exactly what you want me to do after I read this blog.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Let me know in the comments how God answered your prayer.
Is it possible to get whatever you ask for in prayer? According to Jesus, it's possible. He said,"If you an believe, all things are possible to those who believe." This includes answers to your prayers. Three things are necessary for you to get what you ask God for. Three conditions must be met for you to receive exactly what you ask.
ASK FOR GOD'S WILL
If you ask for God's will in prayer, God hears and answers your prayers. (1 John 5:14) So whatever you ask must of course agree with God's will, or at least it must not contradict God's will. For example, it's God's will for you to love the people in your life. If you pray for strength to love them, you can be certain that God will give it to you.
ASK WITH FAITH.
When you pray, ask according to what you genuinely believe God can do. Paul calls this your "measure of faith." You can receive whatever you believe. Think about what you can imagine, then ask with only the limitation of your imagination.
ASK SPECIFICALLY
How do you know if your prayer is answered? How do you know if it was going to happen whether you prayed for it to happen or not? Pray specifically. You have to ask for something that wouldn't happen without prayer. You don't need to pray that the sun will rise, but you may need to pray that the sun won't rise! That's very specific, undeniable, and irrefutable. It's something that only God can do.
Specifically and faithfully ask God for His will in your life.
When you do this, you will get exactly what you ask for.
If you want, pray with me right now.
Father God,
Show me exactly what you want me to do after I read this blog.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Let me know in the comments how God answered your prayer.
Saturday, November 15, 2014
How to KNOW GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE (3): How to follow the Holy Spirit
This is how you follow the Holy Spirit:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to specifically lead you, to tell you what to do.
2. Listen for His answer.
3. Obey His answer.
Step two is the one that challenges some believers. I'll focus on listening to the Spirit's answer.
When the Spirit leads you or answers you, you sense the answer in two deeply internal ways:
--If you are passive in mind and will, it is not the Holy Spirit.
--If the Jesus isn't the focus, it's not the Holy Spirit.
For example, say I ask the Holy Spirit if I should choose or refuse to accept a job offer in which I can use a God given ability. After asking Him to lead me, I feel perfect incomprehensible peace and absolutely certain that I should take the job. This is from the Holy Spirit and I should follow Him.
But if the job is not one that I can use a God given ability, and I feel confused uncertainty, then I know the Spirit is not leading me to take the job.
Or suppose I'm asking if I should marry someone. This person distracts me from Jesus. That alone is enough to refuse marriage. But say she is a Spirit filled believer. This doesn't mean I should marry her, because there are other Spirit filled women I could meet. So I pray for the Spirit to lead me. I feel uncertain and no peace at all. This is the Spirit telling me not to marry her.
Whatever the case or situation may be, the Spirit will answer with perfect peace and perfect certainty for the Lord's glory, and you will know this with an active mind and will.
This is how you follow the Spirit.
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to specifically lead you, to tell you what to do.
2. Listen for His answer.
3. Obey His answer.
Step two is the one that challenges some believers. I'll focus on listening to the Spirit's answer.
When the Spirit leads you or answers you, you sense the answer in two deeply internal ways:
- Deep, indescribable, perfect peace. (This means NO confusion, whatsoever.)
- An intuitive absolute certainty of what to say and do. (This means NO doubt or uncertainty, whatsoever.)
--If you are passive in mind and will, it is not the Holy Spirit.
--If the Jesus isn't the focus, it's not the Holy Spirit.
For example, say I ask the Holy Spirit if I should choose or refuse to accept a job offer in which I can use a God given ability. After asking Him to lead me, I feel perfect incomprehensible peace and absolutely certain that I should take the job. This is from the Holy Spirit and I should follow Him.
But if the job is not one that I can use a God given ability, and I feel confused uncertainty, then I know the Spirit is not leading me to take the job.
Or suppose I'm asking if I should marry someone. This person distracts me from Jesus. That alone is enough to refuse marriage. But say she is a Spirit filled believer. This doesn't mean I should marry her, because there are other Spirit filled women I could meet. So I pray for the Spirit to lead me. I feel uncertain and no peace at all. This is the Spirit telling me not to marry her.
Whatever the case or situation may be, the Spirit will answer with perfect peace and perfect certainty for the Lord's glory, and you will know this with an active mind and will.
This is how you follow the Spirit.
How to KNOW GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE (2)
Our Father who is in heaven,
you are is supremely unique,
different from everyone and every thing.
You should be respected because no one is like You,
Unborn and Undying,
Perfectly good, perfectly powerful, and perfectly wise.
Control earth now. Be completely in control on earth now, just as you are in perfect control in heaven.
(My paraphrase of the prayer Jesus taught His followers.)
The new age is here, right now.
The Spirit of God is on earth,
right now, in me and in all who follow Jesus.
We don't need to wait any longer.
God is here, on earth, right now, in my body,
and your body if you follow Jesus.
This is the good news:
The time has come.
God's new world order has already begun.
All people should therefore change what they think about life and accept the good news.
If you follow Jesus, you are a witness of this. You bear witness to this. The Spirit of God is in you.
Follow the Spirit of God.
Speak as He leads you to.
Act as He leads you to.
This is the new age of God, God's new world order:
The Kingdom of God.
To follow God's Spirit is to do God's will,
on earth as it is done in heaven.
Images from:
ucg.org
sacredportals.blogSpot.com
How to find GOD'S WILL for YOUR LIFE
"Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." The Lord Jesus Christ.
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
The Apostle Paul
You don't find God's will, you do it. In doing it, you will experience this revelation:
Jesus is God, and His words are the very words of God.
So what is the will of God for you?
Three things are always God's will:
Continually enjoy God. Continually pray to God. Continually thank God.
CONTINUALLY ENJOY GOD.
Find happiness in God who created you, Jesus who saved you, and the Spirit who lives in you. How? Acknowledge the goodness of being made, being created, and existing. You are alive and well, able to read my words with a sound mind. You live because of God, your Creator. Your sins are forgiven and forgotten as if they never happened because of God your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God Himself lives inside of your body, right now, affirming the truth of the words you now read. These things are real and satisfying. Enjoy them. This is God's will, and in doing this you will know God's will.
CONTINUALLY PRAY TO GOD.
Talk to God about everything, everywhere, all the time. You experience peace and sanity by telling God everything you are thinking, feeling, and wanting. You feel Him listening and paying attention to you, and you hear Him responding to you in your spirit. When you pray like this, you will know God's will with certainty because you are certain that you are doing God's will right now.
CONTINUALLY THANK GOD.
Thank God for creating you, Jesus for saving you, and the Holy Spirit for living inside of you. This is God's will, and in doing this He reveals His will. When you thank God for life, salvation, and union with Him, He reveals your purpose in life, salvation, and the Spirit's leading. Try it now with me and tell me your experience of God's will is revealed to you.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for creating us, saving us, and living in us. We enjoy knowing You, we enjoy your listening ear to our prayers. We know it is Your will for us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in every situation. We are doing Your will. By this we know your will for us right now.
Tell me in the comment section how you experience God's will revealed to you.
God bless you. I love you. Olatunde.
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
The Apostle Paul
You don't find God's will, you do it. In doing it, you will experience this revelation:
Jesus is God, and His words are the very words of God.
So what is the will of God for you?
Three things are always God's will:
Continually enjoy God. Continually pray to God. Continually thank God.
CONTINUALLY ENJOY GOD.
Find happiness in God who created you, Jesus who saved you, and the Spirit who lives in you. How? Acknowledge the goodness of being made, being created, and existing. You are alive and well, able to read my words with a sound mind. You live because of God, your Creator. Your sins are forgiven and forgotten as if they never happened because of God your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Spirit of God Himself lives inside of your body, right now, affirming the truth of the words you now read. These things are real and satisfying. Enjoy them. This is God's will, and in doing this you will know God's will.
CONTINUALLY PRAY TO GOD.
Talk to God about everything, everywhere, all the time. You experience peace and sanity by telling God everything you are thinking, feeling, and wanting. You feel Him listening and paying attention to you, and you hear Him responding to you in your spirit. When you pray like this, you will know God's will with certainty because you are certain that you are doing God's will right now.
CONTINUALLY THANK GOD.
Thank God for creating you, Jesus for saving you, and the Holy Spirit for living inside of you. This is God's will, and in doing this He reveals His will. When you thank God for life, salvation, and union with Him, He reveals your purpose in life, salvation, and the Spirit's leading. Try it now with me and tell me your experience of God's will is revealed to you.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for creating us, saving us, and living in us. We enjoy knowing You, we enjoy your listening ear to our prayers. We know it is Your will for us to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in every situation. We are doing Your will. By this we know your will for us right now.
Tell me in the comment section how you experience God's will revealed to you.
God bless you. I love you. Olatunde.
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Satan: The Christian's First Mission (Part 2)
The Spirit filled Jesus.
He then led Jesus into the wilderness.
The Spirit led Jesus to encounter, resist, and defeat Satan.
As Christians, we must imitate Christ.
BE SPIRIT LED
When the Spirit permeated Jesus' life, the very first thing He led Jesus to do was to encounter Satan. How did Jesus know the Spirit was leading Him to the enemy, and how can we? Look at what happened with Jesus at His baptism:
1. The Father Himself affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son.
2. The Spirit descended upon Jesus in a tangible way.
3. John the Baptist not only saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, but identified Jesus by the Spirit.
What is God saying to you right now? Whatever it is, expect Satan to respond in contradiction. More than this, expect the Spirit TO LEAD YOU TO SATAN to resist and defeat him. Having resisted and defeated the devil, you can begin your mission, just as Christ began His mission.
You will be as sure of the Spirit driving you as Jesus was sure of the Spirit driving Him. And how will you know the difference between the Spirit influencing you and the devil influencing you? Easy. The Spirit will lead you TO RESIST THE DEVIL. In other words, the very distinction you fear is the very way you will know the distinction between God and Satan. God always leads you to resist Satan, and Satan always leads you to resist God. Again, easy! As it is written,
"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."
If you agree, please pray with me:
"God I submit to Your Spirit and resist the devil and every demonic spirit. Please fill me and lead by your Spirit to resist the devil. In Jesus' name, amen."
May God bless you always by the Spirit filling you and leading you as the Spirit led Jesus Christ.
He then led Jesus into the wilderness.
The Spirit led Jesus to encounter, resist, and defeat Satan.
As Christians, we must imitate Christ.
BE SPIRIT LED
When the Spirit permeated Jesus' life, the very first thing He led Jesus to do was to encounter Satan. How did Jesus know the Spirit was leading Him to the enemy, and how can we? Look at what happened with Jesus at His baptism:
1. The Father Himself affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son.
2. The Spirit descended upon Jesus in a tangible way.
3. John the Baptist not only saw the Spirit descend upon Jesus, but identified Jesus by the Spirit.
The same must be true of me and you.
When God affirms you as His child, and when the Spirit is filling you in a way that is tangible, undeniable, irresistible, and irrefutable, the next person, key word person, you will encounter is Satan. He is always in opposition to God and His children. From the garden of Eden until now, you can know that where God speaks, so will Satan in contradiction:- God said to Adam (and Eve), "From the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. The day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die."
- Satan said to Eve (and Adam who was with her), "You will not surely die, for God knows the day you eat of the tree of knowledge you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
- God said to Jesus, "This is my beloved Son, with Him I am well pleased."
- Satan said to Jesus, "IF you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread. IF you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple."
What is God saying to you right now? Whatever it is, expect Satan to respond in contradiction. More than this, expect the Spirit TO LEAD YOU TO SATAN to resist and defeat him. Having resisted and defeated the devil, you can begin your mission, just as Christ began His mission.
You will be as sure of the Spirit driving you as Jesus was sure of the Spirit driving Him. And how will you know the difference between the Spirit influencing you and the devil influencing you? Easy. The Spirit will lead you TO RESIST THE DEVIL. In other words, the very distinction you fear is the very way you will know the distinction between God and Satan. God always leads you to resist Satan, and Satan always leads you to resist God. Again, easy! As it is written,
"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you."
If you agree, please pray with me:
"God I submit to Your Spirit and resist the devil and every demonic spirit. Please fill me and lead by your Spirit to resist the devil. In Jesus' name, amen."
May God bless you always by the Spirit filling you and leading you as the Spirit led Jesus Christ.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)