It was just like any other day, this is a place I visit quite often. The people, place and atmosphere have all become familiar with my presence. As usual I came in quite early, not wanting to be late. I quickly settled into my regular routine; switch on my PC, check my to-do-list, get updates on outstanding tasks, give necessary feedbacks and ….just generally flow with the day.

Around mid-day I was pulled from my regular seating area into another room…. no, not that ‘other room’. This room was specially designed for sorting out things, task-like things. Apart from me, there were just 2 other persons here. The other people were not exactly at my level, they’ve been around this environment for much longer. We were all supposed to be discussing and dealing with a task, but somehow what was going on here looked more like a tussle, like a spiritual fight. One of the persons in the room seemed to be chanting something, the other was fighting back with some sort of words. They were sitting right opposite each other.

This set-up reminded me of a dream I had a few days earlier which interestingly involved these same persons and in a similar position. As I watched in utter bewilderment, I wondered when this spiritual ‘warfare’ would end so we could get on with the business of the day,…. that didn’t come any time soon. So that was it for me! All this chanting was beginning to have some undesirable spiritual effect on me. Not sure they noticed my entrance and exit.

As I returned to my personal spot and space, all I could think was, ‘how does this kind of thing go on in this environment?‘ The more I thought about it, I realized that fear was gradually spreading across my mind. How do I continue to cope here? How did I get here? What do I do now?

Later that day, I decided to just pray in the spirit. It was as I prayed in tongues that first John 4:4 dropped in my spirit.

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
I John 4:4 NKJV

‘I know that scripture‘, I thought out loud to myself. But what does it even mean? Hmmm..

Before now, my understanding of 1 John 4:4 was this: ‘anyone in Christ Jesus is greater than the one who is yet to come to Him.’

This wasn’t exactly the understanding I was receiving today as I prayed.

Oh, there it is! I get it now. .…….The One in me is greater than the one who is in the world! Wow! Again, wow!!

I know who is in the world;…….the devil.

Who is in me? Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is IN me? YES!!!

Immediately, all my fears vanished, strength and boldness suddenly rose up from within me. ‘Oh dear, I carry God in the inside of me! And if God (Jesus Christ) is in me, then I am actually bigger than I know! I am bigger than whoever or whatever is in the world. Wow!
So the next time something ‘evilish’, devilish, scary, troubling, confusing, intimidating, or negative comes at you, pause and remember that ‘The Greater One is in You’.

The One who disarmed principalities and powers is in you. You have the light of the world, darkness Never overcomes light.

The One who bore and carried all manner of sicknesses and yet didn’t die from them is in you. No, sickness and disease didn’t kill Him, nothing and no one killed Him. He laid down His life voluntarily.

The One who conquered death is in you.

The One in You is Greater. The One in You is Stronger. The One in You is Bigger. Greater is HE who is in you than he who is in the world.

Halleluyah!

The Greater One is in You (I). You are so much bigger than you appear.

Thank You Jesus !!!

……….

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Have you received Jesus Christ into your heart? You are a son of God! And God leads His sons.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 NKJV

You Have The Spirit Of Christ

That day you confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, that was the day you became a son of God! (John 1:12). On that very day, your old sinful nature was done away with, your spirit was recreated and you became a brand new creature (Ephesians 2:1-10, 2 Corinthians 5:17). You have the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Your spirit serves as a lamp or candle to God; He sees your innermost being. He knows your thoughts, concerns, worries and even motives. (Proverbs 20:27).

Our recreated human spirits is the direct link between us and God.

According to Romans 8:14, if you are a son of God, you should never lack direction, never be confused, never be unsure of the will of God for any situation, because God leads His sons.

Are you at crossroads? Do you need to make a critical life decision about where to live, who to marry, what schools to send your kids to, your next steps, your purpose in life? You have the Spirit of Christ. You are God’s son. And God leads His sons.

You Have The Holy Spirit Of Promise

The Holy Spirit of promise was given as a guarantee that we will indeed possess all our inheritance in Christ. He is God’s seal on us (Ephesians 1:13-14). When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a new dimension of power is made available to us to do the work of the kingdom (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is our Paraclete- Counsellor, Advocate, Helper, Strengthener, Intercessor and Standby (John 14:16). He is in us as our Guide (Isaiah 58:11, John 16:13). He guides us, not only in the truth of God’s Word, He is also available to provide guidance in all our life affairs if we let Him. We should never lack direction.

Two ways to be confidently led by God are; to recognize God’s voice and to know God’s Word (John 10:4‭-‬5). When we train ourselves to recognize God’s voice, just the way a little baby by repeated interactions recognizes the mother’s voice, we will not be misled by the contrary voice of a ‘stranger’. Therefore developing an intimate relationship with God is one sure way of getting familiar with His voice. And like any other relationship, such intimacy is developed by spending time with God; in prayer and in His Word.

Praying in the Holy Ghost is one sure way to gain clarity about God’s leading. When we pray in the Holy Ghost our spirit become charged, strengthened, more alert and sensitive to God’s leading (Jude 20, Ephesians 3:16). The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God and intercedes for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27). So if we engage the Holy Spirit as we should, we should never be out of God’s will, plans and purposes for our lives.

You Have The Word Of Life

God’s leading never contradicts His Word. God will never lead us outside of His Word. The Word also serves as our spiritual compass for the present and future; His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Never lack direction, because God leads His sons. You have the Spirit of Christ, you have the Holy Spirit and you have the Word of life.

You have probably read Mark 11:23 ten times and over, I have. You may have also probably written out Word-based faith confessions from this scripture, I have. You also may have taken bold faith steps inspired by Mark 11:23, I have.

Question; ‘what’s it again about Mark 11:23 then?’…… ‘Say WHAT You Want‘….

Let’s look at this scripture again…

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Mark 11:23 NKJV

Mark 11:23 NKJV

We see the mechanics of faith explained in Mark 11:22-23….Say…..Believe….Receive (have).

Notice also, how Jesus said we are to handle the mountain; we are to SPEAK DIRECTLY to it… “be removed and cast into the sea”..

While this may seem like nothing, it is actually important and can be easily neglected. Christians often prefer to go ’round’ a ‘mountain’ rather than speak directly to it.

For example…: “by His Stripes I am healed” is a Word-based faith confession informed by Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24.  This confession is a foundation on which to declare; ’I declare to you my brain cells that you function perfectly well, I read, understand, retain and remember the things I read in Jesus name, because I believe that surely He bore my griefs, He carried my sorrows, He was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for my iniquities and by His stripes I am healed.”

Jesus said we should Say (talk directly) to the mountain “be removed and be cast into the sea“. If we only keep saying ‘this too shall pass’, ‘God is my healer’ ‘I know that God is faithful’, we have not spoken directly to any mountain (selah).

Let’s see what Jesus did about a ‘mountain’….

John 11:41-44….

“So they took away the stone. Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger]. When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! And out walked the man who had been dead, his hands and feet wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] napkin bound around his face. Jesus said to them, Free him of the burial wrappings and let him go.“
John 11:41‭-‬44 AMPC

I believe that if Jesus stopped at recognizing and thanking the Father without calling forth Lazarus, dead Lazarus would not have as much as turned in his grave….

Here’s the thing, the authority and confidence to say “be removed and be cast into the sea“ is backed by the Word (which you know already). That’s what the Word does for us- builds our knowledge about our identity, rights and privileges in Christ so that we can boldly claim them. Jesus’s confidence was that the Father ALWAYS heard Him, so surely dead Lazarus came back to life when He called out to him.

So the next time you need say $100 based on your knowledge of II Corinthians 8:9; Christ became poor that I might be rich”, boldly declare in faith that you receive and thank the Father for it. In my experience, one of 2 things will happen to get that money into your hands; 1. God will show you or expose you to an opportunity that will deliver $100 to you. 2. Someone/people will be led to give you exactly $100 gift. We just need to understand how God works with us.

Philippians 4:6 says, ‘do not be anxious, just say what you want‘…

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Philippians 4:6 NKJV

When we are not specific about what we want or about our declarations, we seem like a young man who goes before his wealthy father, showering him with encomiums.. “daddy, I know that you are very wealthy, you own company ABC, you own a fleet of cars, you are rich, generous and kind, blablabla“. I believe that at some point, this rich, generous and kind father will interrupt his son with a ‘what do you want?, say it’.

Today, based on the Word of God, Say WHAT you want. And do not doubt in your heart, only believe, and you shall have what you Say.

“And WHATever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
Matthew 21:22 NKJV

What if I told you that ‘God already knew about whatever it is you are experiencing right now, whether pleasant or unpleasant? ‘ He knew about them long before they happened, before you were even born.

Below, are 4 different translations of Psalm 139:16..

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.“
Psalms 139:16 NLT

“Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].”
Psalms 139:16 AMP

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.’
Psalms 139:16 NKJV

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.”
Psalm 139:13‭-‬16 MSG

Anyhow we choose to read this verse of Psalms, there are at least 4 things it tells us…

1. God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb.

2. He had a definite plan and Purpose for your Life, before proceeding to forming you in your mother’s womb.

3. There is a Number of days apportioned to you in this life by God. Nobody should tell you how much longer you have to live if they haven’t discussed with God (selah).

4. Your daily experiences (good or bad) do not surprise God because He knew about them long before you were born. He saw your days afar off even before they came to be.

I don’t know how reading this makes you feel, but for me I am reassured that every Stage of my life, every Day of my life and every Moment of my life are continually before God. He knew about them before they came to be. And being that God is Good, and He only has good in Him, then I choose to believe that God’s plans for me are good.

Irrespective of what you are experiencing today, God already planned an expected end for you….in Him.

So, look beyond today, see beyond your unpleasant or bad experiences of today. There’s a tomorrow coming after today and it’s coming with good….in Christ..for you. Your story will end well because God already planned a good end for you, plans of good, not of evil…

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

Friends, God’s got your back! His thoughts towards you are of peace, they are good, they have no evil in them, they will lead you to the beautiful future He’s planned for you…in Him.

The temptations (and troubles) of life which come to derail you from God’s good plan and purpose will fail if you stay with God, walk with God and trust God, He will make a way of escape for you (1 Corinthians 10:13).

What stage, day or moment of life are you currently at? Pleasant? Praise God! Unpleasant? Praise God, trust God, He’s got you. Your times and seasons are in His hands (Psalms 31:15).

I love John 17:23….

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.“
John 17:23 NKJV

If Christ is in Us and the Father is in Christ, then we are kept safe in the Father through Christ.

Halleluyah!

Prayer

Father, I trust your good thoughts, plans and purpose for my life. I will stay with You, walk with You and trust You to lead me to my glorious destiny in You.

Recognize that thorns come to ultimately frustrate you; to make life difficult for you; to make it seem like you’re not making progress. So first,  carefully tackle any form of frustration attempting to creep into mind by removing the focus from yourself and unto a bigger goal. Second shut down the proponents of your thorns.

Thank You for Your Grace; the display of your love and kindness, the daily manifestation of your glory and power.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your graciousness and Gift of grace freely given to us. Grace bought us, grace keeps us and we glory in Your grace.

Thank You for Your Grace; washing away sins, saving lives, filling to overflow with rivers of living waters.

Thank You for Your Grace; Divine enablement by Your Spirit to do the seemingly impossible even today.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine ability, to physically create, build and establish your purpose.

Thank You for Your Grace; Your divine and boundless favour, bringing in overflowing measures of goodness from wherever life exists, extending same from us to wherever life exists.

Thank You for Your Grace; divine strength and sustenance to remain undaunted, unflinching, persuaded and fully committed.

Thank You for Your Grace; The force of Your power, neutralizing every opposition and contrary force.

Thank You for Your Grace; my confidence, my boldness, my assurance.

Lord, thank You for Your Grace today.

In the Rest place of God, there is no anxiety, worry or panic, because faith in the Word reigns supreme.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us

We’ve probably all heard or read about the Bible story of Esau and Jacob, the twin sons of Isaac. May I ask your perspective on the story; did Esau sell his birthright or did Jacob seize it from him? ?

By virtue of his birth position as the firstborn twin, Esau was naturally positioned to receive the birthright blessing from his father Isaac. So God gave Esau an advantage from birth; an opportunity to inherit the birthright blessing.

However on this particular day, somewhere in his teenage days, Esau didn’t see his birth position as a privileged position, he didn’t think it was worth more than a bowl of pottage… Esau thought he needed food more than a future birthright blessing….

“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
Genesis 25:29‭-‬34 NKJV

Esau had just returned from an exhaustive and not very successful hunting session. He was weary (hungry and weak) and just needed something to eat. On returning home, his brother had a ready meal of pottage waiting to be consumed.

Esau only asked for some of Jacob’s pottage, as would any hungry brother who’d smelt food from far off.

Esau had a legitimate reason to want food; he had labour out in the fields and was exhausted. Are there believers today whose experiences can be likened to Esau’s on this particular day- working hard and having nothing to show for it? What options do people in this situation have? How should they handle the pressures of life-rent, fees, food, clothing, etc, etc? How should they meet family obligations and responsibilities? Like Esau, do these people have any advantage by virtue of being Christians or are they thrown daily into the same rat race as the people of the world?

In Hebrews 12: 14-16, the writer draws a spiritual lesson from Esau’s response to his pressures;

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Hebrews 12:14-16 NKJV.

Esau is used here as an example of a godless person because he did not recognize his birth position as being worth more than a bowl of pottage, and believers are admonished to place high value on their spiritual inheritance; to consider it as precious; never to trade it for anything else.

Let’s think about Esau for a bit; why did he easily give up his birthright?

Do you think he understood the spiritual implications of his birth position? Did he link his birth position to a blessing? Do you think he believed in this blessing? Or was Esau just an impatient person driven more by his desires than reasoning?

Here are my thoughts……

One, It seems to me that essentially, Esau lacked good knowledge and understanding of both natural and spiritual things/processes. Yes, Jacob may be described as a schemer, ‘supplanter’, tricky and deceitful person, yet, I still think Esau was naïve; he neither understood how the world works nor how to make it work to his benefit. Additionally (and most importantly) he was also unspiritual/godless and so could not understand the spiritual implication of his birth position, so he had little or no regard for it. Naivety and godlessness are obviously 2 dangerous combinations. If Esau at least had one of these, Jacob would have had a very hard time taking advantage of him. You don’t sign a letter of agreement (or swear even casually) to forgo your birthright blessing for the rest of your life! That is not smart; spiritually or naturally.

Two, I think that Esau allowed fear to dominate him, fear of the unknown, fear of what his future would be like. And fear is always a reflection of unbelief. So Esau had slipped into unbelief (even without realizing it). I daresay, this didn’t all happen in one day. It’s likely a subconscious response to seeming to be unsuccessful despite putting in a lot of efforts at becoming successful. One thing Esau did not realise though was that all along he had something worth more than a bowl of pottage.

Esau had the Blessing Advantage but didn’t place a high value on it. He did not value his birth position, did not value the blessing that comes with it, and he had no regard (anymore) for the source of the blessing-God! If he did, he would have probably known to endure a temporary hardship, to be patient through a transient pain/discomfort, he would have most likely known to choose and safeguard/preserve something with a long-term value/benefit over a bowl of pottage.

Dearly beloved, Esau had the blessing, you have the Blessing! By virtue of your rebirth and position in Christ, you have the Blessing (Galatians 3:14b). Do you know it? Do you recognize it?

The blessing is worth more than any temporary gain because the Blessing always brings increase and multiplication.

The blood of Jesus that bought your salvation is worth more than a bowl of pottage. The call of God upon your life is worth more than that attractive but illegal agreement you are considering signing. The anointing on your head is worth more than the transient satisfaction of sexual sin. The plans and purpose of God for your life is worth more than that temptation to cut corners and indulge in dirty deals.

Esau needed to exercise just a little more control, a little more patience, if only he had some more regard for his privileged position, he would have endured a temporary hardship, pain, discomfort, distress.

How do you lose a life-long advantage over a transient discomfort? How do you trade the Blessing for a Bowl of Pottage?

Do not step out of God’s will, stay with God, stay with His Word. Stay in the blessing. Do not seek alternative routes to success, walk in-step with the Spirit, stay with God, stay in the Word, stay in the blessing. Do not go to the fortunetellers (those claiming to see into your future), do not consult the spiritualists (those falsely claiming to reach God on your behalf), do not sign misleading agreements. Stay with the Word (Isaiah 8:19-22 MSG).

The Blessing will continually speak for you. Shalom!

I remember when I got born again; June 1993 at one of the branches of Deeper Life Bible Church, Nigeria. It was my first time at the Church, a friend had invited me for their regular Sunday service. There was a talk on the importance of choosing heaven over hell; talk about a broad way that leads to hell and a narrow path which leads to heaven. Yours truly didn’t want anything to do with hell, so off to the front roll I marched as soon as the alter call was made for people to make a decision for Jesus. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ; hell lost a soul; Heaven’s gain….

As I think about my spiritual rebirth day, I am reminded of the process that brought me to my current spiritual status of being alive in Christ. Having heard the message on salvation as was preached that day (deliverance through faith in Christ Jesus), the expected response from me was to confirm my believe by simply walking down the aisle towards the Preacher, who led me to confess the ‘sinner’s prayer’.

Twenty-eight years later, even with a little stormy time along my walk, my salvation status hasn’t changed; I know that I am born again. I received my salvation that day, and that hasn’t changed.

Unknowing to me, the only good thing about that day wasn’t that I got born again, no, I was also delivered from the curse (Sickness, Poverty and spiritual death), because the same sacrifice that bought my salvation also bought my healing.

Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was a blind roadside beggar. On this particular day when Jesus walked out of Jericho, Bartimaeus didn’t want alms, he’s learnt how to ASK and RECEIVE gifts through the years. Today, he wanted a different kind of gift;…. healing for his eyes. All attempts by bystanders to stop him proved futile. In the end Jesus connected with his faith, his sight was restored. Bartimaeus RECEIVED his sight, ….just like that. He believed Jesus could heal him, he asked for his healing and he got it.

“Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.“
Mark 10:52 NKJV

Do you believe Jesus has healed you? And if I may kindly ask; ‘have you received your healing in the same way that you received your salvation?‘

Healing confessions are no good if we lack the conviction that we are already healed. Our confessions and partaking in communion do not in themselves bring healing, they are ways in which we further proclaim and maintain that we are healed.

Someone asks; ‘Grace, I am currently taking medications for a health condition, do you advice me to discontinue?’

Not at all, drugs or not, the truth remains that Jesus bought our healing. As Jesus would say…..’believe comes before seeing‘. So believe and receive.

By His Stripes I am healed.

Lord I believe that by the Stripes of Jesus I was healed. I receive my healing, and I declare that I am working in it everyday.

Thank You Lord!!