LAW & GRACE

God is often rightly portrayed in the old Testament as King of the Jews and all men. Over the years he has ruled his people in two principal ways, by the Law and by Grace. GOD gave the law to Moses on mount Sinai to govern his people while grace came through His son Jesus Christ’s obedience and sacrifice on the cross.

When God ruled by the law, his children did not know him personally and intimately because of their sins and disobedience. So God spoke through prophets and used his priests as mediators between him and the people. God used judges and kings to govern the people and they were all under the law. Anyone who loved God and wanted to please him back then had to keep all the laws and regular sin offerings were offered by priests when people disobeyed God and broke the law.

God’s rule by law ended with the birth of his son Jesus Christ who brought the ‘Kingdom of God’. Christ is the word of God that became flesh and he is our great high priest who rules with Grace and Mercy over all who believe and submit to his authority.

There is a huge difference between God’s rule through the law and by grace. The law was a sort of mirror that man could use to see the condition of his relationship with God. To be accepted by God , we have to be holy , perfect and righteous. The law clearly exposes how far we are from being Holy perfect and righteous. But while the law exposed our sins and drew us away from God, grace on the other hand brings us closer to God. We are humbled when we know that we are righteous and perfect and holy before God not because of our works or good deeds, but by Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrificial death on the cross. We can now have a perfect and intimate relationship with God the Father and come boldly before Him anytime we want.

In conclusion; God’s rule by grace is all about love and mercy while the law was about judgement. The law was out to expose man’s selfishness , imperfect and sinful nature while Grace exposes Gods loving, kind and perfect nature. Under the law man tried to do it all by himself, but under grace, man surrenders to God which is the natural order of things.

 

FAITH OR FEAR?

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for,  the evidence of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11:1) 
                  
When you hope for something,  you know exactly what you’re  hoping for because you picture it in your mind and what you visualize actually shapes what you will become. Therefore faith is the manifestation (or the evidence) of whatever mental pictures you build up in your mind.        

Now dear friend  what is your mental picture?  Power,  love and success or fear, failure and depression? Believe it or not,  there are only two kinds of spiritual forces in the world- those that are for God (for good) and those that are for satan (for evil) as  Christians we know the importance of guarding our minds and most make the crucial decision of which spirit to allow in our minds daily. The spirit of God or the spirit of fear?  Take note that whichever side you permit to control your thoughts,  that side will control your entire being. ( Romans 6:16) says ” know ye not , that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,  his servants ye are to whom you obey; whether of sin to death or of obedience unto righteousness?”

We pray for  Savior and chief priest Jesus to intercede for us and for God to give us the continual grace and strength to guard our minds and keep our thoughts on whatever is pure and good and holy.  Philippians 4:8.  GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

HUNGER FOR GOD!!! GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIVES

HAVE  you ever wondered what God’s will for your life is?   Its very simple, Gods will for your life is that you be in good health and prosperity always.

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosperyou and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

This Message is part of the teaching of  ”HUNGER FOR GOD” by my dear Pastor Wilberforce OF CITY CHURCH INTERNATIONAL STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN. The teaching is VERY BROAD, BUT I WILL TRY TO SUMMARISE I AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Matthew 6:33  says  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Hunger for God is powerful and it changes a man’s life for ever.  What all great men and women of God from the bible days and our generation have in  common is Hunger for God. When you thirst and Pant for the Word of  God as a deer pants for breath when it drinks water,  you will be filled.

Gods wants us to walk in the power of His truth and His   word is the lamp that leads us and gives us direction in this dark world. Prayer , praise and thanks giving will always bring lead us to His presence.  GOD’S  Will is to BLESS, HEAL and PROSPER us when we are in intimate fellowship with him.

1 Peter 5:7 says  ”Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you”

God wants to bless us financially, contrarily to what many people think.  Deuteronomy 28:12  says ”The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

ITS God’s will to bless us with marriages .The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18  .       proverbs 18:22 says ” He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the Lord”.
    GOD Wants us to be fathers and mothers. psalms 127 :3 says. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Healling is also part of God’s  will for our lives. He says in Exodus 15:26 ” I am the Lord who heals you.” 

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  ISAIAH 53:5.

God wants us to sleep well at night and look strong and well. He wants us to look good and dress well. He wants us to work out and keep our bodies fit like good stewards because our bodies are the temple of God. He wants you to look your best and smell good always.

Friends, God’s will is to  bless us abundantly in all areas of our lives if we seek Him first.  what do you seek most in your lives today?  What are you most hungry for? . Remember God holds  your tomorrow in HIS hands. He knows the end from the beginning. HE knew you before you were formed in your mama’s belly.  Don’t worry about carreers, money,  what to eat or  wear, but instead seek him first, thirst for Him, and He will add all these things to you. IN other words SEEK THE BLESSER AND NOT THE BLESSINGS.  Every good gift comes from God. God’s anointing in your life will definitely make you an excellent person to be envied just like Abraham.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

THE SECRET FOR LONG LIFE ON EARTH!

The first commandment that God gave with a promise was ”HONOR your Father and your Mother.”   WHEN you Honor your parents, you will live a long and rich life.  It is but natural for children to honor their parents,  So why did GOD give us this commandment?  And why dose the bible  emphasize this commandment in Ephesians, Exodus and Deuteronomy?   LETS FIND OUT BELOW

 Ephesians 6:2-3 says  ”If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.   EXODUS  20: 12, says “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.   THe bible says the same thing in Deuteronomy 5:16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
   Today there are many broken homes,  most children end up living with one parent and most often they have little or no contact with the other parent, thus they grow up despicing and hating the absentee parents.  Its the same with single mothers and teenage pregnacies, most often because the mom raises the child alone, she grows bitter with the father of the child and teaches the child to hate the father also.   There are also  children that grew up with very abusive parents.  Some fathers rape and abuse their own daughters, mothers  beat up their children with malice for any little fault or just for the fun of it. No wonder these children grow up, move away from home as fast as they can and live a life of hatred ,  most of it directed at their parents.
      IT IS very important to understand one thing here, This hatred and pain comes from the devil.  The bible says in John 10:10 that the devil comes  only to Steal, kill and destroy us.  The devil loves to steal our relationships, It gives him great joy to see friendships broken,  families broken, children hating parents, and brothers hating sisters.  Relationships are the backbone of society and life, nobody is an island and nobody can really live alone.  We become bitter and full of hatred when we are hurt or betrayed by our ”relations”

Forgive your parents and honor them, so that you may live a long , peaceful and prosperous life.  Release them  and free yourself from that bondage of hate. The bible didnt say honor your parents if they are good to you or love you, NO it said HONOR your Father  and Mother.  That means   respect and love them no matter what , so that your days maybe long on earth. Forgive them and loose yourself from the bondage of the devil.  IN JOHN 10:10, JESUS  said ” I come to give you abundant life”. Trust in Christ and  let him take away the wounds in your heart and fill you with His Love .

GOD BLESS YOU ALL

 

UNFORGIVENESS – THE REASON MOST PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED!

Forgiveness releases Gods power in our lives and opens the floodgates of heaven for us. In Colossians 3:13 and Ephesians 4:32 The bible says” Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.”

IF you lodge Unforgiveness and bitterness in your hearts, it will destroy you. Most often when we get offended, we rehearse the offense repeatedly in our minds and this thought become a stronghold that eventually destroy us. The devil will bring in FEAR and PHOBIAS to destroy you in your state of unforgiveness.
IN mark 11: 25, the bible says ” when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Matthew 5:23-24 says Before you offer your gift, offering or tithes to God, go first and make peace with those you have offended..
All these is to tell you that God will not answer your prayers if you dont forgive one another and make peace. Make a conscious effort to trust in JESUS the Messiah and to FORGIVE , those who have hurt you, including yourself if you are angry at yourself and even God if you blame him for anything.
The devil may tell you that the Wrong or offense is too big to forgive, Dont listen to him, John 10:10 says the devil is only interested in your death and destruction. IF Jesus could forgive the people that beat him, humiliated him and crucified him, then we can forgive also.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

SELF HATRED AND BITTERNESS

 

Psalm 36:7

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Maybe you were truamatised as a child, and you have grown up experiencing many failures. You hate yourself and blame yourself for all your failures, for the way you look and wish that you were somebody else?

WELL I have good news for you. God loves you dearly and made you in His own image. He says you are not a failure. Stop blaiming yourself and trust in GOD instead for HE loves you just the way you are and wants you to live a life of passion and power.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says ” be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.( your troubles ) For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you”. The bible says in 1 john 3:1 that God loves us so much that He has made us His Children just like Christ.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

INSECURITY AND INFERIORITY

These two evil spirits of Insecurity and Inferiority destroy many people and rob them of their destiny or purpose for their lives. Everywhere you look you see Peer pressure, young boys doing drugs just to fit in and be cool, teenage pregnancies because you are uncool if you dont have a boyfriend at 16, Jealousy, Gossiping and Backbiting by insecure people who suffer from inferiority complex, Greed, the need to make alot of money to be accepted as cool by society, murders ETC, the list never ends. Fear is the biggest stronghold that is associated with these spirits. The Walls we build through fear to protect us from our Insecurity and Inferiority becomes the very prison that enslaves us.

Fear is completely self-oriented, rooted in INSECURITY and INFERIORITY, The fear of failure holds many back from ever taking a step towards fulfilling their destinies.
THE GOOD NEWS is that the love of God breaks all fear. 1 john 4:18 says ” There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 2 Timothy 1:7 says ”God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

BEWARE OF FAKE FRIENDS

There are people that come into your life only to destroy you. Just as God brings people in our lives to promote us, the devil also puts some people in our paths to destroy us, and most often you will never know because they seem harmless and dont even know they are being used by the devil.

Remember you are who God says you are not what people say you are. You Can do ALL THINGS through CHRIST who gives you strength, not through man.

FEARING people is a dangerous trap, but TRUSTING the LORD means safety (Proverbs 29:25) JESUS says in John 10:10 ”The thief ( devil ) comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL.