The School of the Holy Spirit – 44 of 52 – Part 32 The Secret of developing deeper roots in the pursuit of God – Joseph’s true-life story in Entering Gods Rest in the storm + How to counsel people with Assurance, Authority and Attitudinal issues + The dream on Nigeria
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The School of the Holy Spirit – 44 of 52 – Part 32 The Secret of developing deeper roots in the pursuit of God – Joseph’s true-life story in Entering Gods Rest in the storm + How to counsel people with Assurance, Authority and Attitudinal issues + The dream on Nigeria
Otakada.org Content Count: 2,220,115
Date: Sunday, June 28th, 2020
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Podcast: anchor.fm/otakada.org
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Quotes: The pursuit of God – Abiding in Christ- digging deeper root – Rest in God
“Unanswered prayers: Prayers can get unanswered for several reasons chief of which comes from our shallow roots in God. When we have developed deeper roots as a consequence of our relentless pursuit of God, His desires becomes our desires and so we pray His heart, which is really our heart desire – We become one with Him and we rest in God, Literally speaking – Mark 11:24, 28-29; Psalm 37:4; Hebrews 4:1-12; John 15:1-8; Psalm 82:1-8; Psalm 46:10”- Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe – Otakada.org
“In today’s busy world, rest is usually something reserved for a few quick hours at night. But rest – something different from actual sleep – is a good thing, and something God wants us to do. God has promised His people rest: a mental and spiritual peace here in this world, not just when we get to heaven.” – Christian Q
“Christ’s invitation to the weary and heavy-laden is a call to begin life over again upon a new principle–upon His own principle. “Watch My way of doing things,” He says. “Follow Me. Take life as I take it. Be meek and lowly, and you will find Rest.” – Henry Drummond
He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward. – Harry Emerson Fosdick
If there be anything that can render the soul calm, dissipate its scruples and dispel its fears, sweeten its sufferings by the anointing of love, impart strength to all its actions, and spread abroad the joy of the Holy Spirit in its countenance and words, it is this simple and childlike repose in the arms of God.– S.D. Gordon
Carnal Christians crave works; yet amid many labors they are unable to maintain calm in their spirit. They cannot fulfill God’s orders quietly as can the spiritual believers… their hearts are governed by outward matters. Being “distracted with much serving” (Luke 10:40) is the characteristic of the work of any soulish believer. They have not yet entered the rest of God.- Watchman Nee
Once I knew what it was to rest upon the rock of God’s promises, and it was indeed a precious resting place, but now I rest in His grace. He is teaching me that the bosom of His love is a far sweeter resting-place than even the rock of His promises.
– Hannah Whitall Smith
No soul can be really at rest until it has given up all dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us.
– Hannah Whitall Smith
Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength… It is wisdom to take occasional furlough. In the long run, we shall do more by sometimes doing less.
– Charles Spurgeon
Do not strive in your own strength; cast yourself at the feet of the Lord Jesus, and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with you, and works in you. Strive in prayer; let faith fill your heart-so will you be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
– Andrew Murray
“Isn’t it time to stop wishing, complaining, making excuses and pointing finger? Your destiny calls for you to give your dream the actions that it desperately needs. Dig deep to discover your hidden abilities and strength to always persevere.”
― Edmond Mbiaka
“The only real certainty is that if you get to live, you gotta die. Live life now.”
― Aaron Lauritsen
“Dig deep & pull the roots of confidence from the ground of your being, standing firm in the raging storm until sunlight blossoms inside you.”
― Curtis Tyrone Jones
“At some point, you just gotta forgive the past, your happiness hinges on it.”
― Aaron Lauritsen
“Life’s trials will test you, and shape you, but don’t let them change who you are.”
~ Aaron Lauritsen,
Key Verses:
Matthew 6:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 6 But when you pray, go into your [ most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
Matthew 7:24-27 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 24 So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [ obeying them] will be like a [a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.
25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.
27 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.
Revelation 3:18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [ representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.
Luke 21:34-35 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
34 But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the [a]giddiness and headache and [b]nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [ the [c]business of] this life, and [ lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;
35 For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.
Zechariah 4:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
6 Then he said to me, This [addition of the bowl to the candlestick, causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil from the olive trees] is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts.
John 15:1-8 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
15 I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
2 Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing ] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
3 You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you ].
4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you. ] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
6 If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off ] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you live in Me [ abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
Genesis 39:19-23 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
19 And when [Joseph’s ] master heard the words of his wife, saying to him, This is the way your servant treated me, his wrath was kindled.
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him in the prison, a place where the state prisoners were confined; so he was there in the prison.
21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy and loving-kindness and gave him favor in the sight of the warden of the prison.
22 And the warden of the prison committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison; and whatsoever was done there, he was in charge of it.
23 The prison warden paid no attention to anything that was in [Joseph’s ] charge, for the Lord was with him and made whatever he did to prosper.
Genesis 40:14-15,23 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
14 But think of me when it shall be well with you and show kindness, I beg of you, to me, and mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house.
15 For truly I was carried away from the land of the Hebrews by unlawful force, and here too I have done nothing for which they should put me into the dungeon. 23 But [ even after all that] the chief butler gave no thought to Joseph, but forgot [ all about] him.
Psalm 37:4 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.
Hebrews 4:1-12 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
4 Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still holds and is offered [today ], let us be afraid [[a]to distrust it ], lest any of you should [b]think he has come too late and has come short of [reaching ] it.
2 For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God ] proclaimed to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith (with [c]the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those who heard it; [d]neither were they united in faith with the ones [ Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).
3 For we who have believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on God) do enter that rest, [e]in accordance with His declaration that those [ who did not believe] should not enter when He said, As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest; and this He said although [ His] works had been completed and prepared [and waiting for all who would believe] from the foundation of the world.
4 For in a certain place He has said this about the seventh day: And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.
5 And [they forfeited their part in it, for ] in this [ passage] He said, They shall not enter My rest.
6 Seeing then that the promise remains over [from past times ] for some to enter that rest, and that those who formerly were given the good news about it and the opportunity, failed to appropriate it and did not enter because of disobedience,
7 Again He sets a definite day, [a new] Today, [and gives another opportunity of securing that rest] saying through David after so long a time in the words already quoted, Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts.
8 [ This mention of a rest was not a reference to their entering into Canaan.] For if Joshua had given them rest, He [God] would not speak afterward about another day.
9 So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God;
10 For he who has once entered [God’s ] rest also has ceased from [ the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors [f]peculiarly His own.
11 Let us therefore be zealous and exert ourselves and strive diligently to enter that rest [of God, to know and experience it for ourselves ], that no one may fall or perish by the same kind of unbelief and disobedience [ into which those in the wilderness fell].
12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective ]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the [g]breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature ], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
Psalm 82: 1-8 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
1 God stands in the assembly [of the representatives ] of God; in the midst of the magistrates or judges He gives judgment [as ] among the gods.
2 How long will you [magistrates or judges ] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that ]!
3 Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 [The magistrates and judges ] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction ]; all the foundations of the earth [ the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking.
6 I said, You are gods [since you judge on My behalf, as My representatives ]; indeed, all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die as men and fall as one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For to You belong all the nations.
Psalm 46:10 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
10 Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
Introduction.
Dear friends I welcome you to the series on the school of the Holy Spirit. Today, we bring you –
The School of the Holy Spirit – 44 of 52 – Part 32 The Secret of developing deeper roots in the pursuit of God – Joseph’s true life story in Entering Gods Rest in the storm + How to counsel people with Assurance, authority and attitudinal issues + The dream on Nigeria
At Otakada.org, we bring YOU over 2 million contents for All Round Success for your Spirit, Soul and your Body all in one place! Check this out in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Hebrews 4:12
Read – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Amplified Bible (AMP) 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [ that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose ]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found ] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Together with you, we are building MASSIVE SPIRITUAL TEMPLES in people’s heart for the Spirit of God to dwell in and operate through with ease in these times and seasons, so stay with us and build with us! – Check this out in 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 17; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 John 4:4
If you missed the last two series of Sunday and Wednesday as follows hereunder:
The School of the Holy Spirit – 42 of 52 – Part 30 The Secret of Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service and Inner Healing in the Secret Place – 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina + How to help people who are addicted to Drug, Alcohol, Gambling and Sex + How to Counsel people involved in Adultery 8 of 12
Otakada.org Content Count: 2,220,110
Date: Sunday, June 21st, 2020
Blog Link – https://www.otakada.org/the-secret-of-belief-obey-service-inner-healing
Weekly Motivational and Inspirational Stories for The Marketplace – The School of the Holy Spirit – 43 of 52 – Part 31 – Lessons from Jesus’s parable of the rich man and his shrewd manager + Counseling Businesses in Troubling Times + How to help people with persistent and uncontrollable Anger, Anxiety and Worry Issues 9 of 12
Date: Wednesday, June 24th, 2020
Pray for Nigeria – The Dream – 27th of June 2020:
I dreamt today, where a military ruthless rascal took over the rein of power, derailing the democratic process. Pray to avert any change in the seat of power that is against the plan and purpose of God concerning Nigeria and her people. What I saw was a military rascal, full of pride in every way that took over the rein of the nation. Pray against the counsel of the wicked in our land and their enterprise will not stand and will be aborted from its roots before it gains momentum in Jesus name. Ask God to have mercy on our land, enthrone and sustain a leader who fears and references the Lord in every way, where justice, peace, prosperity and healing of the land will take place in Jesus name, amen! Use Psalm 46:10 , Psalm 2:1-12 and others as led
Now, let’s explore The Secret of developing deeper roots in the pursuit of God – Joseph’s true life story
There is a huge question that has been asked by all of the greatest saints throughout history in their pursuit of God. The question is very simply, “How do I dig deeper root in the pursuit of God? – How do I abide in Christ?” The question is simple, but the answer profound. And few there be that find it.
Many of us feel like we move in and out of God’s throneroom. We have times of great connectedness, and then we suffer periods of disconnectedness. We can’t always analyze exactly why a distance has developed in our hearts toward the Lord, but most of us feel like our relationship with Christ is a roller coaster ride of feeling close, then far, then close, then far, then close again. In and out. And we hate it. We were created for constant intimacy, and anything less makes us unsettled on the inside – except if we have gone too far away or have not developed roots in the first place. Let’s read
In my opinion, these are some of the most glorious words of Christ in the entire Bible: John 15:7-8 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me ] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.
The “if” of the passage signifies a condition that anyone willing and obedient can satisfy. “If!” The great condition to answered prayer is an abiding relationship with Christ and His words. This attainment is not guaranteed. It is available, but rarely experienced in fullness.
A Christian magazine that featured Hudson Taylor in one of its issues referred to how Taylor struggled for a closer walk with God. Although he is considered one of the greatest missionary champions of church history, he longed for a more intimate relationship with Christ. “I prayed, agonized, fasted, strove, made resolutions, read the word more diligently, sought more time for
retirement and meditation—but all was without effect, I knew that if I would abide in Christ all would be well, but I could not.” Taylor reached a turning point in his life when he received a letter from a colleague. This simple message unlocked the door: “Friendship with God comes not from striving after faith but from resting in the faithful one.” Those simple words were somehow precisely what Hudson Taylor needed to help him cross a threshold in his relationship with Christ. He was able to cease striving and to embrace Christ’s nearness and power and life. I refer to Taylor’s experience, not as though it’s a formula for learning to abide in Christ, but rather to show that the most eminent of saints have wrestled with this very issue.
How you come to abide in Christ will be different from all others. We all abide differently because we are all unique creations of God. Your relationship with Christ will never be like mine, and mine will never be like yours. That’s why you’ll never learn to abide in Christ by reading the stories of others. You won’t learn to abide by reading the right book or listening to a great sermon. No one can mentor you into an abiding relationship with Christ. A mentor might be able to help to a limited degree, but in the final analysis we all have to find our
own way to abiding in Christ. When all is said and done, we must shut the door, get into the secret place with God, and discover what an abiding relationship with Christ will
look like for ourselves.
Usually the pathway to an abiding relationship with Christ is attended with pressure. God allows uncomfortable circumstances or emotions in our lives that press us into Christ with vigilant determination. Most of us will never abandon ourselves to pursuing an abiding relationship unless the Lord, in His kindness, allows calamities or struggles in our lives that elevate our pain level to the point of desperation.
Joseph’s True Story in the Pursuit of God – In Entering Gods Rest in the Storm
Joseph story illustrates this truth nicely. God took Joseph on a painful pathway in order to help him find an abiding relationship. Let me review the story very briefly with you.
As a 17-year-old, Joseph stood apart from his brothers as a man of godly character in the midst of a perverse generation. So, God basically said, “Congratulations, Joseph, you are keeping your heart pure; you are walking blamelessly before God and man; you are keeping yourself separate from an evil generation. You have qualified for a promotion in the kingdom—to slavery you go!” So, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.
In Egypt, he was sold to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar soon realized God was with Joseph and that He blessed everything Joseph touched. So, Potiphar made Joseph the chief steward of all his possessions. Although a slave, Joseph kept his heart before God and continued to walk carefully before God. He was diligent to cultivate his gifts and talents, proving himself faithful as a steward over the house. He fled from sexual temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. So, God responded, “Congratulations, Joseph, you are continuing to practice my presence; you are faithfully cultivating your gifts and talents; and you are fleeing temptation. You have qualified for another promotion in the kingdom—to prison you go!”
Joseph had no idea why he was in prison. Surely, he must have been tempted with the thought, “God, what is the use of serving You? When I love You and serve You and keep a guard upon my heart, it does me no good.” Satan wanted to convince Joseph that serving God didn’t pay. But Joseph chose to push away the tempter’s thoughts, and instead he set his love upon God even in the prison. He held to the dreams God had given him of eventual promotion.
However, a desperation took hold of Joseph’s spirit. Joseph realized that apart from divine intervention, he would spend the rest of his life rotting in this Egyptian prison. None of his talents would work for him here. It didn’t matter that he was gifted and charismatic and intelligent; none of those things could get him out of prison. Every gift he had cultivated was now useless. Reduced to total helplessness, Joseph began to cry out to God with intense desperation. “God, talk to me, or my life is over!” He began to push down roots into the Spirit of God, deeper than ever before. “God, why have you allowed this to happen to me?”
God said, “Deeper.” So, he put the roots down deeper. “Still deeper.” So in his desperation, Joseph pressed into the depths of the Spirit of God. “Deeper, Joseph.”
Joseph kept sinking his spiritual roots deeper and deeper into the Spirit of God—until one day he found the river! There is a river, dear friend, that makes glad the city of God. This under the surface river runs so deep that most don’t find it. But in some cases, God will allow extreme pressure to press His servant into the depths of the Spirit with an unprecedented passion. When Joseph found this river, he found a lifesource in God that goes deeper than the seasons of life.
Whether it’s flood season or drought season, there is a river available to the saint providing a constant source of divine life and Spirit empowerment. Very few seem to find
this great underground river, but when you find it, it is called “abiding in Christ. ”
God was saying to Joseph, “Son, I have a great promotion in store for you. But what I’m calling you to will never be managed on the strength of your giftings and talents. And I know that as long as your strengths are intact, you will always default to them. So, I’m going to put you in a place where your strengths will be useless. I’m putting you in prison! In the helplessness of losing all control, you will have to find a dimension in Me that supercedes your gifts and talents.
You see, Joseph, there is a dimension in Me that is not of your might and power, but it is by My Spirit.”
When Joseph found that river, it was his ability to draw upon the life of God that lifted him from the prison. It wasn’t his talents that delivered him from prison, but his life in the Spirit. When Pharaoh called upon Joseph to interpret his dream, Joseph was able to tap into the river and give Pharaoh the wisdom that he desired. And in one day, Joseph went from the prison to the palace!
It is an abiding relationship with Christ that launches the saint into the God zone. I’m talking about the dimension where God works sovereignly and mightily in the affairs of men. Jesus had an abiding relationship with His Father, and He changed the history of our planet. If God will grant you the grace to find this never-ending source of divine power called “abiding in Christ then you will change your generation for God as well!
Do not be discouraged by the pressure and hardship that has suddenly come upon you. Press into God like you never have in all your life! Allow the desperation of your soul to help you pursue God with absolute abandonment.
The secret is this: If you will seek Him with all your heart, He will guide you to the ancient river that runs deep in the heart of God. As you chase Him with every fiber of your strength, He will bring you to the fountain of divine life. When the life of God begins to flow into your world of impossibilities, this is where miracles happens. The life of God cannot be stopped! If you drink of this river, everything in you and around you will begin to shake and align under the well of God’s power released to you. Everything about your prison is about to
change! I pray you might receive this word: Lean to abide in Christ!
Now, let’s explore How to Counsel people with Assurance, Authority and Attitudinal issues
Assurance: Assurance means to be convinced of something, to have absolute faith in it. Biblically, a lack of assurance causes one to doubt their salvation as well as other spiritual works God has done in their lives.
FACTS ABOUT ASSURANCE:
Lack of assurance is doubt and is generated by Satan. He will even try to make you think you have committed the unpardonable sin, but God’s Word says that if you come to Him, you will be received (John 6:37). You also can be assured that:
-Jesus paid your entire sin debt and obtained your full pardon: Colossians 2:13-14.
-Your pardon is based on God’s grace, which always exceeds your transgressions: Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:20.
-God does not hold your past, present, or future sins against you as long as you ask
forgiveness: Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 5:19.
-Forgiveness is extended to all who believe in Jesus: Acts 10:43.
-Forgiveness is available to believers who sin: John 1:9.
God’s grace in forgiving is not an invitation or license to continue in sin. Rather, it should instill in you a passion for righteousness and living a holy life: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-18).
Assurance is not a matter of applying human logic. It is a matter of faith. You simply believe God’s Word and rely on it rather than your own thinking (Proverbs 3:5).
DEALING WITH ASSURANCE:
Believe that you are saved because God’s Word assures it. Read John 3:16; Romans 10:9; and 1 John 1:8-10.
Understand that a lack of assurance comes by feeling. But you are not saved by feeling. You are saved by faith. Satan can tamper with your feelings, but he cannot void the work of God in your life. Determine that you will serve God even if you never “feel” anything that confirms your experience. Your eternal relationship with God is not based on feelings, but on faith.
Read the Word of God consistently. The better you come to know God through His Word, the more you will trust Him completely with your salvation and other spiritual matters. See Romans 10:17; John 7:17; and 1 John 5:13.
Confess your sins to God. Disobedience can result in lack of assurance about your spiritual status in God (1 John 1:8-10 and Proverbs 28:13). Pray the model prayer daily which includes a petition for forgiveness of sin (Matthew 6:9-13).
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT ASSURANCE:
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16)
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
(John 5:24)
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:27-28)
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV)
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
(Hebrews 3:14)
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10:35)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)
And this is what he promised us–even eternal life. (1 John 2:25)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)
ATTITUDES
DEFINTION: Anattitude is how you think about and respond to something or someone.
FACTS ABOUT ATTITUDES:
Bad attitudes can be learned behaviors. For example, your parent may have been prejudice against a certain race of people and taught you to have the same attitude. If you were raised in a critical environment, you may develop a critical spirit.
Bad attitudes can result from negative experiences. For example, if you are a black man who was assaulted by a Mexican, you may develop a negative attitude towards all Mexicans because of your experience.
God is concerned about attitudes. Christ’s teachings in Matthew 5, known as the Sermon on the Mount, confirms this when He declares that we are to be meek, merciful, peacemakers, etc. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit that is to be manifested in your life are attitudes of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Your attitude should always be Christ-like. In any circumstance and towards any person, a believer should always manifest positive Christ-like attitudes.
DEALING WITH ATTITUDES:
Take responsibility for your attitudes. You will never be able to conquer sinful attitudes until you stop blaming them on others.
Ask forgiveness for bad attitudes. Ask God to forgive you and ask forgiveness from those who were impacted by your negative attitudes.
Ask God to develop the Fruit of the Spirit in your life. These include “… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Put off your bad attitudes and put these on!
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT ATTITUDES:
Attitudes in general.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
Attitudes in the home.
Wives, submit to your husband as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. (Ephesians 5:22-29)
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”-which is the first commandment with a promise–“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:1-4)
Attitudes towards Christian brothers and sisters.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:3-5)
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
(1 Timothy 5:1-2)
Attitudes on the job.
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him. (Ephesians 6:5-9)
Attitudes towards authority.
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-3)
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
Attitudes towards those who have wronged you.
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)
Attitudes towards those of other races or socio-economic levels.
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
(James 2:8-9)
Attitudes towards the unsaved.
…snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. (Jude 23)
AUTHORITY
DEFINITION: An authority is someone who is set over you in a structured environment for specific purposes. Examples are your boss in the workplace, your spiritual leader, the government of your nation, and law enforcement officials.
FACTS ABOUT AUTHORITY:
You are set free in Christ, but still under authority. Christ sets you free from sin, guilt, and condemnation, but not from God’s authority and the authorities ordained by God.
Authority provides positive structure. In the home, community, church, the workplace, and government, authority provides structure within which you can live your life confidently.
All authority is from God. When you rebel against legitimate authority, you rebel against God: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-3).
DEALING WITH AUTHORITY:
You must obey authorities. Because all authority is from God, you are to obey instead of rebel. When you rebel against them, you rebel against God Himself (Romans 13:1-3).
When authorities conflict with God’s Word, you must obey God. When ordered to no longer preach about Christ, Peter responded: “We must obey God rather than men!” (Acts 5:29).
Pray for those in authority. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
Respect the authority set in the church. Guidelines for functioning under authority in the church are given in 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11-12; and Hebrews 13:17. If you cannot respect the leadership in a church because of their ungodly conduct, find a new church!
Respect the structure of authority set in the home. A godly husband is to be the head of the house, the wife is to follow his lead, and children are to be obedient. The authority in the home is to be loving and kind, not demanding and harsh.
Lovingly exercise authority over those for whom you are responsible. As a parent, spouse, pastor, employer, or public servant, you are to loving exercise our authority in a Christ-like attitude: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21) .
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT AUTHORITY:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. (Romans 13:1-3)
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone–for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Prayer
Father, we thank you once again for the lessons you have brought our way as we meet hurting people everyday on our journey here on earth. Give us a heart of sympathy Lord God. Help us to be alive ourselves to the fact that there is nothing you cannot do as we make ourselves channels of your blessings to others who are hurting at this time. Give us a tenacious heart that is driven by love for you first and foremost. Thank you Lord for giving us the grace to represent you correctly as we raise the dead, spiritually speaking to a new life in you in Jesus name, amen
We dig deeper roots in You today, Lord God, because we know you have given us the grace which comes from the position of humility, a willingness to dig deeper roots, to abide win you 24/7 in Jesus name. We pray for those who have assurance, authority and attitudinal issues that we have highlighted above, Lord visit us all today to know that You are always beside us to help us be all that You have called us to be and to do in Jesus name. We commit from this day to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in the name of Jesus as we belief in you Lord God afresh from our hearts in obedience to your instruction as we die daily to self in Jesus name. We thank You for total healing, spirit, soul and body in Jesus name, amen.
Now, experience all round-success this week and beyond as You are led by your closest friend – The Holy Spirit!
Remember, we are one in Christ Jesus – Only in unity we can have lasting and far reaching impact – Engage!
Ephesians 4:4-6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 4 [ There is ] one body and one Spirit—just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received—5 [ There is ] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 One God and Father of [ us ] all, Who is above all [ Sovereign over all ], pervading all and [ living ] in [us] all.
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Shalom!
Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe
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Originally posted on June 27, 2020 @ 1:48 pm