A person may be a duly registered client of a mobile company's network. But to be able to access the communication services offered, he/she must be in the service provider's network COVERAGE zone! The moment we confessed Jesus Christ as the Lord & Savior of our lives, our names were then written in the Book of Life. However, for us to access God's power, we MUST be blameless & acceptable in His sight! Righteousness is one of the two foundation stones of God's throne. Psalm 89: 14 records;
"RIGHTEOUSNESS & justice are the FOUNDATION of Your throne; mercy & truth go before Your face".
When we accepted the Lord into our hearts, we instantly received activation settings for holiness! The seed of righteousness was deposited in us. 1 John 3: 9 says;
"Whoever has been born of God does NOT sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God".
We therefore seized to sin KNOWINGLY because our conscience was renewed & made alive. We serve a holy God, who in turn, expects us to be holy! 1 Peter 1: 15 reads;
"But as He who called you is HOLY, you also be holy in ALL your conduct".
Besides, righteousness endears us to God! Proverbs 21: 3 records;
"To do RIGHTEOUSNESS & justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice".
God desires that our thoughts, speech & actions reflect holiness. By asking us to walk in His ways, He means well & is not after frustrating us! After all, whatever God expects from us, He injects it into us. 1 John 5: 3b reads;
"And His commandments are NOT burdensome".
God's commandments & expectations are for our own sake! John 14: 21 records;
"He who has My commandments & KEEPS them, it is he who LOVES Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him & MANIFEST Myself to him".
BUT WHY RIGHTEOUSNESS?
1.God's Favor, Honor & Protection
God KNOWS how to favor & honor the righteous. Favor & honor are a direct result of OBEDIENCE to God's word. Proverbs 21: 21 says:
"He who follows RIGHTEOUSNESS & mercy finds life, righteousness & HONOR".
In Psalm 5: 12, the Bible records;
"For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with FAVOR You will surround him as with a shield".
2. God's Divine Direction
When our thoughts, speeches & conduct PLEASE God, He is happy with us & directs us in all things! We get into God's network zone! So, He leads us away from the devil's snares or traps. Psalm 37: 31 says;
"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide".
Read Psalm 37: 23 below which is my favorite & I love basing my prayers on this verse;
"The STEPS of a good man are ORDERED by the Lord, and He delights in his way".
3. God's Attention & Concern
Any time our ways are PLEASING in the sight of God, He hears our cry & prayer for help. But sin HIDES the face of God from us! Psalm 66: 18 below says;
"If I regard INIQUITY in my heart, the Lord will NOT hear".
But whenever we are righteous, God pays quick attention to our cry & prayer. 1 Peter 3: 12 reads;
"For the EYES of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are OPEN to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil".
Righteousness makes our prayers effective & influential in God's presence! James 5: 16b records;
"The EFFECTIVE, fervent prayer of a righteous man AVAILS much".
4. Temples of the Holy Ghost
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and so, sin makes our hearts non-conducive for the Holy Spirit. He gets grieved when we sin & leaves us to struggle on our own. 1 Corinthians 3: 17 reads;
"If anyone DEFILES the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are".
5. God's Power & Presence
For God to deposit His anointing & power into our lives, we MUST have observed purity of heart. Every believer direly needs this power so as to lead a victorious life. Philippians 3: 9-10 reads;
"And be found in Him, NOT having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is from God by faith; that I may KNOW Him & the POWER of His resurrection...".
The starting point is having a GENUINE desire to PLEASE God & seek His righteousness, not necessarily being perfect, but a DEEP passion to obey the Lord. Purity of heart calls for SACRIFICE! 1 Corinthians records;
"All things are LAWFUL for me, but NOT all things are HELPFUL; all things are lawful for me, but NOT all things edify".
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus, deposit in us a BURNING desire to please You in our thoughts, speeches & conduct. Help us to identify the things that are NOT necessarily evil, but that cause Your power, presence & glory to DEPART from our lives. Let the carnality in us die so that we can be sensitive to holiness. Keep our conscience alive & help us to be CONSISTENT in our blameless walk with You. We receive special grace to walk in Your ways. Holy Spirit of God, take charge of our lives. We pray this, in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen!!!
God created us for a specific PURPOSE: we're NOT biological accidents! The Creator would be so disappointed in us if we won't leave a LEGACY on earth. Life should be MORE than just having a great spouse, 2 children, a 3-bed-roomed house, a 4 Wheel Drive & dying comfortably, LOL! It should be much more about leaving a MARK in people's lives! Jackie Robinson says, "A life is NOT important EXCEPT in the impact it has on other lives". Think about it! WELCOME!!!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Battery Low?
The Church of Christ has so many PRAYING Christians, but very few FASTING ones! To the devil, praying alone has the power comparable to that of a grenade, but prayer coupled with fasting has the power likened to a nuclear bomb in the devil's camp! Do you want to be a REAL threat to the devil? Alright, then get out of the COMFORT zone, pray & fast! Personally, foregoing a meal or two has never been my joy because I love food so much! But if prayer & fasting will equip me with heavy spiritual artillery to wage triumphant combat, then the sacrifice is worth it? Prayer in itself is necessary, but NOT sufficient to guarantee a believer a consistent victorious life.
WHY PRAY AND FAST?
The Flesh
Whenever we pray & fast, we silence the demands, passions & desires of the flesh. The carnal mind is suppressed while the spirit man is strengthened. A believer who prays & fasts regularly OVERCOMES sin & temptations with the greatest ease. But the one who is sluggish in prayer coupled with fasting is ALWAYS vulnerable to sin & temptations. In 1 Corinthians 9: 27, the Apostle Paul says:
"But I DISCIPLINE my body & bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified".
Fasting is the best way to discipline & tame our bodies alongside the carnal mind, which is not subject to the things of God.
God's Power & Glory
Prayer & fasting is synonymous with CHARGING a dying battery: it brings with it POWER! One of the major reasons as to why the devil is frustrating us is because we haven't cultivated the culture or lifestyle of prayer accompanied with fasting on a regular basis! The same way a phone's battery needs to be charged regularly is the same way a believer needs to CHARGE his/her spiritual battery consistently. Some of the obstacles, demonic oppression, generational curses, miracle delays, or health problems we face require greater power that God can ONLY release upon our lives when we pray & fast. When the disciples of Jesus were UNABLE to cast a demon out of a child, He gave them the divine secret in Matthew 17: 21:
"However, this kind does NOT go out EXCEPT by prayer & fasting".
Whenever we fast, we are simply engaging a higher & more powerful gear. The devil HATES it when we fast! He can NEVER withstand the power that comes with it, so he makes sure we remain in our comfort zones & fore-go fasting, and even if we fast, he ensures we lack consistency.
God's Voice
Fasting boosts our HEARING ability of God's voice & direction in a matter. When a radio's antennae is weak, the transmission of radio waves is adversely affected, and so, the radio produces unpleasant noise & more than one radio station can be heard at one go. But when the ANTENNAE is powerful, the transmission of radio waves is perfect, and so, only one station can be heard at a time & is quite clear! This is true with fasting: it enables us to be perfectly in tune & in step with the Holy Spirit & hear His voice with clarity, and eliminates our own voice & that of the devil. A believer who fasts consistently has an easy time capturing God's voice & leading. Acts 13: 2:
"While they were worshiping the Lord & FASTING, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas & Saul for the work to which I have called them".
Therefore, prayer & fasting makes us SENSITIVE to the voice of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
During Jesus' Ministry on earth, He always valued the lifestyle of prayer & fasting. In fact, He began His mission on earth by prayer & fasting. Luke 4: 2b
"...And in those days [forty] He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry".
If you find yourself praying over an issue for too long without any improvement, change your strategies! May be the key to your miracle lies in fasting, giving, intercession or even a good worship of God!
Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted us to be upholding the culture of prayer & fasting, and that's why He showed us by example. I am calling it a LIFESTYLE because prayer & fasting should reach a point where it's part & parcel of our lives. This is just a summary, but there are many more important reasons as to why we should pray & fast on a regular basis. For further reference, read Nehemiah 1, Esther 4 & Daniel 9. Spiritual battery low? Connect it to POWER from on high.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that You grant us the grace & ability to pray & fast. We are tired of living a powerless & mediocre Christian life. We refuse to give the devil such pleasure! Deposit in us a BURNING desire to pray & fast. And as we do so, MANIFEST Your power in us. Let the investments of the devil in our lives be razed down by Your consuming fire. We give You all the praise, glory & honor. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen!!!
WHY PRAY AND FAST?
The Flesh
Whenever we pray & fast, we silence the demands, passions & desires of the flesh. The carnal mind is suppressed while the spirit man is strengthened. A believer who prays & fasts regularly OVERCOMES sin & temptations with the greatest ease. But the one who is sluggish in prayer coupled with fasting is ALWAYS vulnerable to sin & temptations. In 1 Corinthians 9: 27, the Apostle Paul says:
"But I DISCIPLINE my body & bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified".
Fasting is the best way to discipline & tame our bodies alongside the carnal mind, which is not subject to the things of God.
God's Power & Glory
Prayer & fasting is synonymous with CHARGING a dying battery: it brings with it POWER! One of the major reasons as to why the devil is frustrating us is because we haven't cultivated the culture or lifestyle of prayer accompanied with fasting on a regular basis! The same way a phone's battery needs to be charged regularly is the same way a believer needs to CHARGE his/her spiritual battery consistently. Some of the obstacles, demonic oppression, generational curses, miracle delays, or health problems we face require greater power that God can ONLY release upon our lives when we pray & fast. When the disciples of Jesus were UNABLE to cast a demon out of a child, He gave them the divine secret in Matthew 17: 21:
"However, this kind does NOT go out EXCEPT by prayer & fasting".
Whenever we fast, we are simply engaging a higher & more powerful gear. The devil HATES it when we fast! He can NEVER withstand the power that comes with it, so he makes sure we remain in our comfort zones & fore-go fasting, and even if we fast, he ensures we lack consistency.
God's Voice
Fasting boosts our HEARING ability of God's voice & direction in a matter. When a radio's antennae is weak, the transmission of radio waves is adversely affected, and so, the radio produces unpleasant noise & more than one radio station can be heard at one go. But when the ANTENNAE is powerful, the transmission of radio waves is perfect, and so, only one station can be heard at a time & is quite clear! This is true with fasting: it enables us to be perfectly in tune & in step with the Holy Spirit & hear His voice with clarity, and eliminates our own voice & that of the devil. A believer who fasts consistently has an easy time capturing God's voice & leading. Acts 13: 2:
"While they were worshiping the Lord & FASTING, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas & Saul for the work to which I have called them".
Therefore, prayer & fasting makes us SENSITIVE to the voice of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
During Jesus' Ministry on earth, He always valued the lifestyle of prayer & fasting. In fact, He began His mission on earth by prayer & fasting. Luke 4: 2b
"...And in those days [forty] He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry".
If you find yourself praying over an issue for too long without any improvement, change your strategies! May be the key to your miracle lies in fasting, giving, intercession or even a good worship of God!
Our Lord Jesus Christ wanted us to be upholding the culture of prayer & fasting, and that's why He showed us by example. I am calling it a LIFESTYLE because prayer & fasting should reach a point where it's part & parcel of our lives. This is just a summary, but there are many more important reasons as to why we should pray & fast on a regular basis. For further reference, read Nehemiah 1, Esther 4 & Daniel 9. Spiritual battery low? Connect it to POWER from on high.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that You grant us the grace & ability to pray & fast. We are tired of living a powerless & mediocre Christian life. We refuse to give the devil such pleasure! Deposit in us a BURNING desire to pray & fast. And as we do so, MANIFEST Your power in us. Let the investments of the devil in our lives be razed down by Your consuming fire. We give You all the praise, glory & honor. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ. Amen!!!
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