Bible & Prayer Nuggets

Lord be the Keeper of my Spiritual Strength

Bible Nugget 0214 [Judges 14: 18 – 19, KJV]

18And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? And what is stronger than a lion? and he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

 19And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.

Today is Valentines Day which people celebrate in different ways. However, we need to define what constitutes a proper relationship and how men and women should conduct themselves. The occasion is also an opportunity to heal hurting relationships.

There are three things that can radically alter the destiny of a man (or woman); the love of money [1 Tim 6:10], the love for power; and the lust for women (by man) or men (by woman). The same is also true for women. These are sins in the eyes of God. The word “love” should be understood as lust because that is the meaning in these contexts. In 1 John 2:15-27, the bible admonishes Christians to beware of the things that can rob the Christian of his salvation and lead him or her to hell instead of heaven.

1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

 ¹⁶For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

 ¹⁷And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

In the case of Samson, called as a judge of Israel for 20 years at a time before there were kings in Israel, the lust for women was his undoing.  Samson’s lust for women made him an easy target for the enemies of him and the people he was called to judge. He threw a riddle to the 30 Philistian men who accompanied his Philistian wife to his house at marriage. The riddle was impossible for the men to crack and the only solution was to go through the wife to solve the riddle. Through such scheme, the enemies repeatedly gained foothold on the source of Samson’s strength until he revealed the very secret on which his anointing and life depended, [his anointed hair and head, Judges 16:17] to Delilah, another Philistian wife which led to his death. .Note that Samson did repent before his death, and finished his calling as a judge in a blaze of victory over his enemies who wanted to use him as a sport before their gods [Judges 16:25-31].

Prayer Nugget 0214

Oh Lord, keep my heart from all evil. Instruct my heart to beware of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Let me be the shining star that will be the envy of my enemies. Help me to treasure my salvation and anointing carefully against the repeated attempt of the enemy to gain a foothold upon my life.  They shall be ridiculed and put to shame in Jesus Name. They will not know the secret of my strength in you in Jesus Name.  They will not be able to solve any riddle I put before them knowingly or unknowly.  They will grope in darkness and leave me alone and be disgraced.   Let your Holy Ghost fire throw confusion into the camp of my enemies. I triumph over those that want my downfall in Jesus Name. I shall finish my Christian race in a blaze of glory in Jesus Name. Amen.

Inner Strength through Christ

Bible Nugget 0213 [Philippians 4 v13 Amplified]

¹³1 have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me – I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me, [that is, I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].        

Aptly summarised in King James Version:

I can do all things through Christ which Strengtheneth me. [Philippians 4 v13 KJV]

There are two types of strength. Physical strength and inner strength. Physical strength is how much muscle one has but inner strength comes from within; that extra strength to go on when some things or every thing is not going well. There is a saying; when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Jesus makes the yoke of life easier to carry. Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:3). In God’s sight, the one who is ruled by his spirit man is greater than the one ruled by the flesh. Prov 16:32 [KJV] reads:

 ³²He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

We receive inner strength as we meditate on the Word of God and as we pray through the Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says “I am the bread of Life”; As you meditate or “eat” the word of God you feed your spirit man and because Jesus says I am the bread of Life and John 1:1-4 reveal to us that Jesus is the Word of God, the more of Jesus you have in you the more inner strength or empowerment you have as said in Phil 4:13.

Prayer Nugget 0213

Ask Jesus to infuse inner strength into you. Pray as follows:

Oh LORD my confidence is in you. I am an overcomer in you, for your word says greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. Oh Lord, strengthen me in my inner man. All the challenges that stand on my way of progress,  I overcome them by the blood of Jesus.  I thank you for your in-dwelling presence in Jesus Name. I am self-sufficient in Christ and I will not lack behind in any good thing. I release my self so you fill me up with your Holy Spirit. I flow in the power of your Spirit. Let me walk daily with your Holy Spirit in Jesus Name. Amen.

In my Life there shall be no Loss

Bible Nugget  0212 [Acts 27 v 18-27 NKJV]

18And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

 19And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

 20And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

 21But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

 22And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

 23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

 24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

 25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

 26Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

 This passage highlights the relevance of divine intervention when all human efforts have failed to avert a disaster that would have lead to loss of life and property. The Apostle Paul, being a servant of the most high God was in the ship sailing to Rome and just as Jesus took control of the storm that disturbed the ship while he had been asleep [Mathew 8: 23-27], God brought solution at the moment when those around were very frightened. Earlier on, Paul had perceived in his spirit that the voyage would be dangerous but the Roman soldier and the master of the ship refused to believe Paul because he was not a sailor.  From the passage it is clear, angels are ministering spirits sent by God to deliver the children of God who are heirs of salvation in Christ. Compare the similarity of the above passages with Matthew 8:23-27 and let your faith rise up against any storm that rises against you.

23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

 24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

 25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

 26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

 27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Prayer Nugget 0212

Address every storm gathering or attempting to gather against you with the following prayers.

1.      Every tempest in my life, I cast them away from my life in the Name of Jesus.

2.      Every ship destined for shipwreck be disgraced in the Name of Jesus.

3.      My hope is on Jesus Christ. I shall see the sun and the stars no matter the tempest that the enemy has brought my way in Jesus name.

4.      Lord I wait on you for your deliverance. Deliver me from every harm and loss in Jesus Name.

5.      I arise and become of good cheer. Thank you for preserving my life in Jesus Name.

6.      Everyone you have placed under my authority I steer them to safety in Jesus Name. Lord bring us to a safe Island in Jesus Name. Amen.

7.   Every persons, power and authority that has my name or my record, be subjected to the power and authority of God in Jesus Name.

Boundless Love

Bible Nugget 0211 [Romans 8 v 35 – 39 King James Version]

35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The grace of God, reinforced by strong chords of love and mercy is free to everyone.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so anyone who believes in him (Jesus) would not perish but have eternal life [see John 3:16].  Anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour is elite in the sight of God because such a one has not despised the love of God.  In this passage to the Romans Paul assures the Roman Christians that the love of God cannot be surpassed and no life challenges be it in the spiritual or physical world can diminish this love.  How have you been responding to the love of God or have you embraced it at all? Embrace it wholeheartedly and pray as follows.

Prayer Nugget 0211

Oh LORD thanks for my salvation. I rejoice that nothing can remove me from your love. All challenges I face in life and all principalities and powers are under your control. Let your boundless love continually surround me and let me dwell underneath your everlasting arms. You are my shield, my buckler, my sure defence, the captain and Bishop of my soul. Oh Lord watch over my life jealously and let me continually be a vessel worthy and precious in your sight. Thank you for opening my eyes to behold and accept your free gift of love in Christ in Jesus Name.

The Righteous shall not be Moved

 Bible Nugget 0210 [Psalm 15 v 1-5 KJV]

1Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

 2He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

 3He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

 4In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

 5He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

As Paul told the Corinthian Christians;

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” [2 Corinthians 13: 5],

Every Christian needs to take a snapshot of his life and verify he is walking in lockstep with the LORD. Ask yourself.   “Am I ready to stand before the judgment seat of Christ” at this moment. Just as Paul asked the Corinthians, the Psalmist throws the question to a wider audience, in fact to everyone under the sun; “who is qualified to stand in God’s sight in His tabernacle.”  His answer includes character traits such as uprightness, righteousness, truthfulness, non-backbiting or slandering, loving his neighbour, regards those that fear the Lord, and does not take bribe or take advantage of other’s finances. The Psalmist spoke these words as He was moved by the Holy Spirit and the revelation of God available in His time. Asked by Teachers of the law, Jesus summarized all commandments in the Old Testament to loving God fervently and equally loving your neighbour as yourself. [Matthew 22: 36-40].

36Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

 38This is the first and great commandment.

 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

The gospel of Jesus is simpler, and appear foolish to some but therein is the power of God. Embrace it and you will see how much easier it is to serve God. 

Lord I come to you just as I am without a plea of my righteousness but washed in the blood of Jesus. I dwell in your tabernacle as a place of refuge and gather strength for every spiritual battle. Fill my heart with the glories of heaven. I stand in awe of you and worship you in the beauty of your holiness continually all the days of my life in Jesus name. Lord help me so that your righteousness will be my righteousness. Let your fear be engrafted in my heart. Lord let me be a man of my words and stand to defend the truth at all times. Give me a caring heart and one that loves to help others and not to take advantage of them in Jesus name. Amen.

I am God’s Workmanship in Christ Jesus

Bible Nugget 0209 [Eph 2 v10-18 KJV]

  10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

God is the greatest craftsman. He created the world and all that is in it in six days and on the seventh day he rested. Everything God created was very good and received divine approval. Man was the last creation. In Gen 1:26, during a council meeting of the Godhead [God the Father, God the Son or The Word and God the Holy Ghost] it was agreed man should be made in the image of God. The created man, therefore, epitomized God’s creation. Every other creation was spoken into existence; man was made or crafted in the image and likeness of God. In other words, man resembles God. Read the fall of man for yourself in Genesis chapter 3. Man fell from his first estate, the Garden of Eden and became subject to the law of sin and death. The Word became flesh and dwelt on earth amongst men and we beheld His Glory full of grace and truth. Jesus lived a life on earth without sin; died for our sins and rose again for our justification and is now seated at the right hand of God in Power and Glory. God is re-crafting every believer saved by the blood of Jesus, to become like Jesus; hallelujah.  The work is already completed by Jesus, and every believer has to work out his salvation to become fully like Jesus. No matter how far away you are from God you can experience this transformation and begin a new walk with God through the blood of Jesus. On the cross, before Jesus took his last breath he said “it is finished”. He has paid the price for your salvation with his own blood, for every man, every race, every tribe whether Jew, Greek or Gentile. All are made nigh to God by his blood. Make peace with God if you have not done so already.

Prayer Nugget 0209

Father Lord I make peace with you today. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again from the dead. I thank you for re-crafting me in the image of Christ Himself. Thank you for making me a member of your household and not making me an alien to your blessings and promises. Thank you for your abiding peace. Thank you for my full reconciliation to you through the blood of Jesus and breaking down every wall restraining me from other believers of every tongue, tribe or race.  Come Holy Spirit and take possession of every area of my life in Jesus Name. Amen.