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Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0504

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Acquaintance then Friendship with the Almighty (I)

Bible Nugget 0504 [Job 22 v21-30]

  21Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

 22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

 23If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

 24Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

 25Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver.

 26For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.

 27Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

 30He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Enmity, Acquaintance and friendship are three levels of relationships. Friendship with somebody is a deeper relationship than being an acquaintance of that person. If you are an acquaintance, you may know that person in different degrees and your knowledge of that person may be limited to any or all of the following: name, where he lives, his family members, where he works and other peripheral information about that person.

Today we will focus on acquaintance, a step away from enmity. God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Acquaintance with God means having a general knowledge, not having perfect knowledge or full intimacy with the Almighty. Acquaintance is the first step in friendship with God. It is the means to an end, not the end in itself.

If you have a quarrel with somebody, the first stage in reconciliation with that person is to strike an accord of peace with that person. You become an acquaintance with that person. Even if you had been the best of friends before the quarrel, the separation strains your relationship and your knowledge about that person during the period of conflict is highly limited. That is what the writer of the above passage is talking about. Make peace with the Almighty; do not be an enemy of God. Why? Because he created you in his own image and likeness.  It’s like the story of the prodigal son. He had a father and had an inheritance in the father’s house but decided to stray away to live like a bastard far away, until his life degraded to that of living and feeding with swine [Luke 15:11-24]. The number one issue that strains our relationship with God is friendship with the world. The book of James states it bluntly as follows:

4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [James 4:4].

The above verse is not necessarily about sexual immorality because the preceding 3 verses at the beginning of that passage talks about conflict between persons and the reason prayers are not answered. If you “love” the world, the Love of God is not in you. “Love” of the world means “lust” for the things of the world as stated in 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.

The first step in building healthy relationship is to believe in that person. You are willing to listen and accept that person’s speech or words. So for you to have a healthy relationship with God, you have to be thoroughly separated from the world if you want God to turn his face towards you or be acquainted with him. Reconcile with God today and believe the word of God. Let your heart be a fertile ground to receive the message of salvation.  Job 22 v 22 says

 

22Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.

 

There are immediate benefits when you acquaint yourself with the almighty. You have peace, you are built up, iniquity or sin will be strange to you, physical and spiritual blessings will pursue and locate you. Much increase in physical wealth will be your portion because the word of God says the earth is the Lords’ and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein. The Lord will also be your surety or defense. Job 22 v 26 says you can even lift up your face to God, not hiding it in shame or fear of punishment or judgment of God. God begins to hear and answer your prayers and your vows become a holy oblation or sacrifice to God. Your prayers become very potent, you begin to decree what will happen and that is what will happen. You become an encourager of other people and lead them into acquaintance with God. All these are still at the level of acquaintance with the almighty. How glorious will it be at the level of friendship? Re-emphasize Job 22:28-29 yourself as you step into better relationship with God;

 

 28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

 29When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

 

Wouldn’t you like to be fully acquainted with God today? Would you not like to draw near to him. James says draw near to God and he will draw near to you. It means take a step away from God and he will take a step away from you. Woes betide that person if the step God decides to take away is a giant stride. He is calling you today in love. “Acquaint yourself with Me” and have peace and rest for your soul. Come to Jesus and be saved. That is your first step in your journey of acquaintance with the almighty because Jesus is the revelation of the fullness of God to man. In closing read James 4:8-10 and purpose in your heart to draw nearer and nearer to the Almighty in Jesus Name.

8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

Prayer Points 0504

Pray the following prayers with a penitent heart and believe you are in stride with the Almighty.

1.       Oh Lord forgive me for walking away from you and your ways in the past. I ask and receive full restoration of sonship with you today in the mighty name of Jesus.

2.       I come against every prodigal and vagabond spirit. Be banished from my life in Jesus Name.

3.       Oh Lord I place the cross before me and the world behind me.  I refuse to be in any bondage to the world and the lust thereof. I live in the world but not by the standards of the world in the mighty name of Jesus.

4.       Oh Lord, I claim your peace and full rest for my soul in Christ.  Holy Spirit do your work of reconciliation of my heart to God in the mighty name of Jesus.

5.       Oh Lord let the benefits of acquaintance and full salvation in Christ begin to rub on me and my household in Jesus Name.

6.       I receive the full blessings of Christ by virtue of my spirit being born again by the Spirit of God. All my rights and privileges in Christ I receive in the mighty name of Jesus.

7.       Oh Lord, let me experience your lifting up. Let me be a divine encourager to those who are cast down. Fill my heart with the spirit of humility in Jesus name.

8.       I shake off every spirit of sadness, sorrow and mourning away from my life. Joy everlasting shall be my portion in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0502

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The Fruits of the Spirit Series: Gentleness II

Bible Nugget 0502 [Galatians 5:22-23]

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Fruit Triangles

  1. Love, Joy and Peace
  2. Longsuffering, gentleness and goodness
  3. Faith, Meekness and Temperance

 

 Putting on Gentleness, God’s Character:

Gentleness is part of God’s character. He deals with the tender hearted with his spirit of kindness. We will see this when we look at the life of Abraham. Abraham had a tender heart, a kind heart towards his brother Lot. So was David towards King Saul even though Saul wanted him dead.  When David had opportunity to revenge, this is what he said in 1 Samuel 24:6

 

6And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

 

David loved him and was especially very good friend with Saul’s son Jonathan.

 

Because God is gentle, we enjoy his benevolence. In acknowledging the help from God in promoting him from obscurity to greatness, David said it was due to God’s gentleness to him.

 

2 Sam 22:33-36

 33God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

 34He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places.

 35He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

 36Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

 

Jesus was gentle. He showed compassion in ministering to the needy, we must manifest this Godly character to others, to believers and also to unbelievers if the world is to listen to us – the message or good news of the gospel.  The world, indeed the whole creation, is travailing in pain waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God       

 

Colossians 3:12-14 [NIV]

12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

 

These are garments of righteousness to put on to make us become like Christ everyday, because as the Apostle Paul said, I die daily. One of the cloths to put on to become more like Christ is gentleness. God is not coming to put it on for you. It is a command from God. Put on….. Gentleness (being tenderhearted or mild is a garment to put on, cloth your spirit man with it)

Jesus our Perfect Example

Jesus in Matt 11:29 says:

29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 

There is a song that goes like this. Sing it of you know it. The words are very meaningful.

       

“Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wonderful passion and purity,
Oh, Thou Spirit Divine, all my nature refine,
‘Til the beauty of Jesus is seen in me,”

 

All his wonderful passion and purity needs to be in your life and my life for us to be gentle. No two ways about it. Put on more of Jesus and you become gentler.

 

PRAYER POINTS

Pray the following prayers aggressively:


1. O God, fill my heart with your Holy Spirit. Fill me with Love and the fine characters of humility, meekness (gentleness) in Jesus Name.

 2. Oh Lord, let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.  Refine all my nature and purity in the name of Jesus.

3.  Strife will not rub me of my eternal blessings. I bind the spirit of strife with myself, my family and loved ones, and in the church of God. 

4.Lord make me a blessing to my generation. I will be a nurse in the household of God to men and women who do not know the truth in JN. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0501

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The Fruits of the Spirit Series: Gentleness I

Excerpts froma sermon on 3rd May 2009 at Champions Pariah, Redeemed Christian Church of God Edmonton, AB Canada 

Minister: Joseph Agbi

 

Bible Nugget 0501 [Galatians 5:22-23]

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Fruit Triangles

  1. Love, Joy and Peace
  2. Longsuffering, gentleness and goodness
  3. Faith, Meekness and Temperance

 

 Introduction

What is Gentle or Gentleness?

Oxford Dictionary:

Not rough: mild or kind

 

Gentleman: well-bred man

Gentlewoman: a woman of good birth or upbringing

 

            These are very kind words to say of somebody or a group of people. Because it has become very common to use these words people do not know the weight or take time to reflect on the meaning of these words.  Therefore what an irony if you are addressing an audience and you call them ladies and gentlemen and in the midst of them are murderers, adulterers and fornicators, liars, thieves, etc. all the sins of Gal:5: 19-21 a stack contrast to Gal 5:22 – 23

 

Gal 5: 19-21

19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Implying non-well bred or people without good upbringing are those living in the flesh:

 

The root word Gentleness in Greek [original text of the new testament] in v 22

 Gr. Chrestotes and it means a disposition to be gentle, soft spoken, kind, even tempered, cultured and refined in character and conduct.

           

            Because, you can identify the character of somebody by the words they say or their actions or by their behavior, gentleness is a character that can easily be read by others. It is a fruit and you know a fruit when it is ripe because it is attractive. When you see a bunch of yellow bananas they are very attractive and inviting to a hungry man. So is the character of gentleness. It is mild, very affective.

 

Source of Gentleness

            The source of the fruit gentleness is the Holy Spirit Gal 5:22, so as children of God if you are walking in the spirit, or a man living in the spirit, the fruit becomes more ripe everyday as you submit yourself to the Holy Spirit. You become gentler to yourself and others. You become more even tempered.  Pleasing the Holy Spirit is all you become interested in. Things that easily harass you and make you soil your testimony as a Christian such as anger, strife, and bitterness have no meaning to you. You become more broken, thoroughly broken. When you get to that stage, then you can truly say yes, I am a gentleman or gentlewoman. The secret of gentleness as a Christian is to be led by the Holy Spirit because against such there is no law.  Compare

Gal 5:18

18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

and

Galatians 5:22-23

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

 

Implying walking in the spirit makes a person to walk free from the law of sin and death; the punishment awaiting those who break the laws of Gal 5:19-21.

To be continued

 

Prayer Points 0501

  1. Oh Lord, saturate my spirit with your Holy Spirit. Make me to walk in harmony with your Holy Spirit always in Jesus Name.
  2. Gentle Holy Spirit; make me a friend of God all the days of my life in Jesus Name.
  3. Jesus, I want to walk like you, talk like you have compassion like you. Give me the grace to be your good ambassador in Jesus Name. Amen

Bible & Prayer Nugget 0409

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WISDOM SERIES: WISDOM OF THE CROSS (I)

 

Excerpts from a sermon on “Wisdom of the Cross”

 

DATE: October 05 2008

Church: Champions Pariah, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Edmonton, AB Canada 

Minister: Joseph Agbi

 

 

Bible Nugget 0409 [2 Corinthians 5:19]

 

 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

 

Today we begin a very important series, the foundation on which this gospel outreach is based. It is called the wisdom of the cross. Something outstanding had to happen for God to turn rebellious man back to himself. One thing that can be compared in minuscule proportion to this glorious divine act is what is commonly called ‘miracle’. Jesus rebuking the Pharisees, and scorners who came to his meetings said except you see a miracle, you will not believe. So he performed one for them to see. Some believed, and some did not.

 

We will start from the basics and then build up the sermon.

 

What is Wisdom?

 

Wisdom is defined as knowledge guided by understanding.

 

Connection of Wisdom to Power and Authority

If you have power and authority and you are not wise, you can lose the power and authority in a moment of time. Examples are

•         Monarchical Power: A king who does not rule by wisdom soon loses the respect of his people. They begin to disobey him in their words or action.

•         Moral & Spiritual Power: For example, Men of God who fall into sin.

 

Wisdom and knowledge of God Described

•          The wisdom of God described in one sentence. 

It is deep, rich, unsearchable and past finding out.

 

Rom 11:33

 

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

 

The Fall of Man

 

•         God’s love for us never ends. He created us to have fellowship with him.

•         He values man as his most precious creation. Because man was created in the image of  God [Gen 1v26].

•         Man trespassed in the garden of Eden

•          Adam fell and lost the glory God asked Adam “where are you”.

God could not accept the sin of Adam for two reasons.

  1. Man was made in the Image of God, and God gave him authority over his creation Gen 1:26

26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 

  1. God’s eyes are pure, he does not behold iniquity. [Hab 1: 13]

 13Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

 

God’s Redemptive Plan Jump Started at Eden

 

•          God’s battle with the enemy of our souls is like a general who goes to war and will not accept defeat when the enemy comes for a raid and the enemy gains temporary victory. An example was when David’s camp was raided by the enemy.

 

1 Sam 30 v 1-3

 

 1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

 2And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

 3So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

 

David’s love for his family and his soldiers families drove them to arise from distress, seek God’s face and take the battle to the gates of the enemy.

 Similarly, the world is the kingdom of the enemy and God is fighting through the death of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to reclaim or reconcile us who are domiciled in the world back to himself. That is what our nugget scripture is making us to understand.

 

 

 

God jump started redemption right from the day man fell. Adam and eve covered themselves with fig leaves [the foolishness of man’s devised religion] but God said that is not enough to restore my glory. He covered man with animal skin, having shed the blood of animal because the without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. God has made provision for your salvation. Accept Jesus today if you have not done so.

 

 Prayer Points 0409

Prayer of Salvation: Oh Lord thank you for including me in your redemptive plan. I ask for your mercy. I accept I am a sinner. I ask for the blood of Jesus to wash my heart clean. Lord Jesus come into my heart. Holy Spirit dwell in my heart. I will not go back to my sins or allow the devil to be my master. I will walk with you Lord. Light my path daily and make me heavenly conscious all the days of my life in Jesus Name. Thank you for not allowing me to die in my sins. Thank you for reconciling me back to yourself in Jesus Name.

 

If you are already saved, thank God for your salvation and pray these two prayer points.

  1. Lord fill me inside with your wisdom. Make my heart to be intimate with your Holy Spirit. Lead me through all the battles I encounter in this world in the mighty name of Jesus.
  2. Oh Lord, let me carry your full image, spirit, soul and body. I will walk in your glory and your power you have covered me with in the mighty Name of Jesus.

 

 

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0407

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The Righteous is Blessed

 

Bible Nugget 0407 [Psalm 1 v 1 Amplified]

 

1BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather.

 

Rejoice because the promise of God is to bless you as you walk with him in righteousness and true holiness. You shall be the envy of all who do not know or wish to serve our loving heavenly Father. Wait on the Lord and see what he will do in your life. He will send blessing of salvation, healing, deliverance, spiritual and material prosperity abundantly upon you.  He will not delay. He is always on time. When the wicked are saying there is casting down, continue to say there is lifting up. Be blessed today in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

 

Prayer Nugget 0407

1.      Oh LORD, remember your covenant of blessing on anyone who calls on you with a true heart of righteousness and holiness. Rain down your blessing upon my life in Jesus Name.

2.       LORD, fill the field of my life with the dew of heaven. Let your river of blessing flow into every department of my life in Jesus Name. Amen.

Bible & Prayer Nuggets 0405

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More Than a Conqueror

 

Bible Nugget 0405 [Romans 8 v 35 – 39 KJV]

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 love of God in Christ Jesus makes you and me heirs of God in Christ Jesus. God is victorious in every thing he does and that is part of our inheritance in Christ Jesus. Personalize v37 and say in the paraphrased language:

 

“in all these things I more than a conqueror through Christ that loved me”.

 

Phil 4:13

 

13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 

 

 

Prayer Nugget 0405

1.       Oh LORD I thank you because are my shield, my buckler, my sure defense, the captain and Bishop of my soul. Oh Lord watch over my life jealously in the mighty name of Jesus.

2.     Thank you for making me an over comer in all things through Christ Jesus. Amen.