Bible, Prayer Nuggets and Posts

Qualities of a Servant of God

Bible Nugget 0216 [2 Tim 2: 24-26, KJV]

 24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

 

There are two relationships in the life of a servant; master-servant relationship and servant-servant relationship. A good servant must serves his master with a willing heart without complaint, takes the issue of his master seriously, should not cause discord with or between servants and the master’s children. As an analogy, employers will prefer employees who are diligent in their duties, and not those involved in unlawful activities or negative business interests. Servants who are obedient to their masters eventually are honored, having inheritance in the house of their masters. Sometimes, servitude can be so perfect that it deserves and bring double honor, for example, Elisha from Elijah.  He followed Elijah to the end and passed the test by Elijah of seeing him being taken to heaven in a pillar of fire. For passing the test, he got the reward of a double portion of Elijah’s anointing, for which by biblical account he performed double the miracles Elijah performed. Elijah performed 16 miracles and Elisha 33.  That exceeds double, because of the additional miracle of his bones bringing back to life a dead man [2 Kings 13: 20-21].  God honors His servants even after death because the memory of the just is blessed [Proverbs 10:7], which is a big contrast of the name of the wicked rotting after their death. The blessings continue to flow in the generation after in the life of the children of a faithful servant of God. Intimacy with God also promotes one from servant to friendship. God addressed Abraham as his friend [2 Chronicles 20:7].

The servant-servant relation is a little more complex but with godly wisdom and divine love, a servant can walk the fine line described above, and be a unifier rather than a divider. Ask God for these in your relationship with others. Finally, the more of Jesus in you, the more you become a friend of God.  Jesus addressing his disciples said [John 15:14-16]:

¹⁴Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

 ¹⁵Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

 16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

 

 

 

Lord repair and perfect my relationships. Make my heart to yearn to please you as the Master of all masters in Jesus Name. Help me to be a faithful servant of yours.  Lord, let me respect your high and holy calling upon my life in Jesus Name. Let the fruits of the Holy Spirit manifest more and more. I shall not strive with the brethren. I put on Christ in words, conversation and deed in Jesus Name. Fill me with the spirit of patience, long suffering and forbearance in Jesus Name. I will not be puffed up with the abundant knowledge you have blessed me with in Jesus Name. Make me more fruitful in my spiritual life. Let me teach your word in humility, as I instruct those who are out of line with your word. Grant me the compassion to help those in dire spiritual need to be your vessel in rescuing them from the grips of Satan; leading them to Christ and helping them break the bondage of sin, affliction, sickness or other works of the enemy in Jesus Name. Amen.

The Place of Humility and Goodness for Common Blessings

Bible Nugget 0215 [2 Chronicles 7: 11 – 16 KJV]

¹¹Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

 ¹²And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.

 ¹³If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;

 ¹⁴If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

 ¹⁵Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

 ¹⁶For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

God wants to bless all men and women, be they individuals or nations. The requisite by God is that the group of people be humble, pray and turn from their wicked ways.

Solomon, on the night of his coronation as King over Judah and Israel was endowed with wisdom by God.  He was given a choice by God to ask for anything and he asked for wisdom, and rightfully so because as a king that is required to govern. God not only gave him wisdom but also riches in abundance, so much that no other person was so blessed with wisdom until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in His earthly Ministry. For those who do not know, he wrote under divine inspiration, the books of proverbs, Ecclesiastics, Songs of Solomon and some chapters of Psalm in the Holy Bible.  One of the desires of Solomon was to build a befitting temple for the ark of God. At the dedication God appeared to Solomon again, confirmed the Davidic covenant of perpetual kingship if Solomon and his descendants remained obedient and served God faithfully, and promised to bless the nation if it remained a Godly Nation. Many kings did not follow God faithfully and the subjects became idolaters during their reign, for which the kingdom was judged and they served other nations including Babylon.

Thank God for his mercies in not leaving man to decide his own fate. Jesus fulfilled the eternal kingship. The people did not recognize the fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus referring to the abundance of Wisdom of Solomon, and the lack of knowledge of the children of Israel of his messiah ship, said in Matthew 12:42

⁴²The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Prayer Nugget 0215 

Pray for yourself and your people as follows:

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.