Direction from Destruction< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Matthew 2:1-23

Joseph and Mary were carrying the presence of God while King Herod was in the process of denying the purpose of God. Every attempt of King Herod to track down the location of Jesus at birth and attempt to kill Him was a failure. Matthew 2:7-8, ÒThen Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to < ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>Bethlehem and said, ÔGo and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.ÕÓ King Herod was lying and being deceptive. All he wanted to do was to deny the redemption plan of God in Christ Jesus. It is not possible to be carrying the presence of God and be trapped or destroyed by the forces of the wicked. The wicked will attempt to destroy you; they will bring trouble, but eventually the wicked will fail. The wicked will fail because God will give you direction to thwart and avoid destruction. Matthew 2:13, Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ÔArise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.ÕÓ Joseph and Mary did not just receive direction, but the plan of enemy was also revealed to them. The same Herod is out after you today if indeed you are carrying the word of God. If your heart is after the purpose of God, He will constantly speak direction to your life. Ask God for grace and mercy that will help you to constantly hear the direction that will protect you from destruction.

What Shall I Render< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Psalm 116:1-19

God and only God has brought you this far. Day after day, month after month, year after year, is all about His grace and mercy, and not of your strength and determination. Have you thought or decide what shall be rendered unto Him? It does not require pen and paper to write and count all that the Lord has done for you in the past days, weeks, months, and years. For a change, think of what you can render to glorify His name for all of His goodness and mercy. If your eyes can be opened to see all the darts of wicked, the traps of death, protection from falling where there is no means to get back up, and protection from affliction, what shall you render unto God? Do you believe He has done great things for you lately? Psalm 116:12-14, ÒWhat shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people.Ó The question has answered itself. If you are able to read up to this point, you have been exposed to what shall be rendered to Him, except you chose to ignore the words of the Psalmist. There is no need to think or wonder about what you shall render to Him, just follow through with the words of the psalmist, then you would have rendered all to the Most High God.

Receive Good< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Psalm 92

When you do good you receive good. Psalm 92:1, ÒIt is good to give thanks to the LORD, And to sing praises to your name, O Most High.Ó How often do you thank God or sing praises to His holy name? Do not count your quiet time or when you fellowship with other believers. Also take away the time when things are going the way you want it to be. How often do you just go out of your way, out of your normal environment or situation and get into thanksgiving and praise worship? The word says it is good to give thanks and praise to God, so why not engage yourself in constant and consistent thanksgiving and praise worship so that constant and consistent good will follow you and become your portion. In your thanksgiving and praise worship, know to declare what He has done or what He is doing. The Psalmist recorded in Psalm 92:2, ÒTo declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And your faithfulness every night.Ó This time you are not decreeing anything, you are to declare. And when you declare Him for what or who the Almighty God is He will decorate you with goodness and mercy. Always remember that you are dealing with a living God that sees and hears; above all He is a jealous God that wants all the attention you can render to Him. The Lord is good all the time.  

Word of God< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

Romans 10:1-10

There are so many acclaimed believers today. When they open their mouth in prayer or in conversation, it is flowing with the word of God. It is evidence that the word is flowing from them but the work of the word is not evident in their life or in manifestation of what they are calling on the word of God for. The word of God is power because it is sent by God. Psalm 107:20, ÒHe sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.Ó The same word that is meant for healing and deliverance does not carry power in the mouth of most acclaimed believers. The word only flows from their mouth, but the word is not rooted in their heart. It is the word that is rooted in the heart that will bring forth power when it flows from the mouth. It is not possible to have the word of God rooted in your heart and not see power demonstrated when it flows out of the mouth. Deuteronomy 30:14, ÒBut the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.Ó When you walk the walk of the word of God, the word will work the work of God for you. It is not enough to memorize the word and not meditate on the word. When you memorize and meditate on the word, it will help you to constantly observe your life and do according to the word. It is your walk in the word that will become power for you when you put the word to use, and the word will make you a commander of signs. The word will never fail you; it is you that need not fail in the word of God.

Receive and Accept< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

John 3:1-21

You miss the whole mark if you just receive and not accept Him as your Lord and Savior. For so long you have been receiving the gift of Christmas but you just do not accept Christ Himself. What is it going to cost you to accept Him as your Lord and Savior? Jesus Himself has paid all the price on the cross and all you have to do is to wrap up the prize. You have heard so much about this Lord and Savior so why is it that you cannot give Him a chance to come into your life? To some that do not know about Him, all it takes is to give Him a chance. To some that claim to know about Him, it is far from enough to receive Him and not accept Him; it is playing church. Your years in the church are not the determinant of your ÔYes LordÕ. So many are on the right track but get trapped and never get to the expected end. Are you really serving Him? God has made the provision for salvation through Jesus. And it is written in Jh.3:16, ÒFor God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.Ó Today is your day of salvation. Hook up to Him and He will look out for you. Is the time of His coming taking too long in your own calendar? To man, it is like thousand years waiting for His return. To God, a thousand years in His sight are like yesterday when it is past (Ps.90:4) Believe it or not: He will come back and it is not enough for you to receive Him and not accept Him. Your lifestyle outside the church does not reflect the fact that you have received and accepted Christ. You can only deceive yourself but not fellow believers. Be encouraged, His coming back is real and it will not take forever.  Receive Him and accept Him as your Lord and savior.