All posts by Tunde Soniregun

Honor God

January 5, 2011DevotionsTunde Soniregun

FAITH CAPSULE:Placing favor against God is dishonoring God.

1 Samuel 2:12-36

Honoring God or dishonoring God consciously or unconsciously does not have excuse but does have grave repercussions. It is very important to pay attention to our walk in line with the word of God that calls for His name to be honored. When the sons of Eli dishonored God it caused their generations to pay the price of their action. The Bible recorded, “Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him…” (1 Samuel 2:22-25) The sons of Eli dishonored God by their acts. Evidently, Eli warned his sons of God’s judgment but he fell short by not rebuking them for their actions. God’s response to Eli’s approach to his children was not favorable. God responded, “Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?” (1 Samuel 2:29) The sons of Eli clearly dishonored God but who could have tell that Eli’s action counted against him as dishonoring God? It is clear in the case of Eli that by neglecting his parental duty, he was in effect favoring his sons above God. God is a jealous God and placing favor against God is dishonoring God. Moses walked in line with God and would not have consciously dishonor God by his action when he struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock for water as commanded by God. After Moses realized his fault, he repeatedly asked for forgiveness but God responded, “Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12) A failure to hallow God is a demonstration of not honoring God. Honoring God in all areas of life demands a serious attention. Before God, there is no excuse for failure in line with His word of command. Adams’ excuse after eating from the tree states, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:12) Adams’ excuse delivers no escape from God’s judgment. Before God, can there be any better excuse than that of Adam?

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to guide you away from dishonoring Him.

Called?

January 4, 2011DevotionsTunde Soniregun

FAITH CAPSULE: When there is no communication from God there will be no continuation in line with His word of direction.

Genesis 12, 13

God wanted to establish Abraham when He called him out of his country and family to a land He promised to show him. At the time of his departure, “…Lot went with him…” (Genesis 12:4) Evidently, Abraham did not invite Lot (Lot meaning separation). Abraham journeyed and got to the land of Canaan. While at Canaan, the Lord appeared to Him and said, “…To your descendants I will give this land…” (Genesis 12:7) God called Abraham out; and God continue to speak to him while he was in obedience to the calling of God. It was reported that Abraham built an altar to the Lord who appeared to him. As a result of famine in the land, Abraham took off to Egypt without consulting the God that called him. Abraham’s departure from God allotted ground was an entrance to fear for the security of his life. God did not speak before he moved as a result, when he was close to entering Egypt, “He said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.”” (Genesis 12:11-12) God called Abraham and Abraham recalled himself when he moved to Egypt. Sounds like your story? When there is no communication from God there will be no continuation in line with His word of direction. God in His goodness and mercy delivered Abraham from Egypt and Pharaoh. Abraham left Egypt and went back, “To the place of the altar which he had made at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 13:4) Abraham went back to the place of his encounter with his God. Lot did not stop going with Abraham. God did not call Abraham and Lot together as a result there was a need for separation (Lot). When God is making you, situations will develop to shape you. Abraham now on the right ground needed in his right mind for God’s purpose. Lot (Mr. Separation) needed to come out of Abraham’s life. Strife between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen called for separation between Abraham and Lot. God, not having showed up since Abraham left the place of his first altar, now showed up after Lot’s separation. Bible recorded, “And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” (Genesis 13:14-15) God called you; He will back you up, make no move without His word.

Prayer for today: Ask God to keep you from going out of His word.

Expectation

January 3, 2011DevotionsTunde Soniregun

FAITH CAPSULE: Where there is expectation there will be a manifestation.

Esther 1, 2

It is written, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) In this season of a new beginning, what is your expectation? Where there is expectation there will be a manifestation. It is one thing to have a New Year resolution and it is another to have a New Year expectation. Your New Year resolution is in your rest solution. Rest solution is no where other than in the living Word of God. Trusting God for unlimited breakthrough is not a sin but a blessing. Esther’s kind of encounter of unlimited breakthrough is a kind of breakthrough to desire. Esther was the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter. (Esther 2:15) It was the refusal of Queen Vashti that allowed for the entrance for Queen Esther. Pray that someone, somewhere, someday will make a wrong move or a wrong decision that will bring forth your right move into your breakthrough. Queen Vashti was the Queen of King Ahasuerus. At one point, King Ahasuerus requested the Queen’s presence, but the Queen made a decision not to move at the request of the King. This did not sit well with the King, so he sought counsel from his closest advisors about what to do in response. Esther 1:15, “What shall we do to queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?” The result of the King’s Counsel was Queen Vashti’s banishment from the presence of the King. As a result, Esther was brought into place as the new Queen. Esther, meaning star in Persian language, lived to answer her name. A daughter of a captive became King Ahasuerus’ Queen. Esther was the least expected to replace Queen Vashti. Have you thought of your story changing overnight in a land in which you were an alien or a land where all hope is hanging in the balance? Someone, somewhere, someday will make a wrong move that will bring forth your right move into your breakthrough in this new season. Esther’s elevation brought forth deliverance for the Jews who were under the control of King Ahasuerus. Are you in your “Esther position” now? Do you know if you have come to your present position for such a time as you now find yourself? Do not be silent, be a relief for those who are in need for God’s sake. If you are one that believes in the name of God, be expectant and God will bring forth your breakthrough.

Prayer for today: Ask God to have mercy on you as His custom is towards those that love His name.

January 2011 Issue

January 1, 2011Monthly NewsletterTunde Soniregun

“…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

The will of God in Christ Jesus for us is to live and have life abundantly. God is not an authoritarian nor a dictator but a creator. He is a creator whose word is perfect. He is the Commanding commander, Healing healer also an Unchanging changer. God is referred to and He has demonstrated many times, He is still demonstrating as a Longsuffering God and that testifies to the fact that the Almighty Creator is neither an authoritarian nor a dictator because no dictator can be identified as longsuffering. The Bible declares in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God is concerned for us having life but if you cannot concur with His concern you have condemned yourself unto losing life. God wants us to live as the year, month, week, and days rolls on He does want us to have life and to have it more abundantly. Jesus clearly stated when He declared to us, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) How are you living in order to have the life that He has come to give? It does matter that we live according to the will of the Lord of Host, the Ancient of days, the only God that inhabits eternity. To live according to His will is to fear Him. Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3, in response to the Satan during the time of wilderness temptations, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”(Matthew 4:4) For us to live, we are to live by every word, not the word that is most convenient, not only the word that we chose to live but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Do you wonder why the word of God is so important to live? The word of God is the power of God and also is the power from God that is enough to navigate in the journey of life. The power that is in the word of God is the power that created the world, Jeremiah 51:15, “He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out the heaven by His understanding.” Remember, there was no record of Him using a bulldozer or caterpillar or hiring any contractor in creating the earth as recorded in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 but by the same word of His mouth that has been given to us. Why not take the word and embrace it with constant and consistent mediation then wait to see the result?
The word of God is power to create and to deliver. It is written, “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20) The word that comes out of His mouth is still answering just like it was at the beginning. God testifies to His word, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”(Isaiah 55:11) The word of God has to be constantly operated and not just to be quoted or interpreted. Also the word of God is not for decoration but declaration when any situation or confrontation demands. Apostle Paul could not keep to himself alone but recommended the word as the only Building builder when he stated, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”(Acts 20:32) Do not be reduced but be built up to posses your inheritance.
OPERATING THE WORD: Deuteronomy 30:14, “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” All that makes the word to work is when you do the word; the word will do for you exceedingly and abundantly. Are you doing the word? Doing the word is to believe the word. Believing the word of God is behaving the word. Receive the word of God, believe it and behave it then you are set for exploit because the word of God will do for you in this world. God encourages us through Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8). The book of Law, which is the word of God and not of any man, is the will of God for us to have life. Until, we are able to live by every word of God, the world of wickedness continues in its exploits. Simon and his fellow fishermen, after overnight toiling with no single catch had an encounter with the word of God. The word of God sounded in their direction stating, “…launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4) At the sound of His word, a catch settled all night toiling with abundance. Ask for the grace of His word to sound in your direction and the grace to receive and live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. With His word you are bound to have a year, month, week, of celebration.

FAITH CAPSULE:
For us to live, we are to live by every word of God.
All that makes the word to work is when we do the word.
‘Tunde

Do Not Faulter

December 31, 2010DevotionsTunde Soniregun

FAITH CAPSULE: Faltering has its root in the spirit of doubt, and doubt is a demonstration of lack of faith

1 Kings 18:20-24

The journey of life is a race. In the race of life, any one that drops out falters. The apostle Paul talked about race, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Paul shared the secret of his running by pointing out all that it takes to run a qualified race: There must be a knowing that one is in a race and not in a game; one is running with understanding that there is prize at stake; one is running with certainty and knowing that running is a fight that demands discipline. In Paul’s secret it is clear that, running a race demands following God. If you are following the Lord, you cannot be one that that falters. The formal definition of “falter” is: “to be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of courage or confidence.” You claim to have given your life to the Lord, you go everywhere there is fellowship, but when storms come, you are the first to falter. To falter is to lack faith and is also evidence of not following Him fully. Before Elijah’s victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah asked the people, 1 Kings 18:21, “And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ but the people answered him not a word.” They could not answer because they knew they had not been faithful in following their God. It is important for you to answer the question, “How long will you falter?” Faltering has its root in the spirit of doubt, and doubt is a demonstration of lack of faith. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” It is clear that you cannot be faltering and be following Him at the same time. Also, it is not possible to serve two masters at the same time.

Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from whatever is causing you to be unsteady in purpose or action, courage and confidence. Set your mind and all of your heart in following the Lord. Follow Him fully and He will see you through in all that concerns you.