Be Strong

2 Timothy 2

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”(2 Timothy 2:1-2) The book of second Timothy was regarded as Paul’s last words from a Roman prison. At this time of writing, Paul knew it could be his final contact with Timothy because his execution was most likely imminent. Are you experiencing a painful or prison time although not physically in prison? Does your root of pain need a source of strength? It is always important to know what gives hope in the face of a painful death like the one Paul encountered. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, gave two points that will keep a believer strong: gaining strength in the grace of Jesus Christ, gaining strength in all the testimonies in the Word of God. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Also, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the love of God. In this world of challenges, knowing that the Holy Spirit of God is our strength gives the ability to draw strength from the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the comforter and when comfort overtakes weakness and challenges, peace will evidently reign and weakness will become strength. The love of God is Jesus and God testified, “Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11) God sent His son to deliver us from the bondage that causes weakness unto death. Jesus declared the grace that is in Him when He stated, “…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) There is no source of being strong such as having life and having it more abundantly. Being strong comes in the ability to be testifying and witnessing Jesus Christ. When a believer steps out in going around witnessing and teaching others about what the Lord has done, what the Lord can do and what the Lord will do, strength takes its place in the life of such believer. The Apostle Paul was there. He went through it, he saw it all and he knew exactly what he was saying when he gave his admonishment to every gospel believers then and now, through Timothy by stating, “…My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2) Conscious and consistent steps into the Word will deliver a competent and complete manifestation of His Word.

Prayer for today: O Lord my God and my Creator, let Your mercy and Your Word overtake me in every area of my life.

STRUGGLE FREE JOURNEY
Philippians 4

Complete and consistent obedience to the Word of God is the only source of a struggle-free life for any true believer of the Word of God. Also, disruption, frustration and every other forces of concern is inhabited in the ability not to trust and hold on to the promises that are given by God. The ability not to trust in the Word of God is an evidence of disobedience. The Word of God says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:6-7) It is easy to memorize and quote this verse but when a challenge shows up in an unexpected way, it is very difficult to remember not to be anxious. It is easy to read and tell or teach how Father Abraham engaged in a journey of faith; a journey that requested for his son Isaac to be used for sacrifice. (Genesis 22) However, it is not easy to relate such a journey into one’s life. The point here is that through the journey to the ground of sacrifice, there was no record of complaint, pain, and neither was there any evidence of anxiousness demonstrated by Abraham. The record of the journey to MountMoriah sounded so smooth and unscratched. Abraham’s engagement in the journey was rooted in his obedience to the Word of God. As a result of his obedience, the journey became a struggle-free journey instead of it being a journey of all kind of pain and struggle. Abraham obeyed God because he trusted that the One who gave him a child at a very old age of ninety-nine must have something in store for him. As a believer, what area or part in our journey of life has become painful, disruptive and offsetting to our comfort? How are we dealing with it? Is there any sign of anxiousness in our response? Are we struggling with the confronting situations? As a believer, is there any obedience to the living Word of God? “…For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) Many words of God have been deposited in our life and many still are being deposited in our life. The Word will only operate in the hearts that are simple. The simple ones are the ones who have the understanding to allow the Word to become light. The profitability of the Word is when it operates as light. Hebrews 4:2, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Abraham had peace because he mixed the Word with faith by walking in trust.
Prayer for today: Let your Word have its place in my life O Lord.

Record Matters
Esther 5, 6      
 

In every man’s life there is a book of record that is being kept on a regular basis. The record that is being kept is relevant and it does not matter if it is of good or bad. The bottom line is that every man does have a book of remembrance and there is no exception. The Keeper of every man’s record of deeds never sleeps nor slumbers. The Keeper never fails nor misses any account to be documented. Unto those that do well, the Keeper records good and for those that do evil, the record of bad is kept on their behalf. Under heaven nothing can be hidden before the record keeper. As a result, it is left for every man to be conscious of the kind of deeds that are being recorded on their behalf. In regards to record keeping, just as it is in the spirit, so it is in the physical. Once in the days of Esther, Mordecai, an uncle to Esther, was faced by insurmountable challenges when Haman, the right hand man of King Ahasuerus and a man who was above all the princes, insisted on bringing Mordecai down. Mordecai’s problem began when he refused to bow for Haman. “And all the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow or pay homage.” (Esther 3:2) As a result of Mordecai’s action, Harman went all out to get rid of Mordecai and all the Jews. At the juncture where there was no way of escape for Mordecai not to fall into the destructive plan of Haman, King Ahasuerus lost his sleep. Esther 6:1-3, “That night the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”” The record on behalf of Mordecai spoke favor and deliverance before the king. Mordecai gained promotion and he escaped the death plan of Haman for his life. Let the fear of God dominate your life. Keeping and maintaining good record does have its way of deliverance from the hands of the wicked because record keeping is not outside of God. “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.” (Malachi 3:16) A book of remembrance is opened on your behalf but the documentation of it will either make or break you.

Prayer for today: Have mercy Lord and deliver me from every act of bad record.

PROMISE AND PROCESS
Exodus 32:7-22

It is important to know that there is promise and Promised Land. However, between promise and the promise land is the process of time. In your case, it could be that years have gone by, months have rolled out, weeks are not bringing forth expectations, and disappointments are by the day. Does that sound like you? Ask God for His grace to continue to stand as the season travails. One thing is certain, this season shall pass and your blessing will not pass you by as you continue to wait. Keep on waiting and know that He is waiting for you. Isaiah 30:18, “Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for Him.” Indeed He waits for those that wait on Him. As regard to expectations that have remained manifested for years, rest assured that the Lord has been there for you just like He did for the children of Israel while in bondage in the hands of the Egyptians. God had visited them, yet they were still in bondage going through the process of time. God called on Moses and declared, “Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ’The LORD God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt.”’” (Exodus 3:16) While they were still in bondage, crying out for deliverance, God had already visited them and concluded the plans for their deliverance. If you believe that the God they were crying and groaning to is same God who you call on, be rest assured that He had already visited you. The plans for your manifestation have been put into processing and it will come. God mentioned to Moses, “But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.” (Exodus 3:19-20) Yours is coming and the enemy will let go. The same God is on top of all and every situation that you have been waiting for. The outstretched hand of God is on your side. It is testified throughout the Bible, all the great exploits that the hand of the Lord has delivered. Wars have been won where there was no weapon to be used for battle; ways have given up way where there was no way. God never sleeps and He will not sleep over every confronting situation. It does not matter how long you have been waiting, but it does matter that in waiting, wait only on Him.

Prayer for today: Father, in this process of time, I ask for the grace to remain focus on Your gracious name.

OPEN YOUR SAMARIA
John 4:1-42
 
Conducting oneself according to the word of God is the identity of a believing Christian. A believer is yet to become a believer of the Word of God until living the Word inside and outside of the fellowship of believers. It is one thing for a believer to claim being a believer and it is another to be living the Word. Jesus said in John 8:31, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed.’” Questions: Who are you? Where do you stand? If the Lord shows up now will you be found ready to meet with Him? The time and days for playing religion will not prevail. Have you let the Lord go through? Can you identify if you have a need for Him to go through you? John 4:3-4, “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.” In the New Testament, Samaria was a region in central Palestine avoided by the Jews. Jews intensely hated Samaritans and often refused to set foot in Samaritan territory. The passing of Jesus through Samaria was a demonstration of God’s love for the sinners and not the sin. Jesus came to the world as The Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). How long will it take you to allow Him a passage through you? Could it be that you are not a sinner? Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is not the part of you that your brethrens see every Sunday or at every fellowship gathering that counts, but the part of you that the Lord God Himself sees. Also, it is not how much or how effective you always quote the Word that matters, but it is how you meditate and observe to do the Word of God. Above all, it is not how long you have been going to church that will point you out when He comes it is how you are committed to His Word that will point you out. You can be of great service in the church and not serving God in truth and in spirit. So many are licensed to be a minister of the Word of God but very few have access to the Lord God Almighty. What makes the difference in all the above statements is in your permission to let Him pass through you. It is not a matter of you having a need to have Him pass through, it is a fact that you need to have Him pass through your Samaria. God is calling for sincerity, the time is not waiting for anyone but God is waiting for all to live in truth.
Prayer for today: Lord I ask in Jesus name, have your way in my life.