God WILL NEVER give up on you, so don't you dare give up on yourself!

He said to him the third time, " Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, " Do you love Me?"
And he said to Him, " Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, " Feed My sheep. - John 21:17 - NKJV

In the natural, we would not have appointed the one who just betrayed us to take care of our businesses, operations, or even our families! Yet Jesus appointed Peter, who had earlier denied knowing Him three times, to look after the His flock. Jesus had prayed that Peter's faith would not fail and still believed in the very one who had a foul mouth to beginning with. Jesus entrusted the early church into the very hands of Peter not because he will not fail but His failth in him never wavers!

That's how God sees us. He sees us complete in Christ! He so loved us that He is willing to let His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us at Calvary cross. For the divine exchange took place at the cross. Our sins and transgressions for His righteousness. He bore all the wrath of God so that we can be redeemed from the curse of the law. We are now freed from the law! We have the righteousness of Christ! We are now sons and daughters of the most high God.

We are now seated in Christ beside the right hand of God. We have right standing with God through the finished work of Christ at the cross.

Now, the bible tells us we will be prosecuted for His sake and there will be trials and challenges in this fallen world. Sometimes things happened in such a manner that we may be broken into pieces. We simply gave up on some of the challenges in life because we just don't have the strenth and resources and the wisdom to deal with them. We broke down and cried till there was no tear left. Sometimes we find ourselves venting our fustration at those close to us simply because we don't see the ligh at the end of the tunnel.

At times, we beat ourselves up for failing big time at the office or in the family. We may drown our sorrows in bad habits such as smoking which we find it hard to kick later on. Whatever the bad situations we may find ourselves in, there is always an answer to it. Even in the natural, there will always be a way out of every dire situation. What more when we are children of the God most high?

Christ didn't die for us so that our lives will be a bed of roses, so that our lives will be plain sailing. He died for us so that we, in and through Him, can live a victorious life in this world. For in Christ we are more than conquerors. His supply is always more than our needs. His grace will see us through in every situations, regardless of how hopeless it may seem.

Perhaps some of us may be facing a life threatening medical condition which doctors have no cure for. Or some of us may be dealing with a huge financial debt which we simply can't pay up. Maybe some of us are still mourning over the loss of a very dear one in the family, even though that person has passed on years ago. Whatever the bad situation may be, Jesus has the answer for He is the Answer!

The bible tells us that Jesus raised the dead, healed the sick, made the poor no more and even saved a couple of embarrassment because they ran out of wine during their wedding. He healed the broken hearted and He calmed the storm in our hearts. Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He will turn all things for our good! We don't have to give up on ourselves for Jesus Himself is holding on to us. He is upholding us with His mighty hand. He is working things behind the scene for our good. Simply trust in His love for us! Jesus never fails and we can the assurance that He will pull through for us. So never, never, never give up for Christ lives in us! Hallelujah!

Keep on practicing the Lord's presence

The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. - Genesis 39:2-3

When you are conscious of the presence of the Lord in your life, you will experience unmerited, underserved favour in your life! How is that so? When your focus is on Lord Jesus, you will be so consicous of what He has accomplished at the cross that whatever you are going through, you will experience His wisdom and grace in that situation which will cause you to be prosperous in everything you lay your hand on. Only the Lord can place you at the right place and at the right time. He only will cause all things to work together for your good.

The bible tells us Joseph was in Egypt and he had nothing to his name. He had no kins to turn to and definitely no backing to rely on. Yet the bible tells us that Joseph was a prosperous man. How was that possible? I believe Joseph was aware of the Lord's presence in his life. He believed that all things will turn out for his good even when his current circumstances seemed to suggest otherwise. Joesph was sold as a slave to an Egyptian captain of the guard. His master could see that the Lord was with Joseph for whatever Joseph laid his hands on, it prospered. The favour of the Lord worked so mightily in Joseph's life that his master put him in charge of his whole household. The presence of the Lord in Joseph must have made Joseph so attractive that even Potiphar's wife wanted to lie with him. However, Joseph was so conscious of the Lord's presence that he ran away from Potiphar's wife for he had said that it was great wickedness to lie with his master's wife. Joseph, who lived more than four hundred years before the law was given, had the knowing in his heart that commiting adultery was wrong.

The bible also tells us Joshua and Caleb, whom God said in His word that Caleb had a different spirit and had followed Him fully, were the only ones out of the twelve spies who had spied out the land of Canaan to go to the promised land. They were different from the rest of the spies because they were full of the spirit of the Lord. They see God bigger than their enemies so much so that they see their enemies as bread to be eaten. However, the other ten spies saw themselves as grasshoppers in the eyes of their enemies. I personally think that Caleb and Joseph had a strong consciousness of the Lord's presence in their lives. And that consicousness made them bold and strong in the Lord. Even at age eighty five, Caleb said he was as strong as when God sent him to spy out the promised land some forty five years ago.

I believe when we are conscious of the Lord's presence in whatever dealing we are in, we will always emerge victorious. We will prosper for the Lord is pouring forth His favour abundantly into our lives. We shall be the head and not the tail for the good Lord is continuously working miracles in our lives. Give thanks to the Jesus and praise Him for He had already completed the complete work of redemption at the cross for us. Hallelujah!

Thank God He doesn't do reset

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; - Philipians 1:6, NKJV

God has a masterplan for everyone on earth. Regardless of where we are born, how we are delivered during birth or when we arrived on earth, each and every one has a destiny in Christ. For we are His wonderful creations and He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die at the cross so that we can reign in life

When God created man and woman, He destined them to reign over the earth and to have dominion over all other living creatures. Yet Eve fell for the trick of satan and Adam, out of his love for Eve, also partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Even though men have fallen in this world, God already has a plan in placed to redeem men from falling short of the mark through the finished work of Jesus at the cross.

Yet throughout history, the crazy satan has tried and still continue to try to spoil God's plan for men. The bible tells us of the story of Noah and the ark. In the book of Genesis, God told Noah to build an ark to save him and his whold household as well as some animals. It seems, on surface, God is a merciless God and "heaven bend" on destroying the living creatures that He has created. However, the reverse is the truth! The devil has tried to "pollute and corrupt" the human race through his fallen angels.

During the years that Noah was building the ark, the other men and women were no longer pure human breed. They were creatures born of the union of earthly women and fallen angels who had taken the form of men. The only way to save the human race was to destroy the others who were not. That's God's love for men and not God's judgement on men. God brought forth the flood to destroy all other living creatures except Noah and his family, altogether eight of them and the animals that came to the ark.

And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. - Genesis 8:21, NKJV. It is the grace of God that He will never again curse the ground for man's sake.

The bible tells us the devil never stops at destroying men. Because the moment God found out it was the devil who had tricked Adam and Eve into sin, He prophesized that His Son shall crushed the devil's head!

When you are trying all your best to overcome the adversity you are in at the moment, look to Jesus and His finished work at the cross. For that's the ultimate display of God's love towards men by having His precious Son to be crucified on the cross. Don't be disheartened when the breakthrough you are seeking for has yet to manifest. Know that God is working behind the scene to bring about the masterplan He has begin in you till fruition. Do all that you need to do but remain at rest inwardly. For God has bequeathed His shalom in each of us.

Keep believing God is a good God and His timimg is always perfect. His deliverance is always according to His plan. Keep trusting Him and dwell in His word and you will see the miracle that you need manifesting in your life. Hallelujah!

Feeling stressed out?

The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. - Exudos 15:2

Are you feeling you are stressed out? Are you thinking you don't measure up even though you think you have put in your all? Are you doubting your ability to finish what have been tasked to you? Are you feeling condemned that you have been falling short of what people expect of you or even your own expectations? Hey, maybe you just want to throw in the white towel and call it quits? Maybe you think your life is not worth the living afterall and you want to end it now?

STOP!

There is no such thing as plain sailing in life! There are challenges in every corners of our lives; some are so overwhelming that we feel like giving up immediately. Yet when we looked back at those moments in our lives where we didn't quit and instead became stronger and wiser, we can't help but to give thanks to God who gladly supplied His strength, and will continue to supply abundantly His strength in us to see us through difficult times of our lives. We don't have to keep looking for challenges for they will find us. And when we face them head on and trust the Almighty God for His wisdom and favour, God will see us through!

The bible tells us God delivered His people out of the tyrannical rule of the Egyptian ruler. But God didn't immediately deliver His people out of Egypt the moment they were oppressed by the Egyptians. He waited four hundred and thirty years before the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. And even then, God didn't automatically open the Red Sea when the children of Israel were at the bank of the sea with the furious Egyprtian armies hot on their heels. He 'waited' for Moses to ask Him for help before He commanded Moses to hit the sea with his rod. Also, God sent Moses to deliver His people only when they started to moan of the hardship under the rule of Pharaoh.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. - Psalm 23:5. Why does God prepare a table in the presence of our enemies? Why does God, at so many instances, wait till the very last moment to deliver His people? This is so so that we can know without a shadow of doubt it is God who has so graciously delivered us out of our predicaments! Why does God set prepare a table? I believe it is a form of ritual to celebrate victory between covenant people. We are His covenant people because of the finished work of Jesus at the cross. In the same verse, God anoints the head of the righteous with oil. To put it simply, He is pouring His provisions over His people. And the provisions are overflowing because our cups run over!

As the beloved of the Lord, we can look and trust in the Almighty God who never fails. He may seem to be late in delivering His people out of their dire straits but God is ALWAYS on time. His timing is ALWAYS perfect. Keep believing for good happening and just let go and let God. Hallelujah. 

What are you speaking to yourself?

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea, ' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. - Mark 11:23-24

What are you speaking to yourself? Are you always doubting yourself? Are you always thinking that you don't measure up? Are you fearful of the future and at the same time in constant regret of the past? Are you always looking at your lack? Are you always focusing on the negative things in your life? Are you always thinking "If only" and "What if"?

The bible tell us Jesus cursed the fig tree for it has the appearance of fruitfulness where it didn't. It has leave but no fruit. In a context, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to exercise their faith by speaking. Mark 11 tells us to believe and speak. The emphasis is on speaking what you believe. Jesus is teaching us the importance of speaking. In Proverb 18:21, the bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. We are to speak good into our lives and we will see good and not the other order around. 

Caleb and Joshua and the other ten spies went to spy out the promised land which God had promised. When they were back from their mission forty days later, they were the only two who reported that the enemies were bread to them and that the children of Israel were more than able to conquer them. The other spies reported that there were giants in the land and told the children of Israel that they were like grasshoppers in their own sights. God was pleased with the report of Caleb and Joshua and they were only two to go to the promised land together with a new generation of the children of Israel. 

The woman with the issue of blood kept speaking to herself if only she could touch the hem of Jesus' garment that she would be healed. Well, she was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus' garment and Jesus even proclaimed she has been made whole. The centurion just asked Jesus to speak a word of healing for his servant for he believed Jesus could heal from a distant. Jesus marveled at his faith and his servant was healed at that very moment.

What we speak to ourselves is so important and yet many of us are programmed to speak death quickly in almost every situation we are in! And that may be a reason why we are not seeing more good happenings manifesting in our lives. We tend to focus on the negativities rather than the positvies of everything. We have been "deceived" into believing the worst in everything even though it is usually the reverse that is true.

We, the beloved of the Lord, should keep speaking good and continue to proclaim and believe the finish work of Jesus at the cross! Keep doing that for Jesus had already provided everything we need on earth and beyond. Hallelujah!

Just when you think you are a nobody...

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, - Galatians

1:15

In Chapter 11 of Hebrews, the men and women of faith were mentioned. Their exploits were recorded so that we can learn from them. Yet when we spend time reading the bible, we will notice that they were not at all perfect but just men and women whom God has called. The point is not to belittle who they are in Christ but to emulate their "faith" in God! For there are so much we can learn from them.

Abram was told by God that he shall be the father of many nations and God changed his name to Abraham. In spite of the promise made by God, Abraham doubted God and had a child by his own fleshly effort through Hagar. From the time God declared Abraham was righteous and that he will be a father of many nations till the time Isaac was born was about twenty five years. It may have been a very long wait for Abraham but God still comes through for Abraham.

Sarai was very domineering and probably "commanded" Abram to sleep with her maid. She was barren when she was married to Abram. Yet when she was ninety years old, God literally renewed her youth so that she could have pleasure with Abraham and produce Isaac. 

When Moses was young and learned of the ways of the Egyptians, he was not used by God. The bible tells us he was eloquent and full of the wisdom of the Egyptians. Moses fled from Egypt after he learnt that there were people who knew of his killing of an Egyptian. He fled away from Egypt and lived forty years in the dessert. When God sees that Moses can be a useful deliverer of His people, Moses was a stutter. He was no longer the same eloquent and confident prince he once was.

During the years in the dessert, Moses may be thinking that he was no longer deserving of his calling in life which was to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt into the promised land. Yet when Moses was eighty years old, God called him to deliver His people out of Egypt! Little would Moses had guessed he was still the appointed one to deliver God's chosen people out of Egypt.

Rehad was a prostitute in Jericho. When the children of Israel sent two spies to spy out Jericho, she was there to help them to escape from Jericho by lying to the soldiers who were pursuing the two spies. She told the spies that forty years ago when her people heard of how God of Israel delivered His people from the Egyptians, how He parted the Red Sea and how He drowned the whole Egyptian army, her people were afraid that God will also deliver them into the hands of the children of Israel. Yet it was only forty years later that the children of Israel "conquer" Jericho. Even though Rehad was a prostitute, her name was recorded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ!

God always call forth the least to confound the mighty. He can and will turn our messes into messages of His glory. He can use what we think is little to magnify His goodness in our lives. Don't look at the little that we have and begin to worry all the times that we don't measure up. God sees us complete in Christ and He will complete His master plan in each of His people.

Just when you think you are a have been, just when you think you are a nobody, just when you think you are the outcast of society, God can turn your live around for His glory for His precious Son, Jesus Christ, has paid the ultimate price at the cross to redeem us from the curse of the law! We can reign in this life because of what Jesus has accomplished at the cross. Just believe and keep hearing the word of Christ and see the  supply of God's grace coming and flowing through us! Hallelujah!