GRACE!

Matthew 26:74-75 (MSG)
Then he got really nervous and swore. "I don't know the man!"
Just then a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." He went out and cried and cried and cried.

  Peter couldn't believe that he (of all the disciples) could deny the Master Jesus and am sure there are so many like him today. His weakness wasn't lack of love for his master rather it was his trust in his own ability.( Matthew 26:33) . He thought he has stayed long enough with Jesus,walked on water with Him,dined with Him and he loved Him dearly so he was sure that he couldn't deny Christ. But he was wrong, for by Strength shall no man Prevail(1 Sam 2:9) and though the spirit is willing,the flesh is weak.

 Our strength,money,talent...everything we are /have is nothing without grace. In this race,it is grace that makes Great (1 Cor 15:10). If we will make heaven,fulfill our destiny here on earth,live according to God's word and triumph in spite of circumstances then we must crave for The abundance of the Grace of God in our lives.

....And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
( 2 Corinthians 9:8)

Have a great week!

Greater Faith

John 20: 29
And Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen me,you have believed. Blessed are those "who have not seen and yet have believed"
The subject of faith cannot be over emphasized. Yes, Faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen but it is much more about an unwavering trust and belief in God for who He is than for the things we want from Him. So true faith stands whether our expectations are met or not. Because It is more about who we trust than what we trust for.
Abraham is called the father of Faith because He took steps (difficult ones) that proved his deep,unwavering trust in God.
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out,not knowing where he was going.
Moses too...
By faith Moses,when he was of age refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. (Hebrews 11:24-25)
You see, it takes faith to get a miracle but it takes greater faith to “not” get a miracle and still believe God.
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed...(John 20:29 paraphrased)
 I believe that was what Jesus meant when He told that to Thomas. God wants us to graduate from the realm of loving and believing Him because we have our request granted to Loving and Trusting Him even when it seems like He has forsaken us.

 The enemy does not care about your car, job, business, possessions etc. he doesn't need them ,what he is after is Your Faith. If he can get us to doubt God's love,power and commitment to us then he has floored us. Because the christian walk is a walk of Faith. We live by faith (Romans 1:17).

When we go through trials and temptations, it is our faith that is tested. So when your expectations are not met and it seems like you are all alone in your challenges,hold fast to  your faith.
Jude admonished ...... contend earnestly for the Faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3 paraphrased)

You are to guard your Faith jealously with prayers (Luke 22:32, Jude1:20), Patience (Hebrews 10:36), meditation and obedience to the word of God (Acts 20:32,Romans 10:17,Colosians 2:7) and  Love (1 Corinthians 13:2,16:13-14)
As long as your faith in God is Up(strong), the devil cannot knock you Down.

  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our FAITH (1John 5:4)

So,  fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you were called and have confessed the good confession...(1 Timothy 6:12 paraphrased)

May God continually bless and strengthen you.

FAITH...what it is

John 3:16-17
 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.  ”.
 We understand from the above scripture which is our anchor of salvation that it is unto him who “BELIEVE” not to him who heard or saw.
Faith is the economy of heaven (a medium of exchange). It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We communicate with God through faith; everything in the kingdom of God is about “The faith”.
Our faith is so important that the devil can do and go to any length to stop us from believing. The early Disciples of Christ were stripped, beaten, killed just to shut them up and stop others from believing, it is that important to him.

You need faith to move your mountains, get your healing, walk over impossible situation etc. if you are going to have any victory in any area of your life, you need faith.
1 John 5:4-5 ….“for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Faith is the practical expression of confidence in God and His Word; it is the principal determining factor of every man's status in this kingdom. Every believer has a measure of faith and can do exploits with even with the smallest measure of it.

Jesus said to his disciples in Matthew 17:20 “...If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Healing is by faith (Matthew 9:20-22), victory in life is by faith (1 John 5:4), living as a whole, is by faith (Romans 1:17).  In everything you do in the kingdom, your result is dependent on the measure of faith you have but faith does not work alone.
It must be built on the Word of God, communicated to God in Prayer, watered by Positive Confessions.

Building up your faith is your responsibility. Be diligent in the study of the Word (Romans 10:17) and in prayer (Jude 1:20). Exercise your faith daily and watch it grow.

I pray God will open our minds and enlightened us as we diligently seek Him. God bless you

True Disciples

 There are quite a few people who claim to be connected to the spirit and word of God, but how many of them truly live that life? Is church a place where people go to learn how to be a benefit to humanity or a place where they selfishly slave away for their own salvation?

Pastor Jeremiah Steepak did a test on his congregation, one that would teach them a lesson they would never forget. The pastor dressed as a homeless man and went to the very same church he ran. As he walked around the church that morning, only three people said hello to him. The pastor asked for people to give him money to buy food, and all of them said, “no.”

When the pastor tried to sit near the front of the church, the ushers told him to sit in the back. Apparently, they believed that God didn’t want to see homeless people, only those with clean clothing.

The pastor says that he said hello to the people in the back, and they only looked at him with cold, icy stares. It happened to be the first day that the new pastor would be preaching at the church and he was introduced to the congregation at the end of the morning announcements.

“We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek,” one of the deacons announced.

As the congregation clapped with excitement, people were wondering why the homeless man was walking toward the front of the church. When he got to the front, he gave them the first words of his very first sermon:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

‘The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

When the pastor told his congregation what he’d just experienced, some of them cried. Nearly everyone felt some sense of shame for the way they treated the homeless man who asked for money for food.

He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”

*culled from gospelcentric.net

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God cares

I have been privileged to see God’s mighty hand upon my life, family and friends but more importantly, His loving kindness to even the minutest part of my life
One evening (about three years ago), I was in desperate need of water. I had just finished the last available meal in my house and needed to drink water. It was a period of my life when I was at my lowest point….I had no money, no food or even friends to run to. I thought of asking my neighbours but I had already asked for too much from them (or so I thought), so I just lay on the floor and tears just started streaming down my face uncontrollably. I pulled myself together and said a little prayer, that God would make a way for me and surprise me if truly he cared for me.
I dressed up and went out from my room and sat somewhere (in front of a locked shop) close to my house. After about ten minutes, a young man came and sat beside me carrying with him two sachets of very chilled water. He said hello and sat beside me (apparently, he was sitting there before), he took one sachet of water and offered me the other. I thanked him, drank the water (all of it) and after a while, left for my room in tears but this time, it was tears of joy.
 That moment, I knew beyond reasonable doubt that God truly does care for us.  Yes, he cares about EVERY LITTLE DETAIL OF OUR LIVES.
He cares for the littlest issues of our lives and is committed to providing all our needs.

Philippians 4:19
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus

It’s never too small or too much of a need for Him to be concerned, if only you’d BELIEVE and ASK.

Philippians 4:6

 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done


 Its a new year and am sure we all have made plans to thrive in every area of our lives. Let us therefore put God first in all that we do this year for

The horses are prepared for battle but the victory belongs to The Lord (Proverbs 21:31)
 He took care of me,He will take care of you
HAPPY NEW YEAR