The art of giving is one that every parent should teach the child. Giving is a core part of our Christian faith and God desires we do it. Seun kept frowning all the way home. He was missing his white sneakers already and kept picturing them on Sunday’s feet; his best sneakers. He had saved to buy them.
There is a type of giving that is sacrificial. Giving we do that is very dear to us. We take something very precious to us and give it to someone who really needs it urgently. This is an aspect in the art of giving.
You don’t give because there is an extra one available somewhere. There is none somewhere. You are not even expecting another one to surface instantly. You give the only one you have and learn to live without that thing.
Sacrificial giving is the height of giving because the purpose for giving is the major idea. That is the goal for the giving.
God demonstrated this type of giving to us when Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. That means that God knows the art of giving. See the Scripture:
John 3:16 ICB “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”
God gave Jesus up for us. There was no other son. The purpose for giving up Jesus (our eternity) was more important to God at that moment.
Abraham also knew the art of giving. Look at the story of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac. The son he loved the most. He was ready to give him up for God. Not until God told him to stop, Abraham was ready to go the extra length with Isaac.
You can give your time, efforts, talents, money, knowledge all for the sake of seeing a change in someone’s life, your environment, church, or country; a change that would drastically bring a huge change to lives and society. You should learn the art of giving.
Prayer point: Lord, help me to give to change the lives and world around me. Make me a change maker just like you did with Jesus. Help me to learn the art of giving. Amen.
We live in a world where there are constant battles, but we are not afraid because we always win. How? Let me start by asking you my own question. Can you believe that heaven has its own armies just like nations here on earth do too? Just for a second, imagine that. Generals, colonels, captains, sergeants – the whole rank and file of the military. Wow.
Who do you think is going to be the head of this army? Your guess is as good as mine. God is the commander of the armies of heaven. The great Grand Commander of the armies of heaven. Remember that He is Elohim, the Eternal Creator. So what are those battles He will not win? They definitely don’t exist. He created all things including the hosts of heaven.
As the Grand Commander of these armies, He makes plans concerning your future and ensuring it is a bright one. He gives you victory in the battles of life.
He sends out units of angels to protect and provide for His children (you and I and every other child of God). Angels are God’s heavenly messengers who obey His every bidding.
“…You are his servants who do want He wants.” Psalm 103:21 ICB.
When Joshua and the Israelites faced their enemies, God sent His angel to help them (Joshua 5:13-14). God helped them in the battles they fought.
Angels also are sent to deliver messages to God’s children. Like the angel told Mary of how she was going to give birth to the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit also equips you with the ability to warfare in the spiritual realm by His presence inside of you. An example of this is when you suddenly get an urge from the Holy Spirit to pray or when you know you need to pray. The Holy Spirit supplies you with the words to engage in the spiritual arena. He gives you the strength for the battles too.
In every battle God is present, watching the turn of events, though the result may be disappointing, knowing that God never loses a battle should be your assurance of victory.
Again, He never loses in battles. When He goes to war, He always wins.
May God fight your everyday battles for you in Jesus name. Amen.
Prayer point: Lord of the Armies of Heaven, I praise and worship You. Thank you for Your dedication to fighting all my battles. I come out victorious and stronger from all my battles because of You God. Thank you.
Today we would be looking at how we can know the peace of God. In the world we live today, everyone is bound to have troubles; including you. It could be problems with making good grades at school, bad friends, sibling rivalry, or even puberty. As a child of God, you should not be worried about any trouble. Acknowledge that you have an issue that you probably don’t know how to handle and need help with it.
Whatever it is, remember the God that you serve – Jehovah Shalom, the Lord your Peace.
Jesus said to the disciples in
John 14:27, “I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” ICB.
Whatever the problem is, God has the power to solve it. Not only to do it but also to give you His peace as an added advantage. The peace of God is powerful. When you have God’s peace, you are not troubled or worried about the outcome of the situation. As long as you bring God into the situation and receive His peace, you will come out shining.
As he is protecting you, He is also keeping you at peace. He is saying to you “Don’t worry, relax, calm down, smell the roses, look at the sun, smile, laugh, my beloved child. You are safe here with me.
In other words, God is saying, “look at me, me only, not anybody or anything. No matter how bad the problem is, I am bigger and better than that problem. And I have a perfect and permanent solution to rectifying the problem.” By believing these words, you will experience the peace of God.
That is your God, dear child. The one and only true God that as He reveals or you discover one part of his nature, another unfolds and keeps unfolding. All for the glorification of His name. Hallelujah!
How do you receive this peace of God? Believing and trusting in God’s word –
“You, Lord, give true peace. You give peace to those who depend on you. You give peace to those who trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 ICB.
So, what is that problem you are facing right now? Call on God. When next a problem arises, remember to call on God first (pray) before you tell or call anyone.
May Jehovah Shalom continue to be with you. Receive peace of God in Jesus Name. Amen.
Prayer point: I receive the peace in Your name and being. I refuse to let my troubles drown Your power to help me. I receive your peace daily and remain blessed in Jesus name. amen.
Do you know God as The Lord our Righteousness? That’s Jehovah Tsidkenu in Hebrew. It’s important you understand this dimension of God.
“But the Lord rules forever. He sits on his throne to judge. The Lord will judge the world by what is right. He will decide what is fair for the nations.
Psalm 9:7-8
God is our righteousness. He decides what is right and fair. You need not worry as a child of His if his decision will favour you or not.
Remember, He said that His plans for you are going to be good. Even if they don’t seem good right now, understanding who God is and how He works should put your mind at ease. He is the Lord our righteousness.
Who is righteous? No one. Not even your parents or grandparents.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23
Sin created a gap between us and God which was bridged by the death of Christ on the cross. Jesus Christ was the only one whose righteousness could cover this gap. Follow carefully as we try to understand the Lord our righteousness.
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Christ died that we might be righteous before God.
Why does God need us to be righteous? God needs us to be righteous at all times so that our fellowship with Him can be pure just like it was at Eden. The way He had planned it.
God also needs us to be righteous so that He can bless us with His presence. When we continually sin, God can’t fellowship with us because of the stain of sin upon us. You might say, Jesus has died for my sake, He took my sins and that’s it. So we can call God the Lord our righteousness.
Jesus died once for you to be in right standing with God, but you have to keep maintaining that which He died for you to have – direct access to the Lord Almighty. Accepting Christ is not the only criterion for having easy access to God, in as much as it is so important, but consciously walking in that righteousness is equally important.
When you have a consciousness of this and practice it constantly, with help from God, that is when you can boldly come before the throne of God to receive mercy and grace. This indeed is the work of the Lord our righteousness.
Another reason for righteousness is that the enemy will not accuse us when we come before the presence of God. How does it happen? You sin and don’t ask for forgiveness. When you start to pray the devil starts to play this sin in your mind, tells you that God won’t forgive you because you are a sinner, thereby discouraging you from praying. But as a child of God who knows that your God is your righteousness, you will do the right thing by quickly confessing your sin and receiving forgiveness.
Prayer point: God, you are my righteousness. Help me to know that you are ‘the Lord our righteousness’ always. I thank you for this. Amen
Do you know God can heal you or anyone you know from any medical condition? God has the healing power! It could even be healing from a negative way of thinking. He can heal you of bad thinking. His healing ability goes beyond the body but to the mind, spirit, and soul.
Don’t believe what the enemy or anyone tells you. Not even what the doctor says. God is the greatest doctor of all. Yes, you will still have to use your drugs, do the exercises, stop watching those wrong movies, but God is still the one that has the power to heal you.
Don’t let your mind dwell on people who didn’t recover from a medical condition like yours or someone else you know. Believe that your case is different with God. This is because you know that God has the healing power.
It is God’s will that you are healed and stay in good health. The bible tells us so in
3 John 1:2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” KJV.
Look at the ways God demonstrates His healing power; the way God comes to heal us.
Jesus, the son of God, was beaten and died on the cross for your health to be restored and made stronger. The bible records that “…we are healed because of his wounds.” Isaiah 53:5 ICB.
The Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of us
“You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.” 1Cor. 6:19 ICB.
Where God’s spirit is, no pain or disease can remain there, as long as you have the faith that God can heal you, through His healing power.
Jesus healed people during His stay here on earth. The woman with the issue of blood believed if she just touched His garment she would be healed. And she was healed.
The disciples healed many people in the name of Jesus Christ. Ordinary men who believed in God and filled with His power were able to perform many healing miracles.
You don’t need to do any activity other than to put your faith into action by asking for God’s healing power and, believe too.
