Let’s Burn That List of Personal Grudges. Sally has personal grudges against several people and legitimately too, but not spiritually justified. She has been jilted so many times that she has a diary of offenders and violators of her emotions and body! From time to time, she would go over that list and invoke God’s judgment on her offenders.
The Johnsons have hurt each other over the years and they are unable to move on as husband and wife, devoid of strife and acrimony.
Let’s get into the scripture!
2Co 2:10 (MSG) So if you forgive him, I forgive him. Don’t think I’m carrying around a list of personal grudges. The fact is that I’m joining in with your forgiveness, as Christ is with us, guiding us.
Here was Apostle Paul telling the people under his purview that he doesn’t carry around a list of personal grudges.
Was he saying nobody offended him? No. In fact, he has been offended so much that he could build a list!
Well, you have to burn that list! Let’s Burn That List of Personal Grudges
You hold a list, you don’t carry it! But he used the words “carrying around a list” because the list is heavy!
Eh, you don’t need such a heavy load in the new year! Burn the list!
Why should you burn the list? Let me show you in the next verse.
2Co 2:11 (MSG) After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!
A list of personal bridges will give the devil “an opening!” Let’s Burn That List of Personal Grudges
May you not open the door for the devil in Jesus’ name!
The Amplified version says:
2Co 2:11 (AMPC) To keep Satan from getting the advantage over us…
Check more translations:
2Co 2:11 (BBE) So that Satan may not get the better of us…
2Co 2:11 (ERV) I did this so that Satan would not win anything from us…
2Co 2:11 (GNB) in order to keep Satan from getting the upper hand over us…
2Co 2:11 (GW) I don’t want Satan to outwit us…
2Co 2:11 (TPT) so that we would not be exploited by the adversary…
These are the reason why you burn the list!
Don’t “carry” that list into the new year! Let’s Burn That List of Personal Grudges
God bless and honour you as you hearken to these words and let go of every offence!
Have a great day!
If you missed our Morning Devotion today, check the Video below for REVIVE Day 9
An End To All Affliction! Sally is the quintessential official Lord of the Rings! She has gotten so many rings that were later either thrown away, sold or collected back by erratic, flash in the pan lovers! She had gone through cycles of acceptance and love only to be followed by rejection and she is beginning to think that there is a curse following her. She believes the “village people” are “sitting” on her destiny because of her “star!” She even tried to be nice and overly courteous in her subsequent relationships, but the approach never worked. Her second name seemed to be afflictions.
The Johnsons are the award winners of The Tom and Jerry Couple. They fought at every opportunity. Playfully, seriously, they kept at it. At a time, they even thought it must be the elder sister of the wife’s mum that is behind their afflictions!
They never agreed on anything together. They were always at loggerheads and at each other’s throats! It is what you will call a toxic relationship. Imagine two people wrapped in thorns who are trying to embrace each other! They kept hurting one another! Can there be An End To All Affliction?
Let’s look at the scripture!
Mar 13:19 (KJV) For in those days shall be affliction, such AS WAS NOT FROM THE BEGINNING of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Afflictions were never part of the plan of God for your relationships or marriage!
Again, look at another scripture in direct reference to marriage!
Mat 19:8 (KJV) He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but FROM THE BEGINNING IT WAS NOT SO.
Jesus, all these afflictions, all the anomalies were never there from the beginning! They came in along the way! They are experiences to be rejected, not entertained!
The anomalies were never part of God’s original plan! There must be An End To All Affliction!
I love the way Message Translation puts it!
Mat 19:8 (MSG) Jesus said, “Moses provided for divorce as a concession to your hardheartedness, but it IS NOT PART OF GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN.
The word “affliction” in Matt. 13:19 is “thlipsis” in Greek which means pressure, compression, affliction, distress of mind, distressing circumstances, and trial
Are you going through any of the above? It is time to get out of them because they are not in God’s original plans for you.
Apostle Paul used same Greek word here:
2Co 2:4 (KJV) For out of much affliction and anguish of heart
I pray for you, every anguish of hearts in your relationship and marriage ends today in Jesus’ name! There is An End To All Affliction!
If you notice, what we treat on the devotional each day is also the teaching and prayer focus on REVIVE, our daily Prayer Meeting, so you may want to check the video below the page and pray alongside whatever we look at each day in the devotional.
Buried Dreams and Lost Hopes. Sally used to be a highly spirited girl with a bright future ahead of her until she mixed with bad friends and her life seemed to nosedive into an endless abyss. She is now at a point where she believes nothing good can come out of her life because of the experiences she has been through. She thinks she is too far gone and that all God promised her has been scrapped. She tactically buried her dreams and lost all hope!
Before the Johnsons got married, they were so on fire for God, advancing in their career and their marriage seemed like the best thing that would ever happen. As singles, they had wonderful dreams and shared these together as they were preparing for marriage. They believed that “He that finds a wife finds good and obtains favour from the Lord.
They believed that “if two or more people shall ask anything of the Father, it shall be done. They were looking forward to multiplied strength of chasing ten thousand as they’ve individually chased a thousand!
But it was not to be. The pressures of marriage, the unattended issues, the pent-up tensions, the quarrels and strife all came with shovels and diggers and successfully buried their dreams and hopes.
Eze 37:11 (KJV) Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.
What should Sally do? How will the Johnsons ever come out of the graveyard where their dreams and hopes have been buried? Would their Buried Dreams and Lost Hopes come alive?
Eze 37:12-13 (KJV) Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 (KJV) And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
Wow! God said He would open up the graves! And bring out all the dreams and hopes! You probably thought it is over, but not with my God! God is rekindling the fire! All hopes lost are going to be found again!
Eze 37:14 (KJV) And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
Your dreams will Iive. All Buried Dreams and Lost Hopes are coming alive! The graves will be confounded and exhumed!
God said it, and it would indeed happen! This is the word of the Lord unto you! God will bring all your dreams out of the grave! You will live again!
You Will Never Be Left Stranded! David was anointed king at the age of seventeen, but the reality of the throne was far from him.
So what happened? He became a worker under Saul and helped Saul to drive away the evil spirits troubling him in the palace. He would simply play his harps.
As he helped Saul in one way or the other, what he didn’t know was that he was securing his future and that when the time comes for him, help would arise for him as well.
A time came in his life that he actually needed help. He had been anointed king, but he could not ascend the throne!
Have you ever been there before? You know what God said you will become, but the reality seemed far away!
What you need is help from God.
All is set, you have a good job, you earn good money, and your spiritual life is great, but there is no spouse.
You are married, but there is a certain area where there is no fulfillment.
You simply need help. And sometimes, that help could just be one person away.
If you have helped others in one way or the other, if your seed has advanced the kingdom, help will show up for you!
God will never leave you stranded.
David had sown into the vision of Saul. He has served. He helped bring Goliath down. He played harp for Saul.
A time came in his life, he needed help to fulfill God’s purpose.
Yes, he was anointed, and yes he was a man of God, but he could not do anything by himself. Men had to help!
Listen to me, this morning, you will not lack help when it is needed in Jesus’ name! You Will Never Be Left Stranded!
So what happened? Let’s check it out. This is one of the foundation scriptures of our ministry.
“For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God. And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.” (1Ch 12:22-23, KJV)
Can you see that? Day by day, they came to help him.
This year, you will experience day-by-day help in Jesus’ name. You Will Never Be Left Stranded!
David had once helped another man, now when his turn came that he required help, help showed up for him.
Those people came to turn the kingdom of Saul to him. He was the one that was anointed, he was the one chosen, yet he couldn’t do it all by himself until help showed up for him.
Whatever God asks you to do at any time, do it, for therein lies your success in whatever you do from that time.
The ways of God are past finding out. God doesn’t always make sense. But He can never lead you wrong!
As the year inches to an end, and another year roll in, I pray for you, You Will Never Be Left Stranded! God in His infinite mercy will send help your way in Jesus’ name!
Skin Deep Or Real Thing? Sally is in love with George but George is not in love with Sally! It is not a good idea to be in love with the one that is not in love with. Outwardly, the relationship looks cool, like something you even want to envy, but it’s actually riddled with insecurities, endless quarrels and perpetual suspicion. The relationship is only skin deep!
The Johnsons who have been married for a while are great actors. They have been living in a cycle of strife, but they have learnt to put up appearances. All they are interested in is how people see them, not how God sees them. They are just going through the motions, their love is just skin deep and any little provocation would result in expulsion of deep seated magma within the crust of their hearts.
We have been looking at the book of Ezekiel for a while, and this morning, I want to show you an insight God gave me here which describes many relationships and marriages! Skin Deep Or Real Thing?
We looked at verse 7 yesterday. Today, we are looking at verse 8
Eze 37:8 (KJV) And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.
Sinews, flesh and skin came upon the bones! What an astounding miracle!
But there is a “But”
It says there is no breath in them! It was a miracle, but not complete!
This describes a lot of relationships and marriages. Just skin deep. Covered with sinews and flesh, but no breath. So it is still lifeless.
A little provocation, there is fight. A little correction there is strife for a month. A different opinion, there are tantrums, withdrawal, and silent treatments! Good and playful intentions are seen as an affront and disrespect. The couple is walking on egg shells!
That relationship or marriage has sinews, flesh and skin, but no breath! Skin Deep Or Real Thing?
What did God do? He didn’t give up.
He said again, Prophesy!
So you don’t give up at this stage. There is hope because it’s not completely dry bones again, at least there is sinews and skin now!
Pray this morning, that God will complete His work in your life, relationship and marriage in Jesus name! You may also use REVIVE day 5 to pray as that was what we discussed and prayed about. You will see the video below!
