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ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA: SIN SPOTTED

“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” ~ Acts 5:3   REFERENCE: Acts 5:1-11 Imagine there was a scanner we had to walk through, which could inspect our actions and buzz if there was Sin in our lives or our motives were unholy and distasteful. Many of us would be mindful of our thoughts and actions if that were. But actually, there is a scanner like that – the Holy Spirit. He is a discerner of our hearts; when there...
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ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA: PIOUS DECEIT

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” ~ Acts 5:1-2   REFERENCE: Acts 5:1-11   Let’s head out to the church of the first century. A revival just broke out in the city, and people came to Jesus Christ. A church of devoted and selfless believers driven by a passion to serve the Lord with their possessions was budding. They were committed to ending poverty in their congregation....
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THE EVERLASTING ARMS

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” ~ Deuteronomy 33:27   REFERENCE: Deuteronomy 33:26-29   This scripture verse has been my ‘go to verse’ for years. When I find myself going through uncertain seasons of life and things happen that I do not understand or have any control over, I close my eyes and tell myself, envisioning it while I do so, “Wale, underneath you are God’s everlasting arms; you will not fall; God will steady you and everything will be alright.” Throughout the chapter, Moses invoked his ‘parting’ blessings upon the children of Israel. And...
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A GIFT FROM GOD

"We didn't fight for this land; we didn't work for it—it was a gift!" ~ Psalm 44:3 (MSG)   REFERENCE: Psalm 44:1-3 (MSG)   In life, you must have observed that the swift man does not always win the race, strong people do not always win the battle, wise people don't automatically become rich, and the hard-working get adequately rewarded. It seems skewed, but it is because God's favor is an essential element to man's promotion, and a man cannot receive anything unless it is a gift from God. Favor is an act of kindness shown to people beyond what is...
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A TRUSTED GUIDE

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." ~ Psalm 32:8   REFERENCE: Psalm 32:8-9   I recently had to drive in a country I visited. I was a stranger there but desired to visit places of interest for sightseeing, eating, and shopping. These were places I had never been to, but I went without asking anyone on the road for directions. Why? I had internet connectivity on my phone, and a voice whose face I do not know (on Google Maps) guided me to my destinations. It told...
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GIVE GOD YOUR NOT-ENOUGH

"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" ~ John 6:9   REFERENCE: John 6:1-14   Not many people have sufficient to respond to the needs that confront them. Quite often, our needs are more than our supply, and our responsibility weighs heavier than our capacity to respond to them. There are desires and aspirations we have that we lack the means to execute; this can make us feel inadequate and cheated by life, but give your not-enough to God. There are certain areas of our lives where...
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MIRACLE OF MULTIPLICATION

"Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do." ~ John 6:5-6   REFERENCE: John 6:1-14   A seemingly impossible situation confronted Jesus: a great multitude needed food, but only five barley loaves and two fish were available. Jesus asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for them to eat?" not because He needed an answer, but to test Philip's faith. We often see the problems before us...
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THE JUST LIVES BY FAITH

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:17   REFERENCE Romans 1:16-17   As a Christian, God designed you to walk and live by faith (look at the limitations of our make-up – we are not omniscient, not omnipotent and not omnipresent). He is a faith God who fashioned you in His image; therefore, you can only function optimally when you are operating by faith, not by circumstances. Faith then is our compensation for our human limitation – it can now make us do what...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT: THEY ALL OVERCAME

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. - I John 5:4   REFERENCE I John 5:4   In concluding this series, we will learn from the lives of some bible characters (everyday people with real life issues just like you and I) who had frustrating situations but overcame them. Firstly, in II Kings 7:3-8 we see the account of four lepers who faced a famine in their land, brought on from a siege by their enemy. The famine was so severe that their only other option was...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILMENT: LAUNCH OUT!

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” – Luke 5:4   REFERENCE Luke 5:1-10   God’s instructions can sometimes ignore the facts of your situation. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in that situation, a Word from God can change it in an instant. Peter heard a specific instruction from Jesus to launch out, and HE ACTED based on that Word. When Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deep, it must have been hard for him to try again because this was...
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