Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5-6 REFERENCE Ephesians 1:3-6 Human beings are social beings, and so, it is natural for us to seek the company and acceptance of others. We desire to be liked, valued, loved, and especially to be accepted by those we are connected to. However, much as we want the acceptance of others, rejection often occurs in our everyday life. Daily, people’s request...

So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” II Kings 4:2 REFERENCE II Kings 4:1-7 In life we are often stagnated and discouraged by areas in our lives that we think we are disadvantaged. But, no one is ever at a position in life where they are totally disadvantaged. God will never leave you at a point where you are totally helpless and can’t come out of a predicament. The widow in this...

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment… I John 4:18 REFERENCE I John 4:18 One of Satan’s greatest weapons against mankind is FEAR! If he can plant his fear in your heart, then, he can perform his works in your life. Job said, “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me.” (Job 3:25). Fear, as revealed from our text contains torment; and torment symbolizes pain and suffering. Satan uses fear to enslave, cause stagnation, incapacitate, and control people. He also uses it to paint a picture of a hopeless...

The Lord has saved me from lions and bears; He will save me from this Philistine. I Samuel 17:37 (GNT)   REFERENCE 1 Samuel 17:21-26, & 31-37 British historian, Lord Acton, said, “History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul.” The ability to bring to mind what God did in the past can be a faith booster to believe God for what He will do in the now. Has God ever saved you from something? Did He save you from an ailment that threatened to take your life? Were you delivered from a ghastly motor...

Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. Also next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs; and they fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. Nehemiah 3:8 REFERENCE Nehemiah 3:1-8 While Jerusalem’s walls were being rebuilt under Nehemiah’s leadership, all hands were on deck to ensure the completion of the work. From today’s main text, even perfumers and goldsmiths didn’t excuse themselves from the work; they left their businesses to attend to God’s business because to them, rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls (and God’s temple) was very dear to their hearts; they saw it as a...

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14 REFERENCEPhilippians 3:3-15 Hardly does any serious-minded believer read about the life of the Apostle Paul in the bible and not feel challenged and stretched. He is the man that metamorphosed from being the chief of sinners into an eminent Apostle; first among equals. He preached to peasants, princes, prisoners, jailers and governors. He also preached in homes and in amphitheaters. His résumé is swollen with sterling achievements and enviable accolades; his ‘uniform’ as a soldier of the Lord is bedazzled with jangling...

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. II Samuel 21:15 REFERENCE II Samuel 21:15-22 Are you at a point where you are finding it hard to do what you once easily did and were good at? Are temptations you once easily overcame now trying to overcome you? Are giants you once easily slew now a threat to you? Have you stopped getting the kind of results you used to get? Or like Peter, have you toiled all night, tried all the tricks...

By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:8   REFERENCE John 15:1-8 Being rooted in Christ gives you the assurance of sharing His glory in this life and in the hereafter. Paul said in Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” A life rooted in Christ increases in influence. The branches of a rooted tree are the symbol of the tree’s influence. They reach beyond the place of its planting, they are the reason why birds nest on the tree and people sit under its shade, and they are...

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 REFERENCE John 15:1-5 One characteristic of life is that ‘all living things grow and develop.’ God planted you in this world because He desires you to grow and be fruitful. However, as a Christian, growth and fruitfulness only comes when you are deeply rooted in Christ, as seen from the previous topics. In-between roots and fruits is the phenomenon called ‘growth.’ After a while, what you are doing underground should begin to show above the ground....

Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:7 (AMPC) REFERENCE Colossians 2:6-10 (AMPC) The need to be rooted cannot be over emphasized. Being rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of mankind.” Being rooted is indeed one of our basic needs because it is only when we are rooted that we can grow. When we grow deep in Christ,...