THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE

                       

Exodus 15:26 – And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
The word healing suggests the presence of sickness. Sickness by definition is a state of being diseased. Disease means to be at dis –ease. There are various forms of sicknesses, we have:

•     Sickness physically - Examples include the woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years (Mark 5:22-34); the woman who was bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:11-13) and the man who was sick with an infirmity for thirty – eight years (John 5:1-16).

•      Sickness financially - Examples include the wife of the sons of the prophet who her creditors decided to take her sons as slaves to cater for debt ( 2 Kings 1-7) ;  the widow of Zarapheth who had only a meal to eat and die with her son ( 1 Kings 17:7-16) and the case of national poverty in Samaria that resolved in mothers eating their children ( 2 Kings 6:13 -2 Kings 7:19)

•       Sickness Emotionally- Proverbs 13:12 talks of a heart been sick as a result of delayed hope ; Hannah suffered from bitterness of heart because she was barren and Peninah her rival made life difficult for her ( 1 Samuel 1:10) ; the aged widow of Nain was in great emotional pain and could not be comforted as her only son –her joy was dead and about to be buried  ( Luke 7:12-15)

•      Sickness in Relationship -  while everyone was getting married Isaac was still single at the age of forty (Genesis 25:20) ; the woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years was single and lonely because her illness made her unclean – no one was permitted around her ( Mark 5:22-34) and we do not need to reminded that the mad man of Gadara was a bachelor , who in her right senses will live with a man who resides in tombs ( Mark 5:1-19) ?
  

•       Sickness in the area fruitfulness - Sarah was married for over thirty years and at the age eighty –nine she was still barren (Genesis 18); the great Shunamite woman was physically fit but she had no child (2 Kings 4:8-17).

•     Sickness spiritually – the presence of demons in a life causes sickness spiritually. The man with one demon was sick (Luke 11:14); Mary Magdalene who had seven demons (Luke 8:2) was more sick and the mad man of Gadara had a legion demon was completely sick (Mark 5:1-19).

•      Sickness in business or profession – Peter (a professional fisherman) knew failure like the back of his hands. He failed repeatedly; every time he cast his net all he found was zero (Luke 5:1-7).

•  Sickness Intellectually – Solomon knew absolutely nothing. The man even agreed that the brains were not just there ,no wonder when the opportunity came to make a request he asked for knowledge (2 Chronicles 1:6-10) ; David his father even agreed that his son was wet behind ears ( 1 Chronicles 22:5).

•    There are other forms of sickness for example in 2 Kings 2:19-22 we see sick water. It is also possible for an individual to be sick In more than one area of life .The woman with the flow of blood was physically sick; financially sick as she had spent all her money and yet she was still sick; emotionally sick as she was lonely and sick in relationship because no one could come near her as she was unclean. The mad man of Gadara was sick at a different level. Physically he was sick, financially he was sick, emotionally he was sick, relationship wise he was sick, spiritually he was sick, he had no profession, no children and intellectually he was zero. This man had the whole package of sickness.

Where does sickness come from? Sickness is from the devil. John 10:10 says the devil kills, steals and destroy. Whatever that kills, steals or destroys is not from God but the devil and we know this is what sickness does. James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes from God. Healing is a good and perfect gift .According to 1 John 3:8 Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. God does not use sickness to teach. God uses the Holy Spirit to teach people – John 14:26. Sickness and death are the enemies of God – Hosea 13:14.
Is God willing to heal? It is the will of God to heal us.

•       When Jesus said the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-10, he said ‘our Father In heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ The will of God in heaven is good health and abundance. Jesus prayed that the will of God in heaven be done on earth. When the Leper cried to Jesus saying ' if You are willing , please heal me -Matthew 8:1-3 .  Jesus moved with compassion stretched out His hands and said ‘I am willing.’

•     Acts 10:38 says how God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power that He went about doing good and healing all who were sick. If God is not willing to heal, he would not have anointed Jesus with power and Holy Spirit.

•       Isaiah 53:4 says surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 1 Peter 2:24 says by His stripes we are healed.  Why will God put Jesus through all He went through if He is not willing to heal you? Why would Jesus go through all that and with hold healing from you? It is His will to heal you.

•       See how much  how much God has to say  about healing us  - 3 John 2 says He wants us  to prosper in all things and be in health ; 1 John 1:14 says if we ask anything according to His will (remember it is His will to heal you) , He will hear us ; Hebrew 12:12-13 says therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be  healed ; Romans 8:32 says He who did not spare His own Son , but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things  and Romans 8:31 says if God is for us, who can be against us . If God is saying all these then obviously He wants to heal you.

The God that was willing to heal in the Old Testament is still willing to heal you today. Malachi 3:6 says He does not change. Jesus Christ who was willing to heal in the New Testament is still willing to heal. Hebrew 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Deuteronomy 7:15 says the Lord will take away all sickness and Jeremiah 30:17 says He will restore health to you, and heal your wounds. God has not only promised you health and healing but long life and peace to enjoy it. Jeremiah 33:6 says behold I will bring it health and healing; reveal to them abundance of peace and truth; According to Leviticus 26:3-7, He has promised to give you good life and Isaiah 58:8 says your light will break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, your righteousness shall go before you and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
How can I get my healing?
1.      Healing comes by having faith in the name of Jesus. In Acts 3:16 Peter told the crowd that gathered after the healing of the lame man at the beautiful gate that “through faith in the name of Jesus, the man was healed. How does one get faith? Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is why Mark 4:24 admonishes us to take heed what we hear. We need to guide against what could pollute our soul or news that could destroy our faith. When you pray to God have faith in Him. Mark 11:23 says whoever says to this mountain ,’be removed and cast into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
2.      The word of God has medicinal value. Proverbs 4:20 & 22 says my son, give attention to my words and incline your ear to my sayings for they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh. The word of God is a medicine and healing to all your flesh. It is also a medicine to your soul. Psalm 107:20 says He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
3.      We can also receive healing through positive confessions. Numbers 14:28 says ‘as I live’, says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you. Joel 3:10 says Let the weak say ‘I am strong’. Confess healing scriptures like Psalm 118:17 which say I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. Isaiah 65:22 says you shall not build for another to inhabit, you shall not plant for another to eat, as the days of the trees so shall your days be and you long enjoy the work of your hands. Begin to confess positive things.
We are also responsible for our health. We need to live a healthy life and eat good food.
When we study the scriptures, we see that almost everyone who got healing came to Jesus and they came with their faith. The first step to your healing is coming to Jesus. Let Him forgive your sins because one of the causes of sickness is sin. The presence of sin causes a barrier between us and God. Isaiah 59:1-2 says behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot saved nor heavy that it cannot hear but you iniquities have  separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you.
The bible said in Romans 3 v 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 v 16 , 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. What shall we do to be saved? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 v 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth we confess and are saved. Prayer this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church
Samuel Oluwatoki
Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague. Remember Matthew 10 v 32 which say whoever confesses me before me, him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

if God is For us

    IF GOD IS FOR US?

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Who is the God that is been referred to in Romans 8:31? According to Lamentations 3:35, He is the Most High. Psalms 113: 5 says the Lord our God dwells on high .Psalm 97:9 says He is the most high above all the earth, exalted above all gods. He Is the Commander-in –Chief of all the forces in heaven and on earth. Jeremiah 11:17 calls Him the Lord of Host. Songs of Solomon calls Him the Chief among ten thousand. When it comes to war, He is not gentle at all. Exodus 15:3 says the Lord is a man of war, the Lord is His name.

He is also very powerful. Mark 14:62 calls Him Power. Psalm 62:11 says power belongs to God. This God Is so powerful, Isaiah 13:13 says He can shake the heavens and earth will move out her place. Psalms 77:16 says the waters saw Him and they were afraid, the depths trembled.1 Chronicles 16:25 says He Is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 33:8-9 says let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him, for He spoke and it was done; He spoke and it stood fast.

Psalms 10:14 calls Him the Helper of the Fatherless, Jeremiah 17:17 calls him the Hope in the day of doom. According to Psalm 18:3, He alone can save from enemies. Psalm 113:7-8 says He raises the poor out of the dust that He may seat him with princes. Psalm 145:15 says He feeds the whole world. According to Psalms 99:8, He is the God who forgives.

If this God is for us, every door shut against us will be opened. According to Revelations 3:7, He possesses the key of David, He opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. In Exodus 14:21-28, Red Sea parted before the Israelites because the Lord was with them. In John 9:1-7, is the story of a man whose doors were shut from birth. Because the door of his eyes was shut, he lived in darkness all his life. Jesus got involved in his matter and the door that had been shut from birth opened. The door of provision was shut at the widow of Zarapheth courtesy of the famine in the land and  her resources began to dwindle until she was left with her last meal-1 Kings 17:7-16.Thank God for his mercies ,He sent His prophet-Elijah and the door was opened all through the famine.

If God is for us, our victory is guaranteed.  It does not matter, the physical size of the enemy, their numbers, experience or resources. As far as the Lord is for you , victory is guaranteed, Goliath was bigger than David, had more experience ,definitely came with more resources but at the end the bible records that David stood over the philistine – 1 Samuel 17:51. In Judges 7:1-25, Gideon went to war against an army who the bible describes as numerous as locust and their camels without numbers, as the sand of seashore with three hundred civilians. Because God was for them, this three hundred chased the armies of two great nations –Amalekites and Midianites.

When God is for you, you can be rest assured that you will fulfill destiny .The Lord says in Isaiah 55:11 that the words that go forth from His mouth will not return to Him void but shall accomplish what He pleases and shall prosper in the thing which He sent it. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has he said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken and will He not make it God?

Regardless, you will fulfill destiny. Saul tried to kill David, he threw spears at him - 1 Samuel 18:11, he gave him an impossible task of providing one hundred foreskins of the Philistine for the hands of Michal in marriage- 1 Samuel 18:20-27,he chased David until he ran to the land of the Philistine yet David return to Israel as king. The brothers of Joseph were aware of the plans of God for his life, they sold him to slavery to thwart the plan of God  –Genesis 37:3-36 , the wife of Portiphar lied against him – Genesis 39:7-21 , those that promised to help him forgot him Genesis 41:9-13 despite all this Joseph emerge as the prime minister in Egypt.

When the Most High is for you, every weapon fashioned against you shall not prosper.  Isaiah 54:17 says that No weapon formed against you shall prosper and every tongue that rises against you in judgment He shall condemn. Nebuchadnezzar commanded that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be thrown into the fire because they refused to bow to a golden image – Daniel 3:1-28.Because God was for them, they came out unhurt. In 2 Kings 1:9 -15, the king sent a captain and fifty men to go and arrest the man of God, Elisha called down fire and they were roasted. This happened three times. The third time, the captain was smart; he knelt down and politely asked the man of God to go with them.

When the Lord is for you, you will have the last laugh. Peninnah took it upon herself to make life unbearable for Hannah because she was barren – 1 Samuel 1:6-7.By the time we get to 1 Samuel 2:21, Hannah had become a mother of six. When Hagar saw that she had conceived her mistress became despised in her eyes - Genesis 16:4 .Because God was for Sarah,  she gave birth at the age of ninety, she was so full of laughter that she named the boy Isaac meaning laughter. I prayed that you will have the last laugh in the mighty name of Jesus.

When God is for you, success is sure. Psalm 75:6-7 says for exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south but God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another. Psalm 60:12 says through God we will do valiantly.  Deuteronomy 8:18 says the power to get wealth comes from Him. Because God was for Isaac, he sowed during famine and reaped in the same year a hundred fold – Genesis 26:12.In 2 Chronicles 26:1-19 is the story of a prince who became king at the age of sixteen. Because the heavens were for him, God made him prosper. He was very rich and the bible described in military terms as been strong. What adults could not achieve, He achieved it. King Uzziah had three hundred and seventy five thousand (375,000) active military personnel in 750 BC and today Israel has around one hundred and seventy six thousand, five hundred(176,500) active military personnel in 2012.

This brings us to the question, what can I do to qualify for God’s backing?

Be humble, James 4:6 says God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.1Peter 5:6 says therefore  humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.  Another thing to do is evangelize. Luke 11:23 says He who is not with Me is against Me, and he does not gather with Me scatters. Evangelism is a way of gathering with Him. If you gather with Him, He will back you.

Anyone who wants the Lord to be for Him must be hardworking. The Lord hates laziness, Jesus says in John 5:17, “My father is always at His work to this very day and I too am working”. Proverbs 10:4 says lazy hands makes a man poor. God is love -1John 4:8, anyone who wants God to be for him must also have love in his heart. God dwells where there is love .God is always for givers .Proverbs 11:25 says the generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. Proverbs 19: 17 says He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what He has given.

If you are obedient to God, He will be for you. Exodus 19:5 says if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all the people for all the earth is Mine. The Lord says in Jeremiah 7:23 obey Me, I will be your God and you will be My people.  Anyone who wants God to be for Him must first become a worshipper. Psalm 22:3 says God inhabits the praises of His people. The Psalmist says in Psalm 47:1-3, clap your hands, all you people, shout to God with the voice of triumph! He will subdue all the people under us and the nations under our feet.

When we study Romans 8:31, we will notice that the question was not answered, why? It is because it is a rhetorical question. We know nobody can be against us except our self. Just like people can decide to turn down help, so also we can turn down God’s help. It is true God loves the prosperity of His children – Psalm 35:27, but He needs our cooperation to prosper us. Revelations 3:20 says “behold I stand at the door and knock, if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him which means we can hear His voice and refuse to open. No wise man or woman will hear the voice of the creator of heaven and earth and ignore Him.

God is saying  to you, I want to be for you .I want to fight for you, I want to be your God, are you willing to take  His offer? If you are willing why not give your life to Christ today .Jesus says in John 14:6 says I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through the son. Is there anyone who has backslidded? God wants you back too , please  come back to Christ today .

The bible said in Romans 3 v 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 v 16 , 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. What shall we do to be saved? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 v 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague. Remember Matthew 10 v 32 which say whoever confesses me before me, him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

God of open doors

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things say He is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”. Revelations 3:7

One of the names of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Door. John 10:9 says “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. Aside been the Door , He also possesses the key of David.

One of the delights of God is opening doors. Psalm 35:27 says God has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Ecclesiastes 3:13 says the gift of God is that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of his labor. Because He delights in opening doors, you can go to Him over any door and He will open it. Isaiah 45:11 says Ask me of things to come concerning My Sons, and concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. If the Lord decides to open a door, no one can stop Him. Isaiah 14:27 says For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hands is stretched out, And who will turn it back?

A door is used to keep what is inside in and what is outside out. Once a door is opened what is outside can come in and what is in can go out.

The Most High opens doors in different ways. He can do it physically. In John 9:1-9 is the story of a man who was born blind. The door of  promotion, happiness, progress, wealth to mention a little were shut at him. Just by anointing his eyes with clay made from mud and saliva,Jesus opened the doors that were shut at him. In Matthew 14:13-21, Jesus touched five loaves of bread and two fishes and the door of multiplication opened. Five loaves of bread and two fishes fed five thousand men not counting women and children and there were still twelve baskets left.

The Lord can command doors to open. Psalm 33:8-9 says the whole earth should fear the Lord because He spoke and it was done. Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is living and powerful. Jeremiah 23:29 says the word of God is like a fire and a hammer. In John 11:1-45 is the story of Lazarus. This man was dead for four days. At this point, all the doors in the world were shut at him. Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth and he did-all the shut doors were opened .For over seventy years, the door of fruitfulness was shut on Sarah but the Lord visited her in Genesis 18:1-16. While He was leaving He told Abraham, by this time next year Sarah will be a nursing mother and she became pregnant and gave birth at a very old age. In Mark 2:1-12, a paralytic man was brought to Jesus.  I do not need to tell you that the door to health was shut at this fellow .Jesus forgave him and told him to take his bed and walk and he did.

He can command animals to open doors. Psalms 50:10 says all the beast of the forest belongs to God.God gives understanding and wisdom to animals . According to Job 39:17, God made the ostrich forget her wisdom  and did not give her a share of understanding . Whilst famine ravished the land, God used ravens to open the  door of provisions  for Elisha. When you look at the species of birds , ravens are known as micers . They are even stingy to thier children .There favorite food is meat ,In 1 Kings 17:5-6, ravens brought him bread and meat  twice a day. In 2 Kings 2:23-25, God used two female bears to protect the dignity and respect of Elisha .After the bear incident no one ever looked down on Elisha or make fun of his baldhead till he died.

He can also use the enemies themselves to open doors .Proverbs 21:1 says the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, He turns it wherever He wishes. In Numbers 23:1-24, Balaak an enemy of Israel hired Balaam (another enemy of Israel) to curse the Israelites. Every time Balaam opened his mouth to curse this nation, blessings began to flow instead of curses. In Exodus 1:22, Pharaoh commanded that every son born to the Hebrews be cast into river so as to peg the growth of the Hebrews. When Moses was born, the Lord used the greatest enemy of male Hebrew children to raise him up.  By the time we get to Exodus 2:7-11, Moses was on his way to live with Pharaoh in the Palace. The resources of Pharaoh were used to raise Moses as a prince and the mother of Moses got full salary for raising her son -Moses.

Another way He opens doors is through His presence. According to Psalms 16:11, His presence can open the door of Joy. Psalms 21:6 says for You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. The presence of God parted the red sea before the children of Israel. Exodus 15: 8 says at the blast of Your nostrils, The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. In Acts 16:25-30, Paul and Silas began to pray and praise God and the Lord visited the prison. His presence caused an earthquake that rendered these men free.

Aside opening doors , he can also shut doors for example in 1 Kings 17:7-16 ,the door of poverty, death, loneliness was wide open to the widow of Zarapheth but the Lord sent Elijah to her and all the doors were shut. In 2 Kings 6:24-30, the Syrians besieged Samaria and this resulted in a terrible famine. The Lord took interest in the matter and used Elisha to shut the door of national recession, national sadness, and national darkness to mention a few.

Someone might ask what about broken doors? Well He can fix or replace a broken door. In Mark 5:25-.34 is the story of the woman with the issue of blood. The door that controls the flow of blood in her body was broken and blood began to flow nonstop for twelve years. Just by touching the hem of the garment of Jesus, She received a brand new door and was healed immediately.

This brings us to the question, what opens doors?

·         Holiness – Psalm 84:11 says no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Hebrews 12:14 says pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Psalm 34:15 says the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. Holiness is the key .Hebrews 1:9 says you have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, there God, Your God, has anointed You with the Oil of gladness more than Your companions.

·         Obedience –Isaiah 1:19 say if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Exodus 23:22-26 says if you obey God, your enemies will be His enemies, you will be His special treasure and you will not be sick. Jeremiah 7:23 says if we obey God, He will be our God and we will be His people. Deuteronomy 28:1 says if you obey God, He will set you on high above nations.

·         Prayers –Psalm 91:5 says He shall call upon Me, and I will answer Him. Matthew 7:7 says Ask, and it will be given to you; Proverbs 8:17 says those who seek Me finds me. John 16:24 says ask and your will receive, and your joy will be complete.

·         Hard work –Proverbs 28:19 says he who tills his land will have plenty of bread. Proverbs 27:18 says whoever keeps the fig tree will eat its fruit. Proverbs 10:4 says He who has a slack hand becomes poor but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

·         Words & Confession –Matthew 12; 37 says for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Proverbs 6:2 says you are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth. Remember Samson and Delilah, his words handed him to his enemy who plucked out his eye. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue. Numbers 14:28 says say to them, ‘As I live’, says the Lord, ‘Just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you.

·         Forgiveness – when you forgive people, it will open the door of forgiveness for you too. Mark 11:26 says But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

One thing to note is this; how you treat the doors the Lord has opened to you will determine if He will open more doors for you. The way you handle the doors He has opened matters a lot. That is why we have to take His errands or task very serious. When the Lord sends us on an errand it is for our good. The Most High God is not a user, He will always reward no matter how small the task is.  The question is this, how do you treat the task He has committed to you? Do you do them at your convenience, do you put all the strength you have into it or just do them rush rush.



Take for instance soul winning, how are you taking the door to share Christ? How about the door to be a blessing to a sister or brother in need or even the church? The door of tithes and offerings, how are you taking those doors? These are doors the Lord has opened for us to get blessed!

The doors of employment in your place of work, that business venture how are you taking those doors? Are you hardworking enough or procrastinating ?

There is a particular door the Lord has opened to everyone living and it is the door of Love. Matthew 22:37 says love your neighbor as yourself. 1 Peter 4; 8 says and above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins”. How are you handling this door talking of the door of love? God has opened the door to us to love our neighbor like ourself . Anything we do that is void of love is just an exercise and it has no reward.  1 Corinthians 13:1-13 points that whatever a man does or achieve outside the perimeter of Love is zero and God counts it as nothing .1 Corinthians 13:1 says if i speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a sounding piece of brass or a clashing cymbals. I pray that the Lord will not count your efforts as nothing in Jesus name.

How are you taking the door to love God? Proverbs 8:17 says I love those who love Me. Are you taking those doors serious? Are you maximizing them?

Anyone who wants the Lord to open doors for him or her must first open the door of their heart to Jesus. Revelations 3:20 says “behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.

The bible said in Romans 3 v 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 v 16 , 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. What shall we do to be saved? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 v 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague. Remember Matthew 10 v 32 which say whoever confesses me before me, him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

God has a sense of humor

Wow! How can one make such a statement?

Friends, God is not a comedian and He does not tell jokes- that’s more like it , but what do you mean by God has a sense of humour then?

Well, might I implore you to suspend your judgments and opinions on my topic just for a second? Will you? Cheers!

Couple of years back, the children of Israel were going to war with a town called Jericho. The ONE WHO HAS NEVER LOST A BATTLE picked interest in the war and advised Joshua to march around Jericho for six days with priests playing trumpet and on the seventh day repeat the exercise seven times and shout; awesome. What! You mean they were asked to march around a city they wanted to attack, playing trumpets? Common, I thought if you going to war you need to be tactical which means plan on strategies to attack. Strategies that include hiding and attacking when they least expect not match around the city playing trumpets, trumpets of all instrument not even a flute.
Ok, doing this once is understandable at least the enemies will have this impression that these guys don’t really mean any harm-look at them entertaining us, but doing that for six days and on the seventh day repeat  the  exercise seven times and shout? Guess what! They did just that and what happened? The walls of Jericho collapsed. I bet the next time someone says praise the Lord; your HALLELUJAH will be the loudest. Hallelujah collapses the walls of your problem.

Not too long ago, Elijah was advised by the GREAT PROVIDER to go a widow in Zarephath and stay there during famine. Really, who goes to a widow’s house to stay during famine? A widow normally is not very rich; no man to provide and cater for her not to talk of during famine. Let me ask you a question, someone who is struggling on a normal day will pray for recession in it? Capital no.
Anyway Elijah obeyed. When he got to Zarephath he saw the widow gathering sticks to prepare the last meal for herself and her son. Elijah did not know how to go about it because as a man of God you pray for people every time and you understand what it is to be a widow not to talk of coming to stay with one during famine. After he exchanged greetings with her, he requested for a jug of water put it in mind that it has not rained in months. The widow said ok, she turned around to go and fetch him a jug of water. Elijah said in a low voice “can you add small bread please”. I believe if you were in his shoes, you will not tell a widow during famine to fetch you jug of water with bread with a big grin on your face. Will you utter such words with the great enthusiasm? She turned around pretending not to be angry and said the sticks over there are more my last meal. Actually when you came in I was preparing to go and make my last meal for myself and my son
and die, so do you still want the water or not? Ok she didn’t ask if he still wanted the water but asking will not be rude because as a man on God, he should know better- you know I have enough problems as a widow and you are asking me to prepare my last meal for you. To cut the long story short she complied with the man of God and the GREAT PROVIDER multiplied the bread. I hope you are not planning to stop paying your tithe because of recession or half your offerings the next time you go to church.

Recently, a blind man encountered JESUS CHRIST .He was expecting a miracle from him but the next thing he heard was someone spitting on the ground and making mud. I bet, the thought on the blind man’s mind was did I just hear someone spit? I know it can be Jesus, why will he spit on the ground .Wait a minute, is he actually rubbing mud on my eyes? It must be a dream.
Come to think of it , mud don’t have healing properties, even our eyes are built to shut when a foreign object is coming to too close may be spec of sand or something. Spitting on the ground and making mud of it and rubbing it on a blind man’s eyes, you mean Jesus actually rub mud on a blind man’s eye? He must have a great sense of humour. Well guess what, the man got his sight back!!!

We can go on and on, is it Elijah and prophet of Baals? After flooding the altar with water called for fire from heaven to burn the sacrifice or Elisha who threw a stick in a river expecting the axe head that mistakenly fell into water to automatically float .A stick to float an axe head made of iron?

Friends whatever God has asked you to do, just do it because He means every word. It might sound funny, ridiculous, foolish or counter productive .Please just do it and you will reap the reward of obedience. Remember Isaiah 1:19 , If you are willing and obedient , ye shall eat the good of the land.

If you have not giving your life to Christ, it’s not too late. He will forgive all your sins, did I hear ALL? Yes all.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins.I receive Your eternal life . Confirm You love me by giving me peace ,joy and supernatural love for others. Amen .

Once you do so join a living church.

NB. Stories are excerpts from the bible (John 9:1-6 ,1 kings 17:7-12,Joshua 6:1-20,1 kings 18:16-40,2 kings 6;1-6)

Shalom

UNFORGIVENESS: a modern day robber

Matthew 6 v 12 – And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

One of the names of God is God-Who-Forgives, Psalm 99 v 8. In Exodus 34 v 6-7, The Most High God called Himself “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin .

The Lord is merciful, Psalm 103 v 8. The Lord is not only merciful but He is full of mercy, Psalms 78 v 38. Psalm 103 v 11 says as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy –talking about the volume of His mercy. One of the things He does out of mercy is He forgives, Psalm 78 v 38 says but He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity.

We are alive by the mercies of God, the Psalmist says in Psalm 130 v 3 that if the Lord should mark iniquities, who could stand? Lamentations 3 v 22 says through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. We all know that when the Lord speaks, it is considered done. Psalm 33 v 8-9 says the reason why the whole world should fear God is He speaks and it was done. According to Jeremiah 18 v 6-8 after speaking against a nation, He can reverse what He has said out of mercy. Psalms 32 v 1 says blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. If a man whose sin is forgiven is considered as blessed, how about the fellow whose sin is not forgiven?

This brings us to the question, what can I do to qualify for God’s forgiveness? According to Matthew 6 v 14-15, if we forgive men their trespasses, God will also forgive us our trespasses but if we don’t, He will not forgive our trespasses. We sin to God every minute, David says in Psalm 143 v 2, do not enter into judgments’ with your servants, for in Your(God) sights no one living is righteous. People have hurt us, they have messed with our emotions, they have caused us pain and hurt, some have even left scars in our heart, some of these scars are lifetime. Despite all this, the Lord wants us to forgive them. Many have vowed not to forgive regardless but with the help of the Holy Spirit we will highlight the cost of unforgiveness.

·         Unforgiveness prevents the manifestation of our dreams and God’s plan for our lives. Joseph like many of us had big dreams and aspirations. In a dream he saw his sheaf arose, stood alright and his brother’s sheaf bowed down to his sheaf –Genesis 37 v6-8. In another dream, he saw the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowing down to him-Genesis 37 v9-10.This dream did not materialize until he forgave his evil brothers. If you study the bible closely, you will notice that the Egyptians did not accept him as their prime minister until he forgave. When famine began, the Egyptians instead of crying to Joseph (Prime minister) went to Pharaoh – Genesis 41 v 55-56.Pharaoh had to tell them to go to Joseph, that whatever he says they you should do. After he forgave, things changed and by the time we get to Genesis 47 v 15-17, the Egyptians had accepted him as the prime minister. They were coming to him instead of Pharaoh. By the time we get Genesis 50 v 7-11, all the elders of Egypt had accepted Joseph as their leader. They travelled with Joseph to bury his Father. When the inhabitants of Canaan saw the people with Joseph; they thought the Egyptians were conducting a burial because of the presence of so many Egyptian generals. You want your dreams to come to pass please forgive

·         Unforgiveness causes God to be silent over our issues or matters or challenges. Over the matter of Moses God had never been silent. Pharaoh  killed the entire male child born to the Hebrews, when it got to the turn of Moses the Lord acted and he began to live with Pharaoh in the palace – Exodus 2 v 1-9. One day while walking, Moses saw an Egyptian bullying a Hebrew and ran to his rescue.  Moses in a bid to rescue the boy killed the Egyptian. The boy began to tell people that Moses had killed an Egyptian and before you know it.  Pharaoh heard of it and sought to kill Moses – Exodus 11 v 15. Moses had no choice than to run away but he did not forgive the Hebrews. Because of unforgiveness God was silent over his matter for forty years. When the Lord decided to act on his behalf, the first issue He dealt with was Moses unforgiveness. He asked him to go and bring the Israelites out of Egypt – Exodus 3 v 11. Moses had to forgive them to do this. The Lord was telling him forgive them and go and bring them out for Him. Thank God Moses obeyed and God began to deal with the challenges of Moses. When the Red sea tried to hinder the progress of Moses ,the Lord caused a strong east wind to blow the red sea into two – Exodus 14 v 21.

·         Unforgiveness leads to stagnancy.  Because of unforgiveness, Moses was stagnant for forty years. During that period , he went from been a prince of Egypt to a common  shepherd –Exodus 3 v 1 .All he did was tend people’s sheep, that’s all. A man who was born to be the leader of His people began to sleep and eat with sheep. Immediately he forgave he began to make progress. Within a year, He began to stand In the presence of Kings (Pharaoh) –Exodus 5 v 1. Not only that, Kings began to sought to see him –Exodus 11 v 24.In no time Kings began to see him as their father in the Lord. He became Pharaoh’s father in the Lord and that one began to send prayer request to him- Exodus 12 v31-32.

·         Unforgiveness robs us of fullness of joy. Although Joseph had joy – he was made a prime minister, married with children; his joy was not full because Jacob his father and Benjamin were missing in his life. When the opportunity came to take revenge on his evil brothers he forgave them and that opened the door to see Jacob and Benjamin again.

·         Unforgiveness leads to loneliness and isolation. Moses who had always lived in the palace and had his family around him suddenly he found himself at the back of the deserts tending flocks alone. No family, no step mum-princess, no friends and family, Just him alone but immediately he forgave he began to have friends again and before you know he had a whole nation around him. Many of us have refused to forgive our wives or husbands and because of this we are lonely. We are at home with them day and night but still lonely.

·         Unforgiveness takes us from grace to grass. Due to unforgiveness Moses went from a prince to a shepherd. Joseph went from the son to a slave to a prisoner. Because the brothers sold him , he did not forgive and things began to go bad for him. Even when he was promoted, the people still saw him as slave. They preferred the king to their new prime minister. A Christian brother went into business with another brother. The brother miss-appropriated the funds and the business suffered. The brothers had a disagreement and went on their ways. During a church program, the Holy Spirit fished out the brother that took the money and asked him to go and make restitution. The brother confessed his sins and went to this Christian Brother for forgiveness but he refused. The Lord forgave the brother that cheated and began to prosper him but things began to fall apart for the Christian Brother. At a point, the Christian brother cried to God that how come the man who cheated me is prospering and I am suffering, the Lord told him that He had forgiven the brother because he confessed his sins and changed but for him , his sins have not been forgiven because he has refused to forgive the brother. The brother immediately forgave and things went back to normal again.

·         Unforgiveness hinders the move of God. Sometimes last year, the Holy Spirit told me that do I know that a man can pray to God for something and still prevent God from doing that which he had asked of God. How?  through unforgiveness. God will not move until you forgive. Sarah did not get pregnant until she had dealt with all forms of unforgiveness in her life. Sarai did not get pregnant until she forgave her handmaid-Hagar-Genesis 16 v 1-16. Her change of name from Sarai to Sarah in Genesis 17 v 15, the visit and promise of a male son - Genesis 18 v1-16 and the birth of Isaac materialize only after she forgave Hagar and took her back.Do you know that Job had to first forgive Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Namathite before the Lord blessed him. Job 42 v 10 says and the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends .Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

·         Unforgiveness draws a family backward. When a member of a family abhors unforgiveness, the whole family suffers for it. The lord did not visit Abraham until Sarah forgave Hagar. Sarah’s unforgiveness affected the progress of Abraham in the Lord.

·         Unforgiveness determines if God will give us second chance when we offend Him or not. Many people have always wondered why God forgave David and still kept him as king even after committing adultery, killed an innocent man and took  his wife-2 Samuel 11 v 1-26 and Saul was rejected for deciding to spare some cows for sacrifice when he was told to destroy everything -1 Samuel 15 v 1-35 .One of the reason is David had a forgiving heart but Saul did not. When you study the life of David, despite all Saul did to him when he had the chance to kill Saul he did not – 1 Samuel 24 v 1-7. Despite all Absalom did, he killed his brother, overthrew David (his father)  forced him to flee, slept with the wives of David , David still found a place in his heart to forgive this boy no wonder he warned them not to kill him but bring Absalom to him alive- 2 Samuel 18 v5. Despite what Shimei the son of Gera did to David (cursed him, stoned him while David was running from Absalom) – 2 Samuel 16 v 5-10, When David returned as king and people began to tell David that Shimei needs to die, David called Shimei and forgave him, he even swore to Shimei that he will not die- Samuel 19 v21-23. Saul had no forgiving spirit at all, he passed a decree that no one should eat until he defeats his enemies. When he passed this decree, Jonathan his son was not around. That one saw honey and licked it and Saul decided to kill his son over this matter, it was the people of Israel that saved Jonathan from Saul-1 Samuel 14 v 24-46. If you have problems giving people second chance, God will also have problems with giving you second chance.

We need to forgive everyone, our children, our parents, our friends and families, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, pastors, enemies even ourselves. Many of us have not forgiven our self. Remember the parable of the two debtors in Matthew 18 v 23-35. A king forgave a servant and wrote off his huge debts. This same servant decided to put another slave in prison because he owed him money and could not afford to pay back. When the King heard he became angry and put the servant he forgave huge debt into prison and freed the slave.

According to Romans 6 v 23, the bible says the wages of sin is death. None of us deserves to live because of the number of sins we have committed. Instead of killing us Jesus died .Romans 5 v 8 say while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were living and eating in sin, Jesus died for you and me. Forgive everyone who has wronged you today not because they deserve it but out of mercy. Matthew 5 v 7 says blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy.

I will end by telling you a story.  A pastor and his wife had a quarrel at home and the wife slapped him. The man out of great anger got into his car and drove away. He had an accident and died. When he got heaven, He was sent to hell. He was told because of unforgiveness, everything he had done on earth amounted to zero .He was told that because he died without forgiving his wife who wronged him and slapped him he would have to spend eternity in hell. This man began to beg. Because this man had really labored for the Lord, Jesus out of compassion gave him an opportunity  to return and forgive his wife. He came back, forgave his wife, told the story and died immediately.

Brethren forgive everyone who has wronged you now. Contact them and tell them you have forgiven them. You have read this story and you want to think about it, What if you pass away while thinking of it?

If you have not giving your life to Christ please do so and if you have backslidded you can come back to Christ today.

The bible said in Romans 3 v 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 v 16 , 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. What shall we do to be saved? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 v 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus, I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague. Remember Matthew 10 v 32 which say whoever confesses me before me, him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

Launch out into the deep

Luke 5 vs 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

In our newsletter titled Peter Gifts , we discussed about five things peter gave before he got his breakthrough. He gave his boat,strength,time,freedom and his life. If we carefully study Luke 5vs 1-7, we will notice that after he gave this things nothing happened until he launched out into the deep(as advised by Jesus). What Peter's gift got him was the attention and presence of Jesus . Psalm 62 vs 11 says in the presence of God there is fullness of Joy. Giving what Peter gave to Jesus will earn you fullness of Joy but there is a higher level of Joy as described in Jude 1vs24 called exceeding joy.

Jesus appreciated the efforts and gifts of Peter but He knew that alone will not earn Peter the breakthrough he desired so He advised him to launch out into the deep.

This brings us to the question what is in the deep ? Healing of diseases both curable and incurable. According to Exodus 15 vs 26 , the Lord is the greater Physician / Healer. He can heal the body , soul and spirit. In Mark 5 vs 25-34 , Jesus healed a woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years. I know most of us men might not understand what this means but just imagine a woman who had been menstruating non stop for twelve years. I need not to tell you that after her healing she was filled with exceeding joy. In Luke 13 vs 10-17 , Jesus healed another woman who had a bent back for eighteen years. In eighteen years , she never stood upright or straight for once but the Most High God healed her. In John 5 vs 1-18 is the story of a man who had been sick and been by the pool of Bethesda for thirty eight years. To be sick with fever for two weeks is a lot talk less of sickness that is worse than that for 38 years. I pray today that the Lord will heal every sickness in your body in Jesus name.

Also in the deep, fruitless efforts become fruitful. In Luke 5 vs 1-7 , Peter fished all night but there was nothing to show for his effort but when he got to the deep , he launched his net once and he caught a net breaking ,boat sinking catch. Sarah tried like every other women on earth but had nothing to show for her effort. She tried everything to get a child even she went to the extent of try to get a child through her maid and that one decided to despise her for been barren but one day the One who is so deep that no one can completely understand Him came and visited her and she became a mother of nation . Hannah was constantly reminded by Peninnah that she was barren- 1 Samuel 1 vs 6, but one day she launched into the deep and became a mother of six – 1 Samuel 2vs 21. I believe there is someone reading this newsletter at this point who is been reminded regularly that she is barren , I pray that in the name of Jesus , very soon you will be a mother of twins.

In the deep is wealth. Contrary to many beliefs , God does not give wealth He gives you the power to get wealth. Deuteronomy 8 vs 18 says and you shall remember the Lord your God , for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenants He swore to your fathers. He gave Isaac so much ability and power that He sowed in Genesis 26vs 12-13 and became very rich. Actually He was greater than a nation. He gave Solomon ability too and that one made silver as common as stone- 1Kings 10vs 27

Also wisdom can be found in the deep. James 1 vs 5 says God is the giver of wisdom. Proverbs 4 vs 7 says wisdom is a principal thing ;therefore get wisdom , and in all your getting ,get understand. When we talk of wisdom , Daniel was a man of wisdom .The bible says in Daniel 1 vs 20 that Daniel and his friends were ten times better than the intellectuals of Babylons. By the time we get to Daniel 6 vs 3 , the whole nation began to commend Daniel's wisdom , they said they found an excellent spirit in him. Bezalel was another man who was full of the spirit of wisdom. The man was so full of wisdom the Lord recommended him for work -Exodus 31 vs 1-5. I pray that the Lord will give me and someone such a spirit in Jesus name, If you are that person say amen.

In the deep is divine protection .There is no protection anywhere except in the Lord. Proverbs 18 vs 10 says the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runs to it and he is save. Psalm 127 vs 1 says a house is only save when the Lord watches over it .Psalm 125 vs 2 says just like mountain surrounds Jerusalem so also He surrounds His people both now and forevermore. In 2 Kings 6 vs13-18 , Gehazi saw that the host of Syrians had surrounded Dothan and he ran to Elisha. The prophet prayed that the Lord should open the eyes of Gehazi and he saw Heavenly host in their multitudes on horses and chariots of fires all around protecting them. This is what I call protection.

Also in the deep is open doors -John 9vs 1-12, deliverance -Mark 5 vs 1-20 ,peace . Jesus said in John 14 vs 27 my peace I leave with you ,My peace I give unto to you;not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled,neither let it be afraid. Isaiah 66 vs 12 talks of God extending peace like a river.

Now the question in most people's heart is how can I launch out into the deep or what does it mean to launch out into the deep ? How did Peter launch out into the deep ? The first thing Peter did to launch out into the deep was obedience. He fully obeyed Jesus .The problem with most of us is half obedience , some of us pay our offerings but we do not tithe, some of us tithe but do not witness or evangelize , many evangelize but do not pay their first fruits. Proverbs 3 vs 9 says Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. Many of us even pay offerings,tithe ,support other projects in the church and still do dodgey or funny deals at work. All these are partial obedience and God demands full obedience. There are many who sisters who are not submissive to their husbands , there are many brothers who still abhors unforgiveness . The only way to move from fullness of joy to exceeding joy is total obedience.

Another thing Peter did was he stepped up his commitments, he said nevertheless at your word I will let down the net- Luke 5 vs 5. Anyone who wants to breakthrough needs to step up his commitments to God. We have to decide that no more attending church on Sundays alone ( Sunday Sunday tablets) but to attend mid week services,we have to put an end to ten minutes of prayer and step up our prayer lives ,we have to decide that we will not only speak in tongues during church night vigils but everyday , we have to decide that we will read at least a chapter of the bible daily, we have to decide to stop hiding our faith in Christ in our places of work or business or amidst friends,we have to put an end to coming to church late,we have to decide to not to be a church goer alone but a worker in the church. We all need to step up our commitment to Christ , we all need to begin to evangelize.1 Samuel 2 vs 30 says those who honor Me , I will honor. Honor the Lord today and He will honor you.

Another thing Peter did was he stepped up his efforts . Launching out into the deep requires an effort. The effort needed to sail a boat in deep waters is more than the effort needed to sail a boat on shallow waters. Proverbs 22 vs 29 says diligence in business is what makes a man to stand before Kings .Proverbs 12 vs 11 says he who tills his land will be satisfied with bread. Proverbs 31 vs 17 talks of a virtuous wife. The bible says she girds herself with strength, and strengthens her arm. It is a bad thing to be lazy as a lady too. Actually by God's standards a virtuous woman is one who seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands – Proverbs 31 vs 13.

A way of launching out into the deep is completely trusting the word of God. Peter said at thy word, Peter had faith in the word of God. The problem with many of us is we doubt the word of God. Hebrew 11 vs 6 says without faith it is impossible to please God in other words when you do not have faith you are displeasing God. Many of us are in the same place we are last year due to fear and lack of our trust in the word of God. We do not have faith in our ability . Colossians 1 vs 27 says Christ in you the hope of glory. Once you have Christ you can never fail. Make that move today and you will see God in action.

Another thing Peter did was he expected a good result that was what geared him to obey God. Proverbs 23 vs 18 says the expectation of the righteous will not be cut short. You will only get what you expect .If a man expects to fail , he will fail. I expect to succeed in Jesus name. Peter was expectant and he got his rewards .

And finally launching out into the deep means spending more time with Jesus. Peter increased the time he spent with Jesus and it paid off. God is not our messenger we bark orders to .We must learn to first worship Him, thank Him and then table our request or petition before Him. We must be willing to spend time in His presence praising Him, studying the word of God and generally fellowshipping with Him. We cant be too busy to spend time with the One who can solve all our problems.

Romans 6 vs 1 says shall we live in sin and ask for grace to abound ? It is impossible sir. 1 John 3 vs 9 says whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. Anyone living in sin is not of God. Jesus said in John 3 vs 3 except a man is born again He shall not see the kingdom of heaven.

If you have not giving your life to Christ please do so and if you have backslidded you can come back to Christ today.

The bible said in Romans 3 vs 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 vs 16 , 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. What shall we do to be save ? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth , Jesus is Lord , and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 vs 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus , I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart . Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague . Remember Matthew 10 vs 32 which says whoever confesses me before me , him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

Peter's gift

Read : Luke 5 vs 1- 8

The bible passage above is a very popular story about Peter . He had fished all night and caught nothing ,while he was washing his nets Jesus paid him a visit. Later Jesus asked him to let down his net for a catch and he obeyed. He caught so much fish his nets began to break.

When we carefully study the above passage , we will notice that before Peter received his breakthrough there was an exchange. Peter parted with something to get his blessings. Many a times,when we hear of giving and  what comes to mind is money - offering and tithes . It is not only about money , there are things God wants you to give to Him that are more of value than money and I pray that as you read along , the Holy Spirit will inspire you in Jesus name.Amen

Looking at Luke 5 vs 1-8 , Peter gave five things to Jesus in exchange for his breakthrough. The things he gave came at a cost . David says in 1 Chronicles 21 vs 24 , I will not offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing. David knew the essence of giving a costly gift to God no wonder by the time we get to 1 Chronicles 21 vs 26 we see God answering from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offerings. God was so pleased with the offering that He sent fire from heaven to consume the offering.

The first thing Peter gave was his time . Time Is one of the most valuable resources. Business moguls will tell you time is money. Time is so important God works in it . Genesis 2 vs 2 says and on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. The Lord created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. This is an example of God working in time. When we study the whole bible we see God working in time and with time. Time is so crucial, when the mother of Jesus told Him the wine had finished , He replied My hour has not yet come -John 2 vs 1-11.

When Jesus got into the boat in Luke 5 vs 3 , He began to teach the multitude from the boat.Meanwhile Peter had fished all night and he needed rest but instead of going home to rest, he stood with Jesus . While Jesus was teaching , he was awake on the boat to carry out instructions for Jesus , spending time with Jesus. The time he could have used to do a million and one things , maybe visit his family , friends, look for other means of getting money , complain about he tried all night and caught nothing or sleep but he gave it to Jesus .It was a very inconvenient time for Peter because he was tired and exhausted. Anyone who is wants a mega breakthrough must be ready to first give their time to Jesus. Brethren God needs our time for a lot of things, for evangelism, for caring for the sick,poor and widows , for interceding , for praying , for praising Him. God will always reward every second we spend for Him. A few minutes with God can solve a life long problem. God is only ready to spend time with us when we spend time with HIM.

Another thing Peter gave was his boat . We all know that the most important thing to a fisherman is his boats. Peter's boat was a prized asset to him but He had to let go off it to Jesus. The question is this if Jesus decides to borrow your house , will you lend Him? We know our Lord is rich, Haggai 2 vs 8 says silver and gold belongs to Him,Genesis 14 vs 22 calls Him the Possessor of the heavens and the earth, Psalm 24 vs 1 says the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. To enjoy God and His abundance we must be ready to part with our prized possessions. Because Abraham was willing to part with Isaac- his only son , God swore to him , He said in blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea-shore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies- Genesis 22 vs17. You want God to bless you beyond limits , be ready to part with your prized possession. The widow of Zarapheth gave her last meal and the Lord fed her through famine – 1 Kings 17 vs 7-16.

Another thing Peter gave was strength. We all know that after fishing all night , by the next morning Peter will be left with virtually no strength.  Luke 5 vs 3 says then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land. Peter had brought his boat to the shore because he was finished for the day but Jesus asked him to push the boat back into the lake. This was not an easy task ,to make it worse Jesus was sitted in the boat which made it heavier. Peter had to summon the last strength he had to push the boat to the sea. Many of us call ourselves christians and we can not remember the last time we spent our strength for Jesus.

A way to use your strength for Jesus is by becoming a worker in your church. Join the ushers, greeters , choirs, cleaners or other departments. The church of God needs workers. We can not expect the pastor to clean the chairs, hoover , be an usher and choir at the same time. We need to support the work of God. A true child of God will be a worker in the house of God. Jesus says in Luke 11 vs 23 , he who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Are you with Jesus by working with your pastors and church or scattering what Jesus has gathered ? It is God that fills the church but he needs workers to make the church clean and conducive for those He is bringing .

Another thing Peter gave was his freedom. He became a servant in His own boat by giving all his freedom to Jesus. The reason why many do not want to give their life to Christ is because they do not want to give up their freedom. They want to smoke , make filthy jokes , enjoy their bottle of alcohol and all . They do not want to be told how to live their life. They want to live their life the way they want. Peter served Jesus well , Jesus told him to put the boat out a little he did without question. He asked him to launch into deep , he complied ; Jesus told him to let down his net he obeyed.

Anyone who wants God to move for him must first give up his freedom to Jesus. Once you give your freedom to Jesus , He controls what you do . He tells you can not go to clubs , betting shops or womanize. Once you give your freedom to Jesus , you are not free to live a reckless life ,part of giving your freedom will include giving up your life styles . You have to give up the way you dress ,no more tight fitting skirts and blouses,no more micro mini skirts, no exposure of body parts that needs to be covered. Once He has your freedom , you will not be able to attend parties during church services. If we submit our freedom to Him , we will fulfill our destinies in no time. The secret of David's success is found in Psalm 23 v 5 , He leads me in the paths of righteousness . If the Lord leads you , it is obvious you can not go wrong.

The fifth thing he gave was his family. Anyone who is ready to have a breakthrough that the world will be  called to come and see must put Jesus first. Peter fished all night and you will expect him to go home and see his children and wife but he stayed with Jesus. We will not enjoy Jesus to the fullest until we put Him first in everything we do . A disciple of Jesus told him please let me first go and bury my father and Jesus told him “follow me let the dead bury their own dead”. Our God is a jealous God -Deuteronomy 6 vs 15 , that is why He will not take the second place in any life.

He is either the first in your life or He is not there. Is the Lord asking you to do one thing or other and you are considering what people will say ? Or what your family members will think ? Luke 17 vs 33 says whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Abraham put God first , that was why he was able to go and sacrifice Isaac before the Lord provided a substitute. The widow of Zarapheth put the prophet of God first before her son . She fed the prophet first before she thought of her son. Every time we put God first He works wonders for us. David put God first before His throne, fame, respect and honor and began to dance in the presence of the Lord. David danced to the extent Michal complained and the Lord got angry and closed the womb of Michal that she died without a child- 2 Samuel 6 vs 22-23. Put God first and you will not be last.

When an individual gives his freedom,time,strength,prized possessions and his family , what is he left with ? Nothing . What makes an individual's life is his /her freedom, time, strength, prized possession and family. To experience God in a way you have never experienced Him, you need to give your life to Christ. A life without Christ is an empty life . People take  take drugs , engage in a reckless life to fill an emptiness within them. Money can not fill the emptiness , so also is status or fame . We have seen the rich and famous die of substance abuse because they were trying to fill a void within them. The only way to fill the void is accept Jesus. Colossians 2 vs 10 says and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of principality and power . Without Him we can do nothing , Philippians 4 vs 13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Without Him strengthening you , you will achieve nothing no wonder Psalm 60 vs 12 says through God we will do valiantly, For It is He who shall tread down our enemies.

If you have not giving your life to Christ why not do so now because tomorrow might too late. If you have once giving your life to Christ and backslidded why not come back to Him because He is waiting to receive you.

The bible said in Romans 3 vs 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 vs 16 , 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. What shall we do to be save ? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth , Jesus is Lord , and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 vs 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus , I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart . Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague . Remember Matthew 10 vs 32 which says whoever confesses me before me , him I will confess before my father who is heaven.

Are you alone or forsaken?

Forsaken what a lonely word. Forsaken defined means, deserted or abandoned. There are thousands of people in this world who have been forsaken in their lives. Whether it happened as a child by losing a parent through death, abandoment, or rejection, it feels the same. Lives are sometimes scarred forever.

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Those exact words were used twice in biblical times. David, the man “after God’s own heart cried those words out to God in anguish in Psalms 22:1 (NIV) when He felt God had left him, and he felt God was so far removed from him. Those exact words were said again in two of the four gospels. In Matthew 27:46 when Jesus, after hanging on the cross for many hours cried out to God, ” …my God, my God, why hast though forsaken me?” God had made the final move, laying the sins of the entire world upon Jesus’ shoulders in order that He could carry them to the bowels of Hell, leaving them forever, never to be remembered again.

What anguish was felt by both David and Jesus Christ. They felt, in those moments, God had abandoned them, left them in their time of such distress and physical and emotional pain. But, God was there!

Do we forsake God today? Yes, many times. Does God forsake us? No! He does all he can to teach us to remain close to Him. He will heal our wounds, soothe our pain, and wipe away our tears. When we have been forsaken by all, He is there to carry us through the tough times. But, we must have faith and believe that He is a “constant” in our lives. If we live our lives by faith and not by sight, we will never feel alone or forsaken. When you need someone to talk too, He is there. When we need a shoulder to cry on, He is there. When we think we have been abandoned or forsaken, He is there.

We may forsake God many times while we walk through life, but He is always standing there, waiting for us to turn and take His hand again and continue our journey toward heaven. If we miss heaven, we have missed it all. What is the reason for living if all we have to look forward too is darkness, intense pain beyond belief, and an eternity of finally calling on the name of the Lord, when then it is too late. Remember, “every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess” that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, Philippians 2:10-11 (NIV)

Think about this today as you continue your daily walks in this world. Have you abandoned God? Are you in the desert, or are you in the oasis of God? The choice is always there for us. If we take up our cross and follow Christ each day, abandoment and the feeling of being forsaken will be gone forever.

by yesvirginiathereis

Remembering the Forgotten.

Psalm 115 vs 12 says The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel ; He will bless the house of Aaron.

It is a terrible thing to be forgotten. Proverbs 13 vs 12 says when hope is deferred the heart becomes sick .To be forgotten is like hope been deferred . When a man or woman is forgotten his or her destiny is put on hold. Jeremiah 29 vs 11 says for I know the plans that I have for you , says the Lord. “plans to prosper you and not to harm you ,plans to give you hope and a future. When an individual is forgotten every plans and agenda is suspended. For example God had big plans for Solomon .Before the birth of Solomon , God  sent Nathan to inform David of His plan to make Solomon king and establish his throne forever - 2 Samuel 7 vs 5-16. When the time came for David to choose his successor , He forgot all the prophet said about Solomon. Meanwhile Adonijah was making preparations to make himself king and this was brought to David's attention , instead of rebuking him , he kept quiet because the young man was good looking -1 Kings 1 vs 5-6 .Although the king kept quiet, the Lord did not . He inspired Nathan to speak to Bathsheba. By the time we get to 1 Kings 1 vs 28-40 , David had remembered Solomon and made him king.

In Mark 5 vs 1-20 is the story of the demoniac in Gadara . He was born to be a great evangelist but unclean spirits possessed him and put his destiny on hold. This demons made sure he lived among the dead (in the tomb). Proverbs 14 vs 20 says the poor is hated by his neighbor but the rich has many friends. If the poor is hated by his neighbor how much more a mad man who resides in the tomb. Proverbs 19 vs 4 says wealth brings many friends , but a poor man's friend deserts him. If the friends of the poor desert and forget about him , how much more a demonic man who cuts himself and cry day and night . The man was totally forgotten but the Most High remembered him and paid him a visit. All demons disturbing were sent out and this man started witnessing for Jesus. By the time we get to Mark 5 vs 20-21 , he had already won a whole nation for Jesus.

When a man is forgotten , his blessings and breakthrough are withheld . In 2 Samuel 9 vs 1-9, Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan,grand son of King Saul was stripped of all his belonging and Saul's estate. Mephibosheth was a prince and the only place you find princes are in palaces not a small house in Lo Debar. A prince sits at the King's table to eat with the king and other princes but Mephibosheth was eating lone in small hut . Whether a prince is lame or fit , when he wants to travel he uses royal chariots but people had to carry this prince .The Lord remembered this young prince and nudged the heart of the king. David suddenly felt a need to show kindness to the house of Saul and began to inquire if any one was left so that he could show kindness to him or her. As the Lord will have it , Mephibosheth was the only one left and David restored all that belonged to him .He began to sit and dine with the king of Israel .

The Lord told Abram that He was going to give his descendant the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession in Genesis 17 vs 1. This promise did not materialize until the Lord remembered the great grand children of Abraham in Exodus 2 vs 24 . The children of Israel were stuck in Egypt for four hundred and thirty years because they were forgotten . The Most High remembered them and He raised up Moses who led them out of Egypt and Joshua who took them to Canaan -the land flowing with milk and honey.

When a man is forgotten , he experiences stagnancy in all areas of his life. After Joseph had interpreted the dreams of the king's butler and baker in Genesis 40 vs 1-23 , he expected the butler to put a word for him in the presence of the King as agreed but the man forgot . Because the man forgot , Joseph remained in the prison for another two years . Throughout the two years , he did not make any progress ,even the bible had nothing to record about him because all he achieved in those years was zero . The Lord remembered him and caused Pharaoh to have a dream in Genesis 41 vs 1-40 . Pharaoh told his dreams to the palace officials and the butler remembered Joseph . The butler told the King about Joseph and he was asked to come and interpret the king's dream.  He interpreted the dream and from that day , Joseph never returned to the prison again.

When a man or woman is forgotten , if care is not taken he or she might miss the day of his or her breakthrough. The Lord told Prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16 vs 1-13 to fill his horn with oil and go to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons . When he got there , he asked to see the sons of Jesse and Jesse brought out his sons but forgot  David who was busy with the sheep in the field. It was until the Lord told Samuel that He had not chosen any of the seven that Samuel asked if there were other children before Jesse remembered his last born in the field . Imagine David missing the day he was meant to be made the number one citizen in the land of Israel. I pray that you will not miss the day of your breakthrough in the name of Jesus.

It is almost impossible for one who is forgotten to become fruitful . The Lord expects his children to be fruitful . The first blessing He gave man in the garden of Eden is to be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 1 vs 18 . The Second promised he gave to Abram in Genesis 12 vs 2 was to make him a great nation – make him fruitful. An individual who is forgotten might find it hard or impossible to be fruitful . Genesis 29 vs 31 says when the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren . While everyone around Rachel were becoming fruitful , Rachel was barren . The Lord remembered Rachel in Genesis 30 vs 32 and she became fruitful and gave birth to Joseph. Hannah saw hell in the hands of her rival – Peninnah because the Lord had forgotten her . In 1 Samuel 1 vs 6 , Peninnah took it upon herself to torment Hannah because she was barren but by the time the Lord remembered her , she became a mother of six – four boys and two girls , 1 Samuel 2 vs 21 .

When a man is forgotten , he will continue to face the same challenge again and again. This was the case of the man at the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years – John 5 vs 1-16 . The man's biggest problem was getting someone to put him into the pool when the water is stirred up by an angel. This man remained sick and in the same state for several years because there was no one to put him in the pool but the Lord remembered him and visited him. Before Jesus left the pool of Bethesda , his challenge was dealt with once and for all . The man never had the need to lie by the pool again.

When a man is forgotten , mercy is withdrawn from him. Lamentations 3 vs 22 says through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because of his compassions fail not. Jesus was approaching Jericho in Luke 18 vs 35 -43 when a blind man began to shout “ Son of David , have mercy on me !” . This man's life was devoid of mercy . While he was crying to Jesus , people began to tell him to be quiet . The people that were meant to help started telling him to shut up and keep quiet . No one around him was willing to show him mercy . Jesus remembered him and asked him to be brought over. Jesus spoke the word and he began to see .

Many are going through a challenge or two and are wondering if the Lord has forgotten us. We have prayed and fasted , sown seeds , attended night vigils and nothing seems to happen. Some of us are now at the stage when we begin to ask if the Lord actually cares The Lord has not forgotten you. Isaiah 49 vs 15-16 says can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget , yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before me. Deuteronomy 7 vs 9 says therefore know that the Lord your God , He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. Job 23 vs 13 says but He is unique , and who can make Him change ? And whatever His soul desires , that He does . Job 36 vs 7 says He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous. The Lord has not forgotten you .

The reason why we are yet to break through or get our blessings could be the timing. God has a time and schedule for everything. Ecclesiastes 3 vs 1 says to everything there is a season . There is an appointed time for your blessings . Habakkuk 2 vs 3 says for the vision is yet for an appointed time , but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry , wait for it, because it will sure come, it will not tarry. In John 9 vs 1-12 , we see the disciples of Jesus asking Him whose sin it was that caused a man to be born blind and Jesus replied them that neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. There was an appointed time for this man's miracle. When the time came , Jesus walked by and he got his sight .

Another reason for unanswered prayers could be because we have stopped crying to God . Some of us are now fed up of crying to God , we have now accepted fate . We are  now comfortable with the challenges that we no longer cry to God for help . Although the children of Israel had over stayed their visit in Egypt the Lord did not fight on their behalf until they started to cry out for help . Whilst they were quiet the Lord held His peace but immediately they began to cry He remembered them- Exodus 2 vs 24 . If they had not cried , they probably will be there for another two hundred years. Are you now so comfortable in your place of work or ministry that you no longer cry to God for help ? Sir /Ma it is very dangerous.

Another reason could be the Lord has decided to forget about us . There are many who the Lord has purposely forgotten because they have forgotten to redeem their pledges , vows,e.t.c. Many have made promises to Him and forgotten . We told him that if only if He will deal with a particular challenge , we will give an offering , we will buy something for the church ,some said they will join the choir,others promised to serve Him for the rest of  their life , some even promised to live a life holiness but after He did it we forgot about the promises and pledges . Psalm 18 vs 24 says therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. Psalm 18 vs 25-26 says with the merciful , He shew Himself merciful , with the blameless ,He shew Himself blameless , with the Pure, He shew Himself pure and with the devious , He shew Himself shrewd. If the Lord shows himself shrewd, with the devious what of those who have forgotten Him or their promises to Him ?

Proverbs 8 vs 17 says I love those who love Me , the Lord said in 1 Samuel 2 vs 30 , those who honor Me will I honor. Some have forgotten about our first love . We no longer yearn for the presence of God . Heaven and hell are no longer preached .The Lord wants us to know about heaven and hell . Many of us have forgotten to be grateful to Him , we complain about what He is yet to do and we forget about His mercies and what He has already done . One thing we all forget is that only the living has challenges , the dead In the grave has no challenges . If you having challenges just thank Him for the gift of life. Only the living fails an exam , the dead do not write exams .

Sin is leads to a shut heaven . At times things do not work out because of our disobedience to the Most High God. Psalm 66 vs 18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart , the Lord will not hear me . Romans 6 vs 1 says what shall we say then? Shall we continue In sin that grace may abound ?

The bible said in Romans 3 vs 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 vs 16 , 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. What shall we do to be save ? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth , Jesus is Lord , and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 vs 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus , I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart . Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague . Remember Matthew 10 vs 32 which says whoever confesses me before me , him I will confess before my father who is heaven.