IT IS WELL WITH YOUR SOUL

In 1873, a very wealthy businessman in Chicago, name Horatio Spafford wrote the words of the hymn "When Peace Like A River, Attended My Way." This hymn was writ­ten af­ter two ma­jor trau­mas in his life. The first one happened in October 18871, during the great Chi­ca­go Fire. This f­ire caused him a great deal of misfortune. He lost a lot of his wealth. The second one occurred on the Atlantic Sea. It involved the collision of two ships. This led to the death of his four daughters, only his wife, Anna, survived. Sev­er­al weeks lat­er, as Spaf­ford’s own ship passed near the spot where his daugh­ters died, the Ho­ly Spir­it in­spired these words. 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Those who hope in the Lord, need not worry because they have an eternal glory no matter their problems earthly problems and sorrows. The pains you endure now cannot be compared to the joy and peace that you will find in eternity. So today, just know that whatever your lot, it is well with your soul. Be at peace!

John 16:33English Standard Version (ESV)

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

PERSISTENCE AND PERSEVERANCE WILL WORK THE MIRACLE

I want you to be inspired by this poem that I wrote some time ago. It came to me as I examined how Elisha persisted and received a double portion of anointing from Elijah. Elisha will never take no for an answer. In the end, he got what he wanted. This is the passage from 2 Kings 2:2-14 where I got my inspiration:

Elijah Taken to Heaven

2 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 And Elijah said to Elisha,“Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said,“As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 And the sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he said, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. 5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take away your master from over you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know it; keep quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water,and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you, but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.” 11 And as they still went on and talked, behold,chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it and he cried, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw him no more.

Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 And he took up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

I hope you will also persist in whatever you are doing until success comes your way. Stay blessed and enjoy this poem.

When life's seems to hit you in the face like raging storms,

When you seem to be discouraged by daily chores,

Take courage in your heavenly stores,

For there you will find strength in quantum bits.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue,

You can chose to be what you want to be,

Riches and poverty are choices to make,

Success or failure you can choose to be,

Both separated by a fine line of will.

Life's struggles are for a while,

Pursue knowledge and seek out for wisdom,

For success and riches are within your reach.

Never give up! Gird up your loins with endurance.

For persistence and perseverance will work the miracle.

KEEP CALM! YOU ARE A WINNER!

Exodus 14:14

…13But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14"The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent."

Are you so much tormented by an issue or circumstance that is impeding your progress in life? Is someone harassing you constantly? Is your financial status making you afraid of surviving in the coming days? What is currently making you uncomfortable or fearful? The Israelites were in a similar situation where they were being pursued by the Egyptians who had held them in slavery for may years. They were on their way of deliverance but then came the Egyptians. Some times when you are about to reach your final point of deliverance, sudden the enemy shows his face again to torment you. You move from one financial problem and suddenly, there appears to be a bigger one. 

God is reminding you that, "Do not fear!" The storms will come but He is still with you in the storms as you battle it. When you are a child of God, your life is controlled by Him and all your battles are His. He fights the battle on your behalf. God wants you to stand by, relax, and see what he is about to accomplish in your life if you trust Him wholeheartedly. The salvation of the Lord is at hand. He wants you to be still because He has won the battle already. Why do you fear when the Lord is fighting for you? The Egyptians (financial worries, unemployment, sickness) in your life have been conquered, "for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever." You are free to enjoy the life God wants you to live. "The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." 

The Lord says in Isaiah 41:10 that, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Believe that you are victorious in Jesus name. Jesus, said, in Luke 8:50, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” When all hope is lost and gone, turn to Jesus and he will turn what is dead in your live into living being. Keep trusting Jesus!

GOD WILL ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS

We have been assured of God answering all our request and petitions we bring to him in our prayers. 

John 15:16English Standard Version (ESV)

16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

But this assurance does not come on a silver platter. It comes with certain conditions that must be fulfilled. The first condition is that you must be "chosen and appointed by the Lord." If you have opened the door of your heart for Christ to enter, then you have been appointed. You have responded to his invitation and he has an appointment with you. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20. His appointment is a call of duty. That duty is to go out and bear fruit. This fruit is the fruit of love, joy, peace, righteousness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, patience, longsuffering, humility, and mercy. He does not want a one day wonder fruit bearing, instead, he wants you to bear fruit that will abide from day to day, and year to year. He wants you to build a character brand that you can be recognized by. A personal signature tune! When people mention that fruit, their minds should automatically point to you. An abiding fruit, a fruit that last and does not go rotten!

So the second condition is that you should bear fruit and your fruit should abide. Note that the word 'should' indicates a necessary condition. 

Once you have satisfied all these conditions then, "whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." Jesus' name is powerful. At the mention of this name, every knee bows including principalities and powers. 

It is my prayer today that you will bear fruit that last so that all your requests you brought before the Lord will be answered in the name of Jesus. May your day be blessed! Amen.

GUESS WHO IS COMING TO DINNER?

Guess who is coming to dinner today? It is a surprise! It is the greatest man who ever lived on this earth. He says in Revelations 3:20 (English Standard Version)

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 

Behold means see, attention, comprehend, look, etc. Jesus is saying that look, I am waiting at the door, expecting you to open it so that I can come in. He is knocking at the door of your heart, will you respond to him? Jesus left his father's throne in heaven to come down to seek the lost.  "For the son of man has come down to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10)." He did not wait for us to come to him but he reached out to save us from our sins and transgressions. He is the loving father who does not wait for you to come to him with your problems but he comes to you to help you with your problems. But He will not force himself on you because he has given you your freewill. You have to invite him in. He is ready but are you ready to let him be in control of the driver's seat in your life? He is patiently knocking hoping your will open the door or will you drive him away?

Open the door of your heart and he will come in and dine with you. He will have communion with you and you will also commune with him. You can share your intimate and personal thoughts with him as you dine with him. He will listen to you and provide you with the true solutions to your problems. Jesus is a good friend as described perfectly in the words of the song written by Joseph M. Scriven (1855):

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
   All our sins and griefs to bear!
   What a privilege to carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
   Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
   Oh, what needless pain we bear,
   All because we do not carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
2. Have we trials and temptations?
   Is there trouble anywhere?
   We should never be discouraged—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Can we find a friend so faithful,
   Who will all our sorrows share?
   Jesus knows our every weakness;
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
   Cumbered with a load of care?
   Precious Savior, still our refuge—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
   Take it to the Lord in prayer!
   In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
   Thou wilt find a solace there.
4. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
   Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
   May we ever, Lord, be bringing
   All to Thee in earnest prayer.
   Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
   There will be no need for prayer—
   Rapture, praise, and endless worship
   Will be our sweet portion there.

RESIST THE ENEMY AT ALL TIMES

In James 4:7 from theEnglish Standard Version (ESV), it reads:

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

There are two forces at work in our daily lives. One force is to submit to the authority of God, and the other, to submit to the devil, the evil one. These two forces are at war in our flesh. The desire to please one and not the other. You have a choice to make in your decision to choose whom you will serve. Joshua said in Joshua 24:15, "And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 

I pray that you will chose to submit to God. You submit to God voluntarily and freely, in obedience to His commands through humility, purity and sincerity of life. Submission is total surrender of your life to Christ Jesus; complete subjection or yielding to His will. When you submit your will to God, you are energized to be able to resist the devil.

To resist is to stand bravely against something. Why are we called upon to resist the devil? The devil comes in all forms of manner and shapes? He masquerades as an angel of light or a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. He approaches us with allurements, flattering promises, fascinations of the world, temptations, threats and sufferings. But the ultimate aim of all these is to destroy or devour you. Satan uses well-crafted deceptions and threats to achieve his aims. He comes to us with fake courage so he has to be resisted directly, rather than by arguments. Steadfastly refuse to yield to him in the slightest degree. You must oppose the devil in whatever way he may approach you. Never go any length in yielding or complying with his demands. You are not safe if you yield in the least to the suggestions of the tempter. You are safe if you don't yield. 

You can resist him with the weapons of resistance which include:

• Faith (1 Peter 5:9English Standard Version (ESV) 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

•  humble prayer
• heavenly wisdom
• Putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-"Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.) What is the armor of God? You can find this in Ephesians 6:10-18 below

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

When you contend with the enemy, he has no choice than to flee. This is the assurance that we have in the Lord. He may return again, and again, yet you still resist, he will still be overcome, you are never conquered so long as you do not consent. You remain victorious!

Satan must be looked upon as an enemy who has to be fiercely opposed, watched and guarded against.

It is my prayer today, that you will continually resist the devil until he flees by putting on the whole armor of God. May the Lord renew your strength to be able to fight each day in this life. Amen

UNLEASH YOUR CREATIVITY

Today is a day to relax your brains by unleashing your creativity. What can you do with empty plastic bottles? Check out this video.

HAPPY 

MARTIN LUTHER KING'S

 DAY

FEAR NOT, FOR THE LORD IS WITH YOU!

Our reading is taken from Isaiah 41:10, which says that:

10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10English Standard Version (ESV)

Life is not always a bed of roses, sweet and smooth. It can be full of difficulties and challenges. The difficulty can be so much to bear that you may develop some fear of the unknown. F.E.A.R is False, Evidence, Appearing, Real. Fear develops when you are drawn to your wits end, when there is no hope of success. It develops when there is an anticipated threat. The threat may be real or unreal. It may be a thought in your mind that says that you will not succeed in life or you are going to fail. You may be suffering from a chronic disease that has ravaged your life so much that you fear you are going to die or there is fear of losing your job. 

But there is one greater than life who has the power to cancel fear. That person is God who came in the person of Jesus Christ our Savior. God assures us in Isaiah 41:10 that we should not fear, because he is with us. We should not be dismayed because he is our God. He reminds us that He is God, the creator of the universe, and the giver of life. He has the power to turn our fears into cheers, our sorrows into joy, our despair into hope. All because He is God!

Fear not, because He (God) will strengthen you and He will help you. He will lift you up with His own righteous right hand. So rest assured that God is in control of your life. Commit your plans and thoughts into His hands and he will lead you onto the right path where there is no shadow of fear.

May you experience a stress-free and fear-free life today as you meditate on Isaiah 41:10. You are more than a conqueror in Jesus' name!

THE ONE GOD BLESSES

Our lesson for the day can be found in Psalm 1:1-3. 

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalm 1:1-3King James Version (KJV)

Psalm 1:1-3English Standard Version (ESV)

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3

 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.

The blessings of the Lord come to those who choose to delight in His word. That is the one who diligently study His word, meditate upon it and apply it to their everyday life. The blessings of the Lord does not come to the scoffers. That is, those who deliberately mock, doubt, and despise Him-those who say "there is no God"

 Psalm 14:The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

They do not do good so good things don't come to them. They are not positioned to receive blessings from the Lord. I pray that you do not fall into this category of people, instead, you will be among those who delight in God's word. When you delight in His word, you become like the tree planted by streams of water, whose leaves do not wither. They prosper in all that they do. May you prosper today in your education, job, business, family, finances, and social relations as you begin to delight in the word of the Lord, Almighty. 

If you are a scoffer, pray for mercy that God will forgive you of all your iniquities or sins. He will forgive and cleanse you of all your unrighteousness. Invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart and ask Him to take control of your life. He will then begin to rule over your life and you will have good success and prosperity. May the good Lord meet you at your present need. Amen!

BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

I hope you were blessed by yesterday's message on "Let there be light." Today, we will continue our meditation by reading Genesis 1:20-22. 

20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

Genesis 1:20-22New King James Version (NKJV)

After God had created the universe, he looked at it and He was pleased with what He had done. He then blessed it and said, "Be fruitful and multiply."  God is interested in us being fruitful in everything that we do. He does not want us to be stagnant within any circumstance. He wants us to increase from one level of success to another. If you are poor, the Lord wants you to arise and seek out ways by which you can prosper. You may not be making much money, but you can still devise some saving plans by working on a budget. You may want to limit the unnecessary things that you buy. Eliminate wasteful resources such as excessive phone bills, eating out frequently, unnecessary shopping for latest costumes, etc. This can help you boost your finances. If you are in a low paying job, you may want to look into furthering your education. Getting a degree can make a big difference. Seek out the minimum level of education that can make a difference in your live. Do not say that you cannot do it. God says that you "can do all things through Christ who strengthens you." (Phillipians 4:13). Be fruitful in your finances and in your employment.

Challenge yourself today with an area in your life where you want to excel. List your current state of affairs, then, write down where you want to be in the short term (6-months), then one year from now, then, five years from now, etc. Find out concrete steps or ways you can employ to move between these time frame. Pray over this and start working on these plans with God in mind. He will strengthen you to do it if you are committed to His agenda.
Start today and make some baby steps everyday until you achieve your God's desired goal for your life. 

"Be fruitful and multiply."

One leads to two, two leads to four, four leads to eight, 

on and on you will go!

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31King James Version (KJV)