TIME TO GET SERIOUS

Spirit & Life Devotional
Tuesday, January 7
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

TIME TO GET SERIOUS

Romans 13:11 NKJV "And do this, knowing the time, that now it  is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."

One problem Jesus had with the Pharisees was their ignorance of the times. He said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’;  and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times." Matthew 16:2-3

As believers, we are expected to live with a consciousness of the times. Anyone who has been observant would have discerned that we are in a very critical time: all around us are indications that these are the last days. The prophecies are being fulfilled every blessed day; no doubt, the coming of the Lord is at hand.

It's time to get serious! It's time to take our walk with God seriously: it's time to wake up from slumber; time to prepare ourselves for His return, as a bride awaiting her groom. You say that it has always been said that the end is near: yes; and the more it's been said the nearer it gets. Now, our salvation is nearer than when we first believed!

To do: Meditate on Romans 13:11-14

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Spirit & Life Devotional
Monday, January 6
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

THE POWER OF PRAYER

James 5:16 says, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." NIV

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." NLT

"The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." NASB

"The heartfelt supplication of a righteous man exerts a mighty influence." WNT

Blessed is everyone who can pray! It is good to know about prayer: how to pray, the principles of prayer, and so on, but it is the man who actually prays that experiences and enjoys the benefits of prayer.

Prayer is a God given opportunity to man to have a say and to play a role in whatever God is doing. The man who wants to prevail, reign, dominate and win continually has to be a man of prayer. Prayer is powerful and effective; prayer produces wonderful results; prayer accomplishes much; and it exerts a mighty influence.

To do: Pray without ceasing!

THE KIND OF FAITH THAT GOD HONOURS

Spirit & Life Devotional
Sunday, January 5
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

THE KIND OF FAITH THAT GOD HONOURS

Galatians 5:6 NKJV "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love."

According to Hebrews 11:6, they that come to God must approach Him with faith; that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. But faith by itself is not enough: we are told in 1 Corinthians 13:2 that even though we have enough faith to remove mountains, without love we are nothing before God.

A man that doesn't love is not known by God. God is love. Get it: according to the Scriptures, he that doesn't love doesn't know God! Doesn't matter how long you pray in other tongues; doesn't matter how high the mountain on which you pray is; you really don't know God until you are loving like Him - truly loving all men, irrespective of their class, attitudes, etc.

Faith that gets God's attention is the one expressed through a heart of love. Christianity is first a walk of love before anything else. Jesus said we should be perfect in love as our Father in heaven is (Matthew 5:48).

To do: Assess your level or standard of love using 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

THE COMING DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH

Spirit & Life Devotional
Saturday, January 4
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

THE COMING DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH

II Peter 3:10-12 NKJV "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of  persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?"

You know, we all love the good life: to have the best things, to visit the best places, and so on; we have fallen in love with the world, as it were, and we are constantly looking forward to buying more and more pricey items, cars, clothes, jewelry, businesses, houses, etc. And when we do get them, we celebrate and display them as our achievements.

One of the most sobering truths is found in I Timothy 6:7, which says, "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out." The earlier we realized that the better. We won't even leave the earth with these beautiful bodies of ours that we spend so much on!

Therefore, what manner of persons ought we to be? What manner of lives ought we to live? What should our priorities be? What should we really be investing in and spending on? What exactly should we be more passionate about? Of course, I'm not asking you to abandon your earthly responsibilities and dreams, what I'm asking you to do is to remember that there's something bigger and better to live and die for; a life beyond this that we must strive to be a part of.

To do: Ask God for the grace to live a holy life, and for the wisdom to live here on earth.

LOVING LIKE ABRAHAM

Spirit & Life Devotional
Friday, January 3
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

LOVING LIKE ABRAHAM

Genesis 14:14 NKJV "Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan."

We often hear and talk about the faith and the blessings of Abraham; rarely do we talk about the other things that made him the man he was: for instance, his faithfulness, his courage, his strength, his capabilities, his holiness and his love for both God and men. It is the desire of God that as we seek to enjoy the blessings of Abraham which are ours by faith in Christ, we also seek to love one another as our father Abraham did.

Abraham was a man of great love: Lot, his nephew was taken as a prisoner of war along with his entire family and belongings, and according to the Scriptures, as soon as Abraham was told about it, he immediately armed himself and his men and went in pursuit of the captors of Lot. Abraham manifested genuine love for his brother, and went to extreme lengths to ensure the deliverance and welfare of his brother, Lot.

Brotherly love must continue in the church of Jesus Christ. We've got to get to the point where we willing make sacrifices for one another irrespective of our denominations, tribe, colour and preferences. We've got to come to realize that though we are many, scattered all over the world, we are just one body in Christ and that we belong to one another and cannot really exist without one another. Nothing should come in between us! There's no alternative: we are commanded to love.

To do: Meditate on 1 Thessalonians 3:12 "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you."

HAVING BOLDNESS IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

Spirit & Life Devotional
Thursday, January 2
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

HAVING BOLDNESS IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

I John 4:17 NKJV "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."

The day is coming when we will all be judged for everything we have done: with every new second, every new hour, every new day, every new month and every new year, we are closer and closer to that day. And when that day finally comes, what will matter is that we must have done and lived well.

In waiting and preparing for that day, believers have adopted several approaches, mostly based on their understanding of the Scriptures. A lot of Christians are full of fear; fear of going to hell, for instance. But fear signifies a lack of love! Perfect love drives out all fear! There is no fear in love.

Boldness in the day of judgment will only be possible because we have walked in love both with God and men. Love is the fulfilment of the entire law, and perfect love is victory over sin. When we walk in love, we are truly manifesting the nature of God that's in us already, and being like Him, we will have nothing to fear.

To do: Ask God for the grace to walk in love. Ask Him to fill your heart with His love in ever increasing measures.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Spirit & Life Devotional
Wednesday, January 1
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Ezra 7:9 NKJV "On the first day of the first month he began his journey..."

As I closed my eyes to begin to pray and worship in church sometime in December last year, I was shown a vision of open doors. There were so many open doors before me than I could count. The verse that came to mind right after the vision was Revelations 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."

Right there and then I knew what 2014 would be: The Year Of Open Doors! Hallelujah!

On this first day of the first month of the year 2014, we have begun a journey through countless open doors! In 2014, you will not struggle or beg to gain access because the doors have already been opened in the name of Jesus!

To do: Thank God for your open doors; ask Him to anoint your eyes to see your open doors, and to give you faith to walk through every open door.

Welcome to 2014: The Year Of Open Doors! Happy New Year!