Building By Righteousness And Justice

Spirit & Life Devotional
Wednesday, 7 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Building By Righteousness And Justice

“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, who establishes a city by iniquity!" Habakkuk 2:12 NKJV

Here, God is talking about how people acquire their wealth and achieve their goals. Some people don't mind killing in order to get what they want; some will deny their workers their entitlements; others, especially those in public offices, embezzle funds meant for payments of pensions, and for developmental purposes, not minding if people die as a result of their negligence. Then there are those who believe in rising by climbing on others or by eliminating them somehow: they set people up, frame them, tell lies against them, just to rise.

Jeremiah 17:11 says, "As a partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right; it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end he will be a fool.” And Jeremiah 22:13 says, “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and gives him nothing for his work."

Brothers and sisters, we must be different. God can bless and prosper you without you having to soil your hands. And if God has graciously elevated you to an exalted position, please use it to His glory: give people what is due to them, don't withhold what is due to others; resist the temptation to be corrupt. Build by righteousness and justice and God will truly bless you. Amen.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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You Will Give Account

Spirit & Life Devotional
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

You Will Give Account

"So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14:12 NKJV

Companies appraise the performances of their employees from time to time; in some organizations, the employees are given the opportunity to appraise themselves first. Appraisals are a kind of judgment day; your performance determines if you'll get a bonus, a promotion or if you will be asked to resign.

Every one of us needs to understand that we all will one day stand before the judgment seat of God to give account of all that we have done in our bodies. We will give account of every word spoken, of every thought and of every action. You will give account of how you did your job, of how you did your business, of how you treated your family members, of how you treated your employees and domestic staff, of the programs you watched; you will give account of every thing!

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." And note, Hebrews 4:13 says, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." What you do may escape the eyes of men, but it can never escape the eyes of God, whose eyes are everywhere!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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The Calling Of God

Spirit & Life Devotional
Monday, 5 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

The Calling Of God

"Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel.’" Amos 7:15 NKJV

Amos reminds me of David. Psalm 78:70-72 says, "He (God) also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."

It's an awesome privilege to be called and chosen by God to work for Him; what a great honour. In these last days, God is calling more and more people to work for Him in different capacities; He's calling people who never even dreamt that they would have anything to do with the ministry.

Is God calling you to work for Him? I wrote the following some years ago: "It is good to work for others, better to work for yourself, and best to work for God." Yes, that's true! There's no job in this world that's more rewarding! None at all. You're not only rewarded here, you'll also be rewarded in heaven! It doesn't matter what you're doing now; Peter and Andrew were fishermen, Matthew was a tax collector, yet God used them to change their world. Hallelujah!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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There Must Be Signs

Spirit & Life Devotional
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

There Must Be Signs

"Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased."
John 6:2 NKJV

Some people have tried to relegate signs and wonders and miracles to history; they say that it is not necessary in our day. But that's a lie! It has never been more necessary, in fact, we need them now, more than ever before.

Jesus said, "And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Then the Bible says, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen."

Signs are a proof that the Lord is working with us. You see, we're not the ones doing the signs, it's the Lord; so when He's working with us as we preach, He confirms our words with signs. Much of the world will not be convinced by mere grammar! If we want our witnessing to be more effective, if we want to bear more fruit, then we must become hungry and believe for God to do signs, wonders and miracles as we proclaim His message.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Destined To Be Great

Spirit & Life Devotional
Saturday, 3 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Destined To Be Great

"Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly." Job 8:7 NKJV

Never predict your future with your past or your present, especially as a child of God. I don't care what your background was; I don't care how poor and insignificant you are now; it doesn't matter that you're struggling right now; your past and your present are not in anyway deciders of how your story will end: "Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly!" Amen.

God doesn't need ten years to turn things around: twenty four hours is sufficient. Genesis 26:12-13 says that Isaac sowed in the land of Gerar, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous! Wow! In the same year, he began to prosper; in the same year, he continued to prosper; and in the same year, Isaac became very prosperous!

Psalm 71:21 says, "You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side." Make it your confession for today.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Beyond Repentance

Spirit & Life Devotional
Friday, 2 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Beyond Repentance

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Matthew 3:11 NKJV

John the Baptist preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” And all Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. John was a powerful preacher. But he was quick to tell the people, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

What John offered was great, and it is essential; but repentance is just the first bus stop, and it's sad that a lot of believers have stopped there. Jesus came with something more amazing, He baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire! Hallelujah!

Jesus said to the disciples, "John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And the Bible says that "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Glory to God!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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He's Awaiting Your Words

Spirit And Life Devotional
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

He's Awaiting Your Words

"The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:2 NKJV

To hover is to remain in the air, not moving in any direction, just waiting. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit was hovering over the face of the waters. Doing what? He was waiting for God to speak and set Him in motion.

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep, yet the Holy Spirit was there! Doing nothing, just hovering. Until God spoke, the Holy Spirit did nothing; until God spoke, nothing happened. Isaiah 34:16 reveals to us that when God gives an order, His Spirit acts upon it. It says, “Search from the book of the Lord, and read: not one of these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them."

The Holy Spirit is here with us today, just as He was with God in the beginning, and with Jesus when He was here on earth. You may have been wondering why things have remained the same despite the fact that the Holy Spirit is with you. He's awaiting your words! There was darkness until God said, "Let there be light". The moment God said it, the Holy Spirit swung into action and fulfilled the word of God. Hallelujah! Don't be quiet, be a talker! When you want something done, get the word of God into your mouth and speak it into existence! If you dare to say it, the Holy Spirit will bring it to pass. Amen

Twitter: @PastorChinae
PIN:568E2E56