GUILTY AS CHARGED

Spirit & Life Devotional
Tuesday, November 4
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

GUILTY AS CHARGED

Matthew 13:24-25, 27-28 NKJV "Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. The servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’"

Satan is an enemy; he is actually the enemy, and he is to be blamed for everything wrong in the world and in your life! Now, it doesn't matter if you think otherwise, I have charged him for everything wrong.

Jesus said, that Satan comes only to kill, to steal and to destroy. So I charge him for all kinds of deaths; I charge him for all thefts, and I charge him for all destructions. God sows only good seeds: whenever you spot tares in your life you know immediately that the enemy has done it!

I love 1John 3:8! It says that "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." The Amplified says, "The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done]." Hallelujah! Is there anything you don't want in your life? I cast out those devils in the name of Jesus Christ! Jesus came that we may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)! So shall it be!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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DOING THE WORKS OF CHRIST

Spirit & Life Devotional
Monday, November 3
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

DOING THE WORKS OF CHRIST

Matthew 10:7-8 NKJV "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

Jesus never sends people to only speak His words, He gives them power to do His works. Matthew 10:1 says, "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease."

But we do only the talking most of the time, and not the doing. But the accounts of the ministry of Jesus are about what He both did and taught (Acts 1:1). Acts 10:38 says, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Acts 1:8 says, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And Mark 16:17-18 says, "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.” Hallelujah!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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HOLDING ON TO FREEDOM

Spirit & Life Devotional
Sunday, November 2
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

HOLDING ON TO FREEDOM

Genesis 49:14-15 MSG "Issachar is one tough donkey crouching between the corrals; When he saw how good the place was, how pleasant the country, He gave up his freedom and went to work as a slave."

Issachar was tough, he was strong, he had great potentials to be very great, he could have been anything he wanted to be, powerful and successful; but he settled for less, he was deceived by the things he saw, they looked good, they looked ready made, so he gave up his dreams, he decided to rest, he felt there was no need to fight for anything else; he ended up losing his freedom and became a slave!

A lot of us are like Issachar. We've got tremendous graces upon our lives; we've got tremendous talents and potentials; we've got great destinies, but we have settled for less in seemingly fantastic places (comfort zones). Because you are earning a good salary, you've given up your dreams, forgetting that the same you could be making millions just by fulfilling God's purposes for your life. Some, because they have money for hospital bills don't bother believing for divine health; they've become slaves of sickness. Complacency has robbed many of their freedom.

Paul said he did not frustrate the grace of God. In other words, he refused to treat it as meaningless, he didn't set it aside, he didn't reject it. God has given you abundant grace, He deposited in you exceedingly great potentials, He has set you free. Don’t let a little, temporal comfort today rob you of a great tomorrow. Don’t be afraid to take steps of faith. Sometimes leaving our comfort zones might be difficult, but we've got to leave the good in order to get the best.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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ASK FOR OPEN DOORS

Spirit & Life Devotional
Saturday, November 1
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

ASK FOR OPEN DOORS

Colossians 4:3 NKJV "Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains."

Life is full of doors. Several kinds of doors, some very strong and others not so strong. All doors are barriers, they prevent free movement within and without a place. The more valuable the things are, the stronger the doors that are used to secure them.

There's a door to everything you want in life. There are doors to the people you need, there are doors to the opportunities you need, there are doors to the monies you desire, there are doors to the contracts you want, there are doors to hearts; until those doors are opened your movement will be restricted. In other words, open doors aid progress while closed doors hinder advancement and prevent possession of your hearts desires.

The Lord told me at the beginning of the year that it was a year of open doors. Hallelujah! Revelation 3:7-8 reveals Jesus as He who opens doors that no one shuts, and One who shuts doors that no one opens. Then He said, “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it." Glory to God! You can have as many doors as you desire opened for you this month and for the rest of the year. Ask the Lord and it shall be done.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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A FRIEND OF SINNERS

Spirit & Life Devotional
Friday, October 31
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

A FRIEND OF SINNERS

Luke 15:1-2 NKJV "Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

One would have thought that sinners are not interested in whatever Christ has to offer; but we read that they drew near to Jesus to hear Him. I'm thinking, what was it about Jesus that attracted sinners to Him?

It's really interesting that sinners were attracted to the Most Holy Son of God! What was Jesus saying that they wanted to hear? He obviously wasn't condemning them. And note that He wasn't only preaching to them, He also ate with them! And that earned Him the title, "A Friend of sinners" (Matthew 11:19).

We forget quickly that we were once sinners! How have you been living? What have you been preaching? What messages have you been passing across? A life that chases sinners away from Christ, or a gospel that condemns the unsaved? John 3:17 says, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." You don't have to compromise, just love genuinely and seek to save their souls from eternal damnation. Satan is the enemy, not sinners.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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WHAT GOD TRULY DESIRES

Spirit & Life Devotional
Thursday, October 30
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

WHAT GOD TRULY DESIRES

Micah 6:6-8 NKJV "With what shall I come before the Lord , And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"

A lot of people are giving to churches and to pastors, but not to God. Understand the difference. Yes, Cain also offered a sacrifice but his was rejected while Abel's was accepted. He gave, but it was merely a waste of resources. If he had known, he would have saved his animals. That's what I mean: people are giving and giving and giving sacrifices that God is not pleased with, so it's just the church purse that grows bigger.

I'm a pastor, and I'm certainly not against giving; I give too, but it's more important to me that you are blessed whenever you give to the Lord. Understand that God is not a needy God! Again and again, He has said that He isn't hungry! Again and again He has said that there are things more important to Him than sacrifices! Again and again, He has said to us that His hands made everything we could ever bring to Him! Proverbs 21:3 says, "To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."

What then does He want? Micah says, "to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Him". Deuteronomy 10 says, "to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes". And Isaiah 66 says, “But on this one will I look: On him  who  is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word."

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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WE ARE THE ANSWER

Spirit & Life Devotional
Wednesday, October 29
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

WE ARE THE ANSWER

Daniel 5:11-12 NKJV "There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

What got my attention is the fact that the queen was so sure that Daniel would interpret the writing on the wall. And she knew that the Spirit of God in him was the difference between Daniel and the others.

I like how Elihu said it, "I said, ‘Age should speak, And multitude of years should teach wisdom.’ But there  is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." Job 32:7-8.

If you have received the Holy Spirit in you, you ought to be outstanding. There's got to be works! There's got to be results! There's got to be extraordinary manifestations! The Holy Spirit was not given for our excitement, but that we would become the answer to the needs of the world. Jesus went about doing good! Peter said, "Look on us!" In your office, at home, in school, men should be able to look up to you! Yes! Hallelujah!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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