Dealing With Anger

Spirit & Life Devotional
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Dealing With Anger

"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." Matthew 5:22 NKJV

It's frightening when you realize that Jesus was talking about murder, and that He put anger and murder in the same category! Here's what He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." Same punishment for anger and murder! So when you harbour anger in your heart against anyone, in the sight of God you've murdered that person in your heart!

Listen to me, anger is very costly. You really don't want to pay the cost of anger. The Bible says that it went ill with Moses because of the Israelites; God asked him to speak to the rock so that water would gush out, but Moses spoke rashly with his mouth, and struck the rock twice: that singular act made Moses die prematurely and he did not enter the Promised Land.

Don't let people determine your reaction! Take control of your feelings. Choose how you respond to whatever is said or done to you. Proverbs 25:28 says, "Like a city that is broken down and without a wall, so is a person who cannot control his temper." James 1:19-20 says, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Having An Edge

Spirit & Life Devotional
Monday, 30 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Having An Edge

"If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success." Ecclesiastes 10:10 NKJV

How we worked some years ago is different from how we do the same work today; we did most things manually in the past, but a lot of processes have now been automated because of which we now achieve results faster and are more efficient. Some are still using the old tools for the same work; they may eventually achieve the same results but they'll probably be worn out by the time they are done.

If you want to achieve success (faster) you must apply wisdom to whatever you do. Wisdom makes life easier, it makes work less stressful, it takes some pressure off you; wisdom prolongs your life and gives you the edge over others. You may not hate Mondays that much; you may not be so frustrated; and you may not consider quitting if you would employ the wisdom of God at your work and business.

Always think: what wisdom can I apply at this point in time. Yes, because knowledge is progressive. Today's wisdom may be completely worthless tomorrow! Let's conclude with the Message Bible translation of our opening verse. It says, "Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle." You will succeed in Jesus name.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Humbling Ourselves Before God

Spirit & Life Devotional
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Humbling Ourselves Before God

"When he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy him completely; and things also went well in Judah." II Chronicles 12:12 NKJV

When Rehoboam had established his kingdom and strengthened himself, he became proud and forsook the law of God; and all Israel followed his ways. God was displeased and permitted Shishak king of Egypt to attack Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the Lord. However, God sent Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah, who were gathered together in Jerusalem, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord: ‘You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.’”

Realizing their error, the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and said, “The Lord is righteous.” God saw that they humbled themselves, and sent Shemaiah back to them, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak."

God said in II Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Our lives, families, businesses, communities, states and nations will be better if we all humble ourselves before God. It doesn't take God long to turn things around for people who humble themselves before Him. Let us as individuals and a people humble ourselves before Him.

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Make Yourself Strong Again

Spirit & Life Devotional
Saturday, 28 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Make Yourself Strong Again

"Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." Hebrews 12:12 NKJV

The Easy-to-read Version says, "You have become weak, so make yourselves strong again."

The Bible tells the story of David and his men whose wives and children were captured by Amalikites while they were away. When they returned to Ziklag and realized what had happened, David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. Even David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, for they were aggrieved. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

You know, there are times when you take a beating; there are times when you lose your strength; there are times when you feel like giving up because you feel that all hope is lost, and there are times when you have lost your focus, visions and passion for whatever reasons: never give up! What you are going through right now was not meant to last for too long! Make yourself strong again and push again. You can still succeed, and it is never late to achieve your dreams.

"So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees." Hebrews 12:12 AMP

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Such Blessing!

Spirit & Life Devotional
Friday, 27 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Such Blessing!

"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be  room enough to receive it.'" Malachi 3:10 NKJV

Listen carefully, you cannot be blessed by God and remain poor: it is practically impossible. "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich!" But you see, there are different types of blessings; there's one for health, there's for success, there's for leadership, childbirth, etc. And there's one for prosperity. Yes, it's possible to have all; in fact, God wants us to have all; the truth is that He has blessed us with all blessings already!

Let me tell you, when God has blessed you, you will never have to ask for more blessings because the blessing brings excessive surplus (abundance!). You really cannot exhaust it! Look at the widow Elisha helped, the Bible says that she sold the oil, paid her debt, and lived on the remaining proceeds with her sons. I didn't quite see that until now; what it means is that the proceeds she got from the sales of the oil lasted her a lifetime! She was never broke again!

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." Hallelujah! I declare today in the name of Jesus that you will never be broke again in your lifetime! Lack becomes a stranger in your life in the name of Jesus! You are blessed and it is becoming evident to all in Jesus name! Amen!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Hidden In Christ

Spirit & Life Devotional
Thursday, 26 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Hidden In Christ

"Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself." Judges 9:5 NKJV

Abimelech conspired with his tribesmen who gave him money to hire worthless and reckless men, who followed him, and they killed seventy of his step brothers in one day so that he could become king. But one escaped because he was smart enough to hide himself.

My question to you today is, Where are you hiding? The Bible let's us know that the name of the Lord is a strong tower into which the righteous runs and is safe. Yes, you are a Christian, but do you take conscious steps to stay safe in Him? Do you pray and declare safety for yourself and your loved ones? Paul said, "lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices."

David said, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.'” Brothers and sisters, what are you saying? You've got to declare that the Lord is your refuge; declare your protection and safety! Say it, "I am hidden in Christ!" It becomes your reality as you declare it. He said, "Because you have made the Lord, who  is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." Amen!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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Destined To Grow

Spirit & Life Devotional
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
Chinaemerem Joshua Ibezim

Destined To Grow

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." I Corinthians 3:6 NKJV

I like the ERV, "I planted the seed and Apollos watered it. But God is the one who made the seed grow."

Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31‭-‬32

That tells me that we are all destined to grow big and great! It doesn't matter how small you start or started; it may take a while, but you will surely grow! Whatever you do will grow! Whatever you are associated with will grow to become something great and mighty in Jesus name! Right now, begin to speak growth to whatever you desire to grow; we are children of the Most High and citizens of the kingdom! I command supernatural increase in Jesus name!

Twitter: @PastorChinae
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