Putting God’s Business First

Putting God‘s Business First

Now therefore thus sayeth the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough;
ye drink, but ye not are filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there
is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it
into a bag with holes
Haggai 1:5-6

Israel had been defeated and the temple destroyed. Later, God delivered
Israel from their captivity in Babylon and restored to them what had
been lost. Someone had raised the issue of building the Lord’s house
again, but the Israelites didn’t want to spend the money or expend the
effort.

Many believers are like these Israelites. They need to consider their ways, to take an inventory of what has happened to their finances. They
are honest, hard-working individuals. They are sowing a lot into the
church, but not bringing in much of a return. They are surviving,
living only from paycheck to paycheck to paycheck. They are working two
jobs, but it is still not enough.

What’s wrong? If you have not put God’s business first, then He won’t
take care of your business.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new every morning…..I will hope in Him

Samuel drinking tea (Photo credit: Aaron Geller)

The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new every morning…..I will hope in Him (Lamentations 3:22-24)

God is faithful

God Never Gives Up On Us

One day in 1988, Samuel and Danielle sent their young son, Armand, off to school. Hours later, a powerful earthquake rocked the area. People were trapped under flattened buildings. Kissing his wife, Samuel grabbed his coat and headed for the school. What he saw brought tears to his eyes. Armand’s school was a pile of debris.

Where Armand’s classroom used to be, Samuel began pulling a broken beam off the pile. He picked up a rock and put it to the side, then another, and another. One of the parents looking on asked, “What are you doing?”

“Digging for my son,” Samuel answered.

The man exclaimed, “You’re just going to make things worse! This building is unstable,” and tried to pull Samuel away. Others, including a firefighter, tried to get him to stop, but he would not.

All through the night and into the next day, Samuel continued digging. Finally, a faint “Help!” came from under the rubble. Then the faint voice came again. “Papa?”

He began to dig furiously. Finally, he could see his son. “Come out!” he said with relief.

“I told the other kids not to worry,” Armand said. “I told them that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised you’d always be there for me.” Fourteen children were saved that day because one father was faithful.

How much more faithful is our heavenly Father! Whether trapped by fallen debris in an earthquake or trapped by life’s hardships, we are never cut off from His love and faithfulness.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Do you ever wonder if God will be faithful to you, in your circumstances? Meditate on Lamentations 3:22-24. Although this was written to the Israelites after the sacking of Jerusalem, it also speaks to us today of the hope that comes from focusing on who God is.

What More Does God Say?

Psalm 36:5; Deuteronomy 32:1-4

Because God is faithful, I will trust Him to always keep His promises!

Culled from:  www.DiscoverGOD.com

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Enemy Of Trust

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Enemy Of Trust

READ: Judges 7:2-8

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many.” —Judges 7:2

Military commanders always want to have enough troops to accomplish their mission. Most would prefer having too many not too few, but not everyone agrees on just how many troops will be enough.

When Gideon recruited an army of 32,000 men to stand against those who oppressed the Israelites, the Lord told him, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (Judg. 7:2).

So the Lord began to reduce Gideon’s army. When the fearful were allowed to leave, 22,000 men went home (v.3). A second reduction cut the force from the remaining 10,000 to 300 troops, of whom the Lord said, “By the three hundred . . . I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand” (v.7). And so it happened (vv.19-23).

In our life of faith, our resources can become the enemy of trust. God wants us to depend on Him, not our own strength, whether physical, financial, or intellectual.

When the Lord reduces our resources from “32,000 to 300,” it is not punishment. It is preparation for Him to be glorified through our lives as we acknowledge and trust His power. —David McCasland

Trust in God and you will know
He can vanquish any foe;
Simply trust Him day by day—
He will be your strength and stay. —D. De Haan

When God gives us an impossible task— it becomes possible.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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The Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts

God's Glory (Photo credit: loswl)

The Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.

—1 Chronicles 28:9

READ: Joshua 9:1-16

According to lie-detection experts, “Our natural tendency is to trust people.” However, not everyone is trustworthy all the time. Signs that someone may be lying include fidgeting, lack of eye contact, and noticeable pauses in speaking. Even with these clues, experts warn that it is still quite tough to tell deceivers from honest people.

Joshua needed to know if he could trust the Gibeonites. When they discovered that God wanted him to get rid of some neighboring nations (Josh. 9:24), they pretended to be from a faraway land. They arrived in worn-out tunics and patched sandals, claiming, “Our garments and our sandals have become old because of the very long journey” (v.13). The Israelites were suspicious (v.7), but they “did not ask counsel of the Lord” (v.14); and Joshua unwisely made a peace treaty with the deceivers.

Many want to gain our trust: salespeople, financial advisors, or estranged family members. If we wonder: “Can I trust you?” we shouldn’t decide quickly, based only on what seems right to us. It’s better to seek counsel from God’s Word (Ps. 119:105), godly people (Prov. 11:14), and God Himself (James 1:5). Wisdom from above will help us decide who to trust. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Protect us from deceivers, Lord,
Who lie and plot to take
Advantage of us and confuse
Decisions we must make. —Sper

A desire for discernment is God’s call to prayer.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you

Ezekiel at 22 minutes of age (Photo credit: David T Jones)

Image via Wikipedia

God is sovereign

Image via Wikipedia

We are gods

Image via Wikipedia

We are gods

And the LORD said unto Moses, see, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

Exodus 7:1

Read: Exodus 7:1-2

God’s plan for us is that we operate as gods on the earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ attested to this in John 10:34:

Jesus answered them, is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

Why then do we not see a manifestation of this in the life of many believers? What accounts for this disconnect is the absence or presence of the glory of God! if the glory of God is present in your life, the empowered inner man, created in the likeness of God that is buried in you will spring forth and you will occupy your place of dominion. But if the glory of God is absent, you will live a defeated life like any ordinary man and die like them. Some people will do virtually anything to occupy a political, secular or ecclesiastical position whereas the real position they should strive to occupy – as a god of this world is hardly even considered. But that is where the real power is.

In Bible days, Bible heroes were focused on operating as gods on earth. Take for instance Moses and Aaron. They lived as gods, particularly Moses. In Exodus 7:1-2, God told Moses that He had made him a god to Pharaoh. Who was Pharaoh? At this time, Pharaoh was virtually the ruler of the world. Can you imagine that such a king who was feared above other kings was to see Moses as a god? Even today it is still so. God’s saints have been empowered to be gods to the Pharaohs of this world. However, operating in the light of this revelation depends entirely on them. From the experience of Egypt, there was chaos, fear, trembling and lots of trouble whenever Moses came into the land to see Pharaoh. Can you imagine two men affecting and determining what happens with the administration, economy, security, agriculture, health, movement, food and drink, the lives of families and cattle of the nation of Egypt? And once Moses made a pronouncement to Pharaoh, irrespective of whether he believed it or not, his word was law and bound to happen. You too can control your nation as a god of this world by ensuring you carry God’s presence.

God’s idea of gods is not in inanimate objects being seen as such, but in His children operating fully in His image!

May Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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Planning to retire? Is It In Accordance to God’s Plan For Your Life?

Image via Wikipedia

Planning to retire? Is It In Accordance to God’s Plan For Your Life?

Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, “Thou art old and stricken in years and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed” (Joshua 13:1).

According to Galatians 3:2-3 you need to ask yourself how close you are to your goal, for it is possible to start in the Spirit and end in the flesh. Did you start your marriage, church project, career, or business by divine direction but today you are the one in charge, not God? If so, you are father from your goal than when you started. If you do not make a U-turn, you may end up in a totally different location from what you expect. Many people have lots of credits to their names, yet they are far flung from God’s ultimate goal for their lives. Let us take Joshua as a case in point. In Joshua 13:1, God told Joshua – Moses’ successor – that although he had succeeded in bringing the Israelites into the Promised Land, he still had so much undone vis-à-vis his age. The issue is not whether you achieved or accomplished one, two or three things for God, but whether you achieved all Heaven expected you to within the time set for you. Believe it or not, you have a limited time to accomplish Heave’s assignment on earth. Jesus Christ had only three and half years to do all He did. John the Baptist also had a very short time to operate. Are you able to maximize your time doing all that God wants you to do?

God told Joshua at the age of 110: “You are far behind in my programme. This is where you are, but that is where you are supposed to be by now”. Do you know that some of us preparing for retirement still have lots of work attached to our names? This means if you do not satisfactorily answer the question: “How far am I from my goal? Before contemplating retirement, you just might be deceiving yourself. Retirement is good only if Heaven’s Report Card says you have finished your work. When you get to that juncture, you will know. When Paul got to that point, he knew and told the brethren, “I have finished my course; what is left is my heavenly reward.” Are you thinking of retiring? First consult Heaven to know your true location, lest you go into premature retirement.

Some people have retired prematurely. If you are in this category, ask for forgiveness and return to finish your assignment.

 Our God The Almighty prosper Nigeria and Israel and defend us from all our enemies in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

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I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2”

The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you.  Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day.  On the sixth day they’ll gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

God meets daily needs daily!

You look at tomorrow’s demands, next week’s bills, next month’s calendar.  Your future looks as barren as the Sinai Desert.  “How can I face my future?” you ask.

God tells you to look up!

Trust Him.  Make it your day changer.  Give your attention to what God is doing right now.  Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.  Mark 7:37 says, “God has done it all and done it well.”

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Faith! Be willing to admit to God where you have taken a wrong turn

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Faith! Be willing to admit to God where you have taken a wrong turn

Make your request known to Him

One of the things the people of Israel overlooked was the fact that when they grumbled against Moses, they were really grumbling against God. More than likely, none would admit to this. If asked, they would totally deny it, and so would we. After all, Adam failed to take responsibility in the Garden of Eden. When God asked Adam why he had disobeyed, Adam began to blame the woman God had given him. The best thing you can do today – especially if God has caught you grumbling – is to take responsibility.

Many of our dads would tell us, “When I talk to you, stand up like a man.” That is good advice for a generation that seems bent on creating excuses for their acts of violence and anger. Be willing to admit to God where you have taken a wrong turn. Then pray that He will guide you back to a safe place – a place where you can prosper and grow in every area of your life.

For years, the Israelites had complained about their Egyptian bondage. Finally, God began to move them and set them free. However, no sooner had the waters of the Red Sea settled behind them than they began to grumble. First, they needed water to drink. Later, their issue was a desire for meat.

When they reached Marah, they found a pool of water, but it was bitter, and thoughts of replacing Moses filled their minds. Isn’t it a little odd that after they witnessed God’s mighty deliverance, they would fail to believe He had the ability to provide for their every need? However, instead of calling out to Him for help, they threatened Moses.

The next time life turns rough and seems ragged along the edges, refuse to become mad at your spouse, children, or even your superior at work. God holds your very life within His hands, and He knows your every need. Make your request known to Him, and He will provide sweet water – enough to refresh and renew you.

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