THE DUTY OF THE HUSBAND TO HIS WIFE

If you are a man and are married, or are betrothed (engaged to be married), or hope one day to be, the scripture has some things to say to you. Today I want to look at the five duties of a man to his woman. The five duties of a husband to his wife. And I don't care what anybody else has told you, if the husband fails to fulfil these five duties, he has forsaken the Lord and His sacred rules which he has ordained.
I'm not here to dump on you today; I'm not here to castigate you. I'm here to speak to us. To encourage us to be scriptural husbands. Now I must warn you some of the things that the scripture says won't be what you hear at your workplace, or on television, or from your friends. But then, neither should they be; because your workplace didn't create marriage, neither did the media nor your friends. This is our Father's institution and He sets the rules.

Men, to talk about love is to talk about a cross. To talk about love is to talk about Calvary. To talk about love is to talk about a Saviour. We have a Saviour in Christ, and our wives ought to have a Saviour in us. We have a deliverer in Christ, and our mates ought to have a deliverer in us. When you talk about loving your wife you talk about carrying a cross.
Now, you may say, "I know. But this cross is more than I can bear!" The command for a man to love his wife is never given to a woman in scripture. That is, a woman is never commanded to love her (agape) husband in the scripture. She is commanded to be affectionate (philandros) to him and their children (Titus 2:4), and to be obedient (show respect) to him (Titus 2:5). Now, it's not that a woman shouldn't love her husband, it is that her love is a response to his salvation. If you and I are going to be scriptural lovers, it means we must become scriptural saviours.
Jesus Christ didn't die for us because we were lovable; Jesus Christ died for us to make us lovable. A man doesn't love his wife because she deserves to be loved; a man loves his wife in order to turn her into somebody who he wants to love. It is not that "My wife is right, therefore I'm going to love her." It is, "I'm going to love her that whatever wrong there is will turn from wrong to right." It is not that "She's meeting my needs therefore I love her." it is, "I'm going to love her until she learns to meet my needs." It is not that "She's being everything to me I need her to be." It is that, "I'm going to love her until she turns into somebody who can be everything that I need."
Most men date in order to marry, when the scriptural principle is to marry in order to date. Most men "turn her on" in order to get her to say "I do." Well, the scriptural idea is have her say "I do" so that he can spend the rest of his life turning her on. If you want to raise the question "Are you a lover" (and every man likes to think of himself as a lover), the measuring rod of a lover can only be measured by the size of the cross he's carrying.

Husbands, love your wives like Christ loved the assembly. He loved the assembly to death! When the first man was created, God had to split his side open in order to take out his rib in order to get Eve. Christ has to bleed in order to birth His congregation. And in order for your wife to move from where she is, in order to get to where she ought to be, that means you have to take a trip to Calvary. That means you'll have to decide "I am willing to pay whatever price of inconvenience. I am willing to commit myself to her fulfillment no matter what pain is involved in that. I am willing to go the distance to turn her from where she is into where she ought to be.
The scripture says Jacob loved Rachel so much that he worked fourteen years in order to gain permission to marry her from her father (Genesis 29). That's a high price to pay, but it's the price of true love. There are men that want to run away from their wives because they are not lovable. If she was lovable she wouldn't need a Saviour. Only sinners need saviours!
Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his own love to us, that while we being yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Christ looked out and said, "You're messed up. You're going nowhere. You're headed in the wrong direction, but you do have a Saviour. When a man comes home, he comes home and says, "Things may not be right. I may not be able to adjust to your personality. I may not like how you come across. But a Saviour is in the house! I am your deliverer! Whatever is wrong, I am Mister fix-it. Whatever price has to be paid, you're looking at him! I am going to be your Saviour!" The husband is the Saviour of the wife. And at the heart of that is sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice there is no love.
So the question to the husband is, "Do you really love your wife?" And if so, if I asked her what price are you paying, could she tell them? Could you show what price you are paying for her? Or do you say, "Well, I'm discouraged, I'm depressed." Are you still alive? Because if you're alive you've not paid the ultimate price. As long as you are breathing you have not paid the total price. Because a man is to love his wife as Christ loved the assembly, and that took him to his grave!

Now, you may be saying, "That's next!" But until a man has paid the ultimate price of death, he is not exonerated from love. That is why the preacher asks you up front, "Are you going to love her in sickness and in health? For better or for worse? For richer or poorer? Are you going to do this for as long as you both shall live?" Because preachers know something you may not know. They know you haven't seen the whole thing yet. And when you do, they want an up front commitment that you're going to stick it out. So your wife ought to hear from you, "No matter how you treat me I'm not going to leave you. No matter how you abuse me I'm not going to leave you. No matter how you speak to me I'm not going to leave you. You better get used to salvation because this Saviour isn't going anywhere. So, if this marriage ends you're going to have to leave me! Cause I'm not going anywhere. If you don't comfort me I'm not going anywhere. If you don't have sex with me I'm still not going anywhere. If you abuse me and mistreat me, I want to let you know, in this house, you have a Saviour. And that's me."
If you're not living like that, you're not loving. Not only must you be a Saviour, but you must be a sanctifier.

Sanctify Her
Ephesians 5:26-27, "That he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water by the Word, That he might present it to himself the glorious assembly, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any of such thing; but that it might be holy and blameless."
Now there is a the "problem" that a husband faces. When you married your wife, you did not only marry your wife, you married her history. You see, you didn't just marry her. You thought you were marrying her, but she brought with her her past, good and bad. The good parts you will enjoy, the bad parts you don't see until after the honeymoon! You get to see her with makeup on; you get to see her with lipstick on; you get to see her with eyelashes that you thought were real; and you get tricked is what you get! And after marriage you discover something. You discover that, "I didn't know you were like that! And I didn't know you were a fusser! You didn't fuss when we were dating! I didn't know that you screamed like that! I didn't know you snored like that! I didn't know that you couldn't cook at all! I didn't know all of that!"
Guess what? If you love her, you have to be her sanctifier. What's a sanctifier? The word "sanctification" means "to set apart for special use." That is, to place this woman in a unique category and take her from where she is to where she needs to go. It is called in the scripture the process of sanctification or spiritual growth. When she shows you her problems, you now become Mister fix-it. That's what it means to love. What many men want to do is marry as though they're at the end of the relationship, when you get married you're only at the beginning of the relationship. And your job is to take it from where it is to where it ought to go because you are the sanctifier. You are little Jesus in your home. What Christ is to His assembly you are to your wife. You are the sanctifier. So that if she's messed up, your job is to fix it up.
Now, what happens in some marriages is this. It's like a backup in a sink. You know when your sink backs up because there's a lot of junk in there, there's a lot of stuff in there that can go hidden for a while but it kind of builds up. Then when it builds up it backs up. And husband's get kicked off because all this junk starts backing up. "I didn't know you had that dirt over there! I didn't know you had this clog over there!" It was there all the time, it just hadn't backed up yet. When that starts backing up and all of a sudden the sink gets full of this dirt, this grime, you don't say, "I'm going to leave you kitchen, because you backed up on me! I'm not going to have anything to do with you again, sink!" You call the plumber! And when you call the plumber he brings the snake! And he takes the snake and he works that thing around and around until he opens up a little hole. And when he opens up a little hole the water slowly begins to drain, and he opens it up bigger and bigger until all the junk is flushed out!
When junk backs up you don't quit, you bring in a pro. And you are that pro. And when your wife backs up, when her history backs up, when the pressure at work backs up, when circumstances back up, you're not to leave, you're to come in with the love snake and wind that thing around and turn that thing around and make a little hole there and the watch all of that junk begin to filter out of her life until it flushes all away and you can now have free flowing running water. Bring the love snake and work that thing. You are her sanctifier. Why? So that you can cleanse her. Verse 26 says you're her cleaner upper, so cleanse her.
Heaven knows she's got some things that are not going to be pleasant to live with; things from her past, things from her history. Maybe she was abused by her father, maybe she was raised around a domineering mother that didn't disappear just because you came on the scene. You are the sanctifier.
But what some husbands do is, when they see this junk come up and it backs up, they want to run the other way! You're the plumber, bring the snake "That he might present it to himself the glorious assembly, not having spot, or wrinkle." Spot means defilement from the external; something's dropped on your shirt and you got a spot. Wrinkle has to do with internal aging, because wrinkles are evident of an internal problem, getting old. God's children have spots, the external things of the world; and wrinkles, internal decay from within.
Jesus said his job was to wash the spots and remove the aging. He says the husband is the sanctifier and the husband's job is to work with his wife in such a way that she begins to see a cleanup take place in her life. When she needs strength, you are her strength. When she needs encouragement, you are her encouragement. When she needs joy, you are her joy. When she needs peace, you are her peace. So that no matter how old she gets, she's kept eternally young because she's got a sanctifier in the house. You are her makeup. When the world crashes in on her, you are there. You are to be her power base. You are to be her strength. When she goes off, you are the ever standard one who maintains his cool even though she lost hers. You say, "Well, if she didn't scream at me, I wouldn't have screamed at her!" This is not tit for tat. What this is is showing strength. You say you're the leader, you're the strong one, you say you're the powerful one, then be that! Be her sanctifier that she might be cleansed, so that Christ might present to himself a bride not having spot or wrinkle. The idea here is to nourish.
So, first of all, if you're going to love her, you must be her Saviour, you must be her sanctifier. And then, the third part of love is you've got to nourish her.

Nourish Her
Ephesians 5:28-29, "So ought husbands to love their own wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself. For no one at any time hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as also the Lord the assembly:"
What we need today are a group of men who know how to nourish and satisfy a woman. Now, the natural man thinks of 'sex' when he hear that. "Bring 'em on! I am the satisfier. Come here baby! Poppa will satisfy you! Yes I will!" Any man who talks that way doesn't know what he's talking about. He's really trying to convince himself that he is as good as he says he is. Because any man who talks about satisfying multiple women is really telling you he's not good enough to satisfy one. So he's got to spread it around so nobody calls him to commitment. When a man says, "I've got ten ladies!" What he's telling you is that he hasn't reached to manhood yet, because anybody can bounce around. It's when you stand steady, and after fifteen, twenty, thirty, fifty years, the wife says, "I'm still satisfied," now you've got a real man. When that one man is constantly nourishing and satisfying her.
The scripture says that husbands ought to "love their wives as their own bodies." The spirit here is that Christ gives himself to his assembly, and just as a man works out to make his body look good, he is to work his wife out so that she looks good. So that she is fulfilled. So that she is strong. You are her satisfier. And there are too many dissatisfied wives because there are too many unsatisfied husbands. If you're not satisfying her, if you're not her joy, then you better take a look at how good you really are.
It has nothing to do with what she's doing to you in return, because we're talking about scriptural love. “And if you hate me, I'm going to love you. And if you reject me , I'm still going to try to please you. Because I am here to feed and nourish you. Because I am your satisfier!"

Dwell with Her
1 Peter 3:7, "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, with the wife as with a weaker vessel, rendering them honour, as also being joint-heirs of the grace of life; so as your prayers not to be cut off."
Husbands are commanded to dwell with their wives. This doesn't mean to just live in the same house. The Greek word for “dwell” means "to dwell in close harmony with, closely aligned, to be in proximity with." It means an intimate dwelling. Many men have this idea, “I go out, I'm the provider; you're the wife, you stay home. You do your job, I'll do my job.” That's where the problem is. The home is your job! The role of the wife is to help the husband, but she is not to replace your role in the home. You are to work in concert with her to create a spirit of harmony within. To do that you must be there.
Your wife didn't marry a paycheck, she married you. She didn't marry a car, she married you. She didn't marry a bankroll, she married you. Whenever the outside things that you do for her replace your presence with her, then you are not living with her anymore. Some men are married to their jobs, to their promotions, but God says to live with her! You can't just come home and turn on the TV, you have to come home and work with her! Sometimes it means telling her she's the prettiest thing you've ever run into. Or that you couldn't get your mind off of her all day. Sometimes it means drying the dishes while she washes them. Sometimes it means making one side of the bed while she makes the other. Why? because she was not given to you to become your slave, she was given to you to be your help partner.
Men are told to study two things. The scripture and his wife. Why? Because both are difficult to interpret. Those are hard things to read. Every man will testify that a woman is confusing, complex. You think she wants this but she really wants that. To know her might mean to give up some television programs. Men should say, “Honey, I want to listen, you talk. Tell me anything about yourself that I need to know, because when I learn it I'm going to use it to love you better. Teach me, because I don't know you, I don't understand you. I'm not going to watch TV and listen. I'm not going to read the paper and listen. I'll put my eyeball to your eyeball, my mind to your mind, because I'm here to listen, I'm here to learn, I'm here to understand if you'll only communicate with me.” Women love to be understood. And many women have said, “My husband doesn't understand me,” and she's probably right. But it takes time, you've got to be willing to listen to her.

Honour Her
You are to treat her like your queen. She is not another woman. It has to do with appreciating her, with treating her as special. Does your wife feel special? Many husbands do for other women what they wouldn't do for their own wives. We used to do it. They used to open up the car door every single time, now she's looking to get in before the car drives off! When love dies, marriage dies. She is your queen, and you roll out the red carpet, and pull out the chair, and open the door, and help escort her in.
She must feel special. How do you make her feel special? By your words and actions from the heart. “Sweetheart, I'm real busy right now, I'm right in the middle of something, but you crossed my mind and I just wanted to call and tell you I love you and I can't wait to see you when I get home. I gotta run now, but you're on my mind.” She's going to beat you home! Because you just made her feel special. That took 30 seconds to tell her you can't get her off your mind.
You also make her feel special with your gifts. It doesn't have to be a dozen roses, one rose will do. Writing little notes to her. When she's making the bed and underneath the pillow is a note that says, “Knowing that every night I get to sleep next to you. Knowing that I wake up in the sunshine, even if the curtains are closed. I just want to let you know I wouldn't have it any other way." She's special. She's unique. Make breakfast and bring it to her. She doesn't care that you can't cook, only that you cared enough to try. This is honoring her.
If we only do this on anniversaries and such, this is too predictable. When you were dating you didn't only do it on the anniversary, it would pop up here and there. It would keep popping up. She was bombarded with your love. First of all she didn't like you, she didn't think you were handsome. But you said, “I'm going to make you like me.” And you bombarded her with notes, gifts, phone calls. In time, she began to say, “Why, he ain't that ugly.” And you kept bombarding her, and she began to say, “He's kind of cute.” And you kept bombarding her, and she calls up her girlfriend and says, “I'm in love!”
What happened? What happened is that you honored her. But what too many husbands do is stop honoring their wives once they get married. She fends for herself. When was the last date? I'm not talking about the last time you came home and said, “What do you want to do tonight?” That's not a date. A date is, “Hey, I got this thing all planned, all you got to do is come along for the ride. Now, if you want to make some adjustments, that's fine, because I want to please you. But I want you to know I was thinking about you." Now it's not about you coming home, and having nothing to do, and saying, “What do you want to do?” Have the attitude that, “You are not left over, you are my evening!” She must be honored.
Honoring doesn't mean that you agree with her, it doesn't mean that your decision is going to be the decision she wants you to have, We're not talking about control. But to honor her means, “Honey, I gotta make the decision, and I appreciate your feedback. You've given me your thoughts, your ideas, because you're a partner in this relationship and I need to know how you feel about it. And before I make this decision, you give me your feedback because God may be giving you some things that I need to hear. But having heard what you said, I think I gotta go another way. But I want to let you know that even though I'm going a way different than how you would have me go, I'm going to be thinking about you all the way. And if I see down the line that this is not going to be in your best interest, I'm going to reverse back. Because I don't want to do anything in my decision that's going to harm you. So even though I disagree with you, I'll honour you, because you're going to be on my mind all the way.”
It's where she's significant even when you disagree. If husbands would treat their wives like thoroughbreds, they wouldn't end up with old nags. Men say, “She's a nag!” But maybe it's because how you're treating her. Men say, “I married the wrong woman!” Well, if you married the wrong woman, treat her like the right woman and she'll become the right woman.

Pray with Her
If there is no spiritual relationship in the home, there won't be any dynamic relationship in the marriage. 1 Peter 3:7 says you are heirs together. That means God is not going to leave anything for you if she is not included. Your prayers are a waste of time if she's not included. You don't have this singular relationship with God anymore because you became "one flesh." God is not going to treat you apart from her, because He doesn't see two people any more, He sees one flesh. Husbands must pray with their wives.
Husbands, you're the thermostat, you control the temperature. Your wife is the thermometer, she'll tell you how it reads. So if you have it on 80, and she's cold, the thermometer's broken. You can usually measure a man by looking into the face of his wife, because she is his mirror, letting it be known what kind of man he really is.
The question is not, “Will marriage work?” The question is, “Will you work for marriage?”

Husband is expected to take his wife as his companion

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: HUSBAND IS EXPECTED TO TAKE HIS WIFE AS HIS COMPANION.

Role of the Husband in the Bible – Companion

The role of the husband in the Bible is fulfilled through the heart of companionship.

Ephesians 5:25-33 says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church—for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

The relationship between a husband and a wife is meant to be one of love, respect, and support. They are to help each other. This idea is introduced at the beginning of the Bible in the story of the creation of Eve. Adam needed a companion, a suitable helper, yet one could not be found until God created Eve. Genesis 2:20-24 says,

This also leads to another understanding of companionship. God created men and women with natural, physical, and emotional differences. Usually where one is weak, the other is strong. Therefore, a husband and wife can help each other by meeting the other person's needs through physical and emotional intimacy. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 addresses this,

When the needs of our spouse are properly met through healthy companionship, the two can help each other and can live a successful life together.

Lastly, through their companionship a husband and wife work together as a team to develop and grow a family. God’s plan was that every home operate under the specific roles of both a husband and a wife and that through this they raise healthy children who honor God with their lives. Ephesians 6:1-3

Children are blessed through the honor of their mother and father working in unison to train them up in the way they should go.

The companionship between a man and a woman is directed by the influence of the husband through his provision and protection and is covered by his caring, gentle, and graceful love for his wife and family. Without the biblical roles of a husband being fulfilled by a strong man of God, the family unit risks the difficulties brought on by sin and spiritual distortion. Satan desires the destruction of the family, but through Christ and proper understanding of biblical roles, the family is a strong and safe place to grow in God.

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST
GIVE EVERY MAN YOUR SPIRIT TO BE SUCCESSFUL MARITALLY AND BIND UP EVERY BROKEN HOME IN JESUS NAME.

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Good morning friends

Husband as a provider and a protector

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: HUSBAND AS A PROVIDER AND A PROTECTOR

...CONTINUE FROM YESTERDAY
Role of the Husband in the Bible – Provider and Protector

The role of the husband in the Bible starts with leadership, but encompasses provision and protection. A husband will never influence his wife if he does not care for her. He can demand and she may follow as a result, but he will never truly have her heart unless he provides for her needs, cares for her well-being, and protects her both physically and spiritually. For as Scripture says:

"Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” (Colossians 3:19).

“Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7).
God loves His daughters and the children they bear. When He gives one of His daughters to a man, He desires that the man cares for her. In no place does Scripture teach or endorse that women and children be considered second rate or inferior to men. Instead, He finds them so precious that He asks for special care to be given them; a care that only biblically-based men can provide. Women are very capable of taking care of themselves. However, God did make men and women different and thus due to the physical nature and strength God gave men, He has charged them with the provision and protection of their families.

The physical nature and strength of a man is to be managed with grace and gentleness. God did not create men to lord over women nor did he create women to simply wait on men. He made them both to complement each other through healthy companionship.
...CONTINUE TOMORROW...

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, LET YOUR SPIRIT ENTER EVERY MAN AND HUSBAND TO BE WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE IN JESUS NAME.

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Good morning friends

Husbands Responsibility

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: HUSBANDS RESPONSIBILITY

Role of the Husband in the Bible – Leader

The role of the husband in the Bible starts with leadership.

Scripture makes it very clear that a husband must be a leader of his home and have healthy control of his life. 1 Timothy 3;

in speaking of two church leadership positions traditionally filled by men, teaches that an Overseer and Deacon must manage their family well. Verse 5 specifically says, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”

Furthering this understanding, Ephesians 5:21-24 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.”

Again, in 1 Corinthians 11:3, Scripture says, "But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

One of the primary roles of a husband in the Bible, then, is to lead.
Leadership simply means influence. Therefore, a biblically-based husband should influence his family. Husbands are not dictators, they should not demand, they should not be a boss over their wives. Instead, husbands should influence their wives and families in accordance with biblical teaching. They should exemplify, with their voice and their actions, attributes that bring glory to God and value to their spouse and family.

The fruit of a good biblically-based husband is a strong, confident, spiritually mature wife and family.

Two very specific ways a husband influences his home is through his provision and protection.
...Continue Tomorrow...

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST TEACH US TO DO OUR RESPONSIBILITY RIGHTLY IN JESUS NAME. AMEN

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Good morning friends

Why christian surfer

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: WHY CHRISTIAN SURFER

I am written this morning meal to answer some brethren question to my last morning meal on prayer.
And about Christian suffering.
Many believe that when you have giving your life to Jesus you don't have to suffer.

ROMANS 8:18-39

At one time or another most, if not all, Christians ask: “Why does our loving and all powerful God allow His people to suffer so?”

We will not have the complete answer to this question this side of Heaven, but the Bible, God’s infallible Word, does shed much light on the reasons why Believers suffer, and reassures us that everything will work out for our eternal good.
From Romans chapter 8 we learn that the sufferings of this life can not be compared with our future glory (8:18), and that all things in this life, including, suffering, work together of our ultimate good (8:28-30).

The Bible provides many of the reasons why God allows Believers to suffer “tribulation” (pressures on both body and soul), “distress” (anguish of all kinds), poverty (“famine” and “nakedness”), “peril” (danger), “persecution” (unjust treatment), and even the “sword” of the executioner (8:35).

Many think that when they receive the Lord Jesus Christ all their problems are over, but God never said that Believers would not suffer problems in this life. The Lord Jesus did say:

“In the World ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the World” (John 16:33).

Our text in Romans says that “in all these things [tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword] we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (8:37). In this life we will suffer, but “all things [trouble and pain of all kinds] work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called …” (8:28).

Christians must keep this principal in mind: short term suffering works for our long term good!

God issues many “calls” to Believers in His Word. Among them are:

1) the call to repentance (Luke 5:32),
2) the call to salvation or sonship (John 1:12; Romans 8:28-30),
3) the call to sanctification or holiness (I Thessalonians 4;3-7), 4) the call to separation from unbelievers and false religion (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 18:4),
5) the call to Christian fellowship (I Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 10:24-25),
6), the call to peace (Colossians 3:15),
7) the all important call to love and compassion (I Peter 3:8-9), 8) the call to Christian service (Ephesians 2:10), and yes, there is 9) the call to suffering (I Peter 2:19-21; Philippians 1:29), and last, but certainly not least, there is
10) the wonderful call to glory (I Peter 5:10; II Peter 1:3; Romans 8:29-30; I Thessalonians 2:12).

The Lord issues all these calls in His Word, which reveals His purpose, to “the called according to His purpose” or in other words, to those who believe God’s Word. Just as surely as God has called all Believers to sonship, peace, fellowship, holiness, love, service, and glory, He has also called us to suffering!

“For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. ... For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (1 Peter 2:19, 21)

The Lord willingly suffered wrongfully, because of our sin and because the world is temporally in the hands of Satan. We suffer wrongfully because the world is still full of sinners manipulated by Satan and his angels.

The fact of the matter is that we will be in and out of trouble all our earthly lives! Suffering is a normal part of life, and no one is smart enough, rich enough, or powerful enough to escape from suffering and trouble. The secret to life, in this World is not learning how to get out and stay out of trouble, but learning how to “be of good cheer,” and become “more than conquers through [Jesus Christ]” while we are actually in trouble and suffering (John 16:33; Romans 8:37).

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS, HELP US TO OVERCOME AND MANAGE OUR FAITH THROUGH GOOD AND BAD THAT COMES OUR WAYS IN JESUS NAME. AMEN

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What prayer is not

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: What Prayer Is Not

"Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help." –Psalm 39:12 (NIV)[i]

"Lord, teach us to pray." –Luke 11:1

"After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed." –John 17:1

"They all joined together constantly in prayer." –Acts 1:14

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." –Ephesians 6:18

"Pray continually." -1 Thessalonians 5:17

Throughout the Bible, believers are called to pray but it may be tempting to delve right into a definition of prayer. But first let's take a brief look at what prayer is not (this is by no means an exhaustive list):

Prayer is not magic. We cannot summon God as though He were a genie, waiting to grant our wishes without regard for our circumstances or the consequences.
Prayer does not make demands. While we can make requests of God in prayer, we dare not make demands. God is the Creator of the universe and does not take orders from us.

Prayer is for our benefit, not God's. We need a relationship with God, available to us through Jesus Christ and engaged primarily through prayer, because we were made to function best when we are in a proper relationship with our Creator.

Prayer is not a guarantee against suffering. "In this world you will have trouble" (John 16:33); "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13).

Prayer is not an opportunity for us to show off. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men" (Matthew 6:5).

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, TEACH US TO PLEASE YOU AMD HOW TO SERVE YOU IN TRUTH AND IN HOLINESS IN JESUS NAME

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Prayer (part 3)

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: PRAYER (part 3)
Go and Bear Fruit

The process by which the Father will give us what we ask is directly linked to our appointment to go and bear fruit. The Father will give us what we need in order to accomplish this primary task of bearing lasting fruit for the kingdom of God. He will answer prayers in Jesus’ name when we are fulfilling Jesus’ mission—to help complete the purchase of people for God from every language and tribe and people and nation.

That does not mean that we cannot or should not ask God for what we need personally for our own existence and well-being. Jesus told us that the Father cares about those needs as well. We are, after all, more valuable than the birds of air that he cares for, feeds, and clothes (Matthew 6:28-32).

Paul instructed us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6–7).

But as nontraditional or anti-traditional as it may sound, it appears that we do not need to ask the Father in Jesus’ name for the necessities of life. Of course, that is not to say we cannot or should not invoke the name of Jesus our High Priest at any time in our prayers, from giving thanks for a meal to the invocation at a high school graduation.
But God has already promised separately to meet our needs—even apart from invoking Jesus’ name and authority. Jesus had been instructing his disciples to do just that all along.

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS, HELP ME TO BEAR MUCH GOOD FRUIT FOR YOU AND LET MY PRAYERS BE ANSWER IN JESUS NAME.

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Prayer

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: PRAYER. (Part 2)

Praying in the Name of Jesus

Curiously, before this Jesus had not suggested that the disciples pray in his name. The model prayer includes no such statement. But as they stood at the threshold of a whole new life era, Jesus instructed them to pray in his name—to ask the Father on behalf of the Son.

Jesus told them in the upper room that a radical change was coming in regard to model prayer:

“I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23).

Why will the Father give us what we ask in the name of Jesus?

The answer is simple enough: he will do this if and when we are engaged in fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave us. If we return to an earlier moment in the evening, when Jesus was discussing the vine and branches, we will understand why:
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 15:16–17).

The Lord require of me and you to pray take up these job and as we do this our prayer will be answer as well. This also is another point that make our prayer answered.

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, LET YOU NAME WORK WONDER IN OUR LIFE THIS WEEK AND GIVE US GRACE TO DO YOUR WORK IN JESUS NAME.

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Prayer (part 1)

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: Prayer (part 1)

Prayer – Jesus and His Disciples

Jesus often shared the importance of prayer with his disciples. We often think of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as Jesus’ model prayer, but he shared much more about prayer with his disciples.

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete (John 16:24).

Jesus told the disciples, “Until now you have asked for nothing in my name.” It is not as though the disciples had not learned to pray before this. Jesus modeled prayer for them regularly and often taught them about prayer:

Do not pray like the pagans with endless babbling (Matthew 6:7).

Pray with persistence (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Pray the disciples’ prayer (the “Lord’s Prayer”) (Matthew 6:5-15).

The Father knows your needs before you ask (Matthew 6:8).

Watch and pray regarding temptation (Matthew 26:41).

Go secretly into a private place to pray (Matthew 6:6).

Pray believing that God hears us (Mark 11:24).

This new week engage your self in Jesus model prayer and with faith believing in your heart that you will testify in Jesus Name

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS, LET THERE BE MIRACLE AS WE CALL UPON YOUR NAME THIS WEEK IN JESUS NAME.

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THE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WILL BE RAPTURED.

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: THE BELIEVERS IN CHRIST WILL BE RAPTURED.

I Thess.4: 15 “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

NOTE: Only believers, those who have given their hearts to Christ by faith, will be raptured. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Saving faith may thus be defined as a voluntary turning from all hope and grounds based on self merit, and assuming an attitude of expectancy toward God, trusting Him to do a perfect saving work based only on the merit of Christ.

The Bride Of Christ Will Be Raptured.

1. Paul likened the church at Corinth to a virgin engaged to her Lord.

II Cor.11: 2 “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”

2. The Church will enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Rev.19: 7 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

NOTE: [1] In Ephesians 5 Paul illustrates the relationship between Christ and the Church with the marital relationship between a husband and his wife.
[2] The book of Revelation places the Marriage of the Lamb between the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Millennial Kingdom.

3. The Church will not go through the Tribulation’s languishing.

I Thess.5: 9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rev.3: 10 “Because thou (church at Philadelphia) hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”

LET US PRAY
LORD JESUS CHRIST, COUNT US WORTHY OF THE SAINT THAT WILL RAPTURE WHEN THE TRUMPET SOUND IN JESUS NAME.

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Rapture will happen speedily

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: RAPTURE WILL HAPPEN SPEEDILY.

I Cor.15: 51 “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

NOTE:
[1] Jesus could come today. He could come before I finish this message. But the question is, “Are you ready for the Rapture?”

[2] The Rapture will take place quickly and unexpectedly. We need to be ready.

There’s a man in yonder glory I have loved for many years,
He has cleared my guilty conscience and has banished all my fears.
He is coming in a moment in the twinkling of an eye,
And no time will be allotted for you to utter one good-bye.
No time to kiss the husband or embrace the loving wife,
If they are but united in the bonds of holy life.
Are you ready, Christian, ready, for shout and trump and voice?
Will His coming make you tremble or cause you to rejoice?
Are you walking, talking with Him daily, taking Him your care,
Do you live so close to heaven that a breath would waft you there?

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, PREPARE US AND MAKE US READY DAILY IN JESUS NAME. AMEN

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How to prepare for the rapture (part2)

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

Topic: HOW TO PREPARED FOR THE RAPTURE (Part 2) ?

Prophetic messages are coming in from all over the world, that the people of God must get prepared for the Lord's Return.

Through visions, prophecies, visitations and signs, Jesus has given many warnings to the world that there was little time left. But few listened and got ready.

Therefore, if the Lord came now, few would be ready,

and most people, even many Christians, would be LEFT BEHIND!

Some prophetic visions, have even showed entire congregations left behind!
Where not even one member was taken! Except the children.

Many Christians would be bewildered if they found themselves left behind.
They won't believe that it has happened to them.
Many churches are not getting their congregations ready for the rapture. The topics of the rapture, End Times and the tribulation, were seldom covered in their sermons. And many of the church members knew very little about the subject.

For this reason, if the rapture happened now, there would be great anger against the pastors and church leaders by the Christians who would be left behind.
They would be blamed for not getting their members ready.

In many churches, it was very fun an entertaining, and many Christians were celebrating,
while they should have been a REPENTING. The preaching just did not lead them to sorrowful repentance.

To be ready for Jesus, it takes complete surrender and obedience to Jesus Christ.

Daily repentance and cleansing is needed to prepare oneself for the Lord. You must diligently ask the Lord if there is anything in your life that needs to be changed. Don't just assume that you're ready, but pray and find out!
In the book of Matthew Jesus said that Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me, is not worthy of Me.
Picking up your cross means surrendering your life to God. And this is necessary for being the Bride of Christ.

The rapture will separate those who knew the Lord in Spirit and Truth, from those who knew the Lord just by tradition and form. The whole world is going to see who the Pretenders are!

In the book of Matthew chapter 7, Jesus said, many will say to Me on that day, Lord! Lord! Did we not prophesy in Your Name? and in Your name drive out demons and performed many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly I never knew you! Away from Me you evildoers.

After the trumpet call, it will be too late to repent! Many will try in vain, Saying that they are sorry, and pleading Jesus to take them.
But it will be FUTILE! Jesus has said over and over again, He can only take those who are ready and living Holy into His Kingdom.
The time to repent is now! Not later.

Those people not Raptured will unfortunately go through the great tribulation!
About the great tribulation Jesus said, Then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be equaled again.

The Great Tribulation will be a time of persecution. As Jesus said, Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death. And you will be hated by all nations because of Me.
It will be a time of falling away. As Jesus said, Because of the increase in wickedness the love of most, will grow cold.

It will be a time of War and Devastation, where nation will rise up against nation.

It will be a time of Scarcity and Want. In the book of Revelations, it tells us that it will take an entire day's wages, just to earn enough food for that one day.

In The Great Tribulation, there will be a rapid breakdown social order.
And CHAOS will spread worldwide. Because many evil spirits that were bound up, will be released upon the Earth.

It will be every man for himself. The Great Tribulation should be avoided at all costs.

So how do we get ready now? What should we do to prepare?
We must know that Jesus is coming back for a Beautiful, Pure, and Holy Bride! As the book of Ephesians states, He is looking for a radiant church, without spot for a wrinkle, or any other blemish. But holy and blameless.

Jesus is NOT coming back for a WHORE, who is married to the world.

By being PURE it means keeping oneself away from Addictions, Lusts, and all kinds of Worldly Passions.

And by being OBEDIENT, it means, that we do what God's Word tells us to do. As Jesus said, Now that you know all these things, you will be blessed IF you do them.

Those who want to be ready for Jesus, must put Jesus first in everything in their lives. Nothing else must have a higher priority than Jesus.

We must remember what it says in Hebrews chapter 12. Without Holiness, no one will see the Lord.
This verse from Jesus, found in Matthew chapter 5 is seldom mentioned in church. It says, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, and the Teachers of the Law, you will certainly NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, if you're not at least doing what they were doing in obeying God's commandments, YOU WON'T BE READY!

The Word of God makes it clear, it is hard to enter the Kingdom of God.

If you're sleeping around with your girlfriend or boyfriend, YOU WON'T BE READY!

If you were secretly watching pornography, YOU WON'T BE READY!

If you're Worldly or Lukewarm, YOU WON'T BE READY!

If you're holding hatred or unforgiveness in your heart, YOU WON'T BE READY!

If you're committing any form of idolatry, Praying to Statutes, or Praying to Saints, YOU WON'T BE READY!
If you are desecrating the Lord's day and not keeping His day Holy, if you're doing your work or conducting business on His day, YOU WON'T BE READY!

Remember the parable of the Foolish Virgins, if you're lamps are not full of oil, and burning brightly, YOU WON'T BE READY!

If you're a Christian who has lost their salt, living like the rest of the world, YOU WON'T BE READY!

To be ready for the Rapture, you must NOT fall spiritually asleep, in the last moments. Jesus said, it will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing his work, when he returned.
Stay Focused on Jesus! Don't get distracted in the last moments! There are thousands of distractions that can cause you not to be ready.

Don't fall into temptation and compromised with sin in the last moments. Jesus said, Pray that you will NOT fall into temptation.

Remember Lot's wife.
She was leaving Sodom. Lot's wife was almost there, she almost this safe. But in the last moments she turned back to Sodom.
Don't be like her! In the moments before the Lord return, don't turn back to the world!

Don't give up during the final lap of the race!
Stay in prayer in the last moments.
Jesus warned us in Luke 21, WATCH and PRAY, that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen.
and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

Don't neglect your calling! Jesus said, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back, is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus is a God of Great Passion. We must never neglect or ignore His passion. What is He so passionate about?
Jesus desperately wants souls saved from hell! His heart breaks for every lost soul that parishes. And He is doing everything He can to save people.

If we ignore this desire of His, and don't bother to witness to the lost, then we are ignoring His passion!
Each Christian must be doing their part to build the Kingdom of God.

Currently, the Lord restrains much evil from ever happening on the Earth.
After Jesus takes away His Bride, the Lord's HAND of RESTRAINT, will be removed!

This verse from 2nd Thessalonians, explains how this will happen.
For this lawlessness is already at work secretly and it will remain secret, until the one who was holding it back steps out of the way.
With the Bride of Christ has gone, and the Lord's Hand of Restraint taken out of the way, the world will quickly plunged into darkness!

The book of Revelations warns us about the Rise of the Anti-Christ and the mark of the beast 666.
It will be much harder to follow God, after the rapture.
Because during the tribulation, following God will cost people their lives.
As its says in Revelations 13:7, He (the beast) was given power to make war against the saints, and to conquer them.
He was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Many will be tortured to receive the mark the beast 666, and many people will be killed for refusing it. But refusing the mark of the beast 666 will be absolutely critical if someone is to be SAVED. Because there is NO FORGIVENESS, NO 2ND CHANCES, for anyone who takes the mark of the beast 666, on their hands or on their forehead. They belong to the beast, not God. They will be sent to HELL.

It will be a time of Great Betrayal!

As it says in the book of Matthew, Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child.
Children will rebel against their parents, and have them put to death.

But he who stands firm to the end we'll be saved! Staying faithful to God in this difficult hour, will be critical for one's salvation.

During the tribulation, God's Wrath is poured out upon the Earth!

The World is Judged for all the evil that it has committed.
This causes worldwide havoc and devastation. Many lives will be lost, and there will be great suffering.

How bad is it? Jesus said, Unless those days were shortened, no one would survive.

Many of the people who are ignoring God's warning today, will be the same ones cursing God when His judgments come upon the Earth.

Most Christians will come out of the Great Tribulation. As we can see from the book of Revelations chapter 7.
It reads, After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, Tribe, People and Language standing before the Throne and in front of the Lamb...
These are they who have come out of The Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes, and made them whites in the blood of the Lamb.

There are thrones prepared for those who faithfully make it through The Great Tribulation.
Let's read from Revelations chapter 20 I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus, and because of the Word of God.
They had not worship to the beast, or His image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.
They came to Life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years.

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, DON'T LET US MISS THE RAPTURE. SAVE US BY YOUR MERCY AND GRACE IN JESUS NAME.

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How to prepare for the rapture (Part1)

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE RAPTURE (Part 1) ?

Some precious children of the LORD yesterday wrote to me and asked me some fundamental questions about Rapture and how to prepare for rapture.

Matthew 5:20 KJV
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

1 John 2:28 KJV
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

On your question about how to prepare for the Rapture:

1-Repentance:

Turning away from sin and turning away from walking on the broad road and asking the LORD Jesus Christ with sincerity from your heart to wash you with His precious blood and to have mercy on you and forgive you your sins.
And asking the LORD Jesus Christ to always cover you with His precious blood and baptize you with His Holy Spirit.
The LORD is merciful and He will forgive you all sins.
But since we live in a sinful world, Repentance on a daily basis is essential.
And remember to also forgive all those who have wronged you. Matthew 6:15 KJV
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

2-Living in Righteousness:

-Living a life that is right with the LORD. And it entails being obedient to the LORD by following His commandments. And this involves seeking and following the truth as stated in the Bible. And so reading the Bible will show you how to live a life of Righteousness. Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

3-Walking in Holiness

The bible says that without Holiness no one will see the LORD.
Walking in Holiness means separating yourself from the worldly lifestyle and taking the narrow road where the presence of the LORD is and where the power of the Holy Spirit will guide you. It means sacrificing your life for the LORD, and this may mean avoiding the worldly habits like smoking, drinking etc and living a life worthy of your calling of being a child of the LORD God Almighty. You may also have to let go of friends, family, habits, dressing and lifestyle etc that do not glorify the LORD since they may be a bad influence on your walk with the LORD. 1 John 5:21 KJV
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

4-Surrendering completely to The LORD Jesus Christ

The LORD requires complete surrender of one’s life to him. Half world and half Christ is not accepted by the LORD, and those who live such life are known as lukewarm Christians. And the LORD says in the book of Revelation chapter 3 that He will spit such lukewarm Christians because they are neither warm nor cold.
And so surrender fully to the LORD and let Him take care and control of your life. Revelation 3:16 KJV
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

5-Watch and pray

-The LORD is only coming to pick those who are watching for His return because in so doing they will be like the 5 wise virgins in the book of Mathew Chapter 25 whose lamps are full of the oil (The Holy Spirit) because they endeavor to be in the presence of the LORD in prayer, Repenting, Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and full surrender to the LORD Jesus Christ.

LET US PRAY
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, MAKE US READY ALWAYS FOR YOUR COMING AND GIVE US GRACE TO WAIT ON YOU IN JESUS NAME.

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Are you ready for the rapture?

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

Topic ARE YOU READY FOR THE RAPTURE?

Text: I Thess.4: 13-18

Though the word “rapture” is often used in theological discussions, it is never used in the Bible. This does not mean however, that it is an unscriptural term, or that it should not be used. In verse seventeen of our text we find the words “caught up,” which mean “to snatch or catch away” (W.E. Vine, Expository Dictionary Of New Testament Words, Vol. I, published by Fleming H. Revell Company,
This is essentially the idea found in the Latin word “RAPTO,” from which we get our English word “rapture.” The Latin word meant “to seize, to carry off”

The Rapture may be a rather mysterious or vague event to many people. However, the Scriptures conclusively points out the certainty of this event and those that follow it. Though we are not told the exact time of the Rapture, we do know that it is the next great event on the eschatological agenda. As certainly as you are sitting here this morning, the events which is out text, First Thessalonians 4: 13-18 will take place.

My question and concern this morning however, is not the certainty of the Rapture, but, “Are you ready for the Rapture?” Saint and sinner alike must address this question.

I want to point you to some reasons why everyone needs to seriously consider this question today.
Friends. You must be ready for the Rapture because of:

Consider this...
THE SUDDENNESS OF THE RAPTURE

It Will Happen Without Signs

It Will Happen Speedily.

The Believers In Christ Will Be Raptured.

It will be without warning.

I Thess.5: 1 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”

NOTE: “The Day of the Lord” begins immediately at the Rapture of the Church. This term is used to refer to that period of time beginning after the Rapture of the Church and ending with the creation of the new heavens and new earth after the Millennial Kingdom. Its occurrence cannot be specifically fixed due to the fact that it follows the Rapture, which also cannot be specifically fixed as to its time of occurrence.

I ask you this morning, ARE YOU READY FOR THE RAPTURE?

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, DON'T LET US MISS THE RAPTURE WHEN THE TRUMPET SOUND IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming lust

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING LUST

...CONTINUE FROM LAST TIME.

If you must overcome lust this are part of the step to take.

3. Run With
“. . . along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

We must not only run from lust and toward God’s vision for our lives, we must also run with our brothers and sisters with the same vision. We must all find companions for this stretch of the road, those who share our faith and convictions, those in the common struggle for holiness.

These friends should be those who “call on the Lord,” an expression for those who are saved (Acts 22:16; Romans 10:13). These are other men and women who have also cried out to God for the forgiveness of their sin from a “pure” (genuine) heart.

Running with others involves a certain level of intentionality. It is not enough to simply know others around us are on the same journey because they profess a Christian faith. We must have real running companions, those who actually help us flee youthful passions and pursue a Christlike heart.

James 5:16 and Hebrews 10:24-25 offer a structure of what this kind of accountability looks like.

Building a good accountability relationship takes time. There are benefits and blessings along the way, but the ripest fruit comes after a real friendship is built.

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, SEPARATE US FROM EVERY UNFRIENDLY FRIEND AND CONNECT US WITH RIGHT FRIEND TO RUN THE RACE OF THE KINGDOM IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming lust

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING LUST

Yesterday we started another topic "overcoming lust" and I gave one point, to day we shall continue in the second point of how to overcome this evil inbuilt seed of the devil.

...CONTINUE FROM YESTERDAY.
I said the Bible said "run from"

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22

2. Run To
“. . . pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace”

It is not enough to flee from youthful lusts. We must run toward a new passion. We are to “pursue,” that is, eagerly and swiftly run toward Christlikeness.

Christ promises His people a heart of . . .

Righteousness (real integrity, a passion for justice, and a life pleasing to God)
Faith (strong and welcome conviction and trust in God)
Love (benevolent affection toward God and others)
Peace (tranquility in the heart and harmony with God and others)
We are to run hard after these things each day knowing these character qualities are how we were created to live. We pursue these things knowing it is our destiny to live this way. A billion years from now, when sin is a distant memory, we will be living lives of love, peace and righteousness in the kingdom of God. Have this hope we purify ourselves, just as He is pure (1 John 3:3).

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, HELP US TO RUN TO YOU IN TIME OF OUR TEMPTATION. IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming lust

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING LUSTFULNESS

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” – 2 Timothy 2:22

The above Scripture verse is probably one of the most concise bits of advice reminding us how we should engage in the fighting lust. Commit it to memory. Chew on this verse daily. Let your mind marinate in it.

1. Run From
“So flee youthful passions”

“Passions” refer to our cravings, our longings, our desires. More specifically the passage speaks of “youthful passions.” These fleshly lusts are said to “wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). On the surface these cravings are anchored in the members of our body (Romans 6:12), but as we look deeper we find they stem from our sinful hearts (Romans 7:7). Ultimately these passions are forms of idolatry (Colossians 3:5), revolving our lives and desires around created things rather than the Creator.

We must run from these things. Every Christian, even though he or she is indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, still lives in a mortal body surrounded by worldly amusements. These youthful lusts stubbornly cling to our heals. As we see these passions stirred in us, we must habitually flee from them.

This might mean mentally fleeing: bouncing our thoughts away from lustful imaginations.
This might mean visually fleeing: bouncing our eyes away from lustful images.
This might mean physically fleeing: walking (or running) away from tempting situations.

...CONTINUE TOMORROW

LET US PRAY
LORD JESUS CHRIST SET US FREE FROM SPIRIT OF LUST AND GIVE US A PERFECT LOVE IN JESUS NAME.

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Our pastor's wife

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OUR PASTOR'S WIFE

We owe the pastor’s wife a great debt of love.

Proverbs 9:11 KJV
For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

I dedicate today's morning meal to my loving and caring wife, Pastor Omolola Israel on the occasion of her. Birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR

No one in the church family is more vulnerable than the pastor’s wife. She is the key figure in the life of the pastor and plays the biggest role in his success or failure.

She is almost always a reliable helper as well as an under-appreciated servant.

The pastor’s wife can be hurt in a hundred ways–through attacks on her husband, her children, herself. Her pain is magnified by one great reality: she cannot fight back. She cannot give a certain member a piece of her mind for criticizing the pastor’s children,

She has to take it in silence, most of the time.

It takes the best Christian in the church to be a pastor’s wife and pull it off. And that’s the problem: in most cases, she’s pretty much the same kind of Christian as everyone else. When the enemy attacks, she bleeds.

She is the object of a world of expectations….

–She is expected to dress modestly and attractively, well enough but not overly ornate.

–She is expected to be the perfect mother, raising disciplined children who are models of well-behaved offspring for the other families, to be her husband’s biggest supporter and prayer warrior, and to attend all the church functions faithfully and, of course, bring a great casserole.

What we owe to the pastor’s wife….

1)We owe her the right to be herself. She is our sister in Christ and accountable to Him.

2) We owe her our love and gratitude. She has a one-of-a-kind role in the congregation which makes her essential to the church’s well-being.

3) We owe her our love and prayers. While the Father alone knows her heart, the pastor may be the only human who knows her burdens.

4) We owe her our responsible care. What does she need?

5) We owe it to the pastor and his wife to speak up. Sometimes, they need a friend to take their side.

6) We owe them protection for the pastor’s off days and vacations.

7) We owe them the our faithfulness and obedience in Christ service.

Do your part to make your Pastors wife happy.

LET US PRAY
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I PRAY FOR OUR PASTORS WIFE TO BE BLESSED, HAPPY AND BE HELPED IN JESUS NAME. AMEN

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Overcoming Pride

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC:OVERCOMING PRIDE

If you try to lift yourself up, God will tear you down.

“Look, I will make you insignificant among the nations; you will be deeply despised.” (Obadiah 2, HCSB)

In other words, God will make you humble. He does it to nations and He does it to people. This is principle is found throughout the Bible.

“You rescue an afflicted people, but Your eyes are set against the proud— You humble them.” (2 Samuel 22:28, HCSB)

“Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud.” (Proverbs 16:19, HCSB)

“Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:16, HCSB)

“But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6, HCSB)

“In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5, HCSB)

If you listen to yourself instead of God, your heart will deceive you.

“Your presumptuous heart has deceived you, you who live in clefts of the rock in your home on the heights, who say to yourself, “Who can bring me down to the ground?”” (Obadiah 3, HCSB)

“The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, HCSB)

My heart needs to be guided. My inner self can deceive me. This is the really why a Christian needs to listen to the Holy Spirit. Society will say to follow your heart. God says to follow Him and He will guide your heart.

“And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, HCSB)

Pride won’t last. Without a change of heart, you will crash and burn.

“Though you seem to soar like an eagle and make your nest among the stars, even from there I will bring you down. This is the LORD’s declaration.” (Obadiah 4, HCSB)

Do a self-check on my heart.

“Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:16, HCSB)

Build a pattern of humility in my life.

1. Associate with the humble

“Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Romans 12:16, HCSB)

2. Follow the example of Jesus

“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:5, HCSB)

“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:8, HCSB)

3. Fight against the culture of narcissism.

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3–4, HCSB)

“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3, HCSB)

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, DELIVER US FROM SPIRIT OF PRIDE IN JESUS NAME AND GIVE US YOUR HUMBLENESS.

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Overcoming Spirit of jealousy

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC:OVERCOMING SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY.

Jealousy likes to hide; it is a bit of a sneaky undercover agent. Jealousy rarely looks like jealousy on the surface. Usually, in Christians, it hides itself under a mask of Religious indignation.

Remember Judas, when he criticized Mary for wasting expensive oil? In Matt 27:18 it says that Jesus was “arrested by the Jewish leaders out of envy because of his popularity with the people”.

The Jewish leaders didn’t like the fact that Jesus was getting more attention than them, they were jealous of his popularity. But rather than admit that they were jealous, they hid behind their spiritual cloaks and attacked Jesus and criticized him with ‘trumpted up religious charges…He healed on the Sabbath, He didn’t observe all the Jewish laws and traditions and He forgave prostitutes. They put religious masks on what was pure jealousy.

And unfortunately, many of us do exactly the same thing today. Rather than admit “I’m jealous of his position” or “I’m envious of her popularity” , we try to justify our negative feelings by manufacturing a spiritual fault or flaw.
“He might be a strong leader, but don’t you think he’s a bit materialistic…have you seen his new car?” “She might be a great singer, but I just sense in my spirit that she’s not really genuine…She just seems a bit prideful & superficial to me, not really spiritual”.

Step 1: Recognise your jealousy that is hiding itself. Recognise it for what it is.

Get your Eyes off Your Brothers and Sisters.
Who are the ones we become jealous of the most? It is not usually those who we do not see as equals to us it is rather those that are equals – our brothers and sisters. In the bible we read that Cain was jealous of Abel (and killed him),

Sarah was jealous of Hagar, Jacob envied Esau (and stole his birthright and his blessing), Joseph’s brothers were envious of his big dream (and threw him in a pit), David’s brother was jealous of him visiting the battlefield and The older brother was envious of the attention given to the returned prodigal son.

The true test of jealousy is to ask: Can I be truly happy for my brother or sister when they are given what I want...When someone who is close to me - someone just like me - gets lifted up and given the honour or the prominence or the esteem that I would like. Or when they receive a greater reward for doing the very same thing I have been doing for years - Do I rejoice with them, or do I inwardly resent their blessing and wish it was me?

Move in the ‘opposite spirit’ .

When we feel envious or jealous of someone, we usually want to be as far away from them as possible. We get that “Oh he’s here” feeling and we want to run. Envy seeks to isolate, it seeks to separate the brothers and sisters and cause division and dissention in the Body. That’s why we need to come at jealousy with an opposite spirit .

Jesus constantly spoke about the power of overcoming evil through moving in an opposite spirit. In Luke 6:27-28 he said "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”. Paul likewise writes in Rom 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. When we feel jealous and envious,

the quickest pathway out of our prison is to intentionally celebrate the other’s person’s blessing and success. We need to make an intentional effort to applaud their skills, rejoice in their good fortune, cheer their success and Pray for continued blessing and increase.

In short, we need to WALK IN LOVE. 1 Cor 13:4 says “Love does not envy” and the truth is that when we truly do love someone unconditonally, we don’t feel envious of their Blessings, WE REJOICE IN IT!

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME. GIVE US THE SPIRIT OF LOVE AND DELIVER US FROM SPIRIT OF JEALOUSY IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming addiction

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING ADDICTION

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 KJV
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. [13] There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Addiction is a very common struggle in our society today. We’re addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, pornography, food, and smoking. You name it. And many people who want to overcome their addiction think that simply having enough willpower is enough for them to stop their addiction.

But this is faulty thinking. Why? Because it just doesn’t work. In fact, sometimes the more you “will” yourself out of an addiction, the deeper and deeper into the addiction you go. So how do you overcome an addition?

If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction, the good news is that God has a very clear solution. Although it isn’t easy, it is very effective. Here are three steps to help you overcome an addiction:

1. Admit you can’t beat it. We’ve all heard of those step programs and recovery groups that have taught us to think, “I can do this!” But this doesn’t work.
First, you need to get honest with God and then admit your problem to some of the people in your life that matter the most.

2. Admit dependency. Confess to God that you need His help. Admit that you’re powerless. This also means you go to Him to get help. You get into God’s Word. You talk to Him from the heart.

3. Get in a healthy community. Addictions are never broken alone; you will not be able to do it by yourself. You also won’t be able to do it by yourself, but with God and His Word. And again you need God’s people. You need a system and a structure in which you can face your addiction head on daily – with people.

For example, you need someone you can call on the phone when you feel that urge to drink, or eat or log on to the Internet and you know that you don’t want to go there but you feel powerless. This is why a community (even a small group) of a serious Christian brothers and sisters is so important in your recovery process.

So are you ready to be free from your addiction?
The first step to overcoming your addictions is to come out of denial and get honest.

The power of secret will ruin your life. It can be a scary thing to finally tell someone, so begin by taking a baby step. Tell someone – even if it’s just one person – you can trust. If not a friend or family member, talk to a therapist or a pastor. It’s the beginning of freedom.

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, GIVE US HELP AT OUR HELPLESS STATE AND MAKE US AN OVERCOMER IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming Temptation

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING TEMPTATION

My topic today is "Overcoming Temptation." We are drawing upon the experience of Jesus, our supreme example. The story is told in Matthew 4:1-11. Parallel passages are Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13.

This is the story of the encounter of Jesus with Satan. Satan attempted to get Jesus to put his own needs and potential concerns above the will of His Father. He wanted Jesus to act independently of the Father. He wanted Jesus to sacrifice His secure future for the present. Jesus met Satan's challenge by trusting His Father to do all things in His time, in His way, and with His result!

Very often, we are concerned supremely about the present. We are tempted to sacrifice our principles for a short-term gain. Satan powerfully lures us into this trap. Instead of giving in, we can follow the example of Jesus in overcoming temptation through trust in God.

Remember that Jesus had just been baptized in water. He was a young man and was ready to embark on His public ministry. Satan sought to destroy His ministry. Satan often tempts people when they are beginning to do something for God. He tries to derail God's servants before they can accomplish His purpose.

Satan relentlessly tempts us throughout our lives. He will seek to tempt us at any time, under different circumstances, and in a variety of ways. Our text, therefore, is very helpful to us in all of our lives. Matthew 4:1-11

We are not greater than our Master. As the Spirit leads us, we too will be tested. He will test us so sorely, that at times we will wonder if we have correctly discerned the will of God. It will help us to see what Jesus said and did under these circumstances.

Satan tempted Jesus in three specific ways: (1) to turn stones into bread, (2) to cast himself off the temple, and (3) to worship him. We are often tempted in similar ways.

LET US PRAY
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, HELP US TO PASS YOUR TEST AND MAKE US AN OVERCOMER IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming fear

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING FEAR

All of us want to be strong. We want to be in control. We want to show others that we can make it in this world. Unfortunately, we all have fears too. They may be a result of bad experiences or they may just “pop up” one day and catch us off guard.
Fears come in all shapes and sizes. It might be a fear of heights or of an animal or bug, but whatever your fears may be, they can stop you in your tracks.

Living in Fear

When fears attack, you often feel quite alone. No one could possibly understand how powerful the fears yoy face can be. It doesn’t make sense, but it is so real to you. You can become embarrassed by your fears and that can lead to even more fear in your life, like a fear of rejection.

Fear is a powerful enemy, so we need a powerful ally to overcome them. The good news is that there is someone who can help you overcome your fear. His name is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. He came into the world to free us from the things that hurt us. He came to deliver those who are held captive, even when the prison is made of fears.

Finding Freedom from Fear

Jesus understands our fears. He provided a solution, His friendship. When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, He agrees to guide us through life. He offers us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit and, He helps us to overcome fear by allowing us to experience His perfect love.

“He helps us to overcome fear...”
Have you found that you feel alone when you are fearful? Jesus promises never to leave you or forsake you. 1 John 4:18 says: “No fear exists where his love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn't have perfect love.”

Defeating Our Fears

Because Jesus loves us, we can defeat the fears in our lives We can overcome the feelings of “No one will understand” with a sense of His love. Jesus promises that He will stick closer to us than a brother.
Your fears are very real to you but they do not need to control your life. You can take back that control by allowing Jesus Christ to help you.

It begins with a simple prayer like this:

LET US PRAY

“Dear Jesus, Please forgive me for the wrong things I have done. I ask You to change me and make me whole. I need Your help to overcome fear’s hold on my life. Let Your perfect love cast out my fears! I choose to live for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

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Praise the lord

Overcoming the enemy

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING THE ENEMY

1. Put on the spiritual armor that God provides …

Ephesians 6:10-18 –

There is mighty power in the Lord and He lets us use it. The devil is always scheming against us so we should put on this armor for protection against the enemy’s attacks, because he will attack. These pieces of armor are for spiritual warfare because our battle is not against one another, but against the forces of evil. With this armor that God has provided with, we can make a stand, a firm stand, against Satan and his demons. Paul mentions six pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would likely have and gives them each a spiritual significance.

THE BELT OF TRUTH …
This would hold the soldiers tunic in place and allow him to move more freely. In other words, “the Truth will set you free.”

THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS …
This protects the vital organs. Satan will tell you that you’re no good and you haven’t changed, but this breastplate of righteousness, of Jesus’ righteousness, will protect you.

THE SANDALS OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE …
These give the soldier good traction. By knowing the Gospel, we can better stay on course and not let the enemy derail us.

THE SHIELD OF FAITH …
Roman soldiers carried big, wooden sheilds with a leather front. When they attacked a city, the enemy would fire flaming arrows at them. The Roman soldiers would dip their shields in water and soak the leather. Then they would use the shields as a covering and the shields would extinguish the arrows as they hit.
Faith is your shield against Satan’s fiery arrows.

THE HELMET OF SALVATION …
The soldiers wore a helmet lined with sponge or felt to protect them. Satan will try to make you doubt your salvation, but the helmet of salvation will protect you so you will always know that you are saved.

THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT …
The only offensive weapon we get to carry is the Bible, the Word of God. When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted the Bible, and so it is our weapon.

Then Paul adds that prayer defeats the enemy.
This armor can be summed up in its essence as an awareness and understanding of salvation and the Word of God.

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD OF HOST, CLOTH US WITH YOUR ARMOUR AND GIVE US VICTORY OVER ALL OUR ENEMY'S IN JESUS NAME.

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Overcoming giants

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: OVERCOMING GIANTS

Arise and let your enemies be scattered.

Gideon was full of the Holy Spirit, as was David. If we are to fight the enemy and defeat him in the field of battle, we too must be full of the Holy Spirit.
Religious men will tell you that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit when we are saved and that is true, but we must be filled again and again.

This filling flows from the very presence of God. We must take advantage of the throne room of God. With a price that can never be estimated, God the Father, through Jesus His Son, made the way to the Holy of Holy’s accessible to all who call upon His name and are washed in the Blood of the Lamb.
David says “Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me, restore unto me, the joy of my salvation and renew a right spirit within me.”

Arise and Let Your Enemies be Scattered

Judges:6:33 “Then all the Midianites and Amakelites, the people of the East , gathered together: and they crossed over and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. 34. But ,The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon.”

Judges 7:6 “And the number of those who lapped; putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men.”

What enemies do you face today? Is your soul vexed?
Do you believe that the crisis you face is too great for you?

Time and time again the Lord has used that which seems insignificant, to carry out His will. David, a small boy, faces the bear, the lion and finally Goliath.
How is it that David can beat insurmountable odds? How is it that Gideon, with that small number of men, can take on, rout, and destroy 120,000 men?
It's the presence of God in their life and the work of Holy Spirit, if you too believe you and me can do more.

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, DON'T LET US DEPART FROM YOUR PRESENCE AND LET YOUR HOLY SPIRIT GUIDE US IN JESUS NAME AMEN.

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HOW TO OVERCOME THE ENEMY

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: HOW TO OVERCOME THE ENEMY

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. ~Exodus 14:14

Why going through the difficulties? and where is God through all of it ? Unfortunately, following Christ each day, living a Godly life does NOT mean you are immune from the trials and tribulations of life. You have to understand that there is a very real enemy named satan, who is actively trying to disrupt the work of God. In addition, Jesus told us what satan’s goal is concerning YOU in John 10:10, to KILL STEAL, AND DESTROY.

At times It may seemed the more you prayed, the more you were tested. The enemy came at you every way possible. The more he pressed, the more you too must pressed back. Let’s just say… he got tired of pressing.

What would you do if someone began to push against you, attempting to throw you off a position that is rightfully yours? How would you respond? Most people would lean into the weight and push back. That’s a posture of resistance. And as believers, we must know when it’s time to lean with all our might against evil. But how?

Prayer is the believer’s great privilege and powerful weapon against Satan and his plans. The apostle Peter wrote, “Resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9). James echoed this teaching:

“Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8).

I know sometimes you want to crawl up in a corner and Pray to God that your problems just go away. But, that’s not exactly how it works! Problems are meant to be defeated, We should not be defeated by our problems. If God took away every problem that we encountered, every time we prayed, We would never know how it feels to overcome them. You can’t have a victory without winning the battle, just as you can’t have a testimony without passing God’s test.

Instead of praying for God to take your problems away, Pray for Him to give you strength to conquer them.
Today, get in the mindset: “I will not be defeated… I may have a big problem, but MY GOD is bigger! Ask God to protect you and fight your battles for you. I assure you, the Battle is already won because God never loses a battle!

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, GIVE US VICTORY OVER SATAN AND HIS AGENTS AND TEACH US TO FIGHT IN YOUR WAY IN JESUS NAME AMEN.

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Be thankful

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: BE THANKSFUL

Maybe you're having a really hard time right now. Or possibly you're just feeling kind of blah about life. Either way, you might be thinking, What do I have to be grateful for?

Here are three point about God's Word and good reasons to say, "Thank you, God!"

ALWAYS GIVE THANKS ?

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

When bad things happen to me, my first reaction is not to be joyful. I don't feel like giving thanks when I'm hurt by a good friend, or when I get a bad news. I feel like saying, "If God really loved me, this wouldn't be happening!"

But then I look at all the ways God has blessed me. God gives me great, amazing gifts all the time, and I hardly ever remember to say, "Thank you." If I paid more attention to praising God and less attention to my problems, I'd be a lot more joyful person.

WHAT ABOUT YOU ?

1) Think back to a time when something bad happened. What were your prayers like then?

2) Start a list of the ways God has been good to you. Whenever you think of another reason to be thankful, add it to the list.

3) Offer God a prayer of pure thanksgiving, with no requests in it.

No Complaints
As he was going into a village, 10 men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourself to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. (Luke 17:12-16)

Friends, reading the story of the 10 lepers tells me that I need to always be thankful to God.

In the story, the only person who came back to thank Jesus was a Samaritan, a hated foreigner. He must have been nervous about talking to Jesus. He could have made excuses for not saying thank you. But he didn't.

You might be a foreigner where you are. And a servant who serve others out of your comfort zone, and you may not like it. But you should be thankful that you had a house and food to eat . And be thankful that God gave you the opportunity to serve other people which is an opportunity to tell them about Jesus.

WHAT ABOUT YOU ?

1) How do you feel when someone forgets to thank you for something nice you did?
How do you think your parents, grandparents, teachers or FRIENDS and pastors feel if you forget to thank them?
How might God feel when you forget to thank him?

2) Purchase a package of thank-you cards and write short notes of appreciation and gratitude to several people. Send those cards until they're all gone.

3) Ask God to help you become a more grateful person.

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, FORGIVE OUR UNGRATEFUL HEART AND HELP US TO THANK YOU ALWAYS IN JESUS NAME AMEN

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Sin

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: SIN (pt 2)

...Continue from yesterday

"Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear," says Isaiah 59:1-2. "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear."

We must resist the temptation to act as if we are righteous, especially by leaning on our good works.

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives" (1 John 1:8-10).

What Is Sin - A Call to Repentance
The good news in all of this is that, once we recognize ourselves as sinners, we need only to repent and embrace Jesus to be forgiven. Jesus can forgive us because he died and rose again three days later in victory over sin and death.

The Apostle Paul refers to this process of recognizing sin and being responsible for it as "godly sorrow."

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death," Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 7:10-11. "See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."

LET US PRAY
FATHER IN JESUS NAME, I CONFESS MY SINS BEFORE YOU AND I ASK THAT YOU WASH ME WITH YOUR BLOOD AND FORGIVE ME OF MY MANY SINS IN JESUS NAME.

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SIN

IOI CHRISTIAN MORNING MEAL

TOPIC: SIN

What Is Sin -

The Big Question
We live in a culture where the concept of sin has become entangled in legalistic arguments over right and wrong. When many of us consider "What is sin?" we think of violations of the Ten Commandments. Even then, we tend to think of murder and adultery as "major" sins compared with lying, cursing, or idolatry.

The truth is that sin, as defined in the original translations of the Bible, means "to miss the mark." The mark, in this case, is the standard of perfection established by God and evidenced by Jesus. Viewed in that light, it is clear that we are all sinners.

The Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

In light of this, it does no good to compare ourselves to others. We cannot escape our failure to be righteous in our own strength. This is by God's design, because only when we understand our weakness will we consider relying on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

What Is Sin - A Biblical Perspective
Sin is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible, starting with the "original" sin when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge. Often it seems as if sin is simply the violation of any of God's laws, including the Ten Commandments.

Paul, however, puts this in perspective in Romans 3:20, when he says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."

God wanted us to recognize our sins. Even those who have not murdered or committed adultery will find themselves convicted of lying, or of worshipping false idols like wealth or power ahead of God.

Tragically, sin in any amount will distance us from God.
... CONTINUE TOMORROW

LET US PRAY
DEAR LORD JESUS CHRIST, HELP US NOT TO GO AGAINST YOUR RULES AND HELP US TO STAY CONNECTED TO YOU ALWAYS IN JESUS NAME AMEN

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