HAPPY NEW MONTH OF NEWNESS
Greetings in Jesus Name.
Congratulations for experiencing today. You have spent the first five months of the Year 2022 on earth.
Thank God for this gift of life! Things may have gone well, very well or not well. Thank Him first because ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God’ (Luke 18:27 KJV).
Challenges have become inevitable in human life since Adam and Eve fell through that disobedient bite (Genesis 3). Thank God because He did not leave mankind in that fallen state for ever. Praise Him for His Omniscience (All-knowing). He is well aware of the limitations of every creature and He has made ‘a way to escape’ (1 Corinthians 10:13) for us. The Way of escape for every human being from eternal damnation is Jesus Christ.
The protocol of escape demands that every individual receives Him as his or her Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9-10). Respecting and following this simple protocol will guarantee your salvation in this life and in the life to come. You will not be spending your eternity in the ‘lake of fire’ (Revelation 20:15). You will receive all the benefits that accompany salvation now. Salvation is a gift from God. It is free! There is no hidden agenda. If you have not been saved or have any doubt about it, click and pray to God.
Everyone who has been saved, ought to celebrate his newness again. Do so in prayer now.
PRAYER TIME
Thank God, because
17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP).
In the days of Prophet Samuel, the ‘elect’, and the ‘called’ Israel (Isaiah 45:4) sinned. She was committing ‘spiritual whoredom’ by worshipping idols. God said repeatedly ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3 KJV). God had warned Israel that ‘………… if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish’ (Deuteronomy 8:19 KJV).
God, Who ‘does not play favourite’ (Acts 10:34 CJB) used the Philistines as instruments of judgement to Israel. The Philistines kidnapped the Ark of God, but they paid a heavy price for it. Epidemic of ‘tumours’ (1 Samuel 5:6) was one of the mortal consequences. They returned the Ark. However,
2 …………. the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord (1 Samuel 7:2-3 NKJV).
Read 1 Samuel 5-7 for a full account of this story which revealed Divine discipline and the great mercy of God for His creation.
Note this
3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. (1 Samuel 7: 3 NKJV).
How can you describe your life today? Are you walking with God? Is your life in harmony with His will? Is there any separation between the Bible and you? What do you think of this time in history, when it can be said that ‘every man’ is doing what is ‘right in his own eyes’? See Judges 21:25.
In case you are a Christian but you have backslidden, go on your knees and repent. You need personal revival, BUT you must repent first.
The Philistine nation is extinct but there is no shortage of Philistine-like entities which sinfulness cannot attract in human beings. The modern man is not an exception, regardless of his philosophy. Philistines may be certain sicknesses and calamities. Philistines may be complex problems which refuse to go away, after all natural remedies have been applied.
While not every misery is caused by Philistines, it is important to make sure that no sin has attracted these enemies in your life. It is very important to remain very clean spiritually before God always. Spiritual realm is very transparent to angels and also demons. For this reason and some other reasons, live right.
In case you are not sure of your spiritual condition, pray now.
PRAYER TIME
Go to God with these Scriptures:
18Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger forever, because He delights in mercy and loving-kindness.
19He will again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19 AMPC).
9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action] (1 John 1:9 AMPC).
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 KJV).
Now confess your sins to the Lord.
-sins of all those things you did and you knew they were not supposed to have been done.
-sins of all those things you did not do, but you knew they should have been done.
Take time pray! Don’t rush.
‘Pray for a Personal revival’
Pray for your:
hunger for the Word of God.
interest and consistency in studying and reading the Word of God.
hunger for the knowledge of the Godhead.
hunger for the knowledge of who you are in-Christ Jesus.
thirst for God’s Presence’.
Excerpt from:
DETHRONE COVID-19 & ENTHRONE JESUS! VOLUME 1
Start afresh. You have a new slate. Your transgression has been wiped out by the Blood of Jesus. Thank God for this God-given newness.
Put away all those sinful acts permanently. They are too costly.
Israel had repented with words and demonstrated it by putting away the despicable ‘Baals and the Ashtoreths’ idols and ‘served the Lord only’ (1 Samuel 7:4). Israel was now in a better position to overcome their relentless enemies.
Note that because of your repentance and the putting away of all sinful acts, you are back in your place, in your seat of authority and victories in Christ.
Your intercessions and supplications will be more powerful now. See the results of spiritual housecleaning in 1 Samuel 7:9-11 below:
9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car (NKJV).
So, thankful Samuel did something else.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12 NKJV).
You have just won a major spiritual victory. It ought to be marked. Where is your stone (or equivalent) to remind you in days ahead, of this victory?
Therefore, thankfully take a stone, Set it between your own Mizpeh & Shen
And thank God of your Ebenezer. He said ‘Behold, I make all things new....’
(Revelation 21:5 KJV).
Thank God again for this God-given newness.
Congratulations.
You are welcome to leave comments. Send us your prayer request.
Dr Cornelius Idowu
Copyright Worldwide School of Christian Empowerment