Exodus 19:5 “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey. Obedience is something we don’t hear much about, we preach so much on salvation by grace through faith and we tell people that salvation is a gift of God, that sometimes if we talk about obedience people think we’re legalist but I would have to agree with Martin Luther who said we’re not saved by faith and works, but we are saved by a faith that works and James said that faith without works is dead. Obedience is not optional for believers; Jesus Christ simply states the fact: “If you love me you will keep my commandments. Jesus is not giving here an optional obedience. He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will obey His commandments. Have you ever made a decision to obey God as a way of life? I’m not talking about obeying once in a while but in every area to the best of your knowledge and ability. Or do you find that there are times when you struggle to do what you know are right and in keeping with His principles? There may be times when it is easy to discern between what is right and in keeping with God’s will and what is wrong and not a part of His plan. In fact, you may actually obey Him at crucial junctures because you want His best. We should obey Him regardless of what we think or how we feel. It is a matter of choice, but one that many Christians do not yet understand or submit to. Far too often, people evaluate their circumstances according to what they perceive will profit them: How will this help me get ahead? or Will this move be beneficial to my future? We say we believe God is all-wise and knows what is best for us, but often we end up looking for advice from people around us and not from the only One who knows everything we need to know. We need to consider only one issue: Is this God’s will for my life? Being obedient does not mean that we will never face difficult decisions. It means that when we do, we will resolve that He has gone before us; and because we have committed our lives to Him, the way we travel will be straight, sure and manageable. Disobedience can be as simple as not trusting Him to take care of your immediate need at home, in your community or on your job. There are many facets surrounding obedience but only one way to accomplish it and that is through surrender to the One who loves you and has a plan for your life and circumstances. Our obedience to God allows Him to demonstrate His awesome power in our lives. Our obedience also allows God to bless others through us. Pastor Yemisi Onanuga
Category: Pastor’s blog
Purpose
Proverbs 19:21 “Many plans are in a man’s mind, but it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out). – Amplified Version. Thomas Carlyle wrote, “A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder – a waif, a nothing, a no man.” Everything in life begins and ends with purpose. Everyone on this planet was born with and for a purpose. Without purpose, life is an experiment or a chaotic journey that results in frustration, disappointment and failure. Without purpose, life is subjective, or it is a trial and error game that is ruled by environmental influences and the circumstances of the moment. Likewise, in the absence of purpose, time has no meaning, energy has no reason and life has no precision. Therefore, it is essential that we understand and discover our purpose in life so that we can experience an effective, full and rewarding life. The Master Manufacturer of all created things has made all His creations for a definite purpose and has established that purpose as the ultimate definition of success. God says your plans for life, your ideas, your dreams, desired career, and your business should come after discovering His purpose for your life. God is therefore only concerned with His purpose and not your mere plans. Until purpose is discovered, existence has no meaning, for purpose is the source of fulfilment. Your purpose is different to the purpose of anybody else on the face of this globe, before you were created, God had the end in mind, He knew your purpose. God did not start with your creation, He started with a purpose and He designed you uniquely and specifically for that purpose. Your existence is evidence that this world needs something that only your life can offer. In other words, your purpose is the uniqueness and the value that you bring to this world. When you embrace your God given purpose, you unleash your God given potential and turn God’s purpose into your passion. Miles Munroe says that the greater tragedy is not death, but life without purpose. The greater tragedy is not the unfortunate and untimely death, as terrible as that is, of a loved one in an accident. It is the millions upon millions who die every year having squandered their potential and their purpose by doing something else. Life is not simply lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by day, in all the thousands of ways in which men and woman live their lives without purpose. There is nothing more satisfying than to know what you are meant to be doing, and to commit yourself to do that faithfully. Fulfilling your purpose is not so much about what you do as it is about how you do it. You do not need to do great things to fulfill your purpose but do little things in a faithful way. Your gifts and talents were given you by God to help you accomplish your purpose. Beloved, you cannot walk in the richness and righteousness of your purpose while you are tied to the pain and failures of your past. So my dear friends let go your past in fulfilling your God’s given purpose. Pastor Yemisi Onanuga
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Arise and Shine
“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” The Lord wants us to ‘arise and shine’ in this month of August in the year of overflow. God is never pleased when His children are stagnant and are not making progress. His will for everyone that believes in Him is to rise and make progress in every facet of their lives. Is there any dead situation in your life? God has a plan to raise you up from you up from the state of spiritual death, and anything that is dead in your body or your life can be raised back to life by the power of His Spirit. I prophesy after the order of Ezekiel that the power of the Holy Ghost come upon you and raise up to life whatsoever is dead in your body in Jesus name. Is there anyone in a confused situation? God is telling you today to arise from the state of your confusion and receive divine leading and direction in Jesus name. It is the devil that will want to keep you in confusion, because a confused soul is a captured soul, but God says to you ‘arise and shine’. Are you just among the numbers in the church? Whenever one is idle and doing nothing profitable to the Lord and His kingdom, he or she is living below the purpose of God for his or her life. There is something you can do for the Lord, stop sitting idle in the church, discover a need and make yourself available for it as you depend on the strength and power of the Holy Spirit. Are you fearful? Most people God called for any specific assignment in the Bible were usually fearful and reluctant in the first instance, but through the help of God and His encouragement, they were able to do great exploits for the Lord that they could not imagine they could do. God is saying to you to drop your fear and break up your reluctances so that you can rise up to do whatsoever He has called you to do. You are not going to do it by your wisdom or strength, but by those of His. The Church of today is in a sleeping situation, thus the Lord wants us to arise and shine forth His glory. We need heaven sent revival upon the church today so that we can rise to the task of the kingdom and be effective and victorious over the kingdom of darkness. Brethren, God is saying to us this month to arise from whatever situation to a greater height where we begin to shine, fulfill His purposes for our life and enjoy His blessings to the fullest.
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The Lifter Of My Head
Psalm 3:3 “But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” At a time of great despair, distress, discouragement and danger, David praised God with the words, “But You, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.” No matter the severity of the adversity you may be passing through, the Lord is available to be your shield and the elevator of your downcast emotions. Know that no one is immune from adversity, hardship or attack from our enemies. When we know that there will be opposition we can more effectively prepare for it in advance. Praise God that He is our lifter, our liberator and the one who buoys our mind, heart, and motivations. The head is naturally bowed down in time of trouble. For God to be “the lifter of your head” means that He will bring you out of that time of trouble, so that you are no longer bowing your head in misery and pain, because He has lifted your head! David wrote this Psalm when his son Absalom rebelled against him and turned the people of Israel against him. He had to flee Jerusalem with little more than the clothes on his back. He bowed his head in weeping and crying and grief. That is our natural stance when we are in dire straits: our heads are lowered and bowed. But when we get good news, and come out of a time of trouble, our heads are lifted up, and we begin to rejoice again. God is reminding some people today that you need to be looking to Him for your deliverance. Some are looking all around for who can help them with a specific situation they have. I am not saying that God is not going to use one or more people to help you, because God does use people but don’t look to people for your ultimate help, look to God. Maybe you are in a particular situation, and you have thought: “So-and-so is going to help me. They are going to get me out of this.” And you felt really good and confident about that but you have found out or you are about to find out that “so-and-so” is not going to be able to help you after all. Look to God, HE will be “the lifter of your head.” He will be your deliverer, He is the one who will help you in your situation and turn your sorrow into joy. God must be “the lifter of your head” not only for specific earthly trials, but for our ultimate salvation and that is by far the most important thing. Whatever earthly trial or difficulty we face, it will be relatively short-lived. The vital thing we need to know is that God is the deliverer of our soul. Welcome to the month of August, it is number 8 thus a new beginning and so the Lord will lift you into a brighter season in Jesus mighty name. Shalom.
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Possessing Your Possession
Obadiah 1:17 “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Looking at Obadiah’s prophecy through an eye of faith, you realize that this promise wasn’t just for the house of Jacob, but it’s for everyone who loves the Lord and is struggling through this world. The promise God gave to them is good for you and I today. Our way may be dark sometime, our load may be heavy, but there is a promise for the faithful, there will be deliverance, there will be holiness and there will be an inheritance. God’s promise of deliverance is actually an assurance of salvation for the faithful. The Psalmist offers this reassurance to the faithful in Psalm 91, “He that dwells in the secret place of the Most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty….” Not only does God promise deliverance, but He promises us holiness. The promise of holiness is really an assurance to the faithful that God will set us apart for a special purpose; the promise of holiness is really a promise of justification. I can’t be holy on my own, but holiness is available to me through His gracious justification, which is extended to me when I have accepted His salvation in Jesus and I am faithful to Him. God’s promise to the house of Jacob was that they would possess their possession i.e inheritance. An inheritance is simply that which someone has set aside for you to enjoy. And when you think about an inheritance from the Lord, you know that He has set aside some wonderful things for us. He has set aside companionship (Matthew 28:20), He has set aside authority for us (John 15:7). He has set aside protection for us (Isaiah 41:10), He has set aside provision for us (John 4:14), He has set aside power for us (Acts 1:8). But more than anything, the inheritance we should be looking for is what awaits us on the other side. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you will be also.” Beloved, when you know what God has promised, then you’re able to keep your faith in hard times, we can rest in that promise; we can plan for heaven but in order to plan for heaven, we must do something here and now; we must respond to the invitation. Scripture is very clear as to who will have access into heaven, Revelation 20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Is your name written in the book of life? As you prepare for Easter, remember Jesus’ resurrection has brought us salvation and the fulfillment of the promise; your own action is to accept His invitation; beloved there is no other way or mid-way. Shalom and Happy Easter. Yemisi Onanuga.
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Come Unto Me
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We thank God for giving us the privilege and opportunity to witness a new month, a month that He is reminding us about His great invitation to all. The Lifter of our heads opened the doors of greatness to us and now He is inviting us to come to Him so as to experience the benefits of His opening doors. This one Scripture alone could answer all the problems in the world. It would solve the failures in the life of every person who turns back from following God. Coming to the Lord will bring victory in any person’s life. This is the loving Saviour speaking to each of us present today; He beckons us to “Come” to Him. This great and wonderful invitation is issued first of all to those who are labouring and are heavy laden under the load of sin. When there is unrepentant, unconfessed sin in our lives, it will take a toll on us and weight us down. The invitation is to come and the promise is “I (Jesus Christ) will give you rest.” That is, that burden of sin that you are carrying in your life, “I will forgive you, I will cleanse you, I will lift it from you, I will cast it into the sea of forgetfulness, never to be remembered again.” “I will lift from you so that you can rest from that burden of sin in your life. “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Many times in the church, we complain because we do not want to do what we feel that God is calling us to do. May I remind you that when we become obedient to His yoke, His word to us, it is much lighter; it is much easier than the burden of sin It is an invitation for rest, freedom from all the cares of the world that surround a person who is trying to live for Christ. Accepting the invitation indicates a move toward the Lord. You are coming to where He is or where He wants you to be. There is no stipulation as to who can come, anyone may come; it is an open invitation to all, the wealthy, the poor, the famous, and the peasant. May I ask you what it is that weights you down today? Perhaps you have professed faith in Christ, but there are some things that have set you off course. It is time to take it off. For those who are still contemplating, may I encourage you not to delay in accepting this awesome invitation? Congratulations as we celebrate the last quarter of the year of new songs, I hope you have started singing new songs but if not, do not fret the Lord has not forgotten you and this is why He is beckoning on you this season. You shall testify and sing a new song before the year ends in Jesus mighty name. Shalom. Yemisi Onanuga.
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The Resurrection Power
1 Corinthians 15:17: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” The death and resurrection of Jesus are the greatest events in history and these events continue to be an imperative part of our daily life. But the resurrection is more than just an event that happened in history. It’s a source of power that you can experience in your own life every single day. RCCG Edinburgh Resurrection power is promised to every believer in Christ and we receive it by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the sake of our sins. The same resurrection power that brought Jesus from death to life is available to us and if you channel it, you will see amazing transformation in your own life too. Your hope of the resurrection isn’t just for the future when you physically die and go to heaven; it’s also for now, and every day of your life. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything and is the basis for the future, outside the resurrection of Christ, we have no future hope. The apostle Paul explains that if Christ has not been raised then we, out of all people, are to be “pitied,” for our hope in Christ fails to extend beyond present life (1 Corinthians 15:19). But since Christ has been raised, we are those who can look death in the face knowing that it has no final victory, no lasting sting (1 Corinthians 15:54-55). Because Christ is risen, we have the assurance that our efforts in sharing the gospel that He is risen is not pointless or without purpose, but will matter forever. Without the resurrection, we have no gospel, no salvation, no saving message and no future hope. When Jesus died, the disciples thought everything was lost, but Jesus gave a glorious outcome and showed His disciples that He conquers death by His own death. Just as the resurrection was impossible for anyone but God, the power behind the resurrection will take you into that realm where the impossible will become possible. You don’t have to live with guilt and shame because the resurrection’s power gives hope of forgiveness of your sins, and so ask God to give you the peace of knowing that you’re in a right relationship with Him. Beloved, it’s important that you recognize that if you’re deliberately sinning against God, you can’t be in a right relationship with Him, so deal with your sin so it doesn’t block the peace God wants you to experience. If you want to experience the peace Jesus offers, you must come to Him on His terms, being willing to live the way He leads you to live. Every day, ask God for forgiveness of your sins, so you can enjoy true peace. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God’s power will guard our lives every step, you can expect God to challenge your faith when you ask for His resurrection power in your life, but know that if you trust Him, you’ll experience a greater life than you can imagine. We have glorious hope in Christ through the power of His resurrection. We are offered a joyous message that He is not dead, He is risen. Happy Easter. Yemisi Onanuga.
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Leaning On Your Beloved
Song of Solomon 8:5a “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Do you trust in the Lord with all of your heart, or do you lean on people and your own understanding? Some of us trust in riches and material possessions or in friends and loved ones more than we do in the Lord. You must give your whole heart to the Lord in this troublesome hour of need; and when you are rooted and grounded in His love, you will give your whole heart. Note the phrase, “leaning on her Beloved.” The person in the text could not have leaned on Jesus as the Beloved; she could only find rest in Him as her Beloved; till you get a sense of His being yours, you do not dare to lean, but when you come to know that Christ is yours by an act of appropriating faith, then comes the after-result of faith in the consecrated repose which the soul feels in the power and love of Him on whom she relies. Some of us are leaning on other people. They may be Christians, they may be godly people, but they will let you down because they’re human, because nobody’s perfect. There is no guarantee that the person you lean on the most will even be around for any length of time. You need someone who cannot be taken away from you. You need to learn to lean on the Lord. A man does not lean on a staff which is not in his hand, or on a friend of whose presence he is not aware. The instincts which lead us to preserve our uprightness would not permit us to lean on a shadow, or on a nothing; so, let us choose joy today by not leaning on our own understanding but on the sure foundation of our loving Creator’s omniscience. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man; it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Wait only upon God, and let your expectations be from Him, and He shall bring forth your judgment as the light, and your righteousness as the noonday. And in the day when the wicked shall be confounded, and they who trusted in themselves shall be melted away as the fat of rams, you shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of your Father who is your Beloved. Pastor Yemisi Onanuga
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Rivers Of Living Water
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” It means that when you come to Jesus to drink, you don’t just get a single drink, but you get spring, a fountain, a well. Rivers of water will flow because a River-Maker is in you, you will never have to search again for a source of satisfaction for your soul. Every river that needs to flow for the joy of your soul will flow from Jesus. When you come to him, you get Him and He never leaves. In order to come and drink, you must believe in Jesus. In order to continue to drink you must continue to come in faith to Jesus. He is the source of the fountain that wells up inside of faithful believers. It is not from an earthly Jerusalem that the living waters flow but it is out of the dwelling place of Christ which is in the consecrated hearts of transformed lives. When a believer comes to Christ and drink he not only slakes his thirst but receives such an abundant supply that authentic rivers flow out of his inner being. The Dead Sea is so salty that it contains no fish or plant life. What accounts for this unusual condition? There are absolutely no outlets. A great volume of water pours into this depression from the Jordan, but nothing flows out. Inlets plus no outlets equals a dead sea. This law of nature may also be applied to the child of God, and it explains why many believers are unfruitful and lack spiritual vitality. It’s possible for some people to attend church, study the Scriptures, and continually take in the Word as it is preached from the pulpit and electronic media, and yet seem lifeless and unproductive in their Christian lives. Such individuals are like the Dead Sea. They have several “inlets” but no “outlets.” To be vibrant and useful believers, we must not only “take in” all we can, but we must also “give out” in service to others. Indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we possess the “water of life” and can be channels of blessing to those in need. From hearts of love, let us pour out to others what we have first received from God. If we do, we will never become Dead-Sea Christians. So we must keep on drinking from Christ, if He is going to meet the needs of others through us thus we must ever be opening the connection and drink from Christ by abiding in His Word otherwise we will quench no inner thirst, of ourselves or of others. Jesus did not promise a trickle or a stream or a flow, He promised a river and the Holy Spirit is like the mighty rushing river that produces life wherever it flows. May we experience the awesome life giving power of the Holy Spirit in our life and ministry in Jesus name?
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Double Grace
John 1:16-17 “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John said that we have received “grace upon grace” because John understood that it was by God’s grace not only that Christ came to save us but also that His grace keeps us from sins and preserve us to the end of life. God’s grace is unique, when God decided to extend His Grace; He made it free and exceedingly available to everyone. In the entitlement society that we live in, you would think that everyone would want to get in on something wonderful and free wouldn’t you? With Grace, the mindset though of most people says there has to be strings attached to it; everybody knows that there is no free lunch. While some may not realize or understand, God’s Grace sustains us and keeps us. It goes before us, it carries us, His grace is our sufficiency. Once we have it, we can depend on it to be there, it never leaves. God’s Grace never stops working. When we fall, God’s Grace picks us up, when we have lost our joy, Grace can restore us. Whatever we will ever encounter, Grace has already been and is already there waiting on us to arrive at, with the solution and provision for the need, before its ever encountered. Is it any wonder that Gods grace is called Amazing? When God sent His Son from heaven to save us, He also brought with Him a grace that was greater than any grace that God had ever shown before. But that does not mean that God had never before shown mankind any grace. The grace given in Christ was grace on top of grace, and this is the “grace upon grace” that John said we have received from God’s fullness. May God make us all partakers of that grace while it may be found? Beloved, grace doesn’t come through religion, or a beautiful building, or someone else’s relationship with the Lord because if it did, more people would be experiencing it to an overflowing level in their lives. It can only be found, through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is in the life changing business. He has a plan and a purpose for your life and wants to give you hope if you can surrender to Him today and let Him release His double grace upon you. Grace of God upon on you my brothers and sisters in Jesus mighty name. Yemisi Onanuga.
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