Light In Darkness Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Believers are supposed to shine as lights in their part of the world, you may not shine as bright as someone else but you just have to shine anyway. Maybe you are supposed to shine brighter than you are. Maybe you’re as bright as you’re supposed to be. But you will shine as bright as God made you to right where He has placed you to be His light. Every city, every home, and every business, every place on this earth where there is a witness of a Christian believer has some light. It may be weak or it may be strong but there is light. You may not be using all of your potential because your battery is weak and needs to be recharged. A light can become weak and useless especially when it is not connected to the power source. A light is meant to be seen and give light; your light is to be visible so many can see it but more than just to admire how marvelous your light is. They need to see it, admire it and receive it. The light we display should be so awesome that people around us would seek it out to be their very own. Your light should draw them so they desire to walk in the light and reap the benefits of the light. Believers are to let their light shine in order to show forth good works. We are to let our light shine in order to glorify God, this is the ultimate reason we are to place our light before people. God is glorified when believers get out into the darkness where the lost are. The good works of believers are not to be done within sheltered walls with other lights but out in darkness where it will do the most good. Light is not seen unless it is placed in front of people, if there are no people, there are no eyes to see the light. You can’t be a closet light, other lights do not need light; it is the people in darkness who need light. The more light that is put out in the darkness, the more the darkness is eliminated. Are you shining your light in the dark for others to find their way? We who were once in darkness and are now the “light in the Lord” need to “live as children of light” bearing the “fruit of light”. Continuing in the fruitless deeds of darkness will cause our light to “be under a bowl”. Jesus wants us to let our light shine. The only way that’s going to happen is if we pattern our life after the light. Beloved, be the light God has made you to be in your world! Be relevant!! Shalom. 
Yemisi Onanuga.
Category: Pastor’s blog
Light In Darkness
Jehovah Jireh
Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” In view of life’s difficult circumstances many of us must wonder from time to time whether or not God really cares for us or not. All of us have had perplexing situations that we have had to deal with. All of us have had needs which we have earnestly prayed over. We ask God to meet our needs and the needs of others. We seek for God’s provision in our lives. And sometimes we ask ourselves why God isn’t responding to us the way we want Him to. He has the very hairs of our head numbered. He knows our frame; He remembers that we are just dust. We hear of His great concern for just a sparrow that falls to the ground. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Abraham had come to such a place in God that he trusted God to raise his son up from the dead again. He knew that God would provide somehow. It may not be the way we want Him to but He will provide. Just like God provided what Abraham needed, God will provide what you need. He will provide the right thing. He is still Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord our provider. He will meet our deepest need for His greatest glory. The God who made us will take care of us, we will not lack for our needs to be met. Sometimes we are not too clear about what our needs are, though we think we really need something when the fact of the matter is we just really ‘want’ something. The Bible says that God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our hearts, He knows our minds He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart He knows the real you and you can be confident that He knows the right thing that you need. You need to trust the all-wise God that He will bring to your life that which you need. What we need to see clearly is that God is working out His purpose in our lives. It is His plan for us that is important. He knows just what we need and just where we need it and just when we need it. He will never be late. I want you to know that God will provide for all your needs; He is the Jehovah Jireh the Lord our Provider. Brethren, welcome to September 2016, the month of divine provision. Shalom, Yemisi Onanuga.
Hope In The Lord
Hope In The Lord – Psalm 146:5 “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God,” This is month no 7 of the year widely refer to as the month of perfection, my prayer to all is that God will perfect all that concerns you in Jesus name. No wonder, God is asking us to hope in Him alone i.e. to lean on Him and trust Him as He makes all things perfect according to His Word. Our text for the month reads “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,” The man that seek help from God will forever be in joy. Hope is faith is action. Hope is what gets you through the night when darkness closes in on you. Hope is the belief that you are not permanently in the dark and boxed in with no way out. As you move on in the month especially knowing that the second part of the year has started and you are moving to the next stage of 2014, I encourage you to hope in the Lord. God has a plan for your life. His plan is to give you hope. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” ‘declares the Lord,’ “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” There is no doubt that our faith will be tested and we would go through trials yet we can overcome all of them regardless of our feelings for His truth is unshakable and certain. No matter how bleak or discouraging our circumstances may appear, there are always grounds for hope, because we are not alone. God is with us. And He is not merely present, but watchful and active. God is present in our lives, not merely as a passive observer, but as the active, sovereign ruler of the universe and the loving Lord of our lives. Our hope must be anchored in the promises of God, the promises concerning His goodness, wisdom, love and power. We must hold fast to these, even as the storms of life are raging if we’re to keep our grip on hope and keep the ship of our life on course. We must believe regardless of our circumstances that God is working out all things in our life for good and we do that by continually reminding ourselves of the promises of God. Our God is the God of hope, He always bring hope into our hopeless lives. Hope is one of the gifts God gives to every believer and He wants us to overflow in it. Pastor Yemisi Onanuga
Making A Commitment
Nehemiah 10:29 “These joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and His ordinances and His statutes.” Welcome to the year of Great Shepherd, my prayer is that the Great Shepherd will carry you and burdens in Jesus name. Therefore this first month of the year I want to encourage everyone to make a new commitment to walk with God as a sheep and Him as the Shepherd. The people of Jerusalem made a commitment to radically change how they were living; this was a radical commitment to serve God in a greater way than they ever had before this time. Prior to this, the prophets had come and warned the people, but the people had not listened. However, it seems that this time God had their attention and they seem to be serious about their commitment to God. This commitment took their focus off of themselves and placed it on their God. A commitment like this is needed for believers to fully focus on God and His plan for them and this type of commitment forces believers to focus more on how they live rather than what they say. Commitment is what we need today. It reflects the character of Christ and it is a virtue. It is a characteristic of God, who is always faithful and true. Commitment starts not with us, but with God. He has committed himself toward us, to call us and save us and build us up and give us an eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus. Commitment is the basis of our relationship with God. It is the basis of our faith in God. And it is the basis of any good relationships with people. Relationships break down when commitment is absent, when we start to find it difficult to trust. These people wanted to make sure that they will stay on course, and their children and children after them will do the same and so they made the oath to commit themselves to the service of God in unity. If we do not commit, we will find it easy not to do what is pleasing to God. When everything around you crumbles, commit on o the Lord and He will reflect His beauty on you. Make a commitment today to be on the Lord’s side no matter how rough the road may be and it will help you keep on the right track of God. How marvelous it is to be in the care of the One who provides for us so wonderfully. The shepherd does not take the sheep into barren places, but pastures that have sufficient supply. “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20. 
Pastor Yemisi
The Key to Answered Prayers
“Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love also in action and in truth. This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves strong in his presence. If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is the confidence that we have in him: if we ask for anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to our requests, we can be sure that we have what we ask him for.” – 1 John 3:18-22; 5:14-15 (ISV). Prayer is one of the greatest privileges we have as children of God. The Hymn Writer – Joseph Medicott Scriven – in his hymn titled ‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus’ penned these two lines: “Oh what peace we often forfeit; oh what needless pain we bear All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer” In other words, whenever we fail to make use of this great privilege, we stand to miss out of so many good things that God has prepared for those that truly love HIM. According to Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth, there are three things that are vital for every true believer – Faith, Hope and Love – and he said also that the most important is love and I am persuaded that Apostle John is also drawing from what Paul has said in his letter when he wrote this first Epistle to the entire church of God. Apostle John mentions the fact that love must go beyond words; love must be demonstrated by action; and in truth. This demonstration will give the believer a confidence that can only be described as supernatural. It is this confidence that fires the believer’s faith and gives the believer assurance that every issue brought before God, will receive the desired result. So Faith; Hope (or Expectation); and Love are all at work because love is the foundation. What the Beloved Apostle John is saying here is that when these three elements come together, we receive a key that will always unlock the heart of God to us at the place of prayer. When this happens, our prayers will be unselfish; they will change our character; and we will always pray for God’s will (“May your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” – Matt. 6:10). Welcome to the month of Answered Prayers.
An Open Door Before You
Revelation 3:8 “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.” The God we serve is a God who opens doors for us and when He opens a door no man can shut it, and so as He has lifted us He is promising us this month an open door to His plan and purpose for our lives which is better and greater than our thought. We may try to open doors in our own strength and fail because they are too strong for us. Sometimes we may succeed in opening a door in our own strength only to find that somebody has closed it again. When we face such situations we should allow the Lord to open these doors. His mighty strength and power will open doors so that no one can shut them again. He will go before us and break down every hindrance and break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. We should not struggle in vain in our own strength against these strong barriers, but instead allow the Lord to open the doors for us. The doors that the Lord opens for us cannot be used by our enemies. The way of escape for us will become a way of destruction for our enemies in Jesus name. When God opens a door for us we do not have to fear whether anybody will close the door that God has opened for us unless you do. Sometimes we live in fear of men and of the devil even after the Lord has opened a door for us, we live in constant fear and worry whether the door will be closed again by anyone and we begin to suspect everyone that they might do something harmful to us. God wants us to live in assurance and confidence that the door He has opened for us cannot be closed by anyone. Remember, He has not given us the spirit to fear but the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. On the other hand when the Lord opens a way for us, we should not try to close it. Sometimes the Lord may lead us in a difficult path; at such times we should not try to escape from it. When Jesus faced the cross, He did not run away from it. Jesus was willing to drink the cup which His Father had given Him. He did not call the cross as a cup given by the devil or His enemies, He called it a cup which His Father had given him. He was willing to follow the path in which His Father was leading him. Even in our own lives we should not try to escape from the path of suffering when the Lord leads us through it. We should not close a door that the Lord has opened for us. Through disobedience to His will and commandments, we can close the door but my prayer for everyone is that the Lord will grant us the grace to walk in His path holding on to Him at every step of life in Jesus mighty name. Extracts from: Dr. Stanley Vasu’s sermon.
All Thanks Be To God – Psalm 107:1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Wow, last month of the year already!!! I believe I should be more than grateful to God for His mercy and loving kindness towards me all through this glorious year. Have you enjoyed His overflowing mercy this year as promised? Look inwards and see what He has actually done for you. I have seen His goodness in my life and I can say without any iota of doubt that God has been so good to me (good health, promotion, favour, needs met, etc). I cannot sincerely count them all. It is true that in today’s society, some of us may think we don’t have much to be thankful for. From loss of jobs, homes, cars and possessions, what’s left? Is it the never ending war and the bad economy, why should we still be thankful to God? 1 Thess. 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This means, no matter what we may go through, good or bad, God will always make a way for us. Even at our darkest time or hour, God will always turn a negative into a positive, if we only believe and trust in Him. In this life there will always be things to complain about. But God gave us a choice. Do we choose to be positive or negative? Is the glass half empty or full? No matter how grim our situations may be, there will always be something to be thankful for. Did we live to see another day? Do we have our health and strength? Are our families ok? Do we have clothes, food and shelter? If we only believe and trust in God, He will give us our needs and not necessarily our wants. Rom. 8:28-30 says, “For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good.” As we come to the end of the year, I believe gratitude should be our offering to God, the One who has made all things work together for good in your life. The Psalmist says in Psalm 107:1-2 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy”. Even when we receive something that doesn’t seem good, we can be grateful because we know there is more to it than we can see. What seems like an imperfect gift may be the means by which God perfects us. This month let us choose to be grateful to Him for a thankful life is a fruitful life. Congratulations and rejoice that you are alive and well. Let the peace of God rest on you always in Jesus name. Merry Christmas. Yemisi Onanuga.
Vessels Of Honour
2 Timothy 2:21 “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” We thank God for His goodness over us for the last four months and praise to Him for another opportunity to witness a new month. The fifth month of the year, a month of grace as the Bible Scholars refers number 5 as number of grace. I pray that His grace will draw us closer to Him as He requires us to be vessels of honour in His hands and His House. Verse 20 says “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour.” In the house of a wealthy man there were different types of vessels. Some were made of gold and silver. Some were made of wood and clay. Those that were made of gold and silver were used for special tasks while the cheap ones were for everyday use. We all have various vessels at home and there are some we love to display as well as bring out for use when we have VIPs visiting our homes, these are the ones we cherish as vessels of honour. Vessels of honour refer to men and women God has chosen to honour to bring glory to His Name. The people God chooses are vessels that have been appointed to carry and reveal the ways and wisdom of God; to manifest His power and glory in their time. Honour is something everybody seeks. Honour by men is for a fee; anybody can get it. You cannot talk about honour from men because a lot of times it is born of ignorance. In John 5:41-44, Jesus said to the Jews: “I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” If you want to be a vessel of honour in the Hands of God, you want God to use you, your time will no longer be your own, you will no longer be able to sit down and enjoy comfort as you used to enjoy because God will have to display you and use you as He wills. It is important to know that anybody who desires can become a vessel of honour in his or her time and that vessels of honour are people who are consecrated, sanctified and determined to please God in their lives. Being a vessel of honour makes individuals to consecrate their lives unto God, you can be a vessel of honour if you decide from today to surrender your life to Jesus, walk in His way and obey Him. Repent of your sins, ask God to forgive you of all your sins, and tell Him you desire to be a vessel of honour so that His Name will be glorified. The power of the Holy Spirit will come upon your life and begin a new walk in you.
Garments of Salvation
Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” A new outfit can make you feel good about yourself, for a time, but then shortly thereafter, those same old feelings of inadequacy come bubbling up again. We are right to think that we need some sort of clothing to fix our broken image. But we are wrong to think that we can find that clothing in any store. For no matter what the fabric, or cut, or style no store-bought clothing will cover what truly needs to be covered. We need something better; we need something that will address the broken image we feel so deeply in our souls. The One who created us has given us the garments of salvation. He gives us the robe of righteousness. He covers and forgives the sin of our souls and makes us acceptable to Him. When Adam and Eve sinned and became aware of their nakedness before God, God dressed them with “coats of skin” (Gen. 3:21). Unlike animals, man does not have fur, scales or feathers for covering when he is born. He has to wear garments to protect and keep his body warm. When the repentant prodigal son came home to his father, he was made to wear the “best robe” by his father. That robe restored him to a place of honor and dignity as a son. This best robe of righteousness speaks of our being clothed with Christ’s righteousness as sons of God. This wonderfully redemptive garment was woven together by the life and death of His Son. By the perfect life He lived He fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law for us. By His death He made a full atonement for our sins. And we were clothed with Him in our baptism. God stands ready to clothe us with the garments of salvation. He stands ready to cover us with the robe of righteousness. The garment of salvation is the good news that God does not count your sins against you; that He forgives you completely for the sake of His Son. And when you put this new clothing on, it truly can change the way you feel about yourself. It never goes out of style because it is the only piece of clothing that can truly cover and make up for those deep seated inadequacies that we all have. Our broken image is healed through faith in Christ Jesus and it can and does affect the way we live and respond to others. My friend, when God looks at your spiritual apparel today, what kind of a robe will He find you wearing? You too can wear the best robe of righteousness today if, by faith and repentance, you come to Jesus and ask Him to be your Lord and Saviour. Peace of God is upon you in Jesus name. 
Yemisi Onanuga.
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.