Tag: Jesus Christ

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.

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.

The Wonders of Divine Strength – Isa. 41:10 Strength can be defined as “Support; or that which supports; that which supplies strength; security”; it can also mean “Firmness; solidity or toughness.” Strengthen on the other hand, means: “To make strong or stronger; to add strength to (as to strengthen weary hands or feeble knees); to confirm; to establish; to encourage; to cause to increase in power or security”. Taking a look at these definitions, it is no wonder that the Lord has said HE will strengthen us this month. Do you feel like you have run out of steam? Worry not; the Lord says ‘do not be dismayed’ because I will supply strength to you in order to increase your momentum; again HE says ‘fear not’ because this month, HE Himself will be your security to the extent that no weapon fashioned against you will ever prosper. Now, it does not matter what your situation looks like at the moment; it does not matter how much you think you have fallen; it does not matter what your bank balance is saying; it does not matter how many disappointments you have encountered; it does not matter that it seems you have reached the end of the road and there seems to be no way out in front of you; it does not matter that you are down and there seems to be no one around to pick you up. The word of the LORD to you this season is: “be not dismayed, for I am your God …I will help you.” This season, God Almighty is set to make you stronger than ever before; HE is set to encourage through HIS word; HE is set to cause you to increase in power; HE has made up HIS mind to confirm and establish all that HE has said concerning you. In fact God wants to set your feet on solid ground this season. It is HIS one desire this season to set a hedge round about you that no fiery darts of the devil can even penetrate. Notice how God Almighty wants to bring this to pass in your life: “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This season you cannot afford to let go of the righteous right hand of God Almighty; hold on and see the salvation of the LORD in every area of your life in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Welcome to October 2013: the month that you will experience the wonders of divine strength. God bless you. Pastor Edmund Abekhe

Divine Help – Isaiah 40:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Fear is probably the biggest giant that people face in their lives. Fear produces worry and worry brings defeat most of the time. Some of the fears that people struggle with are physical fears, financial fears and family fears. When we fear we are hindering God doing what our test says He will do. It says that He will strengthen us, He will help us. And He will uphold us with the right hand of His righteousness. I believe these are some of the most wonderful promises God has ever made to us. If God did not mean what He said He would not have had Peter write in First Peter 5:7; “Cast all your cares upon Him for He careth for you.” The word cares in this verse means all of our fears, worries, concerns, etc. Everything that bothers us He said to cast on Him. This is the month of divine help, our father in the Lord once said number 11 is ‘double grace plus 1 i.e. extra which means no matter what help is coming our way because God has visited us with His salvation and surely He must release His blessing on us. Fear has become so natural that we don’t know how to live without it, what are you afraid of? Fear not, the Lord is with you and help is coming your way. Webster says Fear is “a felling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger, evil, pain, etc.” Isa.49:15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” God keeps perfect records of our needs, wants and desires therefore fear not. He knows the number of hairs on our head, He even knows the number of tears we’ve ever shed and has collected them and saved them. He never forgets, even when we forget sometimes, He never does. He loves to help His children and His timing is always impeccable. Whatever need may arise in our life; we can count on the Lord God to be faithful to help us, in our time of need. If we just call on Him and ask for His help, all we need to do, is have faith and believe and let go and let God do it again. He tells us what not to do; don’t fear or be dismayed because He is with us and He is our God. And then He tells us three things He will do; He will strengthen, help, and uphold us. Rejoice my dear brothers and sisters, help is on the way. Hallelujah!!! Yemisi Onanuga.

Luke 19:13 “…Occupy Till I Come” You may think of the word occupy in several different ways. If someone told you to occupy their house, that would mean a slightly different thing from what it would mean if some good friend of yours had a large business operation or a large estate somewhere and they turned it over to you and said, “Occupy till I come.” In the case of just a house, about all it would mean for you to occupy till he came again would be just to stay there in his house or to live in his house and take reasonable care of it. But in the case of the large estate or in the case of a large business operation that some special friend turned over to you to operate or to take care of and said, “Occupy till I come,” it would mean a lot more than just sitting there taking care of the business and seeing that no one carried it off. It would mean a lot more than just staying there. Well, that’s what we need to recognize about this business of “occupy till I come,” in the work of the Lord. It means a more than just sit here and be faithful to His Word until He comes. It means, go out and reproduce, go out and grow, go out and do something about it. Jesus has entrusted us with much as His servants. We know salvation and freedom from sin; we know the power of His word to change lives. We know the truth of the Gospel and the eternal hope that if brings. We possess all these valuable things and more yet what are we doing with them? Have we taken the time to invest ourselves in Gods Kingdom? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Are we busy building for the Kingdom on earth or are we like the third servant burying what little we have in the hope that it is enough. We are to be busy with the things of God. We are to build on our numbers as Christians and grow the kingdom. I know it might be a very difficult task these days because many are turning away from the truth of the Gospel. Will you have kept busy winning souls and living for Him or will you grow tired and weary and just hold to the little you have? Press on; keep up the fight for winning souls at home, at work and on vacation building His kingdom on earth until He return to reign over it. We all have our God given place and so where ever we find ourselves, be it as a business man, pastor, teacher, student, homemaker, etc, let us occupy till He comes. Every day, let us make our prime purpose in living to glorify Christ and to witness to others about Jesus. Pastor Yemisi Onanuga

Esther 4:14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Why are you positioned where you are? Why do you work where you work? Why do you live where you live? Why do you go to school where you go to school? Why do you go to church where you go to church? God created you for a divine appointment, a unique role to fulfill in your life just like Esther. There is something you can do for God that no one else can do a God-given niche only you can fill. God has placed you where you are, not just to enjoy the benefits of life but to build His kingdom, to help His people, to fulfill His purposes. Since God made us, then, our goal should be to understand, and become, what He has made us to be. Our objective should be to discover, and to live out His purposes for us as His creatures. Only then will we find real fulfillment. It may surprise you to know that God had in mind a plan and a purpose for you long before you ever arrived on this planet. In fact, even before the world was created, He knew what He wanted to accomplish in and through your life. Whether or not you were aware of it; whether or not you even cared; God had a plan for you from the very beginning. In order for us to fulfill our divine appointment in such a time as this, we must be willing to let go of the selfishness. We’ve got to let go of our need to be in control. We’ve got to let go of our telling God when it is convenient in our schedules to serve Him. We’ve got to sacrifice our time, our talent, and our treasure. God is looking for a sacrificial heart. God knows everything about you and sees you as His masterpiece, and will never give up on creating you to be everything He created you to be. So, give permission to God to take control of your life. Until you discover your purpose your existence will have no meaning because purpose is the source of fulfillment and life without purpose is life without meaning. What are you here for at this moment and why should be at this location at a time like this? Find it out and ask for grace to fulfill the purpose. Yemisi Onanuga.

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.

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.

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

This month is the 6th month of the year and the number 6 symbolises ‘Man and human weakness’, but our God gives strength to the weak and so this month I want to encourage us with the story of the two men who stood out of the crowd to proclaim God’s ability to help them conquer their fear and mountains. Numbers 13:30 “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 14:6-8 “ But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’” Just because you’re in the majority, doesn’t make you right. The society talks about the majority votes but it is obvious with these men that minority with God is a winner any day. “The majority rules” may work in politics, but often in life it is those in the minority, people like Joshua and Caleb, who are in the right because they rely on the strength and promise of God. Faith gives us the courage to stand up for what is right, to chart a different course, to make the lives of others better, to change the world. But you don’t do that by going along to get along. You don’t change the world by doing what everyone else has done. You don’t make the lives of others better by simply preserving the status quo. As Christians, we must dare to take a stand for God and do the right thing without fear, though it might not be that easy to make the stand, know that not everyone will support you. Some might even try to discourage you from following the dream that God gives to you. I want to encourage you that when happens, just remember Caleb and Joshua. They believed God had something for them to do. They believed that they could stand out from the crowd. And so for the next 40 years, until that unbelieving generation died, the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness. Joshua and Caleb, the two original spies who believed God, finally led the people of Israel into the Promised Land and took it for their own. You too can if you will cast away your fear, stand out for God and let Him be Lord over every situation and decision of life. This month, may God bless you and guide you and be your strength to conquer every mountain standing before you. ‘Fear Not’.