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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

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.

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

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?

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.

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.