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.

Divine Help

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.

Supernatural Abundance

Supernatural Abundance – Jn. 10:10 The term ‘Supernatural’ is associated with anything that is beyond the powers or laws of nature; it goes against the ordinary or established laws of natural things. God Almighty is the ONLY ONE that can produce the supernatural. The term ‘Abundance’ on the other hand has to do with when something becomes more than enough; it is associated with fullness; ample sufficiency; overflowing quantity and more. However, looking at the text of the month, it is obvious that what God has prepared for you this season in more than just abundance in terms of quantity. I would like to suggest that the words of our Lord and Saviour – Jesus Christ – in this passage speaks of a phenomenon that is God breathe and born entirely of the Spirit of God Almighty. In this sense, it is way better than your regular abundance – better in quantity and superior in quality. This kind of abundance that has the signature of God Almighty is dependent entirely upon your relationship with HIM: “Indeed, if you diligently obey the LORD your God to carry out all his commands that I’m giving you today, then the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. Moreover, all these blessings will come upon you in abundance, if you obey the LORD your God” – Deut. 28:1-2. In other words, diligent obedience – a careful, intentional compliance with the principles set out by God Almighty in HIS word will guarantee this kind of abundance. Be aware however, that supernatural abundance is not about materialism: “He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity….The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.” – Eccl. 5:10, 12. “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” – Lk. 12:15 As you make a decision to redirect your focus back to God and pursue a relationship with HIM this season, all the fullness of the Godhead will be at your disposal in the mighty name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This is your season. Welcome to December 2013.

A Time Of Resting

God laid the foundation of the meaning of number ‘7’ when He introduced this number in the context of His finished Work of Creation in Genesis 2:2-3 “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done, then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Life is so much more than endless moments of consuming work, stressful problems, and chaotic busyness. The point is that we were designed to work and rest; our God, our creator took time to rest. It doesn’t matter how in shape you are or even if you think you are super man on the court, everyone needs to take a time out occasionally. Even God the One who created the Universe and who we have been told never grows tired, never sleeps, never slumbers and is never out of power rested from His work. God’s message is plain: “If creation didn’t crash when I rested, it won’t crash when you do.” Jesus admonished His disciples to take a rest after a busy outing, “then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.” Mark 6:30-32. Jesus did not demand, nor desire, that his followers labor to the point of exhaustion and burn-out. He knew that they needed periods of rest in order to remain strong, just as we do. Friends, God knows the place and importance of giving yourself rest. There are a lot of reasons why it make sense, firstly it says that you have completed what you set out to do; secondly it gives you an opportunity to review or consider what it is you have completed and thirdly it gives your mind and body a chance to recover from the effort of what you have done. A time of rest is to allow us to listen to God. Often, we get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life that we become deaf to the still, small voice of God. We become so busy doing things for Christ that we forget to simply be with Christ. We get tunnel vision, becoming so fixated on completing our list of assigned tasks that we have no time for anything else but work. But somehow, the list of tasks never gets any shorter; for every one we finished; two more rise up to take their place. We’re on a treadmill, running toward a finish line that never gets any closer. And in the meantime, lacking that quiet, unhurried fellowship with the Lord, our perspectives can become warped; our attitudes poisoned. We begin to run on autopilot. Instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves being controlled by emotion; by habit and circumstance. Do you plan for a time out? Do you plan for regular times alone with the Lord? Parents, do you ensure that your children have times of rest, times when there are no demands on them from school work or sports? Do you plan time away with your family, time when you can be together without distractions from work and school? And most importantly, are you resting in Christ? By 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 - http://rccgpottershouseed.org.uk/Pastor Yemisi  

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.

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.

Content retrieved from: http://rccgpottershouseed.org.uk/all-thanks-be-to-god/.

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.

 

Content retrieved from: http://rccgpottershouseed.org.uk/vessels-of-honour/.