Student Batch – Dec 2024

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Romans 8:11 (NIV)

This is one truth the enemy would  want us to forget – that the Spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us!!! One of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to bring life to us. To give life to our mortal bodies . Mortal means human, deadly, and is in contrast to divine. But, the presence of God in our lives enables us to be able to have access to divine life. In practice, this scripture above should  give you boldness to speak life into any dead situation around you. It should give you confidence to lay hands on  any sick body around you  because the Spirit of life lives in you. You should be able to rise above sin and sickness and every oppression of the devil. Rise in faith today and declare : because the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me, I am Victorious and I receive life overflowing in all that concerns me in Jesus mighty name. Amen. 

Shalom!

When you are joined to someone in marriage, you are yoked together. You carry and share each other joys, strengths, and weaknesses.

What your spouse does and how they live, their lives should, therefore, be of great concern to you. You cannot afford to be unconcerned or nonchalant about the life your spouse lives because it will affect you whether good or bad.

The irony though is that though you are now one with your spouse, they still do have a mind of their own.  This is where prayers come in.  You want to pray that God directs and lead them in ways that will bring blessings to your home.  I was going to list some prayer points to pray for your spouse and then I found this blog that has already done all the work nicely https://www.ibelieve.com/relationships/30-day-prayer-challenge-for-your-husband.html

Even though it was written for the wife to pray for her husband, I honestly think it can be adapted for the reverse as well. God bless you. Prayer is still the Key!

The word of God is so powerful and has the potential to change our lives dramatically for good.  Little wonder we are attacked whenever we attempt to get close to the word. Watch out for these attacks from the enemy aimed at preventing the word from bearing fruit in your life:

1. Losing interest in the word
2. Reading the word and not understanding
3. Not being able to meditate (not allowing the word to take root)
4. The fierce attack of thorns (worry, the deceitfulness of riches, jealousy, bitterness) when you receive the word. The thorns come to choke the word in your heart so that it bears no fruit.

To reap the fruits of the word, that is, to see the benefits made manifest in our lives it has to be planted on a right and fertile heart.

Combine prayer with the study of the word, meditate and allow the word to take root also watch out for attacks because of the word.

As you by God’s grace win these battles, you will experience the great victory that comes through the word.

One of the major ways in which people learn is by examples.  Humans are very good at copying, synthesizing and learning from what they see. Most people will repeat what they have watched others do especially if they respect the person whose examples they are watching.

That is why Paul explained in 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9, that though he had the right to receive help from the people he was shepherding he wanted to lay a good example of hard work so he rather chose to work hard and paid for his needs.

The lesson I want to highlight from 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 is that in order to be a good example you might have to pay a sacrifice, to go the extra mile to act as a role model. There are some choices that when you make them, they might not be bad in themselves, actually, they might be your right, but these choices might show as a bad example that others will follow.

Choosing to be a good example might definitely not be how you would naturally want to act and this might not be the easier way to take, but it will be a wise way, it is be the fruitful way and with God’s grace made available what excuse do we really have? 

 Being a good example is very rewarding because you would have imparted in so many lives positively that even after you are gone the impact will still be in effect. Take a look at paul again, even though he no longer physically exist but many people still follow his example of hard work and excellence in caring for the sheep. Our actions matter, they matter a lot and have more consequences than the devil will want us to believe especially if we are in a position of influence. May God help us to spread only light and goodness and not be like those who carry freshwater and bitter water simultaneously, this is “another gospel” and a sign of the end times.

God bless!

Ezekiel 33:12 says

“Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’

This scripture should be a reminder to every Christian on the need to daily and consistently walk with the Holy Ghost. A call to shun every temptation of the devil’s call for backsliding, however little it might seem.

Don’t believe the devil’s lie if he tries to lure you to step away from your good works and try to make you fatigue of well-doing. If you continue to do the good things that you do, you will reap the rewards!

But according to the passage above, if you abandon the right ways of kindness, mercy, righteousness etc. and decide to go with evil works then your former good works will count for nothing.

There is also good news for you if the Holy Spirit has convicted you recently of some wrongdoing, and you genuinely now want to repent from it.  The passage also says that if you abandon your evil ways, then your former wickedness will not bring condemnation.

So please check your current state and do not rely on the state of your past. What matters most is what you are doing now. May we never depart from Him in Jesus’ name. Amen

The army has a mandate to defend a Nation, to protect vital national interests, and to fulfil national military responsibilities.

 Then ponder on this scripture

“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.”

Psalm 46:7.

Heaven has a host of an angelic army with a mandate to protect and defend its citizens.  This heaven’s invisible army came through for Elisha when an enemy surrounded the city with horses and chariots. Elisha’s servant was scared but Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17.

The angelic army that fights for us is full of fire and are super equipped with the strength to demolish every form of the enemy that may come against us.

So how should we respond to this privilege of having a host of an army to our defence?

1. Make sure you are a citizen of heaven. The primary responsibility of the army is to protect its citizen, make sure you have accepted Jesus and are on the Lord’s side indeed.

2. We should be thankful to God. Thanks be to God who has not left us on our own. It is because of the Lord’s mercy and protection that our enemies have not consumed us.

3. We need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. The Christian life is military life, this calls for obeying instructions from the Holy Spirit, studying God’s word, discipline,  prayer, purity and abstaining from things that can defile (gossip, disobedience, malice, bitterness e.t.c)
4. As you pray to God to disgrace and disarm the external army that comes against you. Also, ask God to help you win the internal enemies.

Through the study of the Word, fellowship and prayer we can defeat the enemy of laziness, the enemy of fear, the enemy of sin, the enemy of doubt, the enemy of pride (Satan fell because of this one). Many things come against us and we need God’s grace and strength to overcome them.

Now that we know that we have been equipped by God to be victorious and that God has given us all everything we need for living a godly life (2 Peter 1:3).

 May we grow in the fruit of the Holy Spirit, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. In Jesus name. Amen.

Shalom.

The presence of God is the best place you can be at every point in time.  Not the least when storms arise.

When storms arise, God’s presence will speak peace and help you sail above all the stormy waves. There is something about the manifest presence that destroys all the works of the devil be it fear, laziness, sickness, unproductivity, etc. When you enter God’s manifest presence the devil’s works disappear! They just go, they can’t stand God’s presence!

 Psalm 114:6 (NLT) puts it this way “Why, mountains, did you skip like rams? Why, hills, like lambs? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.”

So how can you ensure you are continually in God’s presence?

 By consistently feeding on the word of God and praying: As you study the bible with the Holy Spirit, He will help you to pray. You will begin to see things from God’s perspectives and every other lie will automatically fall away. He will empower you to decree His will and God’s Kingdom will be ushered into your space. This Kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost!  

Ensure you are continually in God’s presence by consistently living a life of praise and obedience.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

God inhabits the praises of His people and when we praise Him, we are drawing close to Him. God also wants us to be obedient to Him. We show that we love God when we obey His commandments and instructions.  The word of God says obedience is better than sacrifice. Making sacrifices without obeying God, for example, living in bitterness, disobedience to authority, gossiping and yet serving in God’s house will not usher you into the deep, sweet presence of God. We must be obedient and then make sacrifices for only then will our sacrifices be accepted.

As we seek God’s presence this season, may the peace of God abound and every fear melts away. May we receive boldness to decree God’s kingdom upon our families and communities.  Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost is your portion in Jesus name. Amen!