THE BENEFITS OF PRAISING GOD
We looked at ‘The Benefits of Trusting God’ through this medium in November 2010 and in December of the same year, we considered ‘The Benefits of Obeying God’. This month, we shall examine ‘The Benefits of Praising God’.
Praising God connotes expressing gratitude and respect to Him and it is an act of worship on its own. We can praise Him by singing (Judges 5:3), dancing (Psalm 149:3), and speaking (Psalm 145:21) etc. No one is exempted from praising God (Psalm 67:5) and the Heavens and Earth (Psalm 69:34) along with His entire works (Psalm 145:10) does praise Him too. We are free to praise Him with Trumpets, Harps, Flutes, Cymbals, etc. (Psalm 150). We can also praise Him more and more (Psalm 71:14) and forever (Psalm 52:9).
King David praised God passionately throughout his lifetime. In 2 Samuel 6:14, the bible says: ”Then David danced before the Lord with all his might” and on one occasion, he spoke in praise of God as follows: ”…You are great O Lord God. For there is none like You nor is there any God besides You…” (2 Samuel 7:22). He was even unapologetic when Michal, daughter of Saul, despised him for praising God so lavishly (2 Samuel 6:16, 21-22). No wonder he benefitted massively from Him. We shall revisit this point in a while.
Praising God is full of benefits, some of which we shall now go into. It enables people to:
1. Be in His Presence.
The Psalmist referred to this fact in Psalm 100:4 thus: ”Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise…”. Meanwhile, in the presence of God lies fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and none of our enemies can survive therein (Psalm 9:3). It sounds reasonable therefore that, if you truly want to overcome your enemies and be in perpetual joy then, you must be in God’s presence at all times and the starting point is praising Him.
2. Win their Battles.
Hannah won an extraordinary but excruciating battle against barrenness after praising God (1 Samuel 1:1-20). In verse 19, the bible says ”they (Hannah and her family) rose up early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord” (i.e. they praised Him) and He gave her a baby boy, Samuel, in return. What battle are you fighting at present? Is it that of bareness or ill health, joblessness, debt, poverty, fear, uncertainty etc.? Please pray to God about it today and praise Him as well and you’ll win it in the end in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Overcome their limitations.
In Acts 16: 16-26, a certain slave girl harassed Paul and Silas on end till they sent the spirit controlling her out and for this, they were flogged and jailed. But at midnight, whilst praising God via praying and singing hymns, a great earthquake which shook the prison to its foundation occurred and all its doors were flung open and all the prisoner’s chains were loosed. In other words, they overcame their limitations (viz.closed doors and restrictive chains). What is it that is limiting you right now? Is it an evil force, an evil covenant, a curse, your restrictive background, a harsh government policy, your past actions or inactions, etc.? Please pray to God about it right away; praise Him in addition, and you’ll overcome it in Jesus name. Amen.
4. Live fulfilled lives.
We mentioned earlier on that King David praised God throughout his lifetime and God allowed him to live a fulfilled life (Acts 13:36). He won all his battles (2 Samuel 22:40); he was rich and honourable; he reigned over Israel successfully, died in a good old age, buried in the city of David and his son Solomon, succeeded him (1 Chronicles 29:26-28, 1 Kings 2:10). And from his example, we can safely conclude that praising God and living a fulfilled life goes hand in hand. So, praise Him more as from now on and you too will live a fulfilled life at the end of the day in Jesus name. Amen.
Friend, as you move on fearlessly with your life, please, praise God more than you’ve ever done before and He’ll reward you with loads of benefits in response in Jesus name. Amen. Be expectant!
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Benefits of Praising God, God, Praise, Praising God
THE BENEFITS OF OBEYING GOD
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 1:1-3:30) were young Jewish men who served with their comrade, Daniel, in the palace of king Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. They were exceptionally gifted, strikingly good looking and God fearing and owing to their sterling qualities, they got rapid promotion to the highest echelon of governance in Babylon.
At a time, the king made an image of gold and ordered everyone to fall down and worship it at the sound of certain musical instruments. He also ordered that whoever disobeyed his instruction, should be thrown into a burning fiery furnace. But contrary to his expectation, the young men disobeyed him, instead they obeyed God’s commandment which says: ”You shall not make for yourself a carved image …; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them…” (Exodus 20:4-5). And for this reason, they were bound and thrown into the burning furnace but God saved them. This is a very popular account and it contains some model benefits that come with obeying God. Let us now examine them in turn.
1. Divine Protection
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the gold image made by king Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, they obeyed God’s law that forbids worshipping other gods (Exodus 20:4-5). For this reason, they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace but four men, the fourth being like the Son of God, all unbound and unscathed, were later spotted in it. That is, Jesus Christ was on hand to protect them thus verifying what Isaiah 43:2 says viz.: ”…When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you”. As you walk through the ‘fires’ of life day by day, choose to obey God and He’ll protect you divinely in Jesus name. Amen.
2. Divine Promotion
For disobeying king Nebuchadnezzar and obeying God’s law that forbids the worship of other Gods, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego got summary promotion in the province of Babylon. Please note that their promotion was essentially not man made; it was divinely engineered as confirmed by the Psalmist in Psalm 75:6-7 where he said: ”… promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another”. So, if you desire promotion in any area of your life today please, seek God’s opinion about it and obey Him strictly too and you’ll have it in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Divine Blessings
The determination of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to disobey king Nebuchadnezzar and their willingness to obey God, as well as their resultant promotion, must have exposed them to breath-taking blessings in Babylon. This confirms as true, Isaiah 1:19, which says: ”If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”. Friend, if you are willing and obedient as from now on, you too shall eat the good of your land in Jesus name. Amen.
4. Heavenly Rewards
The decision of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to obey God, made the entire citizenry of Babylon to experience His immense power first-hand and I believe a lot of people must have yielded their lives to Him unconditionally as a result. In that case, there must have been great rejoicing in heaven that day and the three young men must have been suitably rewarded thereafter (Luke 15:10, Galatians 6:7-8). In the same vein, if you win souls for God, which is always a wise thing to do (Proverbs 11:30), you too will be suitably rewarded in heaven in Jesus name. Amen.
As you can see from above, it is advantageous to obey God at all times so; I encourage you to do more in this regard henceforth so that you can partake in the resultant massive benefits. If God asks you to serve Him more, please obey Him, if He asks you to change your job, obey Him; if He wants you to start a specific business, obey Him; if He asks you to propose to a particular sister or to accept a marriage proposal from a brother; Obey Him; if He asks you to study a particular course or to learn a particular trade, obey Him; if He asks you to change your location so that you situation can change, please obey Him; etc. and in the end, you’ll have every reason to rejoice in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
C Adedayo Stoney Adegbulu, 2010
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Benefits of obedience, God, Obedience
THE BENEFITS OF TRUSTING GOD
I received a text message containing the wordings of Proverbs 3:5-6 recently and it blessed me a great deal. It reads: ”Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths”.
Above is a very popular passage amongst Christians and being one of my favourites; I have read it several times before. But this time around, I felt a strong urge to study it more closely and in the end, I unearthed some mouth-watering benefits open to those who trust God whole heartedly. Please permit me to share a few of them with you here trusting that they’ll motivate you to trust Him more. They are:
1. Divine Confidence.
Many times, the Psalmist’s life was laden with fears and each time, God expunged and replaced them with divine confidence; just because he trusted Him. He referred to one of such occasions like this: ”…In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3). God is still in the business of replacing people’s fears with divine confidence if they trust Him. You too can join them and He’ll give you divine confidence to confront and subdue all the challenges you are facing presently in Jesus name. Amen.
2. Divine Direction.
The renowned King Solomon, having enjoyed divine direction several times in his life, recommended trusting the Lord to everyone as follows: ”Trust the Lord with all your heart….And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Consequently, if you sincerely want to succeed in life then, you need divine direction and the only person who can honestly give it is God. However, you must be prepared to ask and trust Him for it first.
3. Divine Strength.
God is willing to give people enduring strength if they put their trust in Him at all times, . Prophet Isaiah gave credence to this view when he said: ”Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4). So, if you are desirous of enough strength to triumph on earth, then you need to ask and trust God for it and He’ll give it to you without qualms in Jesus name. Amen.
4. Divine Victory.
In confirming the availability of this benefit, the Psalmist said: ”Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). Perhaps you desire outstanding victory in certain areas of your life e.g. your relationship with God, your health, business, education, family set up, etc. then you need to trust God for it and it will come to pass in Jesus name. Amen.
5. Divine Deliverance.
Again, the Psalmist assured us that divine deliverance is available to all who trust God. He said: ”And the LORD shall … deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him” (Psalm 37:40). As from today, pray to God to deliver you from the vice-like grip of the Devil then, trust Him that He’ll do so and He will in Jesus name. Amen.
As you can see, the benefits of trusting God are stunning and I believe no right thinking person would spurn them for any reason. Therefore, pray to God to give them to you straight away. Also, make sure that you do not stop trusting Him even if you have to repeat your prayer time and again because He will surely reward you at some point (Hebrews 11:6). May the good Lord fill your heart with joy and your mouth with praise as you trust Him continually in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: God, Hope, hope in God, Trust in God
KNOWING GOD, BEING STRONG AND DOING GREAT EXPLOITS
Prophet Daniel, while encouraging the faithful said: ‘’…the people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits’’ (Daniel 11:32).
This is a very popular biblical passage and one of my favorites because it proves that knowing God is profitable. And we can appreciate it a lot better by breaking it into three parts and examining each independently. The parts I am suggesting here are Being Strong, Carrying out Great Exploits and Knowing God in that order.
1. Being Strong. On becoming born again, I developed immense strength which propelled me to take part in several Christian activities that I would have been too unconcerned, too irritated or too busy to consider normally. And I took them on with dedication almost round the clock yet; I had ample strength left to attend to my patients the way I should. I later discovered that I was not alone in this state; other Christians are likewise affected and I became interested in knowing why. Soon, I found relief in Nehemiah 8:10 which says ‘’…the joy of the Lord is your strength’’ and straightaway, I knew that it is the joy of the Lord within us that makes us so strong. This intensity of joy and strength awaits you today if you covet them.
2. Carrying out Great Exploits. Great exploits by the way, are stunning feats and there are many of them all around us but I found those captured in Mark 16:17-18 most eye catching i.e. casting out demons, speaking in new tongues, overcoming deadly substances/situations and healing the sick. Imagine how useful you can become to this generation if you are able to carry out such great exploits. It is the aforementioned strength that enables us (Christians) to carry them out through Jesus Christ and Apostle Paul confirmed this position in Philippians 4:13 when he said ‘’I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’’. You too can do all things, including carrying out great exploits, through Christ if you wish.
3. Knowing God. Knowing God leads the way to being strong and being able to carry out great exploits (Daniel 11:32) and it is only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). However, one needs to be born again first. How then can one be born again you may wish to ask? Very simple! To begin with, you must confess your sins and then ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and He will (1 John 1:9). Next, invite Him to take over your life as your personal Lord and Savior and again, He will (John 6:37). When this is over and done with then by faith, you are truly born again and well positioned to know God intimately (John 3:3).
Friend, this is another grand opportunity for you to be born again if you are not up till now-please don’t misuse it! And if you are already born again, I rejoice with you heartily. Without doubt, you do possess enormous strength! Therefore as from this moment, go out and carry out great exploits not only for yourself, but for humanity and for God as well and you can be rest assured that your efforts will be adequately rewarded at some point (2 Chronicles 15:7) in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Exploits, God, Knowing God, Salvation, Strength
God our Refuge!
In Psalm 46:1, the Psalmist referred to God as ”… our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble” and I cannot agree with him less. It is for this reason that I want to narrate the testimony below, to shore up his position and to glorify the name of the Lord.
In March 1999, Madam Diamond (not her real name), was brought to us in our Benin-City, Nigeria base for medical attention. She complained of a three months history of severe unremitting headache, sleeplessness, severe weight loss, right sided body weakness, recurrent vomiting and blurring of vision. Prior to coming to us, she was seen by many brilliant doctors and their general impression was that she had a swelling in her brain which would have been better removed surgically. But they didn’t want to do anything heroic on her on account of old age (she was about seventy years old then) and frail state of health amongst other reasons. She was therefore placed on some strong pain killers and sedatives with the aim of making her as comfortable as possible before she passes on. Her condition soon deteriorated rapidly and when she got to us, we immediately referred her to an expert who couldn’t help her much due to the reasons advanced earlier. However, we did not lose hope-we took her case to the highest level; to God our refuge and He did not disappoint us.
One afternoon, during a prayer session, the Holy Spirit prompted us to substitute her strong medications with ordinary Paracetamol tabs (a mild pain killer) and Valium tabs (a mild sedative). I was completely taken aback by this ‘bizarre’ but clear directive. Why would the Holy Spirit want us to treat her with such flimsy medications when very potent ones had failed I asked myself time after time? In the end, I discussed the new development with Madam Diamond and her husband and to our surprise, albeit delight, they asked us to go ahead with God’s plan without delay and we did. And for the first time in a very long time, she slept soundly only to wake up later in the evening with no more than a mild headache. I repeated the medications again before she went to bed in the night and by the time she woke up the following morning, she was completely free of all symptoms. That is, God healed her totally and we rejoiced and praised the name of the Lord with her heartily. Madam Diamond is now 83 years old and she is still alive and well; thirteen years after!
In retrospect, I thank God for showing us that he is still capable of caring for us, His people, whenever we run to Him for refuge. He also confirmed what Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that is: ”…God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty”. He healed Madam Diamond using a very flimsy means and He can do same again in all situations including yours and at all times.
Friend, this God, our refuge and strength, who healed Madam Diamond, is willing to meet you at the deepest point of your need(s). He wants to give you a new beginning. He wants to heal you, give you a credible means of livelihood and sort out your finances for you once and for all. He also wants to give you a happy home, a successful career, a blooming business, a thriving ministry etc. Finally, He wants you to attain Heaven when you are through with this world. But you have to ask Him (in prayer) to help you first and He will not disappoint you (Matthew 7:7, Isaiah 43:19). Please do not dither; act fast and act now in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is Lord!
c Adedayo Stoney Adegbulu, 2010
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: God, Refuge
Let God Arise…
In Psalm 68:1, the Psalmist said: ‘Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered…’ This is a very popular biblical passage and it is frequently invoked whenever there is a need to remove festering encumbrances from people’s lives. Now, before I go on with this write up, I will like to ask a question and that is: Does God really have enemies? Well, the widely acclaimed answer is yes He does! And you can confirm this by scrutinizing the world closely and you will unearth several people, institutions, governments, etc that are waging war against Him relentlessly. These are some of His enemies but the good news is that they cannot defeat Him because He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
Just like God, we also have personal enemies to contend with and they can be quite nasty. Nevertheless, we should not be intimidated by their activities because they can never overcome us (Isaiah 54: 15, 1 John 4:4).
At this point, let us consider some of our common enemies and see how we can deal with them.
1. Fellow human beings. A lot of our enemies are human beings like ourselves but as Christians, we are expected to love them even though they hate us (Matthew 5:44). But if they persist in making our lives unbearable then, we are at liberty to ask God to arise and scatter them and he will in Jesus name (Isaiah 49: 25c).
2. Unseen forces. The bible makes it clear that many of our enemies are unseen, incredibly powerful and unbelievably lethal (Ephesians 6:12). We should therefore deploy all the deadly weapons at our disposal (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) against them. We should also ask God to arise and scatter them in Jesus name.
3. Poverty. Poverty is a deadly enemy of mankind and its incidence is on the increase worldwide. Remember that it is a curse and it is ruinous by nature (Proverbs 10:15). Friend, if this terrible plague is trying to snuff out your life then, go ahead today and ask God to arise and scatter it in Jesus name (Galatians 3:13).
We also have many other enemies including: ill health, stagnation or regression in life, joblessness, debt, barrenness of all kinds, consistent lack of support, being unloved etc. No doubt, they are powerful, but God’s power towers well above them. Therefore, let us boldly ask God to arise and scatter them and he will in Jesus name (Matthew 11:28).
Please be reminded that we have important roles to play in this matter if we truly want God to arise and scatter our enemies. To start with, we must maintain a rock-solid relationship with Jesus Christ. That is, He must be our personal Lord and Saviour consistently. Is He yours? Next, Constant prayer to God through Jesus Christ is of utmost importance (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We must also develop a strong faith in Him for good results to occur (Hebrews 11:6) and we must exhibit patience at all times (Matthew 10:22b). If you do all above then, as you coast towards the end of year 2009 and as you behold 2010, the Lord will arise and scatter all your enemies. So shall it be in Jesus name. Amen.
Merry Christmas in advance!
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: Enemies, God
Of God, Outstretched Arms and Power
In Jeremiah 32:17, Prophet Jeremiah, while praying for understanding said: ‘’Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You’’.
This is a very popular biblical passage which has even been incorporated into melodious songs. It essentially gives a clear insight into God’s limitless ability to perform wonders by his great power and outstretched arms.
Before proceeding any further, let us look at what an outstretched arm means. Simply put, it is an arm that is extended or stretched out. And the procedure is expected to be done sensibly at all times. For example, most people will refrain from outstretching their arms without cause while walking or running because of the fear of losing their balance, falling down and injuring themselves and others. They may also damage valuable possessions and get themselves enmeshed in needless financial/legal imbroglio. However, certain situations demand that we must outstretch our arms. For instance, we have to do so to pick things up from the ground, to embrace people, to defend ourselves etc. In short, we outstretch our arms mainly to achieve certain positive results. The same reality is applicable to God. Immense power and dazzling results occur whenever he outstretches his arms. Let us consider a few of such results at this point.
1. Creative power. Jeremiah 32:17 clearly indicates that God created the heavens and the earth by his great power and outstretched arm. In the same vein, I am trusting Him to create whatever is lacking in your life and in the lives of your loved ones, in your business, ministry, education, career, etc by his great power and outstretched arms as from this moment in Jesus name. Amen. Please be expectant!
2. Healing. Healing is another dazzling result that ensues whenever God outstretches his arms. The same result is typical of Jesus Christ (John 5:19). For example, in Luke 5:12-13, a man full of leprosy approached Jesus Christ for healing and without delay, He put out His hands (He must have outstretched his arms first), touched the man and healed him. Do you have any health ordeal at the moment? If you do then, cheer up because help is around the corner. Pray to God to heal you by his great power and outstretched arms today and he will in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Salvation. Above all things, we need salvation to make it to heaven. That is, we must be born again (John 3:3). Friend, have you given your life to Christ previously and is he still your personal Lord and savior? If he is then, I say a big congratulation to you. Without doubt you are on your way to heaven. But if he is not, then this is a good opportunity for you to hand over your life to him and the good news is that Jesus, with great power and outstretched arms, is knocking at your door waiting for you to invite him in (Revelation 3:20). Please do so promptly and I believe you will not be disappointed in Jesus name. Amen.
Finally, remember that ‘’whatsoever you lay your hands upon shall prosper’’ (Psalm 1:3). But you have to outstretch your arms first before you can lay your hands on anything or anybody. And having done so; please don’t hesitate to lay your hands on any part of your body that is functioning sub optimally. Repeat the same procedure on your child that is behaving badly or on your spouse that is not living up to expectation or on your business that is crumbling or on your ministry that is struggling, etc. Then command them to prosper in Jesus name and they will. A trial will convince you!
Jesus is Lord!
Categories: Mind of Christ Tags: God, Outstretched Arms, Power