“To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” – Hebrews 11:1
When it comes to ways on how to put your faith to work, you can only turn to the Bible for instructions. It completely teaches us on how to go about growing our faith and putting it into work. The Bible tells us that faith is the substance of the things which we hope for and a certainty on God’s promises. In addition, it refers to faith as a supernatural gift from God which permeates us to fully depend and relay on His promises even when what we are perceiving with our physical eyes is proving the contrary.
Faith means that the things which we hope for are presently in our reach through Jesus Christ. This is a call to the demonstration of faith on the scene. And for us to demonstrate our faith, we must put it into work. At this point, it’s just obvious that you are questioning yourself on how to put your faith to work. The Bible answers this question in a clear manner. Faith is also taking Jesus Christ for His words. It has to do with acting upon the words of Jesus Christ.
If we should take Jesus Christ for His words when He says that what we hope for is now ours, then we do not have any reason to sit back. Rather, we out to step out and receive our blessings from God. We act on the words of Jesus Christ because we have first believed in Him. What is He saying about your present situation? Step out and receive it with faith because He never fails.
Still on how to put your faith to work, we’ll take an example to bring more light for a better understanding. Let’s take a case where you pray and ask God through Jesus Christ to make you bold and give you a better understanding of the gospel as well as feed your mouth with His words whenever you are talking to His people. This is a very nice prayer, perhaps you were not initially brave enough in being His witness. But there is something that we must point out here which is your attitude after prayers. It is without doubt that your attitude after prayers greatly influences and determines if you have received the answers to your prayers or not.
Jesus Christ says in John 14:14 that whatsoever we ask in His name, we must believe that we have received. Hence, after prayers you must not only believe that you have had your answers but also start acting as one who has received the answers. On coming back to our example, you cannot pray it today, tomorrow, and forever. Once you have requested boldness and knowledge from God in doing His work, you’ll have to step out and start doing it. This is how to put your faith to work and open the flow gates of heaven for additional blessings. This also applies to all your prayer requests which are directed to God through Jesus Christ.
Always remember that faith acts now because it has already taken possession. It is for this reason that Apostle James says that faith without action is dead (James 2:17). Hence, genuine faith is that which takes God for His words and acts upon them. Genuine faith goes with a corresponding action. And it is in this light that you can learn what it takes to put your faith to work.
If you say that you have a genuine faith that can move mountains, then you are saying that you truly believe God for who He says He is. You completely believe that He has done all that He says He has done. And in the same light, you trust in all His promises to come. By this we mean that you know God will do all that He says He will do. If you are then serious about how to put your faith to work, each time you’ll finish praying, you’ll have to believe that your prayers have already been answered.
We’ll conclude by saying that we can also perceive faith as obeying God’s instructions. That’s why we cannot separate faith from obedience. And with obedience you can be sure that you truly have faith in God. And faith in God is irrespective of what we see in our surrounding. We suggest that you read our article on activating faith to move the impossible.
“Those who speak in strange tongues do not speak to others but to God, because no one understands them. They are speaking secret truths by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – 1 Corinthians 14:2
The power of speaking in tongues dates back to the teachings of Jesus Christ through His Apostles in the Bible. We are clearly told that praying in tongues makes a believer to move in the supernatural and impossible dimensions. There are lots of ways through which praying in tongues will change your life forever. The importance of speaking in tongues as well as the benefits of speaking in tongues are amazing. Unfortunately, praying in strange tongues which was a major spiritual tool in the mouths of the Apostles of old has become one of the most controversial topics in modern Christianity.
Whatever the case, we can be certain that the lots of resentments surrounding the aspect of speaking in strange tongues have all arisen under the supervision of Satan in order to fight its ability to take believers into a higher spiritual dimension of overcoming the impossible situations of life. This rejection goes into the same light with that of the prophetic ministry which some modern Christians have kept aside due to bad experiences, misuses, and misunderstandings.
It’s quite evident that Satan is working to keep the believers ignorant of the power that Jesus Christ has released on to them. That’s why this horrible creature works together with its agents to create misunderstandings, bad experiences, and failures on the way of Christians who are trying to benefit from these gifts. But one thing that we are sure is that these gifts create disorder in the Satanic kingdom else they’ll no be fighting it. As a Christian, you must have probably asked yourself how important is speaking in tongues. On the other hand, several Christians regularly ask from their leaders the importance of speaking in tongues or the benefits of speaking in tongues. The whole truth is that praying in tongues will change your life for the best and increase your spiritual level in Jesus Christ our lord and savior.
A Biblical look of praying in tongues
If we must be honest enough to speak or reveal the Biblical truths about the power of speaking in tongues or its importance, we’ll base ourselves on the New Testament starting from the day of Pentecost when this special gift marked the birth of Christianity. When reading through the New Testament we notice that the majority of writings and teachings were sent out by Apostle Paul who deeply encouraged Christians to speak in tongues as he himself spoke more than any other believer in those days.
Apostle Paul tells us that the process of speaking in tongues equips the believers and creates a direct communication line with God the Father on a unique level and also empowers the believers to live a supernatural life in Jesus Christ. Speaking in tongues creates confusion in the kingdom of darkness and overpowers the Christian to overcome every evil spiritual force. Speaking in tongues takes you into a spiritual dimension and allows the Holy spirit to rightly pray through you as it uses the mind of God.
Speaking in tongues is not a one-time experience or something we do once after our baptism of the Holy Spirit. Apostle Paul saw it as a way to express what his mind could not express before God. He saw it as a way to communicate directly to God without having Satan hear even a single word talk less of getting its meaning. And the moment Satan cannot get what you are speaking with your heavenly father, he’ll be fighting the wrong fight. Regularly praying in tongues does well in fortifying your body and spirit to successfully go through the Christian race. As a believer Jesus Christ who is one with God lives within you through the Holy Spirit. Hence, you can always request the Holy Spirit to take control of you and talk to God through you in a language not understood by men neither by Satan and his agents.
Ways by which praying in tongues take you into the supernatural and impossible dimensions
As a believer who adopts the act of praying in tongues, you can expect a supernatural divine intervention in your life. This act will greatly open new doors in your life and boost your Christian faith. Below are the main aspects which are brought into existence by speaking and praying in strange tongues as the spirit of God leads.
Praying in tongues create a direct private communication line with God the Father
Apostle Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 14:2 that by speaking in strange tongues as moved by the Holy Spirit, we are not speaking to men but directly to God. In addition, this process is also known as the act of carrying out the Anonymous Prayer. By anonymous here, we mean that not even Satan can monitor or hear a single word from your prayer. Hence, he won’t know what you were saying or requesting from God, talk less of being able to develop a successful strategic plan to fight your heart intentions.
Still in the same line of thinking, we’ll add here that when you are praying in tongues, you are speaking through a direct line to the President of the Universe. Here, we are not trying to discourage anyone from praying to God with their native language. You should always feel free to talk to God with the language of your choice. But you must not forget the power or benefits that reside in praying to God using strange tongues as directed by the Holy Spirit. The whole truth is that at times we do not really know how to pray to God. Prayers that go in accord with the perfect will of God are the best prayers and are instantly answered (Romans 8:26-28). God’s spirit that resides within us best knows the heart of the Father. That’s why we are recommending you to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit in order to efficiently Pray.
Praying in tongues reveals God’s supernatural mysteries
“But it was to us that God made known His secret by means of His Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, even the hidden depths of God’s purpose” – 1 Corinthians 2:10
Speaking in tongues is a spiritual exercise that awakens the spirit of God from within us and puts it into work and action. The Holy Spirit knows everything in Heaven, on Earth, and below the Earth. In short, the Holy Spirit knows everything including the Secret taught and things of God. And we can all remember that Jesus Christ said in John 14:26 that when the Holy Spirit will come upon us, He will teach us everything that we need to know.
In other words, we can perceive the Holy Spirit as the spiritual search engine of the things in heaven, on earth, and everywhere. If you are verse with Google, you’ll better understand what we mean here by search engine. Thus, let’s welcome the act of praying in tongues so as to awaken the Holy Spirit in our lives which will reveal to us the mysteries of God. That’s why God spoke through His Prophet in Jeremiah 33:3 saying that we should call on Him and He’ll answer us and show us so many things which we know nothing about.
Praying in strange tongues opens your mind to a new living understanding of the Bible
“When, however, the spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own authority, but He will speak of what He hears, and will tell you of things to come.” – John 16:13
In as much as the Bible can simply be a historical book in the hands of many, it can also be a spiritual book that brings life in the hands of others. Are you perceiving the Bible as a historical record of facts? Or you are simply perceiving it as a novel worth reading? If this is how you perceive the Bible, then you are wrong. And that’s why you are not experiencing any major divine intervention in your life.
Praying in tongues will boost the Holy Spirit to guide us into the revealed living truths that are recorded in the Bible just as Jesus Christ did promise. That’s why we must always pray and ask on God to reveal His Holy Will to us as we read His teachings. The power of praying in tongues is enormous.
Praying in strange tongues will open doors for the other Revelatory Gifts of the Holy Spirit
“The spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same spirit gives a message full of knowledge. One and the same Spirit gives faith to one person, while to another person he gives the power to heal. The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God’s message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said” – 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
Praying in strange tongues will likely open heavenly flow gates to release other Revelatory Gifts of the Holy Spirit into your life. These revelatory gifts include a word full of wisdom, a word full of knowledge, prophecy and fully discerning of spirits. When you pray in strange tongues, you are not praying on a natural dimension but rather you are praying on a purely powerful spiritual dimension. That’s why you should not be alarmed when praying in tongues to receive a supernatural insight about something. In such spiritual dimensions, you can be led by the spirit to pray over specific situations in the lives of others, you can get a revelation on how to bring solutions into issues that people are experiencing in their lives, you can also receive revelations about cities, countries, and nations. Whatever the case, when God reveals a situation to you, always get back to Him in prayers to ask what He wants you to do about it. In addition, while praying in tongues, you can discern evil spirits around that are disturbing the lives of some individuals. In most cases, the Holy Spirit will lead you on how to drive them away.
Praying in tongues empowers you for spiritual warfare against the principalities in the kingdom of darkness
“Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion, as the spirit leads. For this reason, keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God’s people.” – Ephesians 6:18
Praying in strange tongues eventually empowers you to completely agree with God’s everlasting victory over all the powers and principalities in the kingdom of darkness. As Christians we are not free from attacks coming from the kingdom of darkness. Being Christians even gives Satan and his agents a greater reason to attack and destroy our faith in Jesus Christ who is the savior of the World. It is now left for us to strive and stand firm in our faith so as to overcome him through the victory of Jesus Christ on the cross. Unlike the false doctrine that teaches that being Christians implies wealth, fortune, no suffering, no hard times on earth, Jesus Christ himself told us in John 16:33 that we can be sure that tribulations will come our ways as His servants but we must hold to our faith because He has already overcome the world and supreme victory is His and that of His followers.
The Holy Spirit who is our companion in the Christian race is always there to provide us with gifts and blessings to overcome all challenges and attacks from the kingdom of darkness. One of these spiritual warfare gifts is the ability to speak in strange languages which are not understood by the enemy neither by men but only by God. That’s why we should regularly invite the Holy Spirit to pray the heart of our Heavenly Father through us so as to overcome the Devil and his malicious attacks in our lives.
In conclusion to our writing on the power of speaking in tongues, we’ll say that the benefits of speaking in tongues are so numerous and important in our Christian journey. We hope that we were able to answer your question on how important is speaking in tongues. We recommend you to read our article on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
“His faith did not leave him, and he did not doubt God’s promise; his faith filled with power, and he gave praise to God” – Romans 4:20
Reflection
Faith is the substance through which we please God. Without faith, it is not possible to please God. By reading from Romans 10:17, we are told by Apostle Paul that faith comes by hearing the word of God. But did you know that it is very possible to have a lot of faith which is weak? Yes, of course it is very possible. We observe an example of such when Jesus Christ commanded peter to come to Him by walking on water. Peter had been regularly listening and seeing Jesus rendering impossible things possible. Although he knew it was possible to walk on water, his certainty was not deeply rooted that’s why at some point in time he started sinking as we can read from Matthew 14:27-31.
We can look it from the other way whereby we have a young boxer who regularly consumes much food but does not exercise his muscles. It is obvious that his muscles will develop massively but remain weak. And whenever he encounters a small fit and well-toned guy, he’ll easily be beaten even though he is big. The reason for his defeat is quite simple, he is big but weak.
With this in mind, we can further move ahead to bring out the difference between a weak and a strong faith. A weak faith comes as a result of not exercising faith or not even having faith at all. It is obvious that if you hear God’s word and don’t act on it, you’ll always have a weak faith. It is for this particular reason that you can easily memorize all the Bible passages about a particular topic yet still lack results.
You will always remain with a weak faith until you start acting on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. With a weak faith, you can be sure to stagger every time that the storms of life strike you. But whenever you make up your mind about taking God for who He says He is and firmly walking on His words, your faith will be made strong.
We consider Abraham as the father of faith because his faith was really strong. Upon hearing the voice of God in his life which promised him that he’ll be a father to many nations, he started calling himself “father of many” even when he did not yet have a physical descendant. From Romans 4:13-25, we hear the Bible say that Abraham had a strong faith even when there was no hope. Even though he was almost 100 years, his faith was not weakened upon looking at his physical conditions or the fact that Sarah could not have children. Instead, he remained tight to what he received as message from God and had full confidence that God will fulfill his promises.
When your faith is strong, you readily accept, believe, and walk on every word that God gives you. The point is not about getting the word into your notepad or into your heart. Rather it is the application of the words that you hear that makes your faith strong. That’s why you should speak forth the words that you hear irrespective of the contrary circumstances around you. It is only in this way that you can build a strong faith.
Confession
In the name of Jesus Christ:
My faith is strong;
I put into practice every word from God in my life;
I do not walk by sight but by faith; and
God has fulfilled all his promises in my life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ may you have mercy on us and strengthen our faith.
“I am telling you the truth: those who believe in me will do what I do – yes, they will do even greater things, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son. If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.” – John 14:12-14
Reflection
From our reading, we clearly hear Jesus Christ telling us what it takes to walk in the impossible dimensions unto the eyes of men. As Christians, we have been given the Divine ability to do the things which Jesus Christ did and even greater things depending on our ability to believe or have faith in what He says. This leads to questions like what is faith, how to grow my faith, and how to activate my faith so as to walk in a spiritual dimension that is full of the power of the Holy Spirit.
When it comes to using faith to move the impossibilities, Prophet T.B. Joshua of the Synagogue church of all Nations (SCOAN) has interesting teachings which he applies and we can see what the hand of the Lord is doing in his life. Jesus Christ passes through him to give sight to the blind, heal the sick, set free the captives, deliver the oppress and above all teach what it takes to safe one’s soul. Hence we shall reflect on most of His teachings on how to activate my faith or how to grow my faith while having the Bible as our principal base.
What do I mean by having faith in God?
While others will ask what is faith, some will prefer to focus on the meaning of Faith. This brings us to asking the question of what Jesus meant by having faith in God? By faith in God, He meant that:
We should fully trust God for every single word of His that we hear;
We should have complete confidence in God;
We should absolutely rely on God alone;
We should take God for who He says He is;
We should completely believe in God;
We should fully obey all God’s commands without exception; and
We should consecrate much of our time in Knowing God.
How to activate my faith to move the impossible
The Scriptures tell us that faith has to do with having a deep and firm certainty of God’s yet unfulfilled promises (Hebrews 6:15). Meditate on this saying and you will realize that it does not say faith comes as a result of God fulfilling His promises. It rather says that faith is believing that God has completely done everything that He had promised us in His word and is presently resting with nothing to do again. Hence, for me to say that I have faith, I must be certain that God has already done what He had promised to do even if the physical conditions are showing the contrary.
As a generation who has worn the right to be called children of the supreme God through Jesus Christ, we are destined to walk by faith and not by sight. We mean here that:
When you are in hardship, instead of complaining, you rather see it as a reason to thank God;
When you are financially down; you give praise to God for blessing you with your financial needs;
When you are in pains, you thank Jesus Christ for having given you good health; and
When you are troubled, you refuse to focus on the trouble but rather prefer to focus on Jesus Christ the savior.
Satan is always setting up new traps to catch us by giving us numerous reasons to look at life, its adversities, and storms, from the human angle of perception. And for sure immediately you start perceiving your situation from the human eye, your heart will be filled with fear, discouragement, doubt, and anxiety. Hence as Christians, we should make sure that our belief sees beyond our present situations no matter how tough they may seem. In most cases, God pays a visit to his people through hard times so that they can better learn His ways.
A man or a woman of faith is one with a difference. (Acts 13:22). The way they perceive things is different. Where others are seeing impossibilities, they are seeing possibilities. Where humans think it is finish, they are seeing a new beginning. When people are filled with discouragements and fear, they are animated by the confidence that God never fails and are ready to step out without fear.
When Jesus Christ tells us in John 14:12 that if we have faith in Him, we can do the works he did and even greater things, he truly meant that with faith, His mighty power and strength becomes ours thereby truly making us one with Him. Prophet Isaiah clearly tells us what is faith when he says that it is the force that moves our words to work (Isaiah 55:11). As Christians, Jesus Christ has inserted power in our mouths. This power is fully released by the believe in our hearts.
There are many ways on how to grow my faith or how to activate my faith and start walking in the impossible dimensions. The full meaning of faith is complete obedience. The reward reserved for those who have faith is the capacity to do what Jesus was doing. Faith or believe or complete obedience to the gospel will make you to operate in the dimensions in which God operates (Acts 3:16). Your capacity to do wonders and miracles in the name of Jesus Christ actually depends on your degree of believe in Him. Remember to subscribe for more teachings of these kind which are hardly found elsewhere.
A man of faith is one who walks with the following tools:
Forbearance;
Endurance;
Patience;
Confidence;
Perseverance; and
Persistence.
If you are serious about activating your faith to walk in the Godly dimensions through Jesus Christ, you must take all the above tools and meditate as you put them into daily practice. Always welcome things that are contrary to God’s promises in your life as a way to boost your Christian faith and cultivate the attitude of Jesus Christ. In your Christian journey, remember to stay calm and focused without thinking of making a single step backward even when things seem not to be unfolding according to your heart desire.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason, the Holy Child will be called the son of God” – Luke 1:35 (Epikaizo power and Epikaizo Anointing)
Reflection on the Epikaizo Power and Epikaizo Anointing
There exist many dimensions in which we can experience God’s power. Here, we will discuss on the Epikaizo Power and the Epikaizo Anointing. They are supreme dimensions in which Christians can experience the mighty hand of God. You might be asking yourself what is Epikaizo Anointing or better still, the meaning of Epikaizo Anointing? By anointing here, we do not mean a physical act. It is more of a direct spiritual touch from God. And whoever talks about the Epikaizo anointing talks of the Epikaizo power of the Supreme God. There is no need to panic or worry, we hereby write to help you understand this spiritual blessing.
At this point, you might likely ask yourself questions like what is the epikaizo anointing, what is the Epikaizo power of God, and how can I get the Epikaizo power of God?. We’ll start by saying that it is the overshadowing power of God. It represents the spiritual realm that is closest to eternity. That is why when Angel Gabriel came to Mary, he talked of an overshadowing power from the Highest. This is a clear example of the Epikaizo power of God which was tasted by Mary as it rested on the Son that she bore. The Epikaizo Images at the beginning of our article portray what it looks like.
The Overshadowing effect of the Epikaizo Anointing and Epikaizo Power
The Epikaizo power of God is one which comes with such might and great impact that when it overshadows you, all traces of fear within you are eliminated and you start walking in the realm of impossibilities. This is the type of power that moves the heart and hand of God to bringing changes to nations and cities. But receiving such power from God requires people who are determined for His cause and are ready to give up their lives for the sake of the gospel. The scriptures say that when Stephen was being stoned to the point of death, he did not give up His faith, rather he accepted to die for the gospel’s sake and at that point, he saw the heavens opened within which he saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God the Father almighty (Acts 7:56).
Even the scriptures say that no man sees God and lives. Thus it took Stephen a special anointing and grace to see Jesus Christ and God’s glory in heaven. What kind of spiritual power can we attribute such a grace apart from the Epikaizo anointing from God? We must attest that Stephen did not regret even for a second neither did he allow fear to cross his heart even for a millisecond. He accepted the sentence of death with joy in his heart for the greater love of God and the spread of the gospel.
Moses
We can get another example by reading about Moses who had the audacity to request that God repent of His anger. And behold, God did turn away from His anger. This is a phenomenon which can’t be understood by the human mind. Moses must have certainly been carrying something within Him. And what could this be apart from the Epikaizo anointing or the Epikaizo power of God. This power makes communication with God very easy and gets the Holy Spirit at work when you call upon God.
In addition, when we read from Joshua 10:12, we hear Joshua addressing to God and commanding the sun to remain still until they wipe out all the enemies of Israel during the war with the Amorites. This was a clear command that was directed to God who created the sun and gave it a normal routine. But behold, God respected Joshua’s command and the sun remained still until they had overcome their enemies. There is no power which we can attribute this to apart from the Epikaizo power of God or simply the overshadowing power of God in his life. This power gave him the ability to speak and make things done for the glory of God’s name.
The shining light of God’s Holy Presence
We have also read the scriptures which say that when Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining like the sun while his clothes like bright light and no Israelite could dare look him directly. He had to be isolated for a while so that the glorious light of the lord and overshadowing power could reduce before he could meet with his followers (Exodus 34:29). This is another demonstration of God’s supreme power which can only be attributed to the Epikaizo and nothing else. In such a state, even Satan could not approach Moses. The mountains and oceans could not hurt him neither. They could only give him way.
How to experience the power of God?
This might likely lead you to asking how to experience the power of God. Others might go up to the extent of asking how to experience the Epikaizo anointing of God. By investing more time in meditating on God’s word, you create open doors for the Epikaizo anointing which comes with the mighty power of God. By regularly consuming God’s word, you are creating a big fire from within which will indeed develop much light in you. And the scriptures say that Satan hates light. And for this reason, he will flee away from you thereby allowing room for a greater spiritual expansion.
Jesus Christ promised to give us whatever we ask of Him in order to bring glory in the name of God the Father creator of Heaven and Earth. Hence, if our heart intentions are boosted by love and the desire to be witnesses of Jesus’s gospel, we simply need to ask from the Father through the name of the Son. And once this is done, we believe that our prayers have been answered. Hence, we continuously dwell in the light of the Lord and pray that He leads us to wherever he wants us to do His work through the might of His power in us.
Spiritual replenishing
When operating in the overshadowing power of the Lord, we are called upon to regularly get back to Him for more strength in other to face greater challenges as it was the case of the Apostles whom Jesus entrusted the gospel after his ascension into heaven (Acts 2:4). We recommend that you read our article on how to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ may you prepare us just as you prepared your 12 Apostles and when it is the right time to do your work, overshadow us with the Epikaizo power of the Holy Spirit.
“Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised, and this is the work of God’s Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings” – Romans 2:29
Reflection
We can clearly get the difference between Christians and religious people by simply reading from Romans 2:29 and more insight is received by reading the whole of Romans 2 with the help of the Holy Spirit. We clearly hear how Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans is trying to turn away the hearts of men from focusing on human teachings and instead welcoming spiritual teachings from Jesus Christ.
He did address the people who considered themselves Jews and keepers of God’s commandments. We hear him reproaching them for thinking that they are keepers and teachers of God’s Laws when they themselves haven’t understood neither do they put what they teach into action. While the Jews believed that they were set aside for everlasting life through physical circumcision and other physical rituals, Apostle Paul rather calls Jews anyone who puts God’s commands into action and has had his heart circumcised by the Holy Spirit.
This short passage teaches us much on the difference between following Jesus Christ and being a religious person. The Jews whom Apostle Paul had to reproach were considered as religious people by their time. They were the first people to read God’s laws yet did not seek to truly understand what it meant. They were in error yet believed that they knew everything and that no one could teach them. They saw themselves as righteous guides to the blind as well as light to those who were living in darkness.
These people taught that they had the full knowledge about the Law and could act as better teachers for the ignorant and foolish. The things they were asking others to do were done the other way round by them. This is to say that they did not teach with examples since they said a thing and did the contrary. Yet this did not stop them from being the first people to run to the Synagogue and take leading places. They valued human praise than that of God. And even when God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, they remained in their blindness and refused to listen from Him. Rather they chose to kill Him and remain in ignorance. Unfortunately, while the world is believing in Jesus Christ to be saved, most of them are still dwelling in ignorance up to date.
All the above mentioned facts are characteristics of religious people. They believe that it is by regularly going to church that they are saved. For more information, read our article on why going to church does not make you a Christian. Religious people are more focused on religious rituals than learning and obeying the teachings of Jesus Christ. Religious people prefer to do it the way their ancestors did rather than welcoming the Holy Spirit and allowing it to work within them. Religious people are always listening to God’s words but they neither put these words into action nor even believe from their hearts. Religious people prefer to remain with what they know rather than learning the truth. Religious people will prefer religion which is a set of ritual routines over spirituality which is allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in pleasing God through Jesus Christ.
Prophet T.B. Joshua of the Synagogue Church of all Nations did pour more light on the difference between Christians and religious people where he emphasized on the fact that religious people lack spirituality. True Christians humbly accept that they are poor sinners in need of help from Jesus Christ. In addition, they are more focused on learning and practicing the teachings of Jesus Christ rather than playing the hypocrite like the religious people.
True Christians are fully adopted by the Holy Spirit while religious people are not. Christians are made worthy before God by living the words of Jesus Christ and also allowing these words to live within them. The purity of the heart through Jesus Christ is what actually makes us Christians.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ may you purify our hearts and make us yours forever.
“Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy, as I, the Lord your God, have commanded you” – Deuteronomy 5:12
“But now God’s way of putting people right with himself has been revealed. It has nothing to do with Law, even though the Law of Moses and the Prophets gave their witness to it” – Romans 3:21
“Rather, the real Jew is the person who is a Jew on the inside, that is, whose heart has been circumcised, and this is the work of God’s Spirit, not of the written Law. Such a person receives praise from God, not from human beings” – Romans 2:29
“Some people think that a certain day is more important than other days, while others think that all days are the same. We should each firmly make up our own minds” – Romans 14:5
“For it is not by hearing the law that people are put right with God, but by doing what the law commands” – Romans 2:13
“I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe” – Romans 1:16
“And so, according to the Good News I preach, this is how it will be on that Day when God through Jesus Christ will judge the secret thoughts of all” – Romans 2:16
“Welcome those who are weak in faith, but do not argue with them about their personal opinions. Some people’s faith allows them to eat anything, but the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables” – Romans 14:1-2
“For where two or three come together in my name, I am there with them.” – Mathew 18:20
The reason why going to church does not make you a Christian is quite evident. I have overheard people asking questions like can you be a Christian and not go to church? Have you ever asked yourself why going to church does not make you a Christian? The whole truth is that, simply going to church does not make you a Christian. Perhaps it makes you religious but does not make you a believer in Jesus Christ. But are we trying to say here that going to church is wrong? I attest no, that’s not the message we are trying to pass in this writing.
We are simply trying to bring out the difference between a Christian and a religious person. But what do we really mean when we say that the answer to the question of why going to church does not make you a Christian is quite evident? I’ll ask you a few questions which will better help you to understand the message we are trying to pass here:
Does visiting the presidency makes you the president? I guess no, it’s rather by playing the political game.
Does visiting the garage makes you an automobile engineer? I guess no, it’s rather by taking automobile engineering courses.
Does going to the football field makes you a footballer? I guess no, it’s rather by playing football that you are considered a footballer.
If we are ok up to this point, then why do we want to create an exception in God’s house. Just as a footballer and a non-footballer can move to the football field to watch friends play, a Christian and a non-Christian can find themselves in church.
To be a Christian means to follow Jesus Christ while obeying His teachings. It’s not by finding yourself in church that you become a Christian. If you perceive going to church as respecting the 3rd commandment in Deuteronomy 5:12, then you are wrong. The Sabbath as mentioned there has never existed as a Sunday, rather it existed and still exists as Saturday. But this is not even our problem for the moment because Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:21 that we are not put right with God through the Laws of Moses but through Jesus Christ who fulfilled and revealed the whole truth about pleasing God and gaining eternal life.
Rather we are focus on why simply going to church does not make you a Christian. In bringing more light to this, we can refer to Romans 2:13 whereby Apostle Paul tells us that we are not saved from the fire of hell by simply listening to the teachings of God but by putting these teachings which we hear into practice. That’s why we’ll say that going to church or meeting in a Christian gathering is something very nice as it will permeate you to learn and no more about the teachings of Jesus Christ who said that whenever two or more people are gathered in His name, He is with them and will certainly bless them (Mathew 18:20). But we must say again that by simply hearing his word and not putting it into action does not make you any better than someone who has not received the teachings neither the one who sits at home and reads the Bible but does not apply it.
Instead of dwelling in error by considering our church going duty as one which brings life, it is wise for us to focus on learning and putting into action the gospel of Jesus Christ which represents the one and only truth that leads to God as explained by Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16
Hence it is not by putting more value to Sundays and regularly going to church that makes us safe. While going to church can lead us to being saved by Jesus Christ as we listen to his teachings and put them into action, the process of going to church itself does not bring salvation. Although many people argue that going to church on Sundays is one of the prerequisites to being saved, Apostle Paul encourages us to welcome and not argue with those who consider some days during the week more important than others. In addition, he encourages us to make up our minds about our decisions concerning such while making sure that whatever we are doing, we do it for the glory of God (Romans 14:5)
Since the times of Jesus, Christian gatherings have always been of great importance as they give room for two or more people to sing praises and worship songs to God. It also allows room for the teachings of Jesus Christ. Hence, we encourage everyone to partake in Christian gatherings in order to boost growth in their spiritual lives.
Still in the same light of thinking, Prophet T.B. Joshua of the Synagogue church of all nations (SCOAN) brought more light to this topic by emphasizing that True Christianity is a matter of the heart rather than fulfilling religious observances like regularly attending church every Sunday and reading the Bible in a literal way without being assisted by the Holy Spirit. This is to say that Christianity is more of the heart and that’s why Apostle Paul in Romans 2:16 tells us that God will Judge us from the bottom of our hearts. It is not the physical action of going to church that matters before God, rather it is the heart motive behind the act of going to church that brings a blessing on you. We can clearly perceive this by reading Luke 23:39-43 where Jesus Christ promised eternal life to one of the thieves with whom He was crucified. I don’t think Jesus Christ forgave the thief and gave him eternal life because he was regularly partaking in the church headed by the Apostles. Rather it was the nature of his heart before Jesus Christ. He acknowledged to be a sinner who needed help from Jesus Christ whom he considered God, and indeed Jesus Christ upon seeing his heart granted him life that never finishes. This is in no way to say that we are not to regularly gather as Christians to worship, praise, and learn more about God. It is simply to show the importance of one’s heart in gaining salvation. Jesus Christ during His stay on Earth had always encouraged Christians to love each other and work together towards the same goals thereby showing the importance of a church.
By focusing on Jesus Christ our redeemer, a truly saved person can stand warfare against Satan and his agents. Being Christians mean that we are bound to encounter serious battles and for sure if we are united in the body of Christ as one, it will be very easy to overcome these challenges. These challenges are not aimed at killing us but to make us worthy to receive what God has prepared for us after this life on Earth. You can visit the Synagogue Church of all Nations for more teachings HERE.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may you locate us in your mercy and strengthen us not to only listen to your word but to put everything that you request from us into action. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
“Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person’s heart is tested by the Lord” – Proverbs 17:3
Reflection
I was touched this morning by the Holy Spirit to bring more light on Christian testing. Our base reading comes from Proverbs 17:3 which clearly tells us what to wait as children of the Supreme God. In other words, we’ll say that just as Gold and Silver are tested by fire to prove their quality and value, the Christian’s heart which contains his faith or ability to believe and obey God is also tested in unlimited ways among which are those known and those still to be revealed by God.
If we are requested to name just a few ways through which a Christian can be tested, we’ll give the following: hardship, suffering, disgrace, misfortune, persecution, sickness, poverty, hatred, false accusation, and torture just to name a few. If Jesus Christ was subjected to all these conditions and went through them successfully, are we much better than Him not to welcome them? I guess not because a servant is never greater than His master (John 13:16).
Jesus Christ was not born from a wealthy family neither was He born in a luxurious hospital. He was born in to a box which was serving to feed animals. He suffered his body and subjected it to the will of God by going without food in the desert for 40 days. He was disgraced by having his cloths removed in public and being tortured for the sake of the Gospel. He was finally killed and hanged on the cross before his enemies. His immediate followers were all subjected to suffering and torture which led to the dead of many.
With all these in mind, my spirit shed tears when I hear today’s Christians shouting that suffering, hardship, and trials are not theirs in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures say in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we as Christians must live a life of thanksgiving to God in every situation that we are facing because it is His Holy Will. Get me well, it does not say that we should thank God only when things are unfolding very well, rather we are to double are praises and worships when things are not moving well for us.
We are trying to say here that instead of focusing on the problem that we are facing, we should rather focus on thanking God. And because God knows our heart desires and what is best for us, He will certainly see us through. Prophet T.B. Joshua of the synagogue church of all nations (SCOAN) usually say that being poor does not stop a man from being Jesus’s friend. Suffering does not make you an unbeliever. Hardship prepares you to better appreciate the blessings of God. By blessing, singing praises, and worship songs to God in times of trouble, hardship, persecution, suffering, and poverty does prove your faith in God.
Spiritual promotion comes with a Christian test. If you desire to move ahead in your spiritual life and walk in the impossible dimensions, you’ll need to start welcoming all challenges on your path and thanking God for them. We know what happened to Job, he was indeed the richest man in the east who did serve and love God. When God wanted to take him to another level of physical and spiritual blessings, He allowed Satan to come and test him. Satan made away with all his riches, live stocks, wealth, and even his children. Yet this did not remove the love of God from his heart neither did it give him a reason to curse God and die just as his wife recommended him to do. He remained faithful even when Satan attacked his personal body with intense sickness. When Satan was through testing him, he reported to God that Job had no point of weakness and as a result God multiplied all the blessings that Job initially had thereby making him even more famous and wealthy.
Still in the same light, when Jesus Christ was through with His 40 days fasting in the desert, Satan saw the glory ahead of Him that’s why he came trying to stop the glory with a series of tests. But because Jesus Christ had a deep love and faith for the heavenly father, he remained faithful till the end and now He has been made Ultimate King of Heaven and Earth being at the head of all spiritual and physical powers.
When we are dragged into confrontations with our bodily desires and ambitions, we must not always say that we are tested by God for God Himself does not test us. What he wants from us is our ability to overcome the weaknesses of our bodies in order to do his works. The different situations that we are facing as Christians are not meant to hurt us, rather they are meant to improve us for greater achievements.
We can have another Biblical example of Abraham who was told by God that he will be a father to many nations. Abraham welcomed the message yet He found himself at an old age which could likely bring death at any moment yet he had no child. It is quite clear here that his patience or ability to wait on God’s time was being tried by the physical effects of age and time. It was left for him to challenge those physical elements with the words that God gave him and stay focus on them while waiting for God’s time. As we can read from Romans 4: 20, Abraham’s faith remained strong and focus on God’s words even when his wife could no longer give birth. He continuously believed in the power of God to to make the impossible possible. And behold, God made him a father to many generations. And today, he is called father of faith. Whatever the case, we give thanks to God and pray that He will strengthen our faith in Him even when our surrounding events are showing the contrary.
You can successfully pass the Christian test by soaking yourself with the word of God and regularly coming into His presence for mercy and renewal just as the immediate Apostles of Jesus Christ use to do (Acts 2:4).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come into your Holy presence through Jesus Christ our redeemer and ask of you to keep us firm in successfully overcoming all the trials that are on the way of our Christian race.
“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you” – John 14:26
Reflection
We shall be basing ourselves on John 14:26 to meditate on how to be filled with the Holy Spirit (How to receive the Holy Spirit in full). There is just no way that we can run our Christian journey successfully without the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ knew that upon physically departing from us, we were going to face lots of challenges most of which will overcome us and so decided to give us a Helping partner, the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ has not changed his mind about filling us with the Holy Spirit just as He did in the times of His Twelve Apostles. Still on the same line of proving that Christians can’t do without the Holy Spirit, we’ll refer to the question asked by Apostle Paul in Acts 19:2 when he made with a group of disciples. Upon meeting them, the first question he asked was if they had received the holy spirit when they became believers.
This question is a clear indication that every disciple of Jesus Christ apart from being born again of water must also be born again of the Holy Spirit. In order words we’ll say he/she must ask, seek and receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a mark of ownership which Jesus Christ inserts within our hearts where He dwells together with the Heavenly Father.
Hence, we’ll say that you cannot be a Christian without being filled with the Holy Spirit. You cannot fully please God as a Christian without the Holy Spirit talk less of doing His Holy works. If you dare step out to do God’s work without the Holy Spirit, you’ll simply be inviting trouble, pain, hardship, and affliction to come and dine with you on the same table. That’s why Jesus Christ asked the Apostles to remain in Jerusalem and wait until the Holy Spirit which is the mighty power from above comes down on them before they could step out and be witnesses to the ends of the world about the things He had taught them (Luke 24:49). But does this mean that stepping out with the Holy Spirit frees us from persecution and our daily Christian cross? No, it doesn’t, rather it makes our battles worthy and acceptable in heaven.
In addition, the Bible clearly details out what awaits those who will step out in the name of Jesus Christ without being filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 19:11-17. By reading that scripture, we are told of some Jews who travelled around chasing out demons. They were seven brothers in number and were sons of a certain Jewish High Priest by name Sceva. Upon hearing how the powerful name Jesus Christ was working wonders and rendering possible the impossible wherever Apostle Paul went, they decided to use the name in driving out demons too. But behold, when they commanded the demon to be out in the name of Jesus Christ, the demon responded by telling them that he knows Jesus Christ and Paul but knows nothing about them. And as a result, the evil spirit attacked and almost killed them as they ran out of the house naked with serious wounds.
This is to tell us that the name Jesus Christ can be pronounced by anyone without a major effect, rather it can likely call upon you a great number of battles which will overwhelm you. But when pronounced by a person who is filled by the Holy Spirit, it moves mountains, drives out demons, brings sight to the blind, frees the captives, strengthens the lame to walk, heals the sick, opens the ears of the deaf, raises the dead, chains Satan, and above all brings salvation to mankind as it leads us to life everlasting with God in heaven. This is why every Christian must be filled with the Holy spirit as explained by Prophet T.B. Joshua at the synagogue church of all nations (SCOAN).
The role of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives is very important. He is the Ultimate Helper in our Christian race just as Jesus Christ said. He is our daily Comforter. He is our principal teacher on the things of God. He reveals the mind of God to us. He teaches us what Jesus Christ wants. He makes us to move in the power of rendering the impossible possible for a better testimony of Jesus Christ. He is the Spirit of Truth and Life. He is the Spirit of Christ and the Father. He wants to possess our bodies and govern as our Lord. He wants to set us free, heal us, deliver us, and give us everlasting life. He wants to help us with our daily problems and ease our stress in running the Christian race.
If you want to be filled with the Holy spirit, repent from your evil ways, get baptized, ask Jesus Christ to come into your life with all the blessings that He promised for His followers and be certain that He has done so. In addition, you will have to live a life of prayer, regularly studying and daily doing what Jesus wants us to do. In this way, you will remain in His light and He will overshadow you with the power of the Holy Spirit as well as gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
It is worth adding here that, we are filled with the holy spirit in order to do God’s work. In other words, we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in so as to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to the ends of the World as we teach everyone to welcome Him and His teachings in order to be saved from the fire of hell and turn to honor his/her creator for an everlasting life in heaven. As Christians, we must learn what it takes to ask God to fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit. That’s why we recommend you to read our article on how to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, come and take over my life and fill me with the Holy Spirit. Show me the path you have designed for me in this life and assist me in going through it successfully no matter how difficult the journey might seem.
The scripture says, “I spoke because I believed”. In the same spirit of faith, we also speak because we believe – 2 Corinthians 4:13
Reflection
This verse from Apostle Paul gives us the foundation of the spirit of faith which is first believing and then acting on the belief or simply speaking out what we believe in our hearts. If you desire to learn how to grow your faith, you must take this verse serious.
The spirit of faith does not come in to confess things to happen neither does it comes in to help convince you of their existence. Rather it comes in when you first believe in your heart that what you desire is already in existence before even voicing it out.
When it comes to the spirit of faith or how to grow faith, many people get it all wrong because they are not speaking what they have first believed in, rather they are speaking to believe. In order words, their believe is as a function of the results they’ll get after speaking. This is the case were we find people confessing God’s word yet struggling to believe what they are telling themselves. It is for this reason that they’ll get frustrated whenever things fail to come out as desired.
When we read from Genesis 17:5, we notice that God called Abram and promised to make him a father to many nations. God also changed His name from Abram to Abraham (meaning father to many nations). Abram demonstrated the spirit of faith here by welcoming and referring to himself as Abraham even when he had no child. In short, he simply demonstrated what he believed in his heart and it finally came to pass.
With the spirit of faith, you do not walk by sight or by physical manifestations. You do not wait to have the results before believing. You completely believe and stand firm on the fact that what you believe in has already been realized. We can read from Apostle Paul in Hebrews 11:1 were he makes us to understand that faith is the evidence that the things which we hope for are now realities.
As Christians and ministers of the word of God, we should only confess what we have first believed in our hearts and not the other way round. First believing here means cultivating certainty in the word God. Imagine what you will do if someone pops up claiming that your vehicle is his when you know fully that you have all the legal documents attesting that you purchased the vehicle from the manufacturer. For sure you will laugh out loud because of the certainty you have as owner of the vehicle.
In the same spirit, if you believe and take God for His words, you’ll step out with certainty to declare and manifest your convictions boldly without fear of any failure no matter your circumstances or challenges that Satan is using to stop you. You’ll be able to go an extra mile because you have a proof of what you are saying within you. If you are certain about the promises of God for your life, not even the toughest physical situations around you can turn your attention from God. And for sure you’ll end up inheriting the benefits reserved for those who rely fully on the Lord.
Confession
I believe in every word which was spoken by Jesus Christ;
In the name of Jesus Christ, my faith is producing fruits;
In the name of Jesus Christ, I am what God says I am;
In the name of Jesus Christ, I have what God says I have; and
In the name of Jesus Christ, I can do what God says I can do.
Bestofchristianity.com is a Global Media Ministry. As a Christian Website and Online Evangelical Ministry, Best Of Christianity focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the power of the Holy spirit, and above all the Love of God. It uses the Bible as the foundation to knowing and obeying God. It steps in at the command of Jesus Christ to take the holy gospel to the four corners of the world so that those who believe in him can have eternal life. Under the authority of Jesus Christ, we are Apostolic and Prophetic sons and daughters of God sent out to set the captives free, heal the sick, bring deliverance, give sight to the blind, strengthen the lame to walk and above all lead souls to heaven. It is in the Christian light that we analyze topics like Prosperity, Wealth, Debt free, Credits, Finance, and Money in the Bible.
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