“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.
Few people like TB Joshua, Prophet Shephard Bushiri, Pastor Chris, Pastor Alph Lukau were fortunate to receive their calls to serve God at a younger age with a deep degree of certainty. Many people upon feeling the call of God upon their lives often experience mixed emotional feelings.
Knowing that God is calling for you to work in His vineyard can be awesome and exciting. However, you might just believe that you cannot serve God due to a few personal reasons or you might still be experiencing a sense of doubt or uncertainty about the calling on your life.
Uncertainty leads to questions like what is God’s calling for me, what is God asking me to do, how to know God’s will for your life, how to discover your calling, and the how to know the call of God for my life. Whatever the case, stay calm and relaxed as we are going to unfold the best ways through which you can actually know what God wants you to do. Just keep on reading and remember to subscribe for further teachings like these.
Before we proceed into discussing the main subject matter, we’ll like to add here that a good number of people find reasons why they firmly believe that they cannot answer God’s call for their lives. Whatever be the case, you owe it to yourself and will have to answer that with God alone. Just make sure that you are not backsliding because of doubt, fear, or a sense of insufficiency.
What is God asking me to do (God’s calling or call of God for my life)
Many Christians and ministers of the gospel have either given elements of answers or answers to the old question of how do I know what my calling from God is? One of the answers which caught my attention was that from Prophet T.B. Joshua who said that whatever you do through God or whatsoever God accepts you to do through Him is your calling.
When we read Psalms 119:105 we are made to know that God’s calling in our life is revealed by getting to know Him more through the Bible which is His Holy Word that brings salvation. Hence, we should hold tight to God and remain in his presence by regularly studying His Word and singing praises and worships to Him. He will, in turn, transform us by the power of the Holy Spirit and show us the way just as promised in Romans 12:2.
Your call may be a leadership call in the government, church, ministry, business, family, media, sports, entertainment, neighborhood or just anything that God allows you to do through Him. It is not strange to experience doubts about your vocation at some point in your life. At such moments you might seriously begin to doubt if you even have a call from God. Whatever your case, just see on to it that you remain in the light of God for guidance. And always remember that whatever you do through God is your calling and that you can use it to bless the Body of Christ in one way or the other.
God blesses us with talents and gifts which can bring glory to His name in one way or the other. Simply figure out yours and develop it to the top. God will indeed be pleased to see how you value what He has blessed you with. Among God’s deposited talents within us are skills in science, teaching, public speaking, artistic work, designing, cooking, writing, singing, painting, and leadership just to name a few. On the other hand, we also have God-given gifts that are aimed at blessing our spiritual lives and allowing us to bless those of others. A few of such could be the ability to excellently preach the Gospel like Apostle Paul, Work miracles and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit in order to set free those whose hearts have been captured by Satan, the ability to encourage, the ability to lead praise and worship services, the ability to walk in the power of the holy spirit, the ability to prophesy, the ability to genuinely love, and wisdom.
Stand firm in your calling
Galatians 1:10 pours out greater light on what it means to stand firm in your calling. Reading from it, we hear Apostle Paul saying that he knows fully that He was called by God to be an Apostle that is why he does not seek to win the approval of men but that of God. He further says that if pleasing people was his goal, he would not be a true Christian. By saying so, we realize that he was deeply certain of the call of God in his life that is why his main objective was to please God and not men. Most of us often turn to lean on the words and comments of men just to have them kill our convictions about our calling. Your calling is between you and God alone. If you are seeking to get approved by men rather than God, you won’t be seeking to serve God. Apostle Paul further calls on us to carry out the ministry that the Lord assigned to us without fear of any human neither need for any human approval (Colossians 4:17).
We must carry our cross every day to follow Jesus Christ
There are things that God might want us to do but the challenges in doing them keep us discouraged and afraid to step out. You might not want to abandon the wealth you have gathered and are enjoying in the main city of the country to travel to faraway areas in the bush to do God’s work. Others might simply be filled with fear of risking their lives. Some people might simply be afraid of facing the challenges that lay ahead in the journey of carrying their cross and answering their calls to work for God. Others might be blinded by the riches, wealth, and pleasures of this world. Whatever be your case, just remember that God cannot give you a mission which He knows that you cannot make it. When God calls us, he prepares us for the task ahead. This preparation time might seem long but we must remain patient and continuously study His ways till He releases us for our mission. Still on what God’s calling for my life is, it is wise to pay attention to the different ways in which God communicates with us being dreams, persons, Bible, visions, internal voice, audible voice, and strange ways. God can use any one of these to tell you what he wants you to do.
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.
“I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and through itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him” – Mark 11:23
Reflection
This Bible verse is one that makes my heart to shade tears due to our ignorance about the power that Jesus Christ has given us. Indeed, He has given us the necessary power to change situations around us for the best. All that we need in order to accomplish this is faith. If we can stand on the words of Jesus Christ and act on them, we will reach the impossible.
Many people claim to know the Bible yet they are not acting on it. It is very common to hear a Christian say something like “by His stripes we were healed” yet they are still laying on the sick bed. This is an example of weak faith. It is useless to know the word when you cannot apply or act upon it. We must always remember that Jesus spoke spirit and life giving words which are still capable to wake you up from your sick bed, free you from suffering, and above all give you everlasting life.
Weak faith comes as a result of not exercising the spirit and life giving words of Jesus Christ. It is said that by his stripes we were healed, then what are you still doing on the sick bed. If Jesus Christ has given us the power to command mountains to uproot themselves and be deposited in the oceans, we can also exercise this very power in changing the situations that are around us. The main problem that we have is our unbelief and inability to take Jesus Christ for His words.
This creates need for you to learn how to grow your faith and make it mature enough to walk in the impossible dimensions before the eyes of men. It is only through faith that we can reach the impossible. The gap between the physical and the spiritual dimension is linked by faith. The miracle you are looking for can be achieved through faith. You’ll just need to grow your faith and put it into action.
If you are serious about learning how to grow your faith, you’ll have to start by saturating your body and spirit with the word of God. By regularly studying the word of God, you gain consciousness of the promises He has reserved for us. With time, these life giving words will create an unbeatable faith within you which will allow you to speak and make the impossible possible.
In order to grow your faith, you must regularly exercise it. Don’t worry about the number of times that you fail neither dwell on your mistakes because it is not about you but about Jesus Christ. Call on Him to strengthen your faith to the level that He wants. And for sure He will give you faith in an unmeasurable amount because He said anyone who asks for anything from Him without doubt will definitely have it.
Not exercising your faith or not walking on the word of God can be compared to a person who regularly eats huge quantities of food but does not exercise his muscles. It is without doubt that his muscles will grow big but remain weak due to lack of exercises. In the same light, if you continuously listen God’s word without acting upon it, you’ll always have a weak faith. Every life challenge is likely to overcome people with weak faiths. Weak faith creates fear and allows room for Satan to manipulate those having it.
The chief cure for weak faith is acting and walking on the word of God. In order words, we are trying to say that you need to take God for who He says He is. One of the best ways on how to grow your faith is to start acting on the words of Jesus Christ without any doubt or fear. By reading from 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are called upon by Apostle Paul to give thanks to God concerning every situation in our life. This is a perfect place to start. Challenge yourself to see beyond the troubles and hardships that you are presently facing by living a life of praise and worship. Allow everything in the hands of God because nothing happens to us without His knowledge.
Prophetic decrees
We should learn to speak the words of God into our lives. It is time for you to confess that by his stripes you were healed and that your place is not on the sick bed. By the authority in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth:
wake up from your sick bed;
be set free from every satanic bondage;
may your faith be strong;
may your faith in God stand the test of time;
may fear leave your life; and
may you succeed in the things you are doing.
Prayer
Heavenly father we beg on you to have mercy on us, show us the light of your favor, and above all strengthen our faith to take you for who you say you are. May our faith prevail as we put your words into action in our daily activities. We ask all these in the name of Jesus Christ.
The act of repentance is part of a Christian’s life for the scriptures say that there is no one who is righteous (Romans 3:10). We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That is why we must learn how to repent in order to remain in His presence through Jesus Christ who paid the price for our sins on the cross of Calvary.
Before we knew God, we were living in sin thereby implying that we needed repentance. Now that we know God, we regularly fall prey to sin due to our weak bodies hence in need of repentance. Even the scriptures say that the righteous falls 7 times a day hence in need of repentance. It is true that our spirits are willing to follow God’s ways but we must not forget that every day, we are fighting against our body which is weak.
With all these at hand, we must acknowledge that we are poor sinners in need of repentance through the Blood of Jesus Christ on daily basis. At times we sin without even knowing. And these sins can disrupt our relationships with God. In some cases, they even prevent our prayers from reaching God, that is why we must always start our prayers by asking God to forgive us of our wrong doings.
What is sin?
Before we get into how to ask for forgiveness from God properly, it will be wise to start by pouring more light on the definition of sin. Should in case we are asked what is sin, we’ll say it is anything that we say, think, or do that does not please God neither does it brings glory to his name.
How to ask for forgiveness from God
As Christians who want to remain in a close relationship with God, we must learn to regularly repent and strive to do what is right before God.
1. How to repent: Cultivate humility
Being humble to recognize your faults before God is the first step to repentance. It is possible to lie to yourself and other people but it is not possible to lie to God. He is everywhere and He knows everything. There is just nothing that we can hide from Him. Thus, if we are guilty of wrong doings before Him, we should always acknowledge and be sorry about these wrongs.
2. How to repent: Reflect on the things that you have done wrong
Find some free time and isolate yourself for repentance. Do your best to remember the things you have done that are not in accordance with the Holy will of God. Try to remember every detail as this will help you to gain consciousness of wrong doings and better take precautions to avoid them in the nearby future.
3. How to repent: Desire not to get back to your wrong doings
Although we turn to fall prey to sin on daily basis, we must desire not to do the wrong things over and over. Here, we ought to pray and ask our Heavenly Father to give us the necessary strength in order to stay away from wrong doings.
4. How to repent: Ask God to forgive you
God is your Heavenly Father, talk to Him, confess your sins and beg for His mercy and forgiveness. Let your request for forgiveness come from the bottom of your heart.
5. How to repent: Trust in God for forgiveness
Although God hates sin, He loves us and He is willing to welcome us back to Himself after we have requested for His pardon through Christ. But does this mean that we have to regularly dwell in sin because God will forgive us? I don’t think this is what we are trying to say here, rather we are saying that you must be deeply sorry for your wrongdoings and desire not to get back to them. And when you ask for forgiveness from God, trust in His forgiveness and ability to help you in living a better life.
Daily communication with God is part of our Christian life. It forties and strengthens us in knowing and doing what God wants. This creates a need for everyone to understand what is an accurate prophecy, how to prophesy accurately and how to receive a prophetic word. God is raising prophets from all angles of the world to prepare the second coming of Jesus Christ. The prophetic is a powerful gift from God that acts as a great tool in winning souls into His kingdom. And we all know that as Christians, we have a mission to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the world. While only a few are chosen and called prophets to operate in the prophetic ministry as God’s special messengers (Ephesians 4:11), every believer or mature Christian can prophesy according to Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 14:1.
All that believers require in order to prophesy or proclaim God’s message is the desire and love to do so. For we are living in the last days and God spoke through his servant prophet Joel saying that in the last days, He will pour His spirit on everyone. And that His spirit will lead the sons and daughters of men to fully proclaim his message while bringing visions and dreams to the young and old men respectively (Acts 2: 17-18). With this in mind, we see how important it is to take measures on proclaiming God’s message accurately as possible. But before we get into how to prophesy accurately or our 20 key ways to receive and release an accurate prophetic word from the holy spirit, it will be of great importance to start by answering the question of what is prophecy.
How to Prophesy Accurately
What is prophecy (the meaning of prophecy or definition of prophecy)
A lot of people get it wrong on defining prophecy or the act of prophesying. But why should we remain in ignorance when the Holy Bible clearly tells us the meaning of prophecy. By reading from 2 Peter 1:20-21, we are taught that a prophecy is an inspired message from God. In order words, a prophecy could be considered as a divine revelation.We can further increase our knowledge on the definition of prophecy by reading from Acts 3:18 where we are told that prophets are people who receive messages from God destined for others.
Was John the Baptist the last prophet?
While many people argue that John the Baptist was the last prophet and that there are no more prophets in our days, we also have a good number of people who believe strongly that John the Baptist was not the last prophet and that God is still saying something today through the prophets of our times. Whatever the case, we won’t have to look too far since the Bible gives us elements of answers concerning this issue. The Holy scriptures are very clear about the fact that God is the same today, yesterday, and forever. Given that He has not changed, He is still doing the marvelous and wonders that He did in the past.
In this same light of thinking, we are made to know clearly in Ephesians 4:1-11 that Jesus Christ upon giving his life for mankind did share gifts to the whole human race among which we can find the prophetic gift. Still from the Bible we are made to know in Acts 11:28 that one of the prophets after the death of John the Baptist who was named Agabus did speak under the influence of the Holy Spirit about the way Apostle Paul will be captured and killed for the gospel’s sake. At least we are certain that he was a prophet of the new testament who came after the death of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. This is sufficient to make us believe that God is still saying something through His prophets and that He is calling on us to give Him a listening ear.
How do prophets hear from God?
Have you ever wondered how do prophets hear from God? Perhaps once or on several occasions upon requesting an online prophetic word (online prophesy) or a physical prophetic word from a Man or Woman of God. This worry increases whenever you get an accurate prophecy from the man or woman of God. In addition, it creates in you the desire to learn how to prophesy accurately too. However, you must not be stressed up because there are ways on how to prophesy accurately through the help of the Holy Spirit. We are going to present them as our writing unfolds. But before we present these ways on how to prophesy accurately, it will be wise to have a look at the different ways through which God speaks to His servants on daily basis.
1. Writing
Writing has always been a major channel that God uses in passing His message on to us. By writing, we mean everything written down on physical materials as well as in our hearts. By reading Exodus 31:18, we realize that God did pass his laws to Moses through writings. In addition, God did promise through his prophets that He will write his laws in our hearts and engrave them in our souls. That’s why we should clean our hearts in order to make it a dwelling place for the law of the Lord God. By writing here, we also refer to the writings of the teachers of God’s laws in the Bible. Reading the Bible on a daily basis is one of the best ways to hear what God is saying.
2. Visions
God regularly speaks to his prophets through visions and does promise to increase the intensity of visions seen by the sons and daughters of men as we can read from Acts 2:17-18. A good number of visions come when the prophet is fully awake and conscious while others turn to deeply implicate the prophet that he/she participates in them. We can respectively backup these ideas by reading from Isaiah 1:1 and Luke 9: 28-36. Furthermore, God had and is still transmitting His message through visions to the prophets when they are in a state of trance. We can backup this idea by reading from Acts 10:10.
3. Oral communication through angels
All through the history of mankind and his relationship with God, angels have proven to be of primary importance. Abraham considered the father of faith did receive instructions from God through an angel (Genesis 22). Moses who led the Israelites out of Egypt did receive a message from God to give pharaoh through an angel (Exodus 3). In addition, God had sent many angels to dictate His message to the prophets on several occasions. We can have an example of such by reading from Exodus 34:27.
4. Dreams
It is God’s wish and promise that his children will have meaningful dreams. Just as in the past, God is still communicating with us through dreams. We can read from Acts 16:9-10 to see how God passes messages to his servants while they are asleep.
5. Guided thoughts
God guides the thoughts of His prophets in order to convey His message and make His perfect will done. That’s why it is written in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is inspired by God. In order words, we will say that God uses his spirit to breathe in ideas into the minds of his servants. It is for this reason that prophet Samuel said that the message was God’s but the prophets choose the wordings. (2 Samuel 23:1-2).
6. Through other Christians
This is one of the ways through which God speaks to us today. He can perfectly speak to you through someone else. We have had several cases where God speaks to people through others both in the old and new testament.
7. New and strange ways
We cannot confine God’s ways of action. He can speak to us through ways that have never been heard since the creation of the world. He did use a donkey to speak to and warn his prophet just as he was able to speak to Moses through the burning bush. And He can still do it today in greater dimensions.
How to prophesy accurately: 20 key ways to receive and release an accurate prophetic word from the Holy Spirit
If you have ever asked for an online prophecy or a physical prophetic word which turned out to be 100% accurate that you really wanted to know how to prophesy accurately, then you are at the right place. There are different ways to prophesy accurately which have been tested and proven right. Whatever the case, we must always fully rely on the Holy Spirit to use us while allowing everything to be done according to the will of the father and not ours.
1. Desiring to prophesy accurately
Just as we can read from 1 Corinthians 14:1, the process of learning how to prophesy accurately starts with the degree of love you have for the prophetic. If you don’t believe in the prophetic, it won’t work for you. If you believe and desire it, God who knows our hearts will see onto giving you just the best. By desiring, you will be led to take steps ahead in growing as a prophetic person. Desiring the prophetic gives you a point of focus thereby creating a high degree of determination to succeed within you. And once you are focused, you’ll be able to overcome all the challenges and obstacles that Satan will bring on your way.
2. Count on Jesus Christ alone
While there are so many false religions out there with black satanic powers to see into the future and disclose the hidden, we must keep tight to Jesus Christ as the one and only person that can freely offer us the true ability to prophesy accurately. Remember that those who are using satanic powers are on the way to their own graves and their fruits can never last talk les of standing the test of time. A bad tree cannot bear fruits so you should not expect anything good from Satan or any of his agents. Hence, no matter how desperate you might be in learning how to prophesy accurately, always remain tight to Jesus Christ and He’ll see you through.
3. Ask, seek, and knock
As written in Mathew 7:7-11, we as children of God are free to ask Him to inspire us with accurate prophetic words whenever need arises for us to speak out. Apart from asking, we can as well seek and knock in order to show Him how determined we are and the value we give to the prophetic. For sure if we ask, seek, and knock, our heavenly Father will certainly see us through. But the problem is that many people turn to be afraid of making mistakes, afraid of deception or being influenced by the devil and his agents.
Satan is the root of fear and as Christians, we ought not to fear anyone apart from God. Jesus Christ made it very clear to us that we cannot ask for the prophetic gift from God and He gives us something else. God loves us so much and wants to regularly interacts with us. That is why our heavenly father spoke through His prophet in Jeremiah 33:3 that we should call on Him in times of joy and sorrow for Him to show us wonderful things which we have never heard or seen before.
4. Wear your priestly garments
In Jesus Christ, we are a new creation. The old in us is gone and the new has taken dominion over us. Being God’s children gives us the right to wear our priestly garments and recover our inheritance of the prophetic dimensions. Putting on the priestly garment here is simply a call for us to value the things of God as well as spend high quality time in his presence. We can be sure of finding God’s face if we step out in faith and strive to obey his commandments. Thus, we must keep aside quality time in order to listen from God and minister to others. It is written in the scriptures that the testimony of Jesus Christ is the true spirit of Prophecy.
5. Regularly find time to be alone with God
This is a prerequisite for any believer who desires to learn how to prophesy accurately. Regularly finding time to be alone with God will allow you to be able to distinguish His voice from other voices. If you desire to give accurate prophetic words, you’ll obviously have to learn how to distinguish God’s voice from the thoughts of your mind and your own personal imaginations. By keeping aside time to be alone with God will also allow you to better interpret his messages and know what to do whenever you receive any.
6. Actively listen before you step out
If you are in a Christian gathering or prayer ministry, you’ll obviously need to clearly perceive a message from God before uttering it out. Make sure that you receive the message in full before stepping out as this will give you a direction on what to do.
7. Make the process of listening to God a lifestyle
If you are serious about learning the ways to prophesy accurately, you’ll have to be informed that it is not a one-off experience. The process of accurately listening to God is a whole lifestyle which has to be cultivated and refined to truly be accurate. By regularly creating contact and communication moments with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are able to clearly discern His voice from the other voices that bombard our minds from every angle and hour of the day.
8. Develop good habits
It is only through good habits that our bodies are made dwelling places for the Holy spirit. And once we are filled with the Holy Spirit, it will be very easy to regularly receive inspired messages from God about ourselves, others, and even nations. Thus, in our quest to learning how to prophesy accurately, we must refine our characters to that of Jesus Christ.
9. Welcome quickened and revealed words from the Holy Spirit
In God’s church, the spirit of prophesy is a life bringing one. Thus, we must always see on to it that the words we receive for ourselves and others are highly quickened (life bringing). Just as Apostle Paul instructs, we are to speak forth words of comfort, edification, and encouragement in order to help our brothers and sisters in the Christian race. (1 Corinthians 14:3). Let our words bring spiritual life into the hearts of our fellow Christian brothers. Words out of this context won’t be better than dead words. We can receive quickened and revealed truth from the Holy spirit about a person or a community through scriptural verses, flashes of pictures, and impressions or fragments of sentences in our mind. It is left for us to pray and ask God to help us to better interpret and pass the message as He wants.
10. Make use of your faith
You have never seen Jesus Christ but you believe in Him. This is so thanks to the faith which is a supernatural gift from God to those who love Him. If you were able to use your faith to obtain salvation from God, you can also use this very faith to activate the gift of prophecy. Pray and ask God to give you the necessary faith to obtain what you need from Him and for sure He will do so. It is by faith that you can activate your gift of prophecy. And every believer prophesies according to the degree of faith that they have. That’s why some will prophesy only to a few persons while others will prophesy to as many people as they can find.
11. Stir up the gift of prophesy within you
From 1 Corinthians 14:1 we realize that every believer has the gift to prophesy. Although not all of us are called to operate in the prophetic office, we have been given the ability to prophesy thanks to the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. But are we trying to say here that anyone can just wake up one morning and start prophesying? I don’t think that’s our message. The gift is like an engine and the process of stirring it up represents fuel.
We all know that an engine won’t function without fuel the same as you won’t prophesy without stirring up the gift within you. That is why Apostle Paul challenged Timothy to rekindle (stir up or arouse from dormancy) the spiritual gift which was imparted in him when he gave his life to Jesus Christ. Thus, if you are serious about how to prophesy accurately, start stirring up that gift as from today. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you throughout the process.
12. Eliminate fear
Over the years, fear has been a major drawback factor that holds many believers from growing in the prophetic. Many people are afraid to make mistakes while others are afraid of wrongly misinterpreting what they are seeing or hearing. We must always remember that fear is Satan’s tool to distract us from inheriting our heavenly blessings in the prophetic. Don’t be afraid to step out and listen from the Holy Spirit. God loves to see us seeking to know His heart. Making a mistake or wrongly interpreting what we see or hear in the prophetic realm does not make you a false prophet.
A false prophet is considered so because of the motivations he has in mind. If you are not seeking your own glory either praise but that of God, then your intentions are clear. God who judges men from their hearts will bless you. Have you ever assisted and seen how messy the coming of a baby in the world looks like? But once everything has been cleaned up, the whole place is full of joy and happiness due to the baby. If you make a mistake in the prophetic, do not slow back in cleaning up the mess and moving ahead.
13. Avoid dwelling on past mistakes
While many people are kept stagnant in the prophetic due to fear of making mistakes, others are bandaged in their past mistakes and won’t dare to make a single step ahead. The whole truth is that all these factors will prevent you from properly operating in the prophetic realms. Accept your mistakes, learn from them, and step ahead for there are better moments and experiences ahead of those who are courageous enough to persist.
14. God is always saying something to bless the body of Christ
We are the body of Christ. We are highly loved by God who is always speaking forth a blessing unto us. That’s why prophetic ministers are called upon to yield themselves to the spirit of God in order to speak forth blessings to the body of Christ. Genesis 1 reveals unto us how God spoke things into existence. He is still the same today. If He speaks a word in our lives, we can be sure of having everything changed.
15. Keep your mind alert
Because God is still saying something and will always say something, we as prophetic ministers must keep our minds alert especially when we ask a message from Him. At any moment, God can quicken a sentence, word, thought, or picture into our minds. Just a single word can get you going into the prophetic. That’s why the psalmist wrote that we are to open our mouths and allow God to fill it with words (Psalms 81:10). You’ll better understand this by pulling one string from the sweater. This single pull is capable of disintegrating the whole sweater.
This also applies to the prophetic ministry, keep your mind alert and a single word or inspired thought can get you going. While others wait to hear a big voice from the Sky through their physical ears to tell them what to do, it is not always the case. God dwells within us and also speaks within us. Just as Apostle Peter said that a prophet is master of the spirit within him, you can’t wait to have your mouth overridden by the Holy spirit. You are responsible for speaking out what the Holy Spirit is revealing in your mind.
16. Develop a high level of focus
You won’t get an accurate prophetic message if you are not focused. When you request an accurate prophecy from God, believe that He can give more than what you are requesting from Him. Stay calm and clear your mind to receive anything that comes from God. Ask yourself questions like what do I see, what do I perceive, what do I smell, what do I feel, what do I sense, what thoughts am I receiving about this situation. When we read from Isaiah 21:3-4, we realize that God speaks to us through our spirits. At times, it might sound as if we are the ones speaking.
17. Respect the goal of prophecy
We do not prophesy haphazardly or for fun. Prophesy has a main goal to achieve within the body of Christ. If you perceive prophecy as fun, you are getting it all wrong and stand the chance of never being able to clearly hear from God. The end result of the prophecy is to bring honor and glory to God’s Holy Name while bringing men and women closer to his presence through Jesus Christ. The spirit of prophecy is out to pour light within darkness and turn the hearts of the wicked and those that dwell in evil back to God (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).
The spirit of prophecy is not out to make fun of others nor judge or condemn them. It is rather out to encourage them with love to see the light that comes from Jesus Christ the giver of eternal life. In addition, the spirit of prophesy is out to set the hearts of the captives free and to restore man’s place before God through Jesus Christ our lord and savior.
18. Keep your mind holy
Apart from sending us inspired words, God can also manifest himself within us through our emotions. That’s why prophetic ministers must pay attention to every single emotional feeling they get instead of trying to kill it. Nevertheless, they must also seek to discern and make sure that it comes from God. Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we as Christians have the mind of Christ. Hence, we must filter all thoughts that come in our minds in order to keep them holy and make them dwelling places for God’s spirit.
19. Worship and praises
If you have asked and haven’t received it, then it is time to seek and knock until the doors of heaven are opened up for the Holy Spirit to come down with gifts to dwell within you. This can be done by regularly and continuously being in worship modes with God. Praises and worships are Christian tools that move the heart and hand of God to grant our wishes.
20. Believing in Jesus Christ
Believing in Jesus Christ is easily said than done. Most of us claim to be believers yet there are no believer’s fruits in our lives. Believing in Jesus Christ has to do with welcoming Him as the savior of the world, as the one and only truth, as the one and only way that leads to God the father creator of heaven and Earth. Believing in Jesus Christ has to do with welcoming and putting his teachings into practice.
If we as Christians can carry our daily cross to follow Him by living the kind of life He lived and requested us to live, He will bless us with every gift we request from Him. Jesus Christ did prophesy on several occasions, His disciples did the same and we can also do the same today. He promised that anyone who believes in Him will do the things He had done and even greater things (John 14:12).
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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