In Him you are free

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Today’s Text: Romans 8:2 “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death”

No other religion, or messiah, can ever lay claim to having the power to set anyone free, not just freedom from sickness, poverty and the likes but ultimately from the clutches of sin and the power of satan (“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:36)

Above all other so called messengers of God, and self-acclaimed gods, Jesus is the only person who died, was buried and without any human intervention rose up from the dead. This unique quality sets Jesus apart; He is the only One who has defeated death, and can give those who come to Him power over death as well.

Do you want to be free? Come to the One in whom in His lifetime, the ruling government (Pilate), and king (Herod) could not find any fault in Him; He was free of sin; He lived a life that no one could speak ill of and this same Jesus lives forever.

Don’t linger in bondage, come to Jesus to set you free

Beaming prayer point:

Father, I come to you today, and I ask that you will set me free from the power of sin and death in Jesus name.

Looking back at Romans Chapter six; Lesson from Rugged maniac (Part 2)

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Looking back at Rugged Maniac, one of the things that made me go through the mud and rush into the gutters was because I saw people around me doing it; I could see the excitement and pleasure on their faces as they jumped and crawled through the mud, and I started thinking “it cannot be that bad and I don’t want to be the odd one out”.
Jesus spoke about the signs that will usher in the end of time and one of the signs is that many will indulge in sin (wax cold), because sin will become a norm in those days (“Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold” Matthew 24:12). Just like I felt compelled to participate in the mud activity because everyone around me was doing it, so also, many are beginning to lower their standards because even those they trust and look up to (public figures, Hollywood stars, leaders, parents and even so called religious giants) are indulging in the sinful acts and the world seems to say nothing bad about it.
Multiplication of sin and the lax on sin, has made many to rethink their faith; they now say if this and that person could do these things, then I too can do them, but one clear thing we need to understand is that just because everyone/majority is doing it does not makes it right, but this should rather make us more alert. (“While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly” 1st Thessalonians 5:3)
Let us be vigilant, because there is no other dangerous time than we are right now; a time where the inconvenient is forcefully made convenient, a time where sinning is what is normal, a time where righteousness is now deemed old school, a time where acting bad is cool (“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” Isaiah 5:20), and many are unfortunately falling for this.
Let us be like Noah, who remained righteous when others were walking away from God, and be like Lot who was grieved daily by the sins of the land, rather than join in (“But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him” 2nd Peter 2:7)

Beaming Prayer point:
Father, may I not be overtaken by the multiplications of sins of this time in Jesus name

Looking back at Romans Chapter six; Lesson from Rugged maniac (Part 1)

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I as a person cannot stand the sight and feel of dirt, mud, spittle and the likes and when I see people smeared with dirt and they seem unconcerned about cleaning it up, it really gets to me. During the rugged maniac event, I was at first very reluctant to engage in the muddy activities and I realized that my disgust for muddy/dirty waters reduced after my first dip; I did not care so much about how dirty my clothes were, I was okay with mud on my face and body and at one point in the race I was actually looking forward to dipping in the mud as it had become a part of the game.

Just like I felt before I ever engaged in the muddy activities, no one ever want to wallow in sin; God made man perfect/innocent and the first time man sinned, he tried to hide himself from God because he was filled with shame and disgust, but as man began to expose himself to sin continually, he also began to become lenient with immoralities and sin slowly became the order of the day; man now looks forward for the next sin without remorse.

In today’s world; movies have to be more perverse to get more views, or bloody/gory to be considered interesting, and all this is mainly because we give ourselves to sin as slaves. One simple dip in sin, has a huge impact on our perception of sin, and as we indulge more and more we lose our sense of morality; the meaning of right and wrong or the purpose for our existence is lost

Let us give ourselves to righteousness and keep our garment of righteousness pure; avoid the mud of sin, because you are comfortable in (sin) does not make it right. Step out and wash yourself, then you will be able to comprehend the true meaning of life (“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” Romans 12:2)

 

Beaming Prayer point:

Father, present me to thyself a glorious Church without wrinkle, spot or blemish in Jesus name

Payday is just ahead

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Today’s Text: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”

Upon graduation from the university and getting my first paying job, I eagerly was looking forward to the end of the month; a day when I get to reap the fruit of the labor I had put in for the whole month.

Just as we get paid our dues at the slated paydays, so will God pay everyone for their deeds. God has promised to reward those who remain faithful to Him with “eternal life in Christ Jesus” and to those who choose to give themselves over to sin, they can expect to be paid with death. What type work are you putting in? Is it to life or death? (“God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness” Romans 2:6-8)

Some have actually started receiving their reward even before the judgement day, but one sure thing is that we will all be rewarded at the end (“The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever” 1st Timothy 5:24-25)

What are your deeds? Do you think they are worth life or death? We determine what we get paid at the end of our life, then why not work towards that which gives life?

Beaming Prayer point:
My Father and my God, help that I will not be deceived by the fleeting pleasures of sin that brings death and also help me to work towards that which will give me life in Jesus name.

Ashamed of sin?

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Today’s Text: Romans 6:21-22 “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life”
We were all born into this sinful world and also lived in accordance to the worldly standards until we met Christ. For those who have truly come to know Jesus, when we look back to the years and remember some things we did, we feel shameful. Sin promises a lot and can be instantly gratifying but it has no lasting benefits and even its consequences can be grievous, (“But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away” Proverbs 6:32-33). Sin promises much more, but delivers very little and the consequences of sin brings the same and most especially eternal damnation and separation from God.
As redeemers, we are not to stay in the place of shame because of our past misdeeds (“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1), but rather we are to appreciate the new life we now have in Christ Jesus, in which there is no regret. Allow the shame and regret that is embedded in sin prompt you to godly remorse which leads to true repentance (“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow” 2nd Corinthians 7:10)
Are you ashamed of the things you have done or you are doing, then come to the One (Jesus) that can take away your shame and pain

 

Beaming Prayer point:
Heavenly father, I surrender myself to you that my life will not bring shame, but honour in Jesus name

Why ask a mad man?

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Today’s Text: Romans 6:20 “When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness”

Urging an unbelieving person to remain faithful to their spouse, not lie to their neighbor, not repay evil for evil, or even commit to raise godly children, can be likened to telling an insane person to see and understand the world the same way a sane person would. Yes, the insane person is also a person, but something is wrong with his/her mental capabilities and thus he/she cannot clearly rationalize as a sane person would.

For someone who is enslaved to sin, there is no control of righteousness in them, because such is already committed to sin and thus telling him/her to live by the rules of righteousness is unrealistic and that seems to be what we expect of people these days. We expect people who do not know God or are yet to submit to His word to live a life pleasing to God.

Have you ever wondered why you cannot comply with the demands of righteousness? It is simply because you are yet to become a slave to it and that is why when sin demands her works, as her slave you are obliged to obey. Before you can expect one to be under the control of righteousness, such must first be a slave to it (submit only to Jesus Christ as the way to the father).
Come to Jesus today and He will grant you the grace and ability to live a life that pleases God (“clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” Romans 13:14)

 

Beaming Prayer point:
Father, I surrender myself to your Spirit so I will not gratify the desires of the flesh in Jesus name (“walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” Galatians 5:16)

I can stop whenever I want

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Today’s Text: Romans 6:16 “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Some claim they are able to do whatever (sin) they want at will and are able to stop if they choose to do so. They watch pornography and commit adultery and the likes and they say they are not addicted to them but rather engage occasionally in them just to keep the body together, but what they have failed to understand is that they are under the control of these sinful acts and as such have become a slave to them.
People usually try these things out of curiosity but before they know it, it would have consumed them and in some cases destroy some people’s lives.
Sin has a horrible grip over those who yield their body/lives to it, it makes slaves of those who do it. Give yourself to righteousness rather than to sin; for if you must be a slave to anything, then be a slave to truth, honesty, love, fidelity, hard work and the likes, such that God and even men honor (“Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people” Proverbs 14:34)

Offer every part of yourself to God

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Today’s Text: Romans 5:13 “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness”

Humans have always exercised the need to be in control. We think we can always decide on when something is good for something and when it is not. Many will devote themselves to the greater good by volunteering their time and even giving up their lives to helping others, and yet they will also be ever so willing to give up their body to the devil for use in sexual perversion. Yes, they do some good deeds, but they still also want a taste of the sinful life.

God does not want PARTIAL or OCCASIONAL submission, but rather He seeks TOTAL submission from us; a life where our lips, thoughts, hands, eyes, time, money, career and EVERYTHING are surrendered to Him.

Be not deceived, for any service that is not in full, is of no use to God, because He loathes the idea of one leg in, one leg out (“because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth” Revelation 3:16).

Many, because of their negligence will lose out on the reward for serving God and will end up gnashing their teeth on that great and dreadful judgement day, not because they did not give any part of their lives to God, but rather because they also gave some parts of their lives to sin and the world (“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:22-23).

If it is your desire to serve God, please do it wholeheartedly, because there is no reward for partial submission. Regarding the Kingdom of God, there is no such thing as in-between, you are either completely in or completely out. (“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” Joshua 24:15).

Choose wisely!