It's the season to be merry and gift-giving is common at this time of the year. Often, presents are wrapped up in brightly-colored paper and a bow is placed on top.
Those colorful packages draw us in. There's something so attractive about them, right? Some of us will do almost anything to get our hands on one of them. It's the same mistake so many of us make in life. We look at someone or something and fall hook, line, and sinker for their 'packaging'. We are influenced by their look. However, Christians are commanded to see past the physical appearance of a person. John 7:24 - Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
We examine a person's clothes, bags, home, and car and we think they've got it going on. Alas, those things are all superficial. They are not a true marker of how a person is actually doing in the physical and definitely not in the spiritual. Many have chosen to 'fake it till they make it', living a life of lies and shadows that will come crumbling down in an instant. We should not envy such people or even want their lifestyle of deception (Proverbs 24:1).
Instead, we are to focus on the fruits produced by their life. "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). What impact does this person have on yourself and others? Do they display godly fruit such as bringing joy to others? Or is this person the one who gets everyone gossiping or riled up? Does this person's life act as an example that God would use to highlight how you should be living or is it the opposite? As you ponder these questions, please note that the standard at issue isn't the world's. The standard to be met is God's.
As we look at other people's 'packaging', let us also be conscious of our own. Do we present a pretty box to observers while our interior is anything but? Do both our private life and public persona align with God's word? Or are we just pretending for others? Never forget what happened to Ananias and Saphira who pretended to be pious but were revealed for their deception by the Holy Spirit. Jesus taught in Luke 8:17 - For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
Praise God that through Jesus we can be the complete package - pretty on the outside and even more beautiful on the inside. Through Christ, we can produce good fruits that serve God and give Him glory. He wants this for us and when we submit our lives to Christ, we get cleansed from the sin that once made us filthy. From that point onward, the Holy Spirit helps us to live a life pleasing to God with nothing naughty hiding out of sight. This is because the blood of Jesus washes us and makes us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). And as we rely on the gift of the Holy Spirit, we start to live lives free from the stifling burden of sin (Romans 8:2).
Take a good look at your 'packaging' - the public face you present. Is it godly or do you think the Lord would want to change it? Ask Him to help you represent Him to the fullest in public and honor Him to the fullest privately. He will surely help you because He loves you and wants the best for you.
FINAL MESSAGE
I have a strong sense that many of the recent messages we've received in P&P are meant for someone.
There is somebody who reads these messages that has been resisting God on something. He wants you and is gently seeking you out. I implore you to open the door to His knocking. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Whoever you are, I believe you need to say the prayer included in the Altar Call post (Post #2) and mean it. You need the Holy Spirit to help you with something. God wants to help you but you struggle with disbelief and it is a seed that the Lord didn't plant in you. Let Him uproot it, please.
We've been going over the same and similar messages and that tells me there's somebody God is trying to reach in our midst. I pray that you will read this message and genuinely ask Jesus to come into your heart to stay.
Please submit to Him. I can freely testify that since I made that choice I have been living in an atmosphere of miracles for years. I've seen God do what others thought was impossible. He literally changed the law for me based on a simple proclamation I kept praying. I'm not kidding. And that's not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the things I've seen God do for me and for others. Why deprive yourself of that experience?
Please, stop delaying. God is patient but He operates on a schedule that no human can understand. Even Jesus acknowledged there are things He didn't know. Stop stalling and fully submit to the Lord. Let Him help you!!!
God bless you.
CLOSING PRAYER
Hallelujah to the Lord!!!
We've arrived at the end of another hour of fellowship.
God, we thank You for this chance to gather with one intention - to honor You. We pray that our worship rose as a sweet-smelling incense and that our prayers for others rose to You as a memorial offering. Kindly hear and answer our petitions for our prayer subjects and be Thou glorified, IJN Amen.
From AC - Abba I pray for those who have turned away from and towards the occult and all manners of witchcraft. You warn that anyone who loves and practices such evil falsehoods and abominations, will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. So we bind and cast out every evil, stronghold, power, principality, and ruler of darkness amongst us and cancel any assignment of the enemy. We declare that You are the power Who sits on the throne and every knee shall bow of things in heaven and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. In His name, we pray, Amen.
From AC - Thank You Lord! Miracle Worker, Giant Slayer! We give You all glory!
LAST 10 MINUTES
Packaging. On some level, we all do it. However, we can never forget that God sees right through us. He wants our public face and our inner heart to be identical and beautiful to Him. He has made room for this to be possible. So, if you don't think you can do it, please believe me when I say God can make it happen for you.
The key is to desire that consistency and submit to how God will make it happen in your life. Listen, we see other people and might be tempted to want their lives but all we need is the life God has designed for us. It will be one where we are walking with Him in harmony and His goodness and mercy will look really good on us.
If you want to look like the package God created you to be on the inside as well as the outside, then let us pray -
Lord, God Almighty. Thank You for Your mercy and grace upon our lives. Thank You for being the God who sees us as precious. Father, we seek to be beautiful within and without, made splendorous by You. Help us to see ourselves and others as You see, and to walk as You will. Open our eyes to Your reality, IJMN, Amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray whatever is a source of worry in our lives that you will take care of it. Your word in Matthew 6:31 says worry won't add a moment to our lives yet we continue to worry. Abba please help rest in your comfort and authority. Help us shift our focus from the natural to the spiritual. Thank you Abba for fighting our battles. Helo us to be reminded that fear and worry are not your future IJMN amen
From sis FJ - Dear God, be exalted. You are mighty and there is no one like You. King of kings, I know that You are the most high. Because You are already the greatest, please continue to deliver Your sheep from wicked leaders and false teachers. The Bible calls them people "of depraved minds" and Your word promises that they will not last long. Since their time is short, please swiftly rescue Your sheep from these wicked people. Isaiah 66:17, “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things”. Lord You are warning people to not follow false leaders who eat unclean things, because "they will meet their end together with the one they follow" (Isaiah 66:17). God, mighty God, God of Justice, please rescue Your children from every false path. You do not desire the death of the sinner, so even for those who belong to You who may be submitting to a false teacher, please rescue them from the wicked teacher. In Jesus name, amen.
From M22 - ABba I thank you for sis @FFJ . Thank you for strengthening her. Thank you for her, her family, her job and interests. May she never grow weary in running this heavenly race. I pray that she will continue to be a vessel for your glory and this community will continue to expand as you speak and prophesy through her IJMN amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray for orphans across that world. I pray that you will continue to be their father and mother. I pray that you will wipe their tears and they will not have to feel that parental absence. I pray that you will continue to nourish and nurture them so they can fulfil their destinies IJMN amen.
From M22 - Abba as we approach the holiday season, I pray that you touch the hearts and minds of people experiencing loneliness and sadness. I pray that you connect then with people and communities that will make them feel welcomed and celebrate with them this season IJMN. Amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray for everyone that is sick and recovering. @k @B2 and many others that are seeking your divine healing. I pray that your healing permeates their cells, systems, blood vessels and organs Abba. I pray that you guards the hearts and minds of every medical staff as they lead patients to recovery.
I pray Abba that you coordinate the eyes and hands of every operating surgeon and I pray that every surgeries being conducted will be successful and complication free IJMN amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray for women due for delivery. I pray that you guard the hearts and minds of the doctors and midwives so they can deliver their babies safely and without complications. Help them rest easy in your comfort and authority knowing they'll deliver either ease IJMN amen.
From M22 -Thank you Father for the Morris Heights Building residents. Thank you Abba for shielding everyone of them from disaster. As they navigate the events and finding shelter, I pray that you open up doors and opportunities for them IJMN amen .
From AC - Abba, In this season of peace, hope, and goodwill, I lift in prayer my loved ones and all Your children who are without hope and joy in their lives. Please renew within them Your spirit and let them know that even in the midst of their loneliness and pain, You are right there with them, for You are the God Who sees us (Genesis 16:13) and Your compassion never fails. I thank You for assuring us that You will meet all of our needs according to the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus. In His precious name, I pray. Amen
From M22 - Abba I pray that you settle every conflict and war in this world. Every human is precious to you no matter their race or affiliation. Abba I pray that your peace in Phillipians 4:8 will cover this world IJMN amen.
From M22 - Abba for everyone struggling financially and in need of provision. I pray that you supply all of their needs through your glorious riches according to your word in Phillipians 4:19. May they never lack moving forward IJMN amen
From sis FJ - Dear God,
I pray for all ministers and leaders that You are using for Your will. God please encourage them. "Make strong the feeble knees" and strengthen their weary bones. Please send them hope and encouragement to propel them forward. Show mercy to them God, because of the sake of Your name, and Your remembrance of their "labors of love". Thank You God for always upholding those who belong to You. Anyone who calls on Your name will never be put to shame.
From M22 - Abba I pray for couples seeking the fruit of that womb. I pray that you bless them with healthy beautiful babies that you will help them nourish and nurture IJMN amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray for children across the world. I pray for your protection, preservation and nourishment over them. I pray that you will continue to shield them from violence, harm and abuse. Father I pray that you will continue to nurture them so they can advance your kingdom here on earth. Help them serve their purposes. IjMN amen.
Good God, You are the Almighty. Nobody compares to You. Father, thank You for hearing my prayer for people that they come to a knowledge of You as You promised in Jeremiah 24:7. Thank You for giving people a desire for You. Thank You for whetting their appetites for more of You. Thank You for letting hearts clamor for You. Thank You for kindly pouring out Your Spirit on all mankind in accordance with Your word in Joel 2:28. Be glorified, Lord our Redeemer.
Now and forever more, IJMN, Amen.
From M22 - Abba I pray for everyone of us struggling to align our lives in tune with your will. I pray that you grant us clarity and discernment to adjust accordingly. I pray that you help us to personify who you are in private and in public. Help us to continually be vessels for your infinite glory. Amen!
From sis FJ - Almighty God,
I thank You for being our Daddy. When we call to You, You will answer us. I lift up to You all the desires of my fellow Peppers. Please look at their hearts and cause their desires to align with Your good and perfect plans for them. The Bible says that whatever we ask in alignment with Your will will be granted. God please grant the desire of every living thing, as You promise in Your word. Amen, in Jesus name.
From M22 - Heavenly Father I want to thank you for every single Pepper. Thank you for bringing us together to praise, pray, worship and intercede from January till date. Thank you Lord for your promises will continue to manifest in our lives. Thank you Lord for every beautiful news you are bringing our way this season and moving forward! Amen.
Father, I just want to appreciate You for Your grace. It is only because of Your grace that so many horrible things have passed by without touching me or mine.
Thank You, Lord.
Lamentations 3:22 - Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
PRAYER TIME
We have worshiped our God so we could enter His presence.
Now, we must lift up prayers for others.
Please pray eagerly. Imagine if someone was praying for you. Would you want them to say a lazy prayer or would you prefer they said a robust prayer on your behalf?
Therefore, treat others as you would like to be treated and pray with zeal on their behalf.
God, I woke up singing and dancing in bed this morning.
I didn't know why but I've learned to thank You for such blessings.
So, God, I say praise be to Your Holy Name!!!!
Mighty Defender.
Glorious Redeemer.
Sovereign Lord.
As always, You never disappoint. I soon got a message about Your glorious power in the life of someone I know. You are too sweet, my Lord.
Jehovah Talk & Do. For Your kingdom is not about talk but about POWER.
Hallelujah!!!
Keep moving mountains, Lord. Keep stunning the world. Keep showing off.
You are God all by Yourself, my Father. Hallelujah to my Daddy God oh!!!
Dependable Jesus!! Thank You for the miracle in Morris Heights! A portion of a 6-storey building fell and nobody died!!!
Helper! You are the Amazing Helper! Thank You for sparing lives. I have no idea how You did it Lord, but that doesn't matter.
You are He who sent those in the destroyed units miraculous help and I am grateful for Your mercy upon them all.
Wonderful God, I thank You!
From M22 - Rest for us today, heavenly Father
We lift our eyes up to You
As You granted rest to our father Abraham
Please grant us rest
Alpha and Omega, we surrender our hearts to You
Let us not wander away.
Thank you Abba for granting us rest according to your word in Matthew 11:28-30. We are grateful that we can give you every burden and receive your unending rest. Amen!
This was playing on the radio this morning and given what I was praying for at the time, I just knew I had to share it.
From AC - Psalm 95:1-3
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
Mighty God of triumph, and breakthroughs! You are a Champion, the Almighty Conqueror! Yahweh Sabaoth Warrior God! Thank You for this BIG thing You have done. Thank You for Your victory in this legal battle. This win could have only come from You. Take all glory, praise, and adoration!!! I bless You Father and celebrate You. Glory Hallelujah! Amen, Amen.
Praise be to the Lord my God!
Father, I exalt You because You are my Redeemer and Protector. Thank You for always being there for me. Thank You for Your kindness and great mercy upon my life.
I am grateful.
From AC - Amen and Amen!
Gracious Father, thank You for Your everlasting mercy and grace that redeems and sustains us. May You purify our hearts, so that Your light emanates through us, that we may produce good fruits - not only in our public lives, when other eyes are watching but in our private lives as well. In Jesus’ holy and righteous name, I pray, Amen.
Good morning Pepper fam! I am grateful to be able to praise and pray with you all today. Hallelujah!
PRAISE TIME
Psalm 100:4 - Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name (KJV).
We're going to pray for others in about 25 minutes but before we do that, we must obey Psalm 100:4 in order to enter God's presence.
So, lift up your thanksgiving and praises!
From SN - Father, thank You for always providing us with everything that we need. Thank You for keeping us. Thank You for our health, right minds, and our salvation. Thank You for saving us. Thank You for protecting us and comforting us.
Lord, we're just here to say thanks!
You hear our prayers and You answer them. You are good, honest, just, and faithful. You never leave us stranded nor do you forsake us. You are here when we need You and we are here to praise Your name. Enter us, Lord.
From AW - Father God, please help me live a life that is more pleasing to You. I know I am imperfect, but I want to try my best to live according to Your will. Please guide me and help me to make the right choices. I pray that I will always put You first in my life and that I will obey Your commands. I want to serve You with all my heart and soul. Please help me to live a life that is honorable and glorifying in Your name. IJMN. Amen!
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From BI - Thank You Heavenly King for this beautiful rainy day that You made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank You for my showers of blessings. Thank You for lifting Your countenance upon me and granting me Your transcending peace.
Thank you for today’s word sis @FFJ. Introspection is always a good thing in our spiritual journey. I am far from perfect but for the grace of God. May we always remember that God sees everything including our thoughts. May God help us to mirror the godly men and women of the bible who lived righteously even when it was inconvenient. May we be receptive to the counsel of the Holy Spirit and live to please God always, IJMN Amen.
From JSEE - Good morning.
In the name of the Father, of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Lord please rain down your mercy on us. And may we behave kindly toward our neighbors. Amen.
Holy Mary, mother of our Lord and all the saints of heaven, please, pray for us.
Giving glory and honor to God most high, AMEN.
From M22 - Abba I thank you for this beautiful community of Peppers! Thank you for life, mobility, abundance, provision, protection and much more. I pray Abba that you will continue to strengthen our devotion to you. I pray that our love, praise and actions will continually be a sweet offering to you IJMN amen!!
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ . Today's word is insightful as always. Thank you for reminding us that when we truly become rooted in our identity as children of God is when our private and public personas are aligned with God's will for us. Today's word reminds me of when Samuel went to the house of Jesse and was looking at which of his sons would become King. God told Samuel to look at their hearts and not their physical appearance. For a moment one of the older sons looked promising because of his stature but God really saw through David and singled him out. I pray that we will continue to align our hearts with the word of God and our devotion to him. IjMN amen!!
ALTAR CALL
Each of us is a sinner who has turned from the Lord. We have thereby fallen short of giving Him His due glory. And yet, God, in His mercy does not hold our iniquity against us. He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve.
The reason for this is Jesus Christ. He was sent to earth to die for you and me so that by His sacrifice on the cross, all can be redeemed and restored to God.
But, we must each repent and turn back to the Lord, so that the stain of our sins is wiped clean and times of refreshing may come our way (Acts 3:19).
Repenting and giving our lives to Christ, also solidifies the anointing and call of God on our lives, so that we can begin the journey to playing an essential role in God's kingdom on earth. Through this step, we receive Holy Spirit, the great gift Jesus promised to all who would believe in Him. Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the Advocate, the Teacher, the one who reminds us of everything Jesus taught.
Would you like to sign up for this? Would you like to receive the refreshing and joy of God? Have you tried with all your might to solve your own problems but to no avail? Are there challenges that look like mountains too high to conquer?
Jesus is the answer to every problem. He is your salvation and brings you the relief you need.
If you are tired of trying to figure things out on your own and want that relief, please say the following prayer from your heart:
Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I confess my sins right now to you. And I believe that you are the son of God. I believe that you came, you died, you rose from the dead, and you paid the price for my sins. Today, I accept the new life and all that comes with it. Today I welcome the Holy Spirit. Come dwell in me, make Your home in me and I will never be the same again. In Jesus's name, Amen.
If you said that prayer and meant it, Congratulations!!!
Now please make prayer a regular part of your life. It is simply you talking to the Lord. Also, please start reading the Bible and ask God to make it come alive for you. It holds all the answers you need. Seek to be water baptized and ask God to lead you to a church of His choosing.
To learn more about the faith and find answers to some questions you might have, check out this handy page - ! How to have a stronger relationship with YHWH God! And consider watching this series (click on the text) on the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
The Lord bless you!