The Lord recently took me through a sobering experience some weeks ago. I realized that if I'd left this world before He taught me a crucial lesson, my next port of call would not have been heaven.
You might wonder what could be in my life and character that would have kept me out of heaven. God revealed aspects of my personality that I hadn't fully yielded to Him. As such, my flesh was derailing my journey to heaven. And it was all my fault because I hadn't allowed the Lord to rid me of the aspects that needed to go.
This was a tough pill to swallow. God pulled back layers - almost like an onion's skin - to reveal the parts of me He wanted gone. As reality dawned, I cried out for mercy and repented. Indeed, as Hebrews 10:31 states, it is a terrible thing to be in the hands of the Lord. When He reveals the truth about your flesh and what it is doing to you, it can be painful.
Nevertheless, I knew His goal in revealing these things wasn't to condemn but to save. Years ago, I learned from King Asa's experience that when God reveals flaws it is better to repent as David did when Prophet Nathan confronted him after he killed Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. Nobody, least of all me, wants to deal with the alternative.
I prayed for a new spirit and a new heart, leaning on His word in Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And can I tell you something? He was faithful enough to deliver! Overnight I felt different. I had a new understanding of 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. He restored the joy of His salvation in me. And by His grace, I'm walking with Him like a newborn lamb. My legs are a bit wobbly as He trains me afresh but I know He's right there to guide and keep me safe.
Realizing that my life was lacking the complete submission needed to enter heaven made me realize I couldn't be the only one in that position. Many of us are living better than unbelievers and while that is good it is not enough because our flesh is not fully submitted to God. And where the flesh has dominance, there is sin. The Bible alerts us that where there is sin, there is death.
Allow God to have His way with you today. There may be aspects of your character that still need finetuning. Let Him handle that. Consider the things you do or say then regret. Place each of these things at His feet and allow Him to remove them from you. All they do is satisfy the desires of your flesh. You've got to hate the desires of the flesh if not God will leave you with them.
God bless you. Join us for today's fellowship when we'll spend the last 10 minutes praying to kill the desires of the flesh so they don't kill us and derail our journey to heaven.
To learn more, please click the hyperlinks included in the message and read:
Messiah in the highest
This worship is for You
Messiah in the highest
My Hallelujah is for You
Regardless (x6)
How I feel
Hallelujah (x6)
My Hallelujah is for You
Ope mi po (My joy is plenty)
Ope mi po lodo re Oluwa mi (My joy is plenty in my Lord)
You know my flaws
But still, Your love is the same
Oluwa mi (My Lord)
I cannot explain
how you took all of the pain
That's why e no go commot for my mouth (That's why I will never stop)
Forever I'm singing Your praise
CLOSING PRAYER
Almighty God, thank You for the mercy You have shown us in allowing us to gather peacefully. Your covenant of peace rests upon us and keeps the wild animals away so Your own can lie down and rest even in the wilderness. Hallelujah!
Lord, today, You taught us about the deadly power of our flesh and Your eternal authority to strengthen us against its influence when we call on You. By Your grace, we were able to pray for ourselves so that we will be empowered to resist our flesh and submit only to Your will.
Dear God, now hear as I pray over us with Your word in Psalm 51:12 - Restore to [us] the joy of your salvation, and make [us] willing to obey you (NLT). Lord, Your word says that if we know You have heard us then we know You have answered us (1 John 5:15).
Therefore, thank You for hearing and answering us. We look forward to the new heart, the new spirit, and the restoration of the joy of our salvation as we go forward with You. Thank You again and again. Glory be to Your Holy Name, IJN, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
Last year, my pastor told us to pray to learn what God wants removed from us, then He said "Don't go looking, just trust God to show you." Boy, He wasn't lying. The Lord has kindly been revealing the hidden sins lurking in blind spots.
The thing about hidden sins is that there is no way anyone can find them on their own without His help. This is because we're so used to these sins that we don't see them as a problem or at least not problematic enough to get radical in eliminating them.
Praise God that He is God. He is responsible for His children and like a good parent, He corrects His own and is always working to perfect them. He wants us to be like Jesus, His firstborn, and so He is fashioning us to be less like what our flesh desires and what He wants for us.
I pray that this short post combined with today's message expresses why we need to let God work on us. I also pray these messages highlight how deadly our flesh is. Trust me, the devil knows and it is feeding our flesh everything it needs to control us if we don't allow God to control us instead.
If this makes sense, I encourage you to say the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for steering me to this message. Thank You for this is an expression of Your loving desire that I be delivered from my flesh and the hidden sins lurking within.
God, I call on You today to reveal how my flesh controls me. Reveal the hidden sins lurking in my blind spots. As You reveal, Lord, please empower me with the grace and skill to walk free.
Remember that You sent Jesus to die to break every chain holding me captive. As such, I pray for a new heart and a new spirit. I cry out with Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. IJN, Amen.
I wanna see Your face
I wanna know Your heart
I wanna walk with You
Everyday of my life, God
Lord, I pray for all Your people wherever they are. May they exist in the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Lord, Your word states in 1 Samuel 2:9 - He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails;
Dear Father, Your word stands forever. You will guard Your children and they shall not step where You do not allow. Thank You for preserving them, IJN, Amen.
Father God, I pray for my friends and others in the Federal Government. I pray for Your peace of mind and rest to surround them. I pray for Your favor to surround them as a shield. I call on You to silence the chaos seeking to create anxiety, fear, and disbelief in their hearts.
Lord, may all who are yet to know You come to know You. May they understand Your love for them and Your fervent commitment to protect them.
The righteous need never fear the sudden disaster that befalls the wicked because Your own word states that You will do nothing without informing Your prophets. May Your children stand in their calling and authority against all that seeks to drown them, by Your power and the name of our Savior, Jesus. Amen.
From JIR - Please Lord look over all widows and orphans. Please turn their mourning and sorrow into joy and gladness. Please bless them to take You as their refuge. Please take them under Your wings Lord and shield them from those looking to take advantage of them. Please bless them with the oil of joy for mourning. Please touch their hearts Lord to turn to You and rely on You for strength and guidance. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - I pray for every person in the P&P community to continue seeking Your face, Lord. I pray that You continue to guide us, direct us, correct us and teach us all for Your glory Lord. I pray that we always seek You to show us Your ways and we continue to be the salt of the earth all the days of our lives. IJMN. Amen.
Oh, I was living a reckless
But then You came in
And You rewrote my story
I don't wanna go there (Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah)
I don’t wanna go there
I don't wanna go there (Ah-ah, ah-ah-ah-ah)
I don't wanna go there
So I beg You save me
Take my will and
Make You break me
Me I want to
Be Your vessel
No gallivanting
And I like the way You slow down
Slow me down
Anytime I hit a road map
Way no please ya
’Cuz You got me on Your mind now
Mind now, mind now
I'm always on Your mind now
Mind now, mind now
You got me on Your mind now
Mind now, mind now
I'm always on Your mind now
Mind now, mind now
You got me on Your
From JIR - I pray for those facing lay offs and those who are seeking employment. Please Lord bless them with the strength they need during this season to carry on. Please Lord touch their hearts to seek You and to put their faith in You during the job searching process. Please open up doors for them that they couldn’t imagine and bless them to be placed in the right places, with the right people. Lord, please bless them with job offers in abundance and guide them to select the job You choose for them. IJMN. Amen
Father, thank You for being the God who knew it was necessary for a blood sacrifice to be made for the freedom of those You made in Your image.
Dear God, the word states that if the Son of God sets you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36). Thank You for this promise.
We know that the devil wants those You created for Your glory and pleasure to believe that freedom is not their portion.
But You oh Lord have all authority. Your dominion is eternal and everything in this world belongs to You. Therefore, those You created are subject to You alone.
I hereby pray, my King, that Your people recognize and hold onto the freedom they received through Christ. Let every lie from satan be burned in the fire of Your Spirit. No more deception for where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom for Your own (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Thank You powerful God, IJMN, I have prayed, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
Can you take the next few minutes to pray to God?
Don't pray for yourself. Pray for someone you know and care for instead. Or pray about an issue that affects a lot of people.
Next, pray for another person you care for. Then pray for somebody else, too.
Feel free to share your prayer point so others can join their faith with yours for the person you are praying for.
Once again, I join Your daughter in thanking You for the safe delivery of her nephew. I pray for sis JIR and her family that they shall continue to rejoice and have plenty cause to smile because of You. IJN, Amen.
Since sis Mimz isn't around to pray for parents in waiting, I take this opportunity to lift up her oft-stated petition. Please, Lord, look fondly and with compassion upon Your children who are waiting for the fruit of the womb. I pray that they will receive from You their bundles of joy and that by Your grace, they will raise children for Your glory. IJN, Amen.
From JIR - Thank You Lord for Your love, mercy and grace. You are Who I look to and depend on. You are Who I need. I can’t do life without You Lord. I put my hope and trust in You. Thank You for never leaving me and for always watching over me. Thank You for caring for me so much that You sacrificed Yourself for my sins to be forgiven. I am forever indebted to You and will worship and praise You all the days of my life. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
Lord, I want to thank You for my loved ones, thank You for putting them in my life. Thank You for surrounding me with Your love and compassion. I am grateful.
From JIR - Thank You for today’s message Lord. I pray that we all take heed. Thank You for loving us to the point of disciplining us for our transgressions. We fall short of Your glory every time but You are always there to guide us and place us back on the right path. You do not lie and cannot fail and want what is best for us all. Thank You Lord for being so invested in us. You alone are worthy of all praise. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR -
Father, I want to thank You for the Savior Jesus. Thank You for the role He played in purchasing my freedom. I'm grateful that You determined I was worthy of Your grace and kindness. Thank You for not depriving me of You.
Glorious God, thank You for Your love and grace. Thank You for being the God who silenced the enemy and ransomed the world for me.
Thank You for being my God in all things and at all times.
Thank You that I can always call on You and no matter what I know You are coming to my rescue.
Hallelujah!
PRAISE TIME
Don't think you should praise the Lord?
Okay, but please don't let the flesh win, folks.
Give Him His due worship because the Bible tells us that's how we get to enter His presence.
Come and see that God is good...
From JIR - Thank You Lord for another brilliant day that You have made. Thank You for breathing life into us this morning and the birth of my nephew this morning. Thank you for being the God of miracles. You have me in awe and I thank You for the mercy and grace You show to each person on this earth. You are too good to us and I pray that we all realize Your goodness so that we never take Your love for granted. All glory to You my King. IJMN. Amen.
Thanks for today’s message sis @FFJ. This actually has me shook! I need to really reexamine myself and meditate on today’s word. This is not to be taken lightly and has me thinking about areas in my life in where my flesh needs to be crucified with Christ. Thank you Lord for blessing @FFJ with the courage to testify on such a sensitive topic which now has me looking in the mirror at myself. I need to pray to God on this and I pray we all look to Him for answers and solutions as they relate to ourselves regarding today’s message. IJMN. Amen.
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From BAB - Gotta meditate on this.
ALTAR CALL
I usually share a written message at this point, but I watched this video yesterday and thought it might be better to watch this. It explains why and how to submit to Jesus Christ and become a member of Heaven's Household.
God bless you.