Dressing well

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NKJV)

It is appropriate that we dress-up for the right situation and occasion always. It will be out of place to don the best corporate suit, shirt, tie and shoes to match for a football battle on a field of play. With no protection to the body and the right gear, a wrongly dressed person is just a disaster waiting to happen. Our new man requires this new outfit for effective engagement in our daily encounters and interaction with the world. From the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes for the feet that spread peace and good news, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation to the sword of the spirit, the new man is well equipped to engage the world and dominate according to God's will for our lives.

Are you well dressed on a daily basis? Take a cue from these important accessories of the perfect dress code, lest you make some areas of your life vulnerable to the the tricks and onslaught of our common adversary. Dress well always and

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

A call to Jesus

Friends,

Our Lord is pursuing you and me. In His deep and infinite love, He is chasing us. He has paid a price far higher than we can comprehend simply to claim us as His own. He has responded to this request ...

Song of Solomon 2:17
Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved,
And be like a gazelle
Or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether. [NKJV]

Where does this request come from?
Who cries out for the Lord to "Turn ... and be like a gazelle", racing towards us?

It is the desire of the new heart, of the new man in Christ. It is heard when the LORD creates in us a new heart. And the Lord of lords hears that desire and comes running.

Be encouraged, Jose

Friends,

We are naïve if we believe that we are immune from persecution and trouble. The world hates Christ. Therefore the world hates the followers of Christ. We should not be surprised when the violence of muslims and atheists is condoned with silent appeasement. We should not be surprised when the slaughter of Christians is accepted as left unchallenged.

But this will not last forever, brothers and sisters. The LORD has told us what is coming ...

The nations have sunk down in the pit which they made;
In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.
The LORD is known by the judgment He executes;
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
Psalm 9:15-16

Be not intimidated nor afraid. Fear not the persecution of this world. Look ahead to the coming victory of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Be encouraged, Jose

The spirit sustains

14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, But who can bear a broken spirit?
Proverbs 18:14 (NKJV)

The breath of life is in the spirit embedded in us. The spirit sustains the body and gives us life to function as humans. A vibrant and healthy spirit will ignite and enliven a broken body, but a broken spirit who can bear?

Keep your spirit aligned with the Creator and Giver of life, for even in sickness, and when the body is fragile and vulnerable, the spirit sustains and keeps the body.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

The Walk of Authority

Friends,

When salvation is manifested in a person's heart, they are transformed in an incomprehensible number of ways. That man is no longer a slave to sin, but he is free to belong to Christ. That woman is no longer dead, but is alive. It is Christ in us that does these things. And it is Christ in us that has been called to exercise complete authority over heaven and earth ...

Psalm 8:6 [NKJV]
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,

It is a stunning act of generosity and trust by Almighty God.

It is absolutely imperative that we walk in this authority ... and in complete submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

New Bible studies

Friends,

New lessons from our groups' studies of Judges and Isaiah are now available. Also, a slide-show presentation of the Song of Songs has been published, as well.

Please visit Bible Study Audio to hear, and see, what the LORD has to say in these important lessons.

Be encouraged, Jose

Identity Crisis?

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel;
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Numbers 13:1,31-33 (NKJV)

The Almighty God had a 'done deal' for the children of Israel. The Land was already packaged for them, only waiting to be delivered. Prior to their possessing the land, God wanted them to get a glimpse of that which has been set aside for them. Unfortunately there was a crisis of identity with some of the men that were selected to spy this land. They failed to see themselves as God saw them... How unfortunate!! They exhibited a grasshopper mentality, a stunted and faithless stature and perspective of themselves.

If God says it, then He will do it. If He declares anything about you, it is a done deal, ours is just to believe His word and declarations. We must know who we are in Him and operate in such mindset at all times.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Gladness in our heart

Friends,

Consider all the LORD has done for you. Consider His kind admonishment and chastising. Consider His boundless generosity and overwhelming love...

Psalm 4:7-8 [NKJV]
You have put gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Lift up your voices, O people of God. Praise the King of kings!

Be encouraged, Jose

Stand firm

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food;Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God [c] is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV)

In what looked like a perfectly written and executed script, you have crossed the t's, dotted the i's, yet you are no where close to your desired outcome. There's even enough present evidence to spur disillusionment, discouragement and even despair. In these scenarios, what do we do? Habakkuk removed any shadow of doubt on what his plans and response would be irrespective of what the outcome was.

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18 (NKJV)

The 3 Hebrews knew the fatal consequences of their choices in light of the king's fury, yet they did not budge. They stood firm on the fact that one certain God exits and remains faithful in all things. Friends, I can confirm and validate that truth, He is forever faithful, don't budge, no matter what.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

It is enough

Friends,

Some believers refuse to engage in certain types of ministries. They say that they are not "gifted in that way." I confess that I have done the same. I am privileged to be married to a true prophet of the Lord. And through her words, this particular weakness was exposed.

Sisters and brothers, in various seasons of life, we are called to do certain things, and called not to do others. But to say that we lack a particular gift is to say that Christ's gifts are limited, finite, and not quite enough to fulfill the Father's promises.

This simply untrue.

Ephesians 4:7 [NKJV]
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The grace of Jesus is sufficient for every calling and every ministry.

Be encouraged, Jose

More new Bible study lessons from Isaiah and Judges

Friends,

New lessons from our continuing study of Isaiah and of Judges have been published. You'll find them by visiting Bible Study Audio. I pray that you are profoundly blessed by them.

Be encouraged, Jose

The privilege of understanding

Friends,

Many ask why.

Why are you not enraged?
Why are you so peaceful and content?
Why do you help them?
Why do you forgive those that have wronged you?

Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice,
But those who seek the LORD understand all. [NKJV]

Those of us who have been adopted into the King's family have been called to seek the LORD. Through that pursuit, we gain understanding and wisdom. Not the wisdom of this world or of this age. But the wisdom that begins with the holy, reverential fear of the LORD.

Therefore we understand justice and are equipped to truly practice it. We are given that precious gift of understanding. And we are privileged to use it.

Be encouraged, Jose

Arise

14 Therefore He says: “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
Ephesians 5:14 (NKJV)

When His light comes, we step out of a blurry, fuzzy and hazy mode to clarity and purpose. They that are asleep and dead cannot fulfill purpose neither can they achieve destiny. A life that is not fulfilling purpose is a signal for one in need of resurrection. Every soul was created for a reason, a purpose and mission.

May we find our 'what and why' so we can fulfill our purpose in the world to the glory of God.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

How to be a target

Friends,

The strategies of the enemy are fairly predictable. He attacks when we are tired and weak. He distracts with busy-ness. He whispers (and shouts) lie after lie. But most insidiously, he separates believers from one another.

Proverbs 18:1
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all wise judgment. [NKJV]

It is the same tactic used by predators on the hunt for their meal. Separate one from the herd and it cannot defend itself.

The enemy separates us from our fellowship, so that we are less accountable.
The enemy separates us from the Word, so that we struggle to know our Master's voice.

It is why we are commanded not forsake the fellowship of believers. It is not a suggestion. It is not a helpful hint. It is declared forcefully in God's word.

If you are under attack by the world, the flesh or the devil ... then examine your life. Are you in fellowship? Are you in corporate prayer? Are you seeking out the company of believers?

Be encouraged, Jose