A knowledgable love

Friends,

A child loves innocently. It is all heart ... no head. There is no real thinking about their love, they just do it. It is beautiful and precious and wonderful.

Yet there is something missing, isn't there? An adult's love is richer, more complex and more substantive. Yes, there is an emotional component, but it is strengthened by a thoughtful, even rational component. In its full expression, love is willful, possessing the benefit of judgment, maturity, experience and balance.

Philippians 1:9 [NKJV]
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment

In this verse, Paul is encouraging Christians to grow in love. It is evidence that we are becoming more Christ-like.

Jesus loved the Father.
His love was deep and genuine at every level.

He certainly had affection for the Father. He had a childlike adoration of His Father. He had a deep intimacy with the Father, too. He had a mature companionship with the Father. He had an unshakable friendship with the Father.

These are not the attributes of a shallow, purely emotional love. Rather these are the characteristics of a mature and enduring and reasoned love. Such a love is impossible without a knowledge of the beloved.

The question today is this. How well do you know the LORD?
Not how much do you know about Him, or how long have you known Him.

How well do you know the LORD?

Be encouraged, Jose

Sowing

“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.
Luke 8:5 (NKJV)

The Sower here was someone who was invested in his/her future. One with the a fervent expectation for an expected end and bountiful outcome. He was liberal in his sowing.The idea was he sowed generously wherever he went. Even though some fell on stony ground where it was rejected, some on thorny and hostile ground where the seed was choked and some on good ground that brought forth an incredible ROI (return on investment).

Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,...
2 Corinthians 9:10 (NKJV)

Sowing is done in the physical, but the multiplication and increase is divine. It is in our interest to sow.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Don't hold back

14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14 (NKJV)

Everyone called to the Lord has a role and purpose to play. We have been set apart to fulfill a specific mission for God's kingdom. As there's time for everything, our time and season to manifest is apparent and we must never hold back. The success, breakthrough, victory of someone, a people, nation and generation is dependent on your individual role.

Holding back, remaining neutral, or inactive is not an option, we must be revealed, we must manifest for the glory of Him who has set us apart.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

More Bible studies for you

Friends,

The latest lessons from the book of Judges and the book of Isaiah are posted. Please visit Bible Study Audio to listen to them and hear what God has to say to us today.

Be encouraged, Jose

How you know

Friends,

Dramatic and spectacular events happen the world over, and in our time - more than ever - we can see them unfold before our very eyes. Some are thrilling, others terrifying. But often, their impact is far removed from our daily lives.

Even though they seem more mundane, the daily occurrences that shape our lives are no less compelling and impactful. We must discern the source of these events if we are to know how to respond.

Matthew 7:16 [NKJV]
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

What is the fruit of a traffic jam? Is it frustration, anger and hatred? Then the proper response is pray against those spirits, and to release patience and contemplation.
What is the fruit of an overcooked meal? Is it disappointment and resentment? We know that our Lord neither disappoints nor harbors resentment ... so we know that it is part of an attack. So we pray against disappointment and resentment; and we pray for contentment, forgiveness and grace.

The examples are endless. And surely you can see this applied in your life. Do this today, and witness the healing and strengthening of the Holy Spirit.

Be encouraged, Jose

Heed the call from the Lord of hosts

Friends,

Everyday we are called to battle. And, unfortunately, too many ignore this call. Perhaps they believe that the LORD does not notice. But He does.

Ezekiel 7:14
They have blown the trumpet and made everyone ready,
But no one goes to battle;
For My wrath is on all their multitude. [NKJV]

When you and I take it upon ourselves to "pick our battles", we are in fact usurping the authority of Almighty God. Why would we think that's a good idea?

Today, brothers and sisters, we are engaged in a spiritual war ... not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers. Our great weapons are the very Word of God and the fervent, constant prayers of the faithful.

Christians the world over are counting on you to pray against the advance of the enemy. Answer the call.

Be encouraged, Jose

Tune up

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23 (NKJV)

Connection with Jehovah God requires His grace, mercies and kindness for a steady signal void of interference and distortions from the elements and legitimate concerns and anxieties of life. A self re-evaluation of our thoughts, concerns and anxieties isn't out of order to check and gauge our alignment with His will for us.

The way and path of everlasting we must not stray away from. One wrong step can be easily corrected, but many steps will only detach us and cut us off from the main source, the throne of grace and mercy. Search and cleanse your heart always and ensure a clear connection with the source of life at all times.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

A worthy challenge

Friends,

Everything is important to God.
The reverse is also true: Nothing is unimportant to God.*

With this in mind, we are challenged ... and well-served ... to examine every thought, every action and every word. Measure them against this standard:

Philippians 2:3a [NKJV]
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit

It is truly a great challenge - worthy of energy and great enthusiasm. This passage challenges you and me to stop and think before speaking: are my words self-serving or will they encourage and edify another? These words call us to stop and think before acting: will my actions bring joy and comfort to my brother or sister, or are they meant to draw attention to myself?

To obey this passage is to imitate Christ Jesus and, in so doing, bring great joy to our Heavenly Father.

Be encouraged, Jose

* note: Man cannot function in this state, for when he tries, the result is the opposite. But God is not man. His abilities are not limited.

New Bible studies published

Friends,

Lessons from the past several weeks are now ready for listening and learning. Please visit Bible Study Audio to get the latest from our studies of Isaiah and of the book of Judges.

Be blessed and be encouraged, Jose

Courage in the face of the enemy

Friends,

As believers, we are under constant attack from the enemies of God. Satan and his host of fallen angels seeks to destroy His followers at every turn. The flesh is ever-ready to succumb to temptation. And the world daily expresses its hatred of Christ and His people.

We are truly faced with a ruthless and persistent enemy. And yet we can be brave.

Psalm 3:5-6
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
NKJV

We can sleep peacefully, knowing that the LORD sustains us with the same vigor and endurance that He sustained David, the writer of these verses. No matter who was aligned themselves against God's Kingdom, we can face them. The Lord shall be victorious. And so shall we!

Be encouraged, Jose

Seize your Seed-time

22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night shall not cease.”
Genesis 8:22 (NKJV)

This natural law has been declared from the beginning of time and its holds true up till this day. Our beliefs or faith inclinations can't alter this truth. As the earth remains, God declared that these seasons and events shall not cease.

We must not miss seed-time for our harvest to be sure.

Be encouraged

Afolabi

Boast only the work of God

Friends,

It is far too easy for a man's ego to fool him. We are quickly convinced that the Lord saved us because of our good works, our compassion or our willingness to serve our fellow man.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded.
By what law? Of works?
No, but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Romans 3:27-28 [NKJV]

Our salvation is utterly dependent on the grace and love of a wholly sovereign God. Nothing is outside of His will or His power. We boast only His mercy. And we give glory to only true God who is worthy.

Be encouraged, Jose

He is not kidding around

Friends,

Are you taking the LORD lightly?
Have you allowed yourself to believe that God's command to "Be holy, as I am holy" no longer applies to our generations?
Are you operating under the belief that Almighty God isn't paying attention?

There will come a day when the word will go out across all nations ... and ALL will turn to hear...

Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, The world and all things that come forth from it. For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, And His fury against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them, He has given them over to the slaughter.
Isaiah 34:1-2 [NKJV]

These are sobering words, brothers and sisters. The voice of the LORD will call all nations to account. The believers and the non-believers will hear Him and be required to acknowledge Him.

We who are counted among His people will see the victory of the mighty LORD of Hosts.

Be encouraged, Jose

God's Presence

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psalm 51:10-11 (NKJV)

The habitation of the Spirit in human and earthen vessels makes us susceptible to earthly instincts and tendencies. Unless there is an existence of a steadfast spirit within a person, there is no match for the relentlessness of the flesh. King David got the revelation on how to overcome the strong urge and desires that moves us in the opposite direction with our Maker.

His presence is what we must not stray away from, neither must we commit acts that can cause our casting away from His presence. Stay in God's presence and

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

A walk of vigilance

Friends,

We have been called to a life of holiness. It is a life that expresses the gratitude and respect that we should have for the LORD, given what He has done for us. It is a life that stands in stark contrast to the life of those who refuse Jesus' call.

It is also a life that requires great vigilance. If we allow ourselves to devalue obedience, we will eventually only value disobedience. If we give ourselves permission to indulge in a trivial sin, we will be on the path to pursuing sin with no regard to the call of holiness.

Ephesians 4:17a,19 [NKJV]
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk ... who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

There comes a point in a man's life that he no longer fears doing evil. We see it as children make the transition from being afraid of getting caught to boldly, brashly and publicly being teenage miscreants.

We are reminded in this passage to examine our walk daily. To vigorously guard our hearts against the plot of the evil one.To actively repent and pursue a life of holiness.

It is the walk that is worthy of the call of Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose

New studies from Judges

Friends,

The most recent lessons from our study of the Book of Judges have been published. In these lessons, we examine Chapter 13 (the birth of Samson). There are critical lessons for mothers and fathers in these words, reminding us that we must raise our children to fear the LORD, to live righteously, and to pursue God with courage.

Please visit Bible Study Audio where you will find these lessons as well as many other resources for your walk with Christ.

Be encouraged, Jose