1 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galatians 4:1-4 (NKJV)
The prince is the heir of the kingdom and owns all the King has, but can never be given custody of the kingdom until he comes to a maturity level and an appointed time. The appointed time is preceded with a season of preparation and maturation. A season when we are tested and validated by the Father. Christ paved the way and paid the price so we can be free from the bondage, lies, schemes, and caprices of the task masters, adversaries and enemies of our destiny.
Through Christ we have an altered status of slave to son and heir of God. We must live in this truth and consciousness of God's word for that is God's will for us His children.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The right focus
2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Colossians 3:2-3 (NKJV)
The avalanche of issues and diverging kingdom ideas aggressively promoted my most of world media can shape the focus of the undiscerning where we pay attention and expend energies on issues and activities with no eternal benefit. What events drive you, what energizes you? What brings out the best in you?
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)
Re-locate your treasures to the things of the Kingdom where our focus can be vertical to the Creator. If Heaven doesn't have your undivided attention, then someone probably isn't right.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Colossians 3:2-3 (NKJV)
The avalanche of issues and diverging kingdom ideas aggressively promoted my most of world media can shape the focus of the undiscerning where we pay attention and expend energies on issues and activities with no eternal benefit. What events drive you, what energizes you? What brings out the best in you?
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)
Re-locate your treasures to the things of the Kingdom where our focus can be vertical to the Creator. If Heaven doesn't have your undivided attention, then someone probably isn't right.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Friday, September 3, 2010
Seek this
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
In all your gettings and doings, what drives you and what keeps you going? What are you motivated by? Do you just seek the things of life or goals in life? Are these things to gratify self, achieve a certain status, or desire to be accepted socially, politically, etc? Well, the drive to succeed in all we do must be anchored around the scripture above. Only when we are guided and driven by the motivation of seeking this will our toil, efforts, labor, etc be meaningful, fulfilling and rewarding at the end of the day.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
In all your gettings and doings, what drives you and what keeps you going? What are you motivated by? Do you just seek the things of life or goals in life? Are these things to gratify self, achieve a certain status, or desire to be accepted socially, politically, etc? Well, the drive to succeed in all we do must be anchored around the scripture above. Only when we are guided and driven by the motivation of seeking this will our toil, efforts, labor, etc be meaningful, fulfilling and rewarding at the end of the day.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Kingdom-Driven
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Matthew 6:18-20 (NKJV)
There's no doubt we are driven by our inner desires and motives. What we treasure drives our intent. A 'rational' business-minded person invests for gain and not deliberate loss, waste and destruction. Our hearts are drawn towards our object(s) of affection, in short our treasures.... what we hold so important and of high value. Some things will rust and be decimated by the elements and deliberately destroyed by man.
Why would one want to be setup and lay up one's treasure for destruction and decimation? Are you Kingdom-driven?
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Matthew 6:18-20 (NKJV)
There's no doubt we are driven by our inner desires and motives. What we treasure drives our intent. A 'rational' business-minded person invests for gain and not deliberate loss, waste and destruction. Our hearts are drawn towards our object(s) of affection, in short our treasures.... what we hold so important and of high value. Some things will rust and be decimated by the elements and deliberately destroyed by man.
Why would one want to be setup and lay up one's treasure for destruction and decimation? Are you Kingdom-driven?
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Monday, May 24, 2010
Childlike
Friends,
Among the greatest wonders and joys of childhood is the recurring thrill of discovery. Spend an afternoon with a four year old child and you will frequently be reminded of things around you ... things that have blended into the background for you, but are fresh and new to the eyes of a child.
Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” -- Luke 18:17 [NKJV]
These 23 words harken us back to that time of amazement and wonder. We came upon something new and exciting. And we couldn't wait to share it with someone. We could watch it for hours, examining it from every side and marveling at every nuance.
Our Lord is calling us to see the Kingdom in that same way. To trust in its genuineness. To be in awe of the grace and forgiveness that Christ has bestowed upon us. To once again be amazed.
Be encouraged, Jose
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Kingdom-driven
In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
John 4:31-34 (NKJV)
He mingled with the lost, the outcast and rejected ones in the society. He connected with His calling, mission and purpose. He went on for long periods without food. He became self-sustaining through the energy exuded and passion from fulfilling these. Even His disciplines were confounded at His strange strength and stamina He exhibited and His showing of no signs of weariness or tiredness. The Lord was about the Father's business. Raising armies and witnesses and increasing the cause of God's kingdom among all.
What keeps you going? What do you live for? Living and struggling for things with no 'eternal value' will be most unfortunate. The Lord was only pre-occupied with sharing and spreading the good news, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and setting those that were bound free. Does any of these ignite a passion in you?
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
John 4:31-34 (NKJV)
He mingled with the lost, the outcast and rejected ones in the society. He connected with His calling, mission and purpose. He went on for long periods without food. He became self-sustaining through the energy exuded and passion from fulfilling these. Even His disciplines were confounded at His strange strength and stamina He exhibited and His showing of no signs of weariness or tiredness. The Lord was about the Father's business. Raising armies and witnesses and increasing the cause of God's kingdom among all.
What keeps you going? What do you live for? Living and struggling for things with no 'eternal value' will be most unfortunate. The Lord was only pre-occupied with sharing and spreading the good news, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and setting those that were bound free. Does any of these ignite a passion in you?
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Father's Business
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
The above scripture resonates with the ferocity, fierceness and urgency of now in today's world. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and is not taken by timidity, nor with a siddon-look (Sit down and look) approach. Rather it is taken with force. Our world is hounded on all sides with old and recycled failed gimmicks and lies, kingdoms are re-positioning themselves and aggressively pursuing their agenda with passion and commitment. Can the believer stay aloof and stand akimbo thinking the Kingdom of heaven will reign here without raising a finger? Far from it.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)
The alternative kingdoms will not let down and are relentless. Believers like Apostle Paul did, ought not opt for slumber nor sleep. As we count down to the end of the year and usher in the new year, we must be about our Father's business.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Matthew 11:12 (NKJV)
The above scripture resonates with the ferocity, fierceness and urgency of now in today's world. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and is not taken by timidity, nor with a siddon-look (Sit down and look) approach. Rather it is taken with force. Our world is hounded on all sides with old and recycled failed gimmicks and lies, kingdoms are re-positioning themselves and aggressively pursuing their agenda with passion and commitment. Can the believer stay aloof and stand akimbo thinking the Kingdom of heaven will reign here without raising a finger? Far from it.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14 (NKJV)
The alternative kingdoms will not let down and are relentless. Believers like Apostle Paul did, ought not opt for slumber nor sleep. As we count down to the end of the year and usher in the new year, we must be about our Father's business.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Stand for something
And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
Acts 5:38-39 (NKJV)
For many prophets and self proclaimed messiahs have come and gone. They go the way of all mortal being and their sects are left in disarray. Gamaliel the Pharisee and a teacher of the law in those days said of men and women of God in his days. If the work of the gospel is of men, the end result remains consistent throughout the ages, but if it is of God, it remains irrepressible and unmovable. Every doctrine, culture, way of life, powers, influence, deceit, lies, campaign, etc that confronts it will surely fail and be wasted away. Do you connive or unconsciously repress the cause and growth of God's kingdom? What side of the Kingdom are you and what cause do you uphold?
Peter and the Apostles stood for something in their day even when it wasn't cool and politically correct. What will you and I stand for? We will either stand for something or fall for everything. Stand for something sure and eternal.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Acts 5:38-39 (NKJV)
For many prophets and self proclaimed messiahs have come and gone. They go the way of all mortal being and their sects are left in disarray. Gamaliel the Pharisee and a teacher of the law in those days said of men and women of God in his days. If the work of the gospel is of men, the end result remains consistent throughout the ages, but if it is of God, it remains irrepressible and unmovable. Every doctrine, culture, way of life, powers, influence, deceit, lies, campaign, etc that confronts it will surely fail and be wasted away. Do you connive or unconsciously repress the cause and growth of God's kingdom? What side of the Kingdom are you and what cause do you uphold?
Peter and the Apostles stood for something in their day even when it wasn't cool and politically correct. What will you and I stand for? We will either stand for something or fall for everything. Stand for something sure and eternal.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Friday, September 25, 2009
To those who follow
Friends,
As born-again Christians, we have a remarkable story to tell. We should consider what our Lord has done. We are commanded to do so by God's word. He exhorts you and me to truly understand His provision and protection so that we can teach those who come after us that He is the One who can be trusted:
Psalm 48:12-14 [NKJV]Walk about Zion,
And go all around her.
Count her towers;
Mark well her bulwarks;
Consider her palaces;
That you may tell it to the generation following.
For this is God,
Our God forever and ever;
He will be our guide
Even to death.
These verses require us to live in the city; which is to say... among His people. And as we live out our lives in fellowship with true believers, we will clearly see that we are in a refuge, a place of peace and safety. Our brothers and sisters are our towers, our bulwarks, our walls and our watchmen.
Be encouraged, Jose
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Profitable Servant
Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.
2 Timothy 2:14-16 (NKJV)
Our world continues to show its hostility and open disdain for Godly standards. The media have not played a neutral role in this onslaught to put it mildly, rather the decimation of Kingdom principles continue to wax stronger by the day. As stewards and partakers of His manifest grace, we can't take a 'step aside' approach when we are supposed to influence and light up our world with Godly influence. Resistance and the expected hostility will usually be the response of an anti-God world. While we inhabit this earthly realm, we can't respond like the world would, but we must rather avoid idle babblings, shun all profane and irritable rants that's capable of tainting our testimony and ultimate goal of winning souls of a lost world.
We must never be ashamed of our calling and must continue to uphold Godly standards and principles. Though the carnal and mortal man may fall and come short, but that must never be an excuse to accept the lowering of Godly standards in our lives and world. We must also not alienate ourselves and waste away opportunities in engaging and influencing a hostile and repugnant world. He who calls us desires that we be profitable with that He has given us.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
2 Timothy 2:14-16 (NKJV)
Our world continues to show its hostility and open disdain for Godly standards. The media have not played a neutral role in this onslaught to put it mildly, rather the decimation of Kingdom principles continue to wax stronger by the day. As stewards and partakers of His manifest grace, we can't take a 'step aside' approach when we are supposed to influence and light up our world with Godly influence. Resistance and the expected hostility will usually be the response of an anti-God world. While we inhabit this earthly realm, we can't respond like the world would, but we must rather avoid idle babblings, shun all profane and irritable rants that's capable of tainting our testimony and ultimate goal of winning souls of a lost world.
We must never be ashamed of our calling and must continue to uphold Godly standards and principles. Though the carnal and mortal man may fall and come short, but that must never be an excuse to accept the lowering of Godly standards in our lives and world. We must also not alienate ourselves and waste away opportunities in engaging and influencing a hostile and repugnant world. He who calls us desires that we be profitable with that He has given us.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Friendships
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV)
We have been made alive by his grace for specific purposes and mission. Particularly to a recalcitrant and suspicious world, and to engage the world to bringing all souls to the knowledge of the truth and salvation. Our Lord taught and acted as a role model. His strategy was a no-brainer (simple but full of heavenly wisdom). To cultivate friendship, you must be friendly, friendly for Kingdom purposes, friendly for the right reasons. Because we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:14-16 (NKJV)
It is part of our mandate, we must build life-changing, character-forming, and Kingdom focused and purposeful relationships and friendships. It is in the Kingdom's interest that we do that always.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV)
We have been made alive by his grace for specific purposes and mission. Particularly to a recalcitrant and suspicious world, and to engage the world to bringing all souls to the knowledge of the truth and salvation. Our Lord taught and acted as a role model. His strategy was a no-brainer (simple but full of heavenly wisdom). To cultivate friendship, you must be friendly, friendly for Kingdom purposes, friendly for the right reasons. Because we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:14-16 (NKJV)
It is part of our mandate, we must build life-changing, character-forming, and Kingdom focused and purposeful relationships and friendships. It is in the Kingdom's interest that we do that always.
Be encouraged,
Afolabi
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