All posts by SIMPLE TRUTHS DEVOTIONAL

Rev. Dr. Samuel Somuah Asante is an ordained minister of the gospel, who is commissioned to project the Lord Jesus Christ. His ministry emphasis is on th divine elevation of the believer in Christ. He believes strongly that all who are in Christ have the privilege to live above sin and failure, walk in righteousness and the resurrected life of Christ. He encourages Christians, especially pastors, to live a life that manifests the glory of God through them. Rev. Somuah is a graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), Ghana and holds a Masters degree in Theology from International Theological Seminary (Ghana Campus), and a PhD in Biblical Studies from ZOE Theological Seminar (USA). He is the Chief Servant of Jesus Witness Ministry, based in Taifa-Burkina, Accra. He is married to Rev. (Mrs.) Doris Somuah Asante and are blessed with two sons, Samuel and Arnold. They make their home in Accra, Ghana.

WHY WAS JESUS SO SUCCESSFUL

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

The ministry of our Lord Jesus was an immense success. What are some of the things He did that made His ministry so successful?

Remember He walked on this earth as a man.

  1. He lived only to please the father: (Hebrews 10:7). The Lord Jesus said He came to do the will of the father. We as children of God have resurrected from the dead and are therefore alive unto the father. (Eph2:1) We have the ability to always please the father. All we have to do is to make up our minds to do so.

The apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:20 “according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death “. He sought to please the master always.

  1. The Lord Jesus knew who He was The Lord was not in doubt about who He was. John 3:11 “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, we speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness”.

This knowledge, made His faith very effective.

Philemon 1:6 “That the communication of your faith might be effectual through the acknowledgement of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus”

Acknowledging every good thing that is in you means to have an exact knowledge of what is in you. Your faith would only be effectual when you have perfect knowledge of what you have in you.

The Bible said he that is from above is above all. (Jon 3:31) Like Jesus we have been born from above and must have a superior mentality to the devil, sin and failure.

We are light like Jesus knew He was light and gave no place to the darkness.

 

By the knowledge of who you are, a right mindset would be established within you that would give you the right attitude to succeed.

From this moment always function from a perfect knowledge of who you are. And you would never be found wanting.

CONFESSION

I am an offspring of God. I live to please my heavenly father. I know who I am ,for the greater one lives in me. I am a bundle of success, and always make great strides in all I do.

FURTHER STUDIES:

John 3:31 ” He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all”

Galatians 1:10 “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ”.

HOW JESUS HEALED THE SICK

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received freely give

The Lord Jesus during His ministering years spent most of His time healing the sick. He commands us to also heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead. How did He die this work?

In Luke 17:12-14 Jesus was met with ten lepers who requested for healing. The Lord did not pray for them but asked them to go and shoe themselves to the high priest. These men were healed as they went.

In Mark 2:5-11, the Lord asked the man sick of palsy to arise and take up his bed and go. In Mark 1:30-31, the Lord held the hand of Simon’s mother- in-law and lifted her up.

In John 5:1-9, the Lord after asking the impotent man if He would want to walk, the Lord went ahead and asked him to lift his bed and walk.

The Lord even commanded Lazarus to come out from the grave and he did.

Dear brother, I wish to iterate what I have been saying that, Jesus put aside His glory as God and did everything as a man who depended on the Holy Spirit. This is the reason he instructed us in our opening scripture to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out the devils, The Lord was asking us to do as He did. This is what is called working of miracles.

He issued the command in faith and the candidate act on the word. It is the response to the word spoken in faith which causes the miracle to take place.

Many times we pray for the sick. This is not wrong any way, but there is a higher and better way that is the way of the master. Do as He did. He commanded the sick to do what they were supposed to do, but unable because of the sickness, and as they put their faith into action the Holy Spirit takes over and perfect restoration was evidenced.

       CONFESSION

I have received command to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers and raise the dead. I will do likewise to seek the helpless and invalid freed from all satanic and demonic oppression and aggression. I know who I am, and would give myself to setting men free.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Matthew 10:1 “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease”.

JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

The Lord Jesus as our High Priest is a very significant thing for us as Christians and for all humanity as a whole.

As the high priest he represents us in the, presence of the father, as we represent Him on the earth. (Hebrews 5:1)He is there as a man, mediating between God and men.1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”

His role as the high priest makes our actions on earth in His name very effective with a strong divine backing.

Because of Him we have a perfect standing before God. He is the apostle and High Priest of our confession. (Hebrews 3:1), this means all our declarations on earth which are in agreement with His words, are upheld by Him before the father on our behalf.

We must never grow weak in speaking or holding fast our confessions (Hebrews 4:14).

He has entered into heaven as a forerunner for us, giving us that strong assurance and an anchor for our hope of eternal place in heaven (Hebrews 6:20)

Our Lord Jesus as our High Priest is without infirmity, giving us a perfect representation (Hebrews 7:28)

The Lord Jesus is the testator of the testament. This means He is the maker of the will. He is now alive as the High Priest who enforces the will He has put in place which is His word (Hebrews 9:16)

Our Lord Jesus who is presently our High Priest gives us a very strong grounds to pray and get results. We should never feel helpless or victimized, no never!!!

So long as He remains our High Priest, He stands in the presence of the father solely on our behalf to see our claims, prayers, confessions on the earth in His name perfectly answered.

CONFESSION

The Lord Jesus is my High Priest, He represents me in the presence of the father, and whiles I stand for Him on the earth in His name. My impact is made stronger on the earth, because He upholds every declaration before the father.

FURTHER STUDDIES:

Hebrews 5:1 ” For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:”

HIS DEATH QUALIFIED US

KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 2:10  “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

The death and resurrection of our master brought us into glory. By His death and resurrection we have received the ability to live on this earth like He did. His death and resurrection took us from the pit of sin and made us righteous beings.

Romans 4:25 “Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification”. In His death our sin and old man was slain (Romans 6:6).

Through His resurrection we received a new nature. A righteous nature. We became partakers of the divine nature. We have become sons of God. We have divine abilities residing in us. We can act like our master.

We have become saviors (Obadiah 1:21) “And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; …. You have been made a savior because Jesus died and resurrected. Don’t hide yourself, go out there and talk to the world about our master. He said, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and bring deliverance to the captives. You are qualified to do this because there is completely a new man in the inside of you.

Dear brother or sister the  Christian is a peculiar person, a holy nation, a chosen generation called out of the world to show the mighty works of our master(1st Peter2:9,).This is real today, because Jesus died and resurrected.

When Paul and Barnabas healed the impotent man at Lystra, they said, the gods have come to us in the likeness of men. (Acts 14:11b) It is the death and resurrection that has made us qualified.

CONFESSION

The death and resurrection of Jesus has qualified me to assume the divine nature of my Lord Jesus Christ to reveal Him to the world. I am one with Him. If you see me you have seen Him because it is He who lives through me.

FURTHER STUDIES:

1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit”

Colossians 1:12 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light”

 

JESUS OUR EXAMPLE

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 4:19 “And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”.

The Lord asks us to follow him.

This means to learn from him. Matthew 11:29 ” Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

In this instant too he asks us to join ourselves to him or get closer to him and learn from him. He is our example.

The Lord during his days in the flesh did not act from His nature as God, but as a man, Philippians 2:5-7 “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus

Who being in the form of God, thought in not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.” The Lord Jesus put aside the reputation or glory as God (John 17:5). He walked on this earth as a man.

Everything he did was done in obedience unto the father. He depended on the Holy Spirit to do everything. His life was a demonstration of the ideal life God ordained for men to live. His way of dealing with the sick is an example for us. His love for humanity is a pure example and his attitude to the devil is how we must handle Satan and his cohorts.

The apostles imitated him yet they are not our ultimate standard. The Lord Jesus is our example. You can do as he did if we would believe in him.

John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. The Lord Jesus meant what He said, believe Him and walk in that glorious life.

CONFESSIONS

The Lord Jesus is my perfect example

As I follow him he makes me demonstrate his full abilities and I do greater works because I believe in him. My life is a direct reflection of his power and glory.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

THE MIND OF CHRIST ABOUT MEN

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 2:24 “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,”

In our key scripture the bible said Jesus did not commit himself to men because he knew all men. By not committing himself to men, it meant he did not allow men to influence Him or coerce Him.

The question is what is in men? Man without the Lordship of God over him is spiritually lost. (Rom 3:23).The Bible reveals the following about the heart of man. Jeremiah 17:9 ” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” The Lord committed himself to the father who had sent him. He did not allow the praises of men to influence Him. There were times that the crowds came looking for him yet He left for another town to continue preaching to them too, in order to fulfill, the father’s mission.

In spite of these shortcomings about men Jesus loved all men so much as to give His life for men. How do we explain this paradox? All that the Lord teaches us by His example is to put God first. Relate with men on the bases of God’s word, and always see men through God’s eyes. God unconditionally loves all men. This must be your attitude to men. No man should cause you to act against God.

Please get this once and for all, no matter the status of a man, he has a potential to yield to the devil or yield to God. Romans 6:16  “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Like Jesus, always take sides with God. If the individual acts in honor unto God just go along with him or her. If he acts against the way of God, then you stay away from that path. Your policy is simple, put God first, yet you sincerely love all men.

Note this point, you as a child of God must not be torn between good and evil. You must believe and accept that you would always act righteously. LET THIS BE YOUR BELIEVE AND CONFESSION.

CONFESSION

Men may act in their own light yet I am committed first to God. I live to please Him in all I do whiles I sincerely love and appreciate all men, by showing them the love of the father .I always live and act to honor God.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 3:16” For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus saith the LORD; cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD”.

THE MIND OF CHRIST, ABOUT MONEY

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 25:27 “Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury”.

Our Lord Jesus the creator of all things understood the great importance of money. He therefore had a lot to say about the right attitude and how to make your money grow.

The Lord saw poverty which, also could mean lack of money as something that a man needs liberation from. Luke 4:18a “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;”

In our opening scripture the Lord Jesus taught that money must grow. It grows by investment. Jesus said, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive'(Acts 20:35).Beside giving offerings and tithes, one must also look out for the best ways to invest his or her money, to see it grow. This calls for tactfulness. Remember He expresses the desire to see the poor come out of poverty.

The Lord teaches us that one must first put his or her pursuit of God first then, the others, like money follow suit. Matt 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.

Money is good but the desire and longing for it must be seen through the eyes of God.IT MUST NOT COMPETE FOR A PLACE IN OUR HEARTS WITH GOD. Matthew 6:24,  ” No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. This scripture does not in any way say money is evil but simply says God must solely rule our hearts then we can rightly know how to pursue after money and use money. Anything besides God that takes first place in our life becomes an idol and that would be a snare unto us. (Duet 7:25)

When a man has placed money in its proper place in respect to God then can he grow his money to whatever level and it can never be a snare unto Him.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you are the sole Lord over my life. You have given me power to get wealth in order to fulfil the covenant you made with the fathers. I am making great strides in my finances to your glory.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Luke 16:9 “And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you”

Deuteronomy 8:18 “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers.”

THE MIND OF CHRIST II

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 9:4 ” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work”.

We would consider our Lord Jesus attitude to work

The Lord Jesus was a hard worker. In our opening scripture, He reveals that, there is no bargaining to any task the father gives. He used a compulsive word; I MUST WORK.

Jesus believed that success in life or fulfilment of one’s mission was directly related to his total commitment to the given task.

Jesus fully accepted the task, the father had given to Him and He unconditionally obeyed this work. He called it the father’s business .Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? “Businesses are executed to make profit. The father’s business must be done that way. It therefore needs one’s full attention. He tirelessly preached across the whole region. For the three and a half years of His ministry our Lord never went on leave. It was not surprising He raised men who turned their world upside down.

We ought to approach every work that way. Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men”. God is telling us to see every engagement as His duty, primarily, and not just unto men. He admonishes us to do our work very heartily. Doing it heartily, means doing it out of your soul or your life. It means to involve your whole being in what you are doing. Our Lord was an extremely successful man. The simple description about The Lord’s attitude to work is diligence. Proverbs 10:4 “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich”. Get diligent with whatever you are doing and poverty would be far from you.

CONFESSION

I see every responsibility as work given to me by God .Every work I do for others is a seed for my own promotion and a delivery of my own heritage into my hands

FURTHER STUDIES:

Luke 16:12 “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?”

Proverbs 12:24 ” The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute”.

THE MIND OF CHRIST

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 2:16″ For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ”

For our next series of teachings, we would consider the mind of Christ as related to various topics

We would consider the mind of Christ as related to sin, our master was tested on all points yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15b”……; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”

When the Lord was tried Pilate declared, I find no fault with Him. Luke 23:4 “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man”. Jesus declared Satan had nothing in him.

What made the master lead such an outstanding life although when he was on earth He lived as a Son of man? Jesus knew He came from heaven and allowed the Father to control Him. John 6:57 ” As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me”.

What is the Lord talking about? He meant I am on a mission and I live according to the power and ability of Him who sent me. We also have the mind of Christ according to our opening scripture and must live with His mind.

He did not live by His natural being, but He lived by the supernatural life. This is exactly what Rom 8:10 says.  “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. (We were crucified with Jesus)

Sin simply means living by the flesh and righteousness is living by the Spirit. Rom 8:6  “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”. The power of sin over a man, is a mind dominated by the flesh. Gal 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

Turn your mind from yourself and focus on the power of the Spirit by focusing on the word of God.Live by the word for this is peace, power and prosperity

CONFESSION

I am of God and I live by the power and ability of the Holy Spirit .I am crucified with Jesus and do not live by my flesh .I live by the word. I have peace power and prospering in all I do.

FURTHER STUDIES:

Romans 8:4 “That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

JESUS IS JUDGE II

KEY SCRIPTURE: JESUS THE JUDGE21 Corinth 4:5 ” Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God”.

In our previous study we learnt that our Lord Jesus Christ is God’s appointed ultimate Judge of all humanity.

We would consider the purpose for God judging us, as well as some thoughts on the judgment of believers.

The purpose of the judgment.

  1. To reveal the true character of each person. (1st Corinth 4:5)
  2. To determine the value of the works of men. (1 Cor. 3:13)
  3. To render public reward or punishment as men are not always punished in this life.(Rev 22:12)
  4. To vindicate the righteous of God in His dealings with men. His justice would be acknowledged. (Rev 19:1&2

JUDGEMENT OF BELIEVERS

All believers must appear at the judgment seat of Christ and be judged for their works. (1st Corinthians 3:11-15).All believers would stand before this seat of Christ and give an account of themselves (Rom 14:10-12).This judgment would take place at His second coming. This is not a judgment concerning, the believers salvation, for this was settled at Calvary; it is a judgment concerning his service and works for the Lord. (1st Corinthians 3:11-15)This is illustrated in the custom of the Greecian games. After the games were over, the winners were assembled before the ‘judgment seat’ of the judge and receive the victor’s crown. Some of the contestants have no winner’s crown. In this sense there was judgment and rewards.

Dearly beloved, there are rewards and crowns to be received, some would be rewarded and crowned, whiles some receive nothing, which one would you be? Run that you may obtain.

PRAYER

Father I commit my life to your course pleasing you alone in all I do. I do not run as one that beat the air but rather, I run to obtain, putting my body under subjection that I may not be a cast away.

FURTHER STUDIES:

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway”.