KEY SCRIPTURE: Philippians 2:15 KJV” That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”

A minister of God is simply a servant of God. It is generally accepted that ministers are people who stand before a number of people to present the word of God to them. This is true, yet every child of God is a minister in some capacity. The Bible says we are epistles or letters written not with ink, but with the spirit, written on the tablets of men’s hearts. This means every child of God is a living message to many who read our lives as letters. This is the reason there is a strong need to be very upright and live without blemish. 1 Corinth 4:2 KJV” Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

In this series of studies, we would be looking at the lives of various kings of Israel to observe how they related to God. We will compare them to ministers of our times to draw lessons from them. 1Co 10:6 KJV” Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. “These experiences are supposed to be examples to us so that we may avoid their errors and rather learn to live to honour God, and be more effective in serving the Lord.

Various kings have lifestyles that have similar replica in a number of ministers today. (Read.1st Sam 17-31) A look at King Saul, reveals a man who was very self-centered and was not the least concerned about seeking the will and purpose of God to be established in his life. He was concerned about bequitting the throne to his son Jonathan. There are some ministers who see the office of the General overseer as a dynasty which must be taken over by their son or wife. Like Saul, they would manipulate and fight anyone who seem to exhibit tendencies that show that, they could be the next overseer after them. You must avoid becoming the King Saul type of Pastor or leader.

PRAYER

Father, I pray for all leaders and Pastors to continually seek your will above their personal interests and advantages.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 2:2 KJV “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Deuteronomy 30:19 NHEB” I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you, life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants;”

When Moses was coming to the end of his ministry, the Lord instructed him to tell the people of Israel to make a choice between death and life, success and failure, blessing and cursing. God does not impose these things on any one. He has set them before us to make our choice. He has shown us by His word what it means to make the choice for life. Please throw away all these traditions of men and human ideologies that teach that God has appointed blessings for some and curses for others, and consider fully what God has said. Choosing life is not just about saying you choose life, but there are certain actions you would have to take.

Deut 30:20 shows the process of making the choice for life. Deut 30:20 NHEB” to love the LORD your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. “This verse gives a few verbs that instructs us on what to do to partake of life.

1 Love the Lord your God

2 Obey His voice

3.Clinch or Cleave to Him.

 He added that, for He is your life. A good look at the verse shows that we must focus on God. We must   love Him with all our heart, mind and strength. He says we must also obey His voice. If you disobey His voice you are choosing curses. We must do whatever He tells us to do. We must follow his ways and do as He would do. The third point is to cleave unto the Lord. This word has the idea of gluing two papers together. They become simply inseparable. We must depend totally on the Lord.

I will list a number of practical steps that you may take, that will mean you have chosen life.

1.Make up your mind to choose life. Deut 30:19

2.Be always JOYFUL and thankful. Phil 4:4

3 BE a church addict PS 92:13-14

4.Honour your parents Eph 6:2-3

5.Feed on the word of God Prov 4:20-22

6. Use your tongue to create life for yourself. Prov 18:20,21

7.Make sacrificial giving to God Proverbs 13:8,

8.Be a soul winner. Luke 12:8-9

AS you diligently do these practical steps, it means you have chosen life, and the devil cannot take your life or put sicknesses or curses on you.

CONFESSION

I have chosen life and blessing, because I love the Lord God with all my heart. I do all that He has commanded, and cleave totally unto the Lord. I have a very long life and I fulfill my days in Jesus name.

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 18:20 NHEB” A man’s stomach is filled with the fruit of his mouth. With the harvest of his lips he is satisfied. Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Ephesians 6:2 KJV” Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4:8 KJV” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

When a man thinks properly of God he can live confidently and not be afraid about anything. The Bible reveals the nature and attributes of God to us. Through proper thinking, one may reflect on the fact that God who is almighty is ever present with him. If he has any challenge, of any kind. He may think truthfully about God in the following way. God is almighty. He has promised never to leave nor forsake me. He has promised to take care of all my needs. In this way of thinking he would not fret or be afraid. He has settled the issue that everything is under God’s control. The secret of most great men of God is the simple and childlike way they acknowledge God. Matthew 18:4.

When one thinks wrongly in relation to God, it would breed unbelieve. Unbelieve is a result of one projecting a challenge or difficulty to be greater or stronger than the Lord God. Such a one has not taken time to think deeply about God’s greatness, but rather allowed various life issues to fill his thinking. He is occupied with the cares of this life, deceitfulness of riches, and lust for so many other things. The issue of a strong faith in God in time of crisis, is primarily a knowledge of God and who He is, then one can trust His words. Many have read about His word, yet have not taken time to reflect on Him as a person. This is one thing we must do often. It is called meditation on God. Hebrews 11:6.

Thinking properly helps us to relate very well with others. The scripture instructs us to think of things that are honest. Such a way of viewing life helps us to relate fairly with all persons. It makes us trustworthy too. When we seek to think truthfully about issues, it prevents us from unnecessarily assuming and suspicions of people’s actions. This helps us to be at peace with ourselves as well as being cordial to them too. May we always make up our minds to think truthfully about others.  For a peaceful coexistence with all, may we always think about things that are lovely, praiseworthy, honest, pure, just, and of a good report.

CONFESSION

I trust God as a child does. As children think of their parents, so do I think of God. He is who He says He is. I rightly relate with all men, because I think rightly about all.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 11:6 NHEB “Now without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him”.

Matthew 18:4 NHEB” Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Philippians 4:8 KJV “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

 Thinking is free, yet the pain of most people comes from the way the think. Fear, worry and depression are mostly a result of wrong or negative thinking. Proverbs 23:7 KJV” For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: …….. ” Joy, peace and enthusiasm in life also proceed from your thoughts. You are what you think. If you think sickness, you would remain sick. If you think health you would remain healthy. Our key scripture shows us how to think, so we would live in peace and in soundness. The scriptures state the various aspects of life that we should think about.

The very first point to consider is to think about things that are true. Concerning whatever you may be thinking about, ask yourself, is it true.? Is it true that you are losing your marriage.? Is that health condition true.? Please note that there are facts and there is the truth. The fact is what you may be seeing physically, but the truth is what the word of God says. Let whatever you think about, be what the word of God says. Our second thinking pattern, should be that which is honest. This relates to fairness and sincerity to all persons. Your actions must be based on motivations of honesty. You must always ask yourself how sincere am I in this issue. You may also probe your thoughts if it is a good report. If it is a bad report about people and even yourself, then cast it away. It would only make you miserable.

You must also think about things that are pure. Holiness of life normally proceed from one’s thinking pattern. The scripture also talks about thinking of things that are lovely. This implies thinking about matters that are appreciative to all. If you realize whatever you may be thinking about is not lovely or acceptable to all, then just stop it. Thoughts are seeds that feed our emotions and actions. They become our habits and ultimately becomes our destiny. Your thoughts create your attitudes and determine whether you are a winner in life or a loser. Always think in line with the word of God. Thoughts are spiritual and tells whether God has the control of your life or the devil. Words and ideas are seeds, it is your thoughts about them that give them access to stay in your life or be rejected out of your life. Take care of your thoughts.

CONFESSION

God’s word is the prime seeds that feed my thinking. I think about things that are true, honest, lovely and of good report. I have a very great life because of the things I think about.

FURTHER STUDIES

Job 31:1 KJV” I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?”

Galatians 6:3 KJV” For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:16 KJV “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

God’s word has every package for blessings and a life of fulfillment. It has the potential to put you on top of the world. Unfortunately, many of us have not benefitted fully from the impact of the word

The very first thing to do, to benefit from the word is to acknowledge that the word is indeed God’s word and He is fully committed to His word. 1Th 2:13 KJV” For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”. Jeremiah 1:12 also says God watches over His word to make it good. You must give an undivided attention to the word of God. (Proverb 4:20)

You must also keep the word in your heart. This is one area most of us miss the blessing of the word. In Mark 4:15 – 20, the Lord talked about the seed that fell by the wayside. He said, the enemy quickly comes to steal the word. Many of us easily lose God’s word the moment we hear it. What must we do to maintain or keep the word? The answer is to keep the word in our hearts by continually reading or hearing it. James 1:25 KJV “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. In these times we have the Bible and other messages on audio format. Just keep listening over and over again. Listening to a message for about seventy times would make that word to stay in your mind and heart and you would not easily lose it.

Sinfulness or naughtiness of any form would   prevent the word from taking root in you. A hardened heart towards the word of God would not allow the word to bear fruit in you. You must take the following from your heart. The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things. These things would choke God’s word and not make them fruitful. The cares of this world involve anything that would cause you to be anxious or worried. Anything that the scriptures speaks against has a potential to nullify the impact of the word The final act to take so that God’s word would be of great benefit to you, is to  do as the word says.

CONFESSION

The word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, the word in my heart is God at home in me. Acting on the word is God acting through me.

I partake of every good thing by doing as the word says.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 4:2 KJV” For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it”.

James 1:21 KJV” Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 12:35 KJV “”A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things”

What are you producing in your life? Are you producing peace, kindness and love, or are you producing unforgiveness and bitterness? Are you having sicknesses and failure all around you? The Bible says out of the heart proceed the issues of life. Proverb 4:23.” Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Where comes all these things? Many of us feed our hearts with scenes of horror films. Others fill their hearts with all kinds of negative thoughts. Sadly, some are very hostile towards God and his word. Such people are constantly filled with anger and many kinds of negative emotions.

The Lord says in spite of these negative experiences you might be facing, you can turn things around by making yourself good. Mat 12:33 KJV” Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. “How can one make himself or herself good. The word of God is that agent of making men good. The word would place in you a bold spirit that would make you absolutely fearless. The word would put into you a winning attitude and you would no longer produce failure and defeat in your life. The word of God will cause you to produce health in place of sicknesses and diseases. Job 22:21 KJV “Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.” Good would naturally come to you when you acquaint thyself with the word of God.

A 46-year-old lady who was born a cripple kept listening to Rev Kenneth Hagin’s messages for six months, and was completely healed just by staying with the word. There have been people who have been constantly depressed for so long, yet as they started feeding on the word of God, every depressive tendency left them. The word made them good and also brought good to them. The word would transform a home of fighting quarreling into a place of love, respect and fellow feeling. Please just consider the criterion of the word.

Hebrews 4:12 KJV “For the word of God is quick, (alive) and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” God’s word affects and changes every aspect of man. Feed on the word.

CONFESSION

God’s word is the ration of life. It is health to all my flesh; it is light for every darkness around me. It is wisdom for wise actions and peace of mind to my troubled heart.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 3:16 KJV” Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

2Timothy3:15 KJV” And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Rev 12:11 KJV” And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

The Lord Jesus throughout his lifetime conquered every challenge that rose up against Him. In almost all of these encounters he had to use His mouth to address the situation to bring about a drastic change. The Lord spoke to blind eyes, and they were opened. He spoke to crippled legs and they were made straight. He commanded the storms to be at peace. He called four days dead, Lazarus from the grave, and he came back to life. He said my words are spirit and life. When Satan came tempting Jesus, he answered the devil with,” it is written’, and then quoted the scripture. The Lord showed us that by using our mouth we can release the power of God to various situations and win over them.

 God has established in His word that by believing Him for whatever He has said we are justified, and by boldly saying what we have believed, salvation is affected. (Romans 10:9&10) A closed mouth is a closed destiny. Your words reveal who you exalt in times of difficulty. The Lord shows us the essence of boldly confessing him to men in the following verse. Luke 12:8 & 9 KJV “Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.  But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God”. Whenever we declare before men the glory of God or testify about God’s ability to save, the angels are released to bring that word to pass. When you keep your mouth shut, the angels will have no instruction to come to your aid.

 In every contest you find yourself, you can always speak to the situation to comply. This is a very strong principle in the Spirit. David conquered Goliath by boldly stating to him what will happen to him. 1 Samuel 17:46. He said to him ‘God will deliver you into my hands, and I would slay you’. David did not have a sword, but was still speaking by faith. This is the way to speak to situations, trusting God to honour His word. Speak to any condition you want to see a change. Speak to your body, speak to your finances, speak to your marriage. Call for peace in your home.

CONFESSION

LIFE and death are in the power of the tongue. I choose life, by calling for good, blessings, health, peace, success in all I do. As the Lord defeated the devil by holding faith with God, I also win by declaring boldly God’s word in every situation.

FURTHER STUDIES

Proverbs 18:21 KJV “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Psalms 8:2 KJV” Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 4:22 KJV. For they are life unto those that find them, and health(medicine) to all their flesh.

I believe many sense -ruled people would be asking how can you say God’s word is medicine?

 Please I wish to inform you that life as a whole is spiritual. There are supernatural beings that actually impact on our natural life. These supernatural powers are God and Satan. God expresses himself to and through men by manifesting peace, righteousness and soundness in the human body. Satan is a direct influence in everything evil, sinful, distressing or destructive. Our key scripture says God’s word is health or medicine to all our flesh. The Hebrew word used there, is’ Marpe’ which means medicine or health.

 God’s all-round medicine for man is His word. Pro 4:22 KJV “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” The verse 20 says we must give attention to His word. It is this word that becomes life to those who find it and health or medicine to all their flesh. Psalm 107 :20 says the Lord sent His word and healed them. If you are sick in any part of your body, you can be healed by believing the word. Do you know the word is a living being, and not just written letters?  Hebrews 4:12 reveals the word is alive. Apostle John said in John 6:63 that the word is spirit and life. Faith in God’s word is reliance or confidence in the most potent power in the universe. The word according to John 1:14, became flesh and that is Jesus.

When you act on God’s word, you have permitted the Lord Jesus to come into the situation. A mother brought her baby to be prayed for. The mother’s blood genotype was SC, the baby’s father’s genotype was AS. I prayed with them and after they checked her genotype at the hospital, it was AA. The word of God changed what was biologically impossible. When you believe the word you have opened your heart to the Lord Jesus who is the living word. He comes to you as healing and the healer, and that condition must give way like Jesus walked the earth and healed many who were sick. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

CONFESSION

Thank you, father, for your word. I receive your word of healing for my body today. Your Word is medicine to all my flesh. In the name of Jesus, I break the power of every disease over my body now.

FURTHER STUDIES

Exodus 15:26 KJV” And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee”.

1Peter 2:24 KJV” Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:5 KJV” He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

 A miracle by God is when the Spirit of God intervenes in the normal or natural occurrences to effect changes. Miracles are the normal activities in the Spirit realm. It is called a miracle when it happens in the natural. God’s dealing with man from the beginning of   creation of the world was on the supernatural plain. Man, at that time, did not relate with God from his intellect, but on faith, and so experienced a continuous stream of the miraculous. Our key scripture reveals that, through responding to the word of God by faith, man receives miracles from God. Every man craves for the miraculous. Every man at a moment in his or her life time, will need a miracle.

Are you in a condition that demands God’s intervention? God is saying to you, that, he is willing to answer you. ” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” James 1:17. There is no variableness with God, that is He does not change. He is ready to give you that good thing. The truth is through our Lord Jesus every promise is yes. It is now up to you to reach out in faith and take that miracle. It may be a healing, a financial provision, a deliverance from demonic harassment, or a solution to a marital problem. The Lord is ready to show up for you.

The question is how does one receive that miracle.? One thing you must not do is to ask, how is that miracle going to work out? What to do is to know what God has said concerning the particular condition, you want God to do something about. Accept or believe what God has said concerning that particular condition. Thank the Lord for your miracle, expecting to have whatever you have believed God about.

Focus on what He has said and keep thanking him. . Gal 3:5 KJV” He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” He does His miracles in our lives by responding to His word.

CONFESSION

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for through your word I receive miracles. My health is renewed because, your word declares that, by your stripes I am healed. I believe it and so I experience my healing.

FURTHER STUDIES

2Corinth 1:20 KJV’ For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

Isaiah 55:11 KJV” So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 8:18 KJV “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion”.

Christianity is a life of supernatural occurrences. Christianity without the supernatural is another humanistic organization practicing moral virtues.  The birth of our Lord Jesus was a Miracle. His life was filled with outstanding miracles. Our birth into the faith, was a miraculous one. John 3:8 KJV” The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit”. We live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinth 5:7)

LIVING the miraculous life must be our natural way of living.  The Lord taught us in John 6:28, that the works of God is to believe in Him. He also said in John 14:12, that those who would believe in Him would do the works that He did, and even do greater works. From the two scriptures above, we deduce that, we must do everything believing the Lord who is always with us. The Lord also added in John 14:13, that, whatsoever we would ask in His name he would do it, to bring glory to the Father. Believe in the Lord and speak in His name. Jesus is always the miracle worker. Let’s take the following illustration. My son who was in school preparing for his WASSCE (WEST African SENIOR SECONDARY CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION) called me to inform me that he had not been feeling well for some time, and that the doctor says he had high blood pressure. I burst into anger and said you don’t have any high pressure, go back and check. That was the end of that condition. My action was out of faith in the Lord Jesus who sets us free. He intervened to restore the condition.

To lead the supernatural life, you must feed your heart with the word of God such that you would not easily yield to the   ordinary natural way of doing things.

Proverbs 4:23 KJV” Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”. What fills your heart is that which would show up when the demand arises. Assure yourself that, the Lord Jesus is ever with you, and would always honour His word in your life. We are for signs and wonders and must renew our minds concerning working out the supernatural power of God. Jesus is our miracle worker, so your part is to believe in Him, and boldly speak in His name, expecting that, he would honour His part of the agreement. (John 14:14)

CONFESSION

I am in perfect union with my Lord Jesus. I am in Him and He is in me. We are in perfect partnership. As I speak in His name, He honors it, bringing glory to His own name

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 3:16 KJV “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” .

Galatians 3:5 KJV “He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”