KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 2:6 “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus”:

One of the glorious mysteries that the Lord gave Apostle Paul is the statement of our key scripture. This very scripture has very far reaching implications.

It says that although we are physically on the earth, we are at the same time seated IN Christ Jesus in heavenly places. What makes this possible?  There is an inseparable union between the Christian and the master Jesus (1st Corinth 6:17). This truth also shows the authority of the Christian. We carry the same authority that our Lord Jesus has.

Secondly the term ‘right hand’ does not necessarily mean the positional right side, but a position of highest authority. Ephesians 1:19–21 explains vividly the height of this authority. Ephesians 1:20-21*

 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”:

Our authority (the right to exercise power or the right to command and be obeyed) and power,(that is the ability to get things done or the ability to effect a change).is far higher than every principality, including the devil himself ,every dominion ,and every name. Beloved Christian Brother or sister there is a glorious mystery about you that most of us have not discovered as yet. This is the reason the apostle Paul prays for the brethren in Ephesus that their eyes of understanding would be enlightened that they would see and understand these things.

When the Christian comes to terms with these things, knowing who he is, then he would no more struggle to get his faith working. He knows that when he speaks or commands in the name of the master Jesus, it is done. The Lord Jesus knew who He was, and therefore did not struggle to exercise faith or defeat the enemy anytime He encountered him. We must continually pray that the Spirit of the Lord would open our eyes of understanding and also flood it with light to see and understand these things. (Ephesians 1:17&18)

 The believer ought to draw very close to the Lord in fellowship so the influence of the flesh that limits the ability of the Spirit in our lives would be stopped Rom 8:6&7 .This would enable us to function and operate in our true capacity as representatives of our Lord Jesus on the earth in a more effective way.

One way to get this done is through fasting, prayer and studying God’s word. Amen

CONFESSION

I am one with my master Jesus. He represents me in heaven and I represent Him on the earth. His very authority is what I have and therefore every dominion in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth is subjected to me in His name. Thank you Lord Jesus.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 2:10-11 ” That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Romans 8:6-7 ” For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”.

KEY SCRIPTURE:2 Corinthians 5:19 ” To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.

This is a special message for anyone who is not sure of his or her eternal salvation. Our key scripture tells us something very wonderful.

It says God is not counting your sins against you. Many people feel so guilty and disappointed with their live style such that, they have concluded they are unqualified, unwanted and rejected by God .Dear brother or sister it does not matter how deep. You have fallen or practiced sin, the Lord says in our key scripture that, God is not holding any of those wrong actions against. You, because they were all placed on Jesus.

Jesus death on the cross is a manifestation of God’s judgement and anger against the sins of men. On the cross He took our place and was made sin (2nd Corinth 5:21).He was made a curse for us. (Gal 3:13)He compared Himself to Moses lifting the serpent on the pole. (John 3:14)The result of all these is that. He has changed us completely. Until you accept all that He did for you, you have not come home and therefore you are lost.

You don’t. Have an excuse to reject this offer and live in your sins. All you need to do is to believe that He did all these things for you, and then accept Him.as your Lord and saviour.

One reason why people would suffer hell fire is because they turned down this great offer of love through Jesus Christ sacrifice. Please listen to what the word says in Hebrews 2:3 that “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; ……..”

  Why would you continue to live in sin, and do those things which consistently rob you of your peace? Today is your chance, tomorrow may never come for you, so make that important decision right now.

The moment you make Jesus Lord over your life and believe in what He did for you, you would instantly become a child of God and also become the very righteousness of God. You would become a new creature (2nd Corinth 5:17 and you would become a citizen of heaven

CONFESSION

Lord Jesus I believe you died for my sins. And rose up on the third day for my Justification. I declare you are the Lord over my life and would serve and live for you, for the rest of my days on the earth. Thank you for saving my soul.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

John 3:14-15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life:

KEY SCRIPTURE:2 Corinthians 5:19 ” To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.

Our key scripture is an amazing truth that the Holy Spirit revealed to us through Apostle Paul. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world unto Himself not imputing their sins unto them.

The Lord Jesus is God. (John 10:30, Col 2:9).According to the scripture He was reconciling the world unto Himself. The word reconcile is translated from the Greek word ‘katalasso ‘which means ‘to ‘change’ or ‘to change thoroughly’ “He took away the sin of the whole world. (John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”)By taking away the sin of the world, He has changed it thoroughly.

 All mankind are potentially saved .Jesus our Lord took away the sin of the world. This is the reason He is not counting the sins of the world against them .All the offences, past, present and future of the world has been taken away. This is the good news. Unfortunately this has not been preached to the world.

 God is not angry with any sinner. God’s heart is in pain and broken over every unrepentant sinner. There is no barrier to their salvation but except unbelief.

Dear child of God, what the sinner needs is an opening of his eyes to the heart of the Father for him or her. In actual fact the god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not (2 Corinthians 4:4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them).

There is a need for an intercession for sinners. Pray rebuking that blinding devil from his influence over their minds. Apostle Paul said he travails in birth again till Christ is formed in them. (Gal 4:19)To see a mass influx of souls into God’s house we need to do as Paul did; travail in birth pains for the power of Satan over their minds of sinners  to be destroyed.

We have to teach this truth to the lost as well. Tell them God is not counting their sins against them rather, it is their lack of repentance and unbelief that is keeping them away. God is not mad at the sinner.

 CONFESSION

God through Jesus has finished  everything for the salvation  of all humanity. I would commit myself to praying for their eyes to be opened as I share the truth to them.

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.”

Isaiah 62:1 ” For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 5:17 ” Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Our key scripture is one of the amazing revelations the Holy Spirit gave to Apostle Paul. He said,” Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold everything has become new. “The scripture states further that, “and all things are of God….”The word ‘ of ‘ means ‘ out of ‘ or ‘ from ‘.This means everything that the man in Christ is or has become is a manifestation of God’s nature and ability in him. He has become a supernatural being.

The man in Christ is no more the man who is subject to the forces and elements of this life. He is a manifestation of the abilities and nature of God to ‘reconcile’ men to God. (2nd Corinth 5:18&19).

This is very wonderful. If you be in Christ, you play the role of our Lord Jesus. The Lord said in “‘John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world”. Jesus our Lord was sent with super powers to fulfill His mission. This is what we are. We have been made super humans like our master Jesus to do this work of reconciling men to God.

In 2nd Corinth 5:16 apostle Paul confessed that ” Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more”. He is saying he used to see Christians after the flesh and even considered the Lord that way, but he does not consider Him any more after the flesh.

Dear child of God stop considering yourself after the flesh. The lot of people of the flesh is sin, sicknesses, lack and misery of all kinds. They are subject to the dictates of the devil. You are no more after the flesh. You are superior to the devil and all his works. You are a spiritual being .Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit …”

Keep seeing yourself from God’s  mirror ,the word of God.2 Corinthians 3:18  ” But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

You are what the Bible says you are. Keep looking at it and you would become what you see in the bible.

CONFESSION

I am a new creature, recreated after the nature and abilities of my Lord Jesus Christ. I am here on a mission, reconciling men back to God. I am not subject to any work of Satan .I am very successful in setting men free from Satan’s hold. Amen

FURTHER STUDIES

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”

Ephesians 4:24 “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Apostle Paul was loaded with an abundance of revelations. It was because of these  great number of insight and revelations given to him that a  messenger of the devil was allowed to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure (2nd Corinthians 12:7). This messenger was defined as a ‘thorn in his flesh’. (Note: This is seen in the many persecutions he faced and not sickness as some teach)

One of such revelations and insight was that anyone baptised into Christ has put on Christ Jesus. The term baptized into Christ which symbolised an outward dipping of one into water had a more spiritual act; where the Holy Spirit places the man who acknowledges Jesus as Lord into Christ Jesus. To be placed in Christ set you in a very glorious atmosphere. It is an escape from the dominance of darkness. You live in the presence of the Father. In actual fact it is an atmosphere of heaven yet on earth. This is the reason the Lord remarked ye are in the world but you are not of the world. John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”

To put on Christ Jesus is slightly different. To put on Christ Jesus is to have Him on you as wearing a jacket.  This one is not just an outside influence but a total change of your personality to that of Christ. The Christian of his former self died with Jesus (Galatians 2:20). To be baptised into Him in the light of Galatians 3:27 makes you just like him. Dear child of God, God’s plan and intention for allowing Jesus into this world is to raise a people just like Him. 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 first born among many brethren”. This glorious Jesus is our big brother. It is God’s family. We have become God and His sons incorporated. Jesus is the first born.

Our key scripture gives a more vivid presentation of the whole idea. In this instant it is not just conforming to Him but the very person of Christ taking over your being. Being like Him in all things. You only have your name to answer to but it His being and Spirit that has taken over. You have put on Christ Jesus. Please don’t look at yourself as an ordinary being. Face Satan with the boldness and assurance that the Lord Jesus would have faced him. Check out diseases from your body as He would.

Overcome the promptings of the flesh to sin as he would.

You have put Him on.

 CONFESSION

I have put on Christ Jesus. It is Him who has totally taken over my being. I carry everything He had. I win like Him, oh what a glorious life.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

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”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14:2 ” For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.”

We continue our study on the Pauline revelations; this time we are considering, speaking in tongues as a means of touching the real issues that we need to pray on.

One does not make a mistake when praying in tongues. The scripture said “For if I pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prayeth, but understanding is unfruitful” (1st Corinthians 14:14). He means that when praying in tongues it is his recreated spirit within him that prays. His mental faculties do not play a part. Your recreated spirit is one with the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 6:17). The Holy Spirit cannot make a mistake, He prays and intercedes on every need or thing that you have to tackle.

Our key scripture presents it this way “For he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God, for no man understands him, howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries” 1st Corinthians 14:2. Man is limited in many things. Even issues concerning our present moments are unknown to us. As you sit now, can you tell the biochemical conditions of your body? Do you know what somebody is planning for you, whether good or bad? What about the future. Dear one life is spiritual and you need to approach it from the spiritual point as well.

A man woke up at the early hours of the morning, and had a strong urge to pray. He prayed in tongues till morning. He left for work with the wife. As he got to work he had a call that his water tank full of water had fallen on his roof and entered his bedroom. It fell directly on the bed .What would have happened if it had fallen when they were sleeping? I believe his prayers dealt with that.

 I have countless testimonies of various deliverance resulting out of others praying in tongues.

Please, don’t forbid to pray in tongues. It is a great privilege to do so. You can’t make mistakes praying in an unknown tongue.

CONFESSION

Thank you heavenly father, for the blessing of praying in tongues. I always pray rightly and get my results as I pray in tongues.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Romans 8:26 ” Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

1 Corinthians 14: 39

“Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14:4 ” He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church”.

Apostle Paul, among the many great revelations that the Holy Spirit taught him was the important truth about speaking in tongues. Our key scripture teaches us that “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself: but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.

The word edify means to build. It comes from the noun edifice, which means building. Praying in tongues builds one up as a building is erected. It can also be compared to a body builder going through his regimes of exercise to develop his muscles and get very strong. The same happens to the man who consistently prays in tongues. You grow and develop spiritually. Another meaning to the same scripture is compared to charging a battery. One gets spiritually charged up by praying in tongues. In actual fact your spiritual senses begins to develop as you consistently pray in tongues.

In 1st Corinthians 14:18 apostle Paul states “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all”. He reveals the secret to His spiritual exploits. Your spiritual eyes begins to open up and you are able to see visions as you pray. Your spiritual ears also opens up and you are able to hear the Spirit of God telling you mysteries that nothing could reveal to you.

Dear child of God, it is a great privilege to pray in tongues. It is the door to the supernatural realm. Jude 1:20 “But ye beloved building up yourselves on your most Holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost”. Praying in the Holy Ghost actually builds you up spiritually.

Most of us do not have enough time for God. There are so many things that occupy the attention of most Christians.

What can one do to grow spiritually through praying in tongues?.

Set times for prayer.

Pray concentrating on the Lord.

Do not allow your mind to run around all sorts of things

As you focus on the Lord you would be ready to hear the voice of the Spirit as He talks to you. 

Spend a great deal of time praying in tongues.

If you would maintain your consistency of praying in tongues you would definitely grow in the spirit and would enjoy   life in a more glorious way.

 PRAYER

Heavenly Father I pray that as I pray in tongues, open up my spiritual senses so I could effectively discharge my roles to affect many lives.

FURTHER STUDIES.

1 Corinthians 14:2 ” For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

1st Corinth 14:14 “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 14:2 ” For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries”.

Speaking in tongues is very popular these days, yet many people have a lot of questions and misunderstanding about its use.

I wish to clarify one area of this supernatural operation of this gift.

  There’s speaking in tongues as a spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit manifest in the life of an individual as He (the Holy Spirit) wills. This gift or manifestation is not given to all Christians but as many as the Spirit chooses in a particular moment. 1st Corinthians 12:10b “…to another divers kind of tongues”.

 There’s also the speaking in tongues that is the Spirit praying through us. It is also called the prayer language. This aspect can be for every Christian as you receive it. 1st Corinthians 14:14 ” For if I pray in an unknown tongue my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful “.Note this, you do not understand what you are saying, yet the bible says the Spirit speaks mysteries. (1st Corinth 14:2)

The first instance, is always a message that God has for his people. Whenever a divers kinds of tongue is given there must necessarily be an interpretation. 1st Corinthians 14:17 “If any man speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three and that by course and let one interpret, but if there be no interpreter let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself and to God “This message in tongues, is meant for the whole congregation and needs to be interpreted. You would realise that among the nine supernatural gifts in 1st Corinthians 12, there is also the gift of the interpretation of tongues. When one gives a message in tongues he must have the gift of interpretation to interpret it. If not somebody must interpret that message.

This is not so with praying in tongues. You would not need an interpretation for anyone when talking to God in tongues. If you have to be praying in the presence of others for the rest of the people, then it is good to give an interpretation for your audience. As a matter of fact, the operation of praying in tongues to God would not need an interpretation for anybody. This is the reason why in the midst of a number of Christians praying together, no one needs to interpret his or her prayer to the other because they are speaking to God directly and individually

 CONFESSION

Thank you Heavenly Father for the ability to speak in tongues. I am always edified as I pray in tongues. My prayer life is enriched as i pray in tongues.

FURTHER STUDIES

1 Corinthians 14:4 “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church”

1 Corinthians 14:16 ” Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”

We continue with our discussion on the Pauline revelations that talks about the old man.

From our previous study we learnt that we have only one nature. This is the new man or the righteous nature. I would like to bring our awareness to understand that we do not have the old man functioning in us. As Christians we must open up for a completely upright lifestyle. We must know also that we are no more weak and susceptible to any wrong actions. Our Lord Jesus has achieved a great victory for us and must take advantage of it… We have to always say with Paul “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”.

On the flip side, there are many who because of their experiences of failure would be asking why I keep struggle to do the right things. There are some who have also been taught that they have the old man and the new man in their bodies as Christians. They say so because they have always failed in their attempt to live right.

Please dearly beloved one, listen very attentively. Never make doctrines out of the experiences of people. No matter how much some experiences have been prevalent with any man so long as it does not agree with the Bible, don’t accept and make a doctrine out of it. The bible has clearly stated that because our Lord Jesus died on the cross the old man and subsequently the body of sin has been destroyed. If it is destroyed it is no more in us.

Now why do you then fill tempted at times? Please answer this question for me. Was Jesus having the sinful Adamic nature or the old man of sin in Him? The answer is definitely no.. He had no human father, and therefore could not have had the academic nature.

 My second question is, was our lord Jesus tempted or not? Yes he was (Matthew 4:1-9). The devil came and tempted Him, although He had not the sinful nature. He decided not to yield to any of these temptations.

It is up to every Christian to refuse the temptations that the spirit of the power of the air may bring to us.

Please note that our very atmosphere is saturated with an abundance of evil spirit. This is why every Christian must constantly attend to God’s word, pray very often and spend time meditating on the scriptures, so that you may not yield to these suggestions of devils.

 CONFESSION

I have the new man, with the old man made away. I would not yield to suggestions of devil but maintain my grands to serve my Father.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Ephesians 2:2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Romans 12:2 ” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin”.

Apostle Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit taught many things that were absolutely new to the body of Christ then. Among these things was the exposition on the old man.

Who or what is the old man. The bible gives a number of descriptions for this term, called the old man Romans 7:24 it is called the body of this death. It is also called the body of sin in Romans 6:6. Colossians 2:11 describes it as the body or the sins of the flesh.

Comparing these descriptions of the old man we can describe it as the sinful or Adamic nature inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve(Rom 5:12).The death of our Lord Jesus,  completely destroyed this nature. Col.2:11, reports it this way, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”:

Our being, before our new birth in Christ was the old man. Within this nature is the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2” For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. This nature was hell bound as well as fully Satan dominated.

The main point I would want us to see is that, through the Lord’s death, this nature of sin has been put away, crucified or destroyed. It no longer lives in us, this makes it clearly that, the Christian does not have two natures (i.e., the nature of sin and the nature of righteousness). In another sense we do not have the old man and the new man living together in the body of the child of God.

When Apostle Paul said in Gal 2:20, “that I am crucified with Christ yet I live but not I .The life that I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of Him who loved me and gave Himself for me”. He was just affirming that the old man was crucified and that it does not live in Him again

Dear child of God, let it be fully settled in your mind that, the Christian does not have two natures. If it was so, then the Lord Jesus death on the cross would not have been complete to save us.

CONFESSION

My Lord Jesus did a perfect work to completely save me. I do not have two natures. I live victoriously every day.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 2:11 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”:

Romans 8:3  “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”.