KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:10 KJV” If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

In John 15:9 the Lord stated that, just as the Father loves Him, so has He loved us. He then asked us to continue or abide in His love. He shows us how to abide in His love in the next verse. He said if we keep or do His commandments, we would abide in His love.

What is the love of God? God’s love is His unreserved expression of favour towards men. The truth is God is never partial. He is favourably open towards all men. Unfortunately, it is not all men who are abiding in His love and so, do not enjoy that overwhelming expression of goodness and power He shows to all.

We would consider two characters in the scriptures. King Saul and King David. God’s love for these Kings of Israel was the same yet in each of their lives, we saw different experiences, that appeared God was favourable to one and despised the other. God loved both men the same, but Saul did not abide in His love whilst David did.

God appointed Saul from a very humble background and lifted him to be king. Saul was self-centered and kept pleasing himself. The following is how God expressed it. 1Sam 15:23 KJV “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” King Saul neglected God’s word and the Lord called that as being witchcraft and idolatry. It was very impossible for God to relate to such conditions, so as a matter of principle, had to reject him, for what he had chosen to become. Saul walked out of God’s love although God was very favourably exposed to him. There are many who have walked out of God’s love.

David was also taken from a very humble background and when he became king, he kept his humility towards God. He was ready to admit his faults when he erred; he never shifted blame for his mistakes. Even at the time, God’s judgement came on the people, when he numbered the Israelites. David said, it is he who sinned and God should punish him instead (2nd Samuel 24:17). This is a selfless man. David abode in the love of God and kept seeing the love and power of God throughout his life.

You can abide in God’s love and power if you would humble yourself to His word. God is not partial, He gives out the sun, the air and rain freely to all men. If any man refuses to come under the sun or closes his nostrils to the free oxygen; that is not God’s fault. ABIDE IN GOD’S LOVE.

THOUGHT: TO ENJOY GOD’S PEACE, POWER AND PROVISION; IT IS ALL BY YOUR CHOICE, BELIEVE HIS WORD.

FURTHER STUDIES

Isaiah 1:19 KJV” If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:”

Deut 28:1 KJV ” And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:8 KJV” Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”.

God seeks adoration from men. He created us, so we would bring Him pleasure by adoring Him. One terrible thing that a man can do against Himself is not to honour God; that is, to spite Him by the wrong ways He may live. When a man pleases God, he allows everything in him to receive life, because God blesses him. When he opposes God his system or body loses that approval from God, and so lacks the peace that his body or being desires (Rom 2:8-14). In our key scripture, the Lord said He is glorified when His disciples bear much fruit. Bearing fruits makes men adore and praise the Lord for His great works through us. It is the honour and admiration of His works men give Him, because of us, that brings glory to His name.

Fruits are an outward revelation of what a thing or who a man is. Everything is known by its fruits. When children of God bear fruit, they reveal the one who is at work in them. The Lord Jesus said, Let your light so shine, that men would see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The Lord also said, the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit and it also demonstrates that we are His disciples or His children.

What kind of fruit are we to bear? Apostle Paul said in Gal 1:15 that God separated him from his mother’s womb, to reveal His Son, through him. To reveal the Son is to manifest what the Lord stood for. He fully demonstrated the fruits of the Spirit. We must show it in an increasing measure. It is the fruit or works of God when we manifest the power of God, to heal, deliver and bless mankind. All these will cause men to praise and therefore glorify God.

The cream of all these fruits is winning the lost. Winning a soul is the greatest joy you may bring the Father. I said earlier in this study that, God created us to bring Him pleasure. Rev 4:11 KJV” Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”. When a soul is won from the kingdom of darkness, that soul would live to glorify God. This fulfils God’s purpose in creating men. Winning more men is indeed the delight of God. Winning men is more than evangelizing them. Evangelism is introducing the Saviour to them, as well as inviting the sinner to come to partake of Christ. Winning the soul is helping him, become a follower of Jesus.

THOUGHT: WINNING SOULS IS LIKE BRINGING GOD’S LOST PEARLS OF PRICELESS VALUE HOME.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 15:16 KJV “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

Luke 14:23 KJV “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:7 KJV” If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

God our Father desires that His children live joyfully. The bible says His ears are opened to the cry of His children Psalms 34:15 KJV “The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” He states in our opening scripture that when we abide in Him, and His words abide in us we would ask what we will, and it shall be done unto us. Consider the phrase’ what you will” He did not say ‘when you ask in line with my will’ Well the Lord made this statement, based on a condition. He said if you abide in me. This statement is talking about being committed and depended on the Lord.

We learnt in our last discussions that; we abide in the Lord as we fellowship with Him. This talks about developing a strong relationship with Him. The end result is a life committed to doing what He says. Such a person will have his thoughts and desires totally influenced by God’s word. His will will definitely be in line with the will of God. It is on the bases of such a cordial relationship that the Lord says, if such a person is to ask what he wills or desires, it shall be granted Him. A man or woman who is dedicated sincerely to the Lord will also trust the Lord in his or her request that he makes. Our prayers are always answered on the bases of our faith in God.

Dear one, if you wish to improve on your prayer fruits or be more effective in your prayer life, then you must also improve your relationship with God. He said in John 14: 21, that when we love Him, we would keep or obey His words and the Father and the Son would make their abode in us and manifest unto us. This aspect of manifesting to us is seen in the answers to various requests or demands that we make. The closer we are to the Lord the more He reveals His power through us. As we said the other time, if a man develops a consistent prayer life, he generates so much power that, he becomes a walking fire, and the Lord honours his desires or he receives answers to his prayers.

THOUGHT: YOUR DEVOTION TO THE LORD, BUILDS TRUST IN HIM, AND THAT INCREASES YOUR PRAYER FRUITS.

FURTHER STUDIES

Jas 5:17 KJV “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

1Jn 5:14 KJV “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:”

KEY SCRIPTURES: John 15:6 KJV” If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

The Lord says those who do not abide in Him become valueless to men. We learnt in our last studies that fellowshipping with the Lord is what keeps one abiding in Christ. Prayer and commitment to the word of God are the prime means of abiding in Christ. Please note that by our birth into Christ He has become our very life source. We live with His very life. Abiding in Christ is a practical way of expressing that union with Jesus.

The Lord says, if a child of God fails to commit to the Lord through fellowshipping, he would eventually lose the impact that Christ has saved him to be to the world. He would be of no use to the course of the gospel in the life of men. Men would likewise have no good use of him. The Lord used the term ‘they would cast him into the fire’. This thought expressed by our master Jesus reveals that, as a child of God you are in a position to play a very important role to the world. Rom 8:19 KJV “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” The child of God is a symbol of hope to our world, and must not fail to bring that answer of revealing Jesus in his or her life. Prov 13:12 KJV” Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”

Please consider the following scripture. Rom 8:20 KJV” For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,” The world is in a kind of crisis and stress such that the true people to help are the children of God, manifesting their sonship. Our sonship is revealing the Christ nature and power to our world. It is when the child of God becomes what Christ saved him to be, that he becomes of real value to men. If he does not, he is of no value to the world and the world uses him any how it chooses. The Lord said, he is cast into fire. Dear child of God, how much are you committed to Christ as a person? This is what would determine your impact to the world, and how valuable you are to the world. In the light of what have been revealed in this study, every child of God needs to seriously examine his or her life in relation to his or her dedication to our Lord Jesus. If you find yourself wanting, then repent and turn totally to the master.

THOUGHT: YOUR VALUE TO THE WORLD IS DEPENDANT ON YOUR DEDICATION TO JESUS

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 5:16 KJV” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Rom 8:19 KJV “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 15:5 KJV “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

We continue with our discussion on the Lord’s call on every child of God to be fruitful. The main reason why God saved us and allowed us to live on this earth was that we might be very fruitful.

In our previous study, we looked at the place of fervent consistent prayer, in helping us to be fruitful. We would also consider how a life of discipline to learn or know God’s word also assists us to be very fruitful. The Lord said, He is the vine, whiles we are the branches. As we abide in Him, and He also abides in us, we would bring forth much fruit. One way that the Lord abides in us is by letting the word of God, fill our hearts. Jesus remains in our hearts in the form of His words. Jesus is the word of God. John 1:1, Rev 19:13. According to Psalm 1:2,3, “The man that delights in the law of the Lord and in His law, does he meditates day and night, he shall be like a tree planted by the river, which yields its fruit in its season. It leaves does not wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper.”

John 1:4 also reminds us that in the Word is life and that life is the light of men, which shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it. Taking in the word exposes one to a supernatural success ability, that cannot be understood by the senses. E W Kenyon said, ‘Meditating on the word is a visit with Jesus’ The man who reads, studies, memorises the word of God and does what it says, will make His way prosperous, and have good success. Joshua 1:8. We live in times that everything around us works to keep us from having time with the word. The mobile phone bringing social media to us craves all the attention. We need to be very disciplined not to be unduly attended to its demands . We must literally put it off at certain occasions we may be able to attend fully to the Word of God. 

Staying in God’s word keeps you plugged in to God, like an electrical gadget, plugged into  the source of electricity. So long as it is plugged in, it can be said to be abiding or remaining in the source of power, which would cause that gadget to function effectively. You would be certainly fruitful when you stay in God’s word. The moment you unplug yourself from the word, you break your life source.

THOUGHT: GOD’S WORD IS A STORE HOUSE OF LIFE AND POWER, STAY CONNECTED TO IT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Jos 1:8 KJV “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

 Rom 8:6 KJV” For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:4 KJV” Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

To abide means to remain, or to tarry. It also means to continue to be present, to last or endure. The Lord says bearing fruits is directly related to abiding in the Lord. No one can be fruitful if he or she does not abide.

What does it mean to abide in practical sense? It means fellowship with the Lord. One very important aspect of fellowshipping is by prayer. Studying and meditating on the word are other aspect of fellowshipping with the Lord.

Many who have been very successful in making a great impact in ministry, attribute their success to their commitment to prayer. Elijah’s efforts turned the whole nation, back to God, through a consistent prayer life.1Ki 17:1 KJV “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” The phrase ” before whom I stand” speaks volumes concerning his abiding or prayer life. He had the audacity to tell the king that, by his word it will not rain for some years. Every word he declared happened exactly as he said it. The scripture revealed that although he had the same deficiencies like any of us, he was able to do so much for God that, God had to take him bodily to heaven.

A praying man would indeed be fruitful. The word abiding means to remain, and this suggests consistency. Being consistent in your prayer life generates such power over time, that you become a walking fire, generating results wherever you go. This thing is work, which works, yet you must work it out

THOUGHT: PRAYER IS WORK, WHICH WORKS, YET YOU MUST WORK IT OUT.

FURTHER STUDIES

James 5:17 KJV” Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

Mark 1:35 KJV” And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:3 KJV” Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.”

 The words of Jesus are full of life.  They have the ability to transform the heart of anyone who submits to it. The Lord said to His disciples that, the words they have heard has already made them clean. One of the symbols of the word of God, among many others in the bible, is water. Eph 5:26 KJV :”That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,” As men wash themselves with water to keep clean and free from  dirt ,God’s word is the spiritual water to wash off wrong and all defiling ways.

There are many people struggling with all kinds of sinful and wrong habits, without knowing what to do. Please take some time to flood your soul with the word. Allow God’s word to flood your  mind and heart, and after a while that negative lifestyle world be history  to you. For a simple illustration, Let’s consider pouring tap water into a dirty cup over a good length of time. After a while, this dirty cup will become as clean as crystal. As the water Keep pouring into the cup and flowing off, the dirty particles would be gradually carried away, and the cup would be left clean. Stop worrying about your wrong and negative habits, but rather attend to the word and allow it to make you clean and whole again.

If the word has the ability to wash us clean, then when one is to store it in his heart, sin would not take root there in the first place. Psalms 119:11 KJV” Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” One of the ways to do this is to, spend moments meditating over the scriptures, till it is fully secured in your heart. If this approach becomes your normal way of attending to the word you would soon realise that, you are so filled with God’s word such that, sin is an impossibility.

THOUGHT: ATTEND TO GOD’S WORD TO THE POINT THAT, YOU BECOME IMPREGNABLE TO ERROR

FURTHER STUDIES

Pro 4:20 KJV” My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

Jos 1:8 KJV” This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:2 KJV” Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

God expects fruit from us. God blessed men from the beginning to bear fruits. What kind of fruits are we to bear? We are to bear first of all nature and of God He wants us to be truthful, loving, gentle, and kind. This is what the Lord Jesus calls shinning. Matt 5:16 KJV” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” In addition to shinning, is winning men and women to know Jesus. The next form of fruit is works that answer men’s needs. Bringing answers to men’s questions.

The Lord prunes those who bear fruit. God has various ways of pruning His children. To prune is correct, straighten, or discipline. The first choice of God in pruning His children is the word of God. 2Ti 3:16 KJV “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” He said when men are pruned, they bear more fruits. This is exactly what the word of God does. It corrects, rebukes, reproofs, and instructs in righteousness. God also prunes us by allowing trials our way. James 1:3 KJV” Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” He may be a discipline, that is going through correction by undergoing some painful situations. Please note, sickness is an oppression of Satan, (Acts 10:38) and God does not use that one.

The verse also said those who fail to bear fruit He cut them off and they are cast into the fire. Remember the scripture which says to those who have, more would be given to them, whiles those who have not, even the little they have is taken away. Those who do not bear fruit severe themselves from dependence on God and so, they lose His Influence over them. This is how people are cut off from the. Lord. In actual fact, they drift off as an unanchored canoe may drift off on the ocean. This is called backslidden. There are many in the church who have been cut off without knowing.

Signs of being cut off are;

1. Loss of meaningful worship

2. Less desire to fellowship with other believers

3. No desire to pray and study the scriptures

4. Lack of peace and an irritating temper

5.No urge to win others for Christ.

6.  Living with a besetting sin.

Repent today and the Lord would always accept you.

THOUGHT: FRUITFULNESS IS YOUR SURE GROUND TO SECURE YOUR STABILITY IN THE FAITH.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 6:8 KJV” But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

Joh 15:8 KJV “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 15:1 KJV “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”

In John 15, the Lord spoke a lot about the vine and its branches. The main import was the need to bear a lot of fruits.

The Lord started by saying He is the vine, and the Father is the husbandman or the gardener. The vine is a light or small stem creeping, twinning, or climbing plant. Such plants normally cover and actually, dominate any area it finds itself. The church of our Lord Jesus has the mandate to dominate and take over our world. Jesus is the vine. As the vine, the branches have the same life as the vine. The Christian shares the same life with Jesus. We have inherent within us the abilities of Jesus. Eph 3:9 KJV” And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:” Our fellowship or oneness with Jesus is a mystery beyond human understanding. We have become true participators of the divine nature of Jesus.

The Christian cannot become effective for God until he or she understands the unique relationship we have with Jesus. Phm 1:6 KJV” That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” We are the extension of our Lord Jesus on this earth. Please stop considering your weakness and limitations as a man and fully accept the divine life at work in you right now.

The Lord also said the Father is the husbandman. As the husbandman, God is our caretaker. The task of the caretaker is the problem solver and the burden bearer. It is not your role to be worried about anything. Our role as the branches is to bear fruits for our heavenly Father. It is to the Father’s glory that we bear fruit and much of it. Our focus in life must be to bear fruit to His glory. If the Father is our burden bearer, then we have the most efficient preserver and securer of our lives. He is the God of the universe. He is our Shepherd and so we should not want. Let every anxiety cease with you as you acknowledge that our heavenly Father is dedicated to your peace, blessings and fulfilment.

THOUGHT: WE ARE EXTENSIONS OF OUR MASTER JESUS ON EARTH, WITH THE FATHER AS THE CARETAKER.

FURTHER STUDIES

1Corinth 6:17 KJV” But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”

1Pet 5:7 KJV” Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 14:30 KJV” Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

In our earlier study, we looked at some of the wrong things of the enemy that some children of God allow into their lives. In this study, we would consider how the presence of the seeds of the enemy functions to make the people of God victims of satanic control. In the case of the Lord Jesus, He was arrested, as a result of being betrayed by Judas; one of His important disciples. If He had been self-centered, He would have been so hurt by Judas’ action to the point of even cursing him. Jesus rather asked Judas, ‘dò you betray the Son of man with a kiss?’ When Peter cut off a man’s ear, He showed His dislike for it Luk 22:51 KJV “And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear, and healed him.”

After all the humiliation and the punishments, they inflicted on Him, He prayed to the Father, asking for forgiveness for them, and also requesting the Father not to count any of their actions against them, because, they did not know what they were doing. Satan never had any power or influence over Him, throughout his trial.

If Jesus had any unforgiveness in Him, He would have felt so offended, seeing the very people He fed, with five loaves of bread, those He healed, and taught for so many hours, turn against Him, calling for His crucifixion. Jesus refused to allow any such thing to be in him.

There are some pastors who have grown so bitter to the point of hurting, because a church member, they raised in the Lord, had turned his or her heel against them. Some will rain curses on such people. Such men have the devil’s seed in them, and these seeds of pride, and unforgiveness, begin to show up at such moments. A pastor who gets so low with bitterness can easily be destroyed by the devil. At such a state, that child of God, or pastor, would have given grounds to the enemy, because he had fallen into the trap Satan set for him. The devil can easily strike him with a disease or even destroy his life because he has left the secret place of the most High. (The secret place is when a child of God submits and trusts in the Lord).

There is a story of a man of God, who was living with a woman who was not His wife. This man took up a challenge against some fetish priests. In a few weeks’ time, he became sick and finally died. His sinful life gave him access to the enemy to easily slay him. Why couldn’t the Lord protect him? By the way he was living, he was already in the grips of the enemy, and so, the devil could easily destroy him.

Dear brother or sister, do not dine with the devil on any grounds. Every child of God is far superior to the devil by grace, yet living in sin would give the enemy power over you. Repent of every sinful way, and completely turn away from that way of living. Surrender to the Lord, and He would once again, be very jealous of you.

THOUGHT: YOU ARE STRONG AND SECURE, SO LONG AS SATAN HAS NOTHING IN YOU.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 7:60 KJV “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep “

Gen 39:9 KJV” There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”