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BE WISE AS SERPENTS AND HARMLESS AS DOVES

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 23:6. ” But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

In Matthew 10:16, the Lord JESUS told His disciples the following: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep amid wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”. The dove and the serpent have extreme characteristics that the Lord commands his disciples to possess. A dove is amazingly harmless but is not so wise.

Serpents are exceptionally wise but can be very harmful. The wisdom of serpents can make them survive very adverse conditions. They can change themselves by shedding off the old skin. Even lions as ferocious as they are can be easily killed by some pythons. In the attack and trial of Apostle Paul, he exhibited the wisdom of the serpent. From our key scripture, he noticed the Jews were made up of two sects, that is, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. (The Pharisee believes in angels, resurrection, and life after death. The Sadducees were more liberals and did not believe in the supernatural. Paul said I am a Pharisee who believes in the future resurrection of the saints. This brought a sharp rift between these two sects. Every child of God must understand we live amid wolves. We must be very wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The Holy Spirit imparts wisdom if we ask Him for it. Secondly, wisdom is a function of proper knowledge and understanding. Don’t be ignorant about what goes on in the world.

On the following night the Lord appeared to Paul and said the following to him Acts 23:11 “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” Dear child of God serving the Lord in various capacities, must be fully assured of the Lord’s presence. This is one fact you must never lose sight of. The Lord has promised never to leave nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. This fact should be one of the strongest motivations for serving the master and doing it with all your heart. You can also practice the presence of the Lord. This is done by taking some moments to imagine the presence of the Lord with you. You follow up with a moment-by-moment acknowledgement of His presence. As you do this, you would instinctively have that consciousness of his presence.

CONFESSION

I am harmless as a dove and as wise as a serpent. I live in the midst of wolves, yet I always live above all the schemes of the devil, by my awareness of the Lord’s presence with me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Matthew 28:20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Psalms 23:4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

DEFEND THE GOSPEL WITH YOUR PERSONAL TESTIMONY

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 22:1 “Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you “

Please Read (Acts 22:1-22)

Apostle Paul gave his defence to the Jewish rioters and the Roman Soldiers who were present. His defence was a way of preaching Christ to the people. His message was a testimony of his personal life and conversion.

One powerful way of communicating the gospel is to share your life testimony. Paul, on this occasion, gave an elaborate account of his life. Giving life testimonies has three main aspects. The first part is the period before one was converted. In this part, you talk about the kind of things you used to do. The challenges and difficulties you faced. You can also talk about various ways you tried to get satisfaction and peace. In Paul’s testimony, he talked about his life as a zealot Jew who studied under Gamaliel, a very respected Jewish lawyer. He made mention of his zeal in persecuting Christians and the fact that he supervised the stoning of Stephen.

There is a second part of the personal testimony, which majors on the process of conversion. In Paul’s case, he spoke about his encounter with the Lord Jesus, who called him and commissioned him to carry his message to those in darkness. He mentioned the blinding effect of the light from heaven. He spoke about Ananias, who prayed for him to see. All these were undeniable evidence, which is not some psychological state that could be easily explained away.

The final part of the personal testimony is about the effect of conversion. In Paul’s case, he talked about the change that resulted. He no longer persecuted the church. He identified with them and started preaching about the grace of God.

You also have a personal encounter with God. So long as you have been converted, you have a personal testimony. Share it as often as you can, and many lives will be saved and blessed. If you don’t know how to present the gospel, don’t worry. Your testimony can do a lot.

CONFESSION

The Lord saved me from the grips of sin when I was dead and lost in sin. By his grace, I became part of the kingdom of God. Now, my life is free from the power of sin. Praise the Lord

FURTHER STUDIES

John 4:29 ” Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”

Luke 19:8 ” And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.”

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO FULFIL HIS PROMISES

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:31. “And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.”

Apostle Paul had been captured by the Jews, who started beating him. There was a great uproar in the city. They were in an attempt to get him killed when the centurion got hold of it.

Paul had purposed in the Spirit to get to Rome through Jerusalem and share the word of God there, too.

Acts 19:21 ” After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome”. Apostle Paul had purposed in the spirit to go to Rome. When the people took hold of Paul, there was no way his life would be terminated because, by divine program, he had to preach in Rome also. This was a divine verdict, and nothing was going to stop it. This was the reason the Lord made the Roman soldier intervene and stop them from killing him. Dear child of God, every divine calling or assignment that Good has given to you would surely come to pass.

God is faithful and would bring to pass whatever He has said concerning you, especially if it has to do with his work. Your role is to keep acting in line with what God said and also maintain your confidence in Him, that God is working out what He promised.

After Paul was taken over by the Roman soldiers, the Jewish zealots kept following, calling for His death. Acts 21:36 ” For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him”. Over the years, it has been only religious people who have called for the death of those they consider apostates or heretics. If you call yourself a Christian and you are calling for the death of apostates or heretics, then you never had the Spirit of Christ.

Every form of hatred for anybody in the name of Christianity is of the devil. If you have a loved one who claims he is persuaded to leave Christianity for another faith, don’t call for his head. Show him love, talk to God about him. Trust God to save him. The Lord will ultimately save him. Let everything. Hatred against any man ceases.

PRAYER

I am born of love. I have no hatred for anyone. I seek the salvation of all men and even those who blatantly oppose the faith.

FURTHER STUDIES

Romans 13:10. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Matthew 5:44. ” But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”

NO HUMAN EFFORT CAN CHANGE WHAT GOD HAS SAID

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:24. “Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law”.

In Jerusalem, the leaders of the church, aware of the Jewish animosity directed against Paul, suggested that he join some brethren who were going to perform the ordinance of purification, so that the Jews would be convinced that Paul was not opposed to the law of Moses, but rather observed it. This act was an attempt (well, not consciously) to change what the Holy Spirit has been saying throughout Paul’s journeys across the cities. Acts 20:23” Save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me”.

The brethren in Jerusalem were attempting to change the word of the Holy Ghost that He spoke concerning Paul’s persecution in Jerusalem. Please note: no human effort can change what the Spirit has said and confirmed. My question is, since Apostle Paul knew what the Spirit had been saying all through his travels, why did he accept the suggestion of the elders at Jerusalem? I don’t believe Paul agreed to do it to please the elders at Jerusalem. I believe that this is a case of human weakness that might have set in at that occasion. My next question is, why didn’t the elders who were the overall leaders of the church discern what the Spirit has been saying throughout his journeys? My answer is that God does not favour anyone. Everyone or anyone who avails himself to the Spirit could be used by the Spirit. God never dealt with people based on their titles. He always deals with people on their level of faith and submission to His word. On the flip side, the Holy Spirit might not have revealed it to them, because He just didn’t want to.

In Acts 21:27” the bible said and when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,” Despite Paul’s attempt to win the sympathy of the Jews they still laid hands on him and started beating him just as the prophecies said.No man can change the word of God. Paul had to stand before the emperor in Rome. The means was for Paul to appeal to Caesar during his trial by the governor. God’s word would always be fulfilled.

PRAYER

Dear heavenly father, I pray that I may daily be circumspect to walk according to the leading of the Spirit always. May I be alert to always hear the voice of the Spirit.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 4:24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Ephesians 5:18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Holy Spirit

HONOUR YOUR WORDS

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:15. “And after those days, we took up our carriages and went up to Jerusalem”

Apostle Paul did not make empty words only to abandon his commitments, but he acted on his words. Our key scripture says he and his team took their carriages and went to Jerusalem.

Many people are empty talkers. They say very high-sounding words only to forsake their vows, commitments, or pledges. Apostle Paul quickly acted on his pledge. Some of us make pledges of various sums of money during fundraising programs, only to fail to honour our pledges. There are also occasions when church members promise to make themselves available for evangelistic activities, yet when the time is due, you only find a handful of people present. Please note what the Lord says about vows or pledges. Num 30:2 “If a man vows a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth”. This is what the Lord says to all those who make vows: make sure you honour your words.
A man who honours his words would be able to trust God no matter the challenge that arises. He will always have the confidence of people.

These days, many marriages are under stress because parties are dishonouring their vows. One of the biggest challenges many marriages face is trust. This is most unfortunate. Infidelity abounds all over. This should not be said about the Christian. The Lord is always the ever-present witness to your pledges or vows to your spouses. Malachi 2:14 “Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant”. God is not only a witness to the vows made but a third party to that union. The marriage of Christians is a threefold chord. Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken”. The marriage of the Christian is a threefold chord, and our Father is the third party. Your vows are to him as well. God is the one who would come against your unfaithfulness.

Honour your pledge always, and life would be simpler and fulfilling for you.

Why do people break their vows?
Many people do not count the cost of what they are talking about. The man who has fully assessed the demands of his pledge or vows and decides to go ahead becomes ready to bear the consequences.

Secondly, any man who fails to honour his words may not have true fear for God ( there are some cases when one is sincere about whatever he says, yet physical limitations just make it impossible to honour that word: In such a scenario, God acknowledges your sincere efforts
). Barring unforeseen eventualities, such people do not consider God’s severity on them, and so they make vows not intending to honour them.

Dear one, always weigh whatever word you give out, and when you have given your word, stick to it.

CONFESSION

I have the spirit of faithfulness in me. I honour every vow, pledge, or promise I make. My life is very fulfilling because God is pleased with me and blesses me.

FURTHER STUDIES

Job 22:27. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.

Psalms 61:5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.

A DECIDED MIND CAN NOT BE TEMPTED

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:13 ″. Then Paul answered, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart?” for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. “

In Caesarea, Paul received a second prophecy about what would happen to him if he went to Jerusalem. Agabus, a prophet, took his girdle and tied his hands and said, “The man who owed that girdle would be arrested by the Jews and handed over to the Gentiles.

All the brethren began to persuade Paul not to go. His response was our key scripture.
Acts 21:13
Then Paul answered, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
A decided mind can not be tempted. Paul was a warrior for Christ. Deep down in his heart, he was dead for Jesus. The Lord Jesus gave the following criterion for a disciple that is in Luke 14:26 “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple .” The Lord said that before anyone could be his disciple, he must first hate or loveless his father, mother, wife, and children, including his brothers and sisters, as well as his very life. If one does not do this, he is not yet a disciple of Jesus.

From our story, we can easily conclude that the Apostle Paul loved the Lord more than himself. We can not achieve any special feat for the master if we do not love our lives less than we love Him. Every kind of unfaithfulness or sin a sister or brother commits against the master stems from a heart that has not loved Jesus above all other things. Paul could not be persuaded to give up on going to Jerusalem. Christianity is not all about believing in Jesus, but also about suffering for him. The word “suffer” also means to allow. There are times that we have to give way to some conditions that are not so pleasant, yet it shows how much we love the master above ourselves and brings glory to his name.

CONFESSION

I am crucified with Jesus; it is Christ alive in me. I give him the first place in all I do. My joy is to make him pleased with me. I always need to hear his instructions and to do what He says.

FURTHER STUDIES

Philippians 1:29. For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Acts 15:26. Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

BEWARE OF WOLVES IN SHEPHERD CLOTHES

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 20:29. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Apostle Paul prophecies to the leaders of the Ephesian church that after he has left and gone, grievous wolves would enter in or take over and would not spare the flock.

  Apostle Paul cautions the brethren that after his departure, grievous or dangerous wolves will take over. In Paul’s days, false teachings were mostly Jewish legalistic teachers who would come in as Christians but would teach against the grace of God, project the laws of Moses.

 There are craftier ‘wolves’ in our time as well. These days, there are certain people with fetish or occultist influences who preach from the bible to deceive many. These people usually have ritual practices that turn people’s faith from the Lord Jesus Christ into other objects. Beloved brethren any pastor or man of God who asks you to sacrifice any form of blood; that man is a false prophet. Our Lord Jesus is the last and perfect blood sacrifice that atoned for the sins of all mankind. Hebrews 9:12 reads, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood he entered in once into the Holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Our Lord Jesus entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven ONCE and obtained an ETERNAL REDEMPTION for us. Presently, any blood sacrifice of any animal goes to the devil and not our heavenly father.

 These are false prophets who wisely extort various sums of money from helpless church people. They sell all kinds of objects ranging from different kinds of oils for enquirers to pray with. They also sell hand bands, stickers, and many more. I wish to clarify a point here. There are some who sell these objects as a means of raising funds to develop the church for the common good of all. Such people do not take the money for their personal use but to benefit the wider group of the people. One way to know whether a man is teaching truth or error is to consider who such a one is projecting. Is he projecting the Lord JESUS or something else?

May you not fall into the hands of any false prophet because of frustration.

  PRAYER

I pray that I would be very sensitive to discern the truth from error anytime I encounter one in Jesus’ name

FURTHER STUDIES

 Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

 Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

IDENTIFY GOD’S WORDS FROM SATAN’S WORDS

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24 ” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given”.

The Lord Jesus warned us to be careful and selective about what we hear.

God works with words. (Isaiah 55:11) Satan also works with words(John 8:44). The principle of sowing and reaping is what both God and Satan use. We learnt that words are seeds. (Mark 4:14) God’s words are seeds of life yielding faith (Rom 10:17). The words of Satan are words of death yielding fear. Be careful. Satan does not succeed in planting his word in you.

What are the sources of the words of the devil? Satan’s words come through two main ways: They are:

1 Negative imagination. 2nd Corinthians 10:4. The bible speaks of thoughts and imagination that exalt itself against the knowledge of God. These are mainly of demonic origin.

2 The next means of satanic words that come to men are traditions of men. Mark 7:13. Traditions are the practices and experiences of people that have been believed and passed on from one generation to the other. The bible cautions us in Colossians 2:8 ” Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ”.
These traditions may come through the airwaves, advice from friends, personal experiences, and even through the pulpits. There are a number of teachings taught on various pulpits that have no biblical foundation or proper interpretation of the scriptures. These are ideas of men passed on from one generation to the other.

In 1st Samuel 17. It was the tradition of men that kept the armies of Israel paralyzed before Goliath, but David came with the word of God and conquered.

Every spiritual failure comes from a positive response to some human tradition of some sort. (That is, to disobey the word of God.)

Now take this advice: any thought, imagination, teaching, information, experience or counsel that does not FULLY agree with the word of God is the word of the enemy and you must refuse and reject it.

Decide to give attention to the word of God.

Faith in God remains the main answer to the impossibilities of life. Faith always comes by hearing the word of God. (Rom 10:17)

CONFESSION

God’s word is the tonic of life that gives birth to faith. I am not ignorant of the devices of the devil as he deceives men through deception, I would continually attend to God’s word and see my faith overcome life challenges.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Proverbs 4:23-24 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

Mark 7:8, 13 “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do

BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU HEAR.

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 4:24 ” And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.”

Our Lord Jesus, after explaining the parable of the sower, went on to make some very weighty statements about life. “He said unto them, take heed what you hear; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear shall more be given”. These words are very loaded.

The whole verse is divided into three parts.

1 Take heed of what you hear.

2 With what measure you mete, it shall be measured back to you.

3 Unto you that hear shall more be given.

He started by saying, take heed what you hear. In simple terms, he is saying to be selective about what you hear.

Before I proceed to explain further what the Lord said, please understand the makeup of every man. Every man is like an empty barrel or a plain field. Whatever you fill the barrel with, that is what will fill it. What you plant into a particular ground is what it will produce. Why are some people persuaded by a particular line of thinking? Why would some people decide to take up explosives on their bodies and die with others? Those people have been filled with a kind of information that has fully taken over their thinking faculties to act that way.

Words are like seeds. (Mark 4:14). They always bear fruit after their kind. Words of hatred will always breed anger, bitterness, war, and death. Words of love will breed concern, forgiveness, support, unity, and life. Why are you happy? You are so happy because you have heard words that excite your emotions to have positive expectations, praise, and inner satisfaction. Your world is made up of the words you hear.

In the beginning, God said some words to our first parents, Adam and Eve. The devil came and gave them his words. They listened, believed, and acted on those words of Satan, and so humanity began to be dominated by death yet thank God who allowed Jesus to pay for our sins.

Please take heed of what you hear. What you don’t want, you don’t give it any attention. What you watch would also have the same effect on you as the things you hear would do.

Please note that what possesses the mind is who you are.

CONFESSION

Every seed will produce its kind of fruit, such are the kind of words that I receive. I would only listen, read, and watch that which would develop that which I want to be and experience.

FURTHER STUDIES.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 1:14 ” And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

LOVING GOD IS SPIRITUALITY

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Mark 12:30 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”

E.W. Kenyon once wrote in his book the new kind of love that ‘selfishness is the mother of all sorrows’. To be carnally minded or to be dominated by self, is death according to Romans 8:6a. On the vice versa a spiritually minded person is life and peace. Romans 8:6b. The man who is yielded to loving God wholly is spiritual. Spirituality is the acceptable way to relate to God John 4:23.Now Spirituality means living by the scriptures.

Peace of mind has eluded most people because they have fallen in love with other things, other than the heavenly father. It is amazing to find a lot of Christians who are so passionate about football. These brethren cannot tell you verses of the scriptures, but they know the names of every star player. They are ready to stay away from fellowship time to watch a football match. Ask such brethren how many minutes they spend worshipping the Lord in their devotional moments, and it may be nonexistent, yet they adore all the soccer stars. Their love for God is nonexistent. When crises arise, such brethren are found wanting.

Football is just but one of the many things that dominate the hearts and minds of people. Love for any other thing above God is idolatry. Take it or leave it, these things are like chasing the wind. The simple principle is do not keep idols in your heart. An idol is anything that takes the place of God or the love of God from your heart.1 John 5:21 ” Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen”.

Anything that competes with God for a place in your heart robs you of your peace. Peace of mind is always a function of our good relationship with God. Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God”. Peace with God is that access we gain into God at salvation and also by believing the word of God. There is also the ‘peace of God’. This is the peace that God has and enjoys, and he can share it with us. This peace of God comes as a result of our fellowship, participation, and focus on Him. Philippians 4:6,7 ” Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, and the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus “.

This peace of God comes when we are in true love with the Lord. When we are ready to leave problems to Him. Loving God is by faith, that is we choose to love Him based on the revelation He has given us through His word.

CONFESSION

True satisfaction in life is a heart that exhorts the Lord. The Lord is all I have, and He is my life and everything.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them”.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.