Count Your Blessings

Introduction

Considering the experiences of Job it is justifiable skipping Thanksgiving; however the voice of God came to Him amidst the turmoil of his life with an interesting statement in Job 37:14 saying, "Hear this, O Job. Stop and consider the wondrous works of God." From all indications Job has nothing at all to be thankful for, but the message God was passing across to Job was it's time to count your blessings. So the Topic the Lord is laying upon my heat to share with you is 'Count Your Blessings' if you are going through pains and trials thinking why me? You have to stop and listen to the voice of God saying son/daughter Count Your Blessings and see what I have done for you. Physical and material possessions are not the only things we consider as blessings. Wealth and riches come and go but the genuine blessings of God are irrevocable. 

“Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” Proverbs 23:5 

Reasons for Thankfulness 

Every Christian is given the seed of blessings at conversion. How do I know this truth? Turn your Bible to 2 Peter 1:3 it reads "According  as his divine power hath given unto us all  things that pertain unto life and godliness,  through the knowledge of him that hath  called us to glory and virtue:" His divine power refers to the Holy Spirit in the believer. He connects us to the source of blessings so that we can tap into God's abundance in the heavenly places. 

You are not a failure. It is unscriptural to believe Christianity is all about struggles. That is not what Jesus teaches about poor in the spirit. Everything pertaining to life was given to us. We are blessed before we are blessed. The Bible says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Ephesians 1:3. Whatever you possess or desire to possess originates from the spiritual realm. What we see is the manifestations of the spiritual treasures in the heavenly places. 

You have the keys of God’s kingdom. Jesus said to His Disciples "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18. One major blessing of a Christian is divine authority conferred in him by God. It is certainly true that the fullness of the Spirit empowers and enlightens the believer. By this alone a child of God is enabled to exercise delegated authority.  

With this special grace upon a child of God, you can change situations and claim other blessings stored in the heavenly places. Therefore, rejoice and give thanks for you have been blessed with all spiritual blessings that qualifies you for material blessings on earth. You are given authority to heal the sick, to cast out demons and whatsoever you bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth is loosen in heaven. 

Remain blessed in Jesus name.
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Serving for Glorious Turnaround

For every Christian, service should be the heart of our life.   I have heard on several occasions that we should appeal to our fathers in the Lord-pastors to make members perform. In other words, if the church is not growing, it is the fault of the Pastor. If any Ministry of the Church is not viable the Pastor is to blame. Pastors on the other hands blame the members for not responding well to teachings and instructions from the Pastors. The truth is that everyone is expected to play his or her roles in order to fulfill our mandate. The success of one is the success of all and the failure of one is the failure of all. 

The old comparison between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea is still true. Galilee is a lake full of life because it takes in water but also gives it out. In the contrary, nothing lives in the Dead Sea because; it never flows out while taking in waters. There is glorious turnaround if your life constantly and consistently releases whatever gift you have received. The Scripture says, “Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.  But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.” Hebrews 6: 7 and 8 we cannot claim to be blessed when no one is blessed through us. As we grow in Christ, so also we must be ready to serve. 

Service Leads to Profit: when you're committed to serving God through serving people through your work, the Lord Himself will be ready to open doors for your success and prosperity. If you faithfully render services, you will definitely prosper. The reason why many businesses fail is because the owners are so mindful of monetary gain. We are after profits not after service to the people.  Any Government that is after tax tax without service to humanity will eventually fail and be humiliated. Beloved be ready to look after others. 

What often happens in the local church is that ministry becomes institutionalized instead of being personalized. In other words, “having a ministry” comes to mean, “I serve on the board of elders,” or on the budget committee, or “I teach Sunday School.” All these are important ministries, of course. I'm not belittling them. But it's possible to keep the institution rolling along, but to miss the heart of ministry, which is building into the lives of people. I read of a new Christian who was leading a number of his friends to Christ and seeing them begin to grow in Christ. But the people in his church were encouraging him to become one of the sponsors of the high school youth group so that he could have a ministry! Many who claim to have ministries today would have better be in a church functioning to affect lives for the growth of the Church and the kingdom of God at large. But they felt, the gift manifesting in their lives means they should go out to start their own ministry. The purpose of God for every gift is to meet others needs thereby integrating them in the body of Christ. Let your life and faith affect other people’s life and as you do that you will experience glorious turnaround spiritually, numerically and materially. Remain blessed in Jesus name

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Abundant Grace Mission International: Let Your Children Come -Mark 10: 13

Abundant Grace Mission International: Let Your Children Come -Mark 10: 13: “13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw ...

Let Your Children Come -Mark 10: 13

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“13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.” 

Some parents were bringing their children to Jesus. Unfortunately, they were met with hindrance-the disciples of Jesus rebuked them. No reason is stated for their action. However we may try to suggest what could have warranted the action of the disciples who rebuked parents bringing their children to Jesus. I doubt if anyone would not be interested seeing his/her children associated with Jesus. 

Though we bring children to Church for dedication but experiences show that not all those children were actually handed over to Jesus. According to Mark, Jesus was responding to questions from the Pharisees with regards to divorce. “Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” v2 when people like that were bringing children to Jesus, the disciples might think they don't worth it. A marriage at the verge of separation may find it near impossible bringing children to Jesus. Parents, please don't allow your pride, selfish ambition, career, pleasure or education rob you of bringing your children to Jesus. Nevertheless, you need to be sure God is not missing in your home. 

May I share this story with you: “Two brothers were always getting into trouble? Whenever something went wrong in the neighborhood, or  in school, they were usually to blame. One day their parents decided to ask their pastor  for help. The pastor  decided he would see them one at a time. He wanted to remind them that, no matter where they were or what they were doing that God was with them and saw them. The pastor met with the first brother. He pointed his finger at him and said, “Where is God?” The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, out of the window, but said nothing. Again, the pastor asked, “Where is God?” The boy panicked and ran out the door and all the way home. Finding his brother he dragged him up to their bedroom and said, “We are in BIG trouble.” The brother asked, “What do you mean BIG trouble?” He stammered and replied, “God is missing and they think we did it.” When God is missing in the family, they will be in big trouble because they will find it difficult to live in peace with one another and their neighbours. Where is God in your family? 

People of God, we need to beware of stopping the children from coming to Jesus Christ. Let me appreciate all of us for our cooperation on our Children Ministry. Especially my appreciation goes to their Ministers. Sometimes, churches handle children ministry so lightly. They place less priority on them. Let us give more attention to our children and provide enabling environment for their spiritual and academic growth. 

Reverend G. S. Adeyemo
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The Power of Choice

I am led to speak to you on a very vital issue this morning: ‘The Power of Choice.’ Yes today being Covenant Sunday which many of us think it is time to talk of money, giving, prosperity, wealth creation or freedom from poverty and many fanciful topics. But God is pleased to lead me in ministering on this subject as mentioned.

I spent much time meditating on the Scripture which says, "If ye be  willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good  of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel,  ye shall be devoured with the sword: for  the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."Isaiah 1:19, 20. I discovered that the Lord gives us the ability to make choices in life. Hence, our destiny can be determined by the choice we make. Someone said, "The choices we make actually define who we are. Choices establish our core values that shape our faith and our actions, and determine how we live. As we are given the gift of each new day, we choose how we will use it."

You cannot just live above the choice you make. The situation of our country depends on the choices you and me made at one time or the other: The choice to vote or not to vote, the choice to collect money and vote in wrong leaders, the choice to loot our treasury and not to safe for raining days. The choice to attend special centers for a result you never worked for. I can continue to go on and on like that. Today, we are faced with the consequences.

The consequences include bad governance, unemployable graduates, poverty, terrorism, insecurity, recession, empty hospitals and high mortality rate. Let me ask you, how do you make your choice daily? The choice you make determines the life you live.

You may choose to serve God and enjoy peace, prosperity and eternal life. Joshua challenged the Israelites while going to the Promised Land,

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."Josh 24:15

Lot made his choice based on sight and faced the consequences in Sodom and Gomorrah. "Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other."Gen 13:11

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."Isaiah 66:4

29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: Pro 1:29

The choice you make determines the life you live. Even when you think you wont choose anything so that you don't make mistake, it is a choice not to make a choice. That means you chose others to choose for you. You bear the consequence of your choice. God has given each of us the power of choice, but once we have made our choice, we have no power to choose the consequences. Many people in the Bible messed up their lives because of their bad choices. Their stories serve as examples for us. Even Solomon, the wisest ruler who ever lived, chose the false gods of his many wives, strayed from the one true God, and ruined his life.

God gave you a free will to choose. You choose according to your desires. Will your present desires lead to wise choices for the future?

You may choose to serve God or not, but you will bear the consequences. God says, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."Isaiah 1:19, 20.

I appeal to you today, choose to repent from your wrong doings.

I appeal to you today, choose Jesus as your Lord and Saviour

I appeal to you today, choose to serve the Lord your God