WELCOME TO APRIL OUR MONTH OF EXODUS

"The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:

Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and by the sea side, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the river Euphrates.

Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them."  Deuteronomy 1:6-8

The word of the Lord to us as a Ministry this month is Exodus. The marching order came to me by the word of the Lord in Deuteronomy 1:6-8. By this word of the Lord, we are encouraged to step up from our present level in every area of our lives to higher grounds. From this text of scripture, it is clear that this will happen as we arise and take our journey to possess the promises of God to us.

By our action in cooperating with the Spirit of the Lord to occupy new territories, we shall be rewarded with more souls birthed into the Kingdom of God. I can’t help calling to mind what the Lord said in John 4:35-38 thus:

Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.

I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

This is very akin to the word of the Lord for us this month where He said He is prepared to fulfill His promise to give us more territories. Our Territories in this dispensation are men and women and young persons who are yet to receive the Lord as Savior and Lord. The Lord said it is time to harvest them. In Psalm 2:8 God promises us that if we ask of Him, He would give us the Heathen for our inheritance and the uttermost part of the earth for our possession.

To this end, in this month of Exodus, we are going to embark on more aggressive evangelism to fulfill the operation 300 in which we have consecrated the hours of 12 midnight to 6 am to pray for God to help us birth and raise 300 disciples of Christ for each of our Churches. Every member and partner and friend of this Ministry is invited to invest 30 minutes of their night between the times indicated just praying in tongues for OPERATION THREE HUNDRED.

By way of our spiritual diet this month, we are going to be looking at how to break boundaries in every area of our lives as we give ourselves over to the Lord to be used as His ambassadors on earth.

If you want to serve the Lord by participating with us in this noble venture, but you are not yet born again, you can do so immediately by saying the following prayers:

Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let us know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and we will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. You can also log on to our blog on www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or follow us on face book at www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl   for more resource materials to enrich your Christian life. God bless you!!!

AN EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: UNDERSTANDING THE GIFTS AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 3

Chapter 2

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The question as to who the Holy Spirit is, seeks to clarify His personality and ease us of the confusion that has been generated by the devil for centuries over the human race to steal from them, kill and destroy them. Many have referred to him as a thing based on this lie traded to them by the devil through well-meaning ministers who did not apply themselves to the demands of study to show themselves approved unto God. Contrary to their assertion, the bible clearly makes us understand that the Holy Spirit is God.

Below is a list of several passages in scripture where this truth is drawn from:

·        He is the first of the God head the bible mentions. In Genesis 1:2, we read:

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Here, He is referred to as the Spirit of God. When God decided to make man, He consulted with Himself in the Holy Trinity thus:

“God said, Let Us [Father, Son and Holy Spirit] make man-kind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts and over all the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth [Ps.104:30; Heb.1:2; 11:3]” Gen.1:26 [The Amplified Bible].

We can see clearly from this translation that the Holy Spirit is God: “God said, Let Us [Father, Son and Holy Spirit]…”

·        He is the Lord. In Ezekiel 36:22-26, we read:

“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.

And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

In this text of scripture, Ezekiel referred to the content of the prophecy quoted here as what was said by “The Lord God”. However, when Apostle Paul quoted the same prophecy in the book of Hebrews, He refers to the author as The Holy Ghost. Thus in Heb.10:15-17, we read:

“Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”

Thus from these two references of scripture, the divinity of the Holy Spirit is brought our clearly.

·        He is the Spirit of Christ. In 1Pet.1:11, we read:

“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

This truth is also confirmed by Apostle Paul in Romans 8:9 thus:

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

·        He is the Spirit of truth. In John 16:13 which we quoted earlier, the Lord Jesus Christ referred to Him as the Spirit of Truth. Also, while referring to the Holy Spirit in John 15:26, He said:

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

This truth is also confirmed by Apostle John while making a distinction between the word from God and that from the devil in 1John 4:6 thus:

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

  

·        He is another comforter in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ. when Jesus Christ was rounding off His ministry at His first coming, He told His disciples as He was about to leave them in John 14: 15-16:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”

The word comforter here has its root in the Greek word “Parakletos” meaning  an intercessor, a consoler, an advocate and a comforter; whereas “another” has its root in the Greek word “allos” which means another of the same kind. Thus He was telling the disciples that He was going to send them God the Holy Spirit to carry out the function He was carrying out in their lives while He was with them. This time however, they would be able to take more of the things of the Spirit because the Spirit will live in them forever. This explains why He told them later in John 16:12 that He had many things to tell them, but that they could not bear it then. However when the Holy Spirit comes, He will clarify all the truths the Lord was trying to communicate to them which they were not able to bear as at then.

True to the word of the Lord, a study of the epistles to the early Church clearly reveals that God kept this word through the revelations of the Holy Spirit to Apostles Paul, Peter, John, James etc.

·        He is the promise of the father. In Acts 1:4, Jesus Christ said to His disciples when He was about to depart from the earth after His first advent and resurrection from the dead that they should await the promise of the father. By this, He was referring to the infilling with the Holy Spirit which He already prophesied to the disciples. Acts 1:4-5 reads as follows:

“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the

Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

 From the fifth verse quoted here, it is clear that the promise of the father refers to the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is brought out more clearly in the amplified bible as follows:

“And while being in their company and eating with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but wait for what the Father had promised. Of which [He said] you have heard Me speak [Jn.14:16, 26; 15:26.]

For John baptized with water, but not many days from now you will be baptized with (placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.”

Thus another description, by which the Holy Spirit is known, is The Promise of the Father.

·        The Comforter: The word Comforter, is the same word translated Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby and they all refer to the Holy Spirit. This explains why this same word is called by several translations of the bible by any of these different names. However, the Amplified Bible Translation lumps them all together thus in John.14:26:

“But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the father will send in my name [in My place, to represent Me and act on my behalf]. He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.”

·        He is the teacher: The Holy Spirit is also referred to as our Teacher. This reflects one of His assignments to us. No one can teach better than the Holy Spirit or teach with excellence without His assistance. In John.14:26, the Lord told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, He will teach us all things and cause us to remember what the Lord had taught us. This same truth was conveyed by Apostle John in 1John 2:27 where He refers to the Holy Spirit as the Anointing whom God has sent to teach us all things and protect us from deception. Also, Prophet Ezekiel, while prophesying of the New Creation man in  Ezekiel.36:24-27 had this to say about the person of the Holy Spirit:

“For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

From this text we can quickly see that the Holy Spirit operates as our teacher from within which is the same thought conveyed by Apostle John in 1John 2:27. When He communicates, He teaches our spirits which in turn sends the signal to our souls from where we gain consciousness of His teachings. This is why it is required that anyone who wants to be taught by Him must be spiritual. In 1Cor.2:12-14, we are told:

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

·        He is referred to as a person in the male gender: In Jn.16:7-14, the Lord said:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Of sin, because they believe not on me;

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

From most of the verses of this text of scripture, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is a person addressed in the male gender. For instance, in verse 13, Jesus Christ said “…when HE the Spirit of Truth is come…” (my emphasis).

·        He is co – equal with God the father and the son and shares the same nature. This truth is brought out in Matthew’s account of the baptism of the Lord in Matthew 3:16 - 17. That text reads:

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

In these verses of scripture, we see the Son being baptized, the Holy Spirit alighting on Him in bodily form like a dove and we hear the Father’s voice speaking from heaven confirming the Son ship of the Lord. In addition to this witness, in Matthew 28:19, the Lord said:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

This brings out the co-equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son clearly. Another text that brings out the Trinity of the God Head clearly showing the co-equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son is 1John 5:7 which reads:

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

From the foregoing, it is very clear that the Holy Spirit is Co-equal with the father and the Son and for the records, the Son is the same person referred to here as the Word. You will find proof of this in John Chapter 1 verses 1 to 14.

·        He is the principal executor of God’s program on the Earth today. Since the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit has been on earth implementing the plan of God for this planet. Just before the Lord Jesus Christ left the Earth, He told His disciples that He was not going to leave them comfortless but that He would come to them again by sending them the Holy Spirit who would be with them and all the rest of us who believe in Him forever. You will find this account in John 14:15-18.

·        He is love and has a will and emotions. In this chapter we already established that the Holy Spirit is God. As God, He is love as shown to us in 1John 4:8. He also has a will and emotions. In 1Cor.12:11 where Apostle Paul was teaching about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he said that the Holy Spirit would distribute His gifts severally to individuals as He wills. This goes to make us understand that the Holy Spirit just does not jump because we tell Him to. He only jumps when He wants to. In the same way we cannot operate His gifts at our pleasure or as we will; but as He wills. He also has emotions. In Eph.4:30, we are made to understand that He could be grieved.

·        He is Holy. This is why everywhere He is mentioned in the bible as a Spirit, the word Spirit is qualified with Holy. Just as the Father and the Son are referred to as Holy, He is also referred to as Holy.

·        He is the hidden mystery now made known in our time. According to Apostle Paul, the truth of Him living in us, was concealed by God to the world from the foundation of the world for our glory. In Col.1:26-27, we are told:

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

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:”

Presently, Christ is in the believers of Christ by His Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is another name by which the Holy Spirit is known [1Pet.1:11]. In our text scripture here, the Spirit of Christ in the saint is said to be the hidden mystery of God from the foundation of the world.

AN EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: UNDERSTANDING THE GIFTS AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 2

CHAPTER 1

Why do a study on the Holy Spirit?

The answer to any question that begins with a why seeks to bring understanding and thus clarification in respect of what is sought to be known. In this book, an understanding of why we need to study the ministry and gift of the Holy Spirit will help us to take advantage of this great gift of God to man. The reason for the weakness in faith in many regarding this greatest treasure made available to man is because they lack an understanding of who He really is and what He is here to do.

It is therefore not surprising that many failed to see that He is a person with all the sensibilities who should be related with as such even though He is Spirit. This is why I have taken the time to share some of my personal experiences with Him earlier on. As we go on in this study, I will as much as possible share my personal experience as well as the experiences of others with Him to drive home the truth of the word of God I am seeking to convey through this book.

Let us now look at some reasons why we need to do a study from God’s word of the Holy Spirit

1.     The first reason I have here is to introduce the Holy Spirit to us as He really is. He is a person and we ought to know that so that we can relate with Him as such. You can never get the full benefit of the person of the Holy Spirit until you are clear that He is a person and seeks to be seen as such. In John chapter 16, the Lord referred to Him as a person in the male gender when He said in verses 7,  8 and 12 – 15 respectively:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: …

I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you”  (emphasis mine).

If we do not understand this truth that he is a person, we would fall into the trap of those who have been deceived by the devil who wants to rob them of the experience of His ministry so as to place a limit on them. many symbols such as wind, fire etc. are used to refer to Him in the word of God, but that does not make Him lose His personality and position as God. He is indeed a person and I know this in experience and nothing and no one can take that away from me!

2.     It is one thing to know that the Holy Spirit is a person but quite another to know that He is on earth today and why and also to know how we can benefit from His being here. In John 14:16 quoted earlier, where Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit shall be with us forever, it is quite evident that that duration of His stay in us is forever.

3.     A study of the Holy Spirit will help us discover how we can relate with God one on one and show us how we can flow in God’s power for the furtherance of His cause on earth. Remember, He has been here before the beginning and is the fountain of wisdom. He is the person of the God head who has a mission of guiding the Church today to enable us fulfill our destinies as we saw in John 16:13. As you walk this Christian road, you will quickly realize that there can be no glorious destiny without a constant connection with our source – God. This is what made Jesus Christ say in John 15:1-5 that we should abide in Him and let His word abide in us so that we can bear much fruit because without Him, we can do nothing. Physically, Jesus Christ is not on earth today. However, through the Church He is still very much on earth because the Church is referred to as the body of Christ. However, the Church cannot function without the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is what has necessitated this study. Those who know Him function better and produce more fruits than those who do not know Him. The importance of the knowledge of anything especially this all important person cannot be overstated. God views ignorance with so much displeasure that He says in the book of Hosea 4:6 that ignorance is tantamount to a rejection of knowledge and then declares a consequence of destruction on the ignorant. He also said He would reject them from the priesthood and forget their children.

In light of the above, we cannot take this matter lightly. We must strive to learn and know all we can about the Holy Spirit because our lives and destinies depend hugely on this knowledge.

4.     Following from the previous paragraph, knowledge of the person of the Holy Spirit will help us learn from the master how to operate our individual ministries and fulfill it.

The revelation of the plan of God for your life to you by God is called vision and the pursuit of that vision is called ministry or destiny. Thus every person on earth has a ministry and God expects each of us to fulfill our individual ministries. Our ministries are as different as our finger prints. This explains why each of us is unique – one of a kind. When we come to this understanding, coupled with the fact that there is an equal allocation of time and a soul to each individual which are all we need to accomplish, it will therefore become clear why none of us has an excuse for failure. By failure here I mean the inability to deliver on your God given purpose.

A knowledge of the Holy Spirit will help us eliminate ignorance as we submit ourselves to Him to be taught by Him and this will help us run; not blindly, but with the light of heaven on the course of the glorious destiny heaven has earmarked for each of us. 

Welcome to March, 2013; Our Month of Light and Understanding

The Lord spoke to me about this month through the life of Daniel in Daniel chapter 5. On the demise of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his son Belshazzar ascended the throne as king in Babylon, but the son did not learn from the encounter his father had with the God of Israel and went about to desecrate the items they confiscated from the Temple in Jerusalem when they ran down the city. While he was at it, the judgment of the Lord fell on him in form of handwriting on the wall. The situation they were in was that the hand wrote in unknown tongues to them and they needed someone to interpret it because the wisdom required for the interpretation was beyond the reach of all the magicians and astrologers in Babylon. It was also beyond the reach of the wise men recognized as such by king Belshazzar.

In the midst of all these confusion came the queen mother and told the king:

“There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.” Dan.5:11-12

From this text of scripture it is clear that Daniel’s relevance in Babylon was sustained by the light and understanding and wisdom upon him because of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was upon him. Even though the king tried to forget his existence in Babylon, he was compelled to recognize him when a problem arose that only Daniel could provide a solution to.

This was the same grace upon Joseph that caused him to be moved from the prison and lifted to the second place in Egypt; the world’s leading economy of his time.

The benefits of receiving this grace cannot be overemphasized. Light and understanding makes you relevant as you are distinguished by it as a solution provider where all other attempts fail.

Those who are enlightened in any area, lead in that area. The sons of Issachar were said to be in charge of their brethren because they had understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do. For a leader, momentum is indispensable and the fuel for momentum is light and understanding. The bible says that kings reign by wisdom; thus any king who lacks wisdom cannot be said to be reigning; he could best be described as a figure head and a curse on his people.

More could be said on the benefits of light and understanding but for space here, let me round this off by saying that everyone who is filled with the Holy Spirit has a potential of drawing on the light and understanding and wisdom that only God can give. This sets you apart from others in your field of endeavor and where their knowledge ends, yours would just be starting. In the days we are in, we need this virtue more than ever, but for us to manifest it; we cannot compromise godly standards of living. Daniel’s secret was his purity and devotion to God; this same virtue applied to Joseph, the Apostle Paul and all the other people who accomplished great things for God.

This month, we are going to be exploring the blessedness of godly wisdom to enable us see what it means; the benefits of walking in it and how we can operate this great virtue so that our much needed change can happen.

If you are reading this article and you are not yet born again, you can do so now by saying the sinner’s prayer below. This will enlist you into God’s family and grant you access to light and understanding otherwise, you will remain in perpetual darkness and confusion like the astrologers and magicians who could not provide the much needed solution.  

Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me. Thank you for writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. You can also log on to my blog on www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or follow me on face book at www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl and on twitter at alero_nanna for more resource materials to enrich your Christian life. God bless you!!!

WELCOME TO THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2013

 OUR MONTH OF UNLIMITED FAVOUR Ps.5:12; 102:13

Yesterday morning, a Church member came to me crying that she was being mocked because she got a free and comfortable accommodation. As she spoke I immediately realized that pride was hiding behind her feeling bad without her knowing and it had blinded her to the truth that God favours the righteous. I immediately told her that the next time she is mocked for having a free accommodation, she should respond that it is not her fault; it is because God chose to favour her. I also made her realize that if she has to pay for everything she gets, then she is laboring under the curse.

I could not help rejoicing at the word for the month when I told her this. This month, God has decided to cloth us with unlimited favour. In Psalm 5:12, we read:

“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

I like the way the amplified version of the bible puts this text of scripture:

“For you, Lord, will bless the [uncompromisingly] righteous [him who is upright and in right standing with you]: as with a shield you will surround him with goodwill (pleasure and favour).”

The other text the Lord gave me for this month is Psalm 102:13 which talks about now being the set time God has chosen to favour us for all the service we have rendered in His name especially as it concerns His house.

What then is favour?

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines Favour as approval or support; treatment that is more generous to one person or group in preference to others; an act of kindness that one does to help somebody especially when asked; to have the advantage or to be given the advantage; to be preferred etc. In Prov.16:7, the bible says:  

“When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

From this text of scripture, we can immediately see that the favour of God is tied to the ways of a man. When your ways match that of God, you will automatically please Him. The result is that you will enjoy divine preference. God will always answer your prayers and he will cause even your enemies to be instrumental in doing you good. As a minister of the gospel for instance, one of the evidences of divine favour is signs and wonders in your ministry. Remember favour is also defined as divine approval or support. When Peter was testifying of the Lord on the day of Pentecost when the disciples first received the infilling with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues, he described Jesus Christ in Acts 2:22 thus:

"Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"

From Apostle Peter’s description of Jesus Christ in this message, we immediately observe that the favour of God for anyone He sends is proven by the person’s ability to work signs and wonders by the gifting of the Holy Spirit. This is the point the Lord was making in John 5:36 to the religious leaders and skeptics of His time where He said that even if they do not believe in Him, they should believe in John’s testimony of Him or the greater testimony of the father which he described as the works the father has given Him to do. He also said in John 10:37-38 that they should believe Him for the sake of the works He did on behalf of the father. He described these works to John the Baptist’s disciples in a message to John in Lk.7:22 as: "the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the gospel is preached to the poor." Now, it takes divine approval or favour to have all these demonstrations in one’s ministry. This is the reason why the devil seeks to counterfeit signs and wonders so as to deceive people away from God. The truth however is that anyone working signs and wonders by divine favour will walk in the ways of God and always point you to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why the Lord said by their fruit you shall know them. While the devil can counterfeit signs and wonders, he cannot counterfeit godliness for instance, which is a walk in the ways of God. This explains why as soon as a purported signs and wonders minister is smeared by a scandal that smirks on their character, they lose their place before men.

In light of the foregoing, this month, we shall be looking at walking in the ways of God. The reason for this is that that is the only way we can position ourselves for this blessing. Our texts make us understand that God will bless those who walk in His ways being in right standing with Him and not compromising their righteous lifestyles.

For the purpose of clarity, let me quickly say here that there are two kinds of righteousness. The imputed one given to every believer as a gift because of what Jesus earned for us on Calvary’s Cross and the walk in the ways of God which Psalm 5:12 describes as being uncompromisingly righteous. For you to partake of this blessing this month therefore, you must be born again and walking in the ways of God. If you are not yet saved, please say the prayer at the end of this article out loud to God and you will be saved. Then to enjoy this blessing, you must walk in the ways of God which is what we are going to be looking at this month. You can access these messages on my blog quoted below. God bless and favour you with His unlimited favour this month of unlimited favour in Jesus’ name!

Heavenly father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. I repent of my sin and receive the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross for my salvation. I believe He died for me and on the third day, you raised Him from the dead for my salvation. From today, I receive Him as the Saviour and Lord of my Life.

Thank you father for forgiving me and writing my name in the book of life with the blood of Jesus. I pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ from this day forever in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen!!!

If you just said this prayer, congratulations! You are now born again.  Please let me know by emailing flourishinggirl@gmail.com and I will send you an e copy of our “Believers’ Guide to Growth” to enable you take off on this glorious adventure of the new creation. You can also log on to my blog on www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com or follow me on face book at www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl for more resource materials to enrich your Christian life. God bless you!!!

AN EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK: UNDERSTANDING THE GIFTS AND MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

INTRODUCTION

On the 12^th day of June 1993, just after a night vigil, when I got home, I was lying down on the bed trying to sleep when all of a sudden; I was feeling what felt like raindrops on my face. I was very surprised because I was in the ground floor of a storey building. There was no way it could be raining outside and get in there. In addition, it was not even raining outside! Then I tried to wipe my face with my hand and it was all dry. I had never had this kind of experience before and since then. I remembered the scripture text of Acts 3:19 that talks about times of refreshing coming from the presence of the Lord following the night vigil because I ministered all night and needed to be refreshed.

Prior to this experience, I had just read the book “Good Morning Holy Spirit” by Dr. Benny Hinn. That book made the Holy Spirit so real to me that I began to relate with Him as the person He is. Then I was invited to minister in a fellowship where I taught on the will of God and I found myself teaching about the gift of the Holy Spirit and how we can benefit from Him. At that meeting, the Holy Spirit showed up in a very spectacular move. So many testimonies were shared later after that meeting. I will share two of these testimonies here as they happen to be relevant to what we are going to be looking at in this book. The first is that of an unbelieving lady who had been sick and was admitted in the hospital for two weeks prior to the program. She said later that when she was not recovering, she decided to honor the invitation to the program we were having. She said when she came in and heard the message, she decided she was going to surrender her life to Christ and when I was laying hands on them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, she got filled and began to speak in tongues unknown to her and was instantly healed.

The second testimony which is sequel to this first one is that of a little boy in the fellowship whom God opened his eyes as I was ministering. He said he saw fire coming out of my fingers and igniting the people I was laying hands on and that when I laid hands on this lady who got healed on the spot, the fire went through her whole being and the vision cleared off his eyes.

I personally did not feel anything and did not exactly know what was going on but I believed that if I obeyed God to lay hands on the people, the nail scarred hand of the Lord was going to come between mine and the people on whom hands were laid and Jesus Christ would fill them with the Holy spirit and fire. I believe that is what the little boy saw in his vision of the fire. John the Baptist said concerning Jesus Christ in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16 respectively that He will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Over the years, I have observed that this doctrine of the ministry and gift of the Holy Spirit has generated a lot of controversy in the Church to the point of division in some extreme cases. I find this very amazing because any bible believing Christian should really have no doubt about the gift and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I have put this piece together in faith believing God to use it to clarify this message to anyone in doubt of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and help to minister this grace to as many as are truly seeking to experience God in their daily lives.

I also intend to make this little contribution to the general Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to help ministers attain to their maximum potential in ministering in the power of God.

It is my sincere heart felt prayer dear reader that this book will minister to you.

 PART 1

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS MINISTRY

One day; a few months after I got to the mission field for the first time, I prayed that the Lord would wake me up at the same time He usually does because I had slept very late that night as I had to do some recordings in the studio which took time into the night. I had to be up before four that morning to host the early Morning Prayer meeting which held at four every weekday morning. When I got up and looked at the time on my handset, it was a few minutes after five in the morning and I was not happy at all as I felt that I had over slept. The first thing I said that morning was that I was not happy with the Holy Spirit and He immediately asked if that was how I was going to talk to Him. I was struck with conviction and immediately repented of my rudeness and I greeted Him good Morning like I learnt to do from Dr. Benny Hinn’s book. He responded as though I had done nothing wrong.

Then I began to reason that God never fails and it is very unlike Him not to wake me up at 3.20 am. Then something occurred to me and I jumped off the bed and switched on the lights and frantically searched for my wrist watch and when I found it and checked the time, it was just 3.20am. He had faithfully kept His part and I was even feeling more terrible about the way I had spoken earlier. What happened was that the previous day, I had removed my battery from my phone and when I replaced it, I did not reset the time. So the handset could not give me an accurate time.

At this new discovery, I apologized again for my previous rudeness and asked the Lord to tell me whatever He wanted me to do and I would do it and He said I knew what to do. So I began to praise Him. From that day, I came up with this sublime understanding that God is matchlessly faithful!

That early Morning Prayer service that day was so powerful that I can call it a landmark event in my life and ministry.

In my experience in my walk with God over the years, I can say authoritatively that there is no better companion than the Holy Spirit and He is the most patient and compassionate person I ever met. I recall my dad once saying that people take on the character of the God they serve over time which explains why idol worshippers bear children that look like the ugly images they worship. He further explained that God made all people beautiful but idolatry corrupted the good looks of men. I used to be amused by what my dad said then, but over time as I find myself striving to be more and more like the God I serve, I am beginning to come to terms with the truth of that statement jokingly made by my dad as I was growing up.

When you look through the bible from Genesis to Revelation, you will find that at no point in time have large numbers of people experienced God in an intimate way like now. The reason for this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in manifestation. His ministry to the Church began on the day of Pentecost when Peter said concerning Him in Acts 2:16-18 thus:

“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”

His ministry to us is intended to be forever. When Jesus spoke about it, He said in John 14:15-17:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

This is the mystery known as Christ in you the hope of glory which Apostle Paul wrote about in his letter to the Church at Colossae in Colossians 1:27. It is this mystery we shall begin looking at in this part of this book.