Godliness is Profitable in All Things

By Bro. ‘Yemi Oyedeji 

In today’s society, so many people seem to go through life searching for the magic answer that will bring them happiness and fulfillment. 

They may turn to money, relationships, prestige, drugs, possessions, or achievements to fill that void. 

However, none of those can bring genuine satisfaction; only Jesus is our true satisfying portion! As David declared, “LORD, You alone are my portion and my cup” (Psalm 16:5).  

The apostle Paul highlighted this truth in the fourth chapter of Philippians. As he reflected on his wide scope of experiences, he wrote, “I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. 

Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need"  Philippians 4:12. Yet, through it all, he testified, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (v. 11). 

Paul had discovered the key that his contentment rested not on the circumstances that surrounded him, but on his security in Christ.  

Learn to enjoy what God has given more than you grieve what He is yet to give. Let us practice the art of Godly contentment and we will find that it is great gain indeed. 

May godliness be our watchword and lifestyle, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain on Your Mark, Never Giving Up

SouledOut Teenagers' Week 2023

By Bro. Jeremiah Johnson

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” -Dale Carnegie 

Perseverance is the ability to pursue a goal or passion despite any obstacles or set-backs that we may encounter.

 It is the ability to self-regulate and practice self-control under dire situations by prioritizing sustainable future rewards over short-term pleasures in the present. 

It is vital that we persevere in achieving our goals because it allows us to overcome obstacles, learn from our mistakes, build our character, and set examples for others. 

James 1:2-4. Paul first regarded Mark as unreliable, as we would any young teenager but later said: “Young Mark is useful to the Kingdom of God,” and “ profitable”  for Paul’s ministry.” 2 Tim 4:11. 

In Acts 15:36-40, we see a disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over whether to take Mark on a missionary journey due to his previous departure from them. 

However, Mark later proved himself and became a valuable companion to Paul. Mark’s life reminds us to remain steadfast and resilient in our faith, even when facing adversity. 

Gal 6:9 encourages us to persevere in doing good deeds and maintaining faith even when faced with challenges. Just as athletes on the tracks for a race, we must maintain a posture of being ready to move and never give up. 

We must remain on our marks! We do not go through hard times for no reason, so we must per-severe because it will bring us all-around growth and stronger faith (Rom 5:3-4). Our God is a Faithful God. 

He promises to never leave nor forsake us. It doesn’t matter how hard, how many times, or how hard we’ve attempted something, we must dust ourselves and try again and again. Remain committed to the task and learn from your mistakes. 

May perseverance finish its work in us so that we may all be mature and complete, not lacking anything, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

You, Mark, Paul and I – it’s All by Grace

From Our Pastor’s Desk

The mercy and grace of God helps us to serve Him effectively and powerfully. We are unworthy in our own strength and abilities. 

But when we receive the grace of God we are enabled to serve Him. 

The Apostle Paul felt he was not even worthy to be called an Apostle because he persecuted the church of God. 

But the Grace of God transformed him and enabled him to labour more than anybody else. 

We need to receive the grace of God to overcome our weaknesses and limitations and serve God effectively.

 The Lord wants us to come boldly before the throne of Grace to receive grace and mercy to help in time of need. In his dying days Paul still said – Philippians 3:7-10 – “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” 

May we all grow more in His grace, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

John Mark, the Late Bloomer

From Our Pastor's Desk

Acts 15:36-41 - After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.” 

37 Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.
38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.
39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.
40 Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.
41 Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there. 

When did this happen? When did Mark abandon them? For that answer we go back to Acts 13:13, “Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphyl-ia. And John (Mark) left them and returned to Jerusalem.” 

Why Mark left, we were not told. Over ten years after Paul and Barnabas had a fight over Mark, Paul writes to his own disciple Timothy: “Only Luke is here with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you because he is profitable to me in my ministry.” - 2nd Timothy 4:11 

Though it took Mark some time to get to being profitable to Paul in ministry, but he got there, blooming later in life. Some of us are like him, and we should not give up. 

The Lord give us the tenacity to rise up after we may have fallen, in Jesus Name.  You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

August 2023 - Month of John Mark

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of John Mark, in Jesus name.  

John Mark, the writer of the famous Book/Gospel of Mark, was a drop-out, he ran away from a mission journey with Paul. 

Believe it or not, he fell when he was a young youth. He was Barnabas’ cousin, so, he caused a split between Paul and Barnabas when there was another opportunity for a missionary journey – Acts 15:36-40. 

Paul didn’t want Mark because of previous experiences, but Barnabas, always the encourager of others, persuaded Paul to allow the young man to come with them in order to toughen his faith and to give him experience in planting churches.  

Over ten years after Paul and Barnabas had a fight over Mark, Paul writes to his own disciple Timothy: “Only Luke is here with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you because he is profitable to me in my ministry.” – 2nd Timothy 4:11 

Mercy Seatizens, welcome to August, “Our Month of John Mark”. As we celebrate our  SouledOut Teenagers, the lesson from young Mark is that we should not give up on the youth as they navigate the terrain of life. 

Paul first counted him unreliable, as we would any young teenager, but later said "young Mark is useful to the Kingdom of God", profitable for Paul in ministry 

The Lord will make all our Teenagers to be profitable for God’s Kingdom, in Jesus Name. 

Amen.

Wait: Samuel is Coming

 From Our Pastor's Desk

Things may seem to be a total chaotic state in your life, you may be troubled on every side, but know this – your “Samuel” (agent of change) is Coming because troubles don’t always last. 

Psalms 126:1-2 – “When the LORD turned again the  captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then  was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them” 

The song-writer & singer Ron Kenoly turned Psalms 30:11 into a beautiful song—”Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing…” 

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, until it seems as though you cannot hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. 

The tide turned for Joseph, turned for Hannah, turned for Job, turned for you, yes “you!!!”, in the past, turned for countless others. 

This tide will turn too. Know that just as there are forces fighting against you. Yes that’s true. But there are more forces fighting in your favor. Jesus said in Luke 10:18 that He “saw satan fall like lightning from heaven”. 

And satan took a third of the angels with him. But do you realize that left two-thirds of the angels in our favor? They’re outnumbered. 

Satan is already defeated. The war has already been won. We may have to fight some few life battles. But don’t you ever give up. 

Don’t you ever lose hope. Don’t lose your joy. Be of good cheer. God’s power is greater in us than he that’s in the world. He will turn this tide for our favor, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

Dwelling in Your Wealthy Place

By Sis. Oby Linda Eziokwu

Simply put, wealth is an abundance of valuable possessions or money. I believe we all want abundance of valuable possessions and money and it is not wrong for Christians to desire wealth, the good news is that God also wants us to have wealth.

3 John 1:2 -“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 

However, as Christians, we should be careful not to run after money or material possessions as the world does or be envious of them. 

In Luke 12:15 Jesus warned; “Take heed and beware of covetousness for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 

This is because money never satisfies - Ecclesiastes 5:10; “he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity”.  

There are two (2) biblical principle that will help us dwell in our wealthy place: 

1. PATIENCE: because of lack of patience, many people including Christians have lost money to many get rich quick scams and Ponzi schemes or on the flip side defrauded people. 

Psalm 37:7 cautions us - “rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” 

2. CONTENTMENT: this proves we are people of faith for  “godliness with contentment is great gain” - 1Tim 6:6, for a little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked - Psalm 37:16.

Being patient and content does not mean we should become lazy, but rather we should praise God in whatever state we are in while we strive for greater heights according to our abilities and in the fear of the Lord.  

May the Lord take us all to our dwelling of wealth, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

Small But Mighty

By Sis. Temilola Agboola 

Isaiah 60:22 - A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time 

The Power of Small: God Empowers the Young to Achieve the Incredible 

As Inside Out children celebrate another Children’s week, there’s a lot we can learn from our theme this year "Small but Mighty." 

Stories such as that of Josiah, who became a king at just eight years old, and David, a young shepherd who conquered the giant Goliath, show how our size or age doesn't define our ability or strength. 

These stories, found in 2 Kings 22:1 and 1 Samuel 17:45, demonstrate that with faith and trust in God, we can accomplish great things, no matter how young or small we may be. 

We also have the miraculous story from John 6:9, where a boy's small lunch of five loaves and two fish was used by Jesus to feed over five thousand people. 

We learn that when we give what we have to God, even if it seems tiny, He can use it to do amazing things. Our offerings, no matter how small, can have a massive impact. 

The story of Daniel in Daniel 6:23 also shows how our faith in God can provide us protection. Even when thrown in to a den of lions, Daniel's trust in God kept him safe. 

To sum it all up, these stories from the Bible teach us that regardless of our age or size, with faith and trust in God, we can all be "Small but Mighty." 

May the Lord glorify all our Children, and they shall not remain small, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom. 

Set Apart for the Master's Use

By Min. Daniel Sangoleye  

In a world filled with distractions and competing priorities, the concept of being set apart for our Master's use holds great significance for believers. 

Throughout the pages of the scriptures, we are provided with timeless lessons and powerful examples of individuals who embraced their divine calling and surrendered themselves to God's purposes.  

From the Old Testament, the story of Joseph in Genesis serves as a remarkable testament to God's faithfulness and the transformative power of being set apart.  

The life of Daniel in the book of Daniel exemplifies the importance of being set apart for God's purposes, even in the face of opposition. When confronted with pressure to compromise his faith, Daniel resolved not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). 

Josiah, a remarkable young king is also another great example of surrendering to God's will, seeking after holiness, and bearing fruit for God's Kingdom. From a young age, Josiah exhibited a heart that was tender toward God. 

At the age of 8, he became king & inherited a nation deeply entrenched in idolatry and sin. However, instead of succumbing to the prevailing culture, Josiah chose a different path. He resolved to seek God, obey His commands, and restore true worship in Judah. 

Also from the New Testament, Apostle Paul's transformation from a persecutor of Christians to a passionate follower of Christ is a powerful testament to the grace of God. 

In Acts 9:15-16, we see how God chose Paul and appointed him to be a vessel for proclaiming the Gospel. Paul's life demonstrates that being set apart begins with surrendering ourselves to God's calling, even if it involves suffering. 

His tireless ministry and unwavering commitment to Christ inspire us to embrace our own calling and be set apart for God's use. As we examine these lessons from Scripture, we are reminded of the profound calling we have as believers to be set apart for our Master's use.  

May we draw inspiration from these biblical examples and allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into vessels of honor, reflecting God's glory in all we do, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

God's "Great" in Small Package

 From Our Pastor's Desk

2nd Kings 22:1-2 - “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign…Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 

Josiah, according to the scripture above, is proof that we can remain faithful to God throughout our lives, and it does not matter what is going on around us. 

It would be easy to think Josiah's faithfulness was because he saw it in his father, Amon. 

Unfortunately, his father wasn't faithful to God, and neither was his grandfather. Yet these things did not deter Josiah. He looked to and followed someone else’s footsteps – David. 

When we read about the lives of Christians who lived for the Lord, like David, Joseph, Timothy, Daniel et al, a common theme emerges. 

They loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind. Young, but Great man of God Josiah was one such person. 

His life was one of complete dedication to the Lord. 

 He was comfortable standing out from the crowd 

 He humbled himself before the Lord and confessed his sins 

 He put his words into action and removed evil from his sight 

In our daily lives, let’s emulate this man of God. He may have been 8-years of age, but he is a worthy example of greatness to be emulated. It is my prayer that we be the right godly examples unto our generation and those that follow us, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  Remain blessed.   Shalom.

July 2023 - Month of Josiah

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of Josiah, in Jesus name.  

2nd Kings 22:1-2 -“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign…Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.” 

David was not Josiah’s direct father. During the reign of both his father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh), the people of the land were moving away from God. 

Idol worship was commonplace and the Lord’s anger burned against the people. In those days, people sacrificed their own children in the fire to Molech. 

Manasseh sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spirits. 

But although Josiah became a king at the tender age of 8-years-old, the Bible records him as following the Lord wholeheartedly, as did David. 

Young king Josiah’s life teaches our children and us many lessons. We do not need to imitate evil, whether from our parents, the pressures to follow the crowd, in school, at work, or everywhere. 

Mercy seatizens, welcome to the month of July 2023, “Our Month of Josiah” – 2nd Kings 22:1-20. 

In this month that we celebrate our InsideOut Children, the Lord will give them, and all of us, the courage, faith and wisdom to stand out, like young child-king Josiah, and say “no” to everyone or everything that is evil and ungodly, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Winning with Honor and Respect

By Deaconess Rebecca Orimoloye

Our God is a God of honor and respect. The book of Exodus 20 is filled with the things we need to do to honor God, ourselves, neighbors, parents, etc.

Likewise, we, the work of His hands also thrives in honor and respect. No one in their right minds will say they do not like being honored or respected.

 It is easy for us to remember or even keep a grudge against those who dishonor or disrespect us. Why? We are wired as a people of honor.

But do we know that we can win battles by fighting with honor and respect? We can in fact avert major disasters and generational issues by choosing honor and respect.

In the book of 1 Sam 25, we were taken into the household of Abigail and Nabal. Nabal’s lineage was literally about to obliterated, had it not been for the quick thinking and honorific actions of Abigail in pacifying David and his men.

Similarly, in the book of Esther, Esther used honor and respect to destroy the plans of Hamman. When we pay attention to Esther 3, from verse 7, we begin to see the extent of Hamman’s planned atrocities in order to appreciate what Esther actually did.

Hamman spent a good 12 months (1 year) preparing for the destruction of not only Mordecai, but the entire Jewish lineage. He was casting spells to see the best day he would be most favored in order to go into the presence of the king and ask him to destroy the Jews. It took him a year to cast the spells.

We should note that Esther’s honor and respect for the king didn’t start when the Jews were in trouble. Else, an “out of the blues” action would have been too late. She must have had a track record. Honor and respect can provoke favor, as we see in Esther’s story.

We see that honor and respect goes beyond what is on the surface. Honor and respect can actually be used to provoke help, open doors, blessing, favor, win wars, fight battles and save generations, etc. The list and possibilities are endless.

It is my prayer that we begin to use honor and respect in order to win in Jesus name.

Mighty Men of War - Lessons for Fatherhood

By Bro. Leke Alomaja

 Exodus 15:1-3 – “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 

The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a Man of war: the LORD is His name” 

This passage not only teaches us about God's power but also provides insights into the qualities of a strong and loving father: 

• The Strength of a Father's Love 
• Celebrating Fatherhood 
• The Role of a Protector 
• Obedience and Fatherly Guidance 

Defining what I think a good father needs to be in 2023 based on an acronym for Father. 

 F - Faithful 

 A - Available 

 T - Teacher 

 H - Helper 

 E - Encouraging 

 R – Reliable  

Today, we celebrate all our Faithful, Available, Teaching, Helping, encouraging & Reliable Fathers. More grace to you all, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.   

Shalom

It's Time to Move on & Rebuild

From Our Pastor's Desk

Isaiah 61:4 - And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. 

There will always be broken down walls that need to be rebuilt, old waste places that need reconstruction, need repair and restoration. 

If we look around us we can see broken “walls” – lives, relationships (parents-children, siblings, loved ones, friends), marriages etc. 

Many are broken because they have been hurt by those from who they are supposed to receive love from. 

Hurt by parents, friends, and spouses who deserted them. Some are broken because of past failures. Broken because they failed to live up to the expectations of others. 

Acts 15:16-17 – “After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 

These and many more are walls that need to be rebuilt. God wants us to pick up the broken pieces, move on and rebuild. 

According to the scriptures above, Isaiah 61:4, even yet many coming generations depend on this rebuild.  We need to rise up from the doldrums of defeat, stagnancy, inaction, pity, “woe-betide-me” syndrome, dormancy and deep-freeze…..and MOVE ON & REBUILD. 

Micah 7:11 - In the day that thy walls are to be built, I pray that the Lord grant us courage from on high to arise from our fallen state and move on and rebuild and shine, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

June 2023 - Month of Ehud

From Our Pastor's Desk 

Welcome to this our new Month of Ehud, in Jesus name. Judges 3: 15 – “But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab”

Above is an excerpt from the story of Ehud, a man used as deliverer for the Israelites from the hand of evil and oppressive king Eglon of the Moabites, who were idol worshippers and did evil in the sight of the Lord.

The story of Ehud is a story of victory, conquest and overcoming. That’s what we have, through Christ Jesus. We need Christ for the spiritual battle & warfare of life, against satan, our adversary, the enemy of our souls.

God delivered Israel from the hands of Eglon, by sending the left-handed Ehud and his cubit-long sword to assassinate Eglon and liberate God’s people from his evil rule. 1st John 5:4-5 – “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”

Mercy Seatizens, welcome to June 2023, “Our Month of Ehud”. This month & beyond, because we are born of God, we are overcomers. By faith we declare our victory over the world, over every evil oppression, and over every situation that has weighed us down, in Jesus Name. Amen.

Hard Facts About Battles

From Our Pastor's Desk

Psalms 144:1 – “Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight” 

You must have heard people say “everyone has their demon to fight”, which, in essence, is the same as “every man must fight his own battles”. 

As Christians, we are in a spiritual battle of some sort on a daily basis. 

In warfare, battles are fought on different fronts, for different reasons, and with varying degrees of intensity. 

The same is true in spiritual warfare. The day you surrender your life to Christ is the day you are drafted as a soldier in the ongoing war between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness. 

A battle that satan fights against us because of the position/level God has placed us, because he has lost his position, because satan is envious of the love God has for us. 

Psalms 8:4 says “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”

Our spiritual battles and warfare are real, even though we cannot physically see the attacker. But, we can educate ourselves on how the battles are fought and how they impact our lives on a daily basis. 

What you must not do is take a back-seat, spectator stance in this battle of life. It will be very unfortunate and tragic if you opt to take the stance of a civilian while battles are constantly raging around you.

Today we share just 4 hard facts, out of countless others, that we need to know about battles & spiritual warfare.

I pray that the Lord grant you courage from on high to confront every challenge on your path, in Jesus Name.

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed. 

Shalom.

I.C.O.E...Break Glass - Part II

 From Our Pastor's Desk

Numbers 13:33 - “We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). 

We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” 

One of the most powerful weapons of the enemy. Gut-level feeling of inferiority, inadequacy, and low self-worth. Mediocrity, failure, weakness, inability etc. 

In spite of wonderful experiences, in spite of our faith and knowledge of God’s word. 

It’s a limitation through one’s mindset, thinking you amount to nothing, you can’t do it. 

Because of your skin color, your accent, language, your age, economic background, gender etc. That’s a mindset of limitation, mediocrity, inferiority complex, low self-esteem…

The children of Israel suffered from it during the time of Moses, according to the above scripture. 

Our unlimited God will break us out of every mindset of limitation, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

I.C.O.E...Break Glass - Part 1

From Our Pastor's Desk

Jeremiah 4:3 – “For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground…” 

This scripture talks about breaking new grounds, stretching, spreading, reaching…”

In case of emergency, break glass” is similar. A break glass situation is a reach to gain access to something/somewhere that is not accessible under normal circumstances. 

The reason we need to break glass is to bypass the limitations put in place that are there to prevent us from reaching our highest potentials, per time. 

The message of today is about overcoming those limitations. Limitations are boundaries – space, restrictions, things you don’t have access to. 

Final point. Limitation is basically as far as something can go. 

It’s a peg, hindrance or barrier that defines restriction. A limitation is that thing that does not allow us to maximize our potentials. Knowing that we serve an unlimited, inexhaustible, and infinitely resourceful God, He commanded us to “break up our fallow grounds”. 

Therefore, knowing you’re not limited, any glass ceiling of limitation needs be broken. In fact, don’t break it… shatter it , in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  Shalom.

The Fear of the Lord

 By Sis. Grace Olujobi 

To fear God means to stand in awe of Him (Ps 33:8), to have reverence for God, to live with the sole purpose of glorifying God, to trust Him completely without any reservations (Ps 40:3). 

King Solomon, the wisest of all men said in Proverbs 9:10 that the fear  of God is the BEGINNING of wisdom, Brethren for something to be the beginning means it is just the first step. 

For example, when you want to use a ladder to reach a top shelf, a tree, etc, probably the ladder has anywhere between 7 to 12 steps or even more, the fear of the Lord is the very first step on the ladder! 

In other words, our Christian journey has not begun if we do not live in awe of God, if we do not have reference for God, if we do not trust Him completely, if we are not living our lives with the sole purpose of bringing glory to God! 

May the Lord give us the grace for distinction, in Jesus Name. You will have good success this 2023. Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

Living a Distinguished Life

 From Our Pastor's Desk

Daniel 6:3 - “Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom”  

The grand theme of the Bible is that God’s people be different, peculiar. 

We are not to go with the flow. As a matter of fact, God has commanded that we be different, or separate. 

Only those who dare to be different for the Lord’s sake are kept safe. 

Don’t assume that something must be okay just because everyone around you is doing it. If it negates God’s word and “everyone is doing it,” dare to be different.  

Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. 

And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for com-plaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. 

May the Lord give us the grace for distinction, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.