Mind Defense

 By Sis. Rebecca Orimoloye

Every country in the world has a military force, security arrangement with a neighboring country for protection,  ministry of defense, the military force (army, air force and navy), federal and local police. 

These are all in place, to help defend the citizens and offer an assurance of security. 

And in our homes, we have doors, windows, and many sophisticated alarm systems to give us a sense of protection and security against intruders. 

All of these are physical protection measures.  

The Bible is full of spiritual defense and security measures as we will learn of this month.  However, we need to consider the possibility of defending and securing our minds. 

The mind of a man deals with thinking, reasoning, application of knowledge, etc. No matter how spiritual one is, the importance of a sound mind cannot be overestimated. Elijah, in 1Kings 18 was so powerful that he literally called down fire and slaughtered the 450 prophets of Baal, but same Elijah started hiding and running from a common Jezebel. 

1Kings 19:3 says “And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” Why would someone that had recently slaughtered 450 false prophets now suddenly start running away from a woman and her empty threats? There has been a disturbance with his mind.   

One can have all the physical protection money can possibly buy but not having a sound mind make our physical protection useless. 

We can then become a danger to ourselves and others. Our God is a God of wholeness. In Gen 2:2, God rested. He took a break from every-thing He had done. 

A break is a form of self-care and mind defense. We need to ask ourselves, when was the last time we truly rested? As we come to Jesus, He will take off all the burdens of our minds and give us rest, in Jesus mighty name. 

You will have good success this 2021. 

Remain blessed.  Shalom.

Light in the Night

 From Our Pastor's Desk

There are many biblical interpretations of night.  

1st Thessalonians 5:5-8 tells us that sins are committed in the night or darkness - “For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled” 

Night time is generally an unpleasant time.  It is a time of sadness and weeping for some (Psalm 30:5), wearisome to the afflicted, lonely, favorable to the purpose of the wicked, wild beasts go forth in search of prey during the night, time of stumbling, of spiritual darkness, seasons of severe calamities, of spiritual desertion, even death.  

Night time could be bitter, hellish, unpalatable, and painful. 

But thank God that those in their nighttime are not left alone, they are not hopeless. Zechariah 14:7 says – “At night time it shall be light”. There is light in the dark tunnel. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we shall fear no evil, for He is with us; His rod and His staff they comfort us. 

Are you going through a nighttime experience right now? Things are just not working your way; you weep inwardly…Arise, shine, my brothers & sisters, for thy light has come.  

“At night time it shall be light” You will have good success this 2021.  Remain blessed.   

Shalom. 

June 2021 - Our Month of Defense & Safety on Every Side

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of Defense & Safety on Every Side, in Jesus name. 

Psalms 125:2 - As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about His people from henceforth even forever. 

The mountains round-about Jerusalem provide for us a perfect picture of how God encircled and protected His people. 

Because we trust in God, we cannot be moved. We are surrounded by God’s protection and care. So we should not be afraid. 

God is our defense and safety, our refuge and strength, our fortress.  Psalms 91:1 says “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” 

A dwelling means a place to live, a house, a territory, home, residence, an occupancy. 

We have a place of residence in the secret place of the Almighty. We are at home in the presence of God. All our possessions, all those we love are there with us. 

We must hide ourselves in Him. As we do so, we remain calm and at rest in the face of all the frets & worries of life, untouched by any of them. Mercy Seatizens, welcome to June 2021, “Our Month of Defense & Safety on Every Side”. 

The Lord will keep a hedge of protection & safety around us and our families, on every side, He will keep His angels charge over us and ours, in Jesus Name.

Grace for Grace

John 1:16  And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. Grace for Grace!!! This is like a math equation. Grace=grace. 

Just like Exodus 21:24 says an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, which means if you took an eye, you gave back an eye. Likewise, grace as given unto you, give also. 

The world can do almost anything as well or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry or heal the sick. 

But there is only one thing the world cannot do. It cannot offer Grace. That is the churches’ most important contribution. Where else can the world go to find grace? Grace is Christianity’s best gift to the world. Now understand this, grace is more than forgiveness. 

It’s more than mercy. It’s beyond that. It’s on a very higher level. Many still struggle with unforgiveness that they cannot comprehend this state of grace, though we mention it all the time and ask for grace from God. 

Grace from God brings us closer to God, this same grace is available to us to use and bring others closer to us and to God. The verses in 2nd Cor. 8:7-11 admonish us that we should not receive grace in vain, and as we abound in everything else, we should also abound in grace, show it, do it. We also should offer grace. 

The Lord will make each and everyone of us grace givers, suppliers, distributors, and injectors, in Jesus Name. Amen. And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.  

You will have good success this 2021.  

Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

Grace for Excellence II

From Our Pastor's Desk

Daniel 5:12 – “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”  

Excellence is seen in – Knowledge, Understanding, Interpreting Concepts, Solving problems, Explaining complexities, enigmas, “hard sentences” etc.  

Excellent person has a spirit or an attitude that reflects these characteristics. Knowledgeable, ability to take things and break them down, solve complexities.  

Excellent people don’t look at problems and say “oh, we can’t do it…it’s never been done before” and back away. 

They look for  enigmas, complexities…understand them and explain them.  God is calling us to such, God is looking for Daniels. 

Not only from the pastors but leaders, workers, church members, every believer & every person, is expected of excellent spirits. 

Daniel exemplified this spirit during his service as a highly regarded administrator in a secular environment. The Scripture says that "he distinguished himself among the administrators . . . because of his exceptional qualities" so much so that "they could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" - Daniel 6:3-4  

The spirit of Daniel is an excellent spirit. This is the Spirit of God, which is also upon each and everyone of us, in Jesus Name. Amen.  

You will have good success this 2021. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

Grace for Distinction Part 1

 From Our Pastor's Desk

Numbers 32:12 – “Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD” In Numbers 14:24, God testified of Caleb – “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” 

Due to no fault of his own, Caleb was forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years. 

He suffered because of the faithlessness & disobedience of the children of Israel. 

Through all this, Caleb never blamed God but simply trusted God and waited for the day when he would be allowed to cross over to the Promised Land. And that day came. 

Joshua 14:12-13 – “...And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance” The "key" to our understanding of Caleb's character is found in the phrase, "different spirit" in Num. 14:24.  

The Caleb spirit was a distinctly different spirit from those around him, apart from a few (Joshua, Moses etc). A spirit of distinction. 

We too must possess a "different" spirit in order to be pleasing to God. Many in the Lord's church must come to grips with the fact that we are not like everyone else.  

The spirit of Caleb is a distinct, dream-fulfilling spirit. This is the Spirit of God, which is also upon each and everyone of us, in Jesus Name. Amen.  

You will have good success this 2021. 

Remain blessed.  Shalom.

Sufficient Grace

By Sis. Traci Salami 

Women are called to fulfill one of the most sacred duties known to man – to be mothers. Motherhood is no easy feat. We are charged with caring, nurturing, and developing innocent babies into upstanding and God-fearing members of society. 

The sacrifices women make are numerous and some fall short of ideal standards of motherhood when they place their faith in their own abilities rather than God. 

However, we all have the sufficient grace of God that will sustain us. God has a plan for mothers – one that gives them hope and a future. 

While some women crumble under the pressure by insisting on living life their own way, others rise to the occasion and fulfill the calling from the Lord by praying and asking God for help, trusting and believing in God’s plans, and acknowledging their weaknesses. 

Sometimes God blesses those who trust in Him with other “mother-figures” who will step in where the mother is not strong.  

In the story of Tabitha, we learn of a woman so connected to the needs of her community, that God uses her to feed, clothe, and nurture others. 

With Tabitha’s absence, the community mourns as if they had lost their own mother. Women are not only called to be mothers to their own children, but mothers of the community in which they live in order to bring others to Jesus. 

God blesses women with sufficient grace to nurture His children into His bosom and to answer His calling is an honorable act of service to God. 

As the Bible admonishes us to grow in grace & the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, may we be obedient by the help of His Spirit, in Jesus Name. Amen.  

You will have good success this 2021. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.