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.

May 2023 - Month of Shiphrah & Puah

From Our Pastor's Desk

Welcome to this our new Month of Shiphrah & Puah, in Jesus name.  One day, Pharaoh ordered two Hebrew midwives to kill any and all the baby boys they delivered.   

Exodus 1: 15-17 – “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive”  

The two God-fearing midwives heard him, but did not do as he has commanded. They not only defied him, but also got away with it! 

They were not like other midwives.  Brethren, you don’t have to go with the flow. You don’t have to do like others do. You can be different. 

Because others are doing something that you know to be wrong, ungodly and sinful. Be God-fearing and brave.  

Mercy Seatizens, welcome to the Month of May 2023, “Our Month of Shiphrah and Puah”. 

This month & beyond, may the Lord set us apart from the rest, distinguish us, differentiate us and single us out for His glory, in Jesus Name. 

Amen.

Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go

By Min. Tosin Agboola

We appreciate love and loyalty the most in our days of darkness and at times when we feel all is lost and we are alone. In those moments, to hear the reassuring words - ‘I will never leave you, I will never forsake you’, gives the encouragement needed to keep pushing on. 

In our life’s journey, there may or may not be a Ruth to our Naomi-like situations or an Ittai to our David-like problems. 

Eventually, at some point and by the natural course of events, even the most loyal will not be by our side. But how wonderful to know that no matter what, we have Jesus. 

His is the love that will never let us go, the light that follows all our ways, the joy that seeks us through pain & the cross that lifts up our head. 

And through his ever present example, he has given us the blueprint for love and loyalty. And He desires that we do same for others. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”

 Luke 22:32 Go forth therefore and be unto others as Ittai, as Ruth, but even much more, as Jesus, in Jesus Name.  

You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

See Rome and Live

From Our Pastor's Desk

The problem today is that we easily give up on our dreams & desires, most times at the point of breakthrough, without realizing that the darkest hour is closest to dawn. 

Whenever people get close to their breakthroughs, the devil forces them to become discouraged, makes them grumble, complain, murmur against God, and as a result he returns them back to square-1 from the fringes of victory.

 Psalm 37:4 admonishes us to “Delight thy-self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart”  

ACTS 19:21 – “After these things were end-ed, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome”

Visiting Rome was Paul’s highest ministry ambition. A notable servant of the Most High, A miracle worker. Raised the dead. 

He had preached the gospel in different places, in major cities of the then world like – Athens, Philippi, Collosse, Ephesus, Antioch, etc. He TURNED the world upside down with the gospel He made converts all over, tens of thousands.  

Despite all his achievements and credentials, he still had a burning desire, so much he blurted it out ----- “I MUST SEE ROME. My joy will overflow if/when I see Rome”  What is your Rome that you must see? 

You will overcome satanic obstacles. Satan will not have influence over you and you will not give up at the verge of your breakthrough, in Jesus Name. 

Go change your world. You will have good success this 2023. 

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.

God's Perfect Lamb

By Minister Rowan Samuel

The Blood that Jesus shed for us way back on Calvary, the Blood that gives us strength from day to day, it will never lose its power. 

Whether on the hilltop or in the valley it will never lose its power. 

Satan is such a devil, he just couldn't help himself for had he known he never would have crucified the Lord of Glory. 

His pride got the best of him, which led to his downfall and his demise. Psalms 29:1; 1st Corinthians 8. 

Come to Jesus, God's perfect Lamb, who died for you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  

Resist the devil and he will flee. Stay away from vain repetition. Pray from the heart sometimes short prayers.  

Stones sometimes get in the way between us, Jesus said of Lazarus to lose him and let go, hypocrisy is a stone people used to not come to Jesus, so don't let it keep you out of Heaven. 

Come to Him now. The Lord perfect all that concerns us, in Jesus Name. Go change your world. You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.   

Shalom.

Hey Stranger, You are Just a Guest

 From Our Pastor’s Desk

1st Peter 2: 11-12 - “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation”. 

Brethren, this world is not our home 1st Peter 2:11 - Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrim s, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; We are strangers, pilgrims, aliens in this world. 

One day, we’re going back home.  How would you want to be remembered? Compared to eternity, life on this earth is very brief and short. Yet, we have this brief time to determine where each will spend eternity.

 The life that we are living is not the ultimate.  Life on this earth is too short to let simple things ruin it and ruin the Ultimate for you. 

When someone talks behind your back, you let that single thought destroy the rest of your moments. When someone makes fun of you, you start thinking ways to teach him a lesson. 

We struggle for fame, for positions, status, recognition, etc.  God forbid, but have you ever asked yourself, what will happen if I die today? 

Where will you spend eternity? What happens to your wealth, houses, fame, status, and your soul? The Psalmist considered this too, and said in  Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom"  

May the Lord grant us wisdom in preparing for eternity than this very brief life on earth, in Jesus Name You will have good success this 2023.  

Remain blessed.  

Shalom.