Thursday, June 30, 2011

Exercise Authority Over Your Body

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

As a child of God your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). Which means your body is not yours; it's owned by God, but you're the custodian or caretaker of your body, where the Spirit of God dwells. You're to keep watch over your body and keep it in health. You're the one to decide what to allow or disallow from your physical body. This is the reason you must learn to exercise authority over your body by rejecting sickness, disease and infirmity.

Sometimes we find believers who ignorantly make the wrong confessions over their bodies; like the one who says "O, I have this growth on my shoulder" or "I always wake up with headaches." When folks talk this way, they're actually nursing and pampering sickness over their bodies without realizing it.

Rather than nurse and pamper sickness in your body with such negative confessions, you ought to exercise your God-given authority and say "In the Name of Jesus, I refuse to accommodate headaches." Say, "I cut this growth from my body in Jesus' Name." In our opening scripture Jesus said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." This should let you know that you're not ordinary; refuse to be infected by any sickness, disease or infirmity. 

When sickness tries to fasten itself to your body, reject it. You have the right to tell your body how it should feel. Don't accommodate sickness in your body; cut it out with the Word of God. Tell your body what to do and it will do it. Don't say, "I've got sugar diabetes;" rather take charge of your blood-sugar; use your tongue to control every situation. Say, "In the Name of Jesus, I refuse diabetes any place in my body"; and your words will come to pass. That's what Jesus said to us in Mark 11:23; He said you shall have what you say.

In the same way, you can rise above any form of addiction by refusing to be dominated by anything. If you've been struggling with any addiction, declare with boldness "I'm not going to let anything dominate me!" Keep your body in subjection to the Word of God, and refuse to give satan any foothold in your physical body.


CONFESSION
My body is the temple of the Holy Ghost; every fiber of my being-- from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet-- is vitalized by the Spirit of God. The life of God in me destroys sickness, disease and infirmity; therefore I'm "uninfectable." Hallelujah.



Rhapsody of Realities  July 3, 2011
-Pastor  Anita Oyakhilome

Friday, June 24, 2011

Jesus: The First Begotten From The Dead

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5).


When John described Jesus as "the first begotten of the dead," he wasn't just talking about physical death isn't just cessation of life; it's total separation from God: "...at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). This is spiritual death, and we all were once in this hopeless state, bound for hell until Jesus took our place. He went to hell on our behalf so we would never have to go there ourselves. Only those who don't believe in Him would eventually end up in hell.

But there's more! Jesus went to hell for us, but he didn't remain there. On the third day, He was raised victoriously from the dead and we were raised up together with Him: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"(Ephesians 2:4-6). Now we have that same resurrection life at work in us. 

No wonder John described Jesus as "the first begotten of the dead." The Apostle Paul made the same reference in Colossians 1:18:  "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Prior to the resurrection, Jesus was referred to as "the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14). But after His resurrection, He became "the first begotten" from the dead.

Now, the reason for the appellation "first begotten" instead of "only begotten" as He was hitherto called is because of the rest of us! As new creations, we also have been begotten from spiritual death, and have become His brothers and sisters--sons and daughters of God just like Him! This is the reason Jesus is called the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29).



PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to take my place of sin and death, thereby giving me eternal life. I reign in life because I was raised together with Him and now I'm seated with Him in heavenly places, in Jesus' Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities     June 28, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Faith Is The Manifestation

NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses] (Hebrews 11 AMP).


Someone once lamented how God gave him a specific word about his healing, prosperity and restoration, yet, he didn't experience the physical manifestation after several years. His language actually manifested unbelief. Unbelief is a thief of God's blessings; it short-circuits the power of God, thereby preventing you from receiving the best that God has for you: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:6-8).


In the Old Testament, the Bible tells how the children of Israel couldn't enter into God's promise because of unbelief. They refused to be persuaded by the Word of God. They were people who primarily were ruled by their senses--they wanted to see or feel God's presence before they could believe.


Hebrews 3:17-19 lets us know that God wasn't pleased with them because they were unbelieving: "But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." Now faith is the evidence of unseen realities. Faith is a possessor; it takes hold of the Word, and that settles it.


Hebrews 11:6 says, without faith, it is impossible to please God. Therefore, don't wait for any physical manifestation before you believe what God says about you. Your faith is the manifestation, for faith perceives as fact that which has been declared by the Word.





CONFESSION
In line with the Word of God, I declare that all things are mine; therefore I refuse to struggle for anything, for I'm a possessor! My faith is producing results for me. Therefore I walk in the vital reality of the manifold blessings of God today.



Rhapsody of Realities   June 23, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome
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Dominate Your World

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen (Revelation 1:6).

In Revelations 5:10, the Bible says God has made us "...kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." This is powerful! To understand what God had in mind when He made us kings, let's observe something striking about first man, Adam. On the day God created him, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it" (Genesis 1:26-28).

The Bible says God made Adam in His own image and likeness-to look and function like Him. Have you ever wondered how God functions? Who exactly is He? He is the great God of glory; the King of kings. By His words, He created the entire universe. And in Genesis 1:26-28, we read that He made the first man Adam, to be a king just like Himself, to reign and subdue everything in the earth.

Ecclesiastes 8:4 says "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" Now you can understand better what our opening verse means when it says God has made us kings. We've been given great authority to dominate our world. We can subdue systems, ideas, laws and traditions that are contrary to the Gospel and establish God's will in the earth. 

As kings, we can decree a thing and have it established unto us. That's the way we rule and reign with Him in the earth today. The Bible says "they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).




CONFESSION
I reign and rule in life as a king, and I have received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. Therefore I know that the words I speak are potent because where the word of a king is, there's power!



Rhapsody of Realities    June 29,2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Monday, June 20, 2011

Three Creative Principles Of the Human Spirit

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Faith, hope and love are the three creative principles of the human spirit. They are also principles, as indicated in our opening verse. This means that when all else fail, these three principles will remain; they'll never pass away.

Animals don't have and can't exhibit principles, for they are qualities of the human spirit. They are factors that help us understand and appreciate the yearnings of the human nature. They help explain why we are the way we are, and why do we do the things the way we do.  When you get to understand faith, hope and love, you'll understand things about God that you never knew. 

Like all laws, these three principles of faith, hope and love don't function on their own; they must be applied or acted upon. Faith, hope and love are in your spirit, but that doesn't mean they are going to work on their own. You're the one to make a choice to act your faith, to always be hopeful towards God, and to walk in love.

With your faith, you can do anything: "verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matthew 17:20). Then, Romans 5:5 tells us "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." That means hope never disappoints. 

The reason hope doesn't disappoints is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Love in your heart gives life to your faith, for the Bible says faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). When you activate these three principles in your life, you'll be extraordinarily productive.


PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for granting me understanding of faith, hope and love; I function today with these higher principles of the Kingdom, and declare that they're producing  positive supernatural results as I put them to work in my life, in Jesus' Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities  June 25, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Have Value For Spiritual Things

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5).

In Genesis 25:29-34, when Esau was asked for his birthright, his reply showed that he didn't place any value on sacred things. Genesis 25:32 (AMP) says "Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me?" Esau knew that the birthright had blessings, but it didn't mean anything to him. So he sold his birthright to Jacob for a morsel of food and didn't consider the spiritual implication of that act and it cost the inheritance, which his younger brother got in his place. 

Hebrews 12:17 says "For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." Esau was sense-ruled. The Bible refers to him as profane (Hebrews 12:16). He allowed the desire, need and pleasures of his flesh to govern him. He treated sacred things irreverently or with disregard. Esau didn't esteem the blessings and that forever caused him his right as firstborn.

Not to esteem spiritual things is what the Apostle Paul describe as being carnally minded. It is set your mind on natural things of life; on the things you can perceive with your senses that gives immediate gratification. The Bible says, "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8:6). This isn't referring to physical death but spiritual death, which is separation from the life of God (Romans 8:8). Carnality is the road to destruction, because the carnal mind is enmity against God.

So, refuse to condescend to the low level of being led by your senses; rather, let God's Word be your motivation because you're no longer ruled by the flesh but by the Spirit (Romans 8:9). Be about the spiritual like Jacob. He was after the blessing, which is spiritual.



CONFESSION
I'm spiritually minded. I don't base my opinions, judgements and responses on what my physical senses tell me. Rather, I live according to the information passed to my spirit from the Word of God, in the Name of Jesus.


Rhapsody of Realities    June 21, 2011
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Friday, June 10, 2011

You Can't Be Cursed!

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

I encountered a Christian woman recently who, on account of certain misfortune she had suffered over a period of time, came to the conclusion that her predicament was the result of a curse. She wanted to know from me if it was possible for a Christian to be under a curse. I explained to her from the Word that a Christian can't be under a curse because the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; superior to satan; and so cannot be under a curse.

The Christian has been called to inherit a blessing and not a curse (1Peter 3:9). This was the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." As believers in Christ, we have inherited the blessing of Abraham. So the Bible teaches in Galatians 3:29: "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Ignorance of this truth is however the problem of all those who believe the reason they're not doing well in life is because they are under the influence of a curse or some voodoo spell.

If you're born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, no one can place a curse on you! Even if they tried, it wouldn't work, for the Bible says no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). Numbers 23:23 says, "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel..." So you see, you don't  need any deliverance or special prayers for a curse to be lifted from your life, for the truth is, you cannot be cursed.

Look at it this way, if you were to be cursed as a child of God, who is to see that the curse produces result? Is it the devil? You're more powerful than the devil. Is it God? God is your heavenly Father, why would He supervise a curse against you? The only Christian, however, who can be under a curse, is the one who is at variance with the Word of God. When you ignore the Word of God, you take yourself outside the protective cover of the Word, and that in itself is a curse. But as long as you stay in the Word, you'll be like a tree planted by the rivers of water; fruitful and productive for eternity! Praise God!



PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your Word. It's in my heart and my mouth today! I meditate upon it day and night and thereby make my way prosperous. I cannot be cursed because your Word is my life and your blessing remains my portion, in Jesus' Name. Amen.




Rhapsody of Realities      June 17, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Heirs Of The Abrahamic Promise

And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:29).

Our opening scripture is the sovereign declaration of the Spirit; we're Abraham's seed and therefore the possessors of all things, as Abraham was. Someone once asked, "As new creations, why should we declare that we're the seed of Abraham, wasn't Abraham of the Old Testament?"

First, Abraham lived before the Old Testament. He lived before the Law of Moses, and he lived a life of faith here on earth. When God made a promise to him as recorded in the book of Genesis, the Bible says the promises were made to Abraham and his seed. This is reiterated in Galatians 3:16: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ."

Now the word "seed" used in this scripture isn't in a pluralized form. He said "Now to Abraham and his seed..." and that seed is Christ. As a new creation, you belong to Christ; therefore you're the seed of Abraham. Your association (union) with Christ automatically qualified you as the real descendant of Abraham, and by extension the possessor of all things, for God willed the whole world to Abraham.

As the seed of Abraham, you can never be disadvantaged or be defeated in life. Poverty and sickness ought not to be a part of your life. Isaac walked in super-abundance in a period of severe famine just because he was Abraham's seed (Genesis 26:12-13). In Luke 13:12, Jesus healed the woman who had been bent double for eighteen long years. He premised her healing on the fact that she was the daughter of Abraham, showing that Abraham's seed ought not be sick (Luke 13:16).

As the seed of Abraham, you've been blessed beyond measure. Failure, sickness, disease, lack and death cannot have dominion over you; you have a right and the power to vehemently reject them from your life. The good life is yours: increase, progress, success, fruitfulness, productivity and a life of glory have become your birthright because you're the seed of Abraham: "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham" (Galatians 3:9).


PRAYER
I declare today that I'm the inheritor of the blessings of Abraham through my association with Christ. I'm Abraham's seed, therefore, I'm an heir according to the promise and a joint heir with Christ. I'm blessed everywhere I go; in the city, in the field, in my going out and in my coming in! I am blessed to be a blessing!



Rhapsody of Realities   June 5, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome


Now the word "seed" used in this scripture isn't in a pluralized form

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Don't Break The Hedge!

He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him (Ecclesiastes 10:8).

Every child of God has a spiritual force-field around him; it's a hedge of protection that repels the enemy. Did you ever read about Job in the Bible? Satan had tried unsuccessfully to attack the man, and so he asked God, "Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? "(Job 1:10).

Even satan acknowledged that there was a hedge of protection round about job and everything he had, until Job unfortunately breached it through his wrong confessions as revealed in Job 3:23-26:  "Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came."

Here was a man who even satan acknowledged was hedged and divinely protected by God, yet he said  "I was not in safety" Little wonder he suffered terribly and lost everything he had to satan; He broke the hedge of protection placed around him by God through his negative confession. How important it is for us to keep speaking faith-filled words and not fear! Negative confessions breach the hedge of protection God has placed around you.

No child of God ought to experience sudden calamities or be overtaken by dire misfortunes; because there's a hedge of protection around everyone of us. No matter how the enemy tries to come at you, the Spirit of God will erect a repellent barrier against him: "So [as the result of the Messiah's intervention] they shall [reverently] fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives]." (Isaiah 59:19 AMP). But guess what? He does it through you, for he functions and carries out His ministry in the earth through His children.

So it's your responsibility to fortify the hedge of protection placed around you by God and extend its perimeter. How? By talking right, and then also by praying in tongues! When you feel the pressures of life coming at you; maybe at your job, business, academics or in any area of your life, that's not time to cry, cower or talk fear! Instead, pray fervently in other tongues and talk your faith up until the power of God inundates your whole being and saturates the environment. As you do this often, the spiritual force-field around you gets wider and wider, repelling the enemy farther and farther.



PRAYER  
Dear Father, thank you for your hedge of protection around me. The perimeter of that hedge is activated to keep satan and the forces of darkness at bay, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities     June 10, 2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS; IRRESPECTIVE OF YOUR EXPERIENCES!

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

In life, even as Christians, some people sometimes go through some very unpleasant experiences and pains. It could be some lofty expectations that didn’t come to pass, or even the sudden death of a loved one. Such challenging moments often pose serious tests to our faith, leaving us with the choice to either cave in and be overwhelmed, or embrace our circumstances with the right attitude of faith and be strengthened.

Our opening scripture is quite instructive as to what we must do in such trying moments. The Apostle Paul, in those verses, acknowledges the tribulations he encountered and the ensuing comfort he received from the Lord. He added that the comfort he received was to the intent that he might be able to comfort others who are in any trouble, by the same comfort with which he was comforted by God. In other words, Paul chose to see his trials as moments of training, to prepare and equip him with the ability to help others in their times of trouble. What an attitude!

He didn’t grumble, complain, become discouraged or blame God for allowing such pains to be his lot. He looked away from them and took a hold of the comfort of the Spirit so he could help others by comforting them with the Word. In 2 Corinthians 4:17, he alluded to those trials and pains as “light affliction.” This should be your attitude as a child of God.

It’s important that you don’t allow any hurtful or unpleasant experience overwhelm you! Never allow yourself to be weighed down in the dust of pain and misery! Rather, always, be hopeful and courageous, irrespective of your experience. This is the winning attitude.

Remember that God has given you His life which you’ll account for. So on the day of reckoning you’re not going to use the excuse of the pain and disappointments you experienced as reasons you couldn’t fulfill His calling for your life. So I urge you to be courageous and put on strength today, and always, irrespective of the challenges you may have faced.


PRAYER
Dear Father, thank you for the comfort of the Scriptures! Your Word indeed is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. I’m so grateful to learn from you today that no matter what happens, I’m a victor in Christ Jesus! I maintain that right attitude of faith and victory today, and always, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities  April 20,2011
-Pastor Chris Oyakhilome