Saturday, February 25, 2012

A Vital Union!

Jesus saith unto her ... go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God (John 20:17).

Living a victorious and successful life in Christ depends on your understanding of your vital union with the Lord. Many Christians are either misinformed or completely ignorant of  the kind of relationship we have the Lord today in the New Testament. It's a vital union; an inseparable oneness. We're much more than followers, servants, friends or ambassadors of Christ; we're His body! We're members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones (Ephesians 5:30).


In John 15:5, Jesus reiterated our oneness with Him when He said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches..." This implies that you have the same life with Jesus, because life comes through the vine into the branches. It's for this same reason that the Word declares: "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?..." (1 Corinthians 6:15) and "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Corinthians 12:27). 


The death and resurrection of Jesus paved the way for a new relationship with the Father. When you received salvation you were automatically brought into this vital union, making you were automatically brought into this vital union, making you a partaker in the divine experience. Through this vital union, you're awakened to the fatherhood of God, making you an associate of the God-kind.


If you're born again, you're the very offspring of Divinity. Stand tall today in Christ, for He loves to be identified with you and has brought you into oneness with Himself. He's in you, and you're in Him; what a glorious union!



PRAYER
Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for making me a partaker of the divine nature! I rejoice and praise you for this inseparable oneness I share with you, and for the eternal life that flows in me as a result of this vital union. I'm making great progress and excelling in life today as your glory is revealed in me, in Jesus' Name. Amen.





Rhapsody of Realities   February 25, 2012
--Pastor Chris Oyakhilome

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Refuse The Wrong Picture!

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23).


The Bible tells us of a certain man named Jairus, whose daughter was sick to the point of death. In his worried and troubled state, someone him to get the Master's attention, and he did: "And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him."(Mark 5:22-24).


As they journeyed, word came that the young was already dead, therefore no need for Jairus to trouble the Master. But the Bible says "As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. " (Mark 5:36). How comforting! The Master wanted Jairus to stop the fear and refuse the wrong picture. He's saying the same thing to you today.


Perhaps you've been wondering what to do about a certain situation that seem to have defied every situation; refuse to fear; only believe! Refuse to be overwhelmed by the extent or enormity of the challenge. Instead, believe in the ability and power of the Spirit to see you through victoriously. To believe means to be in a state of expectancy, where you envision in your spirit a positive outcome in every situation! When you receive unfavourable or discouraging news, don't despair; refuse to give up; only believe! That means stop the fear and refuse to doubt; envision only a positive outcome.


When life looks dark, and things seem impossible and difficult, and everything seems to be going down, hold your head up high and declare "I'm a victor in Christ Jesus!" Refuse to let your heart be troubled with unbelief,  fear and doubt, and keep proclaiming in faith that you're more than a conqueror.




PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for the hope you've given me in your Word. I thank you for giving me freely, all joy and peace in believing, that I may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost, in Jesus Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities   February 21,2012
-Pastor  Anita Oyakhilome

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Patience vs Waiting (Dominating Time)

The other day I had a conversation with a friend, I was telling her my new revelation of faith(which is really my old revelation, only I didn't have a name for it back then). We were sitting in her kitchen and through her back door(which is a glass screen) I stared at the fence that separated her property from the neighbour's. "Here's the gist of faith, as I've come to recognize it; I'm right here at your kitchen table, I see that fence and decide that I'm taking it, I get up and head towards it immediately, not glancing to my left or right, not considering the obstacles in the yard, but just going for it because it's mine."

She considered for a moment then responded, "well faith is really seeing the thing, in your spirit, declaring that you have it now, and waiting for it to manifest."

So I ask, "why wait, isn't it yours now?"

"Yes, it's mine now, but I have to wait for it to manifest."

"I don't remember seeing Jesus wait for the miracles he called forward."

"How about that fig tree, Jesus cursed it but it didn't die immediately. Peter saw it the next day as they pass by that way."

"No, it died the same time. It died at the roots. That's how trees die, not by the branches. "

"No, I don't disagree that it died at the same time, but that story is so we can see that we can believe patiently in case we don't see it immediately."

I didn't think I needed to argue the point further, but I had recently realized that the Holy Spirit doesn't give deference to time. Jesus pattern the Holy Spirit when he said "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."(John 4:35). He didn't even respect time!
 In the Holy Spirit's realm, time is no factor and I notice that He expects me to do what He says right away, no matter how outlandish they were to my sense knowledge. But how does this work, really?


Be Persistent
 
 As "faith" Christians, we have a thing we like to do, and it's called waiting. We like to wait. We give time power. That's a problem. Don't give time power. Time should not have dominion over you. Someone prayed for you but you didn't see yourself healed, instead you said "Oh, I'm just waiting on my healing". 15 years and you're still waiting on your healing. That is not faith, faith is not waiting!


People see Hebrews 12:1-2 "... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..." and think Paul means lollygagging around. But look at his phrasing, "let us lay aside every weight.. which doth so easily beset us; let us run with patience!"

 Oh, but we think we're being patient. Listen, patience doesn't mean waiting around! Patience means you see your goal and you refuse to consider any other circumstance, any other thing, any other story, but you remain steadfast until you get that goal! You will stay on that treadmill until that other person gets off, you would rather collapse on that treadmill than allow that other person beat you. Because you insist that you will win this thing! That is what patience means. Patience means never letting your opponent, whomever or whatever it is, to have victory over you.

Folks think they're being humble, not forcing God, being patient... You're letting time have dominion over you. No! You take that healing and you refuse to give up until you see it! With your spiritual senses, you start experiencing your healing.  You meditate "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."(1 Peter 2:24) until your wholeness is real to you. You declare and decree because you know all while moving swiftly towards it. That's force. That's creation.You persist and insist until you have it.
 But for some people, faith seems like a huge evasive thing. That's why they don't get victory. The fight of faith is a place called rest. You take into account who you are, whose you are and enter into His rest. You fight to get your mind from being boggled with; self questions, God questions, opponent fears, accusations, victim-hood; turmoil.  You fight to keep the noise abated. ( Hebrews 4:2-3 -For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. )
Instead, faith is being broken down in categories and placed into boxes, which is why it's so hard for people. Friends, faith is simple and believing is a choice. 

Don't consider the obstacles
 
For example, the Lord reveals mysteries to you regarding a deadly communicable disease that the media has mislead people of, either knowingly or through ignorance. You research and your the revelation is confirmed. What will you do with that revelation? He tells you to start with a documentary, educate the masses, create a paradigm shift. Only problem with that is it's a political minefield. You aren't even a filmmaker. You have no affiliation to the disease. You know absolutely no victims of it personally. You have no money to do it. Let me learn some things first, you say. Why is He insisting you do this anyway? (you know He's insisting because the desire won't go away!)

So what's your response; you say, I'll research some more; I'll work, make money then I'll do it; then you ask your friends their opinions. You know they'll say "you're a programmer, you make decent money, keep secure", but you're delaying through fear. This is big. This is massive. So you lengthen the process with time , elevating the object beyond yourself.  It's as if you're one of the twelve spies who reported that "not only were the opponents giants in our eyes, we were grasshoppers!"

Instead, what you aught to do is say "Holy Spirit, since you want me to do this, please provide all the connections, resources and materials to accomplish this." And KNOW that He will help you!

 When obstacles show up they want your focus. They(the devils creating the obstacles) know that if you give them attention, you're saying, "you're powerful enough to be a threat to me, so let me give you the attention you deserve." They know you've applied fear to them. You've qualified them. They know you're giving them power.


Look at Apostle Paul, he had just walked away from a shipwreck, then unknowingly gathers up a bundle of firewood with a venomous snake hidden in there somewhere. Clamp! The viper grabbed on to Paul's arm!
The Barbarians looking on thought, "this guy's a murderer! Look, vengeance is after him", after all, to have survived a deadly disaster, only to be attacked by a poisonous snake moments later, would definitely draw suspicion. 
Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and kept doing what he was doing! Still, "Any moment now...", the Barbarians expected Paul to simply keel over. Hours passed and he remained!
Acknowledging the snake or its bite never seemed to cross Paul's mind. He hadn't interrupted his activity to consider it.
Could the snake kill a man? Yes, it was venomous and I don't think they developed anti-venom back in those days.  Was Paul ignoring it? No, but Paul knew this; that such things are only light afflictions, the Holy Spirit has the real power. Paul knew who he was(a son of God and steward of the mysteries of God), whose he was(Christ's) and what his goal was(Teach, preach and demonstrate the Gospel of the Kingdom Of God).
He knew that no weapons fashioned against him could prosper so Paul saw the viper's bite for the nothingness it was.
Paul trusted and knew that when the Holy Spirit said he'd be unharmed He wasn't talking about the shipwreck only. He remained in God's rest.


 Wasn't Paul the person who said he had fought the good fight, he had finished the race, he had kept the faith?

The reason some faith healers find it so much harder to heal their own bodies when injury or disease attacks, is because it's much easier to rest in the Holy Spirit's finished works for a stranger than for themselves. When 'trouble' is that close to home, there are too many questions, condemnation, worry etc going on in their minds.

But with faith, no is not an option; the only possibility you see is your goal. With faith, you run with patience, swiftly towards your goal.  With faith, you remain in blessed assurance, the perfect hope in God. Enter into His rest!



Monday, February 13, 2012

The Way To Consistent Progress

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified (Acts 20:32).



As Christians, we live by the Word, because we're born of the Word. The whole creation came into being through the Word of God. The Bible says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). He tells us all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. He upholds all things by the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). In other words, the Word of God sustains all things.

Your origin is the Word of God, and the only material that God gave you to build your spirit is His Word. There's no hope for anyone  that ignores the Word. Walking in the Word--living it out--is the way to consistent progress. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:13 AMP "Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."

To live contrary to the Word is to programme yourself for failure. You must open your heart to the heart to the Word, receive it voraciously and live by it: "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21 AMP).

Whenever you have the opportunity to hear God's Word, go for it with rapt attention and a wide appetite, and apply it to your personal life. Prove His Word in your life. He isn't afraid or intimidated to be put on the spot; He asked us to prove His Word (Malachi 3:10). Put the Word to work and it will effect relevant changes in your personal life. The Word of God is God's material for building your life and having you established on the path of consistent growth, progress and success in life.


PRAYER
I'm walking in the reality of my divine inheritance in Christ, because the Word is at work in me! I'm not just a hearer but a doer of the Word, therefore my faith is producing results and wisdom, knowledge and ability of the Spirit are showing forth through me, in Jesus' Name. Amen.


Rhapsody of Realities    February18, 2012
-Pastor  Anita Oyakhilome

Sunday, February 12, 2012

God Is Holy, And Worthy To Be Praised!

I don't speak Brazilian (or is it Portuguese?), but I watched this and felt more aware of God's mighty presence.


But don't worry, Jotta A's got some English songs blessing God as well



Be blessed!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Give Him Your Cares!

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?(Matthew 6:25).


The verse above is an invitation from the Master for you to trust Him with your life. He wants you to have no care or anxiety whatsoever about anything, because God loves you greatly, and tenderly cares for you. He's saying to you "Give me your cares!"

As a child of God you must come to the point in your life where you know, without a doubt, that God is not only big enough to take care of you but equally willing to do so. He's more willing for you to live and enjoy life to the full than you could ever be. This takes the stress out of life; knowing that you serve a loving and compassionate Father, whose desire is for you to live a victorious life. The reason many people in the world are unhappy and burdened with lots of worries, being surfeited with the cares of life is that they're yet to accept His invitation: they haven't given Him their cares.

1 Peter 5:7 says "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." God cares for you personally; that means He knows you and He's concerned about you, therefore trust Him with your life. The Psalmist knew what it meant to trust the Lord this way; he was so sure of God's ability and willingness to guarantee his safety hence declared with all certainty: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me" (Psalm 138:7). This should be your attitude as a child of God.

Too many are focusing on the challenges and problems they're facing, and as a result, lose sight of God's grace and presence with them. By meditating on their challenges they short-circuit the power of God from working on their behalf. Refuse to dwell on whatever challenges you may be facing right now! Rather, think about the ability of the Spirit; He's all-great and powerful and can put you over every adversity.


PRAYER
I refuse to fret or worry over anything because God loves me and He's big and powerful enough to take care of me! Therefore, I live victoriously in rest today, having cast all my cares upon Him. Blessed be His Name.




Rhapsody of Realities     February 9, 2012
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

The Principles of Wealth Creation

People have been sowing and sowing and sowing some more without seeing a harvest, so what's missing? Some whole truths that you need, not half truths.
Part 1



Part 2


Part 3



Part 4



PS: My sister isn't keen on the widow's mite argument in the videos or what she calls the 'Pastor Bashing'. I'm not either, but listen for the practical principles and ignore the philosophy. Take what works for you and disregard what doesn't ;-)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Act On What You Hear!

Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! (James 1:22 MSG).


God's Word is all-powerful-having the ability to produce in you what it talks about. Nonetheless, God's Word to you wont produce any result except you act on what you hear! Except you create the right environment--the faith-environment for it to work. You must believe the Word and act on it!

Abraham is one of the major Bible characters who created the right environment for the Word to produce results in his life by mixing the Word with faith. He acted on what he heard. In Genesis 17:5, the Lord had told him "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee." At this time, Abraham and his wife Sarah were already well-advanced in age, Abraham being about a hundred years old, while Sarah was ninety. Besides being barren, it wasn't even naturally possible for Sarah to conceive anymore due to old age.

But Abraham "...believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Romans 4:17).  Romans 4:19-21 says "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Not only does the above passage of scripture underline Abraham's audacity of faith, it also underscores four vital qualities of prevailing faith: One, it doesn't consider physical circumstances. Two: it doesn't stagger. Three: it gives glory to God; and four: it's fully persuaded. This is how you create the faith-environment for the Word to produce results in your life; it's by refusing to consider natural circumstances or stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. Plus that, you're strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded of the efficacy and infallibility of His Word.

When you personalize, apprehend, appropriate and take a stand on God's Word for yourself, like Abraham, you'd get the desired results.


PRAYER
Dear Father, I thank you for your word that builds my faith and confidence in you! As I put your Word to work in my life today, my success, progress and prosperity are guaranteed, in Jesus' Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities   January 24, 2012
-Pastor  Anita Oyakhilome