It's Not Over Yet!

 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:  Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments (Habakkuk 3:17-19).




I'm often amazed at how some Christians easily give up and succumb to life's challenges. You've got to understand that if you're a child of God, you aren't a victim! In the scripture above the prophet described a dire situation, yet choose to rejoice in the Lord all the same: "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places..." In other words, although there was a problem, the prophet wasn't moved by what he saw, felt or perceived.


This should be your attitude as well. The story isn't complete until you've won! Things may not be going the way you expect at the moment, but don't despair. Reiterate your trust in God by giving Him praise for doing all things well. Tell yourself, "I'm not giving up" and begin to rejoice in the Lord God of your salvation.


Remember Paul and Silas? Things couldn't have looked more hopeless for them as they huddled in chains in the dark dungeon of that maximum security Roman prison. But instead of cringing in fear and hopelessness, they decided to praise God, and you know the rest of the story (Acts 16:23-36).


It's time for you to praise God like you've never done before. You may not feel like it, but praise Him anyway, because that's where victory lies! It's not over yet! Put your trust in God. Worship Him in spirit and in truth and He'll inhabit your praise and bring you His power to bear on your situation.

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for giving me hope in Christ Jesus. Thank you for the quiet confidence I have that things will always turn out for my good, no matter the challenging situation I may face. I declare that I'm a victor in Christ Jesus and will never be disadvantaged, for the Lord is my God, and the strength of my life! Thank you for giving me the mindset of a champion and a victor, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Rhapsody of Realities   September 20, 2008

-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

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

Take Charge!

And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2).

When you study about the great prophets of old, many of them were persecuted at one time or the other because of the Word of God they stood for. For example, the Prophet Jeremiah was persecuted by those around him for preaching against their wickedness, to the extent he was put in prison. He almost became weakened and discouraged as a result of this. But eventually, he couldn’t hold still anymore. He took charge by the power of God’s Spirit and declared God’s Word without fear or intimidation: “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay” (Jeremiah 20:9).

From our opening scripture, the first of the seven Spirits of God mentioned by the prophet Isaiah is the Spirit of the Lord; that’s the Spirit of dominion. His ministry in you is to impart boldness to your spirit. He anoints you with power for service, and causes you to take charge of situations. When He takes charge of your life, timidity goes out the window.

In the Book of Acts, when persecution broke out against the early Church, the Bible says they lifted their voices in one accord and prayed to the Lord: “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). No wonder when Peter who was once timid spoke, the rulers, religious leaders and scholars were fascinated by his boldness and took notice of him that he had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

When you received the Holy Spirit, you were imparted with boldness and dominion to achieve supernatural things. You were enabled to preach the Gospel and declare your faith openly without fear. Remember, God has not given you the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So take charge and dominate your environment.

  CONFESSION

I walk in dominion today because the Spirit of the Lord has mantled my heart and imparted divine courage to my spirit. Nothing in this world can stop or intimidate me from fulfilling the ministry of reconciliation committed to me by God. I manifest the glory of God’s Kingdom everywhere I go today, in Jesus’ Name.

Rhapsody of Realities  - September 3, 2011

-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Shielded From Harm And Destruction

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee (Isaiah 43:2).




Exodus 13:21 gives an interesting account of how God cared for the children of Israel in the wilderness shortly after they came out of Egypt: "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" If you're familiar with the desert or wilderness you'd know it's such a terrible place, not conducive to human habitation. At night, it's extremely cold, and in the day it's extremely hot. This was the kind of weather situation the children of Israel found themselves.


To be under such a harsh weather condition for the number of years they wandered through the wilderness could have meant death for them all. But the Lord was with them, and gave them His own atmosphere. He shielded them as a cloud in the day time, overshadowing them from the scorching heat. Then at night, He was to them a pillar of fire, protecting them against the extreme cold. So the children of Israel traveled with their "own atmosphere"; it was the presence of the Holy Spirit!


It you're born again, you carry this glorious presence of the Spirit in and around you (John 14:17); It's the blessing of the new creation. You carry your own atmosphere of the miraculous! It therefore doesn't matter where you might find yourself or what happens around you, that 'divine' atmosphere shields and protects you against the harsh conditions and negative circumstances of life. No wonder Jesus described us-believers-as indestructible when He said in Luke 10:19 "...and nothing shall by any means hurt you"



You're divinely shielded and immune from everything that hurts, binds or destroys. Everyone around you may have an infection due to the outbreak of an epidemic, but not you. There's something about you, in you, and around you that makes you more than a conqueror! There's something that creates an atmosphere of health and victory around you; it's the indwelling and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. So refuse to fear. You're shielded from harm, evil and destruction. The Bible says "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee." (Psalms 91:7).

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the glorious presence of your Spirit in and around me, and the heavenly atmosphere of bliss and victory that surrounds me. Thank you for your divine presence that shields me from harm and protects me against evil and violence in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Rhapsody of Realities       July 15,2011

-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

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

Confess Who You Are!

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak (2 Corinthians 4:13).

When the Lord said to Abram "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." (Genesis 17:5), the man was still childless. But because he had faith, he immediately began to call himself "Abraham" (father of many). He didn't wait to see the physical children before he confessed who he was; he believed and therefore spoke out that he was the father of many. He wasn't confessing it to make it happen; rather, he was confessing it as the reality.

This is the faith-attitude that God wants us to emulate. Our opening scripture shows us that faith believes and therefore speaks. In other words, when you're operating by the spirit of faith, you don't speak or confess something to make it happen; nor do you try to convince yourself that what you're saying exists. Instead, the reason you're confessing the Word is because you already believe in your heart that what you're saying is real before giving voice to it. By your confessing you're establishing that which you've already believed to be real.

This is where some have misunderstood faith; they're not speaking because they've believed. they're speaking to believe. It explains why they get frustrated when things don't turn out as they expected. Faith is the evidence that what you hoped for is now a reality (Hebrews 11:1), and that's why your confession must be based on what you've believed in your heart, not the other way around. If you have evidence of something, it gives you the confidence to speak of it boldly. In the same way, when you believe that what God has said about you is the reality, you're bold to declare it, notwithstanding what the devil, circumstances or even your mind may tell you.

So today, be bold to confess who you are: you're a new creation in Christ Jesus, born with the life, nature and power of God in your spirit! Therefore satan, sickness, disease and death can no longer have dominion over you! You're an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, therefore prosperity is your birthright! Learn to confess the Word like this all the time, not so it will happen but because that's the reality about who you are.

CONFESSION 

I am what God says I am. I can do what He says I can do, and I have what He says I have. My faith is the evidence that everything  God has said concerning me is my present-hour possession. I have a sound mind and I can do all things through Christ, who energizes me! Glory to God!

Rhapsody of Realities   May 21, 2011

-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Trelan's notes on believing:

I've found out that believing God is not hard at all. For me, it means is to agree with Him. I know that God loves me, and no one has to convince me of the magnificence of his works, all I have to do is look around. His Word created the world, so now I have to decide if I want trust His Word or my present circumstance. I decide wise thing is to agree with God and stand against present situations. This is how beleiving works. 

Beleiving is agreement, acceptance and allowance (often with emotions attached). It is completely within your control. Unbelief is not "no belief"(everyone believes something!), instead, it is believing in something else that goes against the current Word that requires your belief. It is agreeing with something else. Fortunately, you get to decide what report you're going to agree with. Choose Life!

Expect Answers When You Pray!

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Luke 11:10).

You have every right, as a child of God, to expect answers when you pray (John 15:16). But if you pray to God doubting, you're not going to get anything. James 1:6-8 says, "...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."

To be double minded in this context means to vacillate, to waver or stagger at the promises of God through unbelief. Such a man, according to God's Word, can't receive anything from God, for it takes faith to receive from Him: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).

There's no use praying, if you don't expect God to answer. God asked us to pray because He wants to answer. One of the reasons some people don't expect answers when they pray is that they remember all their sins and failures as soon as they get on their knees to pray and become overwhelmed by self-condemnation. Self-condemnation will dissipate your faith; never allow it to get a hold of you.

The way out of such quagmire is to build yourself in God's Word. 1 Peter 2:2 says, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." The Word of God can build you up in righteousness: "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith..."(Romans 1:17). You need to renew your mind with God's Word and strengthen yourself in His righteousness. With the consciousness of your righteousness in Christ, you can confidently ask anything of the Father, in accordance to His will, and expect Him to answer, and He will.

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for the life and nature of righteousness and you've given me. Not only does your righteousness give me the ability to do right, it makes me stand unblameable and unreproveable in your sight. Therefore, I pray today, knowing I've been ordained to receive answers to all my prayers, in Jesus' Name. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities January 12, 2010
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Learn To Receive When You Pray

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

The Lord Jesus was always vivid in His communication; He said what He meant and He meant what He said. In Matthew 7:7-8, He said, "...everyone who asks receives. Anyone who seeks, finds. If only you will knock, the door will be opened " (TLB). So how come some folks don't receive when they pray?

You see, the Lord Jesus taught us how to pray and how to receive answers. Many have only learnt to pray because religion teaches them to pray, but they haven't learnt the faith way of receiving. Praying without receiving is religion and religion gives you nothing!

Prayer wasn't meant to be a religious formality. Religion will compel you to pray as a rite and discourage you from receiving answers to your prayers. Religion can also make you see your prayer as an avenue to get God to do something for you. This can only bring frustration when there are no answers! In Mark 11:24, Jesus said "...What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." In other words, when you pray, believe that you have received and then you shall have whatever it is you asked for. That means, when you pray, God answers, but you're the one to do the receiving. How? By faith!

Here's how it works: let's say you've prayed and asked the Lord for a particular thing; if you truly believe the words of Jesus, you ought to rejoice and declare immediately, "Glory to God, I've got what I've asked for!" Even though you're yet to see it with your physical eyes, you begin to act like you've already received what you asked for, right from the moment you prayed. That's how to receive when you pray. I recommend that you get the book "How To Make Your Faith Work," and learn more about the principle of receiving, and the faith-attitude in prayer.

PRAYER

Dear Father, I thank you for teaching me today to receive answers when I pray. As I pray right now, I am exceedingly joyful because I know that I've already received answers to my requests and petitions in the Name of Jesus. Amen.


Rhapsody Of Realities January 3, 2010
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome


Similar posts: Expect Answers When You Pray , It starts from within, Build up yourself on your most holy faith

Take God At His Word

...So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it(Isaiah 55:11).

Have you ever heard a fellow Christian make comments like "if it's God's will for me to be healed, I'll be healed," or "whatever will be will be." They seem oblivious to the fact that God has already given us His Word to live by. God's Word is not just an account of historical happenings but the revelation of Himself and His eternal purpose for man. His Word is full of power and the divine ability to produce what it talks about. Always take God at His Word.

So efficacious is the Word of God that it always prevails; it never returns back to Him with an excuse of inaction. The knowledge and understanding of God's Word is imperative in our relationship with Him. When you study and understand the Word of God, you'll not entertain any doubt as to whether it's His will for you to be prosperous, healthy and successful in life. Instead of asking such question like "is it God's will for me to have this or have that," you'll simply take Him at His Word and expect what the Word says about you will come to pass.

I urge you today to take God at His Word! Trust in the integrity of God's Word; accept His Word as a final authority concerning any situation. Let the Word of God be the regulator of your life; simply believe and accept that you're who God says you are, you have what He says you have, and can do what do what He says you can do and it will produce for you what it talks about.

CONFESSION

My spirit is attuned to the Word of God. Every time I receive the Word, my faith increases and produces greater results, and my spirit gains the ascendancy over the situations and circumstances of life. I can never be defeated because my faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Hallelujah.



Rhapsody of Realities September 24, 2009
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Value God's People

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

Imagine a nurse who relegates her job and thinks she has a wretched job; she feels terrible each time she has to treat sick people because to her, they stink. Such a nurse needs to be ashamed, not of her job, but of her reasoning. She has failed to take advantage of her job as an opportunity to touch people with the love of God.

The most valuable assets on earth are not the fancy cars, airplanes, exotic buildings or any of the physical structures; it's human beings. The Bible says, for God so loved the world, not the world of things, but the world of men, that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us and show us our value (John 3:16). You're valuable to God; that's why He doesn't want you sick or poor. He wants you well, happy and prosperous.

God expects you to value others the same way He values you. Don't despise people. It's easy to tell whether or not you love people from the way you talk to them. If at any time you've despised someone, you ought to fall on your knees in repentance before the Lord and ask Him to forgive you. Understand that no matter how famous or successful you may be, having value and true regard for people is what counts with God.

You may be a great preacher, winning thousands of souls all over the world but that's nothing to God if you haven't learned to walk in love and value people for who they really are. He's only impressed by the compassion we have and show to people around us. He's impressed by the love you show to those for whom Jesus died; that is what makes us true soul winners, and true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35)

PRAYER

Dear Father, thank you for placing so much value on me, and demonstrating your great love for me with the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. I know I am valueable because of the great price you paid for my salvation. I ask that you'll help me value others the same way you have valued me, in Jesus' Name. Amen.


Rhapsody of Realities March 13, 2009
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome

Jesus Came to Give Us Eternal Life

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his son (1 John 5:11).


When Jesus came into this world, He came do much more than merely die for our sins. He identified His mission in John 10:10: "...I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest"(Contemporary English Version). His death was actually a means to an end; to give us "life in its fullest." That life is eternal life. Eternal life is not life that goes on endlessly; it's the life of God. The Greek word is "Zoe," the essence and quality of divinity! It is the quality of life that God possesses.

The Bible says, "He that hath the Son hath the life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:12-13). So, eternal life isn't something you're going to have in the sweet by and by; it's not a promise, but a present-hour reality. It's the possession of the one who has recieved Jesus.

Little wonder the scriptures declare that "we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4). That means we died in Him, and have also been raised together with Him to a newness of life. This new life is the life of God. It's the very nature of God. Your human life was supplanted with the life and nature of God the very minute you received Jesus as Lord and Saviour of your life. That life in you makes indestructible and supernatural.

This is why you must preach the gospel(the good news- of eternal life). This is what should excite you to tell men and women about Jesus. He came to do more than forgive and save humanity from sin; He came also to give us the God-life. Through him, life and immortality has been brought to light(2 Timothy 1:10). Let those around you who haven't yet known the Lord know that they don't have to grope in the darkness anymore, for God has made it possible for them through Jesus to receive eternal life, and become partakers of the divine nature.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus to die for me, therefore making it possible for me to recieve eternal life! I declare that this life is working in every fibre of my being, repelling sickness, disease, infirmity, death, poverty and everything that is inconsistent with the provisions of the divine life, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.



Rhapsody of Realities January 15, 2010
-Pastor Anita Oyakhilome