Tomilayo Idowu: THE RACE OF FAITH.

Hebrews 12: 1-3
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

When I read this verse, I realized we are all under a race. A race of faith.

A race of completing our destiny here on earth. A race where God wants us to lay aside every weight and sin which so easily stops us from completing the race well. It can be circumstances that you are facing today that is stopping you from reaching your destiny. It can be a bad habit, a bondage or even our own attitude.

When we read Hebrews 11, all the men and the women had ''made it'' because they felt passionate about God and their cause.

Our life is very much compared to a race as well and we must run with endurance and passion if we plan to finish it well. It doesn’t matter how we start but it is important to end it well. When God called Moses to run the race for Him,

Moses gave 5 big excuses.

Excuse No 1: Who am I? (Exodus 3: 11) Moses struggled with his identity. He thought God picked a wrong leader.
God's response: It doesn’t matter who you are, I am with you. Exodus chap 3 : 12

Excuse No 2 : Who are you? (Exodus chap 3: 12). Moses felt a lack of intimacy. He didn’t know God well enough to describe him to the people. He was not too sure about his relationship with God.
God's response: I AM WHO I AM.I AM ever present. I AM everything you need (Exodus chap 3: 14).

Excuse No 3: What if they don’t listen? (Exodus chap 4: 1). Moses felt intimidated. He was worried of the people's reaction to him.
God's response: When I'm finished, they’ll listen (Exodus chap 4: 2-9)

Excuse No 4 : I can’t speak well.( Exodus chap 4 : 10). Moses was worried of his inadequacies. He was worried who would listen to him since he can’t speak well?
God's response: Who made your mouth? (Exodus chap 4: 11-12)

Excuse No 5: I know you can find someone else. (Exodus chap 4: 13). Moses felt inferior. He wanted someone else to take his responsibility.
God's response: OK.I will let Aaron go with you..............but I'm still calling you to go (Exodus chap 4: 14)

Here we can see Moses didn’t really start well. He gave excuses of not wanting to do what God called him to do. But, he still chose to run the race well. He decided to keep aside all his weight, and do what God told him today. Today, he is recorded as one of the famous heroes of faith in Hebrews chap 11.

By faith, Moses led the Israelites to cross the Red Sea as dry land and the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.

Today, God is asking us to stop giving excuses and finish our race well. Deep down in our heart, I strongly believe we know what God has called us to do for this generation. When we work for the Kingdom of God, it is impossible to just lead a simple life but to live a life full of glory for our Abba Father. Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Say this today: I choose to stop giving excuses and start running the race given to me to end it well.

Application: Just imagine yourself running a race. Imagine God telling us ''Well done'' at the end of the race. Stop giving excuses to do what God has called us to do. Lay aside all bad habits and start a new life starting from today making the main top priority is to start doing what He told us to do. Time is running out. Few more months left before the year ends for the year 2012.Start running!


''Abba Father in Heaven, I thank you Lord for letting me know to stop giving excuses of not doing what you told me to do O Lord. I pray God I will run this race with endurance with faith knowing you are the Alpha and the Omega. I pray God; you will teach me and instruct me in ways I should go. All I ask and pray, ‘Amen.

Timi Michael: THE UNIVERSAL WAR HAS BEGUN!

Probing deeper into the scriptural significance of gates; a gate is where legal tribunal and civil events take place (II Sam 15:2, Deut 21:19), it is a place where officials meet and deliberate (Ruth 4:1), it is also a place where battl

e for control takes place. Finally, it is a place where entry into a realm is regulated.

Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of a war that is on as we speak, a war greater than the wars engineered by men. In Matt 16, He said He would build His Church and the gates of Hell (hades-grave) shall not prevail (overpower) against it. We have established via Jacob's revelation that the house of God (the Church) is the gates of heaven. So we can say that this war is the war of the gates. Two gates are at war; the gates of the grave and the gates of heaven. Christ has said that the gates of the grave shall not overpower the gates of heaven.

Looking at the scriptural significance noted above, we establish that
1. The Church of God as God's house is the medium through which people can gain entrance into heaven via witnessing.
2. God's legal tribunal to control every civil events and events in the universe is the Church.
3. The most important people (nobles) in God's eyes throughout the universe as far as God is concerned dwell in the gates of heaven which is the Church (i.e. they are the Church).
4. The grave is the dwelling place of the dead. The dead is anyone who is immobilized from doing anything as a result of the laws of death. In Rom 7 and 8, the law of Sin in our members make us continue to sin against God but the laws of death is that which disables us to do righteousness. Based on this, the gates of hades signifies the region of diability with respect to the ways of God.

These two gates battle to control one another but the Church shall definitely overcome. This is why you could see different things hurled against the Church to destroy her. THERE IS HOPE! Do not fear.

Muyiwa Ibigbami: ... MADE GLORIOUS!

But there'll be no darkness for those who were in trouble. Earlier he did bring the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali into disrepute, but the time is coming when he'll make that whole area glorious — the road along the Sea, the country past the Jordan, international Galilee -Isa 9:1. 

Yes, It is a promise! You shall be made glorious in the month of September. You shall quickly forget your troubles and despair, because the Lord of host shall turn everything around for your glory, if you follow Him wholeheartedly. In this month you shall be celebrated for glorious breakthroughs & spectacular achievements. Just like a once hidden Galilee became International Galilee, you shall gain International recognition. I welcome you to my month of glory. See, I'm Winning again!

Charles Azuwike: WHY WITNESS? PREACH CHRIST.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why should I witness?" Several reasons should come to mind. 

First, because Jesus commands you to: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matt. 28:19). Also, Ezek. 3:11 says, "and go to the exiles, to the sons of your people, and speak to them and tell them, whether they listen or not..." 

Second, you must witness because you love the unsaved (if you don't, you should). The most loving thing you can do is present the gospel in hopes of bringing others to salvation. Galatians 5:22 lists love as one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is love's nature to give. Take for example John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Love gives, and if you have only a small portion of His love, you will want to give to others. 

Third, witness because it is a wise thing to do. Prov. 11:30 says, "...he who is wise wins souls." Now, I know I am not a very wise person. But, since God says I'll be wise to win souls, or try to, then great, let me at it. I want to be wise in God's sight. 

Fourth, witness to keep people out of hell. Hell is a terrifying place of utter anguish and eternal separation from God. Those who are not saved go there. Witnessing is an attempt to keep them out of hell. 

Fifth, witness because it pleases God and brings glory to His name. 

Sixth, witness so people may find the love and fellowship of God (1John 1:3), the greatest of all treasures. I can think of no greater gift than salvation. It frees the sinner from sin, it delivers the lost from damnation, and it reveals the true and living God to those who don't know Him. 

The angels of heaven rejoice greatly when anyone passes from judgment into salvation (Luke 15:10). Shouldn't we as Christians rejoice too? Shouldn't we weep over the lost? Shouldn't we ask the Lord of the field to send laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2)? Certainly! The salvation of others is the goal of your efforts. The love of God is your motive. Is there anything greater? So, give.

The devil has got men talking about everything but Christ, and Him crucified. You see in our preaching, if we don't get to the cross we have wasted our time - I firmly believe that! This is the totality of our job:” to preach Him”.

In one of Count Zinzendorf's letters he described the kind of preaching that was typical among the Moravians in their revival in 1727, and I quote him: 'Our method in proclaiming salvation is this: to point out to every heart the loving Lamb who died for us. Never, either in discourse or in argument, to digress even for a quarter of an hour from the loving Lamb!'.

Isn’t it scary, heart-rending and shameful to see/hear so much chaff, junk, self-gratifying, self-glorifying and self-centered messages today? Some of us preach church, others preach against church, some preach their pastors, others preach against pastors, leave everyone alone and “preach Christ”

That's what they did in the early church - at the very beginning of the church they preached Christ. My brothers and sisters, that's what we need now. An Ethiopian eunuch was coming from a festival of sacrifices, and God's Holy Spirit sent Philip the evangelist to speak to him. He heard him reading from Isaiah 53 about the cross: 'He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed'. Philip asked him: 'Do you understand what you're reading?'. He says: 'How can I understand, except someone explains it to me?'. Then Philip, the Bible says, opened his mouth at the same Scripture, Isaiah 53, and preached unto him Jesus!

This is what brings revival! I am hungry for revival, I badly need revival to come … when God comes in a very special sense, manifests His presence and His power among His own people, the Christian church; and that has an overflow that benefits unbelievers - not just unsaved people in our friends and families, but it touches whole communities and has been known in the past to, indeed, touch whole nations, lets pray for revival, lets create a platform for it … change your message, go back to the crux of the matter, PREACH CHRIST!

Timi Michael: SOLVED UNIVERSAL EQUATION FOR MAN'S LIBERATION.

The cross is God's matchless wisdom through which the devil was defeated. When you look at the cross, you'll see God's provision for man's complete liberation which was offered in Love despite man's wickedness; the Love of God made Him give all that He had (His only begotten Son- John 3:35, 16) just for man's deliverance. You would also see God's Righteousness in His judgment and hatred against Sin; He could not even spare His Son who was made sin for us.

His wrath was satisfied on the cross and His Love was displayed on the cross. Hence at the cross, Love = Justice and the greatest mathematical equation of the universe was solved. David was right when he said righteousness and grace has kissed each other. Wow! What Wisdom is this?

Outside the cross, there is no balance between God's Love and God's righteousness. If God's Love is greater than His Righteousness, the devil would question God's integrity. If His Righteousness is greater than His Love, man would question His Love and doubt it. In short two of His attributes would be in question and we would question His Godhood.

But I rejoice in the cross (though it is not my final place for we are ascended already) because there I saw His unfailing Love in equal proportion with His unwavering justice.

Muyiwa Ibigbami: 'A BEAUTIFUL PALACE DOES NOT MAKE A GREAT KING'

Josiah was one of Judah's great kings but his son, Jehoiakim was evil. Though he inherited Josiah's throne, but could not claim the blessings that comes through faith, when he had not followed his father's God. So also, we may inherit our parent’s money, but we cannot inherit their faith. 

A goodly heritage, good education, or a beautiful home doesn't guarantee moral character. We must have our own relationship with God. God calls every man into a personal relationship with Him. Have your own, & stay connected!