READ THE BIBLE

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

The Bible is worth reading because it is the authoritative guide for living. It’s the owner’s manual for every human life. It answers all the fundamental questions; Where did I come from? Where am I going? Is there a God? What’s He like? What does He want from me? Not only that, but it also addresses the kinds of practical issues and ethical choices we face every day. How you should treat people, including the people who mistreat you. Dealing with anger, raising children, wealth and poverty, self-control, marriages, family, how to resist temptation, and which temptations you should resist. Where to find hope and comfort in the midst of suffering. What it means to love someone. Discerning truth from falsehood, reality from appearance. 

This is the bestseller Book all over the world and it's the oldest Book still alive and active today. Everything you need to know to live a happy and fulfilling life, a life pleasing to God, is in this book, The Bible. If you want to have understanding and discernment; if you want to be wise instead of foolish, then don’t spend all your free time watching TV. That’s hardly the route to wisdom. Don’t waste your time reading self-help books or watching movies. Read the Bible. In it you’ll find proven wisdom that has been around for thousands of years. True wisdom, the kind that comes from God and leads us to God.

Further Scripture Study: Proverbs 2:1-2; 2 Peter 1:3 

Declare This: I am in charge of my life, therefore I choose to read and study God's Word everyday. All I need for a triumphant life is Your Word in Jesus name Amen.

REFUSE TO FEAR

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 KJV

Fear can make you make wrong choices. There are many examples from Scripture that talks about fear. Abraham lies about Sarah being his wife because he fears for their lives. Jacob destroys a family because he is fears loosing the birthright. David kills a man because he is afraid that his sin of adultery will be exposed. Peter removes a guys ear in a moment of fear.

Fear is still present in our day. I am afraid of being single the rest of my life so I will settle for the first person that pays me any attention, I am afraid of being laughed at, I am afraid of failure, I am afraid of change, I am afraid of what others think, I am afraid of authenticity, I am afraid of life etc.

When we are fearful we make silly and wrong choices. Fear is not a good platform for decision making and we should be fearful of choices that are made when we are afraid. Fear establishes limits, it creates barriers and you can only go as far as your fears will allow you to go. When we are afraid we don’t see clearly! We see ourselves and our God as too small. We fail to recognize our own abilities, gifting, and strengths. We also make assumptions about how others see us. Fear clouds perspective and keeps us from actually seeing reality. We have not received the spirit of fear but the Spirit producing sonship. A Son does not fear. 

Further Scripture Study: 2 Timothy 1:7 

Declare This: Dear God, You have not given me the spirit of fear and so I refuse to fear or allow fear take away my blessings in Jesus name Amen.

MEDITATION TIME

"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all." 1 Timothy 4:15 KJV

Paul talking to his protege’ Timothy instructs him on how to live a life full of the Holy Ghost (1 Timothy 4:12-14). He instructed him to meditate on all the advises and give himself totally to them so that him progress will be evident to all. 

The Lord told Joshua to meditate (murmur) on the Word of God and to do the Word. As you meditate, the Word of God brings you the inspiration and motivation you require to do those things God has asked you to do. Psalm 1:3, says he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of the water..., So you become like a tree planted by the rivers of the Word. The way you get planted is through murmuring the Word.

The degree of your meditation will determine the degree of your testimony. You will not have your testimony beyond the depth of your meditation. When you are listening to the word and you are distracted, you are not taking care of the Word. Be careful of your disposition of the word. Someone rightly likened those who do not meditate to someone eating food and not swallowing. Meditation means chewing and swallowing. It is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or as an end in itself.

Meditation times are times the Spirit of God can minister to you specially. Don't spend time meditating on the wrong stuff; meditate on the Word. Also, He’ll well up some thoughts in your Spirit and your mind, and you’ll have an inspiration in the direction that God is leading you to.

Further Scripture Study: Psalm 1:2; Joshua 1:8 

Declare This: Precious Heavenly Father, my spirit and mind are alert to Your Word. It's my responsibility to meditate on Your Word and I choose to stay in Your Word only in Jesus name Amen.

WHAT DID PAUL DO?

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith". 2 Timothy 4:7 KJV

If we are going to finish well, it is imperative that we keep our focus. One person in the Bible who is a great example of finishing well in Life’s Journey is Paul. He did not start out so well but he finished well. He was a persecutor of Christians and he was even there at the stoning of Stephen, giving his approval to his death. But the Lord gave him the opportunity to step into Hope and he became a believer in Jesus Christ.

He then took the next steps of faith and continued on in the journey. He took steps that stood firm when he was arrested, beaten, stoned and he finished well. As he approached his death, he told Timothy what he was concerned about. He was concerned for others to come to salvation and he also encouraged Timothy to properly “discharge the duties” of his ministry. How was it that Paul was able to face what he faced and yet came to the end of the race, the end of his life’s journey and still be focused on others coming to Christ? It is because Paul is focused on the eternal, not the temporary. He understood that our hope is not found in this life or in anything in it.

What did Paul do? He fought a good fight and kept the faith in the mist of staggering oppositions. He was focused on the prize (Eternal Crown of Righteousness - Verse 8). Keeping our focus on the eternal will enable us to take the steps that are required for finishing well. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. 

Further Scripture Study: 1 Timothy 6:12

Declare This: Heavenly Father, my focus is on You. I will not allow what is going on around me dictate the prize You have for me. I am strengthened on all sides in Jesus name Amen.

DON'T MISS GOD

"For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." Colossians 2:1-2 KJV

The best place to be is not on a beautiful island in one country or the other, the best place to be is in the center of God's will. When you are at the center of the will of God for your life, you won't miss Him. Now, Paul did not want the Christians to miss God. Paul says, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you,” what he means by that is, “I am really concerned about you who live in Colossae and for them at Laodicea.” Paul just had a burden; he calls it a conflict“…for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;” he said, “I wish I could sit down face-to-face with you and tell you why I am so concerned.” 

There are ways you can miss God. When you walk by sight and not by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7); When you make wrong decisions based on your flesh (how you think it should go and not what God is saying); When you are weak in your devotion (not going to church & been committed to His work); When pride takes charge; Greed can also make you miss God. it is sometimes hard to notice it in yourself, but it’s awfully easy to notice in others. Greed with it’s power to grab, takes a hold of your soul and robs you of making wise decisions, turning you into a fool. Greed is costly and very dangerous.

The blaming game begins when you miss it (you blame God and even the devil for your own wrong). Don't look for reasons to miss God, rather stay in the Word and keep walking with God. This takes commitment, dedication and consistency. God does not want to miss you.

Further Scripture Study: Psalm 1:1 

Declare This: Dear Heavenly Father, I will continue to remain steadfast and true to Your Word and keep walking with You. I don't want to miss You in anyway in Jesus name Amen.

CALL ON HIM

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

We have a duty to seek after God, everyone on this earth has that duty. Man does not set the time for seeking God, but God sets it. We are at the point in this world today thinking we can set the time when we should seek God. Have you ever heard someone say? Oh well, I can do that later; I’ll accept God or I’ll seek God after I’ve had my fun on this earth. Some even say, “Why do it today, when I can do it tomorrow.” It’s a daily walk with Him and not occasional. 

How do I seek the Lord? Right after the Bible says “Seek the Lord while He may be found” it then adds, “Call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).” The best way to “seek the Lord” is to “call upon Him.” We all make calls to our loved ones, friends, family and colleagues on a daily basis, therefore calling the Lord should also be on a daily base too. The Bible says "God is a Jealous God (Exodus 34:14). This means He seeks our attention all the time but too many times we are too busy for Him. We are distracted by the cares of the world, but He wants to hear from you at all times. 

The best way to call Him is in prayer. You have to spend time talking to Him without any hesitation and whenever you call, He never holds back or allow your call go to voicemail; No! He will always pick you calls. Don't play games with the Holy Spirit, don't respond when you feel like or when you're emotionally down. Seeking and calling God is not at your convenience, it is mandatory.

Further Scripture Study: Isaiah 55:6 

Declare This: Dear Lord, thank You for giving me access to Your throne of Grace daily. I will do my best to call on You everyday in Jesus name Amen.

CAGE OF FEAR

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV 

In a cage fight, there are two who go in and only one exits as the victor. A test of will, a test of strength and dexterity and ultimately one must exert authority and impose His will on the other. There are two ways to think about cages. We can either see a cage as containment, a prison or a trap or we can view the cage as a battlefield or an arena. 

What locks you down? What fences you in? Whether you call the resistance walls, barriers or obstacles, the truth is that we all have cages that we must fight our way out of if we desire to be all that God want us to be. Our path to fulfillment and maturity will be marked by cage fighting and the cage of fear is one cage we have to always ensure we win because God has not given us the spirit of fear. At some time, we will have to face and fight our way out of the cage of fear. Fear can be paralyzing and debilitating to our souls and to our lives.

What do you fear and what is it that holds you back? For some it's the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown, the fear of ridicule, the fear of success, the fear of change, the fear of what others will think, and other fear of disaster. Fear may be the first cage we must face in our relationship with Christ if we want to be fully developed believers. Because if we don’t deal with fear we will doubt, we will hesitate and we will worry. But one thing for sure is that God never gave us fear but power, love and a sound mind. With love, power and sound mind we can fight our way out of this cage.

God must have known that we would be in a constant day to day battle to get out of the cage of fear. Throughout Scripture we are encouraged to fear not. In fact, the phrase "fear not" is used 365 times in Scripture. God knew that we would have to face fear and that it would be a common part of life. Fear doesn’t have to be victorious. If fear can be learned it can be unlearned. We can face our fears and battle out of the cage that keeps us from life.

Further Scripture Study: Romans 8:15 

Declare This: Dear God, You have not given me the spirit of fear and so I refuse to fear or allow fear take away my blessings in Jesus name Amen.