HE FILLS YOU UP

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:21 NIV

Do you know that you did absolutely nothing for God to make you His child? Yet, He said if you are hunger now - He will fill you. You are a blessed person if you’re hungry for the Truth, for Righteousness and for the Living God. Nothing in this world can fully satisfy a heart that has been made by God and made for God. Only God can give you all the satisfaction you will ever need. If you are hungry for Him then you are a blessed man.

Many are living their lives on the wrong things, such as alcohol, drugs and habits just because they are trying to fill a void, but unfortunately the more they try, the more it gets worse and worse. Some have tried several other ways to have peace and be fulfilled with life, but of no avail. The best and only way to fill any kind of void is when you allow God to fill you. He is the Only One whose fulfillment is guaranteed. No matter how deep the hole may be, God is the Best to fill you up.

I believe that deep in the heart of every man and woman on the face of the Earth, there is a missing link to our lives that can only be filled with the missing piece and that piece is a relationship with God. The Bible says in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” If you are going to fill whatever missing link, you have to genuinely seek His face and wholeheartedly call on Him for help. It’s a relationship and an everyday fellowship with Him. The promise of seeking God is that you will surely find Him. Try Him out, you will never regret it.

Further Scripture Study: Isaiah 58:11 

Declare This: Thank You Heavenly Father for Your love and the freedom to come to You. The more I seek You, the more I find You in Jesus name Amen.

YOU CAN COUNT ON HIM

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19 NIV 

Do you have needs today? If so, what or who are you trusting in to meet those needs? If you are going to God and fully trusting him then those needs will surely be met. God promises us that He will meet all of our needs as His people. Trust in God and Him alone, He will never fail you. 

Notice the Source of the Apostle Paul’s supply in our text verse…"My God will"…Paul was trusting in none other than God to meet his needs. He did not put his trust in man or anything else. He placed his total trust firmly in God and God alone. Paul's dependence on God showed that whenever he needed anything, he always gets it because God has never made a promise that He has not kept. If He tells you He will do something then you can bank on it. I'm not talking about someone who makes a promise that does not have the power to carry that promise out. God is infinite in power. His promises are backed by His undiluted power. He has the power to back up what He says that He will do. Here in our text He promises us that He will meet all of our need, and that is a promise that He will not break. 

Paul was confident that God would meet his needs, and I am confident that He will meet yours as well. There is no promise from God about meeting the needs of those who are lost, He only promised to meet the needs of His children. Are you trusting God to meet all of your need? It is His desire to take care of His Children.

Further Scripture Study: 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

Declare This: Dear Father, I am conscious of Your abundance supply. I tap into it with confidence and receive all I need. I know You will surely give to me all that I require in Jesus name Amen.

YOUR FAITH IS THE ANSWER

“He replied, Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ‭‭Matthew 17:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I recently heard a story of a Sister who had physical challenges with her health and she went to her Pastor for prayer but she didn’t get healed. As a result of this she came to the conclusion that her pastor didn’t have the power to heal her, she had a wrong perception and teaching. No Pastor or Man of God has the power to heal anyone, "All" the Power belongs to God. The Pastors or Men of God are vessels used by God to perform the healing. Also God can use whomever He chooses to carry out His mandate. This Sister was not taught that she had a role to play in the whole healing process. 

Remember the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years; she said to herself “if I may but touch His clothes, I shall be whole.” When she did, she received her healing and Jesus told her your faith made you whole. In order words, she had the faith that touching Jesus' clothes will do the magic, her own faith did the healing. Don't depend on or wait for your Pastor to pray for you because you can pray for yourself to receive the blessings you want. This is not saying you cannot go to your Pastor for prayers, no! What I'm saying here is that God's healing power is also in your hands because you also have faith in you to do what He wants of you. Luke 18:1 says, "men ought always to pray & not to faint; not pastors but all men, that includes you and I. 

In the same light it is your responsibility to build your faith by constantly and consistently staying in the Word of God and in prayer. Seeing with the eye of the spirit and trusting in God alone, your faith is pushed up and nothing will be impossible unto you.

Further Scripture Study: Mark 11:22-24; Mark 5:25-34; Jude 1:20 

Declare This: Thank You Father for the ability You have given me. As I take out time to study and pray, my faith is being built up in Jesus name Amen.

TAKING STOCK

“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence:" ‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today's message is for you to take a stock of all you did so far from the beginning of the year to date. Locate where you are right now and be sure you are at the place you planned to be. Taking stock or inventory is not only thinking of all that happened, No! you have to practically look into your notepad or wherever you wrote down your plans for the year and see where you are. You have to physically verify and check the level of progress you made and also make adjustments for the rest of the year. 

As Christians, it is also very important to take a stock of our lives, specifically your Walk with God. When your walk with Him is at a high, you can be rest assured that every other plans will follow suite and fall in place accordingly. Determine and pin down where you are presently, thereafter you have to now conceive, conceptualize and visualize what you have to do to ensure you arrive at your destination. Be motivated, inspired and purpose driven; with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit you can achieve a hundred fold testimony for your life in Jesus name Amen.

Further Scripture Study: Matthew 6:33 

Declare This: Dear Lord, thank You for giving me the grace to take a stock of where I am right now. As I do, I boldly declare that I have the ability to win the next level of my life in Jesus name Amen.

ALWAYS GIVE THANKS

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV

God’s will is for us to always give thanks no matter what we may be going through in life. Being thankful shapes our heart and our thinking so that we can look at the deeper things of God. When we are lost in our self-worries, we can’t see anything other than our problems. When you are thankful, you are freed from burdens and it gives you easy access to seek God.

Thanksgiving leads you into a deeper relationship with God. Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. When we apply our hearts to seek God in prayer and bring our supplications before Him, we have to back it with giving of thanks. When you put your focus on the valuable things of God, you will be at peace and the God of peace will be with you. 

Paul teaches us that when we earnestly ask God to do something special for us, we must match it with an earnest outpouring of thanks. Although the request has only just been made and the manifestation isn’t evident yet, it is appropriate to give Him thanks. Thanking Him in advance demonstrates faith. So always make sure to follow up your earnest asking with earnest giving of thanks. Make it a goal to be just as passionate in your thanksgiving as you were when you made your request.

Further Scripture Study: Ephesians 5:20 NIV

Declare This: From the bottom of my heart, thank You Lord for all You have done in my life. I am externally grateful to You and I appreciate You even more for all You are about to do in Jesus name Amen.

NOBLE FINISH

"I have fought the good and worthy and noble fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith [firmly guarding the gospel against error]." 2 Timothy 4:7 

Paul knew his whole life as an offering to His Lord because he poured out his life in service to God. He knew that he would soon make the final sacrifice, as perhaps within a matter of days he might be killed for his faith. He saw himself as a soldier for Christ, gathering his tent for the next stop and as a sailor launching out on a new journey. He knew that his life would not end with His physical death.

Paul fought a good and worthy fight with a noble finish. I want to be like Paul and get to the end of my life and can honestly make a statement like he did. For him to reach this point in his life some very significant things must have happened along the way. There were some spiritual road markers that he looked back on and said thank God for them because it all helped to lead him to a noble finish.

It is important to start right, but it is imperative to end well. We need to lift up our heads and with our eyes of faith see the "Finish line". Stay on it no matter what, you have your reward waiting for you.

Further Scripture Study: Matthew 24:13 

Declare This: Dear Father, I am determined to fight and keep pressing till the end. I will keep the faith and ensure I end with a noble finish in Jesus name Amen.

HE MUST INCREASE

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30 KJV

We find John the Baptizer was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, and people were coming and being baptized. On the other side of the river, Jesus was also baptizing with His Disciples. For some reason, this triggers a dispute over purification between John’s disciples and a certain Jewish man (Verse 25). John's disciples brought word to him that Jesus was also baptizing people on the other side. John did not respond with a jealous note, nor did his response reveal that he was afraid of losing his position and his popularity with the people. In fact, John said, "He must increase and I must decrease." 

The principle of John’s statement goes far beyond this baptism scene. This should be the lifestyle and character of every Christian. Christ must become greater and we must become less. Well, how do you do that? How do we make Christ greater and how do we become less. Firstly, If you allow Jesus to be Lord of your life, you are allowing Him to become greater (Romans 10:9). Secondly, you must seek to understand who He is and follow His Will for your life by becoming a student of His Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Thirdly, we need to love as we are loved. In John 15:12, Jesus said “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Fourthly, we need to live a life of prayer. There are many other reasons but if you genuinely carry out this instructions, you are fulfilling His Word.

The key to walking successfully with God is; He must increase and you must decrease. Your self will must decrease and His divine will must increase, your plans must be immersed in His plan and purpose for your life, your abilities must be absorbed into His ability and your desires must be totally consumed in His desires for you. When Jesus increases and we decrease, our joy increases. Let Him increase, start today and watch what happens in your life.

Further Scripture Study: Philippians 2:9-11; John 3:29 

Declare This: Dear Father, thank You for Your Word. From today, I reverse the order and allow You to increase daily in my life while I decrease in Jesus name Amen.