OTHER SCRIPTURES: ISAIAH 1:19, EXODUS 19:5, 1 SAMUEL 15:22
INTRODUCTION: From the Bible days until now what God is interested in the life of every Christian is our obedience. And that is why the Bible which is the written word of God is given to us to act in obedience.
WHAT IS OBEDIENCE? Obedience is to hear Gods word and act accordingly. It is when we act according to what is written in the word of God. As children of God we should obey God. Just as a child is expected to obey his or her parents, our obedience to God through His word is what determines how far we can go in our relationship with him. By the obedience of the men and women in the Bible days they obtained a good report i.e. Abraham, Joshua, Simon Peter, Elijah and the Widow of Zaraphath etc. Heb. 11:2
THE BENEFITS OF LIVING IN OBEDIENCE 1. Obedience brings blessings i.e. Abraham Genesis 12:1-3 2. Obedience attracts favour with God and man i.e. Joseph Genesis 39:2-4 3. Obedience brings healing i.e. Naaman II Kings 5:1-14 4. Obedience leads to prosperity i.e. Job Job 36:11 5. Obedience leads to deliverance i.e. Israelites Exd. 14:21-22 6. Obedience conquers failure i.e Simon Peter Luke 5:1-10 7. Obedience brings miracles i.e. Widow of Zaraphath I Kings 17:8-16
HOW CAN WE LIVE IN OBEDIENCE 1. By keeping His commandment and acting on the Word of God by faith. Hebrews 11:6 2. By trusting in God wholeheartedly Psalm 125:1 3. By living a humble life 1 Peter 5:5-6 4. By praying to God always 1 Thessalonians 5:17 5. By studying and meditating on the Word of God - Joshua 1:8 6. By sponsoring the work of God with our resources and other financial commitment Luke 6:38 7. By living in Love 1 John 4:16 21
SUMMARY As Christians and children of God our primary goal is to first of all obey our Heavenly father. Our main objective should be to do what will please our Father. As Christians we should obey our spiritual fathers, we should obey persons in authority 1 Peter 2:13 14. As citizens we should obey the laws of our nation as children we should obey our parents and just as servants are required to obey their masters. Obedience is the key that opens the door of our relationship with God. THE DANGER OF ANGER Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil (Eph. 4:26-27). Many have lost their lives today because of their temper or the temper of another. Many promising relationships has hit the rock because of temper. Many lost their jobs because of their temper or the temper of their bosses who could not bear with them. Many marriages have failed because of the effect of anger on the marriage. Some are in prison custody today, because they lost their temper. A lot of families are in shambles because the people concerned gave in to anger. Many organizations, institutions and even churches are still suffering from the effects of bad decisions made in times of anger. Anger is evil, anger is deadly, and anger is destructive. The consequences of anger are too numerous to mention. Thence, we should learn about it and how to deal with it because its the devils opportunity. Anger is an emotional expression of dissatisfaction caused by another. We also experience anger, sometimes with a just cause and sometimes out of selfishness.
What can make one laugh, can make another angry. This is because peoples like, dislikes and temperament differs depending on individual. Different things can make one angry i.e. false witness and accusation, jesting, insulting words; disobedience to superiors instruction and many more. And it is also important to note that anger can be expressed in words or action. Friends, from the scripture above you will understand that God made you with a capacity for anger, but it should be constructive and handled the right way to bring a positive change. Jesus expressed his dissatisfaction towards those who turned the fathers house into market place-here Jesus expressed his dissatisfaction for a just cause to bring a positive change and not for selfish reason John 12:12-17 In other words, anger if properly handled can right a wrong and bring a positive change. God speaking through Paul in Ephesians 4:26-27, says we can be angry but do not sin-we should not carry it too far to the extent of taking the law into our own hands. Your anger must not see the next day. You must not sleep with anger till the next morning. If you do allow your anger to see the next day, you are giving the devil an opportunity to come into that matter. You can be angry but do not let your anger control you. Its okay to express your dissatisfaction and feel bad, but please control your temper. Remember God expects us to practice forgiveness as we are offended Mark 11:25-26.
HOW TO DEAL WITH ANGER When it comes to dealing with anger, your mind has a lot to do with it. Because its your thought that the devil invades when provoked, its your thought that fuels it. You give devil the opportunity to mess around youre your thought when you fail to control your thought. 1. Learn to control your words. Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to-anger (James 1:19), A soft answer turn away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Prov. 15:1), let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man (Col. 4:6) 2. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you through prayer. We will need the help of the Holy Spirit to overcome anger because it is not something we can do alone. Through prayer you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you to forgive the person and overlook the offender. Pray about any offence immediately and settle the matter with God. Never let the sun go down on your anger, in other not to give opportunity to the devil. 3. Go and settle the matter with the person. Confront your offender and tell the person you do not like what he or she did to you, nevertheless, you have forgiven him or her. And give the person opportunity to respond. Some acknowledge their fault and apologize and some would not. However be calm and forgive. What if you are the offender? Please throw away pride and or in humility apologize for your wrong. 4. Control your thought. If you continue to think and mediate on the offence or the offender, you will give the devil the opportunity to counsel you, and you know his mission is to steal, kill and destroy which will form the bedrock of his counsel. Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things (Philippians 4:8).
Anger is a tool in the hand of the devil, it is destructive, it is the devils opportunity. Keep your temper in check, refrain from anger, and practice forgiveness. May the enemy not use your anger as an opportunity to steal, kill or destroy your destiny, in Jesus name!
TOPIC: IDENTIFY PEOPLE BY THEIR CHARACTER TEXT: MATHEW 7:20
Yes, just as you can identity a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. Mathew 7:20 (NLT)
Friends, the place of character in the life of a Christian cannot be overemphasized.
WHAT IS CHARACTER? Character can be defined as the inner qualities that form a pattern for an individual behaviour. Character is a life style and sum total of a person. Christian character is what makes you count and relevant to your world, especially. Those you meet with and spend time with daily. It is by peoples character and behaviour that you know them. Your character is your real you. It is who you are on the inside. Your character is what you manifest when you are provoked or challenged. A believer must be known, acknowledged and indentified by his character. A mans beauty and what he attracts in life is a function of his character. Anointing without character makes the carrier stink. Therefore, in order not to lose focus and relevance in life you must work on your character. Character is a serious business and God is very much interested in our character. Our God also has those qualities that make Him the ALMIGHTY GOD, one of such qualities is holiness Leviticus 19:2. The inner qualities transcend the physical beauty. Yes, because someone can look beautiful on the outside adored with all the make-ups and expensive wears and still suffer from character disease. Friends, character is what determines how far you go in life and also determines the flow of Gods blessing, favour, connections, contacts and opportunities into your life.
One reason why many prayers are still not answered today is because of character. God is a God of character and standard 1 Cor. 14:40. He cannot fall short of His standard because of your disobedient character
WHAT MAKES UP A MANS CHARACTER 1) Thoughts - Prov. 23:7 2) Imagination Gen. 11:1-6, Gen. 13:14-18, Eph. 3:20. Ability to create mental picture in your mind and it can influence your character a great deal. Also create the time to think and imagine in Gods word. 3) Attitude: Attitude refers to mens disposition or tendencies and has great influence on mens character 4) Actions: This gives expression to the totality of our character
QUALITIES OF A CHRISTIAN CHARACTER (1) LOVE: 1 John 4:7-8, Gal. 5:6, 1Cor. 2:9 to exhibit love is to give expression of Gods nature, because God is love. (2) HUMILITY & MEEKNESS: Philippians 2:5 11, Psl. 25:9, Having the right attitude in service. Being teachable and easily correctable (3) DISCIPLINE: This is doing what is required to get what you desire. It is denying yourself of certain privileges in order to reach your goal that is being hard to yourself with a view to achieving a set target. - It is imposed self control 1 Cor. 9:24-27, II Timothy 2:3-4 (4) HOLINESS: Holiness is having right standing with God and men. It means right living in accordance with Gods law. EFFECTS OF HOLINESS - Sin is put to death in your body Rom 6:1-4, Gal. 5:19-23. - Release of your miracles Hosea 5:13-17, Mark 2:5, II Chronicles 7:14 - Guarantees Liberty II Cor. 13:17 - Guarantees Gods presence II Cor. 5:8 - Delivers you from poverty Deut. 28:16-18, Psl. 34:10, I Tim. 6. (5) HONESTY: This is the state of being truthful, trustworthy, and faithful to God and men in all areas of life Acts 6:3. (6) INTEGRITY: This is saying what you mean and meaning what you say, that is, a man of your word. It is being right in character, Prov. 11:3, James 1:3-4. (7) DILIGENCE: This is to be dutifully productive, hardworking spiritually, physically, and mentally Prov. 22:29, Prov. 10:4, Prov. 12:24. (8) COURAGE: It is the ability to control fear in the face of danger in order to triumph. Ability to continue and not give up. I Samuel 30:1-8 (9) MORAL EXCELLENCE: It is a blameless conduct without blemish I Timothy 3:7, Mathew 7:20, Prov. 23:7, Mathew 12:34, I Samuel 2:3 (10) SERVANTHOOD: Servanthood is a sure pathway to honour. A believer who desire greatness must learn to serve and be ready to serve others. It entails attending to the needs of others, in the name of the Lord. It is being faithful in whatever you find yourself doing. Luke 16:12, Luke 22:7. (11) WISDOM: Wisdom comes from information that gives knowledge and brings understanding when skillfully applied. It is the skillful application of learned or acquired information or knowledge Matt. 7:24-25. i.e. a wise man is someone applying skillfully information learned. - It is the rightful application of knowledge - It is knowing what to say and saying it Luke 21:15 - It is knowing where to go and going there Eccl. 10:15, Prov. 4:8-10. - God is the giver of wisdom (12) OUTWARD APPEARANCE: Decency in our outward appearance for Glory and Beauty to the Grace of God. Rom. 12:1
WAYS TO DEVELOP CHRISTIAN CHARACTER Christian character is not a gift, but a choice. It is a virtue developed overtime by taking advantage of the help of the Holy Spirit I Cor. 15:10.
1. Desire, determination and passion Daniel 1:8, Prov. 18:1. It comes from the heart. 2. Word study and meditation II Timothy 2:15, Col. 3:15, Joshua 1:8. 3. The help of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit not only teaches us but also empowers us Jude 20, John 14:26, I John 2:27, Isaiah 30:21. 4. Keep wise company: The company you keep either makes you or mar you Prov. 13:20. 5. Practice of the word: we must practice the word James 1:22.