HIS DWELLING PLACE

A Christian is a man or woman who has been begotten by God to a new kind of life. When someone is begotten of God, there comes into his life a change so radical that the only thing that can be said is that life has begun all over again for him. In His dwelling place, there's regeneration. This is called the new birth, and it happens by the will and by the purpose of God (John 1:13). It is not something that a man achieves by his physical birth. This is the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

PROFITABLE QUIET TIME AND DAILY DEVOTIONAL LIFE

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he (Jesus) went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior is the perfect example for all believers to emulate in everything. He demonstrated to all the importance of quiet time and devotional life with His Father in earthly ministry. Therefore, we need to follow His steps to order our steps in our Christian pilgrimage on earth as well. Quiet time and devotional life is a period set aside by the believer every day to fellowship personally with God through prayer, study, and meditation, on the word of God. It is therefore important to note that, no matter the level we have attained spiritually and the number of years we had been in the Lord, quiet time and devotion should be part of our daily Christian life. The word of God is the food for the regenerated.

The Psalmist understood the importance of daily quiet time and family devotion, and stated; “So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows” (Psalm 61:8). From this point of view, it’s important to know that the practice of individual quiet time and devotion cannot be overemphasized. It is important because God demands and wants all men (including women and children) to be in fellowship with Him (Genesis 3:9; Jeremiah 33:3). It is through the quiet time that we come into the presence of God (Please read John 14:15-21). The promise of Christ for all believers is that He will be with us always. This is not an abstract promise but a reality which can attained through relationship via quiet time and devotion. Beside this, it is the pivot for growth for the believers (1 Peter 2:1-2). A Christian cannot grow without spiritual food (Matthew 4:4). Therefore, the need for reading and studying God’s word, write the lesson down and pray it in. God’s friendship need careful cultivation and this demand consistency. Prayer is very significant in our quiet and time and devotion. The profit of consistent quiet time and devotion is innumerable, because herein we obtain strength for the Christian’s daily tests, trials, and temptations, solution to the intimate problems of life and comfort in sorrow and grief. In addition, we enjoy fellowship with God-head by which we receive continual cleansing, grace and power to help oneself and others. It helps us to live a consistent ideal Christian life with daily testimonies.

Despite of great benefits in quiet time and devotion, there are scores of things that can hinder us from performing this spiritual exercise. These include: gluttony (proverbs 23:1); procrastination (Proverbs 6:9); fatigue, rowdy environment; a noisy heart (Proverbs 23:7); lack of concentration, lack of good study materials ( 1 Corinthians 9:25). For truly beneficial quiet time and devotion, a disciplined life should be cultivated and the hindrances avoided. This implies; making it a must daily to have your quiet time, mastering your body and discipline it for this daily spiritual exercise, meddling not with procrastination and make definite time for its observation. There are instruments that are needful for profitable quiet time and devotion. A Self-discipline attitude like that of Job is necessary. He stated, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).

It is best to have our quiet time at the break of the day – such as early hours when the mind is still fresh like Jesus did (Mark 1:35). It must be consistent. “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3), and in a quiet and solitary environment (Genesis 32:24). You should possess some good study materials such as good study Bible, Bible dictionary, concordance booklets, and other commentaries. Pray before reading the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to interpret the word to your spirit, After reading through, study, meditate, and think through about what you have read for personal application and blessings, and finally close with prayers based on those things you have learned in addition to other prayer points.

THE WRITERS OF THE BIBLE

The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it (Psalm 68:11). About forty authors of various occupations; Apostles, prophets, priests, prince, king, soldier, farmer, scribe, physician, tax collector, farmer, prime-minister, cupbearer, tentmaker etc. God used every usable vessel to convey His truth to the people. More than fifteen centuries elapsed between the writing of Genesis and Revelation. Nearly 400 years elapsed between the Old Testament which was written predominant in Hebrew (few verses in Aramaic) while the New Testament was written in the holy Bible is the word of God. Even though it is written by the agency of man, the Bible is the very word of God.

The evidences are:The amazing unity This unity is achieved in spite of the long period involved in the written and many authors of different occupations.It cannot be destroyed There were hammers of persecution, ridicule, higher criticisms, liberalism, and atheism but the mighty anvil of the scriptures stands unbroken, unshaken, and unchipped.Its Historical accuracy With the coming of archeology almost all the towns and places mentioned have been discovered.Its scientific accuracy. Although the Bible is a spiritual message from God and not specifically a scientific text-book, all scientific statements founds in the scriptures must nevertheless be taken literally and at face value.Its Prophetic accuracy. One of the acidic tests of any religion is its ability to predict the future. One fifth of the Bible is prophetical as at the time of writing, many have been fulfilled and others will still come to pass.It has universal influence upon civilization Western civilization is founded directly upon the Bible and its teachings.Its amazing circulation: It is the best seller among all books that are printed.Its absolute honesty.

The book did not spare men that seem to be close to God e.g. David, Moses, Elijah, Peter, etc. It exposed their sins, weakness, commitment, faithfulness and strength.Its life transforming power: The greatest proof of all that the Bible is indeed God’s word is its amazing ability to change corrupt humanity.Bible is not any book written by any man that can go for scripture. The term canon means a “reed” a “measure” or “rule” and suggests the testing of books to see if they meet the Divine standard.

The sixty-six books of the Bible is called Canon. By the year 300 B. C. (at the latest) all old Testament books had been written, collected, revered, and recognized as official canonical books. In A.D. 397, the twenty seven New Testament books were declared Canonical. There are some books in the Catholic Douay Bible which are known as Apocrypha (hidden) books, they are not recognized as inspired for the following reasons: They were not included in the Old Testament Canon, They were never quoted by Jew, Jesus or any New Testament writers. None of the claims divine inspiration. Some of them teach false doctrine such as praying for the dead. Lastly, some contain historical and geographical errors.

The central theme of the Bible is Jesus Christ and His redemption. Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39; Please read Luke 24:24-27, 44-45). Christ is in the Old Testament concealed and He is in the New Testament revealed. To fully understand the Bible and to rightly interpret its passage, we must first receive Jesus Christ as Savior and have a clear and definite experience of freedom from sin and its consequences.

HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD

“Follow peace with all men and holiness without which, no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).Holiness is the very nature of God. Everything about His person, His attributes and characteristics is holiness. God demand holy living from everyone that is called by the name of the Lord. While God demand repentance from sinners, He demands holiness life from saints. ”But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, be ye holy for I am holy”. There are those who deny the possibility of living holy; such are those who profess that they know God, but in works they deny him.Inward and outward holiness is a condition for walking with God and living with Him eternally.

It is impossible to walk with a holy God with inward corruption and outward defilement. Any service rendered unto God without purity of heart has no reward. Those who bear the vessels of the Lord are to remain clean and pure within. Holiness of life is a condition for useful service. Those who substitute power for purity or exhibit power without purity will be disappointed on the last day as they will be told by the Lord “I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. The demonstration of the purity of life must be backed up with a life of purity and holiness. God will never promise us what He can never provide. He has made the provision for our holiness or sanctification through our Lord Jesus Christ. “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate”.

The Lord expect every believer to be holy, it becomes important for all Christians to submit themselves to God’s total cleansing and impartation of perfect love. Prophet Isaiah chapter 52:11 said, “Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not unclean thing, go ye out of the midst of her, be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord”. Therefore, “Dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).We are to genuinely seek the face of the Lord, so that our whole spirit, soul and body will be preserved unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are conditions for sanctification (holiness) because with God of holiness that expects us to be holy, nothing shall be impossible with Him if we trust Him absolutely.

There should be a strong desire, total yielding and consecration to possess this divine nature of God. We should desire it above home, property, clothes and all the possessions of the earth.

Secondly, there must be thirst and hunger for it. We must feel it within our hearts that we are incomplete without it.

Thirdly, there must be steadfastness. You cannot seek the Lord halfheartedly and receive the best from Him.

Lastly, we pray the prayer of faith. There some who believe that God can heal the sick, raise the dead, and supply all our needs but argue that holiness of life is not possible on earth. They limit God's divine ability in human life, because there is nothing impossible for God to do for us; if we ask in faith we shall receive. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE OF EVANGELISM

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life” (Luke 1:74-75). God surely had a purpose foe investing His only begotten Son in His redemptive program;and He is determined to see that purpose fulfilled. Otherwise, the blood-washed sinner becomes a good-for-nothing saint, who like a fat but fruitless tree deserves to be felled off. But the attitude of many Christians shows they are unmindful of God’s divine purpose for their salvation. The Bible declared; “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly,in this present world;Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” ( Titus 2:11-14).

All Christians are saved to serve. God’s purpose for pulling us out of the furnace of sin and placing us inside the coolness of His kingdom is not to accommodate our sins, make us His cosmic pets, nestle us in the sheepfolds to hear the soothing bleating of flocks; or regale us with the splendor of His majesty. We are saved to serve. And this purpose must be fulfilled.God has a dual purpose for saving sinners. It is to make them pure and peculiar people who will carry out the ministry of reconciliation (evangelism) on earth. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).For this reason, there can’t be a sinning saint or an idle believer in God’s kingdom. After our deliverance from the power of sin, we are brought into the kingdom and given the grace to live holily and no loafer.Therefore, each Christian should be diligent in ensuring that God’s dual purpose for his existence in Christ’s kingdom is fulfilled. The Christian must hate sin and serve the Lord (2 Corinthians 7:1). If a saint sins, he immediately loses his place in the kingdom. He could get back his position only through repentance and restitution. Unconfessed sin would not be pardoned and a saint, if he sins, isn’t freed on account of his past righteousness (Please read Ezekiel 33:12-13, 18 and Hebrews 6:4-8).

If repentance is delayed or there is no room for it, and death strikes, the former saint is lost forever.Therefore, every believer should fear sin and take time to be holy."If sin is deadly, dleness is equally perilous. It seems the two works together to steal,kill, and destroy. The devil hits the saints best with sin when the believer has let down his guard and signed off from duty. Besides, an idle believer is a bad investment for God. The Lord wouldn’t mind to wind up His dealings with such a believer or permit him to drift away into affliction and eternal damnation. Unless the believer heeds the warning, accepts His chastisement and seek pardon and readmission. Finally, every believer is called to serve. He is to serve God by doing a specific and practical duty according to the measure of grace given to him. Serve Him faithfully without reservation and expect no commendation from any man.

PRECEPTS FOR CHRISTIAN TO SUCCEED IN LIFE

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do it with thy might; for there is (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Philippians 4:13).From this word of God, we could see that it’s the will of God for no work, no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest (and) … I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” every Christian to succeed in life.

Success or failure in life comes in line with one’s disposition to life. God has made time and resources available to man, and every opportunity must be made good use of. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, the heart is the heart of all matters. The unregenerate heart is darkened, think evil and sees evil continually, thinks low and is brought low, think defeat and is defeated. But when Jesus cleanses your heart with His blood at salvation, your life and your attitude will change. Your heart and your thought are regenerated as you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior. Therefore, you must not allow Satan and the world to force on you any thought and the consequence actions that may hinder your success. Slothfulness, laziness, procrastination and discouragement must give way to discipline, diligent, enthusiasm and determination in your life endeavors.

Discover yourself: You are not an accident of creation. God made you for a purpose, prayerfully discover the purpose. God made you in His own image and likeness, the image of God is the image of success, Whatever He is, He want you to be (Genesis 1:27; Romans 8:29). God made you for His glory and praise. Why became a reproach to Him? If you are a believer, discover who you are in Christ. You are a king and a priest. God has chosen you to reign in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Please read 1 Peter2:9; Ephesians 2:6).

Dream good dreams: It is one thing to have good dream, and quite another to preserve them. Mind whom you share your dream with and avoid dream’s killer. Someone said, “Do not share you six feet view of yourself with those who saw a dwarf in you” do not share your dreams with dream killers. Dream killers are people who are more critical than complimentary. They are people who mock and jest at your dream, example, Sambalat and Tobias mocked at Nehemiah while he embarked on building the wall of Jerusalem. Do not keep company with those who steal your time and energy with useless, sometimes useful, but diversionary talks. They are also dream killers. “He that walketh with the wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”(proverbs 13:20). Usually it is seed sown on good ground that flourish. Dreams are success seeds. Know where you sow your dreams.Decree and pray: Now you have some divinely imparted ideas (dreams) in your mind. Ask God to help you pursue and realize them. He has promise to prosper the work of your hands; pray for the fulfillment of that promise. Decree the righteous, prayerful decrees, bringing into being favorable conditions, profitable opportunities and needed resources that will help you to actualize your dream. “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, and His Maker … concerning the work of my hands command ye me” (Isaiah 45:11).

Drive/enthusiasm: A strong desire will tunnel through mountains of difficulties. You may not be able to control the feelings or opinions of others about you or your dreams but you can control yours. Therefore, motivate yourself. Never surrender your zeal to criticism. “People who are afraid of criticism never make decisions which will liberate them” And don’t forget that success always attracts criticism. Start the pursuance of your dream with zeal, continue with zeal and finish up with zeal. Don’t let the fire go down. Always remember that you can do it as long as Christ is in you, He wants you to succeed and fulfill His divine purpose for your life. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2).

Discipline: To live a life of purpose and success, you must be disciplined. Success means maximizing the available resources in order to hit a desired target. Even in spiritual matters, no one can ever live a victorious Christian life without discipline. It takes discipline to rise up early in the morning to pray. It takes discipline to drop some activities in order to study the word of God. It takes discipline to overcome some temptations. It is true of all good ventures in life. Discipline will help you not waste your time, talents and resources but to channel them to the actualization of a goal. Discipline entails making sacrifice. He who would achieve little, sacrifices little. Great sacrifices always attend great successes. When the Bible says, “If thy right eye offend thee pluck it out, and cast it from thee … “(Matthew 5:29), that is discipline. If you are not discipline, you can not plan well; neither can you follow your plans through.

Determination: The saying goes that where there is will there is a way. If you are determined, you will not yield to distractions and intimidations from any angles. Determination means purpose of heart. Daniel 1:8 shows us that determination was Daniel’s success blueprint. He had a clear picture of what his life should be and he would not settle for transient, demeaning, and defiling options. It has rightly been observed that the enemy of the best is the good. Therefore, go for the best and always keep going for the best.Diligence: There is no food for the lazy man (2 Thessalonians 3:10). “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might …“(Ecclesiastes 9:10). That you are a Christian does not automatically guarantee you prosperity if you refuse to work. It is the work of your hand that God promised to prosper. That you recite psalm 23 many times a day does not guarantee food on your table except you rise to work, and you work hard. In the sweat of your face the Lord God said you should eat. Adam was put in the garden to dress it. Father Abraham was into animal husbandry (Genesis 13). Isaac was a farmer. “ And there was a famine in the land … And Isaac went unto Abimelech … then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred fold: and the lord bless him” (Genesis 26:1, 12). In spite of the famine, Isaac went ahead to cultivate his farm, believing God to prosper his effort, and He did.Keep afloat by His sovereignty: It is God who gives the increase. We must therefore work with Him and by His word if we ever hope to make any good success in life.

Then our dreams, desires, drive and diligence must comply with the scriptures. Otherwise God will not bless what contradicts His word and His will. You must live a righteous life, doing your business with clean hands. God will always fight unrighteousness and break up evil alliances and unequal yoking in businesses. Faith in God is the crowing of all our efforts. “For the Lord God will help me; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:7) … “The LORD … will bless us … He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The Lord shall increase you more and more and your children” (Psalm 115:11-14). Without God we can do nothing (John 15:5). So, if you are still a sinner, accept Jesus Christ into your life and make Him the Lord of your life. Then success and prosperity will follow. Remember to do away with procrastination and laziness. Act now and it will be well with you.