Promises of God – Fresh Inspiration

Fola Komolafe

He said, “Neither. I’m commander of GOD’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, “What orders does my Master have for his servant?” Joshua 5:14 MSG

God knows ahead of time how he is going to deliver you, and so all He asks of us is to believe. God told the Israelites He would give them the land of Canaan, some believed Him, but most did not. Those who did not believe couldn’t because all they saw were the obstacles, the hindrances, the things that looked insurmountable in the eyes of men and in their eyes. They could not see God bigger, mightier, and stronger, and as a result they all died in the wilderness.

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“But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” Romans 10:8 KJV

I have a beautiful dog, his name is Tyson, and he likes food so much. In his younger days he would sometimes go around sniffing especially on his walks picking up all kinds of things. So, I have to ask from time to time, ‘what is in your mouth?’

God wants His word to be in our mouth, everything else is unhelpful, unfruitful, and unproductive. In Romans 10:8, talking about being right with God by faith, Paul says, the word should always be near you, in your mouth and in your heart. I like the message translation which says, ‘the word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us.’

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“For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 AMP

As you look through the Bible you will discover that each period of time had a promise. A promise given to them by God and in which they lived, God fully expecting them to enjoy His promise to the fullest. However, there was also a looking forward to a better one, a better promise from God which did not diminish the goodness of the existing one but created hope and excitement for something even better to come.

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Fola Komolafe

GOD spoke to Moses: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them that from now on they are to make tassels on the corners of their garments and to mark each corner tassel with a blue thread. When you look at these tassels you’ll remember and keep all the commandments of GOD, and not get distracted by everything you feel or see that seduces you into infidelities. The tassels will signal remembrance and observance of all my commandments, to live a holy life to GOD. I am your GOD who rescued you from the land of Egypt to be your personal God. Yes, I am GOD, your God.” Numbers 15:37-41 MSG

In life there are so many things we do and as a result we forget to do some other things. I can sometimes be so busy that I forget to have lunch until it is too late. People forget birthdays, anniversaries and phone numbers. However, God wants us to remember all things, things He has said to us, things He has done for us and things He is asking us to do.

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Fola Komolafe

“ ²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 NKJV

All believers should get so much comfort from knowing God is with them!

Those five words, I am with you always, which Jesus spoke to his followers when He was leaving the earth and instructing them on what to do, changed them and all they later came to do in His name. I am with you always is a promise that can only be made by someone who loves you dearly, someone who sees you as an important part of Himself, someone committed to your good and your victory in all situations, someone putting themselves on the line and willing to sacrifice everything to be at your side – only someone like this could make the promise, I am with you always through thick and thin.

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“….as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” 2 Peter 1:3 NKJV

I have a Bible version I am reading this year which has been an absolute blessing, and it is the Richard Francis Weymouth translation of the New Testament in modern speech. In it verse 3 of 2nd Peter 1 says, “seeing that His divine power has given us all things that are needful for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and perfection.” As I read it, I remember thanking God that I do not depend on the world for my needs but as I increase in my knowledge of God, I realise all the wonderful things He has given me that are needful for this life and godliness.

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He rescued us from so great a threat of death, and will continue to rescue us. On Him we have set our hope. And He will again rescue us [from danger and draw us near]. 2 Corinthians 1:10 (AMP)

On May 25, 2006, climber Lincoln Hall was left for dead by his guides on the side of Mount Everest. The next day, his crew released a statement announcing his death. Little did they know that Hall was very much alive, but in dire circumstances. He was suffering from altitude sickness, which had caused him to become disoriented. He was left alone on the mountain with no hat, gloves or oxygen bottles. A day later, Daniel Mazur and his climbing group came across Hall. Mazur, who was just two hours away from the peak, abandoned his Everest quest and left his party to carry Hall down to the camp at the base of the mountain, which was a 4-hour trek. Just days before, another climber, David Sharp, died 1,000 feet (304 meters) from the summit when dozens of people passed him by because they didn’t want to risk their own Everest glory.

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For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3 (KJVS)

Self-doubt is something many Christians experience where they know what God says, maybe even believe what God says but doubt in themselves that it is happening for them. Some people doubt everything they do – they prayed, they asked and still doubt if they got it right – are they where God wants them to be or are they are doing what God wants them to do. As a result, they don’t experience the peace or joy God gives as they constantly pray the same anxious prayers repeatedly. They want to see a sign, an experience or something tangible they can hold on to in order to believe and be at peace, that place of total trust and confidence knowing God is doing in them His good will.

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Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:34 (NKJV)

It is overwhelming to think of all that Jesus has done for us – his death, his defeat of hell, his victory and his resurrection. It is even more overwhelming when you consider that Jesus was already in heaven, equal with God before leaving it to go through life on earth and death, a painful sacrifice for us, and then to return to His place of authority at the right hand of God the Father. He gave it all up because of love, his love for you and for the world. Our faith should not stop at his death, but it should be exercised farther on his resurrection, his kingdom and his second coming.

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I also pray that you will understand the incredible (exceeding) greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT)

In this life we have so many situations where we want to experience the incredible, immeasurable, incomparable and boundless power of God – especially as you look at the world around us today, the pains, the challenges and the oppression people are going through. Human knowledge and wisdom have failed many times because it can only carry us so far but as believers, people of faith have a power in us and for us that is surpassing. You see the word exceeding means to throw beyond the usual mark, it surpasses or goes passes anything you and I have known. It is like throwing the shot put in athletics 1000 metres and more when the current world record is 23.37 metres. In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays that we may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge – passeth here is the same word exceeding or surpassing. Our daily experience of Christ love should surpass any knowledge or intelligence you have many times over meaning His love does not work as you think it will because whatever you think is too small. In the same way God’s surpassing, incredible and exceedingly great power towards you will work in greater ways than you could ever think if you believe because it is unimaginable, boundless, far reaching and immeasurable.

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And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?” But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?'” And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. Mark 5:30-32 (NKJV)

I was at a meeting recently where we were having a general discussion about supporting different groups of people. It was an enlightening discussion and as it went on, I could not help thinking about how we could potentially lose the individual person in a crowd and easily stop seeing their unique needs and the yearnings of their heart. Other people feel more comfortable in the crowd where they blend in and are not noticed. However, I believe Jesus would challenge us not to be in the crowd and also to see each another in the crowd. Using words like everyone and every person, whilst understandable in some situations, could stop us really seeing each other, reaching out to one another and trying to understand one another.

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Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. Hebrews 5:8 (NLT)

I was at a conference in 2017 and I heard a minister of God say, ‘if you feel like you are not hearing from God, go back and check the last thing He asked you to do and see if you have done it.’ It struck a chord with me as I thought about how we sometimes live out our Christlike walk – we want a word from God, we want God to speak to us, to lead us and to direct us. However, when He does, we do not always obey Him. It is like stacking up a pile of cards (things to do told us by God) and adding to the pile each time, then at will or our convenience we choose which card to obey. You need to know that God values and highly prizes our daily and wholehearted obedience.

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (KJVS)

Some things about God we know and other things we believe. I believe in the things I know God can do, things God has done according to His word and I am walking in faith for the physical manifestation. However the things we know are absolute facts seen, heard and known. I know my name, I know my children, I know where I live and I know these things because they are real, they are facts and they exist. Paul wrote a letter to the church in Phillipi from a prison cell in Rome saying his primary pursuit in life was to know Christ (Phil 3:10, ‘that I may know Him). My bible commentary said, “Paul’s desire to know Christ sprang from no other motive but to enjoy Him. He wanted Christ for Christ’s sake, not his own. He was a lover of God, not a user of God. And whether he moved in Christ’s resurrection power or was stretched to his last ounce of endurance, it mattered little. For Paul, it was all a part of the most fulfilling journey of all: truly knowing God.’

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God’s whole nature is living in Christ in human form. Colossians 2:9 (NIRV)

People are known by their name and their nature. Sometimes I go out and someone will ask me if I know a certain person. I don’t always recognise their name and then they start describing their nature – the kind of person they are and the kind of things they do. As they describe their nature, I suddenly start to recognise who they are talking about even though I may not have known their name. God’s whole nature is everything that God is, the sum total of His attributes or qualities, His character, His person and His very essence. Can you now imagine the whole nature of God, not a part of God but everything, living in Christ in human form? Christ was the complete human expression of God. His nature was Gods nature and as a result everything He did was what God would do. Hebrews 1:3 says, “Christ is the dazzling radiance of God’s glory and splendor, the exact expression of God’s true nature-his mirror image!”

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But the firm foundation of (laid by) God stands, sure and unshaken, bearing this seal (inscription): The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names [himself by] the name of the Lord give up all iniquity and stand aloof from it. 2 Timothy 2:19 (AMPC)

Before each of our children were born, my husband and I spent so much time praying and considering what name they should be named, even though we had not seen them physically we knew their name would matter, it would shape their identity and people would know them by their name. God helped us to choose their names and as they have grown we are so incredibly amazed as we see their character, their behaviours and their identity in their names.

Fola Komolafe

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63 (NKJV)

In business we look for ways to make profit. Profit is good and sustainable so we choose to engage in activities that bring profit and not loss. In Gods kingdom business there are things clearly laid out for us that bring profit. For example, Jesus says, “It is the Spirit Who gives life, He is the Life-giver; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit (spirit birthed) and life (life giving) (John 6:63 AMPC).” He says clearly that the flesh or the way of the flesh does not profit, it conveys no benefit and leads to death which is the opposite of life. Profit is gained when you follow the Spirit and when you follow His words because in them you find the abundant expression of the quality of life that God is.

Fola Komolafe

O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Isaiah 40:9 (NKJV)

I was praying this week and I found myself repeating the words ‘ I Behold my God.’ ‘I behold my God in my life, my children, my husband, my ministry, my partners, my church, my finances and all that concerns me.’ The Holy Spirit filled my heart and all I could see was God’s glory, God’s beauty, God’s magnificence, God’s power and God’s grace. I remembered Isaiah saying, “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the skirts of His train filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1)”To behold means to observe, to perceive, to gaze upon and to take note of. It is more than a casual look but something or someone you hold your gaze upon for long enough that it starts to change you.

Fola Komolafe

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49 (NKJV)

In the Bible we see two distinct experiences of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit when we get born again (John 3:5-8) and the infilling presence of the Holy Spirit when we receive the baptism of the Spirit mentioned by Jesus with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 1,2). However people sometimes sit on extremes on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and both are not helpful. As believers we should always find the balance, driving down the middle of the road and not in the ditches on either side.

Fola Komolafe

God also testifying with them [confirming the message of salvation], both by signs and wonders and by various miracles [carried out by Jesus and the apostles] and by [granting to believers the] gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:4 (AMP)

I ask myself as I read this scripture, how does God confirm His word today?

He confirmed the message He gave to Moses in the Old Testament when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt through many signs and wonders. In Exodus 3:20 he said to Moses, “So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he (Pharoah) will let you go.” He did so many wonders and at the end of it all when Pharoah had let them go, Moses and the people of Israel sang “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)

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“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” John 14:1 KJVS

It is usually easy to say I believe in Jesus, and we do. However as you read this verse of scripture you cannot help but be drawn by the depth of emotions in the words of Jesus to His disciples. He had told them to love one another and explained why He had to go and He wanted them to believe His promise to them when He said in John 13:36 that ‘you are not able to follow Me now where I am going, but you shall follow Me afterwards.’

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: “ Ephesians 1:3 KJVS

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus! In recent times during the pandemic, the song ‘The Blessing’ was released, sang in so many languages, and it was a great source of strength and encouragement for so many. In our house it has become our declaration after each home fellowship prayerfully reminding us of the blessing of God in our lives. Numbers 6:24-26 says, ‘The LORD bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you]; The LORD make His face shine upon you [with favor], And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness]; The LORD lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’ Amen.

Fola Komolafe

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

Our love story with Jesus is forever and as we discover Him, we love Him more. But He has loved us with an everlasting love from before we were born and His love never wavers, never falters and never ends. It is the greatest and most incredible of all love stories and it continues for eternity. In Jeremiah 31:3, God says, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!”

Uzo Nwuga

In the day when I cried out, You answered me. And made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalms 138:3 (NKJV)

Dwight L Moody said “When we find a man meditating on the words of God my friends, that man is full of boldness and successful”

I have been studying the Book of Acts and found Paul a very fascinating character. This was a guy that was bold and zealous. I never appreciated how bold he was until I read Acts chapters 20 -22 and there I camped for a few days. This was about Paul wanting to go to Jerusalem where he would be bound, beaten and put in prison. In Acts 20:22, he said “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there”. The first time I read this scripture and then read Acts 21 where he was warned again by some disciples, I wondered why Paul didn’t heed the warnings of the disciples and everyone. As I studied Acts 20:23-24, I realised that Paul understood very well what the Holy Spirit was saying and what was required of him by the same Holy Spirit working in tune with his spirit. ²³“except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.” ²⁴But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Where others might have had an excuse or even say that the Holy Spirit warned them not go, rather than the truth which was the Holy Spirit advising what would happen, Paul saw it as an opportunity for the gospel because of what he felt compelled to do.

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Against all hope, he believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” Romans 4:18 (MEV)

Hope is a favourable confident expectation of good because of the word of God! Our expectation is based on what we hear and what we believe – we can expect good or bad depending on what we choose to hear continually and believe. Godly hope chooses to believe God at all costs because of who He is and the knowledge that He is a dependable and reliable God who has promised that His word will not return to Him unfulfilled.

Fola Komolafe

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1:17 (KJVS)

In a world where there is sometimes pressure to always want more, more and more of everything it is important for you to know that God is enough. If you have God you have everything you need and there is nothing else, nothing more beyond God. God is enough, He is actually more than enough!

Fola Komolafe

For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue). 2 Peter 1:3 (AMPC)

Have you been the guest of somebody very important where before you wake up breakfast has already been served, lunch was on the table before you asked and dinner was laid out extravagantly in front of you before you even knew you were hungry. Such extravagance and such generosity lavished upon you not because you asked but because you came to visit. God does even much more than this for you everyday because you dwell permanently in Him, you are always in His house, in His presence, in His Kingdom. He has provided everything you need before you even realised that you needed it.

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Fola Komolafe

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV)

I am steadfast, I am not moving, I am staying in the Lord because I know that all I do in Him is not in vain. I say this so many times to remind myself that I have chosen to be steadfast in God and in His word. How about you? I hope you have made a decision to be steadfast, a decision that you make now before situations and circumstances that may try to cause you to move comes, things that try to cause you to move from a position of stand you are taking because of the word of God firmly fixed in your heart. It is so important because it takes an attitude of steadfastness to fully see all the promises of God evidenced in your life, an attitude that says I am not giving up until I see the goodness of God manifested exactly as God promised it to me. I am staying in the word of God, believing it and declaring it because God said so!

Fola Komolafe

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (KJV)

God want us to win always and the truth is that He has done everything He needs to do to ensure that no matter what we face, no matter what we go through we can always win as long as we keep believing and looking to Him. I was watching a football game recently in which one of the teams had come from behind to win. They did not win in the ninety minutes allocated to the game nor did they win during the extra time but they won eventually during the penalty shoot out.

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If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36 (KJV)

Freedom is something that is so valued and appreciated by anyone who has been held bondage, captive and in a position where their will, opinion and thoughts did not matter. They were under the rule of one who exercised power, dominance over them and subjected them sometimes in the most inhuman way to their bidding. It is such a terrible place to be that we see the Israelites crying out to God in the old testament to be set free from the bondage in which the Egyptians held them. Jesus died to set us free and the bible says, “So if the Son liberates you (makes you free men), then you are really and unquestionably free.”

Fola Komolafe

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13 (NKJV)

I can because God says I can! It sounds audacious, sounds bold, sounds just like God. I believe God wants us to go around saying I can do it to everything in His word and everything He asks us to do. I can live by faith, I can be led by the Holy Spirit, I can be filled with the fulness of Christ everyday, I can triumph in all things, I can be victorious through Christ Jesus, I can live in divine health and prosper in all respects – I can and I will because God says I can! It is not arrogant, it is my faith and complete belief in God and in His word.

Fola Komolafe

But when he saw the strong wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Matthew 14:30 (MEV)

As you walk or drive around everyday you see so many things, and some you pay more attention to more than others. Some things you see determine your actions and what you do, for example if you see a red light, you know you have to stop because that is what the law says. In a similar manner what you see and pay attention to in your faith walk matters because it determines how far you go. Those very simple words, BUT WHEN HE SAW…made a whole difference to a journey that had started confidently and boldly in faith, walking only on the words of Jesus. Peter was doing the impossible, he was walking on water but he saw the strong wind and he was afraid. I sort of wonder, what did the wind, which had been turbulent before he started walking have to do with him walking on water? Absolutely Nothing! He walked on water because he asked, Jesus said, ‘come’ and he obeyed.

Kay Komolafe

[What, what would have become of me] had I not believed that I would see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living! Psalm 27:13 (AMPC)

It was a bright sunny Sunday afternoon in 1987, lying on the hospital bed was this lean underweight young man with no strength in him, to enjoy the best life has to offer. He had been in hospital in and out for 6 months suffering from ulcerative colitis which was deemed untreatable. This bright afternoon, his aunties and sibling came to see him in hospital, they stood around his bed and watched in despair, what will become of him, he will not survive, they seem to whisper to one another. Watching them huddle together outside and whispering to one another, fear came upon him and he thought to himself, “this is the end, death is upon me“. Tears rolled down his face as he laid on the bed. This was a dark moment, the last moments perhaps. Then, a man walked in to visit him, it was his father’s handyman, plumber, he saw the tears running down the man’s face, the handyman chasticed him, “where is your faith?“ he asked, “if you believe, read the bible and pray, there is nothing impossible for God“

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Uzo Nwuga

For surely there is a latter end (a future and a reward), and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18 (AMPC)

A few weeks ago, I went to pick up my son from school with my daughters. His teacher came with a giggling daughter to the car and informed me that my son was very upset because his tooth that had fallen out. It had gone down the sink into the drain as he tried to wash it! As a result, he feared that the tooth fairy might not visit him and so his teacher told him to write a letter. His teacher playfully admonished the girls for chuckling because my son is 10 years old, yet still believes in the tooth fairy and …Santa. His sisters encouraged him when he came into the car by telling him it had happened to them, but he still felt that without the tooth there was a good chance the tooth fairy wouldn’t come. That evening, he moaned about such a bad day he had – losing his tooth down the drain and accidentally butting heads during football practice. I tried to cheer him up to no avail.

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Fola Komolafe

For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 (KJV)

As believers you and I have the mind of Christ, that is the ability through the Holy Spirit to think like Christ and then to conduct our lives according to His mind. One mind is so important in our relationships as over and over again, the Holy Spirit through Paul encourages us to be of the same mind one toward another (Romans 12:16); to be of one mind (2 Cor 13:11); to be likeminded and of one accord, of one mind (Phil. 2:2) and to all be of one mind (1 Peter 3:8). One mind is so important as this enables us to pull together in unity in the same direction which is why I particularly love Romans 15:6 which says, ‘that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.’

Fola Komolafe

Cast your burden on the Lord (release it) and He will sustain and uphold you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall or fail) Psalm 55:22

I remember going to many swimming lessons with my children, and there were usually a few children (including one of mine) who despite having their swimming costumes and every kind of protective floats on would not jump into the water. It did not make a difference that they could see so many other children happily swimming, they would not jump in or release themselves to the water because they did not trust the floats or the instructor that they would not drown.

Denika Campbell-Lee

“…the Lord hath anointed me…to give unto them beauty for ashes…” Isaiah 61:1, 3 KJV

Isaiah 61 is described as ‘The year of the Lord’s favour’ passage (ESV) and that’s because throughout the entire chapter Isaiah is describing what the Lord is going to do through him for the people of Zion. Everything he mentions are acts that will bestow favour upon all those who are willing to accept it. These promises are still available for us now, if we believe and accept the favour of the Lord.