Skip to main content

Open Heavens Daily Devotional, Thursday, 23rd January, 2014



TOPIC: NEW LIFE IN JESUS II

Memorise:
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

Read:
Romans 6:12-13

Bible in one year: 
2 Timothy 1-4,  Psalm 22:1-21.

MESSAGE:
As a born-again Christian, you need to understand and live by the nature of the new creature that you are. This is the key to your victory in this world. One character of your new nature is revealed in Galatians 5:25:
”And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts ”
Once you belong to Jesus Christ by being born-again, your sinful nature has been crucified. Your nature no longer conforms to that which is controlled by the flesh because you are dead to the flesh. This is further clarified in Romans 8:9-10:
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
 However it does not end there. Armed with this understanding of who you are, you have to conscientiously by faith enforce this victory over the flesh in your mind. 1 Peter 4:1 says:
”Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; ”
This day-to-day battle of enforcement and resistance will be very ”painful”. The flesh is not going to like your stance; but you must let it know that you are dead to it and it cannot rule you; As a matter of compulsion, make no provision for the flesh . Apart from the flesh being crucified, another character of your new nature is that through Christ, the world is crucified to you and you are crucified to the world (Galatians 6:14). This implies that you are dead to the world. What does this mean? Before we were born-again, we had friends or relations whose company we used to enjoy, people whose opinions mattered a lot to us and influenced us to do lots of things we did not really want to do. Many a times some people are found smoking not because they enjoy smoking,

But because they were worried about their friends’ uncomplimentary remarks about their abstinence from such habits. Therefore when their peers smoke, they join them to smoke even though they know that smoking will send them to their untimely death. However, once you are born-again, armed with the mindset that you are dead to the world, such opinions will no longer matter. It does not matter what they say, you are determined to follow Jesus. You will not perish with the world in Jesus‘ Name.

Prayer point:
Father, thank you for giving me a new life in Christ; please help me to live by this new life till I see you in glory


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ARE YOU A CARROT, EGG OR COFFEE BEAN?

A young woman told her mother how hard her life was. She didn't know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as she solved a problem, another one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placed carrots. In the second pot, she placed eggs. In the last pot, she put coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.  After about 20 minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out, and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out, and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and place it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter she asked '' What do you see? ''.'' Carrots, eggs and coffee '' the daughter replied. The mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrot...
Post a Comment
Read more

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL- WEDNESDAY 08/10/2014

TOPIC: Faithfulness [Wednesday October 8, 2014] MEMORISE: His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:23 READ: Matthew 25:22-30 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewe...
Post a Comment
Read more

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TALKING TO JESUS- wednesday 07/05/2014

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL - TALKING TO JESUS-07/05/2014 in today’s message, we have been asked to memorise Matthew 7:7 :  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you " Today's reading was taken from  Matthew 6:5-13  and the Bible reading in one year is  Genesis 11:10-14:24 and Psalm 101 (Adeboye, 2014). Quoted below is today's message for your input Prayer is talking to Jesus. There is nothing as sweet as talking to Jesus because the Most High loves to hear our voices. Prayer is the soul of man talking to God. It is worship addressed to God the Father, in the Name of God the Son, through the power of God the Holy Spirit. John 14:13 says: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Prayer consists of at least four parts: these are adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Adoration denotes praises and worship of God for wh...
Post a Comment
Read more