Haggai 1:2-13 “2 This is what the Lord of Armies says. This people has said, “It is not the right time for the House of the Lord to be built.” 3 So the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet. 4 Is it time for you to live in your paneled houses while this house lies in ruins? 5 Now this is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider your ways carefully. 6 You sow much seed but you harvest little. You eat but you are never satisfied. You drink but you never become drunk. You get dressed, but no one is warm. The one who makes money puts that money into a bag with a hole in it. 7 This is what the Lord of Armies says. Consider your ways carefully. 8 Go up to the mountains, bring lumber down, and build the House. I will be pleased with it, and I will be glorified, says the Lord. 9 You expected much, but look, there was little. When you brought it home, I blew it away. Why did I do that? This is a declaration of the Lord of Armies. It is because my house lies in ruins while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 So it is because of you that the heavens have withheld the dew and the earth has withheld its produce. 11 I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the olive oil, on everything which the soil produces, on people, on livestock, and on all the labor of your hands. 12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the surviving remnant of the people, listened to the voice of the Lord their God and to the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him. So the people feared the Lord. 13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people: “I am with you, declares the Lord.”” Do you feel like everything you have worked hard for is being blown away? Well let’s look at the state of your temple. What is the condition of it? The Bible says, “Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are supposed to glorify God with our bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) How are you treating this temple? Are you feeding it the Word? Are you feeding it with the Spirit of God? You do know that you only get out what you put in. If you’re not putting the time in with the Lord, should you expect to receive from him? God is telling you today, rebuild his temple in you. And this next temple should be more glorious than the first. Do the work, build it right and his Spirit will reside in it and fill it with his glory. Then you will begin to prosper in every aspect of your life. Do not feed his temple with trash, because what you sow is what you will reap. Fill his temple with the Spirit of God by seeking after him with everything you got, and his glory will reside in you. Rebuild the holy temple, that is within you only with Holy Spirit’s direction. Be diligent and true to what Holy Spirit is saying in this day. Delay *** Father God, We thank you for your Word today, and we are ready to rebuild your temple within us. We understand that we cannot stay in the same place where we have been, and that it is time for us to move forward, but we cannot do it without your glory. We will build a place for your glory to reside in us. A place that is clean and holy. So purify our hearts and our minds as we seek after you. We no longer want to reside in this place, but we are ready to step towards our next destination. The place that you have already predestined for us. It’s not about our desires, Lord, but it’s about the plan and the path that you have laid out for us, and we know that we cannot enter this without rebuilding our temple. Push us Lord when we need to be pushed because our desire is to get to where you are taking us. Abba we are ready. We are ready to move forward. We are laying the foundation for this great rebuild. May your finger continue to guide us and point out the way. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We do deliverances at our office and on Zoom by appointment. God wants you free. Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight
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Timothy 2:8-15, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, a descendant of David, in accordance with my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, along with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy: Indeed, if we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with him; If we deny him, he will also deny us; 13 If we are faithless, he remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself. 14 Remind people of these things, as you solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to fight about words, which does no good and only ruins those who listen.” There is a cost to pay for sharing the gospel but the rewards far outweighs the price. It’s not meant to be easy. Paul said he struggled, he was chained like a criminal. But is not Jesus worthy of us enduring all for his sake. We all are commanded to share the Gospel. This mean different things to different people. Your commission might be to just bring people to church where they will hear the gospel, or God could be sending you out into the streets to preach the gospel. There are so many ways to share the gospel, but we must look at ourselves and ask, “Am I sharing?” And not only are we sharing, but are we sharing enough? You can answer this question by the difficulties you’re having. If you are not strugglingin the least sense, you probably are not advancing the kingdom of God. Because the enemy only comes up against those that are making dents in his kingdom and we cannot advance the kingdom of God without putting a dent the kingdom of the enemy. This is part of your salvation. The struggle is not for ourselves, but it’s for others because we want to see them belonging to the kingdom of God. It’s a heart’s desire. It’s a desire that was placed in you by God himself. And it’s OK if you’re not feeling it yet, because it’s still there just waiting to be activated. We belong to Jesus and as part of that belonging we become imitators of him. So his desires will become our desires. And his desire is that no man shall perish. Let’s search our hearts today and begin to pull on that desire that God has placed in there to spread the Gospel of the kingdom of God and in the way that he has it set just for you. *** Father God, I lift up your people to you today, and I declared that there will be an activation of the desires that you have placed in our hearts. I declare that we will desire to share you with others and to not keep you to ourselves. Give us a burning to see others be free from sin and have an assurance of salvation. This is your call to us. We hear your call Abba, and we answer, “YES.” Yes to your will and and yes to your way Lord. And we answer the call of the great commission. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on this earth. On this day and everyday hereafter. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We do deliverances at our office and on Zoom by appointment. God wants you free. Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight #ExpandingTheKingdom 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 ,
“3 We are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love that each and every one of you has for one another is increasing. 4 So we ourselves boast about you in God’s churches in regard to your patient endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the trials that you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of God’s righteous verdict that resulted in your being counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also suffer. 6 Certainly, it is right for God to repay trouble to those who trouble you, 7 and to give relief to you, who are troubled along with us. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 he will exercise vengeance in flaming fire on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 Such people will receive a just penalty: eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious strength, 10 on that day when he comes to be glorified among his saints, and to be marveled at among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 For this reason, we are always praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of your calling and use his power to fulfill every good desire and work of your faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, in keeping with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ.” Endure. One of Webster Dictionary’s definitions for endure is: “To bear with patience; to suffer without opposition or without sinking under the pressure or affliction; to bear up under; to put up with; to tolerate.” I love how it says “to suffer without sinking under the pressure or affliction.” We don’t sink under pressure. At least we are not supposed to. Yes, we go through trials, but we endure. We don’t sink. We bear with patience for we know the end result. If you know the end result, why worry? Why do we allow the unsaved to disturb us? Why do we allow them to move us into unrighteousness? Why? Because of a lack of self-control. You know, that “fruit of the spirit” that I’m always talking about. We must have self-control. If you know the truth, and you truly believe that Jesus is Lord, you should have assurance enough to maintain control of your emotions. To not allow anyone to move you to a place of ungodliness. Instead, we need compassion because we know the end result for those who do not believe. For those who follow another light verse nine says that’s such people will receive a just penalty. We know what hell looks like. We know the torture that will be presented there For eternity. For this reason alone, we should feel sorrow and compassion for those not standing in the promise. And we should realize that what they say is only a reflection of the state of their spirit. Endure. Do not sink into what they are serving. Remain a light bearer for Christ. Don’t give in to foolishness, but endure. This is mandatory to righteousness and godliness. Endure. *** Father God, may we be strong evidence of who you are by what our endurance looks like. We do not sink into depression. We do not pity ourselves and we do not give in. We endure. Our endurance does not make us weak, it makes us stronger. It strengthens our inner being. It helps others to see you as it is a reflection of our core beliefs. We don’t allow others to make us angry or depressed. Nor do we allow them to move us into a place of ungodliness by the words they speak and their actions, for we know that they move out of lack of knowledge of the truth and that truth is, you are the one true God. But Abba, we want you to be able to use us by our endurance, to be a reflection of your Light and your Spirit. This is why we must remain teachable. Help us to continue to learn and grow in you and may your glory remain with us always as we proceed to mature to higher levels in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We do deliverances at our office and on Zoom by appointment. God wants you free. Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight #ExpandingTheKingdom Genesis 4:1-7
The man was intimate with Eve, his wife. She conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have gotten a man with the Lord.” 2 She also gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel tended sheep, but Cain worked the ground. 3 As time passed, one day Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the soil. 4 Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord looked favorably on Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not look favorably on Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and his face showed it. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why do you have that angry look on your face? 7 If you do good, will you not be lifted up? If you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door. It has a strong desire for you, but you must rule over it.” Ok Saints. You know I had to stop at verse 7. So here we are in the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and God is already began to lay out a roadmap for us on how to stay away from sin. He asked Cain, “Why do you have that angry look on your face?”, which in some versions translate to, “Why has your face fallen?” Cain was disappointed that he was not chosen as having the best offering. he was so disappointed that his face fell. His face fell because he allowed his pride to make him angry and we all know that pride is sinful. So God instructed him to do good. Do good and you will not sin. But if you do not do good, sin/darkness is waiting at the door for you. This was lesson number 1 in living outside of the garden. We all know that Cain did not heed God‘s lesson, but instead went out and killed his brother, Abel, proving God’s words to be true. How quickly did murder find its way into Cain’s heart. The darkness seeks after everyone. No one is exempt from being its target. Even if you do good, sin is always looking for an entrance. We must guard our hearts I doing and being good. This is not the end of Cain’s story however. While, Cain was cursed to labor all his life, The following sentence is erroneous: [God chose to bless him through his mercy, for from his seed Enoch was birth and we all know how much Enoch loved God. ( My apologies for my error. This is not the same Enoch. Enoch born from Cain is not the Enoch later born from his brother Seth’s bloodline, that found favor with God and never died. That Enoch’s father was Jared a descendant of Seth.)] So we have two takeaways here. 1. Doing good will help to guard your heart from letting in sin/darkness. 2. God allows us 2nd chances through his grace since he did not kill Cain. *** Father God, we thank you for laying out a pattern for us to follow. Help us to follow it so that sin may not come near our doorways. We only want to offer you our best. While you didn’t say why Abel’s offering was better than Cain’s we are assured that Abel did give his best. May we always give you our best. And Abba, we are so thankful that the times that we have felled, you have redeemed us from our failures. You have shown us grace and mercy multiple times over and we are thankful for it. May we carry the heart of Abel within us seeking only to please you above all else with our best always. May this constantly be the desire of our hearts as we continue to follow your roadmap to living a sin free life. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We do deliverances at our office and on Zoom by appointment. God wants you free. Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight #ExpandingTheKingdom Hebrews 3:1-6,
Jezebel and Ahab reached their position of power because Christians give it to them. “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, focus your attention on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in God’s whole house. 3 In fact, Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses, in the same way that the builder of a house has more honor than the house. 4 For every house is built by someone, and God is the one who built everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant within God’s whole house by testifying to the things that would be spoken. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. We are his house, if we hold on firmly to our confidence and the hope about which we boast until the end.” Holy Spirit wants to remind you that your Pastors are not more important than Jesus. They are not to be exalted above God. When you do this you’re not only hurting your own relationship with God but you are destroying their relationship with God. Their mantle is very heavy. They battle so many things on a daily basis, and when you begin to exalt them above the Lord, you add to the battle. You add pride to that list of battles. And we all know that pride comes before a fall. Stop doing that to them. We have to keep our Pastors uplifted before the Lord, warring in the spirit with them. Not opening the doors to more battles. And you need to know that they don’t always win these battles. This is why the suicide rate among Pastors is very high. Our job is to cover them in prayer. Honor them, but do not exult them above the Most High. We are so good at bashing Pastors and never admitting our own blame for being apart of the reason for their fall from grace. The builder of the house - GOD - has more honor than the house. You do not want to stand before the judgment seat with this hanging over you, and so many are guilty of this. Jezebel and Ahab reached their position of power because Christians gave it to them. It doesn’t happen on its own. While we are not the giver of the spirit of Jezebel, we are responsible for the power it exerts in the church because we do one of 2 things. 1. The church feeds into its greedy desire for control and power, thus promoting its power even higher. (Stop competing for her favor. This is Jezebel’s first step in the process for control. She makes you compete against the brethren when it is God’s desire that we work together for the kingdom.) 2. The church lacks knowledge on how to identify and cast it out. (We have gotten so complacent and stuck in rituals. We can’t even recognize when things are shifting. We must learn to identify and react.) Jezebel is very sneaky. The control she gains did not happen in one shot. She’s adept at waiting years for the chance to grab power. And she’s an even greater threat to those who sits underneath this Jezebel spirit. She will steal all of your power too, and leave you crippled and broken. This is the position she seeks for everyone that is under her. And if you think you’re saved because she’s found favor with you, know this to be true. Her favor is always a temporary thing. Remember this, Jezebel IS a demonic spirit and demonic spirits get very jealous of people who are not broken and under submission. If you sit under this spirit, you need deliverance just as much as the person operating under this spirit. There’s so many avenues to help you out there, but if you don’t seek it, you will never find it. I sincerely hope that this morning’s devotion is helping someone to get free. *** Father God, it is not your desire that anyone should perish. Nor would you want us in bondage. Someone out there needs to be set free today. Someone out there is carrying a yolk of bondage that is so heavy that their spirit is beginning to crumble. They are committed to you and your church, but they have been placed in a position of deception. Abba we repent for them. We repent for them not having discernment that a spirit had entered the church and that spirit was not of you. We repent for the lack of knowledge on how to deal with that demonic spirit. Open their eyes so that they can see the truth. Lord, you have warned us about Jezebel having her way in the church in your book of Revelations. May they begin to heed your warning and loose themselves from the power of her control. Father equipped them now with the tools of freedom. Show them now where their help lies. It is only through your Son Jesus that we have redemption from every false spirit. And we serve you noticed today, Jezebel, you can no longer hide for we see you. You can no longer reign over the lives of God people. We are coming after you, Jezebel and the yoke will be broken off the people. Every contract will be canceled by the authority and blood of Jesus Christ. We arm them in the Spirit to battle against Jezebel. We break every curse off of them and poison the root of every lie spoken over them by Jezebel to make them feel that they are lessor than you said they are. Fill them with your Spirit right now. Empowering them like they have never been empowered before. I declare they will arm themselves with the Armor of God and stand strong against the enemy. This is a new day, Lord. A day that they will see the light of freedom and lift the yoke of burden. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We are Christians helping Christians. We do deliverances at our office and on Zoom. God wants you free.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight God instructs us for our good. The danger is only in disobedience. Isaiah 8:11-15 & 19-22, “11 Listen! This is how the Lord spoke to me with a strong hand upon me. He instructed me not to walk in the way of this people. He said: 12 Do not say “A conspiracy!” about everything that this people calls a conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear. Do not be terrified. 13 The Lord of Armies is the one you are to respect as holy. He is the one you must fear. He is the one you must dread. 14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone they stumble over and a rock they fall over, and he will be a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 Many will stumble over it. They will fall and be broken. They will be snared and captured.” “19 When they tell you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists, who whisper and mutter,” shouldn’t a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If people do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them. 21 They will pass through the land, distressed and starving, but when this takes place and they are starving, they will be frustrated, and they will curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward, 22 and then they will look down to the ground, but I tell you, they will see only distress, darkness, and the gloom that brings anguish. They will be banished into thick darkness.” History is a record of events that we need to remember so that we do not fall into the same traps as those who have gone before us. Our Bible is the first and true record of these events. We see time and time again, where God warns the children of Israel to not take on the traditions of the inhabitants of the countries that he gave them. And over and over again, we see them not listen to his instruction and it never goes well for them. In fact, many times, God just turns his face from them out of anger of their disobedience. Can we learn from their mistakes? I truly hope we can. The reason why they gave in was the desires of their flesh. Our eyes are the window to our soul and what we see we sometimes begin to desire and desire is a very strong emotion. This is why it is so important to guard your eyes. We only want to desire the things that God desire. Psalm 101:3 says, “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.” This is the mindset that we need. Have no part in it. If we have no part in it, we will not have to worry about what happens in disobedience. Those people will be banished into darkness. We do not desire to follow them back into that darkness because we’ve already been delivered from it. It’s time to begin making choices that are going to profit you spiritually. The only way that we do not fall in the old traps is to be spiritually strengthened to resist the call of the enemy. His call is very loud now and it’s getting louder because he knows his time is short. Do not listen to the siren’s call. Hone your ears to harken only to the voice of God. This is how you stay in the grace of God. This is how you stay in a place of holiness. *** Father God, it is your voice that we listen for in the morning. It is your voice that we listen for throughout the day. We need to hear from you and only you. We need you to kill every desire in our hearts that is not of you. We don’t want them. We only want to desire what you desire Lord. Guard our eyes, Lord, that we do not even see the things that the enemy places in front of us to try to steal our focus. Show us your light in the things that you desire Lord. Let us see them clearly. May we begin to desire only the things that belong to you. And Abba, may we stay on that narrow path that leads straight to you. We thank you, that we have Holy Spirit to direct us. Open our eyes that we may see and open our ears that we may hear what you are saying through your Holy Spirit. And Lord grant us fine discernment of your will for us in this time. We give you glory, and we magnify your name above all other names. And we lift up the name of Jesus, through whom we have been set free. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi Fear Not Ministries International [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We are Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight Acts 2:29-38,
29 “Gentlemen, brothers, I can speak confidently to you about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath that he would seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he saw what was coming and spoke about the resurrection of Christ, saying that he was neither abandoned to the grave nor did his flesh see decay. 32 “This Jesus is the one God has raised up. We are all witnesses of that. 33 So, after he was exalted to the right hand of God and after he received the promised Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out what you are now seeing and hearing. 34 “For David did not ascend into heaven, and yet he says: The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet.’ 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Oh, but if more people would ask “What should we do?” The problem is that people see no wrong these days. It’s like they have mentally set themselves in a place before the garden and Satan infiltration of it. They no longer have insight into what is good and what is evil. The only difference is that in the garden, Adam and Eve only knew good. Sadly, we live in the world that is just the opposite. People only know evil. But that doesn’t mean that you have to follow suit. Some of us did ask, “What must we do? Some of us did realize the difference between good and evil, and turned from the evil. And we give glory to God for the truth. Here’s the thing, there are still people out there that want to know the truth. But they will never see it unless you bring it to them boldly. In our boldness God opens the door to miracle, signs and wonders. These wonders are meant to show the works of God, so that more people can be drawn into the kingdom of God. Peter went into action speaking the truth about Jesus. Now it’s our turn. We must tell them the truth, so that they will ask, “What must we do?” If we wait too long, they will lose their opportunity to repent. So do not tarry, do not delay. Tell someone about Jesus today and every day. *** Father God, we want to be your kingdom minded people. It’s all about salvation through your Son, Jesus Christ. But how would they know if we do not tell? Abba fill us with a ‘CAN DO’ spirit, that is full of love for the people. If you are not satisfied, we are not satisfied. We must do the work of an Evangelist. We must draw souls to the kingdom of God. We must fulfill the great commission. Father don’t allow us to get comfortable sitting on the sidelines. Light a fire in our spirit. A fire that burns strongly with the desire to see more people walking in freedom from the bondage of evil and the bondage of lies. Father God, we will be your truth bearers. We will carry your truth to every dark corner of this world bringing forth your glorious light. Show us the darkness Lord said you can use us your light. In Jesus’ name. Amen. [If you are seeking to learn more on your authority, defeating demonic forces, strongholds and strongmen, you can join us on our Tuesday nights Zoom Bible Study where we dwell deeply into God’s plan for his people in this day. Direct message me for more information and as always there is no fee for the word of God. We are Christians helping Christians.] #ChristiansHELPingChristians #chooseJesus #FearNotMinistries #Floodwaters_AAA #EquippingTheBodyOfChrist #settingthecaptivesfree #FromDarknessToLight 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 .
“Now, about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together with him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken from your composure or disturbed by a spirit, a message, or a letter thought to be from us, which says that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way, because that day will not come until the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed—the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above everyone who is called God or every object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, displaying himself as God. 5 Do you not remember that, while I was still with you, I kept telling you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 In fact, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is now holding him back moves out of the way. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy when he appears in splendor at his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan, with every kind of miracle, that is, with false signs and wonders, 10 and with every kind of unrighteousness that deceives those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 And because of this, God continues to send them a strong delusion, so that they believe the lie, 12 in order that all those may be condemned who refused to believe the truth but instead delighted in unrighteousness.” Now we all know that the antichrist is coming, but he too has to do things in the order of God’s Word. The first action to be watchful of is the deceitful ones. Those claiming to have come from God bringing a message from a different spirit not of God and not aligned with his Word. The next thing is, they will begin to declare that the day of the Lord has already come meaning you have missed the rapture. Now this has not happened yet, so keep your eyes open. We do have people claiming to be Jesus, but even they can’t claim that the DAY of the Lord has come. There are the prerequisites to the arrival of even the antichrist. Well, I’ll tell you what, I plan to be with the Lord before he comes on the scene. Before the antichrist arrives, Jesus will gather up those that belong to him. That’s right you heard me say it. I believe in pre-rapture. So a lot of things that are declaring that we are in the last days are actually in fact happening. But you still have to get it right. Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. I honestly believe we must be careful when it comes to whom we are listening to. Try them by the Spirit. Also be prepared for this, we see many videos of the rapture with a lot of people disappearing. Do not expect it to go that way. They didn’t mean to be deceptive when creating these videos. In fact were just trying to present to you that there will be a disappearance of those that belong to God. But, Narrow is the gate. There will, I believe, be a small number of disappearances when it comes to adults. And many will become angry that they are still here. Prepare yourself now for the truth. Narrow is the gate. I keep hearing “narrow is the gate” in my spirit. God is putting emphasis on this. We must be working towards fitting through that gate because it will not go well for believers left behind. Yes. Narrow is the gate, but God is giving us ample time to make sure that we fit through. *** Father God, we asked that you do not allow us to be deceived by the lies of men. Open our spiritual eyes to be able to discern the truth in all situations. We know that you are coming back for a people and we asked that help us to be sure that we are counted in that number. Help us to fit through the gate. If this means changing our mindset, then Abba, change our mindset. If this means more dying to our flesh, then may we die more to our flesh. If this means that there’s still some stuff in us that you need to get out of us, then get it out. Right now as we actively seek the narrow gate. We desire to be acceptable to you, so that we may spend eternity in your presence. Help us to repent for the times when we have allowed our flesh to get in the way. And help us to not live by the flesh, but to live by the Spirit. We desire to be Spiritled. And as always Lord, keep us walking in truth. Your truth and your will. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #SpiritLed #FearNotMinistries #NarrowIsTheGate 1 Timothy 2:1-8 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. 8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” For whom are you praying for? We pray for our family and friends and that’s great. But verse 2 tells us to pray for our leaders. It’s only when we pray for our leaders that there is peace in the land. We don’t have to agree with them, but we need to pray for them. Pray that they make right decisions. Pray that they will follow the precepts of God. Pray that they will not lead us to sin. More than ever we need to pray that peace be in our land. Father God, we lift up our government leaders to you today. Fill them with the spirit of righteousness. Create in them a clean heart. Direct them in the way to lead their people. We come against every deceptive spirit within them. We bind them from lying and we call forth the truth in Jesus name. We come against the spirit of greed and personal gain. And we ask that you fill them with compassion and love for their people. That they make right decisions for us. We pray that they put their relationship with you before all else. And we pray that they do not bring our country to sin. We come against every agenda of the enemy to place our nation in discord with God. We stand in the gap for our nation, and we speak peace to our leaders. Peace in their heart, peace in their spirit and peace in the direction you desire our nation to go. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi Please share this post and be an encouragement to others. #KnockAtTheDoor #FearNotMinistries #YourHealingIsInChrist #SavedAndSetFree #sharingiscaring John 5:1-15 encourages us today, “After this, there was a Jewish festival, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool, called Bethesda in Aramaic, which has five colonnades. 3 Within these lay a large number of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—who were waiting for the movement of the water. 4 For an angel would go down at certain times into the pool and stir up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had. 5 One man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew he had already been sick a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the sick man answered, “I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. While I’m going, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 Instantly the man was healed. He picked up his mat and walked. That day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews told the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! You are not permitted to carry your mat.” 11 He answered them, “The one who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 Then they asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Pick it up and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. 14 Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Look, you are well now. Do not sin anymore so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went back and reported to the Jews that it was Jesus who made him well.” This man waited in line to be healed in what probably seemed like forever to him. There were many waiting and every time he got close to the pool, he was pushed further back in line. Those that were weak and needed healing the most were shoved aside by the stronger ones. But do you know that with Jesus, there is no line. He declared that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. (Matthew 19:30) He doesn’t wait for you to make it to the pool. He comes and find you and grant you healing. Not only does he come and find you, but if you seek him, he can easily be found. Even then, there is no line for you. We have stood in many lines in our life, but isn’t it wonderful to be able to go to the source and never have to stand in line? It is always your turn. This is what is so great and amazing about our God. He meets each one of us where we are at. His grace abounds towards all. And there is never any limit placed on what he would do for us. Jesus says he waits at the door. Knock and he will answer. Just knock and the door will open. In fact, in Matthew 7 he tells us to keep knocking. He wants us to come to him. He’s waiting for us to come to him. Many times we are the cause of delay. We see others giving up. Deny the spirit of defeat and stop looking at the many. Look to Jesus. He never tarries. He’s a present help. Always waiting, always there. Your time for waiting in line is over. No longer will you be shoved back or shoved aside. You are important to the kingdom. The master is telling you to come now. Father God, cover us in a cloak of expectancy. Teach us to expect you to move in every situation and every circumstance. We know that your grace is sufficient. Answer our requests today. We are waiting, willing and ready. We believe every word that you spoke in your Word. We trust in the fact that if we knock you will answer. Your word does not lie. So today we stand at the door knocking. Hear our hearts. Answer prayers and may your glory shine brightly in us forever and ever. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) Please share this post and be an encouragement to others. #KnockAtTheDoor #FearNotMinistries #YourHealingIsInChrist #SavedAndSetFree #sharingiscaring Our heart is the keeper of our imagination.
Luke 1:46-51 teaches us, “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. 51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.” Our imagination travels from our mind/thoughts to our heart, and are reflected to our Father. We know that our heart is what God is searching for in men, so we know this to be true. If the eyes are the windows to our soul, then what is a heart? Our heart is the keeper of all that we take in, including imaginations. It’s so important that we hold captive our imaginations. Paul says, “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) Our imaginations are part of these thoughts and if they are foul, we need to repent. We must guard our minds and our hearts by being diligent in what our eyes and ears receive. We need to ask God to give us only pure thoughts and imaginations. It is so important now more than ever that we seek after the mind of God. Seek after the things that are holy in God’s sight. Don’t just seek, but chase them down and overcoming them. Desire only what is pure and holy and ask God to remove everything around you that is not. We cannot become as Christ, unless we change the things in our thoughts and imaginations. Unless we change the things in our heart. Father God, we lift up our imaginations to you today. Cleanse them of all unrighteousness. Purify them with your fire so that only what’s holy remains. Teach our eyes and ears how to search for only the things that are holy, and not the things of this world. Create in us a new heart. A new mind. A heart that is strong and pure, and full of the goodness of the Lord. Begin to change our whole persona, truly making us a new creation. We desire more of you, Abba. We desire to become the image of your Son Jesus. So today, Lord, we submit our imaginations and our heart to you for examination. And we believe that you would do a great thing in cleansing us and making us pure. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Many times we go through things, and we believe that no one has experienced which you are experiencing right now. We feel like we are alone and no one understands. But this is not true. Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 informs us, “I know that everything God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. God acts so that people will fear him. 15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been. God makes whatever has already passed come again.” We must realize that everything we’ve done, and everything we do has already been done before. This means that we are never alone in the things that we go through. Many times we feel like we are alone and no one understands. This is not true. Someone else either now or in time before has been concerned about how they will pay their bills. Someone else has grieved. Someone else has loved, and someone else has lost love. Someone else has lost their job as someone else has received a better job. Someone else is struggling to raise their family. Someone else has battle against sin. Someone else has defeated sin. Someone else has cried out to the Lord. These are just moments in time. They come, and they go. So we have to be careful not to get caught up in the moment. Do not allow it to worry you for this thing is only for a moment for the Lord God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you peace, not disaster, plans to give you hope and a future.” Stay in position. Hold fast to the truth. Keep believing. For God has a plan for you. This is not a time to give up nor give in. This is a time created for faith. This is a time created for strength. This is a time for God to do the miraculous in your life. Stay in position. Hold fast to the truth. Keep believing. For God has a plan for you. Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi www.fearnotministries.com #WithGod #standinfaith #YouAreNotAlone #BelievingInFaith #FearNotMinistries #sharingiscaring The setting is after the death of Moses and Jehovah had given the land to the children of Israel. The fathers served the Lord God Most High and followed all his precepts for they had witnessed the power and love of Jehovah. However, the following generations began to chase after the gods of the people whom they had conquered, but had allowed to stay in the land.
And so Judges 2:18-23 teaches us, “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, the Lord was with that judge and saved them from their enemies during all the days of that judge, because the Lord had compassion when he heard their groaning under their tormenters and oppressors. 19 But then, after the death of the judge, Israel would turn back and become more corrupt than their fathers by going after other gods, by serving them, and by worshipping them. They refused to let go of their practices and their shameless ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He said, “Because this nation has violated my covenant, which I commanded to their fathers, and because they did not obey my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out from among them a single one of the nations that Joshua left unconquered when he died. 22 I will do this in order to test Israel by means of them. Will Israel keep the way of the Lord and walk upon it as their fathers kept it, or not?” 23 So the Lord gave those nations a reprieve, and he did not drive them out quickly. He did not hand them over to Joshua.” Are you in the midst of a test? It is important that we pay close attention to our seasons. I remember a time in my life when I had to go to the same test over and over again. This test came at the same time every year. It took a few years for me to notice what was happening. For three consecutive years, God brought the same thing against me and I would fail to give the proper response. It wasn’t until one of my mentors who had been watching me pointed this out. She asked me if I realized that I was going through this thing every year at the same time? Then she explained to me about seasons and testing. God will do a reset on us until we get it right. Every test can be conquered when you arm yourself with the wisdom and knowledge that God has already placed in you. God never gives you a test that you are not equipped to pass. With each test we gain more strength and knowledge and we show God that we are ready for him to download more into us. These 7 keys will help you to not only get through the test, but also help you to ace the test: 1. First you must identify the test. 2. Identify the season. Is this thing coming at me at the same time each year? 3. Access your previous responses to the test. How did you handle this each time? 4. Pray to Holy Spirit to show you not only the things you remember, but also the things that God has been seeing. 5. Ask Holy Spirit for direction. Make sure you write the instructions down since it will be a whole year before you will need them. 6. Make preparations before the season. When you know the season is getting near, remind yourself of what is coming and begin to pray to set yourself up for success. 7. Follow the instructions Holy Spirit given you. Now you are armed with even more knowledge to succeed. God has so much more for you and now you are ready for the download. I pray these instructions are a blessing to you and that you begin to conquer every obstacle in your life. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it complete joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various kinds of trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces patient endurance. 4 And let patient endurance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #PassTheTest #WeAreConquerors #JesusIsLord #SharingIsCaring #FearNotMinistries A Message to the Mothers
Today I want you to be observant of good and evil and how our bloodlines can contain both and how a mother’s influence can make a difference. 2 Kings 21:1-2 & 16 reads, “Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the disgusting practices of the nations which the Lord had driven out before the people of Israel. 16 Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end. This was in addition to the sin which he caused Judah to commit, so that they did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.” God said that Manasseh did more evil than any who had gone before him. He rebuilt all the temples of Baal that his father had destroyed. And the temples of God, that his father rebuilt, he defiled with idols and sacrifices from his own hand. Yes, evil is real, and in the hearts of some men. His son, Amon, that he had caused to pass through the fire did as his father did and for this, he only ruled for two years. Amon had a son named Josiah who became king after his death who loved Yahweh. 2 Kings 22:1-2, “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ruled for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in all the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left.” Josiah undid all the evil that his father had done. He repaired God’s temple and removed the filthy idols. He recovered the Book of the law and grieved for the sins of his bloodline. He then sought counsel on how to make amends and Huldah, the prophetess, seeks God on his behalf. Because of Josiah‘s heart for God and his precepts, the destruction that God declared would come to his country, because of the evil of his ancestors would not happen in his lifetime. He only saw peace. These Scriptures made me ask God what was it that made the difference in both these men’s lives that one was evil and one was good? Father God directed me to verse 1 of each chapter. It was not happenstance that the names of the mothers were listed. It’s our mothers that make the biggest impact on our lives and who we will become. We have to be so careful of the precious lives, that we nurture, because how we raised them determines whether they will live or die. The Bible says to train up a child in the way they should go and he will not stray from it. (Proverbs 22:6 paraphrased) Sometimes we don’t learn about this until our children are almost grown or are adults. But I tell you today it’s not too late. This happened to me. But once I learned who God truly was and began to build a relationship with him, he began to rebuild my relationship with my children. Through me, even as young adults, they were still able to learn, see and believe in the true God. To this day I am thankful for the churches that sent their buses around the city to gather the children for church each week. This helped to set a foundation in them. I speak blessings upon blessings on those churches. So I want to lift up all the Mothers to our Father. Know that it’s never too late to introduce them to Jesus. A repentant heart goes a long ways. God knows the trials that you are going through now, because of what we did not do when they were younger. But God always has a plan for us and for our children. My desire is for you to seek God with all your heart, and he will begin to mend your broken heart and the hearts of your children. Be encouraged today. God loves you and your children so much that he says in his word that “you are the apple of his eyes. “ I love you all. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi www.fearnotministries.com #YouAreNotForgotten #FearNotMinistries #SpiritLedLife #godchangeseverything Today I woke up thirsty! Thirsty for MORE!
Psalm 119:1-6 says, “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. 3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. 4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. 5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.” Today let’s draw our focus to verse 2. “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” I’m going to be honest with myself. I don’t always remember my testimonies. I have seen and experienced such marvelous things from God, but it’s very easy to forget what we ourselves have witnessed. I forget the time I had a bill due and no money to pay it and God places it on someone’s heart to bless me just at that time. I forget the time He let me hear what the ravens were saying to each other so that I would have direction. I forget how God healed me after 14 years on a walker when He told me, “Dance, and I’ll heal you.” How I danced for those 14 years believing in His promise and He healed me. But then I’ll see the ravens flying to roost or I’ll feel a pain in my back. Then I remember. Then I rejoice once again and I begin to seek Him with a renewed spirit and a renewed heart! Hallelujah!! Just as a testimony, helps others to get through their trials and tribulations, it helps us to thirst after the Lord even more. I pray today that today be your day of testimonies. That God brings back to your mind testimony after testimony today! I pray you begin to thirst after Him like you’ve never thirsted before. Let today be the day that you experienced the fullness of Christ and let you never be the same. Amen. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #mytestimonygivesmelife #FearNotMinistries #feelthefire #sharingiscaring #FearNotMinistries Let me set the atmosphere this morning. It was the day of Pentecost. There was suddenly a sound from heaven like a violent wind that was heard by everyone. It filled the house, and it filled the streets. Those in the house receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Those in the street were in wonder and fear. They questioned what was happening and what they should do? And so Peter answered them in truth,
37“Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Gentlemen, brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter answered them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 He testified solemnly with many other words and was appealing to them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added. The Christians Lived in Unity 42 They continued to hold firmly to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers. 43 Awe came over every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They were selling their possessions and property and were distributing the proceeds according to what anyone needed. 46 Day after day, with one mind, they were devoted to meeting in the temple area, as they continued to break bread in their homes. They shared their food with glad and sincere hearts, 47 as they continued praising God and being viewed favorably by all the people. Day after day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” Acts 2:37-47 Over 3000 lives were changed that day. Both Jews and Gentiles. It took a sound from God for them to finally see the truth. The same people that crucified Jesus were now caused to repent and see that He was truly the Son of God. And God forgave them. Repentance gave them peace and they were able to live in peace and unity from that day on. My prayer today is that we have a repentant heart, and that we begin to live in peace and unity with each other. Helping each other and lifting each other up. That we truly believe in our heart that we are one family and one body of Christ. That we don’t wait for a sound, but we are already assured that Jesus is Lord and He came to free us from an everlasting death. Hallelujah!! Please take time to read Acts 2 in its entirety today and be encouraged by Holy Spirit. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fear it ministries.com) #feelthefire #FearNotMinistries #sharingiscaring #spiritled There is a lesson to be learned in Genesis 45:4-8,
“And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” So Joseph’s brothers sold him as a slave when he was younger out of jealousy. But even as they were doing evil towards their brother, they did not know that God still had a plan. And that they were part of that plan. Did David have animosity towards his brothers for all that he endured? Not at all. For he understood the plan. He went from slave to ruler. And because of his position he was able to save his family. He understood that it was God who sent him into captivity and not his brothers. This is why it is so important to look at the spirit of people and not their actions. What we might perceive as the influence of the enemy might in fact be the works of God. This also tells us not to look at the situation, but to look towards the outcome of the situation. So don’t be stuck in what’s happening to you today. This is but a moment in your life, and God has a plan for this moment to pass and greater things to come. Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #SeeThePlan #FearNotMinistries #sharingiscaring #movingforward #SpiritLed
1 Thessalonians 3:2, “And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:” Jezebel doesn’t want you established. She gets fearful if she think you will surpass her. But we have all been given a calling and an anointing in order to further the kingdom of God. Many don’t know their purpose and if she can, she will keep you from finding it out. Yet, the word says that our leaders are to establish us and are to comfort us in our faith. If you are a leader, and you are not establishing your people (God’s sheep) in their calling and positions in Christ, then you have sinned and you need to repent and get to establishing. Today. It is an anointing that God have blessed you with and it is being perverted. Begin to check your alignment with the will of God. God’s word never lies. So if you are not completing this mission that He has set , before you, you must be out of alignment. I never will show you a problem without giving you the solution. So what’s your solution to this problem? Pray and get intimate with God. Ask Him if you are misaligned. Ask Him where it began. Ask Him if there is a spirit attached to it. Which spirit? It might not be Jezebel, but another spirit trying to move you out of your anointing. Pray for deliverance. This is a weakness. But you know what? You can reach for God's strength in this weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Not just in weakness but in your weakness, and our most common weakness is our flesh. If it’s not a spirit then it’s flesh. And we all know how to die the flesh, right? Begin to fast and pray. In this season, God is calling His leaders back to alignment. He wants you to feed His sheep. Feed them, nourish them, and establish them. This is your true calling, and by the blood of Jesus you shall succeed. Be blessed, Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotmoinistries.com) #AlignedWithTheSpirit #MovingForward #JesusIsLord #TheWayTruthAndLife #SharingIsCaring As I sit here watching my garden grow I’m getting revelation.
So planted a garden of greens on my patio and I watched as they began to sprout and grow. They were so beautiful and I became filled with joy. Then I woke up one day, and my garden was full of caterpillars. They had devoured the tops of all my vegetables and I became sad. I cleaned out all the caterpillars and sprayed a solution of water soap and garlic oil on them and they began to sprout new leaves, and I sprayed the new leaves. Once again, my vegetables were beautiful, and began to grow strong. From time to time, I had to spray the solution on the leaves again to keep the caterpillars away. Our lives are just like those new leaves. If we do not tend to our garden, the enemy will come and devour it. We must water it, pull out the insects, and then guard it against their return. This is just part of our process in maturing in Christ. 1 Corinthians 14:20 says, “Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.” While a child might scream or cry when they see an insect, adults in their maturity will either move it out of the way or just kill it. We learn as we grow. We are no longer afraid of the things that hinder our walk but instead we move them out of the way and continue to move forward. This is the plan that has been laid out for us so that we may mature spiritually. We were never meant to receive Christ and then stop. Loving Jesus is not enough if it hasn't changed you. Going to church isn't enough if it doesn't change you. In 1 Corinthians 3:2 Paul says, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." These are the people that receive Christ's love but refuse to grow, but the by maturing we receive God's meat. The substance that will make us more like Him. Are you ready for the meat? Are you striving for spiritual maturity? Are you ready to do the work? I’m asking you today, “What has been invading your garden?” Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #JesusIsLord #MyBeautifulGarden #SpirituallyMature #SharingIsCaring We need to take a good look at where we are in the NOW!! During the time of waiting and transitioning, where we are coming from can be just as important as where we are going. We cannot step into our future unless we have settled our past. Can you hear the voice of God reciting what you have done in the past? If so, then there’s something He wants you to be set from. Isaiah 42:20 says, “Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.” To not acknowledge your past can get you burnt! Why? Because the mistakes of your past will repeat themselves in your future if you don’t take care. So the waiting place is also a place of examination and preparation. We examine our past and prepare for our future. We don’t be faint hearted. Isaiah 43:18-19 tells us not to remember nor ponder on the things of the past however, in this verse I believe God is talking about those things that others like to bring back to our memory to try and place us in a position of bondage to the things we have already been forgiven of or delivered from by our Father. How many times have others tried to use your past mistakes against you? Those things did happen, and God made you better because of them. Only God can take our mistakes and turn them into victories, but for Him to do that we must acknowledge them within ourselves so that we may heal, be transformed and be a testimony for others. Remember, God is not a God of lies and to not acknowledge your pass faults means that you are not only lying to others, but you are lying to yourself and to our Father. There’s no freedom in that. Bondage will send you into a rut of repeating the same mistakes over and over again. God does not want us to repeat our mistakes, so we acknowledge them, repent, and move BEYOND them. Once we move beyond, no one can them back to our mind to condemn you. They can try, but you will carry the assurance that God has already set you free of those things. They are old and passed away. Get ready to bring on the new!!! In Isaiah 42:20 God is saying, “Now will you not be aware of it?” Be aware and be transformed. I don’t know about you, but I love it when I am free!!! Being free means you are ready to take that next step with Jesus! Are you ready? I am! So let’s go beyond together! Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi www.fearnotministries.com #fearnotministries #GoBeyond #Freedom #JesusIsKing #SharingIsCaring Freedom #JesusIsKing #SharingIsCaring Let's Talk About FearSo I tested positive for Covid on Tuesday morning and while there’s been some trials, I am definitely an overcomer!!! Monday night I was pretty sure I was infected because I hadn’t eaten all day and had no desire for food. I also had a mild sore throat. My first thought was actually fear. Yep. Fear doesn’t know that’s it’s defeated and keeps trying to show its ugly face but I immediately received that Donna Summers song in my head, “I Will Survive” and I knew it was God saying, “Slow your row. You got this!” So once again fear flew away.
So here’s the thing. Just because we defeat something doesn’t mean it won’t try to come back. Satan’s always trying to get a foothold in your door. He tries to use the things that have worked in the past. And that’s why we have to stay fortified in the Word. There’s a scripture that we must rely upon in times of tribulation. Psalms 119:11 says, “Thy word gave I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Being that we are all human and tend to err, a lot, we really need to stay fortified in His Word and keep it close to our hearts. Some people don’t look at fear as a sin but if it’s not of God and we receive it, then we sin. And I know there’s so much to be fearful of in this world. Just recently I went to the County Fair. I love the fast rides, the ones that goes real high and drop or swing you around. And I laughed and I laughed. But I heard the screams of other people. Some happy screams and some not so happy. They were afraid and while some people convince themselves that being afraid is fun, fear really is never any fun. Fear can be debilitating. It can seize your heart and it also has the potential to cause death. Fear can also motivate you to do something you ordinarily wouldn’t do. Can you look back on a time when your reaction was caused by fear? I know I can. Now in this pandemic age many are fearful of Covid. Each mutation makes it stronger and people are scared. Scared of something they really can’t fight because they can’t see it. But don’t you know that when Jesus died on the cross it defeated even this. And that's why we have to turn fear away every time it tries to show its ugly face. Too many times the scripture tells us to Fear Not. This is important. No fear. No foothold. So let’s arm ourselves with the Word of God and continue our victorious walk on this Earth. And yes, I WILL SURVIVE!! Be blessed!! Evangelist Cheryl Davies Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #fearnot #sharingiscaring #JesusIsKing Pandemic That word causes fear in even the strongest of human beings, but what Christians fell to realize is that they were born in the midst of a pandemic. There has been a pandemic of worldliness that has been our battle since Adam and Eve fatal bite. Would that we could still be ignorant of good and evil. The sad thing is that a lot of Christians do not recognize the face of evil. Permissiveness and compromises with feelings of what others do is okay. Living lackadaisically and feeling no offense while feeling offense from what offends this world. Yes, there is a plague in this world but it’s not called Covid 19. It’s called faithlessness! Where is your faith? Today we dwell in 1 Timothy 4 because it is so relevant to the times we are living in. Verse 1 says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” While people are not devils and can never be the devil they definitely can and do carry the spirit of the devil. They sway you with their words and they sway you with their actions and have caused many Christians to begin to lust after the same things they lust after. This is seen so often in reality television. Many watch because it has turned into real life for them when in fact it’s just another lie meant to sway your focus from the things of God. I myself have been caught up before in a show called, “The Amazing Race.” It seemed innocent yet adventuress. I wanted to travel to these places and play this game! It took some time for me to realize that even this seemingly innocent game was not innocent. You see it belonged to the world and not to God. Time and time again I watch professed Christian contestants asked to compromise their faith in order to win. Take this offering to this god, follow this ritual to honor that god and I’m sad to say they all failed the true test. Faith Their lust for the things of this world began to eat away at their faith and they never even realized it and most don’t to this day. It is not enough to say you love God. Saying you love God is not our ticket to heaven. It’s how we live our lives on a day to day basis which will in the end determine our fate. Funny how most Christians know that Lucifer is the Prince of the Airwaves, but fail to see his lies through it. Verse 2 says he “sears your conscience with a hot iron”, but you can’t even feel the heat anymore because compromises have unknowingly diminished your faith. And verse 7 tells us to “exercise our faith”. Our faith is supposed to be stretched. That’s exercising it. We live inside of the “Fiery Furnace” daily, but not in fear, but in faith! The same faith that Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had when they were tossed in the “Fiery Furnace” in Daniel 1! The flames, the stench of smoke cannot touch us as long as we have faith! We can’t go from Faith to Faith without exercising it and now we are in the days that really matter. This is the time to really exercise your Faith! Let’s face it. We don’t know when Jesus is coming with that judgment seat, but we do know He is coming back! Let’s not fail because we have compromised not only our faith, but our character as well. The falling away is just before the return so hold steady, hold strong and let’s continue to move from faith to faith. I want to see Jesus, but not for a second. I want to see Him forever! Be blessed! Evangelist Cheryl Davies (www.fearnotministries.com) #HaveFaith #SharingIsCARING #IBelieve On this journey that the Lord has been taking me on I've had the opportunity to visit many churches and for the most part I can honestly say that the majority of them are seriously stuck. It becomes ritualistic when you have the same thing going on week after week and let's face it. God cannot move when we refuse to grow. Hopefully today many will get past that and a transformation is ignited by these words the Lord has given me. 1 Corinthians 3:2 says, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." 1 Corinthians 3:2 is a perfect example of the state of most churches and this isn't just in America but worldwide. You are receiving milk because that's all you can stand at this time. Now this isn't for everyone. This is for those that have been "saved" for many years, never miss a service, but never evolved into a true servant of God. A true servant doesn't live 2 different lives. You look the same in church as you do outside of church. You show love when no one is watching as well as when they are. You don't allow others bad behavior to move you out of your place of peace and love. You don't lie nor do you find joy at the expense of others. You give without thinking about your own needs or anything else except the love of giving. You seek to uplift others and not bring them down under the subjection or exploitation of your authority. This is for all of us now and not just the leadership and it's a spirit that doesn't belong to God. You can't grow while under this spirit and you also open the door for other spirits to join in on the fun. So a lot of times we want to blame leadership for this problem, but I'm telling you today that while leadership does share in this fault the real problem can be found in us and our lack of the desire to want to grow. We get used to the ritual and we're not looking for anything to change. In fact, we get upset when others desire more because when that happens an imbalance is created in the church and people become uncomfortable and angry. These however, are just growing pains and I'll get to that later. For the most part YOU have to desire more from God. Leaders cannot do that for you. Your Pastor can't move if you're not ready and most Pastors really want you to mature. They love to see that shine that says, "Yes they're getting it and I can give them more!" So while we want to blame our leaders for not feeding us meat, we have to look at ourselves first and see if we really are ready for it. I say this so many times but I cannot say it enough. Self-evaluations is the key to growth. Look, acknowledge and then put into action steps that will make you look better not only on the inside but on the outside too. Jesus can't help us unless we can change and change only comes with building on your relationship with Holy Spirit. Speaking to and hearing what Holy Spirit is saying, and I mean really listening. (God gave this ability to all of us but so many never even try to access it.) He says, "But it is good for me to draw near to God." (Psalm 73:28) It's in the drawing that we pull Him in so He can begin that change from milk to meat. The church that doesn't move can also have a problem with it's leadership also. I really don't like Pastor bashing in any form, but I need to inform you that not all Pastors are qualified to give you meat because they haven't received it themselves. They too can become stuck. Let's face it, we are all human beings and as a human being we are all subject to fault. In the past I've stated my own faults openingly and have overcame most of them. Being a leader does not make you impervious to error nor fault. It's the leader that thinks he doesn't err that you have to look out for. As leaders we must grow! We should be in a constant cycle of growth in order for those we pastor to be able to grow under our guidance. We have more to lose because of who we have been called to be. James 3:1 says, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." We have more to lose if we are not leading our people to maturity and leading them to maturity begins with a servant's heart. No one in the kingdom of God is above their brethren titled or not. We that lead are in need of humility more than our fellow man, but humble hearts must also contain all the other fruits of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. These are basic requirements for leadership and are the things that help you to make wise decisions concerning those you lead. They lead to discernment and so many leaders have no discernment which means the fruits of the spirit are lacking in them. Um hm, time for that self-evaluation. Yes, one of the hardest things to do is to lead and even harder to Pastor because when others look at the body they lead they see what the leader is lacking in. The body of Christ and its leaders are a reflection of each other. If the church isn't in constant motion, growing and maturing, more than likely neither is the leadership since it's the leaders that inspire its body to want more. To want to draw nearer to Christ and to desire the meat! You have it in you to inspire your members to move forward and not be complacent with their present state. Growing Pains of the Church in Motion: Sometimes when a church is transitioning from standing still to motion it can cause a lot of friction. You will always have those that are not willing to grow (mature). They hate change because they erroneously believe that change has to do with them breaking their ritual or their position. Growth and position are related in the natural world, but in the supernatural world of the spirit you don't have to worry about position because you'll never be demoted in the kingdom of God for an increase of maturity. This is an alignment and unalignment state. Those not flowing with the head will need adjusting. By adjusting I'm not saying turn them away but some private sessions of ministering will be needed. They just need help breaking the cycle more than some. One of the hardest things to do is to change the way a person thinks but if you work on their spirit first the heart will follow since our minds aren't made to deliberately go against our hearts. These things are internal so they'll have to be changed internally. It's mandatory to handle these situations immediately. If not you will begin to see a falling away of the body because no one likes friction in the church. It's important for you to stay through the growing pains, but there is a big difference in growing pains and a church desiring to grow while actually standing still. You must discern which you are so that you may take the appropriate actions. To stay in any state but motion can be death not only to a church but also to its people because it's very painful to stand still when your spirit is in the move position. If you are experiencing problems in your church you must discern which position you are in so that you can take the appropriate actions needed to transition the body of Christ into a place of maturity. I hope this bless and inspire you to don't give up on the church but instead to work as 1 body of Christ to build a strong church. Evangelist Cheryl Davies (www.fearnotministries.com) #DontQuit #FoundInTheSpirit #Leadership #JesusIsLord #WhichChurchAreYou #SharingIsCaring Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Around this time of year there is always a great sadness in my heart, but we must remember to be thankful for the Word of God. My loving son and first born, Michael, would have been 35 this month. I remember how when he died I cried out to the Lord with every inch of my being and He was faithful to grant me peace in the face of such violence. I know that God never said we would not have sorrow. In fact, it’s just a part of life that we will all go through at some time or other and not just once but several times. That’s why the relationship we build with God is so important. No man could really comfort me at the time of my loss the way I needed comfort. It needed to be complete in order for me to just breathe and God gave me that and much more. While family and friends were supportive it was God who also had giving His Son’s life for us and knew exactly what was going on in my mind, body and spirit. He knew my every need and only He could be there for me 7/24. Yes. We will have sorrows, but look at what God also promises us. He promises us that He will always renew our spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 KJV For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. [17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; No more weakness He strengthens our heart! Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. He will refresh not only our spirit, but also our minds. Ephesians 4:23 KJV And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; So if you’re having one of those days where sorrow has crept up on you, take time to reach out to our Father above and allow Him to not only comfort you but to also renew your spirit. And remember, It’s a new day and the sun is shining. Let’s get up and make it beautiful!!! With love, Evangelist Cheryl Owolabi (www.fearnotministries.com) #HisYokeIsEasy #TheComforter #JesusIsLord #FearNotMonistries #SharingIsCaring |
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