Monday, May 16, 2011

NO MORE DEPRESSION!


Depression is of the devil, it is a result of the influence of the devil on the mind of an individual. One who is depressed is pessimistic, disheartened and loses value for life even to the point of desiring to end it. I strongly believe that there is a spirit of depression that, if or when given an opportunity, influences the minds of people. I always count it a privilege to share my experience on how the Lord delivered me from depression. You know, I once experienced depression to such an extent that I laid in bed as though I was physically sick. My body was ok but my mind was terribly in trouble because of the war that was raging in there. The devil came with various thoughts of the sins I had committed in the past and started bugging me with them, telling me that my sins were not yet forgiven me and that I had to do something before the Lord could forgive me of them.

Some how I knew the truth about the matter because I grew up hearing that God forgives us our sins through Jesus Christ if we confessed them to Him (1John 1:9). But for some reasons I started considering what the devil was saying to me and that was where my problem started. I never believed that I would one day in my life contemplate suicide. But I did. I thought to myself; why not just end this pain once and for all? But thanks be to God, in the midst of the darkness, Jesus (the Light) walked in! It was a miracle. When I got healed of it, I made up my mind that I would never live another day of my life under the yoke of depression and that I would never watch anybody within my sphere of influence go through the pains and pangs of depression.

I really don’t know what makes you depressed, but one thing is sure, God has a solution for it in His Word. Here are few lessons I learned from my experience:

1. Depression comes when the Word of God is only in the head and not in the heart – when there is no personal conviction.
2. The devil, if allowed, can have a very strong influence on your mind even if you are born again.
3. There’s a spirit responsible for depression and it operates through negative thoughts. When you stop thinking about the things that make you depressed, you stop that depression.
4. Consciously meditating (thinking) on the Word of God keeps you from the path to depression. You don’t just stop thinking about the evil thought but you START thinking the right thoughts (the Word of God) because your mind can never be idle – at every point in time you are thinking about something.
5. Every thought is a seed that would eventually produce a fruit.
6. Whatever you meditate upon is magnified in your life naturally. As a man thinks in his heart so is he.
7. You have the power to choose what to think on – you are responsible for your thought life. You can’t stop evil thoughts from coming to your mind but you can refuse to think (meditate or ponder) on them.
8. When evil thoughts persist, pray in the Holy Ghost – your heaven language (you must be baptised in the Holy Ghost to do this).

Philippians 4:8 tells us exact what kind of thoughts to permit in our lives as Believers. It says: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (NKJV). This is powerful! This is how it works. Glory to God!

A PRAYER FOR YOU!
Father in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for these ones who are reading, thank You for Your great plans for their lives. I pray that You strengthen them by Your Spirit to walk in Your Word and be perfected in it. I pray that You empower them to think the right thoughts and be free from the influence of depression. Right now I come against every satanic influence over their lives in form of depression or whatever it may be in the Name of Jesus. I declare them free indeed because Your Son – Jesus Christ – has purchased their freedom and made them free. Thank you Father for this in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

THE PEACE MAKERS


What you’re about to read has the potency of changing your status eternally. If you read this closely and allow the Holy Spirit to work on your heart, it will be impossible for your life to remain unaltered. In Matthew 5:9 the Lord Jesus Christ said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (NKJV). How I love the New Living Translation’s rendering of this Scripture. It says “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Who was Jesus referring to as the peace makers or those who work for peace? Was He referring to those who go to war in order to establish peace? Was He referring to those who settle fights and quarrels at local level? Or was he referring to those the world give the ‘Peace Ambassador’s award’? Well, Jesus must have had something different in mind. Understanding the kind of peace He was talking about will give us a clue on the kind of peace makers he was referring to.

The Prophet Isaiah, in prophesying the coming of the Messiah, said this about Him: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6,7; NKJV). Well, time will fail me to explain this portion of Scripture in details. But I want you to observe the underscored phrases and see that Jesus was actually referring to a peace that had to do with the Kingdom of God (The reign of God on earth and in the hearts of men). The Lord Jesus Christ, in His discourse with Nicodemus in John chapter 3, explains that except a man be born again he cannot experience (see or enter) the Kingdom of God – the reign of God (John 3:3,5). The Book of Luke 2:13,14 tells us that when Jesus was born, Angels and a great heavenly host rocked heaven with these words in singing “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (NKJV). The coming of Jesus Christ to the earth was the arrival of peace and with that peace comes good will. That peace was going to unveil the good will of God for man. Man was going to have a new experience because the peace of God has come to earth. Glory to God!

The Peace Makers Jesus was referring to certainly are not necessarily the police force, the military or quarrel settlers. The peace makers are those saints who have taken on the Great Commission as a life style. They live solely for this cause. They are the soul winners. They have personalized the heavenly vision. They are the true ambassadors of the unshakable Kingdom. Whatever they do in life, they put the heavenly vision at the fore front. They can’t live a day without telling someone about the peace that Jesus brought to the earth. They are the ones the Father considers as mature sons (Matthew 5:9b). They are the ones who understand they have been called to the ministry of reconciliation and have been given the Word of reconciliation! They understand their role in forcefully advancing the Kingdom of God. Unlike what you might think about peace makers, these guys are radical with their message of peace. They may look cool, calm and collected but in reality they are hot, armed and dangerous. They are heaven’s work force – ever pleasing the Father. They are on heaven’s pay role – never can they be paid by men. They understand the demands of the Father and they understand the urgency of the task. These folks never give up in their bid to be obedient to the heavenly vision despite the odds. They pray like warriors – ever fighting for the souls of the lost. They easily get heaven’s attention. They are tough and are terrorists to the kingdom of darkness. The devil aims at these ones – they are his target. They wreck havoc in his kingdom. He wants to get rid of them but the more he tries to destroy them, the more they reproduce themselves – they simply multiply.

The Peace Makers Jesus was referring to are those who live for the sole purpose of connecting men back to God through Jesus Christ by preaching the Gospel of Peace. The Gospel we’re called to preach is the Gospel of peace – the Gospel of reconciliation. Everything about the Gospel is PEACE, PEACE, PEACE. The Book of Ephesians shows us that the redemptive work of Christ was a work of peace. Ephesians 2:12-22 is such a wealth of the Peace work of Christ and what it means to us. Jesus Christ made peace through the cross of His death. Hence, a new definition of peace. Peace is no longer just the absence of wars, calmness of heart and mind or quietness in the home. All these could be the effects of peace but not the main substance. Peace simple means connecting with God through Jesus Christ His Son. In John 14:27 Jesus said something so profound. He said “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (NKJV). The disciples will later discover that the peace Jesus was talking about was not just the calmness of mind but something deeper, something that He was going to die for, letting His blood spill on the evil soil of the earth. “What manner of man is this?” They will say once again.

The Gospel we’ve been called to preach is a peace Gospel. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 shows us that. It says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” (NKJV). Reconciliation speaks of peace. There is something else I want you to observe. Just as the Lord was telling us that we who are in Christ are New Creations, He is simultaneously telling us that we’ve got the ministry and the Word of reconciliation and that we are heaven’s Peace Ambassadors if we engage in this peace mandate. That’s good news for me and you! Ephesians 6:15 tells us that “and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” (NKJV). This implies that if you are not an active soul winner, you are not fully equipped for the fight of faith because the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace is a part of the armour of God and the Lord admonishes us to “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (NKJV). Are you a Peace Maker?