GOD’S REDEMPTIVE NAMES

In the Old Covenant, God revealed Himself to His covenant people through Seven Names which showed what was to be the content of the Redemptive work. They are as follows:

1. Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord my Righteousness
“In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:6, NKJV).

2. Jehovah Shammah – The Lord is present with me
"All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE." (Ezekiel 48:35, NKJV).

3. Jehovah Raah (or Rohi) – The Lord my Shepherd
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1, NKJV).

4. Jehovah Rapha – The Lord my Healer
“and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you." (Exodus 15:26, NKJV).

5. Jehovah Jireh – The Lord my Source or Provider
“And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided." (Genesis 22:14, NKJV).

6. Jehovah Shallom – The Lord my Peace
“So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is -Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.” (Judges 6:20-24, NKJV).

7. Jehovah Nissi – The Lord my Banner (Victory)
“But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” (Exodus 17:15, NKJV).

He revealed Himself in parts then but today we have His complete revelation in Jesus Christ. If you are born again, these blessings belong to you In Christ. When any child of God awakens to the realities of these Names, he suddenly finds Himself walking in God’s fullness – His Best!

MAKE ROOM FOR THE HOLY GHOST

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! I pray the blessings of newness be yours this season and all through the year in Jesus’ Name. Amen. This is a great year full of possibilities and I believer what I have strongly sensed in my spirit for a while now that we shall know and experience more of the manifestations of the extraordinary and supernatural life from this year onward and it would continue to increase because the Holy Spirit is up to something really big. Please don’t be left out of this. But you must get ready for it. It all starts with knowing the Person of the Holy Spirit and learning to fellowship and yield to Him daily. While Jesus was on earth He so much depended on the Holy Spirit. Knowing how impossible it was to honour the Lord on this defiled earth without the Holy Spirit, He promised to send Him (the Holy Spirit) to everyone who accepts Him (Jesus) as Lord and Saviour. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to Believers in Him when He was about going to the cross. He said these precious Words: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:16-18. NKJV).

The Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ who has the Holy Spirit living inside of him is in a place of advantage. He is not perturbed by the happenings around him because he has a Helper living within him Who tells him what to do always (John 14:17,26; 1 John 4:4). He has an edge in life. But then, what happens when a Believer would not yield to the leading of the Helper or simply ignores Him in his daily pursuits? Very simple! He struggles and labours like every other unsaved, sense-ruled person. All through the Epistles, I can only see two instances where the Saint is asked to labour. Firstly, the Saint is to labour to enter into God’s rest (Hebrews 4:10,11) and this means labouring to get the knowledge of the Word of faith – labouring in the Word. In other words, this speaks of feeding on the Word of God so much that it becomes part of you to the point that you are the walking Word of God. At this stage you have entered in your rest. It’s your seventh day – you cease from your struggles and labours. Secondly, our labour of love is our eternal investment (Hebrews 6:10). This involves everything we go through for Love’s sake; everything we do to please the Lord or to make the lives of people better than we met them. The labour of love is the Greatest Commandment Jesus gave and it summarizes all other laws ever given including the 10 commandments (Matthew 22:37-40, John 13:34,35). Well, these are very good reasons to labour, or what do you think?

A large number of Saints live their lives void of the influence of the Holy Spirit. Many don’t even know that the Holy Spirit has a ministry in their lives and they keep searching elsewhere for directions and wondering why things aren’t functioning fine. We must come to understand that there is a way out of every trouble but until we listen to the Voice of the One Who knows all things we keep getting stock in life. The Holy Spirit wants to be a part of your daily life and He wouldn’t force Himself on any one. You must make the choice to invite Him to be in charge of your entire life. We can avoid some silly mistakes in life by simply listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. Instead of always looking for how to get out of trouble, we can avoid getting into trouble by learning to just listen to the Holy Spirit. Some mistakes can cost us our very lives, so we must avoid them. Jesus said: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 14:26; 16:13, NKJV).

Perhaps, you’ve been struggling alone in all your pursuits; profession, ministry, business, finances, job, relationship etc. it’s time to make room for the Holy Spirit – your Helper – to set things in order. As you listen to His voice, He would give you counsel that can never fail. People who always make consultations with the Holy Spirit before carrying out actions never lose. The only time they lose is when they forget to involve Him. Never be too much in a haste that you forget your Helper and Counsellor, your efforts become futile. How the Holy Spirit longs to help us daily. Proverbs 3:5-7 says it all: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Also Eccl.10:15 says: “The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.” Start practicing consultations with the Holy Spirit today. He wants to direct your paths. You can never lose with the Holy Ghost! It is time to turn it all over to the Him, let Him lead you into God’s purpose for your life and in the achievement of your dreams and goals from today onward.

David C. Okoye

A REASON TO CELEBRATE

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10,11

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel [The Incarnation], which being interpreted is, God with us. [Divinity in union with humanity]” Matthew 1:21,23

The word ‘Incarnation’ literally means “in flesh”. The word is used to describe the teaching that God through Jesus Christ of Nazareth has taken on human flesh and become God in human form. The Incarnation is the greatest miracle of the ages! It was the only solution to the sin problem which has brought mischief to the human race through the first man (Adam) and it was the only way for man’s redemption to be on legal grounds. Do you know that you are an incarnation by your identification with Jesus? You are hundred percent spirit and hundred percent human. If you are not, then Jesus was not. You must understand that redemption was based on God’s principle of Justice and the Judge of the whole earth cannot be unjust. The Word tells us that Righteousness and Justice are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). However, by virtue of Jesus becoming our substitute, He became what we were that we may become what He was – this is how the law of substitution operates. The incarnation made Jesus the only qualified person to handle man’s misery. The incarnation is also what makes the Saints the only qualified beings to communicate the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to the human race. Christianity is the manifestation of the divine life on earth. This is the reason Jesus committed the Great Commission to us and not to angels or to some other beings. What a calling! This is what we celebrate at Christmas. We celebrate Jesus and what He has made us by virtue of His substitutionary work.

There are many ways of celebrating but there is also the love-way to celebrate, and we as the love-children of a love Father-God must celebrate the love-way. As a Christian you don’t try to become what you are already. You don’t try to love because the love of God is already shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost (Romans 5:5). So then, all you need do is to choose to walk in love. Just as the bird has the ability to fly but chooses when to fly. As love-children we must pass on the Gospel and always remember the poor. Just imagine what men would become if they receive this great Gospel in your mouth and imagine the difference it would make when the poor have something to eat or wear because you are alive. I think it shouldn’t just be during Christmas, it should be a lifestyle. We must ensure that people are thankful to God that we are alive for everyday we live in this world – that's impact!

May this season usher into your life the extra-ordinary manifestation of God’s divine presence
May the anointing of the Spirit cause you to walk in the same direction with the Master
May the Precious Holy Spirit bring excellence and beauty into your life
May the Father-God work on, in and through you to bring hope to hopeless humanity
May Christ be formed in you and may you come to experience the reality of His personality
May you be filled with contagious faith, hope and love in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS & A GREAT NEW YEAR!

With love,

David C. Okoye

ETERNAL LIFE GOSPEL CRUSADE, ZAWAN, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! He still seeks and saves those that are lost today as ever! We bless the Name of the Lord for His marvellous works in the land of Zawan. Eternal Life Gospel Crusade, Zawan, Plateau State was indeed the answer to the heart cry of many saints there who have made up their minds not to stop storming heaven with continued, heartfelt intercession until their change come.

The meaning of the word ‘Zawan’ is ‘unwanted grass’ which in reality accounts for the spiritual and physical depravity of the community. The land is known for massive drinking and worship of idols. The Crusade Team would bear witness to the fact that we faced no little opposition to get the gospel to that land even from the Churches there. There seemed to be a kind of terrible coldness about the spirituality of the Churches in Zawan. But thanks be to God who had purposed to bring salvation and liberation to the land. On the first day of the Crusade, we had 84 decisions for Christ and 88 on the second day totalling 172 souls for Jesus! But it didn’t end there, by divine instruction; we claimed the entire land for Jesus as strong intercession and prophetic declarations were made over the land.

We had barely finished the day 2 service when a brother informed us that the venue we used for the Crusades was actually the community’s spiritual alter. It was then we recognized how great a deliverance the Lord had brought to Zawan. Not only were souls won, the Churches were also set ablaze with a holy flame to take the whole community one time for Jesus! The present state of Zawan is described in Isaiah 62:4 “Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.” The Lord gave us these worlds for the community. The demonic alter has been replaced by the eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ! The Churches in Zawan would never remain the same again as a fresh fire has been kindled in their hearts for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

HOW TO HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYDAY!

It’s very common to here people wish each other “have a great day” but we have hardly taken out time to define what really a great day is. Well, I don’t know what your definition of a great day really is. From the Scriptures, I see the following to be what a great day is and how to have a great day:

1. Start everyday with Prayer and the Study of the Word of God – this brings peace, tranquillity & holds the day together. I’m a witness to this.
2. Make up your mind to and really do something in relation to your Purpose in life (Your life assignment) – everyday.
3. Make up your mind to and really live daily for divine love – let someone be happy that you’re alive everyday (evangelise, give out something, help someone, share encouraging words etc).
4. Invest every time of the day in something productive or expedient (an idle man is…).
5. Watch what you say, see or listen to. Avoid places where unhealthy words of fear, failure, strife etc. are spoken. Words are very powerful!
6. Be sure to ‘jist’ or talk with The Holy Spirit moment by moment daily. He’s your Big Friend who cares.
7. End everyday with prayer of thanksgiving to the Father. Let The Lord have your last word as well as your first word.

Now you know th1s. If you practice these daily, things would change – you will change. HAVE A GREAT DAY!
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24.

YOU NEED THIS NOW!

Do you know it only takes a choice to determine your eternal destination? Jesus says "... I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). The devil's purpose is to destroy you so that you cannot possess the life Jesus offers you. The choice to remain in the kingdom of the devil or to be transferred to the Kingdom of God is yours. God wants you to come to the side of eternal life and for that to happen, you must choose to accept what He has accomplished through His Son (Jesus Christ) for you. Just pray this prayer sincerely from your heart. It has to be now, please do not procrastinate. Make it NOW!

Dear God, thank you for giving your Son Jesus Christ to die for my salvation making it possible for me to possess eternal life instead of eternal death. I confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and I believe in my heart that you raised Him from the dead for my justification. I declare that I am saved, I am born again, I have eternal life. I ask that you also fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me connect with your eternal purpose for my life. Thank you Father, in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Congratulations! You are now born again. It is important that you get a copy of the Holy Bible, read it and pray everyday to your Heavenly Father and attend a Bible-based Church. You can also get in touch with us, we shall be glad to hear about your salvation.

TIME IS SHORT!

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

It’s so amazing how many people live their lives as though life begins and ends in this present world. This world is coming to an end – this isn’t out for debate. The Lord Jesus clearly gives us the signs by which we shall know the end of the age in Matthew 24 and we see this in many portions of the Scriptures prophetically highlighted. “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,” (2 Peter 3:11). The best way to live as Saints of the kingdom of God is by living on earth with eternity in view. This consciousness would help us a great deal. We must always have eternity in view to be able to do things of eternal value. You would agree with me that so often we get carried a way by the cares of this world that we forget what really matters with the Father-God. This ought not to be.

Time is precious, time is opportunity, time is value, time is asset, time is treasure, time is everything! When we leave this earthly world we simply leave the realm of time into the realm of eternity and it is what we do with our time in the world of time that determines our placement in the world of eternity. This is very important and it should get your attention like never before. In the business world, they tell us that time is money, the fire service men would also tell you that delay is dangerous, so would the medical world re-emphasize! Time is God’s gift of value to man. God doesn’t operate in the realm of time and so He sees things differently from men. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” To the sinner, time is hope for salvation and once he misses it, he sinks into the realm of eternal death (2 Peter 3:4, 9). To the Saints, time is opportunity to store up eternal treasures as we spend and are spent in the extension of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Lord Jesus says in Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This is the heart beat of the Father-God! We must act for Him in the rescue of lost humanity. Do something about the Gospel of Jesus everyday you live on earth. This is your only opportunity to make history – to let the whole world know that Jesus is alive and well! We must act fast or we lose! Get going now – it's all for Jesus!