Kingdom Empowerment for Your Situation

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TOPIC: BUILDING A GODLY RELATIONSHIP       (EBUBECHUKWU OBISIKE-OJI)

Our series titled (Kingdom Empowerment For Your Situation) starts today. Our major text is Matthe 16:19. The main aim is to impact the fellowship through the power of knowledge on ways to access the riches of the kingdom in order to live as overcomers.

Today, we are talking about ‘Building a Godly Relationship’. A Godly relationship is a relationship whereby two individuals who love and fear the Lord have decided to go into, with God at the helm of affairs and at the centre of it all. Since, it is a Godly relationship and not a worldly kind of relationship, they will do things in line with God’s standards.

Before you decide to go into a relationship, you both must define the relationship- what is the purpose for going into such a relationship, how long is it going to last? What do you hope to gain from the relationships? Where is it taking you to? Etc. Most importantly you must seek the Lord’s consent and opinion about your intentions since your relationship is a godly one which seeks to please the Lord in every way, you could also let your family as guardian know your intentions. It helps.

In building your relationship, 3 keys should be considered:

-          Honour the Lord (2 Timothy 2:19)

Even though we are in this world, we are not of this world. God has a standard which we must follow here on earth. That is why, whenever we fall short of any of them, God deals strictly with us because He expects that we should know better. When both of you honour God in your relationship, you both can come together ask the Lord for something in prayers and He will grant it unto you.

-          Contentment ( 1 Timothy 6:6)

You have to be content with who and what your partner is. Do not compare what is, and what is not in your person or partner. Until you are content in your relationship, you will never be committed to it.

-          Commitment (Amos 3:3; Proverbs 22:29)

A relationship is an investment. Give it your best, do not be a liability but an asset. To be committed to your relationship, it takes a lot of sacrifice, resources and time; plus the God factor which is the most important of them all. Remember, He is the one in charge, you both must make it a habit to always check out thing s with him and with each other. Do not assume but communicate about everything possible so that there would not be any misunderstanding. Talk about your progress and your targets.

When you work with these three key, you will find out, whatever you face will be a walk over because the Lord is in charge, you both are content with each other and are committed to ensure that you enjoy and not endure your relationship.

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TOPIC: UNDERSTANDING YOUR POTENTIAL      (Bishop Daniel)

TEXT: MATTHEW 25:15; Proverbs: 18:16, 17:8

Potential  comes from the root words ‘Potency’ and ‘Potent’ refers to all the things you can be successful at if you develop and use your gifts, talents and natural abilities. It is arguably true that everyone of us have within us the seeds of greatness. Those seeds of greatness are those potentials that need to be tapped in order to change our fate, redefine our destiny and change our lives.

Until you know your potentials, you will not be able to understand what you cna excel at and who you can become. And until you understand your potentials, you will not be able to maximize your potentials.

BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF THOSE THAT UNDERSTOOD AND UTILIZED THEIR POTENTIALS

-David – 1 Samuel 17:25, 34:37

-Daniel- Daniel 1:4

-Paul- 1 Corinthians 4:12a

-Jeremiah- Jeremiah 1:4-10

- Jesus Christ: Luke 4:18

THINGS YOU STAND TO SUFFER WHEN YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR POTENTIALS

A.     You have chosen to be weak (Exodus 10:10-15)

B.     You have chosen to be inferior(Job 13:2)

C.     You have chosen to remain poor

D.     You have chosen to go into captivity(Isaiah 5:13)

Captivity is the presence of lack of knowledge and understanding(Luke 19:44). When your external becomes more expensive than your internal then you are in trouble.

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TOPIC : YOU AND YOUR CAREER         (Bishop Chidozie)

TEXT: Matthew 16:19, John 8:5, Matthew 6:33

Everybody is created by God with a pre-destined future, and it is God’s ultimate plan to see that you achieve and fulfil that future.(Jeremiah 29:11). The first thing we should do as Christians is to seek this kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33, Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 4: 20), get the keys of the Kingdom( Matthew 16:19) and live our everyday lives in the kingdom of God (Phil 3:20). Of course you cannot become who God pre-destined you to be if for you are not a Christian/ born again(Amos 3:3).

It is very necessary to become a man or woman of the kingdom as we pursue our career because, even as Christians, the devil can still cut short our lives as ordinary men.

Dorcas, though a good Christian with a blissful tailoring career and a blossoming philanthropic N.G.O died all of a sudden. If not for Peter( a man of the Kingdom) that would have been the end of Dorcas and her blissful career (Acts 9:36-41).

Another example is Esther. Though she was a queen, and knew modelling so well, she still used the kingdom keys of prayer and fasting to save herself and the Jews from the evil plot of Haman (Esther 3:8-11, 4:13-17)

Stephen  (A caterer. Acts 6:5). Jesus (A Carpenter . Mark 6:3) and Joseph (A prime minister) are few examples in the Bible that fulfilled purposes with the power (1 Corinthians 4:20) of God.

Paul, Esther, Joseph, Jesus etc were constantly threatened with death, but none of them died until they had successfully fulfilled purpose. This is because they were people of the kingdom.

You can be successful in life without God, but you can never fulfil God’s purpose for your life on your own. It is also important to note that the devil has every power to cut your life short and ensure that you end up as a failure in life if you do not partner with God, seek His kingdom, and prayerfully and righteously walk with God.

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TOPIC: THE SECRET OF SUCCESS                   (PAPA SAMSON)

TEXT: MATTHEW 16:19

The aim of teaching is to empower for performance based on teaching to experience the kingdom’s life here on earth. When we go to the book of proverbs 24:13 we see the principle of the power of the word of God and the information.

Another aim for the teaching is to make known to the believers a benefit on divine direction landing which is aiming and enlightening us on how God leads, this can be seen in John 5:30.

Then finally, the power of prayer and fasting to actually give your life a meaning. Luke 4:1 which talks about Jesus who was in the wilderness and that was the discovery of his ministry so if Jesus could fast for 40 days and 40 nights. Then why not a childof God? To actually find a meaning to your life, prayer and fasting is very important.

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TOPIC: FULFILLING YOUR PURPOSE (Pastor Chioma Courage)

Text: Romans 8:26-30, Hebrew 12:1-2, Jeremiah 1:5

The first question one should ask himself/herself is; What is the purpose?

Purpose according to the dictionary is the reason for an action or for your existence.

-It is the essence of your living;

-It is your destination;

-It is God’s plan or will for your life.

‘To fulfill’ means to achieve something desired or promised. It also means to meet a requirement. Note that fulfilling purpose is a process and it takes people who will listen and obey. (Deuteronomy 28:1-4); People who are patient (Hebrew 12:1-2, 2 Coritnthans 3:16).

This qualities are typical of Jesus and the disciples who for the mark of the higher calling endured all pains, persecution and tribulations as to ensure we are here and who we are today. That is to say no matter how long it takes to come to pass or even when it seems as if it is not about to happen, wait for it, fo it will surely comen to pass as the Bible said in the book of Habakuk 2:3, “ For the vision is for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

STEPS TO FULFILLING PURPOSE/ DESTINY

I.                   Discovery:

When you discover, you recover, until you discover your purpose in life you will not fulfil it. You will look like a destitute. Just like Paul, Galatians 1:15, who was more or less a rascal (He only moved about killing Christians even with all his degree) bout when he discovered his purpose he wrote more than half of the new testament  which still speaks in his absence.

MOSES: He was a herdsman after he ran away from Egypt until he discovered Jesus in the burning bush; Exodus 2: 3.

ABRAM: When he discovered he became Abraham

Note: “The Jesus you see is the Jesus you become.” 2 Corinthians 3:16

Nobody can determine his destiny/ purpose. You can only discover this through  the help of God because He is the manufacture and He knows the purpose of His products. God is our manufacturer and He alone can manufacturer and he alone can determine our purpose. Psalm 100:3;  Psalm 139: 14; Jeremiah 29: 11.

II.                 Asking:

For one to discover you have to ask Him(God). The truth is that most of us are waiting for Heaven but Heaven truly has been waiting for us. Matthew 7:7-8; Isaiah 30:21.

Note that in your asking be patient for your future is in God’s plan . Proverbs 19:21, Isaiah 48:17.

III.             Praying:

Be ready to pray because life itself is a battle field and not a play ground, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” Philippians 2:13. Just like in the military, for you to attain the position of a General you have to go to war college.

IV.              Look out for those who are fulfilled and be ready to learn from them. Daniel 12:3

V.                 Your purpose can be discovered through what you have passion or enthusiasm for, that is like a pointer to why you were created. Nehemiah 1:4

KILLERS OF PURPOSE FULFILMENT

1.      Life without Christ (sin/not being born again) 2 Corinthians 2: 13:14; Psalm 25:14;

2.      Prayerlessness. Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers.”

3.      Wrong connection/ Wrong friends. Proverbs 13:2

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TOPIC: INFLUENCE OF PEERS                                                                  (MAMA RACHAEL)

TEXT: PROVERBS 27:17

Peer  is a person who is the same age or who has the same social status as you do.

Influence: The power that somebody or something has to make somebody or something behave in a particular way.

The power of the peer becomes more formidable when the family relationship are not close or supportive. Proverbs 23: 3

Consciously or unconsciously peer groups affect us. We have 2 types of peers:

-Negative peer

- Positive peer

NEGATIVE PEER. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:23

1.      Peer pressure forces you to do things you are not comfortable doing. Proverbs 4:27;

2.      Peer pressure can lead to loss of individuality;

3.      You lose your originality of thought and conduct;

4.      You lose your identity;

5.      You lose your confidence;

POSITIVE PEER

It is not pressure all the time, sometimes it is inspiration.

1.      Help you reflect on yourself;

2.      Teach you good things and encourage you to follow them;

3.      Transform you to be a better person;

4.      Can push towards achieving your goals;

5.      Teach you to adopt good habit;

6.      Can lead you to make right choices;

7.      Sharpen your personality in a positive way;

8.      Can make you more optimistic and more  confident.

Conclusion: Do not be a friend to an empty vessel, but be  a friend to box of knowledge. Move with peers that will add to you and not those who will reduce you to nothing. Wisdom will helo you to choose the right peer. (Proverbs 4:17, 22-23)