MAINTAINING A HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE (PART 2)

It’s good to maintain a healthy perspective of life. Most people spend their lives chasing after things that mean nothing in the long run. Eventually, we find that our lives are centered on so many mundane things and we forget the things that are worth living for. If you don’t put life in perspective, you will discover that it is empty. When you take the time to think about life outside of God, you will see that all the things we chase have no meaning. Without God, we are nothing. It is what Jesus has done for us that gives our lives meaning and makes it worth living. Life cannot be lived with material and superficial things at the centre – shoes, money, clothes and the like. Life is beyond all this. You should be able to identify with a vision that is so precious to you that you are committed to it no matter what. This is something that goes beyond you and transcends material things. You should seek eternal value over material and earthly substance. Your life should have a meaning beyond things. Your life should have meaning beyond self – what I should get, what I shall eat, what I shall wear, what I should have.

I once heard a preacher say that the summation of life is obtaining salvation for yourself and helping as many others as you can to obtain salvation.
Do not be unconcerned about the people all around you because you are blinded in the pursuit of your own gain. When God leads you to be a blessing to others, do not back out because you want to have your own things first. That kind of life will choke you. Be motivated to bless and help others with the power of God. If you take your attention off of yourself and put it on helping the next person to get blessed, you will realize that all your problems are solved. You should spend yourself and your life for others, for the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).
Don’t be that person who is totally self-centered and has no compassion for the next person. Be a blessing to people beyond what you can get in return in terms of appreciation, acknowledgment or fame. Would you still do the things you want to do even if no one notices you? Would you do the things you think are right even if there are no returns on those things? Do not live a life of convenience only. Put yourself in a place where your life has an eternal purpose. Put eternity in focus as you live. We cannot put our hope and faith and all of our attention on the natural and the physical. The physical will perish and decay. If you put all of your focus on things that are only found here on earth, in time, there will be no legacy left to your name and your stay here on earth because all will fade away. There’s not much you can get out of just trying to achieve things solely based on the physical.

What is the motivation behind all of your ambition and your big dreams? The world is changing, evolving. Technology is improving, knowledge is increasing. There is so much more than just trying to prove that you are something in the here and now.

There is more impact in your life when you take up others in your heart. Reach out of yourself and help others.
Let God put a purpose in your heart, and pursue it. Start from where you are by serving where God has placed you. Recognize the seeds that God has put in your hands in order to manifest what is on the inside of you. Understand that God’s Kingdom works by the principle of the seed. It is the one who is faithful in little who will be made ruler over much. Spiritual responsibility dictates that you watch over that which God has put in your hands, no matter how little it may seem. God never began anything big, no matter how large the ambition. Men must learn that God will build you. Everything does not start and end with you. The Bible tells us not to despise the days of little beginning. Ambition is good, but do not despise starting small.

MAINTAINING A HEALTHY PERSPECTIVE OF LIFE {PART 1}

I once heard a preacher say that the summation of life is obtaining salvation for yourself and helping as many others as you can to obtain salvation. If you don’t put life in perspective, you will discover that it is empty. When you take the time to think about life outside of God, you will see that all the things we chase have no meaning. Without God, we are nothing. It is what Jesus has done for us that gives our lives meaning and makes it worth living. 

It’s good to maintain a healthy perspective of life. Most people spend their lives chasing after things that mean nothing in the long run. Eventually, we find that our lives are centered on so many mundane things and we forget the things that are worth living for. Life cannot be lived with material and superficial things at the centre – shoes, money, clothes and the like. Life is beyond all this. You should be able to identify with a vision that matters to you; something that goes beyond you and transcends material things. 

Your life should have a meaning beyond things. Your life should have meaning beyond self – what I should get, what I shall eat, what I shall wear, what I should have. Don’t be that person who is totally self-centered and has no compassion for the next person. Be a blessing to people beyond what you can get in return in terms of appreciation, acknowledgment or fame.

- Pastor Adah Igah

 

The Blessing Of Sowing

2 Corinthians 8:9

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10

But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

There is a mentality of the righteous, and giving is that mentality. Righteous people give. Not everything you get is for your use; some of those are meant to be given. Overflow comes from giving, not from hoarding. In the math of overflow, God brings the harvest just as fast as, or even faster than, the seed is being sown. The just (righteous) give and they give valuable things. Selfishness brings suffering because it causes men to have what they don't need, keep what they don't use, and refuse to give what they should. They suffer because they think only about themselves.

Give, and have some faith that God can take care of you.

What do you have in your hand? Be as practical as possible when walking by faith, but make sure you walk by faith all the same. Start from somewhere.

Do not kill the faith in your heart concerning your seed. Do not say, "It is a small seed, it is not much". No. Your seed is always great, unless you diminish its value by your words.

Start with the little you have in faith. Do not condemn yourself on the seed you sow. Judge yourself by what you have, not by what you do not have. Do not fold your hands when there is seed in front of you to sow. You always have seed to sow; ALWAYS.

Learn to encourage the faith of others. You cannot and you will not see and experience increase thinking about yourself alone. Believe God and give. Learn to give more than your money as well. Give material things to people, give your time, give your resources and give your faith in helping others.

God never limits anyone.Your giving always makes room for harvest; it gives God room to bless you.

IF IT CANNOT MEET YOUR NEED, IT IS A SEED.

Use seeds to solve your needs.

Learn to be a giver. Give without reservation and without seeming reason. It is easier to start with little. Let giving be a major part of your life. Your giving will always be move you forward.

God is your source. He is your ever-increasing money supply. Jesus has delivered you from lack, from poverty, from selfishness and from not having enough. He has delivered you from management of anything. He is faithful to provide you with a seed, and He is faithful to multiply your seed sown. He is your supplier and He is the multiplier of your seed. Sow. Give. He is faithful!

With a seed in your hand, you can get anywhere. God will multiply your little. He is faithful. Sow your seeds. Expect. Press in. Press into the manifestations of the spirit of God.

Pst Adah Igah

SGC trusts You

Lord, SGC Makurdi trusts in you.
You are our strength
You are our supply
In You, we have the victory
By You, we have taken over whole nations
In Your name, we have resettled abandoned cities.
We are not afraid of lack
We are not afraid of the opposition
You have given to us in abundant measures
The anointing for abundance
You have made us overcomers
More than conquerors
By Your love.
Lord, You are our Source
And we lack for no good thing
Your mighty hand of favour is upon us
Your anointing rests upon us
Like the morning dew upon fields
You have supplied all the need
Our prosperity is evident, it is sure
For to us, You swore an oath.
In the sacrifice that gave us life
You changed everything about us
You have helped us to get wealth
You have helped us to make money
You have helped us to prosper
By the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus
You have helped us to lay up gold as dust
You have furnished our houses
With gold and perfumed ornaments
You have given us children –
Strong, righteous and fearless children
You have made us a display for the world to see
You put laughter in our mouths
Songs in our hearts
Grace in our speech
Beauty in our eyes.
Lord, You have given us victory!
You have set us above – like You, with You.
You have made us
You have us made.
Forever we are Your loved ones
We are Your favoured ones
Lord, SGC Makurdi trusts in You;
You are our everything

Live Free in God's Grace

Many believers' entire lives are reduced to nothing more than a sin management program, running the endless cycle of trying to please God by doing stuff or trying to be sinless. We might need to unlearn most of what we know about God because the veil Jesus tore down, religion and mixed teachings are sewing back up to simply prevent people from seeing the love of God behind the veil.

If you are getting tired of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the finished works of Christ alone, I encourage you to keep listening, keep hearing. There is more to it than just trying to please God, which we can't. Keep listening and keep meditating and prayerfully consider the teachings. Living in the open oceans of God's grace is far far better and more rewarding than living in the cycle of defeat of guilt, condemnation, self effort and self righteousness. Embrace the righteousness of God and be established in it. Even if you think sin is getting worse in your life because of grace, keep listening. One experience with the love of God, that pure undiluted love of God for you, unstained by your self effort or basing your acceptance on moral codes of conduct is far more enriching and liberating.

Your sins are forgiven, believe and rest; embrace it, be established in it. Your sins past present and future are forgiven. Keep taking the grace pills. And may the God of peace through the precious gospel of His son Jesus Christ cure the aches and pains that tradition religion and mixed doctrines have inflicted in our minds and hearts.

- Pst Adah Igah

Our Righteousness

Whatever you do and wherever you go, let all things begin from and culminate in the Finished Works of Jesus. This is the basis for our Christian life. If you don’t understand this, whatever you do will result in self effort. We do not pray or sow our seeds trying to convince God to give us things or hear and answer us.

Be established in righteousness.

When we say we are righteous, we mean that we can stand before God without any sense of guilt, inferiority or condemnation – because of the Finished Works of Jesus. Stop thinking that you aren’t good enough for what God offers because of what you have done or not done, when, in fact, it is none of your actions or goodness that qualified you in the first place.

To be established in righteousness, what you should be looking at is “…as He is…” So your definition of righteousness should not be based on anything related to your right or wrong in any way but on Him, Jesus. Your righteousness is not defined by your standards; it is defined by Jesus. You are who He says you are. He is your righteousness. Why? “For He was made sin for us who knew no sin…” (2 Cor. 5:17)

This righteousness is equality with God. Righteousness is having the life of God. This means that the same quality of life and love that He enjoys and dispenses is the exact same that we can enjoy and dispense as well. The same quality of forgiveness that operates from His heart operates from our heart as well.

Righteous men that we are, we need to realize that we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us and we are living in His victory! Righteousness is that we are enjoying all that Jesus paid for on the Cross; we are not trying to be or trying to get. We are victors already!

We are righteous without a single good deed, so also we are prosperous without a dime in our pockets. Faith is believing what Jesus did for us, not trying to achieve your own righteousness.

A Mighty Supply!

"There’s a MIGHTY SUPPLY!" "Breaking forth through those thick dark heavy clouds, is the shining light of the sun in a golden array of colors. Out of something difficult and ugly, a beautiful picture emerges for you," saith God.

What is the 'thick dark heavy cloud'  you are experiencing in your life right now? Take the prophecy in your mouth and break through those dark cloud... It might be the dark cloud of 'not enough', the dark cloud of 'just enough', the dark cloud of 'sickness', the dark cloud of 'inconsistencies', the dark cloud of 'prayerlessness', the dark cloud of 'whatever'.

Take up the prophecy in your heart and in your mouth and break through those dark clouds, let the shining light of the sun (revelation knowledge) of God in golden arrays of colors break through and let the beautiful picture emerge for you now in Jesus name. The picture right now is difficult and ugly but THERE IS A MIGHTY SUPPLY, you just believe and trust that God is able to bring His own words to pass in your life.

Finally, be persistent because it says you are "breaking through", the light is "breaking through" that means there is a force wanting to resist this light but the VICTORY is already ours through CHRIST, so be persistent.

Understanding Ministry Gifts

Your understanding of ministry gifts (apostles, teachers, prophets, evangelists and pastors) helps you to be able to flow better and co-operate with them. This in turn causes the anointing and the manifestations (in your life) to increase. Lay church members are not prophets, even if they do prophesy regularly. The Bible makes this distinction clearly when it talks about the four virgin daughters of Philip the evangelist who prophesied, and Agabus who was clearly spelt out to be a prophet (Acts 21:8-10). The Bible also mentions certain prophets and teachers in Antioch (Acts 13:1).

The ministry of the prophet is characterised by the following:
- A prophet must be a ministry gift and be a teacher and/or preacher of the gospel.
- A prophet must flow in certain manifestations of the spirit on a regular and consistent basis: the gift of prophecy and two or all of the revelatory gifts. The other gifts of the Spirit are optional.
- The laying on of hands accompanies the office of the prophet.
- The prophet teaches and/or preaches on the spur of sudden revelation. A prophet may not teach in a concise, step-by-step manner like a teacher. The idea of prophecy connotes a bubbling forth, so the prophet may catch a sudden revelation in the middle of a certain message and continue in that direction. It is his office in manifestation.

It is important to note that with ministry gifts, one can stand in one, two or more offices, but there is always a major calling/office. For example, with prophets, the teaching ministry usually follows behind. The prophet does not and should not try to put his teaching ministry before his prophetic ministry. So, a prophet should know God’s Word, study and prepare to teach it if need be.
Therefore, we should learn to co-operate with the different ministry gifts and not try to force one to function like another. There are no inferior or superior ministry gifts, they are simply different in operation and they bless us in their diversity as we learn to understand and co-operate with them.

Ephesians 4:8, 11-12: “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors, and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

Ministry gifts are set in the church to edify you. In the same way that speaking in tongues charges you up, so also edification comes by the ministry gifts. These gifts are set in the church by God, through an election of grace. No one calls (anoints) himself in any office. God does the calling. This does not mean that one must be a ministry gift in order to start a church. We see this in Paul’s ministry. He went around establishing churches and leaving them in the hands of elders who would hold the fort until the maturing of a ministry gift who would now handle the church. The most obvious gifts in the early church were apostles, before prophets and teachers began to show up. The first recognized evangelist in Scripture was Philip (one of the seven deacons in Acts 6:5) who went to Samaria and preached Christ (Acts 8:5). The only recognized pastor in the Jerusalem church was James, the Lord’s brother, who wrote the book of James. He pastored the church in Jerusalem and the apostles and teachers were submitted to him because the pastor is the authority in the local church.
The office of the teacher is analytical in nature. He takes the people step-by-step through the nuances and mazes of God’s Word for maximum understanding. He presents the light of God’s Word to the people in the simplest way possible.

A pastor who is a prophet and a teacher operates in basic and simple measures because his mission is to reach out to people on different levels of growth and understanding. A prophet who is an evangelist and a teacher may not be so sensitive as to teach in simple and basic terms.

The pastor is seemingly the least spectacular of all the ministry gifts. One of the most consistent gifts of the Spirit that manifests in the office of a pastor is the word of wisdom. One pastor who had pastored a church for over 55 years was asked the secret to pastoring and he said, “Always have the right answer for people when they come to you.” Sometimes, folks may not come to you one-on-one, but in the middle of a sermon, the ministry of a pastor may come into operation to address the situation of one person in particular. The office of the pastor is much like a shepherd: he will always have a heart for the sheep, and sometimes, for the one sheep, hence the sensitivity of his heart. The office of a pastor works with the anointing and the grace of God, not by personal choice or ambition. This ministry is the only one set aside to shepherd believers: to encourage, correct and be there for the people. All other ministry gifts need a pastor; they need to be shepherded too. Being submitted to a pastor helps the growth of believers a great deal.

Most every other ministry gift, with the exception of the pastor, has itinerary functions. Some teachers are called to travel while others are called to teach in a particular church. Sometimes, there are teachers who are called to teach a particular section in a particular church, for example, the children’s church or the youth group. Such a calling is not less important than one which is required to go round the world. It is all about being faithful in the place where God has called you to.

When you read the New Testament, it would seem like the only ministry gifts in operation were the apostles. This was because the church was in its babyhood stage, and God was using them to set the doctrines and foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:19-22). They were the foundational apostles. The times have changed, though, and the more rampant ministry gift in this present day is the office of the pastor because there are many churches in the world now and people need a shepherd. Still, all ministry gifts are important to the body of Christ, and we must learn to understand and yield to them for our maximum benefit.

- Pst Adah Igah

Established In Right

Isa 54:14

In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

2 Cor 5:21-6:1

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Rom 5:17

17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

The Bible says that we have made the righteousness of God in Christ.

Righteousness is to stand before God without any sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority.

 Righteousness is a gift. Righteousness is a nature.  A nature is a nature –who you are inherently, not behavior, what you do outwardly. Righteousness is not right living; it is a nature that will eventually produce right living because of the inherent right in nature. A person doing right things does not automatically make them a righteous person. It is nature that defines fruit; fruit does not define nature. 

God gave us the gift of righteousness upon the platform of His love. And He did this by the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, in order to make His gift to us legal. God is a just God, and He must have justice. He took His justice in punishing a man –Jesus for us. This justice ended up as righteousness –the gift, to us.  

The gift of righteousness cost Jesus His life, but it has been given to us for free. Knowing that we did not and cannot work for righteousness does not make the gift any less valuable. If anything, the fact that something so priceless is free makes it all the more precious.

We cannot work for this righteousness. There is no amount of effort that can produce this nature or extend this gift to us. This is why we must be established in righteousness. When you are established in this precious gift, you will begin to discover your true nature and you will begin to receive freely all that Jesus did for you. Do not try to work for money or for things. Do not try to work for holiness and right living. Simply receive it. Listen, the way you received righteousness, by simply believing in Jesus, is the same way that you continue to live life in Him. You cannot maintain by your effort what you did not work to get. The works of righteousness are not many; the works of righteousness is to believe. 

Come to understand that you are standing before God without any sense of guilt, condemnation or inferiority. Stop trying to get things from God using gimmicks. If your qualification before God is not based on what you have done or what you do, but on what Jesus has done, why do you feel like you are not good enough for the things that God offers? And why do you feel like you have to convince God to give to you by much praying and much giving? Is your receiving still based on God’s free gift or your actions now? 

It is God that does for us what He does for us; we do not make ourselves great, we cannot help God to make us great. In the same vein, we cannot undo His help to us and for us by our actions.

Righteousness is not defined by anything I can do or not do because it is not based on my standards. Be established in righteousness. Righteousness is all the work of God. 

- Pst Adah Igah

MIGHTY SUPPLY

My eyes are opened and I see what looks to be a thick cloud that is about to rain heavily. However, as I behold the sight carefully, I see in the midst of the clouds some wings in flight. I see winged beings flying, following each other in formation, coming in my direction...and the sight is glorious! From the midst of the clouds, I see the sun rising and forming a golden colour around the clouds. These gigantic winged beings flying so gloriously towards the earth are in multitude.

And as I behold this sight, I hear in my heart, There is a MIGHTY SUPPLY, a supply that is beyond your comprehension and it's a continuous supply, saith God.

This is a supply that has no end. This supply is so great that even if multitudes upon multitudes of angels keep bringing them constantly tail-to-tail to earth, it will still not be exhausted. No! It cannot be exhausted.

There's a MIGHTY SUPPLY! Breaking forth through those thick dark heavy clouds, is the shining light of the sun in a golden array of colours. Out of something difficult and ugly, a beautiful picture emerges for you, saith God.

It's a beautiful picture emerging from what was designed to pull you down. It's strength unequalled; strength untold; strength that will never end, ministered to you continually. Oh the sight is so beautiful; the picture that came out of the ugliness, the darkness and the confusion. I hear in my heart, Jump into this supply; jump in. It's for you.
Rev Arome E. Adah.