Today singleness is cherished by many because it brings maximum freedom for self-realization. You pull your own strings. No one cramps your style. But Paul cherished his singleness because it put him utterly at the disposal of the Lord Jesus… The contemporary mood promotes singleness (but not chastity) because it frees from slavery. Paul promotes singleness (and chastity) because it frees for slavery – namely slavery to Christ.

 

John Piper

John 15:15

Openness:

 Has anyone called you before and all you could talk  about was the weather.?  You dropped  the phone and thought  to yourself  what a dry conversation. The person was not open.

 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Jesus was open with his disciples, he told them things that were necessary.

If we are going to cultivate good friendships we need to learn to be open. A good friendship requires a level of openness.

Bisi Oladipupo

Loving and serving one another.

When we find wisdom and retain it.

 Proverbs 3:13 

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

 Proverbs 3: 18

She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.

 

 When we have mercy on the poor.

 Proverbs 14: 21

He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

 

 When we trust in the Lord

 Proverbs 16: 20

He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

 

John 13:12-17 

 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?  Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.  If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.  

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

 

Doing things that you are convinced in your heart that is okay for you to do.

Romans 14:21-23 

 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Don’t let anyone put pressure on you to make you  do what you feel is not right.

 

The correction of the Lord.

 Job 5: 17 

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

 We need to be happy when the Lord corrects us. He corrects us for our own good and delivers us from our ignorant or disobedient ways.

 

Suffering for righteousness sake

1 Peter 3:13-14

 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?  But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

1 Peter 4:13-14

 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

 

Bisi Oladipupo

We have all experienced roadblocks at one time or another while driving. Can you recollect when you were driving down to work and meeting a roadblock on the way?  What was the effect of the roadblock?

 Roadblocks generally hinder, slow down your movement and in very bad cases stop your movement all together.

 Peter was one of Jesus disciples, however due to lack of understanding he was almost a roadblock to our salvation.

Matthew 16:20-23  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.  From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.  Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.  But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. 

Notice that Jesus turned to Peter and said ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men’.

Due to  lack of understanding Peter was almost a roadblock to our salvation but Jesus took charge of the situation.

Romans 8:7-8  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

It is easy to be a roadblock to the things of God if we do not have the mind of Christ. Sometimes a lack of understanding stems from a carnal mind or selfishness.

We need to be very careful not to roadblocks to our spouses, friends, children, church etc.

Is the Lord telling your wife or husband to do something and you are opposing it? Not a wise move, it can be very costly to hinder what God wants to do in another persons life.

The things of God in our mind sometimes do not make human sense but lets keep our hearts open and allow the Lord to have His way.

God loves us. If there is anything that you don’t understand ask the Lord to help. Lets us not block or hinder what the Lord wants to do in our churches, or in the life of others.

 Bisi Oladipupo

 Have you ever made a mistake, asked for forgiveness but thoughts are still flooding your mind. How could you have done that after all you know.

 The enemy is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12: 10) and always looks for opportunities to make us feel bad. The account of Peter denying the Lord in the bible was not recorded by mistake.

 Luke 22: 31 – 34 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.  And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.  And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.         

                                                                                                                                                         Luke 22:55-61  And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.  But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.  And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.  And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.  And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.  And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.  And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

If you look at Luke 22 verse 31  it says, ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat’:  I believe that the plan of the enemy was to attack Peter after he had denied the Lord with thoughts and suggestions.

Can you imagine the thoughts Peter had to cast down ‘ You healed the sick (Matthew 10: 1), the Lord healed your mother in law when she was sick (Matthew 8: 14), you even walked on water for a while (Matthew 14: 28- 29), and he warned you that it would happen, and you still denied the Lord.

The Lord is full of compassion and merciful and prayed for Peter before it even happened. Thank God that Peter went on to be a great apostle of the Lord. The book of Acts clearly states how the Lord used Peter. He preached boldly, healed the sick, raised the dead and did exploits for the Lord (Acts 1 to Acts 15).

He is one of the most named apostles in the book of Acts. He also  wrote part of the new testament. Peter received forgiveness from the Lord and moved on.

When we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 ). This means exactly what it says.

Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy, why listen to someone who hates you. It’s the Lord that loves you and died for you.

Have you asked the Lord to forgive you? He has. Now forget about your feelings, forgive yourself and move on to do exploits for the Lord. God has not finished with you yet. He still has great plans for you.

 

Bisi Oladipupo

Romans 8:15

Everyone has to deal with fear at some point in life and most people on a daily basis.

 Fear comes in all shapes and forms. Fear of heights, fear of flying, fear of confined places, the list goes on.

 Before you say, l never have to deal with fear, have you considered the more subtle fears?  

 Fear of making the wrong decision, fear of not letting a 16 year old go out by themselves, fear of not allowing your child to do certain things they enjoy. Most people will not see this as fear, but the root of that way of thinking stems from fear.

 In whatever way fear comes, the bible clearly states ‘Fear Not’ in various parts of scripture.

 Isaiah 41:10

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

 

Isaiah 44:8

Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

 Fear brings bondage, inability to do the things that need to be done. This is not Gods will for our lives.

 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

 There is no excuse for fear and we need to resist fear. The Lord has not called us to bondage.

So what is the answer?  Does this mean l should make careless decisions? No. We need to seek the Lord before making decisions, and we do need to be led by His Spirit. We also need to be wise. The most important thing is that a decision or action is not based on fear.

Next time you are about to make a decision or take an action, ask yourself, is this rooted in fear. If it is, resist it, and as Joyce Meyer says, ‘ do it afraid’. The Lord is with you, remember no need to fear.

Bisi Oladipupo

Bisi Oladipupo

Most of us have been to a bank before to withdraw money or pay in money. In the UK most banks have a notice up that says ‘Beware of distraction thieves’.

 What then is a distraction thief.

 The role of a distraction thief is to distract you from what is important. In a bank that would be your money. The thief will try to make you shift your focus, get your eyes off your money and then steal it. The tactic is to get your focus off what really matters.

 Distraction thieves come to all of us in many ways. You are about to pray and the phone rings. Instead of you letting the call go to voice mail you pick it up and stay on the phone for one hour. You drop the phone and then find it difficult to pray.

 The Lord gives you direction to move out of town for a work He has for you to do. That’s when your firm decides to offer you a promotion and pay rise. Subtle but calling it what it is, it is a distraction thief.

 We need to realise that the enemy is a thief. That is one of his main job descriptions John 10:10  says The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. The enemy does not come with a red hat and announce ‘here l am’ but with subtlety he tries to steal from us.                     

Next time something happens, ask yourself is this a distraction thief? Is this situation trying to distract me from what the Lord is saying to me. If it is, then resist it and keep your focus on what really matters. Don’t let the enemy steal from you.

What a great way to describe a person and a honour. Let’s examine a few things about whom the Lord loved.

 This was the disciple that was lying on Jesus bosom at the last supper.                                                                                                                                             

John 13:23  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Bosom signifies ‘the front of the body between the arms’ (vines expository dictionary of old and new testament words) or a person’s breast or chest (oxford dictionary)

For you to lay on a persons breast you must be close to them and very likely there will be a mutual likeness or love between you.

 

He was the only disciple that could ask Jesus the question that others wished to ask.

John 13: 21 – 26 When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.  Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.  He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

Remember when you were young and wanted biscuits from mummy. What did you do? You sent the one closest to her to ask.

 

He stood by the cross when Jesus was being crucified and Jesus handed over His mother to him.

John 19: 25 – 27  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

Jesus handed his mother to the disciple he loved. Who would you hand your mother over too anyone or someone very close to you?

  

He outran Peter when he heard that the body of Jesus had been taken away.

John 20: 2 – 4 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.  Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.  So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

 

He recognized Jesus first when the other disciples did not.

John 21: 4 – 7 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.  Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

 

Looking at the above it is evident that this disciple was very close to the Lord. He leaned on Jesus breast, asked Jesus a question when the others could not, He was at the cross when Jesus was being crucified, He took Mary, Jesus mother into his own home, he recongised Jesus first when the other disciples did not. He was the only disciple described as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’.

The Lord loves us all, however the truth of the matter is that some Christians have a closer walk with the Lord than others. Have you ever heard someone talk about the Lord and you said to yourself ‘ l wish to know the Lord like that’.

The Lord is no respecter of persons, if we pay the price, obey Him, Love the Lord, thirst after Him, we will have a closer walk with Him.

Do you desire to know the Lord better? Ask him to help you, and as long as you are prepared to pay the price, you will experience a deeper walk with Him. Just as John did and was described as ‘ the disciple whom Jesus loved’.

Remember the Lord loves us all, but there is more room to get to know Him better.

Bisi Oladipupo