Okwuchukwu God's words

*The Word Today*

*Sin is bad for you*

Sun, 27 Aug 2023

‘Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.’ 1 John 3:21

When you knowingly sin, it puts your body under stress. There is actually no such thing as a ‘lie detector test’. The fact is, the test cannot determine if someone is lying. It simply measures how a person’s response to certain questions impacts their nervous system. God designed our system to glorify Him (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). So when you sin, it negatively impacts your body. Even if you have never taken a polygraph test, you can agree that when you have lied, you probably experienced an increase in your heart rate. So when God tells you not to sin, He is not trying to steal your joy but preserve it. Sin robs you of three things:

1) Comfort. ‘“There is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD’ (Isaiah 48:22 NLT). When you knowingly violate your values, you become uneasy in your skin.

2) Character. Your reputation is how others see you, but your character is what you see when you look at yourself in the mirror each day. Your thoughts determine your deeds, your deeds determine your habits, your habits determine your character, and your character determines your destiny.

3) Confidence. Nothing in life is more important than to be able to approach God with confidence. ‘Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ (1 John 3:21-22 NKJV). So the next time Satan tempts you to sin, stop and do the maths. By looking at the bottom-line result, you will be able to make the right choice every time.

*SoulFood: 1 Sam 25:2-42, 1 Peter 3:1-7*

CHRISTIANS AND THEIR MANY GODS

My friends are of a diverse religious inclinations, but mostly Abrahamic. They always say "we serve the same God," referencing our collective recognition of biblical figures such as Abraham and Moses. This is a contradictory yet interesting subject for Christians, because we constantly pray for the anointing and blessings of these old testament figures to come upon us. If these prophets and patriarchs didn't serve God or aren't in Heaven, we won't identify with them, yet they weren't Christians, as we know it. These contradictions, together with the so many divergences between Christians and other Abrahamic religions ask an important question of WHO DO WE ALL REALLY SERVE?

Christians can quickly and easily answer this by claiming monopoly of God, and that includes me. However, I persistently asked this question, and over time, a simple in-spirit response came to my mind. It didn't address specifically the question of serving the same God with other Abrahamic religions, instead it simply ministered— YOUR ACTIONS DEFINE YOUR GOD.

So I ask again, who do we really serve?

In Nigeria, same Christians who claim monopoly of God, out of holiness, condemn their criminal leadership but have never resisted the urge of "abeg find me something, na only me kill jesus?" in their offices;

Same Christians dress well to Church only to "pepper them,"

Same Christians sell their rice and garri in the market, measuring with a cup half the size of its appearance;

Same Christians preach, speak in tongues and fall on the ground, sing worship, fast, pray and prophesy; yet DIVORCE love to MARRY envy, jealousy, greed and unforgiveness.

How about those who overtly say AMEN to every Facebook post, and, as well, covertly say amen to scam, professional harlotry, gossiping, and all that show you're not in search of the word of God but the word of favor, for an enrichment that will satisfy your rotten desires.

All I mentioned above are but the most popular god

Part 3
The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer

Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, then you can pray this prayer right now and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?

If yes, pray now and according to his promise, Jesus Christ will come into your life.

Part 2 of starting a relationship with God
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 5

He Rose From the Dead
“Christ died for our sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred…” 6

He Is the Only Way to God
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.'” 7

This diagram illustrates that God has bridged the gulf which separates us from Him by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins.

It is not enough just to know these three principles…

Principle 4:

We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ
“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” 8

We Receive Christ Through Faith
“By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” 9

When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.” 10

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. You receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two circles represent two kinds of lives:







Which circle best describes your life?

Which circle would you like to have represent your life?

What does it take to begin a relationship with God?

HomeHow to Know God Personally

Should you devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you?

You may be surprised that none of those things will work. But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.

The following principles will explain how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now, through Jesus Christ…

Principle 1:

God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God’s Love
“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” 1

God’s Plan
[Christ speaking] “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” [that it might be full and meaningful]. 2

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life? Because…

Principle 2:

All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

We Are Sinful
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” 3

We were created to have fellowship with God; but, because of our stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own independent way, and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

We Are Separated
“The wages of sin is death” [spiritual separation from God]. 4

This diagram illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful. A great gulf separates us. The arrows illustrate that we are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life, philosophy, or religion — but we inevitably fail.

The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf…

Principle 3:

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him we can know and experience God’s love and plan for our life.

He Died in Our Place
“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 5

He Rose From the