Institute of Church Development

We have reached 500 followers! Thank you for your continued support. We could not have done it without each of you. 🙏🤗🎉

Anyone interested in learning Excel (spreadsheet) from beginner to pro ?

As we kick off the new year, there are a few things we can do to connect our hearts to God in 2022!

Give Thanks and Reflect on God's Faithfulness

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's" will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Confess and Forgive Others

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - I John 1:9

Reflect/Evaluate Your Past Goals. Set New Goals.

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” - Proverbs 16:3

Ask for Wisdom

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." - James 1:5

Seek [Wise] Counsel

"Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end, you will be counted among the wise." - Proverbs 19:20

The past year has been full of highs and lows. Many of us have experienced more than we could have imagined due to the chaos the pandemic has caused throughout the world.

Let us join together to pray for a move of God this new year as we seek to have the best year yet! May God lead you as you lead those around you!

🙏 What are you praying for the most in 2022? 🙏

Journeys of faith bible studies
These lessons will help you to know more about Christ and apply the word of God in your life. As the saying goes; ‘The most important thing is not how much you know the word of God, but holy you obey and apply it in your life’
Each week I will be sending one or two lessons
Take time to read and answer all the questions, pray and seek God’s guidance

13 Till I come, devote yourself to [public and private] reading, to exhortation (preaching and personal appeals), and to teaching and instilling doctrine.
14 Do not neglect the gift which is in you, [that special inward endowment] which was directly imparted to you [by the Holy Spirit] by prophetic utterance when the elders laid their hands upon you [at your ordination].
15 Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], so that your progress may be evident to everybody.
16 Look well to yourself [to your own personality] and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:13-16 amplified Bible
1. Perseverance
A. Definition of perseverance
B. An example from my everyday life
C. A positive example from the Bible: Gen. 6:11-22; 29:22-28; Matt. 10:16-22; Heb. 12:1-3.
D. A negative example from the Bible: Matt. 13:20-21; 26:69-75; 2 Tim. 4:9, 10.
E. Thinking about perseverance in my own life:
1. When have I persevered
2. In what situation did I fail to persevere?
3. What problem in my life could God use to build perseverance?
4. Who can be a Christian model for me of perseverance?
5. How can I develop this quality in my life?
F. A scripture verse I will memorize to help build perseverance into my life: Matt. 24:13; Rom. 8:37; 1 Cor. 13:7; 15:58; 2 Tim. 2:3; Heb. 12:2; James 1:4
G. Self-evaluation:
1. Do I finish books I begin reading?
2. Can others depend on me to carry out an assignment to its completion?
3. Have I established clear goals for my spiritual life?
4. Am I able to set aside distractions in order to reach those goals?
5. Do I have a goal in life I am willing to die for?
6. Do my goals affect my daily life in a perceptible way?
7. Do I have negative examples of those who did not persevere that can be a warning to me?
8. Am I in control of my daily activities so that I do not bounce randomly from one activity to the next?
9. Have I considered what I want to be five years from now? Ten years from now?
10. Would people close to me consider me a persevering person?
11. How long can I go without yielding to temptation in an area of personal weakness?
12. Have I developed the habit of daily prayer?
13. How long have I gone without missing a day of reading Scripture and praying?
14. What appealing distractions have I given up in order to meet my personal goals?
15. Do pressures challenge me to motivation or do I feel like quitting when things get difficult?
16. Am I cooperating with the One who endured the cross to give me the spirit of endurance?

THE REPUTATION OF THE MINISTER AND THE MINISTRY
The reputation of the minister and of the ministry is bound up in two things--character and adaptability. The minister should be a man of sterling character. "Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine," wrote Paul to Timothy (1 Tim. 4:16). Character must come before preaching or teaching. It is the man behind the sermon who makes the sermon weighty and powerful. It is the minister who lives his religion who will lead others to do the same. The message of truth must be more than isolated declarations; it must be underlined by a life. The minister must be a person of unquestioned moral integrity --unquestioned by his church authorities, unquestioned by his critics and enemies, and, above all, unquestioned by his own conscience. The gospel influence and reputation vanish away like a block of ice on a hot stove when honeycombed with superficiality, sham and moral laxity. A musician who has lost his hands must cease his work. A preacher who has lost his integrity has disqualified himself as a teacher or preacher sent to bring harmony to discordant souls. On the contrary, Daniel preserved his reputation as a messenger of heaven and his character before the throne of God and man by holding to his convictions through the crises he was called upon to face--crises that were engineered by wicked, jealous, scheming antagonists determined to knock him out. As a result, his messages bore the weight of eternal truth backed up by the high court of heaven.

Protecting the family

Nehemiah 4:13-15 Family is a beautiful organization that looks different for everyone. One thing is certain though, the family unit is fundamental to society; it is no wonder that the enemy often comes against families. Family problems are not new. In a fallen world, we often fight most with those we love most. In scripture, sibling rivalry crops up right in the beginning from the stories of Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers and so many more. The enemy will do anything in his power to tear down the walls of spiritual protection around those we love. How do we make sure we fight FOR our families and not fight WITH our families in difficult times? In our scripture, Nehemiah studied the situation and then intentionally positioned the people in readiness to fight. I feel this is what God wants us to do for our families. Take your position in prayer and authority in your family. Be on the lookout. Don’t just sit back and think, “It’s always been like this!” and just let strife come and go in your home like its normal. God wants you to fight for your family in the Spirit. Nehemiah was on the lookout; he was actively watching. That’s what we need to do when we fight for our families. Being on the lookout means having spiritual discernment, asking God for eyes to see as He sees. When our family members do or say things that are hurtful, we are tempted to get offended and fight back. Instead, being on the lookout means asking God “What is really going on here?” Instead of fighting back with angry words, ask the Spirit for discernment to identify the real enemy and to identify what is really going on below the surface! You may find that your family is angry because they are struggling with fear. You may find that their irrational responses are linked to deep insecurities. When you see your family through God’s eyes, you can fight the real enemy – the fear, the shame, the doubt behind the family member and not the individuals themselves. God brought you into your family because He knew how much they need you. No one gets everything right! So if you’ve made some mistakes, it’s okay. But now is the time to stand up, take your authority and wage war in the Spirit for your family! Don’t just let habits continue because they’ve been there so long! Take your position. Be on the lookout in lockdown.