Author: Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

The Bible tells us that God will correct us because He loves us and is delighted in our prosperity. He will not live us to wander in our unrighteous ways. He will rebuke, chastise and discipline those He love just like any father will do to his children.

“My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Proverbs 3:11-12).

It is God desires for every one of His children to continue to grow in their relationship with Him. The reason is obvious from the Bible: until we grow up, we won’t be able to enjoy the privileges God has provided for us as His sons and daughters.

“Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: {elements: or, rudiments}” (Galatians 4: 1-3).

Other people might be responsible for where you are in life, but nobody is responsible for your continuing to stay where you are.
Until you stop finding fault and shifting blame, you will not rise up and take responsibility for your advancement in life. Here is what God want you to do from today on:

Don’t blame the devil, resist him (James 4: 7);
Don’t blame God, obey Him (Genesis 3: 12-13);
Don’t blame your challenges and predicaments; fight your way through them by faith (Number chapter 12-14).

It is time to know that changes are initiated rather than expected. Changes do not happen by chance, they happen because someone initiated them. When it was dark and void all around, God initiated change by introducing light. He said “Let there be light”.

“In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared” (Gen.1: 1-3)

God wants you to believe today that in Christ Jesus you have been given a NEW NAME. You have identified with your old names, your past and failures long enough.

God has given you new name in Christ, so stop wearing the old name tag given to you by people, by the enemy of your soul or by your circumstances. Believe in the wonderful possibilities available to you now in God because of your new identity in Christ.
Begin to identify yourself with your God given name! Only thus will you be able to realize your potential in God.

One of proofs of your love for God is to love those whom He loves. You know that God loves the Church of Jesus Christ, and that He also loves the lost people (who have not yet come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ).
How your love for God is reflected in your attitude towards the church and unbelievers around you?

Do you have the passion to see His church grow and to advance the values of the Kingdom of God through His Church
Do you have the passion to see His lost sheep brought back to his fold?

1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mathew, 5:3). This talks about dependency on God. Our lives depend on God. And since we realize our dependency, we must continually come to God and spend time with Him. This is a foundational step in becoming the salt of the earth and the light of the world; we must live a life that is totally depended on God!

2) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Mathew, 5:4). Sin, unrighteousness and injustice that surround us must motivate us to pray and mourn before God, to stand in the gap for our land. It must motivate us to repent of the sins and unrighteousness of our nation. When we look at the things around us with God’s eyes, then everything that grieves God will grieve us as well. This is where passion is born and a vision for change is conceived.

As we concluded earlier, it’s impossible to please God without understanding our role and purpose on the Earth. We also mentioned that God helps us to reach such understanding through His word. Metaphors used in the Bible help to reveal what God expects from us and how we can please Him.

There are many metaphors used in the Bible to reveal to us what are our essence and our task on the Earth. The word “messenger or “ambassador” is one of them. Paul uses this word in his letter to Corinthians:

«Namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God». (2nd Corinthians 5:19-20).

Heaven is the place from which Jesus rules and reigns over everything. What God says about us in His Word is the truth which we must believe. Now we have God’s nature in us and it must be continually fed and nurtured. We must believe that now we have heavenly authority and power that was given to us in order to destroy the works of devil on earth. That is what Jesus did when He walked on the planet earth: He destroyed and undo the works and intentions of the devil. He set an example for us to follow in His foot steps:

«For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil» (1 John, 3:8b).