Short Powerful Sermons. Heart Touching Sermons. Christian Inspirational Devotional Messages.

Short Sermons #116: WALKING IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 18:01:00 +0000

Do whatever He tells you to do.

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he [Jesus] tells you.” John 2 Verse 5 [NIV]. This is truly heart-touching. "Whatever he tells you." - how powerful an instruction this is!

Do you struggle with obeying God? Or do you question why you need to obey God at all? "What's the point?" some wonder.

This message discusses one good example of obedience to God from the Bible, to inspire the believer.

Christians should strive to obey God always and to keep their will aligned to God's will and purpose for their lives. The Holy Spirit is our ever-present helper in this regard.

This message demonstrates the power of walking in obedience to God and of living a life that is fully surrendered to Him. Your plans and your decisions should always align to God's will.

Oh, how important obedience to God is! How blessed they are those who live in the perfect will of God!

But what does it mean to obey God, in our context? What does it take to obey Him?

In my view, obeying God means hearing His voice (through reading the written Word, or hearing a preacher preach, etc.), and taking action and living a life consistent with the voice.

If you become just a hearer of the message, without obeying it, without living it, you deceive yourself. It is also important to ensure that everything that you are taught is in line with the Bible, for many have been led astray by heresies.

When you obey God, you place yourself under His power, authority, and control - under His wings, effectively. You no longer proceed according to your own desires, but according to God's will and purpose for you at every turn.

Consider this, earthly parents delight in obedient children; similarly, God seeks to delight in you! Just as we enjoy pleasing our earthly parents, we should also enjoy pleasing God.

“Do whatever He tells you.” That was the instruction Mary gave the servants at the wedding at Cana. The instruction applies to you and me in this age, in its full measure. The reverse is also true - never do what He expects you never to do.

Are you looking for a solution to a problem that you might be facing, as the attendees of the wedding at Cana did? Do you have a need that you want satisfied? Are you looking for the 'wine' of your life?

Do you yearn for a victorious and fulfilling Christian life? Do you long for improved fellowship with God? Do you seek the next level in your walk with Him? If so, here is the key: “Do whatever He tells you.”

There was a problem or a need at the wedding at Cana; the ceremony had run out of wine! More wine was required to sustain the ceremony to the end. Yet the prospects of timely finding an alternative source were either quite slim or even nil.

It happens in life; we, as Christians, sometimes feel hopeless, only to later realize that the source of our hope had been right there with us all the time!

I am truly inspired by the attitude and conduct of the servants at the wedding; they demonstrated that they were genuine servants.

Jesus instructed the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” John 2:7 [NIV]. The words of Jesus are one example of the “whatever He tells you” that Mary had earlier talked about.

What did the servants do in response to Jesus’ instruction? The Bible says: “… so they filled them to the brim.” John 2:7 [NIV]. The servants obeyed Jesus. They did not delay, but immediately did as they had been instructed. The servants filled the jars "to the brim". This is a powerful lesson on obedience!

The servants did exactly as the Lord Jesus Christ had instructed them, and just as Mary had also instructed them. They obeyed immediately, not at a time of their choosing, as some Christians of this generation tend to do.

Jesus further instructed them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet” John 2:8 [NIV].

How did the servants respond this time? The Bible says, “They did so…” John 2:8 [NIV]. What a breed of servants this was!

How encouraging it must have been for Jesus to witness the servants walking in total obedience! Unfortunately, some Christians in our generation waver. Sometimes they obey God; sometimes they obey themselves. Sometimes they use their own reasoning. Imagine what the outcome would have been had the servants at Cana tried to first reason out what Jesus was up to!

We need to remain exemplary, as Christians, when it comes to obeying God. If believers won't obey God, then who will?

Some servants would have thought that Jesus was out of His mind, that it was unreasonable for them to obey His instructions. Truly, we miss a lot when our human logic gets in the way of the Holy Spirit!

As soon as the servants obeyed the Lord, the miracle came to pass. Glory to God!

The servants probably did not understand what all this was leading to; they however still did exactly as Jesus had instructed them!

I think that the miracle would not have come to pass had the servants disobeyed the Lord. Therefore, in faith, you should take each step that the Lord requires of you. The first step kick-starts a process; so, without taking the first step, the process will never take off.

I, therefore, implore you today: “Do whatever He tells you.” Whatever! No cherry-picking, absolutely. Even when it is difficult. Even when the sky is overcast. Obey God, nevertheless.

Learn to obey the 'voice' of the Holy Spirit; pay attention to the promptings of the inner man - the still, small voice that whispers into our hearts every day, even today, even now. Some call it 'conscience' for lack of a better word.

I think everybody hears a small 'voice' that normally speaks only three words, "do", "don't", and "watchout!". In some instances, maybe several times, some people choose to go against the voice.

“Do whatever He tells you.” Will you? Always?

Now I pray that the Lord grants you the spirit of obedience and that you may walk according to his will without wavering, for the rest of your life.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may walk in total obedience to God always.

I make various sacrifices in your service, Holy Father, the main of which is partnering with you financially.

I however understand that according to your Word, obedience is better than sacrifice. So, each of my sacrifices needs to be rooted in obedience if they are to be truly acceptable to you.

Sometimes I do your will, Holy Father; sometimes I dare to do my will. Forgive me for straying and equip me to overcome the temptation to disobey you, so that I may conduct my life exactly as Christ conducted His when He walked the earth. Fill me with the same Spirit who was in Christ Jesus, Father, I beseech you.

I also pray for the entire body of Christ, that each member may walk in total obedience to you, and that each member may effectively play their role, so that you may be glorified. Daily we witness in the body of Christ every manner of disobedience, by both the leaders and the followers, giving a very bad picture of Christianity to both the saved and the unsaved.

I pray, Father, that the Holy Spirit might move powerfully within the body of Christ, so that you may raise for yourself men, women, and young ones who are fully devoted and obedient to your will and cause.

I ask all this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Short Sermons #115: SETTING A GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE TO OTHERS

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:43:00 +0000

Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see.” said Philip. John 1 Verses 45-46 [NIV]

Nazareth was a despised town. That is why Nathanael was taken by surprise that Jesus could have come from there. Nazareth was regarded as a desert, where nothing useful was expected to grow.

Nathanael's surprise was quite revealing; "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. What a viewpoint!

People could be viewing your country, city, or village in a similar light. "Can anything good come from there?" they may be wondering. Yours might be a locality that is expected to produce nothing good. Despite this, I encourage you to surprise people like Jesus did Nathanael by originating from Nazareth.

I urge you to surprise people, for the glory of God.

Some 'Nathanaels' could be looking at you and wondering whether anything good could become of you. You should surprise them by leading an exemplary Christian life characterized by purpose, power, authority and focus! Why not?

May you shake the world with the Word of God from right from your Nazareth! May people notice and wonder where on earth you come from! And if they ask, tell them, "From Nazareth of course!"

May you be an example of excellence in a despised locality! May you be a role model to many in a locality expected to produce mediocrity. May you be the face of the possible, against the odds, and inspire many to rise as well.

I eagerly await the time when people shall look at you and exclaim, "Come and see!" Glory to God!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may set a good Christian example by the way I conduct my life.

Father, I come to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches me to live an exemplary Christian life.

Apostle Paul instructed Timothy to set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. The instruction applies to me as well. I need to be a role model to believers in all spheres of life.

Father, I testify that my desire is to live a life worth emulating, a life that is according to your perfect will and purpose for me. I will put all effort toward this, and vow to continuously improve in this regard.

I will watch my speech.
I will watch my conduct.
I will dispense love without conditions.
I will walk in faith.
Purity shall be my hallmark.

I now ask, Holy Father, that the Holy Spirit help me to be like Jesus in every respect, and to conduct my life the same way He did His when He was still in the world. Holy Father, please equip me for this.

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #114: SHOW THEM JESUS

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:31:00 +0000

“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.” John 1 Verses 35-37 [NIV]

This is an excellent example of, and lesson on, how to lead people to salvation; a good example of how to win souls for Christ. This was a very effective method, in my view, judging by the results achieved.

Soul winning is probably the most important activity that the Christian should undertake for the sake of both the Lord and mankind - bringing souls into God's Kingdom.

Tell somebody about Christ before the day ends; win them over to Christ! This is the spirit of the above-cited bible scripture.

You are a Christian, and are now enjoying the benefits of salvation, because somebody took it upon themselves to win you over to Christ. They might not have shared the Word with you; instead, they might just have invited you to a place where the Word was shared, as happened to me. Most likely, it was not a 'special' person who led you to Christ but a very 'ordinary' one.

Soul winning is not just for 'special' people, as some tend to think, and by so doing disqualify themselves from this obligation. It is not just for the eloquent or even the most confident. It is also for people like you and me, the everyday men and women!

Learn to share the Word with people in your community. Speak as naturally as you always do. It is the Spirit of God who captures souls once your words get into their ears. Play your part; never shy away from it! It's quite a bad thing before God to not win Him souls.

How did John do win souls? He simply shouted, "Look, the Lamb of God!" Did John say anything complicated? No! Can you say something like that? Of course, you can!

What happened when John spoke these 'simple' words? The Bible says, "When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus." Aren't you encouraged?

The Lord will confirm your 'simple' words, leading to a harvest of souls. The Lord will empower your words and give them the required effectiveness. So, learn to open that mouth of yours, to the glory of God! That's as simple as it can be.

Remember, communicating or speaking is central to soul winning. That is one of the most important characteristics of a soul winner; you've got to speak. Your words of necessity must be heard.

May you be inspired to shout a few words before sunset, for the glory of God!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may point people to Christ and not to myself. That I may seek glory for the Lord and not for myself.

Holy Father, every second of my life Satan tempts me to exalt myself, instead of exalting the One you sent, Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord.

I am tempted to take credit for the work that You do through me, ignoring the fact that I am only just a vessel in Your service.

I am tempted to create people who follow me, not people who follow You. I am tempted to direct people toward me, and not toward Jesus Christ.

Holy Father, I am tempted to show people how great I am, instead of how great thou art.

Yet without You, my God, I am nothing. I therefore pray, Holy Father, that this fact remains etched in my mind, and that I may walk in a manner worthy of my calling. I should be pointing people to Christ, always, for this is Your will for me.

Holy Father, in this I seek Your help, each step of the way.

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #113: THE VOICE CALLING IN THE WILDERNESS

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:21:00 +0000

“Finally, they said, ‘Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” John 1: Verse 22

"I am the voice calling in the desert." "I am the voice crying out in the wilderness." That was John's answer.

That is what Christians should say about themselves; that's what Christians should be in this life.

That is what you should say about yourself, and honestly so. You should be seen to be calling out, to be truly crying out for the salvation of mankind. It would be unfair of you to claim that you call out or cry out when you never do. But then why should you act dumb when you can speak?

God expects the Christian to be ever calling out, ever crying out, for noble reasons.

While John cried out to prepare people for the first coming of Jesus, we should of necessity also cry out because Jesus is coming for the second time, this time not as a baby in a manger, but as a roaring lion, the King of Kings! That's what the bible teaches us.

John replied on the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord'” John 1:23 [NIV]

Prepare to meet the Lord, John shouted.

A desert is a dry place; not much grows there. John had a mandate to bring life to the lifeless, to make the desert come alive! You have the same mandate!

I take the above-cited bible verse to mean that our surroundings are deserts of sorts; we dwell in deserts because in there are non-believers, who do not have the life of Christ in them. In there also are believers who look absent-minded, who lack the fire of Christ.

So, our calling out, our crying out, is so that we may prepare these two groups to be truly ready for the second coming of Christ.

There are so many voices out there, even among the worshipers. But if you carefully listen to some of the voices, you will realize that they are not designed to benefit the audience but to exalt the self. Such voices are not meant to point the audience in the direction of Christ, but to point them toward self.

Some voices are actually designed to assassinate souls. These voices have no relevance in the straightening of paths for the Lord. It's a pity!

John's voice was no ordinary voice; it was an effective voice designed to change things for the better. So should yours be!

Here is how John sought to bring life to his audience: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" John 1:29 [NIV].

This is truly inspiring. First, John testified that he was not the Christ. Some could instead have sought to deceive the audience by claiming to be Christ!

Second, John pointed his audience to Christ. Some could instead have taken the opportunity to put themselves on the pedestal, pointing the audience to themselves!

If you really want to bring life to the lifeless, point them to Christ. Change the wilderness into a flourishing, productive land.

You are a voice but be careful about the kind of message that people could be getting from you. You need to focus your calling out (your crying out) totally on the Lord Jesus Christ.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may cry out and harvest souls for God.

I clearly remember the day, my God, when a relative asked me to accompany him to your House. He said to me, "Come, let us go to the House of God."

It felt like I was doing him a favor - so that he would not be lonely as he attended church, because I had no business attending church, or so I thought.

Little did I know that this simple step, that simple invitation, would take me out of the world into your household, from death to life. It's been a long time since this happened and up to this day, I still wonder what manner of person I would have turned out to be without you.

I cannot live without You. That's how important You are to me.

Somebody brought me to the place of salvation. Someone in the place shouted like John did, and I was saved.

I, therefore, pray, O God, asking that You similarly make me a soul-winner after Your own heart, that I too may bring many to salvation, that they too may taste and see how good You are.

May Your Spirit lead me in the direction I am eager to go. In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #112: THE SECRET OF GOD'S BLESSING AND FAVOR

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 17:02:00 +0000

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1 Verse 16 [NIV]

I am going to share with you a personal perspective to God's blessings - the way that I have decided to approach this important issue.

Some Christians probably take the same view, but I believe there are many who hold a different view, and that's perfectly acceptable.

There are many things that a Christian is required to do, consistent with their Christian faith. Giving in church is one of them, sacrificial giving for that matter.

We should give because we are supposed to behave exactly as our Lord did as He walked the earth. We are only good to the extent that we are like Him.

If you give, you walk in the likeness of Christ. If you don't, you walk in the unlikeness of Christ. That's as simple as it can get.

I give because my mission is to be like Christ in the world. I give to make a contribution towards the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who has made me stand in this grace.

My desire is for the Word of God to reach as many people as possible, for I know from experience how important for souls this is. That's why I give, and I am totally content with it that way.

I am however very hesitant to link God's blessings to my giving; this is a personal choice.

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not have the strength to give to be blessed. I am however happy and content to give because God expects it of me. I view myself as somebody who is already blessed and is therefore thankful for it.

Here is my point - Jesus first gave; He sacrificed His life in order to give me the right to become a child of God. In my view, that's the biggest blessing ever, and I got it totally free of charge, without me doing anything to get it! In fact, I was pleasantly surprised the moment I learnt that Jesus had done this for me! So, I consider this grace to be the source of blessings.

That's why I view myself as already blessed. Through Christ, everything that belongs to God is now mine as well, because I now am one of God's children and and an heir together with Christ.

So, as far as it relates to my life, I want to view God's blessings towards me as originating from "the fullness of His grace," just as it was at my salvation, when Christ died for me without preconditions.

Listen once more to the opening bible verse: "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16 [NIV]

It is from the fullness of His grace that we continue to receive one blessing after another. We receive blessings because we are His children, and He is the kind of Father who knows what's best for His children.

Parents provide for their children; they got that example from God!

We continue to receive abundant spiritual, physical, and material blessings from God because He cares for us. So, blessings are about Him, not about me.

Can I really 'force' a blessing out of God by some action? I do not think so! I think all I am required to do is simply acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and walk with Him each second of my life.

How do you explain somebody who appears to be doing a lot of good works but still does not see the kind of blessings that he sought to get by such works?

How do you explain a brother or sister who just believes in the Lord, seems to be doing no work at all, yet seems to be getting one blessing after another, even more than any other Christian around him?

How do you explain a blessing that comes years after one has really given up on it?

It is such observations that have led me to believe that the granting of a blessing, and its timing, originate completely from God's grace.

Is this a message against giving? Of course not! Do I recommend giving? Absolutely!

Is it our works that get us a blessing? As far as I am concerned, our real 'work' is to believe in Him; it's not manual work but a work of the heart. Anything else we do beyond that only confirms that we are His children, and it is this status of being a child of God that enables us to access God's storehouse. Well, that is as far as I am concerned.

Give to God. Help fellow human beings. This I urge you. Walk well with the Lord, and His grace shall always be sufficient for you.

That's my perspective. Is this a perspective that you might consider adopting?

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may appreciate the secret of God's blessings and favor.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for all the blessings that I enjoy in life.

I thank you for Christ, who is my greatest gift of all. As a gift, He saved me free of charge. All I simply had to do was to believe in Him.

Now that I am a member of Your household, an heir together with Christ, all that belongs to You belongs to me as well, but not of my doing, but because of the grace that brought me to salvation.

So, all I know is that I should keep believing in Jesus; I should keep the faith. And by so doing I will keep enjoying the good things from your pantry, for You are a great Father who gives only the most excellent of gifts to His children.

Help me, O God. Keep me steadfast in this faith. Hold me whenever I shiver. Continue to direct my thoughts towards things that are above. Rebuke me when I stray, for I long to devote the rest of my life fully to Your cause.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #111: I AM NOT THE CHRIST

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 14:22:00 +0000

"He (John) himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light." John 1 Verse 8 [NIV]

I think we are in some kind of problem as the body of Christ.

The problem, in my view, is that an increasing number of men and women, even teens and senior citizens are, whether by word or deed, trying to take the place of Christ.

Haven't you ever come across church denominations in which congregants seem to, or actually, worship the leader? That's idolatry! The congregants appear not to acknowledge Christ, and by their actions, neither do they seem to have anything to do with Him. All they are eager to do is please their leader, with the leader becoming an idol in God's sight.

Never worship other gods. Never worship false gods. Never worship idols. Never worship your pastor. That is what God expects each one of us never to do!

I have earlier claimed that a Christian, because of their relationship with Christ, is actually a light. Jesus is 'the source light'. A Christian is 'a light by association'. I believe this gives the proper perspective. Just like John, we are not 'the source light' but witnesses to it.

I love John. Some people had mistaken him for Christ. I think some had wanted to make him the Christ.

What did John do when he noticed this? "He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, 'I am not the Christ.'" John 1:20 [NIV]. Glory be to God!

So, when people mistake you for Christ, when people desire to make you the Christ, when people want to deceive you into taking the place of Christ, you, like John, must not fail to confess, but should freely and boldly confess that you are not the Christ!

Failure to so confess would lead you into the devil's trap. Unfortunately, several people have fallen into the trap already, mainly because of their greediness for money, power, and fame.

Worship Christ, not people. Know your place; never allow people to worship you or to behave, even remotely, like they are offering you the place of Christ. Always point your audience to Christ, not to yourself.

You would do well if you obeyed this message.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may know and take only my proper place in the Kingdom.

I come to You, Holy Father, in the name of my Lord, Jesus Christ. Hear me today.

I desire to worship You with a clean, selfless motive - to worship You for You. I ask for Your help in this regard.

Take away the spirit of deception, the spirit of misrepresentation, that tempts me daily to present a false image of myself before humankind.

I am not the Christ. My actions, words and aspirations must clearly and always demonstrate this position.

Father may Your perfect will be my guide always. May Your light shine on my path every day, to the end that I may walk Your narrow road effectively for as long as I am in this body.

Father, I believe that Your grace shall be sufficient for me to see my desires come to pass.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #110: LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BEFORE GOD AND MANKIND [SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIVING]

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 13:46:00 +0000

"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." John 1 Verse 5 [NIV]

This bible verse refers to Jesus Christ, the One who was in existence in the beginning. It refers to Jesus as 'the light'.

According to the Bible, the life of Christ is the light of mankind. This is remarkable; it means that those who have His life have this kind of light in them - the light of mankind.

And it's not just about having this light in you, you must let that light show through you, for there would be no point in lighting a candle if you go on to hide it under a bushel!

This is probably the greatest lesson you will ever learn about how to be a light that shines in the darkness. You must first accept Christ, the light, so that you may be saved.

The life of Jesus Christ is the source of light. In other words, Jesus Christ is the light of mankind. He shines in the darkness and confounds it; not only that, but the darkness has not and cannot overcome this light.

Truly, Jesus Christ has already overcome all manner of darkness so that we too may walk in total victory.

Here is the interesting part: you, through Christ, are the light of your community.

Here is another interesting part: you cannot shine unless you are willing and ready to.

To shine like a light in this world, or to dim like a shadow, is actually a personal choice.

You may be a Christian but still feel and live like there is no light in you; you feel and live like you are like everybody else. That's got to change; all it means is that you are hiding your candle under a bushel! Let your light shine, that's the message of this written sermon.

Let's get practical - how do we, or can we, let our lights shine?

There may be some complicated manuals available on "how to let your light shine as a Christian." But I will give you a very simple method.

People say you become like that which you think about most; you become like that which you look at most; you become like that which you love most; you become like that on which you meditate most; you become like the one you emulate most .... or something like that.

So, you become like Jesus the more you gaze at Him, the more you admire Him, the more you meditate on Him, the more you read about Him, and the more you make Him your point of reference in every aspect of your life.

So here are a few examples of how you can let your light shine:

In sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that light may come to those who sit in darkness.
In the manner in which you speak to others. Your speech should be sound, seasoned with salt, leaving the listener either edified or lifted in spirit. Unfortunately, when some Christians open their mouths, darkness immediately engulfs the listener!
In courteousness, humility, or how you relate to people in general.
In meeting people at the point of their need, to the best of your ability.
In being there for people who are hurting or in bereavement.

These are just examples of how to let your light shine before mankind.

Be a blessing to those around you; that's what it means, in short, to be a light in this world.

If you are wondering how you could let your light shine and have forgotten everything else contained in this written sermon, at least remember to be a blessing to people, like Jesus Christ who sacrificed His life for you and me.

I have come across Christians who seem to sometimes forget that they are Christians. I am sorry about that; it should never happen, not even for a second. One can never be able to let their light shine before men in such a state of stupor!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may be a light visible to those around me, to the end that they may know Christ and be saved, and that they may be encouraged to live hope-filled lives.

Father, I thank You for making me a light to those around me.

I will strive, for as long as I live, to be a source of hope, comfort, encouragement, and inspiration to mankind.

I will devote my life to actions that bring smiles to many faces, young and old and keep clear of any unjust and hurting behavior towards others.

I trust the Holy Spirit, who is my enabler, to lead me in the way I should go, in the words I should utter, in the actions I should take, to the end that You, my God, may be glorified.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #109: THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 13:23:00 +0000

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1 Verses 1-2 [NIV]

The beginning and the end.

What was it like in the beginning? What existed then?

These are questions that people ask themselves from time to time. Many people quickly shelve the questions after hitting a brick wall.

I think we all struggle when we try to get into deep thought about the beginning; it is easy for our thought processes to immediately become overwhelmed. I guess it is because the matter is too spiritual to be approached scientifically.

But here is what the opening bible verses teach us about the beginning - in the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God; the Word, who was with God, was actually God! What a wonder!

I rephrase the Bible verses as follows: "In the beginning was Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ was with God, and Jesus Christ was God." Thought-provoking, isn't it?

This is how Christians ought to visualize "the beginning".

If any Christian still seeks another explanation, my advice to them is - the opening bible verses neatly sum up what we have come to believe.

Now to the part that must get each one of us thinking - "... through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made."

Is it not only appropriate that we follow Him, devote our lives to Him, and obey Him at every turn? Why should we follow any other and not the One existed in the beginning, the One who created everything?

We are not our own.

We belong to Another. We are some of His marvelous works! That Other has specific expectations about the ones He made. Imagine what would happen if everybody lived their lives with such consciousness! What a world this would be!

So, from today, make Him your point of reference on everything pertaining to your life conduct.

Always remember that without Him nothing was made that has been made, you and I included!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may wholeheartedly serve and worship God and no other, for I believe that He is the beginning and the end, the creator of everything I see.

Holy Father, nothing has been created apart from what You created.

This is a deep statement. Creation is evidence of Your existence. I am a special testimony of Your existence and grace, so are all others in this earthly world. Thank You, Father.

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that this pivotal reality may dawn in every heart. For I see many people who pass through this world without any sense of origin and destination. They do not care about what happened for them to be on the earth. They are authorities of their own, worshiping nobody but only their desires.

Father, I pray that Your light may shine in every heart.

I pray that Your Word may be preached in places that it has never been preached before and that You may raise for yourself a generation of men, women, and young adults whose hearts burn to let You be known to many.

For I see Lord, that some who purport to serve You have actually been consumed by selfish intentions, consumed by power, money, fame and other earthly desires. Instead of preaching Christ crucified, they tell people how great they are!

But I know that You are a merciful God, to the end that many may repent and be saved. So, show Your mercy on the world Lord; do it now, while there still is time for it.

I did not bring myself into the world. You did; and I am totally grateful for it.

I am sharply aware that I am in this world for a purpose, and that I am not supposed to live like fleeting vapor.

Although attending school, college, getting married and earning a living are important, that's not what I came into this world for. I only have to do these things because that's how people sustain life in this world.

There is a real reason for my existence, and that reason is Christ - both crucified and resurrected.

I long to give my all for Your cause my God; I seek Your help in this regard.

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

You may also want to read: WALKING IN THE WILL OF GOD

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Short Sermons #108: HYPOCRISY IN THE CHURCH TODAY

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 06:16:00 +0000

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship [Him] in spirit and in truth” (John 4 Verses 23-24, NIV).

We must always read our watches correctly.

In the opening Bible verses, John talked about a time that was coming; then he immediately alerted us to the fact that the time had already come.

We are living in such a time - a time to worship the Father with genuine, burning hearts - never in religious hypocrisy, for religious hypocrisy has unenviable consequences.

The synonyms of hypocrisy include deceit, pretense, or false profession. You can obviously tell that there is nothing exemplary about each of them.

I believe that there are many true worshipers in the world today. I also believe that some worshipers are still outside this group. Some of those who are still outside the group of true worshipers sincerely long to change for the better – but the rest, for some reason, seek to remain the same.

The truth of the matter is that religious hypocrisy in the end only hurts the one practicing it.

In John 4:23-24, Jesus talked about true worshipers. What status do true worshipers have that distinguishes them from religious hypocrites?

Jesus said, “… [true worshipers] are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”

Now that’s remarkable because it means that there are worshipers that the Father is not seeking – the worshipers that the Father does not seek - the insincere worshipers, the religious hypocrites, worshipers who do not mean business.

We need to be in the right group of worshipers. We need to always live right with God and fellow human beings. We need to be the kind of worshipers that the Father seeks; otherwise, we would be a hopeless lot.

Are you the kind of worshiper that the Father seeks? Am I the type of worshiper that the Father seeks? Am I exemplary in my worshiping? These are pertinent questions that we should constantly ask ourselves.

The Bible says: “Examine yourselves...; test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5, NIV). Every worshiper - you and me - needs to do this always.

God hates hypocrisy but loves the religious hypocrite. His desire is that the religious hypocrite may realize the folly of his conduct and repent.

There are two basic types of hypocrites found in the church. The first group comprises of non-Christians who attend church and pretend to be Christians. This is an obvious group; it pretends to attend church for God's sake when in fact it harbors other motives for doing so. Sadly, this even applies to some leaders of church denominations!

The second group comprises Christians who are hypocritical with regard to some areas of their lives. They are really born again but still choose to act hypocritical from time to time.

We need to build up each other in love; that is the will of God for us all. There absolutely is no justification and room for condemning one another. I do not intend to condemn anybody by this short sermon; instead, I write to the end that somebody reading this may either be transformed or built up.

For your information, I also get some lessons from the very things that I write.

The purpose of this short sermon is to encourage each other to examine ourselves with the aim of identifying where we could be going the hypocritical route. Our intention should always be to make amendments wherever and whenever necessary.

The hypocritical path is not a good path; so, we are all discouraged from following it or remaining on it. The Bible has much to say about hypocrisy; we should diligently study it for guidance in this respect.

Although I focus on hypocrisy in the church, there is also a lot of it outside the church.

There is hypocrisy in world politics, business, charity work, families, etc. Although some members of such entities do not believe in God, they are still encouraged to desist from hypocrisy from the point of view of morality, principle, and conscience.

“Am I a hypocrite? Am I not?” “Do I exhibit hypocritical characteristics?” - you might already be quizzing yourself. That's a good starting point. People who examine themselves in this manner are, in my view, better in this regard compared to people who seem not to care.

So, here are my suggestions on religious hypocrisy:

If you attend church but are not born again, I urge you to pay careful attention to the Word preached to you so that you may receive the faith to be saved. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. There is no point in you pretending to be saved; there also is no point in you attending church for reasons that have nothing to do with Christ. When the Word is preached, do not harden your heart; instead, allow the Word to pierce through it.
If you are a Christian who still acts hypocritical in some respects, please allow the Word to transform you. Rebuke yourself each time you act hypocritically. Grow up, for God's sake! You are in a better condition because you are already born again.

May we, to the best of our abilities, strive to be sincere to God, to ourselves, and to fellow human beings. That is the will of God; this I exhort you.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may be, and remain, the kind of worshiper the Father seeks.

Holy Father, I long to walk strictly in Your path for the rest of my life.

It won't help me if I were to walk in a manner that does not please You. I want to be the kind of Christian that You seek, one who worships You both in spirit and in truth.

I don't want to be a mere Christian, or a name-tag Christian. I seek to be the best I could be before You and I know that it is only by Your grace that I could be so.

Help me, Holy Father, for without You I can achieve nothing in this respect.

Fill me with Your spirit each and every morning. Hypocrisy fights against Your cause. So, those who practice it fight against Your cause; I don't want to be one of such people.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

You may also want to read: ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN STRUGGLING WITH TEMPTATION?

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Short Sermons #107: AMID THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 14:22:00 +0000

The world is passing through a challenging phase because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It seems no country will be spared. We also have not seen the full measure of the pandemic's fury, in my view.

It will take the effort of all of us to come out of this situation; not just your effort and mine, but that of the entire world. The journey is not going to be easy without such cooperation.

We need to work together. If one avoids putting their hand to the plough, all it would mean is that we will be in this situation for quite a long time - with devastating consequences.

We protect ourselves out of our love for mankind. If I am infected, it means a lot more may be infected, and some affected, because of me. Remember, some of such people are dear to us, and it would really break our hearts to make them pass through such difficult situations.

We also protect ourselves out of the love for self.

We need to help, to the best of our abilities, those who may be infected and affected. This is not the hour for anybody to avoid lending a hand. Indeed, there is no greater need than this for the human race at the moment. The world may come to a complete standstill if we do not act enough within the window available to us.

As I thought about the current developments around the world with regards to the Covid-19 pandemic - the topical issue on everybody's lips and in every newsroom - I could not help but find the following poem quite inspirational and truly instructive:

"Human beings are members of one another, since in their creation they are of one essence. When the conditions of the time brings a member (limb) to pain, the other members (limbs) will suffer from discomfort.

You, who are indifferent to the misery of others, it is not fitting that they should call you a human being."

["Adam's children are limbs of one body, that in creation are made of one gem. When life and time hurt a limb, other limbs will not be at ease.

You, who are not sad for the suffering of others,

do not deserve to be called human."]

Saadi Shiraz - Popular Iranian Poet

May this poem jolt us into greater and more effective action against this global pandemic! There is a role you can play in all this, in your own way and by the means possible to you, all the time driven by nothing but pure love.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may understand that I ought to be my brother's keeper and conduct myself accordingly, always.

Father, I come to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jesus demonstrated what it means to be a brother's keeper, which I ought to be, and which all of Abraham's offspring ought to be - keepers of their brothers and sisters.

Jesus paid the supreme price for you and me. Truly, there is no greater sacrifice than to lay down one's life for one's brothers and sisters.

Help me God, I pray. Help the body of Christ in this regard and forgive it for the way members have behaved towards one another till now.

May we learn from Christ! May we have the heart of Christ! May the wellbeing and happiness of the next person be our own joy!

Indeed, the world would be a much better, happier and more peaceful place if we all would behave towards others in the manner we would want them to behave towards us.

Let the light of unity and love fill my soul. May the same light fill the world. May we get help and care whichever side we turn and as long as we need them!

I pray that the Holy Spirit would equip us fully for this!

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #106: LIFE FELT LIKE A PRISON

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 10:29:00 +0000

The urgency of the need not only engulfed me; its intensity also took me by surprise. I tried to scream, to release the pressure that had built up inside me, but the scream jammed mid-throat. I surely needed relief from the burdens and meaninglessness of life.

It was something that I needed to do, one thing I eagerly wanted to be, something that I had waited for since birth - and it was time, a 'now or never' kind of situation. I had had enough of the status quo.

I could no longer continue to live the same way. I needed a break, if life was to have even a bit of meaning - yet it was a break that neither any man nor the whole world could give.

My eyes shifted to the 'handcuffs' of my life - cold as ice, slowly eating into the wrist-bones of my soul. Drops of sweat covered my palms, and my brow was no different.

I looked at my legs - the leg irons were still in place, ironically shining and determined, evidence of what I had been all these years. Oh, how I detested the shackles!

“Oh God I want out!” I eventually managed to send out a cry that pierced the quietness, unsettling even me, as my soul longed for a breath of fresh air.

Walls on every side, threatening gullies every step of the way, alert predators; for me it was nothing but the prison of life.

As I pondered my next move, I observed that I had grown one lock of hair, its roots etched in the desert of my skull. As I continued to watch, one more sprouted. Soon my head was all locks, all green, life’s oil and power, so I guessed.

A strong wind blew on me for several minutes, lifting my chest and sending me gasping for breath, and in their trembling, my hands displayed shimmering spiritual muscles, evidence of new strength acquired.

With one hand on the Eastern wall and the other on the Western, Samson-style, I brought my enclosure down; in one, mighty thrust it all turned to rubble; what a relief that was. Truly, God is able!

As I sauntered out of my debris, my feet touched soft ground. I felt like something heavy had dropped off my shoulders. I also felt like I had jumped from a spider’s web, but landed softly, if only to give me the opportunity to recount what happened.

I lifted my hands high. Pure praise; the delight of the soul. What a new order of things! How lofty He had lifted me! I began to jog; it just had to be - for it was time.

A sweet smell of perfume filled the air; the kind that could come only from mature flowers. A wind blew gently, sending the leaves hissing, my soul rejoicing. Sweet beaky sounds invaded my privacy. The beauty of freedom under the sun!

I looked at my shoes, then at my clothes. They all told the story, the complete and uncensored story of my life.

“I sure have been travelling and it is a long journey that I have travelled, through valleys and thickets, and it shows,” words escaped my mouth. As I stood there, with my mind I took a picture of self; a picture that was soon to be the only one of its kind.

And as I stared at the picture, a voice cut through the silence. “Is that you, Phanuel?” the voice asked with absolute and unmistakable clarity.

My ears picked yet another sound. Although I could not tell what it was, I could tell the direction from where it came.

At once, I waded through the lilies and the budding bushes, and there before me slithered a small stream. The ease with which the water flowed, the purity and the peace there was! After spending ages in the muddy waters of life’s prison, the kind that could easily define a people, the stream brought with it a refreshing order.

I was dying of thirst; I also smelled of heavy sweat.
I bent down to drink from the stream, but something immediately caught my attention, stopping me before I even took the first sip.

Hastily I stood up, gasping. What an ugly sight!

My face; I had seen my face in the water! All the time that I had languished in prison I never had the chance to look at my face; neither did I have the means. All I ever did was imagine it.

The cracks, the wrinkles and the paleness that I had seen in the water astounded me.

“Is that you, Phanuel?” the voice echoed again.

“Oh God, I wish it wasn't me!” I cried out. “But that’s me my God; but that surely cannot be me!” I added, struggling to give sense to the contradiction.

It was time. I stooped once more and with eyes closed drank until I was full. After doing so, I felt as though I had become one with the stream, a constant, tranquil flow of amazing beauty.

Time for a complete bath, a deep one! I discarded every old piece of clothing. Water violently splashed to the edges of the stream as I took a dive. I spent so much time under the water that I came out ‘waterlogged’.

As I emerged from the stream, my soul watched in wonder as the desert of my life traced its footmarks back to its source.

After applying skin lotion and putting on a set of clean, freshly pressed clothes, I once more stood in front of the mirror - this time tall, assertive, fearless and ready to take on Goliath.

“Welcome, Phanuel!” the message of the voice had now changed.

It was the journey of my life. Released from the prison of life, I stepped back from the mirror, turned and began to take brisk steps into my space.
“Goodbye, Phanuel,” the voice faded behind me.

“Welcome, Phanuel!” Ahead of me, the sound of drums, horns and tambourines filled the air. It was the sound of victory!

The future looked bright. Hallelujah!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may show gratitude to God for saving my soul.

Father, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I run short of words to express how grateful to You I am for saving me.

I look back and ask myself the question, "Where would I be now if God had not showed me mercy?"

I am grateful for the finished work of cross that touched me in such a wonderful way.

In You I find hope, love, peace and comfort. Help me as I seek to do your will.

Father, for as long as I live I shall worship no other nor seek any other. You saved me, which no other gods could do.

For this, Father, I thank You.

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

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Short Sermons #105: PURSUE, OVERTAKE AND RECOVER ALL

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Wed, 15 May 2019 11:03:00 +0000

It struck me one day.

Here I was, walking down the street when suddenly my mind’s voice encouraged me with these words: “Phanuel, you must understand that you have never lost out on anything in life.”

I stopped and asked myself, “So what has been happening?”

“You have been gaining, gaining, gaining. All the things that you thought you had missed out on are actually in a ‘bank’ account from which you are free to withdraw both the principal sum plus compound interest,” the voice replied.

This to me was like a breath of fresh, fragrant air!

Quite an inspiring message it was - a totally transformed way to look at life and living.

What I thought was gone was not actually gone. What you thought was gone was not actually gone. Indeed, it all depends on what one chooses to believe about their life.

I used to think in terms of spilled milk that's gone down the drain, but this paradigm completely re-focused my lenses about life and opportunities.

I had spent a number of years thinking I was losing out. When I failed to get the job that I desired, I thought I had lost out. When a project that I started failed mid-way, I thought I had lost out. When I fell sick, I thought I had lost out. I just thought I had lost out.

But here I was, being lectured on the correct perspective to the issues of life. The voice said, “You have never lost out on anything in life; so get out there and claim that which your heart so desires!”

I had to make a choice after I heard the voice. I either had to believe the voice, or ignore it; each of the choices was going to have far-reaching consequences on my life.

I chose to believe the voice. “So, what has been happening?” I asked. “You’ve been gaining.” Oh, how excited I was! It was like I was awakening from some kind of sleep only to discover that a new day had dawned.

I have been gaining. I have been banking. I have never lost out on anything. I am free to withdraw not only the principal sum but also the compound interest. Glory to God! I truly love this.

I have learned this great lesson; the state of a person’s life is strongly dependent on how they view their past, present, and future. It is a function of how one defines the things that happen to them in life, the things that don't happen to them, the circumstances that befall them, the circumstances that don't befall them, the doors that open before them, the doors that remain shut before them, or any other developments in their environment.

It is also a function of the ingredients of one's vocabulary.

For example, whenever I thought and declared that I had lost out, I really felt that way and lived that way, and my life was badly affected by this kind of attitude. Just the thought made me weak and unambitious.

But now that I believe I have never lost out on anything, and that I can never lose anything, I am like a brand-new person. I now believe that it’s counter-productive to continue using the same kind of vocabulary. I also think it’s evil to entertain such thoughts.

As a Christian, I have the ability to pursue, overtake and recover. That's the foundation of my mindset. One's view of life must be based on something; mine is based on Christ.

If I fail to use my ability, I will live like one who never had the ability. If I fail to use my wisdom, I will be considered to be one without it.

It is also possible to miss something that one thought was great, for something that is far much better! When God protects you from yourself, that becomes a profitable loss!

I am a child of God. Whatever belongs to my Father belongs to me. My Father has never lost out on anything. In fact, He cannot lose out. He is the Creator. The Creator cannot lose out on anything that He created, because if it were to happen, He would simply create a trillion of the same kind!

Do you now see how the principal sum and the compound interest come into being? Do you believe that one can reap in multiples during a year of drought?

Satan is a liar and an enemy of everything good; he is against every form of progress in one's life. Satan fights against a positive frame of mind and godly positions. In reality, the Satan-induced thoughts result in false positions.

You've got to be careful where you draw your inspiration and information from. You either go with God or go with Another. God’s positions are directly opposite those of the devil. God’s training is totally different.

The fruits that one obtains from associating with God are totally different from those obtained from associating with the devil. In God you get ‘day’. In the devil it is a ‘night of pitch darkness’ always, although the devil may fool you with counterfeits.

From today, never say, “I lost out on money-making opportunities.” Never say, “I lost out on good health.” Don’t say, “I do not think I can salvage my relationship with my parents.” Never say, "I lost out on education".

Never entertain the thought that your relationship with God has been irreparably damaged, or that God will never accept you as His child after all that you've been up to. Never entertain such ideas! You need to embrace the mindset of pursuing, overtaking and recovering everything that is of benefit to you.

The important thing is that you've got an opportunity to complete a withdrawal slip - to take appropriate and well-calculated action towards achieving your life goals. That's the key, and it requires effort and action on your part.

On the withdrawal slip you should write something like:

Nothing can separate me from God.
I claim all outstanding opportunities with interest.
I take back 200% control over my health and wealth.
Even though we now do not see eye to eye, my parents and I are going to have the best relations of our lives.

After this you've got to sign the withdrawal slip and hand it to the 'bank teller'.

But you need to be sure of your ground. You need the right attitude if you are to turn your desires into reality. If you doubt, you certainly will fall short.

Take charge of your spiritual life. Take charge of your health. Take charge of your wealth. Take charge of your relations. Take charge of your present and future, at the same time drawing lessons from your past.

It's time to withdraw the principal sum plus the compound interest. Are you ready?

You need to turn that situation around, to the glory of God! So, get out and grab what your heart has yearned for for so long! What are you waiting for?

And God will be with you all the way!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may have the right attitude towards opportunities and timing.

Father, in the name of Jesus. I thank You for this vital revelation, the new mindset You've given me on how to approach the issues of life.

Now and again I fall down. Now and again I fail in my life's pursuits.

Yet I should never view falling and failing as negative developments, but as lessons that I learn on my way to personal achievement in the various spheres of life.

Jesus made it to the cross, because that was a noble goal set before Him. It was not an easy thing to do. There were so many obstacles and temptations designed to take Him away from His objective. Some wanted to make Jesus an earthly king; Satan wanted Him to fall and join the devil's camp.

Similarly, in all my noble pursuits, I too should maintain the same attitude, of going out and grabbing that which I set my heart to gain.

May the spirit of God always inspire me in this direction!

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

You may also want to read: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE TO SUCCESS

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Short Sermons #104: THE HEAVENLY REALM

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 07:57:00 +0000

I receive Rick Joyner's Word of the Week by email. I read each article and often make printouts to share with others.

One morning, as I read the Week 37, 2018 article, I came across a remarkable inspirational Christian quote that I thought I should share. It might help you.

You not only have to meditate on the quote but also strive to live it.

Here is the quote:

"We are not called to be human beings who have occasional spiritual experiences, but we are called to be spiritual beings who have occasional human experiences."

How profound!

Is that your experience as a Christian? Does this speak to the way you live? Are you more spiritual than you are human in the various facets of your life?

I sometimes think that Christians should learn, each day, to be more spiritual. One's progress in this regard should be evident to themselves initially, then to the rest of the community.

I sometimes feel that there is too much "human-ness" in the Church today. The way congregants talk, behave, their interests/pursuits or driving forces, and how they relate to each other in general, testify to the "human-ness" that I refer to.

That is not the will of God for us. We surely can do better, for God's sake!

True love, true worship to the true God.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may be the kind of person that God called me to be.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ.

My desire is to be the kind of person that You called me to be, a supernatural person, even though I live in the natural body and in this natural world.

I long to be distinct from people who have not accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord. For what would I gain by living a life that is lesser than the one You called me to?

There are so many obstacles in my way, preventing me from living the kind of life I desire. Fill me with the Holy Spirit, O Father, that I may get help whenever I need it and that I may be equipped for all the eventualities of life.

I long to be a supernatural being, with occasional glimpses into the natural realm, not the other way round.

Your grace is sufficient for me, Holy Father. So, it shall be possible with me because it is possible with You.

In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #103: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE TO SUCCESS

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 13:46:00 +0000

People look at life with different lenses, depending on what they believe.

In the year 2003, a friend introduced me to the subject of success motivation and personal development. I then began to attend workshops on the subject but came out a bit confused.

What confused me was the exclusive focus on wealth. I thought to myself, “Does success mean just wealth?”

I believed that success was broader than just the possession of material things. I also believed that success was supposed to be based on a specific spiritual foundation.

Thus began my quest for an answer, or an understanding of the matter.

Then one day, as I read my Bible, I came across a verse that struck me.

The verse reads as follows: “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (3 John v2, NIV).

I almost jumped after reading this verse.

“This is it! This is the definition of success!” I almost shouted to myself.

If you are enjoying good health, if all is going well with you, if your soul is getting along well, what more would you seek in life?

One singer once queried, "Who is wealthier, the one who has money or the one who is of perfect health?"

I also ask, "Who is wealthier, the one who has money or the one who has the peace of mind that surpasses all understanding?"

These are dimensions that should make you think afresh about success and personal development.

In my view, John wished his friend nothing but genuine and total success.

I believe this kind of success can only be a result of one's communion with God - for that is what John was writing about, the Christ issues.

As far as I am concerned, therefore, God is the source and foundation of true success. Why not, if you believe He created everything?

I hope that I have helped you … or ignited controversy. Either way, I think it's worth it, for it may get you thinking deeper about this subject.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may pursue the God-kind of success in my life.

Holy Father, this is the kind of success that I desire - the success that hails from the fullness of the Holy Spirit in my heart.

It would not matter much to me if I were to acquire immense wealth in the natural if my soul continues to suffer from acute spiritual poverty, hunger and thirst.

It has to start with You my God - success in the spirit first, followed by success in the physical. So, my heart desires.

I therefore come before You, Holy Father, so that You help me in my prioritization when it comes to matters of success and personal development.

Without this prioritization, I would achieve the kind of success that won't impress or satisfy me.

In the name of my Lord, Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #102: RAISING HOPE AND SURVIVING HARD TIMES

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 12:22:00 +0000

I have observed and have become convinced that there are just two kinds of people in this world. The lives of these two kinds of people are as different as day is to night.

Only two kinds, not more, not less. That is the message of this textual sermon.

There are various difficulties, challenges, trials, and tribulations in this world, but only two kinds of people.

There are various levels of poverty, but only two kinds of people.

There are various forms of sickness and disease, but only two kinds of people.

You put the two groups under the same kind and level of difficulty or pressure, and they react differently. It's amazing.

Whatever challenging situation you face today, you are either hopeful or hopeless about it.

These are the two kinds of people that I have been referring to - one kind is of the hopeful, the other is of the hopeless, regarding a specific challenge that they might be facing in their lives at any particular time.

You are either hopeful or hopeless about your current situation; there's no borderline position.

Some people are hopeful sometimes and hopeless the rest of the time - they switch groups now and then.

A snapshot of society at any point in time will reveal these two kinds of people - the hopeful and the hopeless.

But what is hope?

The Random House College Dictionary Revised Edition defines hope as, “The feeling that what is desired is also possible, or that events may turn out for the best. To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence. To believe, desire or trust.”

This definition demonstrates that hope is a good state of being, a good state of mind. It is a feeling that what is desired is possible. It is a 'confident look-ahead!'.

How could one go on with life if they have the feeling that what they desire is not possible? What would such a person live for?

In hope, one has the feeling that what they desire is also possible, or that events may turn out for the best.

In hopelessness, one has the feeling that what they desire is impossible, or that events are likely to turn out for the worst.

I just cannot even try to contemplate the status of the hopeless. Can such people find the fire of life?

The hopeful look forward with confidence; the hopeless remain engulfed by negative energy.

Let me give you some of the characteristics of hope:

First, hope is not passive; it's active, energetic.

Some people think that being hopeful is the same thing as sitting down on the doorstep, staring at the horizon, waiting for something to pop up. To me that's not hoping at all; rather, it's unmitigated idleness!

Goethe once said, “Sitting and waiting is not my way of doing things.” Actually, sitting and waiting does not amount to 'doing things'. You need a similar state of mind.

If you sit and wait, then you are doing nothing. If I see somebody sitting down, looking sullen, I would think that something would be wrong with them. Hope is always active; it does not waste time sitting on the doorstep!

If you hope for something, you don't sit and wait for it to manifest; rather, in your hope you work to bring it into manifestation, into reality.

Real hope is a turbo-charged motivational driving force! If it doesn't drive you, then it's not hope; it's something else.

Second, hope never relents; it never surrenders. The hopeful persevere; that's the power of hope. The hopeless never persevere and some of them never even attempt to do anything about their situation; they simply have decided not to have the energy to!

If you are hopeful, it means you have the feeling that what you desire is possible. Now that's positive thinking. It means that you have a reasonable expectation regarding what you look forward to. This hope then drives you into working towards that which you hope for!

Third, hope does not disappoint, unless it is the 'sitting and waiting' type. The Bible also teaches that hope triumphs over difficulties (Rom. 4:18).

What problems are you facing right now? What difficulties? What ailments? What level of poverty? The impact of these circumstances on your life will depend on whether you are hopeful or hopeless about them.

Mark my words - hopelessness (despair) is a lethal state of mind. It kills the spirit first, then the body follows. So, from today, choose to be hopeful. You've got to learn to look beyond the circumstances. Remember, even in death hope abounds!

Trust in God. Be encouraged. Live inspired. God bless you!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may live a life of hope even during difficult times.

I come before You, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Father, from time to time I face difficult situations in my life. Some of the challenges relate to my soul, some to my health, some to my family, some to my finances, and some to my goals in general.

You are the God of my revival whenever I am tempted to fall into despair about all this. I have nowhere else to turn whenever situations turn forcefully against me. Father, I look to You, always.

I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for Jesus Christ. I thank You for the Holy Spirit in me, keeping my soul vibrant and confident.

Jesus is my hope; the Holy Spirit is my helper. I will keep gazing at Your Word, Holy Father, for from it my hope gets its fire.

Father, I also pray for many of Your children who have fallen into despair for one reason or the other. Come to their rescue, and come quickly. I understand the shadow that has engulfed them. Without Your powerful hand they may perish. Help them O Lord, strengthen them to the extent that they too may be in a position to encourage others.

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #101: YES, YOU CAN DO IT

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 05:54:00 +0000

I remember the time when I was still a teenager. I kept grudges; real grudges, I mean.

I did not know how to forgive; neither did I have the willingness to do so. If somebody did me wrong, they were supposed to pay for it!

I was a stranger to God back then - I had never experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in my life. Any talk about God actually had a jarring effect to my ears; it still does to some folks.

I also would tremble in anger, sometimes to the point of shedding tears - even against an elder!

I recall a day I got so angry at an elder that he almost fell off the chair on which he was sitting. The elder was evidently wrong; I could not tolerate it anymore - but seething in anger did not make me right either - it's only that I did not know at the time and actually felt justified in my actions.

But since then the Lord has re-molded me. Praise to His Holy Name! If you see me now, you see a totally different person. Simple.

I now can forgive and do forgive. I associate with everybody, of whatever station in life, without any problem at all. It is now very difficult for anybody to make me angry - and if I do become angry, it will be only for a brief moment.

Yet it is not my power or genius that is at work in all this. It's simply because He touched me; He continues to touch me up to this day. I give Him all the room to do so; I also give Him all the credit.

I really love this life; I just wouldn't function without God!

Here is a lesson that I learnt from my experience: God will mold you only to the extent that you permit Him to - to the extent to which you are flexible in His hand. God cannot and will not mold clay pots from dry clay; no potter I know can. Only wet, moldable clay will do. So, remember this - you are the key to what God can do to, in, with, through and for you.

If you are a Christian, the power to forgive is already in you. Victory over anger has already been deposited in you.

But here is the question: Are you willing to forgive? Are you willing to let go of the bitterness? Are you willing to neutralize your anger? It's one thing to be holding a gun and a totally different thing to be willing to fire a shot, even if the ability to do so is assured!

Is your will subject to God's will? If it is, just say, "I am willing, my Lord!" and you will activate the abilities already resident in you.

In the end, it is entirely a personal decision and a personal step to take. It's not the pastor's decision, or mine to make; rather, the decision is entirely yours to make.

Remember: Willingness and surrender, from the depth of the heart, is the key to unlocking the life and character of Jesus Christ in you.

Think about these issues during your quiet moments.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may appreciate the full extent of the abilities that I have in Christ Jesus.

Holy Father, forgive me for I have fallen short of Your expectations on many occasions.

I know much about the kind of person You expect me to be. Father, I know the kind of life that I should live in Christ Jesus, the example that I should set, the actions and reactions that I should take under specific circumstances.

But I have failed myself on several occasions, and by doing so, I also have failed You.

I consider forgiving to be a difficult step to take. I fail to let go. I fail to move on with life when I am wronged. The main reason, Holy Father, is that I try to do all this, and many more, using my own abilities.

I forget many a time that it should be Your ability that should work in me to succeed, not mine. And because nothing is impossible with You, nothing should be impossible with me, for I am Your child.

Therefore, forgiving is possible with me; and so is living a truly Christ-like life in this world in terms of hope, peace, love, kindness, selflessness, perseverance, truthfulness, warmth, confidence, trust, and faith.

Father, only You can make me stand. So, I put all my trust in You.

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

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Short Sermons #100: TITHES AND OFFERINGS MESSAGE

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 12:10:00 +0000

I have, on a number of occasions, listened to preachers teach on tithes and offerings. In the process, I have observed that some preachers encourage members of the congregation to give tithes and offerings in order for them to get something (called a blessing) in return. It sometimes feels like getting a blessing is or should be the primary motivation for Christians to give to God. I find this disturbing.

I believe that there is need for preachers to go deeper in their teaching on the subject. As far as I am concerned, focusing on "getting something in return" holds immense potential to lead some Christians astray.

A number of Christians now consider the issue of tithing and offering as an economic principle. You put something in, you get more out; what a rate of return! This habit encourages the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, not a spiritual one.

Because of such a mindset, some people have taken the Spirit of God out of their giving; and it's quite unfortunate, in my view. Giving to God should never be taken as a mere physical act; it's spiritual. I do not think that Jesus would be too happy with a Christian who is focused on "getting something in return"!

My position is that preachers ought to teach their congregations to give in order to support the Ministry of Jesus Christ. If the congregants understand how important the Ministry is to them, why would they not stand ready to support it?

Look here: We donate to charity because we feel it's a worthy cause. Right? Why then should we insist on "getting more or something back" when it comes to giving to God?

Truly, hasn't God given us a lot already - an overflow of blessings? Is Jesus Christ, the Lamb sacrificed for us, an ordinary gift, an ordinary blessing? Is the life that He has given us of no value?

Won't we just give because we are grateful for what Jesus Christ has already accomplished in us and for us, and what He continues to do in our lives? Won't we just give because it's a pleasure to partner with our Father, the One who saved us from the fire?

As far as I am concerned, if anyone would not give to God unless their giving is linked to "getting more or something back" then that person is either not a Christian, or is still an infant in the Kingdom, regardless of the number of years they might have been a member of the church.

I believe that people ought to be taught more on giving to God and the teaching should not dwell on "getting more or something back".

The world is groaning, waiting to see the manifestation of the mature sons of God, and we cannot grow to this level unless we understand the need to give to God without putting a condition on our giving.

What did the early believers do? They pulled everything they had together to further the Ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "none of them had something to call his own". What an elevated position!

Here is my attitude: I tithe and give my offerings to God because I understand the importance of doing so. I am happy already; I am grateful to God already. So, when I give, I do not expect anything back - honestly. My giving is just an expression of my gratitude to God. I do not want to see the work of God being hampered by lack of finances and I know that my contribution comes in useful.

I also believe that a forced gift is no gift at all, be it an offering or a tithe. A gift given willingly or cheerfully or wholeheartedly is what moves the Father's heart. You can only give cheerfully if you give what you can afford. You may disagree with all or part of this statement - that is understandable. But to me, forced giving is a mere physical act, not a spiritual one.

Does God reward me for my giving? I believe so. "So, what's the difference?" you might ask. The difference is that when I give, my eye is never on the reward, but on ensuring that whatever needs to be done in the House of God would not suffer due to lack of financial resources.

I will never tie my giving to a blessing. I will never say to God, "I will give to you on condition that you give me more or something back." I feel it would be highly selfish of me to do so, and a complete disregard of all that God has done for me free of charge!

When God gave me Jesus, He didn't attach any preconditions to it. If He had, I sure would have failed to meet them! So, His gift was unconditional. Where then would I get the courage to make demands of Him just because I gave Him a dollar that He gave to me in the first place!

God is a giver - a cheerful one. He is a loving, generous, providing God. But I think we need to change our mindsets.

If you give according to the will of God, with a cheerful heart, then you've done what you need to do. Nothing would discourage you in future, because your part is done. But if you make unwise demands on God and you see "nothing" happening afterward, you are bound to be negatively affected, for you will be focusing on the wrong thing.

So be sure of your ground when you give to God! You've to be sure of your motivation. You might be processing a mere business transaction, devoid of the Holy Spirit, and resulting in a loss after tax!

This is my position. This is exactly how I approach these issues in my life.

What's your view?

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may cultivate a healthy attitude and motive towards giving to God. That I may understand that giving to God is an expression of the relationship that exists between Him and I.

Father, I believe that when all is said and done, and even if all that I would have done pleases You, blessings come from nothing else but from the abundance of Your grace.

Jesus means everything to me. I cannot live without Him. He sustains my life and everything I am. Yet I got Him free of charge, the full expression of the abundance of Your grace.

I am your child. I love it. Your are my Father, and it pleases me to remain in Your household. I will endeavor to do Your will for as long as I live, and I will do so without any preconditions.

You gave me Jesus without preconditions. Had You attached preconditions to it, I surely would have fallen short on each of them. You simply asked me to take a very simple step, which is to choose between life and death, and Your grace carried me through the decision.

So, Father, I cannot thank You enough. The physical acts that I may perform in the Kingdom pale into nothingness when compared to the spiritual gifts that You have already given me.

So I will glorify You for as long as I live. I will look at You with adoration and never tire. I will sing songs of praise in good and difficult times, for You are God!

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

Proceed to: Give all the glory to God

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Short Sermons #99: BAD HABITS; BREAK THEM NOW

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 12:53:00 +0000

Bad behavior remains bad behavior, however much one might try to put some gloss over it.

On a number of occasions, I have heard people say, “It doesn't matter. It’s too minor a misdeed to worry about.” Really?

I believe that each of one's actions or omissions has a far-reaching impact on their character and reputation.

Everything you do either has a positive or negative effect on your person. The same applies to each of your omissions - the actions that you avoid taking.

So it's not a matter of “is it a minor misdeed or a major one?”

If something destroys your reputation, why would you not worry about it? If something reflects positively on you, why would you not be eager to be associated with it, no matter it is ‘minor’ or ‘major’?

Our country would certainly be a much better place to live in if only more people cared, or cared more.

Often people think that it is the responsibility of some other people to put things right. They say, “They should do this and that to make things right.”

Why “they”? Wouldn't it be much better if we said, “We should do this and that”? or “I should do this and that, or should desist from doing this and that, in order to make things right”?

Let me give you an example. Our streets are filled with litter. It's unimaginable. We never used to see such dirt. Who is to blame?

First to blame is the person who throws garbage onto the streets instead of placing it where it belongs. That's the first culprit.

You find that even where there are rubbish bins close by, some people still choose to throw litter onto the streets, with no remorse at all! What happened to conscience? What happened to hygiene? What happened to civilization?

The second person to blame is the one responsible for ensuring that our streets are kept clean. If you are the one responsible, and you let things go wrong in such a big way, then people start to wonder what you do on a daily basis to deserve your salary! Challenges will always exist, but do people sit and fold hands because of challenges? Isn't it that challenges exist to give purpose to one's mandate?

I feel overjoyed each time I see people on a voluntary clean-up exercise. That's always a remarkable sight, which should provide an important lesson to those who wantonly litter the streets.

Just stop for once and reflect on this: somebody litters the streets without even worrying about it; then somebody gets so concerned about it to the extent of cleaning up the dirt for free!

Littering the streets is an act of disrespect – disrespect for oneself, disrespect for other people and disrespect for God who gave you a litter-free environment for your enjoyment. So in a way, a person who litters the streets is telling the world that he/she too is like a piece of trash.

Each time I get a receipt from a shop, I have a tendency of rolling it with my fingers until it becomes a tiny ball. Tiny as it is, which some people would describe as ‘minor’, I always make it a point of placing it in a bin, where it belongs. My conscience won't allow me to throw it onto the ground, even where there already is ‘major’ rubbish dumped by some other people!

I have seen another evil – spitting. People have a tendency of doing it everywhere, on the tarmac or pathways that people use to get from one point to another. Saliva and phlegm, eish! One has to duck and dive to avoid stepping on such revolting substance.

What exactly is the message that one would be sending by behaving like that? Who would he/she be trying to 'fix'? Would the same person be comfortable stepping on someone else’s phlegm? Absolutely not!

So what happened to love? I visited the offices of The Zimbabwe Standard newspaper sometime. On the staircase was a sign pleading, “Please do not spit on the stairs – By Order”. Imagine that they had to go to this extent to teach people what they should already have learned as kids!

I have also observed another disturbing trend in our society – use of foul words.

One day I said to my wife, “Mai Isaiah, have you by any chance noted that people in this country have become more foul-mouthed than before?” It is unprecedented! Now children have also caught the bug, for they are forced, on a daily basis, to listen to words not meant for public consumption. Some of the words that people speak in public these days are so horrible that I can't utter them even when I am alone!

And some people say, “He is just speaking. He has not hurt anybody. So what’s your problem?” Just speaking? Has not hurt anybody? “Little misdeeds”, so people say. But have they ever considered the impact of such behavior on others?

If you deliberately act in a bad way or deliberately avoid doing good, then you ought to change your behavior without delay. It's important.

There is only way to behave - it is called 'the way of love'.

Love should be your behavior, your life, your being, who you are!

If you love people, it means you care about them. If you love people, you will not spit on their paths. If you love people, you will not litter the environment they live in. If you love people, you will not say offensive words to them or in their presence.

I have given you just a few examples of wrong behavior that people choose to belittle. There are many facets to this subject. I cannot cover them all in this short installment. What you need to do is to critically examine yourself.

What are the bad 'little' tendencies that still exist in your life? Write all of them down. Now if you look at what you have written, what sort of picture do you think you are portraying to the world? Would one use the adjective ‘noble’ to describe you?

You need to kick out all trash from your life. It has no business being there. And the time is now!

Just like 'big' misdeeds, the so-called 'little' misdeeds are destructive! Keep this in mind.

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That God and mankind may be pleased with my life conduct.

Father, I live to do Your will; at least that's the desire of my heart. I desire to live in peace with You and with mankind.

So, I need to guard my actions and reactions always if what I desire is to come true.

I sometimes dismiss people when they highlight something they hate about my behavior. I am quick to think its because of hatred or jealousy they treat me so.

I now realize, Holy Father, that the very view that people might be having of me may the same view that You may also be having of me.

So I should learn to take criticism gracefully and give it the importance that it deserves, correcting whatever I need to correct.

Father, I place myself before You. Without You I can do nothing. Help me now to become the picture of me that I clearly envision.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #98: KEEP WALKING WITH GOD IN FAITH

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 16:20:00 +0000

Since God 'arrested' me, I have sought to learn about Him and what He expects of me in this life. I have sought to understand the deeper things of God. It’s an endless process; I am still learning.

Over the years, while querying certain things in my mind, I have come to believe that there are two kinds of Christians; just two.

The first group comprises Christians who mean business; Christians who are serious about worship and following the will of God exclusively; Christians who are focused on the Kingdom life.

Such Christians are always alert, always seeking deeper knowledge pertaining to this wonderful life. Above all, such Christians walk their talk. I am sure you have met Christians of this kind. Some people view such Christians as 'extremists' because they are not used to seeing such devotion to God. There are not many such 'extremists' in the world, by my estimation.

On the other hand, there are Christians who appear absent-minded, regardless of the period they’ve worshipped God, to the extent that those who ought to be teachers are still fighting for milk reserved for those in kindergarten.

Such Christians are either ignorant or appear ignorant even of the most basic Christian principles and are not even worried about this. It appears as though they are unaware of their new-birth status. This is quite disturbing! Sometimes one wonders what the motive of such Christians is.

It’s not enough just to be born again. God does not expect us to end at the point of receiving Christ in our hearts. He expects us to go further and live the new life. Yes, we are children of God, but we must also walk in the light of our new birth!

Why should Christians live like they are not born again? Why should Christians act like they are still in the world?

Our new birth should gush from the inside and manifest on the outside. We should not just hear the Word and shout, “Praise God!” but we should go on to live it!

Look here: Christians are supposed to be Christ’s ambassadors. Zimbabwean ambassadors abroad are addressed as Your Excellency because they represent the Head of State. They talk the same language as the Head of State, they behave like the Head of State, they do only those things that they know the Head of State would approve; otherwise they would be recalled.

In the same manner we have a Heavenly Head of State, and as Christians we should be representing Him here on earth in the most appropriate manner.

People should never see us in us; instead, they should see Christ in us! If people continue to see us in us it means that we are not walking in the light of our new birth. It is just like an ambassador going around claiming to be a Head of State, representing only himself! Would the real Head of State be happy with such an ambassador?

As soon as God 'arrested' me I awakened to His abiding presence. Even as a brand new Christian I became acutely aware of the will of God on various issues pertaining to my life. I believe the Spirit of God started ministering to me right from the time I said, “I do”. I went on to correct whatever I felt needed to be corrected. Wherever I was, I felt like the Father was towering over me all the time; I still feel the same way.

God molded me, just as He continues to do; teaching me to walk in the light of the new birth - teaching me how to be a true representative of Christ on the earth.

There is one verse in the Bible that makes my heart beat a little faster each time I read it. Here’s the verse: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Romans 1:1, NIV).

Each time I read this verse my attention is drawn to two words. These words are “set apart.” Paul was set apart; glory to God! Peter was set apart. I too was set apart. You were set apart.

The striking thing in this verse is that Paul was fully conscious of his calling; this is why he could speak like that. He said, “I, Paul, was set apart for the gospel of God.” Excellent! Paul could live within the confines of his calling because he was always conscious of it. He was separated unto the gospel. His knowledge of this resulted in him living in the light of his separation!

Are you conscious that as a Christian you were separated unto God? If you are, why would you still live like you were separated unto another?

The Bible says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl (Matthew 5:14-15, NIV). This means only one thing; if you are not living in line with your new birth then you are a light located under a bowl. This kind of light is the same as no light, for it benefits nobody, and God would not be too happy with a light that does not serve the purpose He intended for it.

But what’s the Lord’s instruction on this matter? Here goes, “ … let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16, NIV). Do you see why God gets disappointed when you fail to walk in the light of your new birth? It’s because people will not see any good deeds in you and will therefore not praise God because of what they see in you.

But if your light shines as it ought to, then people will see the sparkle in your life and will want the same thing. You will be able to draw them to God so that they become children together with you. You see?

You need to think about these issues always. The world is groaning for salvation, but salvation will only come to the world if we, as Christians, live lives that will shine on the unsaved. But if our lights are in reality darkness, then how would we succeed in exhorting others to come to the light that they do not see in us?

Here is something to think about always: “ … let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16, NIV).

What kind of a Christian are you?

God bless you!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may walk closely with my God for the rest of my life.

Father, there is one thing I desire above all else - that I may live in Your house for the rest of my life. I do not desire to live elsewhere.

When You look at me, may You find pleasure in my appearance. May You speak the same words You spoke about Jesus, "This is my child, in whom I am extremely delighted."

Nothing else comes even remotely close to this in value. No amount of fame, wealth, and power can come close the treasure of salvation I received through Christ. Father, may Your grace help guard this treasure.

Father, I thank You for the life in Christ. I thank You for making me Your own. I may lack any other earthly possession, but as long as You are with me, my joy will always abound.

In the name of Christ Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #97: ARE YOU A RESPONSIBLE PERSON?

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 13:14:00 +0000

This is a very important topic, in my view.

I am going to focus on the need for each one of us to always act responsibly and I am glad that you've spared some time to read this sermon.

I believe that people were created to be responsible citizens in their various communities. I am convinced that God never intended that people would act irresponsibly, for whatever reason.

God is a God of integrity, He's a God of excellence, and nobody could grow into a mature child of God if they continued to act irresponsibly.

When I look around today, I see that I have been a victim of irresponsibility, in some way. Several areas of my life have been negatively affected by somebody else's irresponsibility, and the same surely applies to you. Just look around you and see for yourself!

But now is our chance for us to rectify things! And we should never waste any opportunity to rectify our errors!

When I realized that a number of people were acting irresponsibly, even some who are supposed to be esteemed people in society, I decided to recheck my definition of the word “responsible” for I had begun to think that I could have been using the wrong definition.

I said to myself, “If these people, who are supposed to know better, knew the meaning of the word ‘responsible’, surely they would not act the way they do.”

English is a second language for me; I, therefore, need to rely on the dictionary a lot. I suppose that even those who are really English do consult the dictionary from time to time.

So, I consulted the only dictionary I had, The Random House College Dictionary. What I found out struck me. This is how the dictionary defines the word ‘responsible’: answerable or accountable, as for something within one’s power or control. Having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable.

Read the definition again. After you do, you should take a minute of silence to consider the question: “Am I a responsible person?” Be honest. Are you accountable for the things within your power and control? Do you always apply your capacity for moral decisions?

I now request you that you pause reading for a while. During this break, write down just three occasions in which you acted irresponsibly. If many of them come to mind, write down all of them.

After you are done take some time to look at your list. What picture do you see? What were the consequences of your irresponsibility either to you or to the next person? Looking back, don't you wish you had acted (more) responsibly?

You need to keep in mind that the picture that you see of yourself is the same picture that the world sees in you.

I have come to believe that most, if not all, of the problems that every person faces today arise out of either their own irresponsibility or that of somebody else.

I think that the world would be a much better place today if everybody had acted responsibly in the past.

In the same vein, our children and grandchildren will only live a great life if we act responsibly in the now. Think about it.

The call to act responsibly is getting louder and more ear-piercing by the day, and as you read this sermon, you must find it in your heart to heed the call.

It's an urgent call. Now is the day when hearts should burn for what is noble, transparent, constructive, right, and morally correct.

You and I have several areas that are within our power and control. In each of these areas, we need to ensure that we conduct ourselves with integrity; we should demonstrate a strong sense of responsibility.

We shouldn't have anything to hide. Instead, we should be in a position to explain all our actions or omissions without stuttering. As you read this sermon, you can be sure that there are lots of people who are busy hiding information regarding the actions that they have taken, simply because such actions cannot stand scrutiny! Any action that cannot stand scrutiny borders on selfishness, and irresponsibility.

Let me quote from the Bible.

Paul gave Timothy the following instruction: "Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care" (1 Timothy 6:20). Paul was teaching Timothy to be accountable for his actions - to make maximum use of the capacity given him to make moral decisions. Timothy heeded the instruction and went on to become a great leader in the service of the Lord.

What is it that has been entrusted to your care?

There surely is at least one thing that you act guardian over. I have; you have. What are you doing with or about it? Are you guarding it? Are you abusing it? Are you plundering it? Are you neglecting it? Are you acting irresponsibly towards it?

If you are a Pastor, you have the congregation in your care.

If you are a teacher, you have the students in your care.

If you are a parent, you have the family in your care.

If you are a health professional, the patients have been placed in your care.

If you are a driver, the passengers are in your care.

If you are a mayor, the city has been entrusted to your care.

If you are an employer, your employees are under your care.

If you are a ruler, the nation has been placed in your care.

I think that you now appreciate why I think that most of our problems arise from irresponsibility.

So many people have died on the roads simply because the driver acted irresponsibly and even ignored rebuke by the passengers. Road accidents are sometimes caused by motorists speeding through red robots, pedestrian crossings, or junctions at which they must give way to other traffic.

Drunken driving is also a major contributor to road accidents. One day I overheard two men engaged in a conversation. They were laughing and I thought that they were talking about something really exciting. One of them said, “My friend, I still am at a loss how on this earth I managed to drive home yesterday evening. I was so drunk that I could not get out of the car after parking it. My wife and children had to pull me out of the car and carry me into the house.”

What do you make of this? Sounds familiar?

I also know of a number of cases in which teachers were either sacked or imprisoned for sexually abusing students in their care and children who have taken to the streets because parents failed to take proper care of them.

These are just examples. The cases of irresponsibility are too numerous to mention.

If we fail to act responsibly in the here and now, then we certainly do a great disservice to future generations.

With our actions or omissions, we shape the future. Let us not underestimate the power that we wield in determining the kind of future our children will possess. They look at us, they witness our actions and omissions, they listen to us speaking and sometimes they judge us.

How beautiful it would be for us to be guided by noble principles! How marvelous it would be to be real role models in society! How pleasing it would be for the future generations to look back and conclude that their elders taught and raised them up right!

We need to preserve the environment so that we bequeath it to our children in a condition that they would enjoy.

We need to build our economies and the social sectors to a condition that is better than we found them, if our children are to see us as builders, not demolishers.

We need to leave a legacy of honesty, love, work and peace.

It is within our power. It is within our means. Yes, we can. I believe that we have sufficient willingness to do so. So let us work together. Let us be of service to the human race. Let us think progress.

Above all, let us strive to act responsibly, always.

Are you guarding that which has been entrusted to your care?

Do you have a clear conscience regarding how you have conducted yourself in the past? Can you stand with your chin up and shoulders high, without shame? Would God and man describe you as noble, and responsible? Would they take you to be a person of integrity? If that is not the case, then you've some serious work to do, and now is the time to act!

Guard whatever is entrusted to your care. Act responsibly. What a powerful instruction!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may always act responsibly toward fellow humans.

I admire the example of Jesus Christ, Holy Father. I admire His concern for people, that it might be well with them.

I aspire to that example, so help me, Holy Father.

Jesus came so that the human race might not just have life, but that we might have it in abundance. That is a heightened sense of responsibility, for One to be so concerned about the wellbeing of others to the extent of making a supreme sacrifice for them.

Help the world, Holy Father. Selfishness is killing us. Consider the suffering that the human race faces right now, and it looks like without Your intervention it will only get worse. All this because of irresponsibility originating from selfishness!

May you raise up a different kind of generation, Holy Father; a generation that is more concerned about the wellbeing of the next person more than they are concerned about their own.

May this generation erase all old habits from the face of the earth and introduce a new world order for which Jesus Christ is the architect.

Father, the human race needs Your help, otherwise irresponsibility will wipe us from the face of the earth.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Father, I beseech You.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #96: BEING A FRIEND OF GOD LIKE ABRAHAM

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 09:42:00 +0000

There is this thought that keeps coming to my mind.

The thought is provoked whenever I read the following verse: “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God's friend” (James 2 Verse 23, NIV).

Abraham was called God’s friend; what more could he have yearned for! How was this possible? It was because Abraham believed God. How marvelous and instructive!

This is the way I look at it: to please God, we need not just to believe Him, but also to take any necessary action consistent with what He instructs us.

Abraham believed whatever God told him. Not only that, Abraham also acted on God's instructions according to the exact will of Him who instructed him. Now that's a real friend, if you ask me.

Are you ready and willing to conduct your Christian life likewise?

When God said, “Leave this place,” Abraham left the place. When God said, “Give Me your son,” Abraham 'gave' Him his son. Abraham believed everything God told Him; hence he was called God’s friend.

God told Abraham about His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. I believe that God told Abraham because the two were friends and Abraham was God's confidant.

God didn’t want Abraham to feel let down. If God had not told Abraham about it, Abraham could probably have subsequently queried, “But my Friend, why didn’t you give me a heads-up on what You were planning to do?”

In the process of considering the punishment that He was going to unleash on Sodom and Gomorrah, God remembered His friend. Listen to this: “Then the LORD said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?’”(Gen 18:17, NIV). How beautiful!

I imagine God saying the same thing about me - “Shall I hide from Phanuel what I am about to do?” Glory to God! That's a stage we certainly need to get to during our short lives on earth.

So, when I look at this, I conclude that God told Abraham about His plans because Abraham was His close friend. He could tell him His secrets and plans. God could confide in Abraham. Can He safely confide in you?

After God told Abraham about His plans, Abraham actually bargained with Him; and God never took offense at Abraham for asking almost the same question several times. Imagine somebody asking, “What if they are fifty?” then “What if they are forty-five?” then “What if they are forty?” then “What if they are thirty?” then “What if they are twenty?” then “What if they are ten?”

Our God is a patient God. He answered all these questions without any hint of impatience; after all, it was a close friend who was asking!

This is my view: although every Christian is loved by God, not all really get into the closeness that God had with Abraham.

Some Christians have dedicated their lives to walking the tight rope. If certain things are not of God, this kind of Christians will never associate with such things. I believe that these people are first Christians and they have gone a step further to become God’s friends.

On the other hand, are Christians, really born again and heaven-bound, but they appear and live like they are not. They choose what to believe and what not to believe. If God says, “This color is red,” they believe. When God takes another color and says, “This is blue,” they say, “But it looks greyish; it can’t be blue.” God cannot get into deeper closeness with such Christians because of their unreliability.

I say this not to offend, but to encourage. You need to examine yourself and to change whatever needs to be changed, all the time guided by the will of God.

If you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you need to be on the move, always. There is no room for monuments in Christ; there is room only for divine movements, Christians on the go!

Christians should build their lives on the foundation called Christ. But what does the Bible say about this building exercise?

Listen to this: “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward” 1 Cor. 3:12-15, NIV.

Are you building with gold? Or are you building with straw? Can straw withstand fire? These are questions that every Christian needs to be always seized with. The Bible says whatever you are building will undergo the test of fire. We should not walk aimlessly in this faith; rather, we exist to aim for the prize!

“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil,” (Eph. 5:15-16, NIV)

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may establish an intimate relationship with God.

Holy Father, I long to be Your confidant, someone who You can trust to keep Your secrets in a clean heart.

It would be an honour for me for You to tell me what You plan to do.

Help me, Father, to become the kind of Christian that Your conscience would not hide anything from. May I always walk with You, each step of the way, for the rest of my life.

Forgive me, Father, for the instances that I have failed to believe You.

I recall past instances in which I failed to believe You because Your words did not seem 'sound' from a human-logic point of view. But all such words eventually came to pass; my logic failed me.

I will therefore strive, Holy Father, never to apply human logic to spiritual matters; experience has taught me that human logic would always be futile under such circumstances.

If I do not change, I will never make the grade to be as close as I desire to You.

So, help me, Holy Father.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

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Short Sermons #95: LED BY THE SPIRIT

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 06:18:00 +0000

“ … those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8 Verse 14, NIV).

Who are the sons and daughters of God? Who are the sons and daughters of Abraham? It is “those who are led by the Spirit of God”.

The unsaved cannot be led by the Spirit of God because they are not of the Spirit. They, however, might eventually become of the Spirit, if they so choose. On the other hand, the saved need to seriously think about Paul’s statement in Romans 8:14.

A Christian should always be attentive to the Holy Spirit’s direction. We need, as Christians, to keep our antennas high and searching, so that we remain in touch with the thinking of the Spirit at every point of our lives.

Consider the radar; it’s always on the alert. Once an airplane gets into the radar’s area of coverage the radar immediately shouts, “An airplane has just entered my airspace!” That’s how alert every Christian should always be!

And when the radar is active, safety and protection is assured; airlines land safely and unwanted flying objects are fended off. Similarly, things will go well in your life if you keep your spiritual radar active.

We should never miss the Spirit’s mind concerning our lives, not even once, otherwise we would face unnecessary risks. A Christian who is always attentive will be able to capture the thoughts and guidance of the Spirit at every turn.

It doesn’t mean that one should necessarily hear a voice, although some people do hear God’s voice. Even without hearing a voice, one would know what God’s thoughts are with respect to any area of their life if they are attentive. The Word of God that you read should come in handy under the circumstances.

You might decide to go somewhere, but before you go, you need to ask yourself the question: “What does the Spirit of God say about my plan?”

You might have been wronged by somebody and you are in the process of considering your options; you should ask, “What does the Spirit of God expect me to do under these circumstances?”

You might be in a clothing shop, trying to grab some fashion. Before you buy, you should be in a position to tell what the Spirit’s mind is regarding any item of clothing that you might be admiring.

I believe that if you genuinely want to follow the will of God, you will hear a still, small 'voice' in your heart, instructing you on the way to go.

God is the God of a Christian's entire life; not just a part of it. We therefore shouldn’t surrender just a portion of our lives and affairs to God; instead, we should surrender every aspect of it! God should have the final say on everything concerning our lives.

I do not believe people who say God approves of everything that we might decide to do or to be; if He did, then to me He wouldn’t be God.

Does your earthly father approve of everything about you, everything you do or everything you are?

Hasn't your earthly father at one point directed you to change certain things concerning your life? What more the Heavenly Father, the Father of even your father!

We should never confuse our will with God’s will.

Under all circumstances, it should be very easy for a Christian to come to a decision. All one has to do is ask themselves, “What is the mind of the Spirit on this?” The mind of the Spirit becomes the decision!

Some of God's children are in not so good a shape. They allow God to direct them only in some areas of their lives and keep certain areas to themselves. They reach certain decisions and stay put even if God were to direct them otherwise. That is the height of disobedience!

Several Christians disobey God in certain respects. Even when they know too well what God’s direction is regarding an aspect of their lives, they proceed as if they knew nothing. Just because they like it that way, they say, in effect, “Even God will not shift me from this.” What do you make of it?

The Bible mentions some people who ‘wandered from the faith” (see 1 Timothy 6:21). I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the disobedient Christians eventually wander from the faith, because their mindset is already inclined that way. They might end up disobeying the Father in everything!

I implore you to act and react only in a manner that’s consistent with the direction of the Spirit. There might be something that you love to do, or a behavior that you find irresistible, or gatherings that you are weak to avoid. The bottom-line is, “What is the mind of the Spirit regarding all this?”

You should be convinced that your conduct in life is exactly what the Spirit ordered.

“What is the mind of the Spirit on this? What does the Spirit instruct me to do? Would God be pleased if I were to do it this way?” That’s how Christians make decisions.

I have come across Christians who say, "But I do not know the will of God regarding this aspect of my life." In response I normally say, "Do not worry about what you do not know now. Are you doing anything about that which you know?"

If one did their best regarding the will of God that they know, they are in a good place. I think going forward, the more such people learn about the will of God, the more they will follow it. In addition to advising them about their situation, I also urge such people not to remain a minute in a state of ignorance because nothing stops them from searching the scriptures for answers!

Just as I was about to fall asleep one day, the thought of writing this message entered my mind. Because I was tired and wanted to rest, I decided to postpone writing until the next day. However, when I asked myself the question, “What does the Spirit say I should do?” I realized that the Spirit wanted me to wake up and write the message straight away. So, I did.

I sure hope this sermon has helped you in some way. If it has, then it was worth my writing. Remember that you will never mature if you don’t give the Spirit free reign in your life.

God bless you!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That the Holy Spirit may guide every aspect of my life.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I come before You.

Like Jesus I declare, "I want to do Your will O God! Hear I am, I desire to become everything that You expect of me."

Open my spiritual eyes and ears, Holy Father, so that I may see where to step and hear the voice that I need to hear, and no other.

May earthly ways and earthly standards never lure me away from the heavenly standard.

Fill me with the Holy Spirit, O God, the same Spirit who was in Christ Jesus, the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead.

May the resurrection Spirit resurrect the desire in me to do Your will for the rest of my life.

In the name of Christ Jesus, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #94: THE CHRISTIAN PROSPERITY GOSPEL & SECRETS

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 10:09:00 +0000

I could do with more wealth, with more money. I should and would be better off with lots of it. I am not the only one in this condition; you too could do with more money.

I know several people who are seeking improvement in the status of their wealth. They are frantically looking in various places for it.

Yet when I look at it, I sometimes feel as though people generally take the lead when it comes to wealth creation, leaving God behind, leading to a lot of debris all over the place, as people blunder their way.

“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD’” (Ex 14:13, KJV). God is wonderful. He says, “As far as your life and wealth creation are concerned, do not panic.” What comfort! Stand still. Be at peace. Praise God!

Consider this as well: “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matt 6:31-32, NIV). Your Father, the unlimited provider, knows that you need these things.

Because He knows you need these things and because He is your provider, He will “satisfy you fully” (Joel 2:19, NIV).

So, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil 4:6, NIV).

I have noticed some misfiring in a number of believers - they desire more wealth to the extent of negating all that God has already done for them. They don't seem to appreciate what they already have! They are always anxious, edgy and sullen, simply because they have not got that which they seek.

Consider this: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18, NIV).

Believers should be joyful always; they should give thanks in all circumstances. This is something! Whatever situation you might be in, you've got to give thanks to God, with joyous hymns, because life is good!

There should be no room for anxiety in a Christian’s life. Jesus’ instruction on anxiety is clear enough. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything.”

If you find yourself in a closed box with regard to wealth, you now know what to do. Don't get angry or restless. Instead, present your requests to God, keeping in mind that you should ever be joyful and thankful. Thank Him for what you possess. Thank Him also for what you hope for.

If you have the basics of life, then you are in a good state. God will take you from there to yonder places if you dedicate yourself to living in accordance with His teachings. Just listen to this: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Tim 6:7-8, NIV).

Do you have food? Do you have clothing? Do you have shelter, even if rented? If so, then you should be ashamed of yourself if you are living a miserable life! Timothy said, “ … we will be content with that.” We will be satisfied with that.

You should be content with that. You ought to be thankful and your gratitude should beam right into the throne room.

Of course, you should always take steps to create new and more wealth, but your starting point ought to be different from the starting point of non-believers. While non-believers might start from a point of dissatisfaction, believers should make it a point to start from a point of satisfaction, a position of gratitude.

I have learnt some valuable lessons. Here they are:

God delights in the prosperity of His children.

God is willing and able to take His children to spacious places in terms of wealth. He can enrich us exceedingly above even the wildest of our imaginations.

However, God wants Christians to begin their journey from a point of satisfaction, not dissatisfaction, acknowledging every good thing that He has already done for them.

A satisfied life is a life well-lived. It is a full life, without any regrets. With God, the past, present, and future belong to you. You can reclaim, with compound interest, everything that was meant for you, but which had somehow eluded you.

So, while you work towards more wealth, you need to do so calmly, peacefully, with God each step of the way.

Wealth is on my mind, and life is good!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may be grateful for the wealth that God has already given me, even as I work towards multiplying it.

Heavenly Father, I come before You in the name of Jesus Christ.

Your Word has taught me to be grateful for everything You give me. I now realize that I have all along been taking some of Your precious gifts for granted.

The basics of life that You have given, and that You continue to give me, have sustained me and my family to this point. I should have shown more gratitude than I did for this.

Today, heavenly Father, I come to thank You not for the 'big' gifts, but for the 'small' gifts that have had a huge impact for me and my family. I should thank You not only for the 'big' gifts, but also for the 'small' ones.

Father, I thank You for the food available to my family each day. I thank You for shelter; our home is not a mansion, but it serves it's purpose well. Some live on the streets and You have spared me that. For this I am so grateful.

Father, I thank You for the clothing and the blankets. They cover us, for the sake of decency, and keep us warm during cold weather.

I can pay for my children's education, heavenly Father, even though I sometimes fall behind and have to enter into a payment plan with the educational institutions. But the fact that my children are getting an education makes me feel like a responsible parent.

I know, Father, that You can guide my steps towards more wealth; You can bless the work of my hand; You can reveal opportunities for me to earn more from my sweat. I know that You are willing to do all this for me.

But I start from a point of gratitude, heavenly Father, not from a point dissatisfaction or restlessness.

In conclusion, Father, I repeat, THANK YOU.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #92: SETTING A GOOD CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 06:06:00 +0000

People should seek to pursue the comprehensive kind of success.

This is the kind of success that I have always exhorted people, through the medium of my books and blogs, to pursue.

I do not think that it is helpful for anybody to deliberately maintain some shortcomings in some areas of their life. Instead, people should learn to live complete lives, always guided by the Word of Light.

Each of your actions or omissions gives you an identity or label before God and mankind. People look at you and make specific conclusions about you.

Your actions or omissions either build your reputation or destroy it. So doing nothing is not actually doing nothing, as some people think. By doing nothing you would, in fact, be doing something!

What example are you setting in life?

Are you a role model? Would people with good intentions want to emulate you? These are questions that you ought to be asking yourself.

What perceptions do fellow church members, co-workers, friends, relatives, etc., have about you? Do they feel comfortable in your presence? Do they befriend you? Would they confide in you? Would they ask you for advice from you on their personal problems? Would they ask you to help them in any other way? Do they think you act in a fair manner in your interactions with them?

The Word of God is the greatest teacher. Listen to this: "Set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Timothy 4:12). Praise God!

You’ve got to set an example for fellow believers:

in speech;

in life;

in love;

in faith; and

in purity.

Now let us prepare a small checklist.

I want you to read each of the following statements thrice, after which you would then consider if it describes you. If it describes you, say, "Yes, that's who I am." If it doesn't, shout, "Oh my God!"
Here we go:

I set a good example for believers in the way I speak;

I set a good example for believers in the way I live;

I set a good example for believers in the way I relate to them;

I set a good example for believers in the way I exercise my faith;

I set a good example for believers in purity.

You need to use your tongue in a responsible way. You should use only the words that people would listen to with delight - positive words, encouraging (uplifting) words, words that build people up, and words that bring value to the listener.

Huge problems exist in the area of speech. Several believers speak toxic words almost on a daily basis. Some seem to speak such words exclusively; each time they open their mouths you can be sure that they are on a mission to hurt somebody. That’s unfortunate!

God expects you to set an example to fellow believers in speech.

What does setting an example in life mean? I think this is a global view - over a period of time, one observes how you conduct your life in general. If you are setting a good example for them in this regard, they should end up desiring to be like you.

You should also set an example for others in love and in purity. This is something! Love, purity. Some people do not understand these words. What is love? What is purity? You could already be asking yourself these questions.

What does it take to be a pure human being? What does it take to have genuine love? These are higher positions that no natural human being could attain, only those who are quickened by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In purity, one deliberately sets themselves apart from ungodly beliefs and practices or actions, being fully conscious of who they are in Christ Jesus.

If you gave your life to Christ, I salute you. I am sure you do not ask the same questions asked by those who are not born again. This is because in Jesus Christ you have a role model, a perfect example to follow.

If you want to know what purity is, you should look at Christ. If you want to know what true love is, you should again look at Christ.

Nothing shall give Christians confidence except being like Christ. Christ is our confidence.

Some people behave in a manner that is seriously worrisome. By their conduct, they seem to say, “I am a bad example; I admit it.” They have no boundaries with regard to their actions or omissions. Yet Paul is teaching us that we ought to pay careful attention to how we walk this earth as Christians.

Whatever you do or say contributes to the perception that people will have about you. If you take advantage of other people, if you ask for or accept bribes, if you spit venom, if you fly with rage, if you are arrogant, then you certainly do yourself some serious injustice.

I wonder how one could live comfortably in a house that they obtained through corruption, sit in sofas that they stole, and enjoy music from a radio that they obtained through tricks.

What happened to conscience? What happened to self-respect? What happened to honesty, decency, and integrity? What example would one be setting by such conduct?

What example are you setting?

It's time to reflect!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That people may consider me a perfect role model in Christ.

Heavenly Father, my desire is that none of Your children may stumble because of my actions or omissions. I seek to set the kind of example that Paul exhorted Timothy to set.

Father, please help me to set a good example for believers in the way I speak.

Help me to set a good example for believers in the way I relate to them.

Help me to set a good example for believers in the way I exercise my faith.

Help me to set a good example for believers in purity; in my separation from worldly pleasures.

Help me to set a good example for believers in the way I conduct my life in general.

Father, by my own effort I fall short. May Your Holy Spirit equip me for this.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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Short Sermons #91: HOW TO DEFEAT/OVERCOME THE DEVIL

noreply@blogger.com (Phanuel Muverengwi) — Tue, 04 Jul 2017 06:16:00 +0000

“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you’” (Luke 10 Verses 17-19, NIV).

So, we declare that the devil is a defeated foe.

However, the question that begs an answer is: do we see the devil defeated in the life of every Christian?

Don’t we see defeated Christians all around us? How can that be yet Jesus gave us the power to trample over snakes and scorpions? He even assured us that nothing shall by any means harm us!

Indeed, we see victory, sometimes total victory, in the lives of some Christians. On the other hand, we see Christians who are so defeated that they wish they were dead.

Before I got saved, I used to hang out with one young man who looked like he was on fire for God. Then he abandoned the way of the Lord.
“Why did you quit?” I asked him.

“I had realized that there was no God,” came the reply.

The reply satisfied me because it was consistent with what I believed at the time. But looking back, I now realize that Satan had thoroughly defeated or deceived the young man.

The young man's destination is one that we all need to avoid at all costs!

The devil is defeated. This however doesn't mean that the devil has stopped fighting Christians. It doesn't mean that he just walks away. Neither does it mean that we should relax.

What it really means is that if we put our focus on it, we will always emerge victorious over the devil. If we stay prepared, the devil will flee from us.

The authority that we have in Christ Jesus is in actual fact a capacity, something that becomes useless unless put to use! The authority is not for keeping, but for use.

In the opening verse, we are told of our authority over the devil. We have to first believe this; not only that, but we also need to go on to exercise this authority.

If we do not exercise our authority, the devil will do as he pleases with us, to the extent that the words of Jesus in the opening verse would appear a lie.

An armed person could be defeated by an unarmed one if the armed does not appreciate their competitive advantage. He could be apprehended using bare hands while holding a fully functional, state-of-the-art assault rifle, loaded with a thousand bullets!

The point is that we, as Christians, are superior to Satan. But we will never defeat Satan unless we exercise our superiority!

The question that I am going to address in this short sermon is: How could one exercise their superiority over Satan? How could they overcome the devil?

I thank God because His Word contains the answer(s) that Christians need.

I want you to picture a biblical warrior, and to imagine the warrior getting ready for battle.

I am sure that you have seen some films with warriors either reading for battle or already in the midst of one.

The warriors used to dress in a certain way and carried a specific kind of weaponry. They would, for example, have a helmet on, a covering for the chest and legs in place, a shield, and of course a sword in hand!

Below, I am going to give the outlook that you need if you are to overcome the devil each time he comes stooping at your doorstep.

First: “I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord's mighty power within you” (Eph 6:10, TLB).

This is an important lesson. Your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you.

There is a mighty power within you; that power should be the source of your strength! But what we see in some Christians is that once the devil attacks, they run almost everywhere for solutions.

The Word is telling you that the source of your strength is inside you. So, if you've to run anywhere, then you ought to run inside. Never entertain the thought that the power comes from you, as some do, much to their embarrassment in the end.

Some Christians still visit witch doctors for solutions to their problems; such Christians take the witch doctor to be the source of their strength. This is unfortunate!

Years ago, a Christian woman said to me, “Mukuwasha, kana zviri zvekuti mwana arwara ini chero kun’anga ndinoenda,” meaning, “If it is about my child’s health, I will never hesitate to visit a witchdoctor. I will do whatever I can.” The question is: did the woman appreciate the ability that had been deposited in her?

Your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you!

Second: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (Eph 6:11, NIV).

I have given you a picture of a warrior ready for battle; how the warrior should be dressed and how he should be equipped.

Ephesians 6 v 11 is too important to underrate. The verse gives us the outlook that we should have if we are to overcome the devil, if we are to exercise the authority granted us by Christ Jesus.

Note that the verse does not instruct us to put on the armor of God; instead, it instructs us to put on the full armor of God. Only then would we be able to effectively stand against the devil’s schemes.

Victory is not assured for somebody who puts on partial armor, for the devil will find in that person some weak points to exploit.

Why full armor?

It’s because, for example, if the warrior does not have his helmet on, then his head would be exposed. Once Satan sees that the head is exposed, he will go for it!

If the warrior does not have a shield in hand, then his entire body is exposed.

If he doesn't have his shoes on then his mobility is limited, for his feet are exposed to thorns and other sharp objects.

If he doesn't have the sword in hand, then it becomes difficult to take him seriously!

It has to be the full armor!

Third: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph 6:12-13, NIV).

For a Christian to overcome the enemy, he needs to first be clear in his mind as to who the enemy really is. One shouldn't waste time and resources fighting imaginary enemies; it must be the real enemy!

If one fights an imaginary enemy, all it means is that one is already defeated because he is doing nothing about the real enemy! He would be spending his ammunition on the wrong target!

People are never our enemies.

Our enemies are never physical. Our battles are never physical. We are not physical beings, but spirit beings. So, we have no business fighting in the physical!

Our battles are spiritual because our enemies are spiritual; that's how we should see it. Every person who behaves like an enemy is actually being propelled by a spiritual force; so, we target not the human being, but the force behind them.

We will lose all our real battles if we think they are physical.

After defeating the devil, the Christian should be found standing. Glory to God! It’s only when you have the full armor of God that you will be able to achieve this.

Some Christians achieve shaky victories because they lack certain pieces of the armor of God. At the end of the battle, although having succeeded to drive the evil one away, some Christians appear as though they have passed through fire; some are badly bruised, and some are found not standing but leaning against trees and rocks. This is what happens when one exposes part of their territory to the devil.

After defeating the devil, you should be found standing.

Let us now look at the means to victory:

First: “With the belt of truth buckled around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14, NIV).

You need to keep the belt of truth buckled around your waist. You should never unbuckle! The moment you unbuckle, the ‘fasten your belt’ sign immediately lights up.

If you unbuckle, you expose yourself to the dangers of turbulence. As you travel, as you sleep, as you work, as you make merry, the belt of truth should always be around your waist!

But what is this ‘truth’ that Paul wrote about?

Truth is what the Word of God says. Paul said if you are to defeat the devil, then you need the belt of truth. The devil might come in the manner of Goliath. You could see him towering over you, with you appearing like ‘just a boy’. But what is the truth?

The truth is that Goliath is a defeated foe, glory to God! That’s what the Word of God says; that’s the truth. If you appreciate this, then you will defeat Goliath. He might even flee without a fight. But it only happens to those who keep the belt of truth around their waists.

If one does not keep the belt of truth in place, then you will find them defeated, lying down, and in need of rescue. And if you ask them how the devil could possibly have defeated them, they are likely to reply, “I looked like a grasshopper against him.”

Second: “The breastplate of righteousness in place” (Ephesians 6:14, NIV). Paul was addressing the saints at Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus. So his message is as relevant to us as it was to the Ephesians.

We should keep the breastplate of righteousness in place if we are to live victorious lives. The Living Bible uses ‘God’s approval’ in place of ‘righteousness’.

We are the righteous ones of God. But do all Christians keep their righteousness in place? I think it’s not every Christian who does.

But what does it mean to keep one’s righteousness in place? First, it means that one should always be conscious of this status that has been bestowed on them. They should also understand its importance.

Some Christians actually believe that they are not righteous, and Satan feasts on them because of this. Ignorance is a big disadvantage.

Second, it also means that the righteous should live lives that are consistent with their righteousness. Some of those who appreciate their righteousness actually live like they are not aware of it.

Imagine you bathing a three-year-old and dressing her nicely. Imagine that you then go on to instruct her to go and play in muddy waters. Would she agree to this?

“What!” I believe she would exclaim, “You want me to get myself dirty? Don’t you see how smart I am?” This should be the attitude of all the saints in Christ!

At one meeting that I attended we were taught that among the things that we teach the members of our various groups, we should also teach them language, the appropriate words to use in speech.

Which language?

The language of the righteous of course! The kind that is consistent with our righteous nature. I am sure you now avoid certain things because they have become repulsive to you.

“Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice” (Philippians 4:8-9, NIV).

Third: “Your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15).

Paul is talking about the kind of shoes that you should wear. He says the readiness that comes from the gospel shall be your shoes; that's what will keep you going.

You go only because the gospel has prepared you for the journey. You overcome Satan only because the gospel has prepared you for it. You put on the readiness and run! The readiness is your shoes!

This demonstrates the importance of the gospel. Without the gospel, we can never be ready for anything. Without the gospel, Satan would find us completely unarmed.

How much time do you spend in the gospel, i.e., studying the Word? Remember the more time you spend in the gospel the more prepared you will be to face both the good and the bad.

Fourth: “Take up the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16).

Faith is one’s response to the Word of God. If the Word tells you that you are the dominant one and you believe and act on it, then you have faith.

If the Word tells you that Goliath is actually at your mercy, then you should believe and act on that.

Whatever the Word says, believe and act on it. Paul says it is by your faith that you could extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. You, therefore, need faith; you also need to perpetually grow it and only through the Word could you do so.

Paul instructed, “ ... take up the shield of faith.” It’s within your means to take.

Fifth: “Take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17).

Salvation is a process. It does not end at the point of receiving Christ. We are saved over and over on various issues pertaining to our lives.

Salvation is our helmet. Without it, our heads could be destroyed by the enemy’s sword. Paul says, “take the helmet”. He does not say “receive the helmet”. We have come to a point at which we have matured enough to take the help that comes from God.

The ball is in our court. If one were to go before God and say, “Lord, please give me the helmet,” God would answer, “I actually have been wondering all along why the helmet is still here. It has been available to you for ages but you've not collected it. If you want the helmet then why don't you go ahead and take it!”

As we stay in and meditate on the Word, as we shut out the many worldly voices that clamor for our attention, we get to a point at which we take. Glory to God!

Sixth: “The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17, NIV).

Good God! The sword that we use! The weapons of our warfare! They are not carnal, but mighty through God!

The Word of God is our sword. When He was being tempted by the devil, Jesus defeated him by quoting the scriptures.

The Spirit of God, who is the Word of God, is the sword that we use. This is why we do not fight physically. Our weapons are not physical, but spiritual.

Just take a moment to reflect on what the Word of God could do in and for you in life.

Seventh: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).

This also is a piece of armor - prayer; glory to God! You should learn to pray without ceasing. We overcome the devil with our prayers. And we do not pray anyhow; instead, we pray ‘in the Spirit”.

And we do not pray for just one thing; we pray for various things; we make various requests.

Neither do we pray just for ourselves, but we also pray for others, whether in our country or abroad, whether we know them or not, whether they hate us or not, so that they too might find victory in Christ.

As long as there is a genuine cause, we pray.

As we achieve victory for others, we also achieve victory for ourselves. Satan truly is a defeated foe!

Eighth: "With this in mind, be alert" (Ephesians 6:18, NIV).

As I walked through the plains one afternoon, a snake holed up nearby sensed danger. The snake raised its head so high that it could clearly see 360 degrees. It focused on me as I walked, warning me to keep my distance.

The snake remained ready to strike, ready to destroy the enemy. I kept my distance. I appreciated the fact that the snake was on red alert. It was ready for the enemy; never to be found napping.

That’s how alert Christians should always be!

There is a lot of noise in this world, but never allow any of it to disturb your alertness. When the evil day comes, the devil should find you ready and alert. Otherwise, you will be bruised!

Stay victorious, and God bless you!

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DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

Prayer Point for Today: That I may keep in mind what it takes for me to live a victorious Christian life.

Holy Father, I thank You for today's message.

Many times I have wondered what it would take for me to live a victorious Christian life.

Forgive me heavenly Father for at times I have sort to blame You for my defeat in some areas of my life. I considered myself to have done all it took for me to gain victory, including prayer and fasting, and thought You were letting me down.

But today's message has taught me, heavenly Father, that there is more to victory than praying and fasting, and for this enlightenment I am truly grateful to You, heavenly Father.

There is much more I should be and should do in Christ to achieve victory. But I am a weak person; please help me to be the kind of person that would be ready for the devil each time he comes visiting.

Heavenly Father, I shall hold and treasure today's teaching in my heart for as long as I live, and shall strive to live accordingly, so that I may be the kind of child that would please You, and so that I might emerge victorious from each of my battles with the evil one.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray.

Amen.

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