May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, (Colossians 1:11 ESV)
It is only God that can strengthen us with all power as we seek His face and wait upon Him. It is not by power or might or by faith in our faith but faith in the active power of God that was made possible and available to us through the sacrifice and blood of Jesus. The more we depend on God’s power, the more self dies. The power of the Holy Spirit must not be scorned or ignored.
The same power that strengthens us for all endurance and patience with joy is the same power that will make us complete in the will of God. That is also the same power that heals and delivers us from every evil. May we never forsake or look down on this power. The more we magnify and exalt that power the more self shrinks and faith grows.
May God strengthen us with all power according to His glorious might.
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. (1 Peter 1:3 – 1:4 ESV)
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. (Philippians 3:10 ESV)
To know Christ is to taste His resurrection power. The word of God has power and that power is the Holy Ghost Power. If we abide in the word of God and allow ourselves to be transformed into the image and character of Christ, we will experience His power. However, we must also seek the face of God and wait upon Him for the Holy Ghost Power. We must learn to humbly and sincerely ask for the power and gifts of the Holy Ghost. It is those who ask that receive. Those who are too proud to ask do not receive.
If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13
When His power is active in our lives, we will have the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Our transformation should start with bearing all the fruits of the Holy Spirit and culminate in the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit.
Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 7:22 – 7:23 ESV)
We were bought with a price and that price is the precious blood of Jesus. Our salvation is not common or ordinary, it is glorious and mighty. We need to cherish the precious blood of Jesus that bought us, redeemed us, saved us, washed us, cleanses us and will always cleanse us of sins and afflictions.
The blood of Jesus is powerful and eternally effective to cleanse us of every impurity and uncleanness.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Romans 13:14 NKJV)
In this Scripture, we are instructed to put on the Lord Jesus and make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lust. Putting on the Lord Jesus means putting on the whole counsel of the word of God, the complete armor of God, letting the Holy Spirit control us and being led and filled by the Holy Spirit and His fruits.
All this we should do with humility, prayer and persistence. When we put on the Lord Jesus, we become Christlike and pleasing to God.
“You have heard that people were told in the past, ‘Do not commit murder; anyone who does will be brought to trial.’ But now I tell you: if you are angry with your brother you will be brought to trial, if you call your brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ you will be brought before the Council, and if you call your brother a worthless fool you will be in danger of going to the fire of hell. Matthew 5:21-22
Unruly tongues are tongues that run wild without control and direction causing harm and trauma to anyone that it meets. People who call people fools and all sorts of demeaning, derogatory, evil names have unruly tongues and are not civilized. Politeness is synonymous with being civilized and wise.
Love is not rude. 1 Corinthians 13:5
In this Scripture Jesus is warning us against calling our fellow human beings fools. This Scripture actually demonstrates the holiness and love of God. God is not pleased with name-calling, mocking people, belittling people, cursing, demeaning people and disrespecting the honor of people. He created everyone special, regardless of our struggles and circumstance. It is unfair to call people names, insult peoples, mock them and demean them simply because we think that we will get away with it. Well, God is telling us that we will not only not get away with it, but it puts us in danger of going to hell.
We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. James 3:2
Our tongues must be sanctified and holy because they were created for life and imparting grace to others. Our tongues were created for loving, encouraging, uplifting, edifying and honoring people. Our tongues were not created for hurting, harming and traumatizing people with all manner of offenses that originate from the tongue – slandering, backbiting, rudeness, ridiculing, gossiping, lying, mocking, name calling, cursing, insulting, flattering, boasting and so on. We should know that we should not do to others what we don’t want them to do to us.
May God help us to sanctify our tongues and keep them holy for His glory in Jesus name.
The news about him spread through the whole country of Syria, so that people brought to him all those who were sick, suffering from all kinds of diseases and disorders: people with demons, and epileptics, and paralytics—and Jesus healed them all. Matthew 4:4
Jesus healed them all – diseases, infections, disorders, epilepsy, paralysis, demonic oppression and possession. The sicknesses bowed to Him and dissolved. Demons ran away in terror acknowledging that He is the son of God. Jesus proved His sonship and divinity by manifesting authority and power over death and sicknesses. Evil was scared of Jesus. Jesus rebuked demons and they quivered with terror and surrendered.
They could not contest power with Jesus because they know that they are thieves and imposters. Man was not created for sicknesses and demons but for God’s glory. Even though man is now in a fallen state because of sin, God is waiting to heal those who come to Him through Jesus. He wants to show us His love and shower us with His mercy. He is not happy about our illnesses and afflictions. He is Jehovah our healer.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He healed, He heals and He will heal. The blood of Jesus cleansed, healed and washed us. The same eternal life giving blood still cleanses and heals and will keep healing those who run into the waiting arms of Jesus our healer, deliverer and savior.
May we seek His face today and every other day and humbly ask for His healing, life saving power.
Become complete. Be of good comfort. (2 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV)
Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. (2 Corinthians 13:11 NKJV)
Make sure that your endurance carries you all the way without failing, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4
To be complete is to be whole and to get whole is to be holy. This godly reminder is instructing us to become complete. Jesus was complete and Paul was complete. It does not mean that we become perfect the way God is perfect but it means constant desire to please God and being mature in Christ and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit. It means being blameless and keeping our vessels holy as we become vessels of honor. It is possible because the Scripture above is telling us to be complete.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV)
Only the blood of Jesus can make us clean and complete because it washes away our sins and empowers us with grace to live a godly life. It is not by our own power or might. It is only God that will make us complete through the blood of the everlasting covenant as we desire and pray for all grace from the throne of grace.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10
All grace is what leads to completeness. May all grace be upon us in Jesus name.
But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner – not even to eat with such a person. (1 Corinthians 5:11 NKJV)
This is one of the most ignored Scriptures in the Bible because a lot of people do not understand it but Jesus said that heaven and earth may pass away but the word from God’s mouth won’t pass away including this one.
In this godly reminder, we are instructed not to keep company with immoral people. The reason for this is because iron sharpens iron, bad character corrupts, you can share someone’s judgement by association, dirty aura or spiritual garment from bad people can pollute your own aura or garment.
Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33
Jesus is our own example and He was never intimate with immoral people. The only unclean person in His company betrayed and sold Him. Unclean people cannot help themselves, Satan controls them easily just like Satan entered Judas Iscariot so that he could carry out his will and betray Jesus.
Judas was a false brother. He was chosen as one of the twelve disciples. He was named a brother but he secretly loved sin. He was insincere, impure and false. He was driven by many desires and his way of thinking and dedication to God was faulty and flawed that is why the devil could use him. His love for sin and insincerity made him unclean.
Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” John 13:10
Jesus ministered to everyone and did not discriminate against anyone. However we all have a right to our personal privacy and space and it is not wise to bring immoral people into your personal space and inner chamber. Anyone who comes very close to you has access to your heart and spirit and the heart is very fragile.
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23
Jesus had twelve disciples, yet he was more intimate with three out of the twelve disciples. The twelve disciples were His inner circle but Peter, James and John were the ones that were in his inner, inner circle. The inner circle is what I am talking about. The ones you eat with and share your heart and secrets with are the intimate friends. Intimate friendship is reserved for birds of the same character and for loyal, sacrificial, selfless, kind, committed and dedicated friends. It is not lovers of evil and haters of God. It is also not for betrayers of friendship, the envious, the jealous, slanderers, back biters and fair weather friends.
If someone is disrespectful to God and claims to be a Christian, you need to give him or her space. Paul is advising us against hypocrites who are named as brothers yet love and relish sin and immorality. He is advising us against those who bask in the false glory and pleasures of sin and this world. There is a difference between yielding to temptation in a moment of weakness and later feeling remorse and repenting and loving a sinful life.
Some people who are named as brothers have decided that some sins are not sins and they are hardened in that lifestyle. They love everything that the unbeliever loves and live contradictory lifestyles with the gospel. I have come across such brothers. They say fornication and homosexuality are not sins and they defend idol worship. Their consciences are dead but they put on the garment and cloak of Christianity.
They are the ones that Paul is talking about. They are the ones that give Christianity a bad name and make a mockery of Christianity but God will not be mocked. They are the ones that make atheists rejoice. Some fellow believers copy their false and sinful lifestyles and some unbelievers are repelled from Christianity and quote such people as their reason. Their excuse will not stand before God in the day of judgement but any brother that causes others to sin or repels people from the gospel will be dealt with by God.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 18:6
This godly reminder is an instruction for all believers and should not be overlooked. The Holy Spirit talking through Paul has commanded us to keep away from brothers who are sexually immoral, idolaters, drunkards, extortioners, covetous and revilers. It is for our own good and the good of the church of Jesus Christ. If we want to be filled with the glory of God and make our vessels clean without any form of external pollution then we will take this godly instruction seriously.
May God help us to live in complete obedience to His will, be filled with His Spirit and become vessels of honor in Jesus name.
