Suffering for God's gain? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 12, 2024

Christians have learned that struggles are a part of their journey. Many have experienced challenges that stretched them and caused them to grow in the Lord. As a result, it is well-accepted in the Christian community that challenges can be for their own good.

However, there are times when certain people will face challenges but for God's gain. Apostle Paul is one such example. While detained in Rome, he wrote in Philippians 1:12-13 - Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

He was imprisoned because he believed in Jesus and that ruffled certain people's feathers. He knew that his time in Rome would lead to death because the Lord had told him and his fellow Christians had prophesied the same. Despite knowing this, he ensured that his period of captivity served God's purpose - that those unfamiliar with Christ would be introduced to Him.

Every believer can learn something from this attitude. Amid troubles, we can ask - how can the Lord gain from my season of suffering? That is not a natural question to ask ourselves but Paul's words challenge us to not squander any opportunity to serve God and achieve His objectives. This can be achieved through the words we speak and even the way we carry ourselves as we interact with others. Regardless of whether we are happy or being treated unfairly as was the case for Paul. During trials, we have to set our anger, disappointment, and pain aside so we don't buckle under the pressure of our suffering.

As our relationship with the Lord develops, we can no longer just focus on what we are meant to learn in our season of suffering even though such knowledge is crucial for our spiritual development. We must also seek out how the Lord's Kingdom can gain as well. And like Paul, we can become the type of Christians who leave the sweet fragrance of Christ wherever they go (2 Corinthians 2:14). This will be one way that we accomplish Christ's instruction to all believers in Mark 16:15 - "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

The Lord will help us to be so mindful of Him that we seek to achieve His objectives no matter what circumstances we are in. By His grace, we shall show and tell others why they should choose our God, IJMN, Amen.

To learn more, please read:

1. Wear Your Kingdom Identity​

2. Practical Ways To Wear Your Kingdom Identity​

3. For My Own Good?

4. The Role of Suffering

Practical Ways To Wear Your Kingdom Identity - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 8, 2024

As we endeavor to walk in our Kingdom Identity it is crucial to consider what the Bible outlines as practical ways to accomplish this feat.

Colossians 3 provides a road map of things the believer needs to do. In Colossians 3:2 we are instructed to focus on the things of God and not earthly things. By keeping our gaze on heaven, we can set our needs aside to pray for others, for instance.

Becoming more heaven-focused requires us to intentionally move away from certain behaviors that were once normal before we came to know Christ. These include "xesual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). These are commonplace among the people of the world but should not be common in the Body of Christ. Thus, each believer must strive to remove such attitudes and resulting actions from their lives. Colossians 3:6 tells us that such activities bring God's wrath and given what we know of the Lord's holy anger, we should do all we can to not provoke it.

​As believers, we are called to let go of "anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language" (Colossians 3:8). Plus we are not to lie to others (Colossians 3:9). Instead, we are to allow ourselves to be "renewed in knowledge in the image" of God (Colossians 3:10). Such renewal can only happen when we cooperate with the Spirit of God and submit to the building the Lord aims to complete in us.

We are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. We are to express the forgiveness, grace, and love we have received from the Lord to others even when they make mistakes (Colossians 3:12-14). Those who believe in the Father and His Son, are to let the message and the peace of Christ rest in their hearts and be thankful (Colossians 3:15-16).

These instructions may seem very far from who you are today. And if so, that's okay. Just know this - God will never ask you to do something impossible. No matter how tough it looks. He is more than able to help you achieve everything He wants you to do. The key is to cooperate with Him and let Him transform you inside and out.

The Lord calls us to come to Him as we are. Alas, many believe that when they come to Christ they are permitted to remain the way they were. However, God is in the business of changing people for the better. As you remain mindful of who He expects you to become, you'll be able to make wise choices that align with your Kingdom Identity and the Kingdom Position He has created for you.

Wear Your Kingdom Identity - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 5, 2024

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see a girl with eyes that could be bigger? A nose that could be slimmer? Lips that could be plumper? Do you look at your clothes and think they should be more expensive or that you should wear shoes from a higher tier of designers?

Whatever the case, consider that Philippians 3:20 states "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." Now, ask yourself, how often do you think about your identity as a citizen of God's kingdom? How often does it cross your mind that the kingdom you belong to has a prince and Savior called Christ?

If the answer is 'not enough' then today is the day to make a change.

It is easy to see yourself as the pieces of who you are. The world has conditioned you to see yourself according to your race, gender, or nationality. These qualifiers make it easy for the people of this earth to assess and qualify who they think you are. However, everything about you changed when you committed to Christ and declared Him your Lord. You went from being an ordinary individual to becoming an extraordinary person. You received the Holy Spirit and all the power of God became accessible to you. And, as you continue to submit to that transformation, you will grow in prayer, praise, and the studying of the Bible. The Lord will deem you trustworthy to receive insight into things hidden from the average person and your discernment shall increase.

Unfortunately, satan knows this and wants you to focus instead on how ordinary people see you. As a person who needs to make more money. Someone who needs to wear designer goods. Someone who isn't good enough. When you agree with what satan wants instead of breaking agreement with those lies, you become powerless and less of a threat to the devil's kingdom. This results in you relinquishing the gleaming robe the Lord placed on your shoulders. That, and the crown He adorned your head with. These are supposed to tell the world you are His, a diadem of pure gold, immaculately constructed for God's purposes here on earth.

Therefore, you can't afford to ignore who you are. You must not take off the beautiful garments the Lord has clothed you in, replacing them with the rags the devil wants you to wear instead. Each day, you must rise from your bed reminding yourself that you are God's ambassador. As you step out your door, fix that crown on your head and lift your chin. Walk through the world exuding the fragrance of Christ - leaving people and places better because you were around and brought the Lord's presence with you. This cannot happen in a vacuum. You will have to make God's word a constant companion. You will have to abandon yourself to praising Him as that builds union with the Lord. You'll have to learn to create quiet moments to not just speak to Him but hear what He has to say in return.

And as the years pass, your Kingdom identity will be more evident to others. This is because it will be deeply woven into every part of your being. Never forget that through Christ you are a full-fledged member of God's holy household, a citizen of His kingdom (Ephesians 2:19). That you are an ambassador for His kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20). Wear your Kingdom Identity and walk in it.

To learn more, please read the following related posts:

1. Exploring the Role of the Five-Fold Ministry in the Christian Faith: How Do You Fit In? (The Five-fold Ministry 1)

2. Unveiling the Crucial Role of the Five-Fold Ministry: How Do You Contribute to the Body of Christ (The Five-fold Ministry 2)

3. Embracing the Five-Fold Ministry: Unlocking Personal Benefits of Serving God (The Five-fold Ministry 3)