"Is" "My Light"

Psalm 27:1
The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear?


Just as I am assured of day light breaking through a cold winters darkness at day break so "Is" my soul assured of the Lord's light in any situation or circumstance I find myself. This is an assurance that no one can take away from me not even the spirit of fear - darkness. Where there is darkness there is light, now it is a choice you and I have to make to either accept the light that God offers which is our unwavering confidence and trust in Him as our antidote of fear - darkness. He is "My Salvation" meaning the rescuer of my soul from darkness into His light making Him my own personal light through the valley of anxiety, fear of  rejection, lives uncertainty, sickness or even death.

I came to tell you, you can conquer all lives uncertainties and worries by using this "bright liberating light" of the Lord who brings joy, peace, comfort and guidance in every sense reflecting in us, revealed through us and within us distinguishing us and making us stand out us His precious children purchase with His precious blood.

Power verses:
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge."-- Psalm 62:7

"Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end."-- Isaiah 60:20

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light."--Micah 7:8

2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

REWARD FOR FAITHFULNESS

Amos 9:3
Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel, there I will hunt them down and seize them. Though they hide from me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.


As Christians we sometimes think we are above the judgement of the Lord because of the grace and mercy bestowed upon us as His children. In this scripture we see that no one can escape God's judgement no matter who or what they are. No one shall go unpunished, whether we go to the mountaintops or the bottom of the sea, God will find us and judge us for all our deeds.

For God's faithful children however, the judgement brings a new earth of peace and prosperity. I am reminded by the scripture in Hebrews 11:6, "..... and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." I just want us all to remind ourselves of the faithfulness of the Lord no matter what the world throws at us and remember pressing on as we keep our eyes on the prize.

Reflections:
Does God's judgement sound like good news to you or bad news to you today?

Power verses:
Proverbs 8:17, "I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me."

Isaiah 51:1, "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug."

For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;-- Psalm 37:28

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.-- Proverbs 13:22

2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

DO YOU HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE?

Luke 17:15
"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice."


Do you have an attitude of gratitude? Do you remember to say thank you to God whenever He does something for you - answering a prayer, sending a friend to comfort you, helping you solve a problem creatively, or granting you wisdom?

Why don't you start today by being thankful in all circumstances. Look for something to thank God for no matter what is going on in your life right now. Try to look past your circumstances towards God’s plans for you. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and forget to say thank you. And yet, we know that it pleases God when we remember to come before Him with a humble, grateful heart. This honours God and helps us grow in our faith.


Prayer:
Dear Father, I want to have an attitude of gratitude. I know that you desire for me to have a grateful heart. Help me to take steps towards always remembering to say "thank you." In Jesus' name, Amen.

Power verses:
I Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Daniel 6:10, "......Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

"always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"-- Ephesians 5:20

2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

THANKFULNESS IN ALL AREAS OF MY LIFE

Psalm 138:1
"..I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods."

Thanksgiving should be an integral part of our daily lives as Believers. As we thank God daily for our material and spiritual blessings, I believe we should also thank Him for His saving grace and numerous answered prayers.

I wanted to share this devotion of thankfulness with everyone especially because, today marks my 40th birthday. Wow, what a journey it has been! I thank God that He was interested enough in me to set His love upon me - the worst of sinners, saving a wretch like me almost 27 years ago. Thank you Lord!

Thank you Heavenly Father for the many blessings you have provided in my life. First, I cannot thank you enough for saving me. It still amazes me how you never gave up on me throughout the years I was away from you. My life since being back is so rich and full of joy and your peace. Thank you for the blessings of my family and for allowing me to grow up in a Christian family.

My late dear mother and grandmother taught me principles of the Word of God, and helped me understand the great and wonderful promises found in you. It was through my mother's influence that I came to know the Lord Jesus as my personal Saviour. I thank God for His eternal life, and for all the blessings I have received in Christ Jesus. I thank God also for the life He gives me on this earth, and the opportunity to be a living testimony to the world around me. It is incredible to see His power working in my life.

I am particularly very thankful to God for allowing me to live to reach this milestone in my life. And for rescuing me nearly 16 months ago after being in the wilderness only to lay the foundations for this new Life He had predestined for me. It is a privilege indeed to be the apple of my Father's eye. I am thankful for all my friends who have stuck with me through thick and thin with their love and support. It hasn't been a very smooth journey, but indeed a very rewarding one in every way possible. I love my church family for being very supportive, my pastor for His continuous teachings and mentoring. Not forgetting my First Lady (Pastor Awo Antwi), ever so caring and a good listener ready to share my burden. I am truly blessed and can't be thankful enough, Love you Jesus!

I want us all to remember, when we ask God for protection, strength, comfort, patience, love or other needs and He supplies them; let's be careful not to take God's provision and answered prayers for granted. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." Being thankful in all circumstances for me implies our joy, prayers and thankfulness to God should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings.

Reflections:
Are you thankful to God?  If you are please take a few minutes to express it, and allow me and others the opportunity of sharing in your thankfulness to God as an encouragement to someone today.

2011 by Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

GROWING IN FREEDOM

John 8:34-36
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.  Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
 
My heart aches as I look around the church and see so many committed Christians living in hidden sin in the church. Sin has a way of enslaving us, controlling, dominating and dictating our actions and behaviour. Jesus came to set you and I free from this slavery that keeps us from becoming the person God created us to be.
 
God designed His children for lives of freedom so there is no reason for us to live in a bondage of secret sin. Instead Jesus expects us to bring all our hidden sins into His glorious light, repenting and having Him gently straighten out the roots for growth and thriving, rather than daily sweeping it under the carpet. I can't help but feel some of the reasons why Christians in the church do this, is pride! However, there is also the fear of judgment and being dealt with harshly.
 
I came to encourage you and not beat you up. Let's dig out every hidden sin in our lives today and bring it into God's light and trust Him to set us free from it. Share it with a trusted friend, your spiritual mentor or a leader in your church and cry out to God together. Don't spend another moment bound by the bondage of sin, thrive to grow in FREEDOM!


Reflections:
Spend time with God, ask Him to search your heart. Be still and see what He reveals, then ask for forgiveness and embrace this freedom wholeheartedly.

Power verses:
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."--Romans 6:14

"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."-- James 1:25

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1

2011 By Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

WE ARE "HIS"

Psalm 100:3
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

I am reminded as I read and meditate on this scripture that this Psalm is addressed to all God's people on this earth irrespective of who we are or what we believe. God created us for His pleasure, for a special relationship with Him. If we acknowledge Him in faith and serve Him, we are “His” people and the sheep of His pasture. He wants to take care of us as tenderly as the Shepherd cares for His sheep. He wants us to recognise our weakness and helplessness without Him. He wants to feed us with spiritual food to help us grow and become strong in the Spirit.

Many of us live through life as though our position at work, social status, qualifications, banks accounts are the centre and creator of own little world. This mind-set leads to nothing but greedy possessiveness and if everything should be taken away from us, we will have no hope to go on in life. The joy of knowing Christ and realising He created us and not we ourselves or the designer outfits we wear is that we appreciate and acknowledge He gives us all we have no matter little, big or insignificant it might be to others around us. We will then in turn want to give to others as He has given us, 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." Even when all is lost, we count it all joy for the seek of knowing Christ who has blessed us with all manner of blessings according to His riches and glory.


Power verses:
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."--Psalm 46:10

"Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."-- Isaiah 64:8

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge."--Psalm 62:7

"The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him,  my father's God, and I will exalt him."-- Exodus 15:2

2011 by Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.

THE BLAME CULTURE

Numbers 20:5
And why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.

Like the Israelites after 37 years in the wilderness, they had forgotten that their wanderings were a result of their parents and their own sin. They could not accept the fact that they brought their problems upon themselves, so they blamed it all on Moses for their poor condition. This relates to a lot of us today and especially me. I spent most of my adult life blaming and being angry with God for my dear mother's illness and her death after eight years of suffering leaving me broken hearted, bitter and angry for years. I lived an unfulfilled life of bitterness, unforgiveness and anger pretty much most of my adult life blaming every thing that didn't go my way on God, my mother being taken away from me at an early age and just about everything and everyone but myself.

Often our troubles result from our own disobedience and lack of faith. Since being rescued  from the pit of hell by the grace of God and my total surrender to Christ, I have come to the realisation that my troubles were not caused by God or anyone else; rather by my own lack of knowledge, disobedience and ignorance of  the word of God. Until we can face this reality, there will be very little peace and no spiritual growth in our lives.

Reflections:  
Think back to the root of that bitterness or anger you have been harboring in your heart for years blaming everyone else but your own actions and doings. Go the Lord in prayer today and seek forgiveness and surrender your life to Him asking Him to become the Lord of your life by leading and ordering your steps in everything you do from now.

Applications:
Look for books by great men and women of God on Faith and Obedience to read.

Spend time studying your Bible for revelation in God's word in your life for your spiritual growth.

Make prayer a priority and learn to spend  quality time with your heavenly Father.

Power verses:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."--- Jeremiah 29:11

"This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"--Zechariah 13:9


"There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will sing as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt." -- Hosea 2:15

"The LORD will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life;"-- Psalm 121:7

2011 Be Enyonam Gbekle. All rights reserved.