POTENCY OF CHRIST'S NAME IN 2011
It is disheartening that most Christians are ignorant of the innumerable privileges that are derivable from the name and blood of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Little wonder then that the Bible says in Hosea 4:6: 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children'.
The simple reason they are ignorant is that they have no faith in the Lord. They profess so much faith in the Lord but they don't have a modicum of faith in Him. They claim to be born again Christians and attend Bible-believing churches, yet they doubt the Lord in times of difficulties. Rather than look unto Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, as Hebrews 12:2 counsels at such a time, they compromise their integrity by going to places where the name of the Lord will not be glorified, for solutions to their adversities. But more often than not, their problems get multiplied rather than get solved.
The devil has no good gift for anybody. His only three-fold ministry, according to John 10:10, is to steal, kill and destroy. This explains why as Christians, we must depend on the Lord Jesus Christ alone in 2011 if we must overcome our enemies and problems. Remember, it is our faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ shed on the Cross at Calvary 2000 years ago that saves us from the bondage of sin and His name is the only one given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4: 12). The Bible also says that the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and they are saved.
As a Christian, if you are in the habit of patronizing herbalists because you want to get rich quick or because of the situations around you, I tell you authoritatively as a minister of God that if you don't repent of your evil, you cannot prosper this year. The Lord said His glory will He not share with anyone. So, you cannot be worshipping God and the devil at the same time and expect God to bless you.
Even when some Christians remember to call on the name of the Lord and plead His blood in time of distress, nothing happens because they don't have absolute faith in Him. The name and the blood of Jesus Christ will only work for you if you are genuinely born again and you are living a holy life. If you are what Deeper Life calls church goers or bench warmers, if you call on the name of the Lord and keep pleading His blood till He comes the second time, there won't be solutions to your problems. Just repent of your crooked and questionable lifestyle and surrender totally to the Lord if you must experience a turn-around in your situation this year. 2011, by the grace of God, is a year of fulfillment for only those who will worship the Lord in truth and in Spirit; not for criminally-minded fellows who go to church to display their wealth and are celebrated by greedy and compromised ministers.
For such individuals, 2011 is a year of judgement except they repent. Whatever I am today is by the grace of God and my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank God for Deeper Life Bible Church where I knew the Lord. While I was there, Pastor William Folorunsho Kumuyi saturated us with messages and teachings on faith which strengthened my faith in the Lord so much so that I don't see anything as being impossible for me to accomplish in life. I don't limit my God to the salary I learn. I depend on His inexhaustible treasures for my daily needs. I do everything by faith.
I ran into robbers in June 2002 and what saved me was my faith in the Lord. I had a boarded a one-chance bus at Roundabout bus stop at Apapa on my way from the office at about 9.00pm. As soon as we got to the Coconut area of Apapa, the Spirit of God revealed to me that they were armed robbers. The only prayer I could pray was, 'I am covered with the blood of Jesus'. Then at Mile Two, the evil men parked and started robbing everybody. A particular fellow who was to alight at Mile Two was manhandled and taken way. Guess what? I was the only one that was spared.
There is no way you can record such a miracle when you doubt the Lord and you are not serving Him acceptably and with godly fear. As you resolve to serve the Lord in holiness this year, always read Hebrews 11. There you will see some individuals who lived extra-ordinary lives because of their extra-ordinary faith in God. May the Lord give you the grace to please Him this year in Jesus' name. AMEN.
•Pastor Wilfred Jibril
Tel: 08185640238; 07087539449