Hebrews 11:8-12 NKJV
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.”
INSIGHT
–Abraham the father of faith believed in God and this was accounted to him for righteousness. He obeyed God when he was instructed to move from Haran to Canaan the land of inheritance and the Lord released his blessings upon him and his descendants (Genesis 12:1-5). He was a righteous man for the trusted in the Faithful God together with his household. Sarah also judged God as Faithful for He who made the promise would most definitely deliver it even though she was advanced in age. These are the hero’s of faith that we testify of in our walk with God as we look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. If then we have faith let us then believe in the faithfulness and righteousness of God Who loves us and answer all our prayers.
PRAYER
How excellent is Your name Lord in all the heavens and the earth. You have set Your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. Lord You have made us a little lower than the angels and have crowned us with glory and honor. You have given us dominion over the works of Your hands and have put all things under our feet, all sheep and oxen, the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea. O Lord our Lord how excellent is Your name in all the earth. Your kingdom Lord does not only entail eating and drinking but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. We believe that dear Lord Jesus Christ You are our Righteous Judge and Your righteousness is everlasting. We know that You are our Faithful God and Your faithfulness endures forever. May You increase our faith like that of Abraham and Sarah’s so that we may know and partake of the promises that You have secured for us. We thank You for enabling us to see this new month in good health. may Your grace and favor be upon us each day. We believe that You are Faithful and have answered all our prayers according to Your great love. All glory, honor and blessings belong to You, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray believing and trusting. Amen
Further reading: Hebrew 12:1-2, Romans 14:17
Galatians 6:7-10 NKJV
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
INSIGHT
–The word of the Lord exposes two dynamic dimensions of how our faith well utilized by works produces fruit. Those who sow in the flesh reap of the flesh and those who sow in the spirit reap of the spirit. We are reminded that every good tree bears good fruit, and every bad tree bears bad fruit, for a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Matthew 7:17-18). We are called to then continue doing good to all and at the appointed time we shall harvest if we do not give up. We are also reminded that whose who sow sparingly will reap sparingly and those who sow bountifully will reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6).
PRAYER
We praise You Lord God Almighty and magnify Your holy name. Dear Lord Jesus You have called us to be strong and courageous, and to observe Your word to accomplish it. May You grant us the strength and fortitude to always do Your will. You have instructed is to fear You Lord and delight in Your commands and You shall continually bless us and our descendants with all good things. We shall never be shaken for we are always in us and with us, You will never leave us nor forsake us. Lord You are gracious and full of compassion to the righteous, may You help us to always do good, to be graciously and lends, to guide our affairs with discretion and to preach the gospel to all the nations. To do good and dispersed seed abroad and give to the poor for our righteousness endures forever for the desire of the wicked shall perish. May You make our ways prosperous and grant us good success, in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 112:1-10, 2 Corinthians 3:6
1 Peter 5:6-11 NKJV
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
INSIGHT
–Job was blameless and upright man who feared God and shunned evil. The Lord was pleased with him and boasted of him to Satan, for he was blameless and upright man and none was like him on the earth. Job activated his faith putting in work by dedicating his life to God and frequently offering a sacrifice for his seven sons and three daughters lest they sinned against God. The Lord offered protection to them against the devil and Job also had great possessions in livestock and was the greatest of all the people of the East (Job 1:10). The Bible reminds us in Proverbs 10:9 that he who walks with integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will become known. Let us they walk securely in the Lord resisting the devil and standing firm in faith, and our God will continually guide us and protect us from all evil.
PRAYER
Lord You are our Refuge and Strength, our very present help in trouble. Lord You are our hiding place, may You preserve us from trouble and surround us with shouts of deliverance. Lord You are Holy and Your holiness endures from everlasting to everlasting. Lord You are Faithful and Your faithfulness is everlasting. May You establish us in faith and guard us against the evil one just like You preserved Job and his family. May You forgive us all our sin and trespasses and deliver us from all evil. May You establish us with Your grace and favor and expand our boundaries. May You bless our children and generations and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:3
James 2:14-22 NKJV
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”
INSIGHT
–The famous phase, faith without works is dead has come to life through these scriptures. We find that genuine faith produces good deeds but only faith in Christ saves. The deadness of faith is when it is not exercised through works thus false faith which is parallel to what 1 John 3:17 tells us of false love. That “whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” God calls us to lay our lives for one another as He Himself lay His life for us to give us freedom, deliverance and salvation. An illustration of how Abraham moved with obedience to God’s instruction and his work produced fruit, and he was justified. The parable of the Good Samaritan also discloses the need for us to have compassion and genuine love for one another not considering the actions of those who we expect to act first. A man who was coming from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by thieves who stole from him, beat him up and left him half dead. A priest and a Levite passed by and did not offer aid, but a Samaritan helped him and took him to an inn, where they took care of him (Luke 10:25-37). We are called to become the good samaritans in our areas of influence and where need arises, sharing our love for God and one another, each day.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus You are Good and Your mercies endures forever. You are worthy Oh Lord, You are Able to heal and save us from any adverse situation and calamity. You are the Lifter of every burden and Restorer of every soul. Dear Lord Jesus You have loved us with so much great love that You sacrificed Your life for our sake. You died so that we may live and live forever, may You help us to lay our lives for one another too. Help us love You with all our hearts, strength, souls, and minds and to love one another as ourselves. Lord Jesus You have reminded us that whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt to You our Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors You Lord, may You help us to honor You with our words, actions and thoughts. May You forgive us, our families and leaders where we have not done that which is pleasing to You and wash us with Your precious blood. May You help us and do us good together with our families. May You deliver all those who are oppressed and save all the orphans and widows among us. May You help all the street children and rescue them from oppression, depression, suffering, and poverty. May You enable us to do more in our communities and fulfill the mandate for which You have called us. We love You Lord Jesus and honor You and it is in Your precious name we pray believing and trusting. Amen.
Further reading: Proverbs 14:31, Matthew 25:31-46
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
INSIGHT
-The unmerited favor of God imparts upon us His loving kindness and forgiving love. Through sin God’s wrath came but by faith we have obtained His grace and forgiveness of sins. No human effort can therefore contribute to our salvation but it is a gracious gift from God and not by works of the law. None can then take credit for the gift of salvation by legalistic means, but all honor belongs to God. God has created each one of us for a purpose and with the salvation power, we are charged with the right energy and correct trajectory to take new territories and become victorious in every work.
SUMMARY
Faith in Hebrew is written as emunah which means to wait or believe. Work in Hebrew is written as peullah and it is translated as to labor, recompense or reward. Hebrews eleven (11) exposes the hero’s of faith and their achievements that they obtained through their work. Abraham the father of faith obeyed God and when he moved to a land which he did not know, he received an inheritance for himself and us his descendants. By faith Sarah received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. God instructed Abraham again to go and sacrifice his son and he did not hesitate but obeyed exercising his faith by works and thus it was accounted to him for righteousness (Hebrews 11:8-19). The call to obedience is for everyone since whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Whoever sows to the flesh reaps of the flesh but he who sows to the spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:7-10). Obedience is the work that we put in having decided to look to Jesus and follow Him alone with a sharp focus on His word, then in due season we reap the benefits. Our faith also has to be accompanied by works of love by giving those in need for faith without works is dead (James 2:14-22).
PRAYER
We appreciate You dear Lord Jesus for loving us and for Your grace upon our lives. We thank You for showing us Your love and while we were still sinners, You died for us. Thank You for the gift of salvation and for Your everlasting love. Thank You Holy Spirit for indwelling in us and abiding with us. May Your hand of mercy and love reach us at our points of need. May You dear Lord Jesus establish us in faith that we may persevere and overcome every temptation and hardship for the glory and honor of Your name. May You bless us and keep us. May You shine Your face towards us and be gracious unto us. May You show Your countenance unto us and give us peace. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forevermore. Amen.
Further reading: Titus 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:17