Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
INSIGHT
–Apostle Paul emphasizes on a continuous process of living out one’s salvation. This suggests actively engaging in our daily lives that reflects our faith and obedience to God. Salvation is a gift from God through Jesus Christ that imparts unto us His righteousness. This involves a continuous process of sanctification, where believers grow in holiness and likeness to Christ. We are encouraged as believers to actively live out our salvation, not passively waiting for it to happen, and to do so with a reverent fear of God and a sense of awe.
PRAYER
Abba Father You are Holy, none can be compared to You. Holy, holy, holy are You Lord God Almighty who was, who is and who is to come. You are magnified Abba Father, You are exulted, You are lifted high. You have called us to be holy because You are Holy, help us to be holy Lord. Cleanse us from every sin and iniquity and wash us with Your precious blood, merciful Savior. Thank You for enabling us to come this far, it is by Your grace and favor. May You fill us with Your wisdom so that we may continually work out our salvation with fear and trembling. May You increase our faith in You dear Jesus so that we may obey You and love You with all our hearts, minds, strength and souls, and our neighbors as ourselves. We love You Lord and bless Your name, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Ephesians 2:8
James 1:22-25 NKJV
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
INSIGHT
–The analogy of the mirror is visible from above the scriptures. The mirror is a powerful metaphor used to explore self-reflection, identity, perception and view. When a person looks intently at their natural face in a mirror and then forgets what he was like, demonstrates the folly of examining oneself in God’s mirror of the implanted word and then doing nothing about it reflects disobedience. Hearing the word of God without action is self-deceptive, while hearing that results in doing the word is a great blessing.
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus You are Faithful and Marvelous, Your works are testimonies across the world. Your word is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path. May You revive us according to Your lovingkindness, so that we may keep the testimony of Your mouth and word in our hearts. Forever O Lord Your word is settled in heaven, may You grant us the grace to know it and do it. Your faithfulness endures to all generations, You established the earth, and it abides. Unless Your law had been our delight, we would then have perished in affliction. We will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given us life. We are Yours Lord and belong to You, may save us Lord for we have sought Your precepts. You say in Your word Lord that the one who hears Your word and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock but everyone who hears them and disobeys is liked to a foolish man who built his house on sand, deemed for destruction. Help us dear Jesus to be hearers and doers of Your word that when look at the mirror, we may rejoice in Your salvation. May You help all our school going children that You protect them. May You provide school fees and incidentals to all parents dear Jesus. May You instill in all the teachers wisdom, strength, compassion, encouragement and the hope to keep doing the good work. We exult and praise Your name dear Jesus. Amen
Further reading: Matthew 7:24-27, Psalms 119:105
Joshua 1:7-8 NKJV
“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
INSIGHT
–The Lord encouraged Joshua to be strong and very courageous and to do according to His commandments. Joshua was able to conquer the Amalekites who attached them as Moses raised his hands at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16). God calls us to remain focus on Him and keep our faith observing unwavering obedience to Him and not deviating from His will and we shall conquer all challenges. Psalms 1:1-6 reminds us that the one who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, but delights in the law of the Lord but meditates on it day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaves shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. A successful person or leader depended on how well he lived according to the Word of God.
PRAYER
We will praise You Lord all our lives and sing praise to You God as long as we are alive. How majestic is Your name Lord in all the earth. You are exulted above all the nations and all the people. All the people praise You, all the people give You honor and adoration. Dear Lord Jesus You have called us to be strong and courageous, may You grant us the grace and strength to pursue the purposes for which You have called us. When we are afraid we shall put our trust in You. In You Lord we put our trust, we shall not be afraid, what can men do to us. May You teach us to always do Your will and obey Your statutes. May You grant all the youth the grace to do Your will and break every addiction Abba Father. May You prosper us in all our hearts desires and prayers. You are worthy of all our praise and our worship for You are great and greatly to be praise dear Lord Jesus, and it is in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen
Further reading: Ephesians 6:10, Psalms 56:3-4
John 15:9-12 NKJV
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
INSIGHT
–God calls us to love one another in fulfillment of the law and the prophets. We are called to owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8). When we say that we love God, we must love one another first and offer help to those in need. This is true religion, to visit the orphans and widows in their time of need and to remain unspotted from the world (James 1:27).
PRAYER
Dear Lord Jesus how great are You in all the heavens and the earth. You are Holy Lord, we rely on Your holiness. You are Righteous Jesus and have made us righteous by Your precious blood. We raise Your altar in our homes, work places and nation, Your altar that speaks better things than the altar of Abel. May Your sprinkle Your precious blood upon us. Your blood that speaks better things than the altar of Abel. When the blood of Abel speaks of curses, Your blood Jesus speaks of blessings. When the blood of Abel speaks of defeat, Your blood Jesus speaks of victory. When the blood of Abel speaks of brokenness, Your blood Jesus speaks of breakthroughs. We desire more of You Lord in our lives, may You speak better things on our behalf even when the accuser comes with accusations against us. We love You Lord, thank You for loving us first. May You fill us with Your fruit of love Holy Spirit, that we may love You with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We desire more of Your presence today dear Jesus. May You grant us the grace to offer help to those in need among us for You are the God of justice and the righteous judge. May You deliver the street families and raise them from ashes to victory. May Your heal all those who are sick and suffering among us, for You are our Healer. 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: Matthew 22:36-40
Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV
“Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
INSIGHT
–God tested Abraham’s faith by calling him to sacrifice his son Isaac at mount Moriah. God confirmed His covenant with Abraham after the near-sacrifice of Isaac. The angel of the Lord called out to Abraham, declaring that because he obeyed God and not withheld his son, God blessed Abraham and multiplied his descendants beyond measure to date, like the stars and sand. These descendants conquer their enemies. The passage emphasizes God’s faithfulness, Abraham’s obedience, and the future blessing that will come through Abraham’s lineage.
SUMMARY
Obedience in Greek is hypakoē which means to submit or comply to certain terms. It also means to hear and perform an act. Obedience to God is the sure sign of our love for God, and the only way we can know if we are obeying God is by knowing His Word. God calls us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). To be doers of His word, and not hearers only. The one who hears the word of God and does not do it is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was (James 1:22-25). God requires that we abide by His love and keep His commandments (John 15:9-12). Further to be strong and very courageous and observe His law so that we may prosper wherever we go (Joshua 1:7-8).
PRAYER
Abba Father You are our Great God, our Only God, our King of glory. We honor You are give You praise. You are the one we praise, You are the one we adore, You are the one we worship. We call on You dear Father to fill our hearts with Your fear that we may follow You unrentlessly. May You protect us and cover us with Your precious blood from every plan of the evil one. May You keep us in perfect peace for our minds are steadfast and we trust in You. May all Your promises for us come to fruition in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. May You grant Your true salvation to us and all people dear merciful Savior. Lord may You do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask of or think of according to the power that is at work in us. Lord we trust in You and exalt You. We believe that You are able to do more than we can think of or imagine. We believe that we shall be extremely fruitful since we abide in You and You in us. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in Your house forever. May You bless us and keep us loving Father, may You shine Your face upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance towards us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 4:8