A Call To Be Different

Do you know that God has called you to be different? You are to be different from the world and from those who claim to be Christians but live in the flesh. God is coming for a spotless church and He loves you to be there. This post emphasizes God’s demand on you to be different for Jesus.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” – 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (NKJV, emphasis mine).

                            

The world is becoming churchy while the church is becoming worldly. Nevertheless, the Lord knows them that are His. Anyone who is named of God should depart from iniquity (2 Timothy 2:19). The day you surrendered your life to Christ, you made Him Lord over your life, and He is saying, “Don’t be like others, be different; be like Me”.  You are answerable to God; you should not be concerned about how people see you, rather be concerned about how God sees you.

As a true child of God, you have nothing in common with unbelievers; you are apart as far as light is to darkness. By salvation you have become different, therefore come out from among them and be separate. God has put a seed of greatness in you, so be great.

Jesus Christ has called you the light of the world. How will you manifest the light if there is a shade of darkness in you? He said that you are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14), but how will you preserve your savour if you are unequally yoked with unbeliever? Read more...

Go Again

Are you about giving up on God answering your prayers? God does not store prayers, He answers them. Unanswered prayer today does not mean unanswered prayer tomorrow. There is need for you to be persistent till you receive your answers. This post emphasizes that you should not quit but that you should go again.

So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ – 1 Kings 18:42-44 (NKJV)

There may be things you believe God for that are yet to be answered and you are getting tired of expecting it. You may have gone many times in pursuit of them and you are about quitting; I am here to tell you to go again, till you receive the answer. What God has promised in His word to be your inheritance or portion you should not let go of. God is watching over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).

Elijah was praying for rain and never stopped until he saw a sign of his answered prayer. Seven times he told his servant to go again and check for a sign of rain while he prayed. You may have gone twice in pursuit of your desire; I believe God is saying you should go again. Have you gone ten times? Still go again till you receive your answer. Read more...

Challenges Of Being Different 4 Jesus

Are there challenges standing out for Christ? The possibility of challenges makes some people not to decide for Jesus; however, that will be foolishness. The truth is that if you are for Christ, you will have, not only blessings but also challenges, and being prepared for it will enable you to stand till the end. This post tells you more about these challenges.

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life – Mark 10:29-30 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

Standing for Jesus Christ is the wisest decision to take. It has numerous blessings BUT with challenges. When you are not prepared for them or refuse to acknowledge them, they will overcome you. That will not be your portion in Jesus name. In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus assures you of the benefits of living for Him but He added persecution. You are not to be ignorant of this truth, so that you will not be destroyed (Hosea 4:6). The summary of all challenges is persecution.

Persecution

No true child of God will escape persecution. Is this to scare you? No, it is to prepare you. Persecutions come in different forms; it can be mild or severe, subtle or obvious. It can come from your family, colleagues, associates or the society.  But in all, you should like Paul not allow any of these challenges to move you; don’t count your life dear to you so that you can finish the race with joy (Acts 20:24). I always remind people that eternity is more than a few years on earth. Even if you live up to 150 years, you will still die one day. 150 years is like a tiny drop of water compared to eternity. The highest your persecutor can do is kill your body, but God is able to destroy both body and soul in hell (Matthew 10:28), so fear Him instead. Read more...

Benefits of Being Different for Jesus

Does it pay to stand for Jesus and be different from others? Living your life to the glory of God has blessings attached to it. God is not a ‘user of men’ but a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). This post tells you what you will gain for separating your life for Jesus.

So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days – Exodus 23:25-26 (NKJV)

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name – Psalm 91:14 (NKJV)

It takes one having love for God to be different for Jesus. Your love for God empowers you to obey His instructions and to desire to please God. It enables you to despise the mockery that may come for choosing to be different for Jesus. However, everything you do towards the name of Christ will not go unnoticed, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love (Hebrews 6:10)

God is a covenant keeping God. He has a covenant to bless those who serve Him (Exodus 23:25-26).  Apart from eternal life (1 John 2:25) that awaits them at resurrection, they have blessings of which they enjoy on earth, and these blessings include:

Divine favour

God promised to surround the righteous with favour as with a shield (Psalm 5:12). This is an unbeatable blessing of God. When God favours a man, nothing can be an obstacle on his way to victory, success and deliverance (Psalm 44:3, Psalm 89:17)

Divine direction

When you stand for God, living your life for the name of Christ, God will cause your ears to hear His divine guidance and direction. You will not miss it in decision-making, for your teacher will not be far from you (Isaiah 30:20-21). Read more...

How to Be Different for Jesus

Is it difficult to be different for Christ? Surely what you don’t know how to do will seem difficult to do, however when you know the ‘how to’ of a thing and practice it, it becomes a walk-over for you. Being different for Jesus entails a progressive walk with Him. This post tells you how you can be different for the Lord.

 

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus – Acts 4:13 (NKJV)

Many people think that if they dress in a particular way, move with a particular set of people, and think, talk and act like them that they will be different for Christ. However, this is not the absolute truth. Most of the people who do these things when weighed on God’s balance, which is the word of God, fail to measure up to God’s standard. Jesus Christ is God’s standard and if you are to measure up to Him, then you must stay with Christ.

Stay with Jesus

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Anyone who wants to stand out for God must sit at Christ’s feet to learn of Him (Matthew 11:29). As you stay with Christ, His nature will rub off on you and you will start becoming like Him, for iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). This will then determine how you dress, reason, speak and respond to situations. This time it will not be because of man’s doctrine but because of your love for God and your desire to please Him. Read more...