God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

Every weakness in your life is an opportunity for God to show His strength in your life.

EXHORTATION

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ."

Introduction
When life is tiring, when you are struggling with your sin, when family members aren't saved, when bills aren't paid, when school is difficult, when work is exhausting, when your health is failing, when your loved ones are hurt, when the future is unsure, and when a good friend leaves, it is easy to be discouraged.
Discouragement is a thief. It steals your vitality, your zeal, your joy, your peace, and your contentment. If discouragement dwells long with you, its friends will soon join. Their names are fatigue, hopelessness, despair, self-pity, depression, doubt, and bitterness. Sometimes, discouragement can be so strong that you even don't want to go on living.
Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is the result of blindness. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of God, unconcern for the needs of our fellow man, and unbelief in the promises of His Word.
If we have nothing to rely on, or we forget our blessing and look to our circumstances, then that is when discouragement begins to take hold. Instead, what we need is encouragement. We need hope and peace and the knowledge that the Lord knows our troubles has great concern and compassion for us and is not leaving us unloved or uncared for.
Keeping your eyes on Jesus is the best way to be encouraged. In Him you can have comfort and peace and encouragement. You need to find Him and His words and by faith rest in Him.

1. Be encouraged because God is a God of mercy and comfort. Verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.
   1. God is called the Father of Mercies.
      1. In the Greek the word, "mercy," is oiktirmos. It means compassion, pity, mercy. And, it is something that is felt in the heart. In God's very heart, He feels mercy toward you.
   2. He is the author of mercy. His mercy toward you brings salvation, the forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal damnation . . . and this because of Jesus, because of His sacrifice, because of His shed blood for you.
      1. God is the God of mercy: Psalm 86:5, "You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you."
   3. The word in Greek for "comfort" is paraklesis. It means, exhortation, comfort, and encouragement.
      1. In fact, a form of this word, parakletos, is used for the Holy Spirit. That is why the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter in the KJV in John 14:26: "But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
         1. In the NASB the word is rendered "Helper."
      2. All this shows you that God is a God of Comfort, of exhortation, and of encouragement.
   4. All comfort comes from God, who is the God of comfort, of mercy, and love.
      1. It isn't an angel, or a cosmic force, a pill, psychotherapy, or a quick and clever slogan that warms your heart and lifts you up. It is God.
   5. But you may ask, "How is the Comfort received from God?"
      1. By faith.  Because God says that He is the God of comfort, then you need to believe it and act upon it, that is, you need to trust Him and receive His comfort as He provides it.
      2. From others. God uses His people to comfort you. When you have a problem, doesn't the Lord send someone with an encouraging word, a helping hand, or a shoulder to cry on.
      3. Through His word: reading and hearing. The Words of God are beautiful and there for our instruction and encouragement.
      4. By the Holy Spirit. He is called the Comforter. He indwells you.
2. Take encouragement because God is there in your afflictions.  Verse 4: "who comforts us in all our affliction . . . . so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
   1. Affliction (NASB) ("trouble" in the NIV) in the Greek is the word is thlipsis. It can be translated as tribulation, trouble, anguish, persecution, burden, and, of course, affliction.
   2. Afflictions come in all different shapes and sizes.
      1. Sickness, financial difficult, loss of a loved one, an unsure future, an auto accident. But also, and this is something very important, affliction occurs in the heart in that place where we get frustrated, confused, and hurt.
      2. Why do we have afflictions?
         1. Because we live in a fallen world.
      3. And it takes a world with trouble in it to train Christians for their high calling as children of God and to carve upon their souls the features of the face of Christ.
   3. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything," (NIV).
      1. So then, afflictions are a way of making you better. And that is how they should be tackled: as the testing and strengthening of your faith through the comfort and mercy of Jesus.
      2. You don't have to worry whether or not He is going to take care of you. He already has, (THE CROSS), He is currently doing so, and He will continue to care for you. After all, aren't you more valuable than sparrows and He cares for them.
3. YOU SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED BECAUSE YOU CAN BE INSTRUMENTS OF COMFORT TO OTHERS. Verse 4 " . . . so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
   1. This glorifies God--to comfort others.
   2. Being used by God makes you feel good--that isn't the only reason to help someone, but it does feel good when the Holy Spirit uses you to do good.
   3. You need to praise God that you have even had afflictions so that you can be able to help others.
   4. How many of you because of a trial have been able to help another better because of that trial?
      1. You see, God does not comfort you to make you comfortable but to make you comforters.
         1. Lighthouses are built by ship-wrecked sailors. Roads are widened by mangled motorists. Hospitals are built by those who were sick. Where nobody suffers, nobody cares. When you suffer, you learn to care. That is why God does not comfort us to make us comfortable but to make us comforters.
         2. But don't forget, He suffered first . . . 
4. You should be encouraged because the comfort you receive from God comes through Jesus. Verse 5. "For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ."
   1. This means that all comfort, encouragement, and hope that you receive through people, through the Word, or through circumstances are filtered through Jesus.
   2. Therefore, the comfort is pure, good, and right.
   3. It is received by faith.
   4. Where our sufferings are abundant, so is our comfort.
   5. This comfort is a spiritual comfort--received by faith, by active choice.

Conclusion
Encouragement is something that belongs to you as a Christian. You do not have to live in a world of hurt and doubt. You don't have to live alone. You don't have to weep in solitude. You have the body of Christ to lift you up. You have the Word of God to teach you. You have the Holy Spirit indwelling in you who warms your soul.
You have the God of encouragement waiting to show you His mercy and love.
But you need to trust. You need to remember the Lord's blessing. You need to depend on Him. You need to keep your eyes on Jesus and Him alone.

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28).

TRY AGAIN

Behind every successful man, are many unsuccessful tries'. Arriving at success is not guaranteed by a single attempt, but by repeatedly pressing, pushing and persisting! U may not get it right in your first attempt, or the second, the third or even the 50th or 100th try. But if you refuse to give up (constantly evaluating and re-evaluating the process, re-strategizing and relaunching) you will definitely succeed! In the book, Think and Grow Rich, there was a man who bought a piece of land known to contain gold deposits and he started digging for it. He spent many years digging without seeing the gold. One day he decides he's through with digging. He packed his tools and sold the land at a giveaway price. The new owner didn't have to dig more than 2metres from where he stopped in the space of two weeks and he struck a rich vein of Gold deposit. He went on to become very rich! If you give up now, the unsuccessful years are truly wasted. But if you push on and you succeed then they will be a part of your success story. Pick up yourself! Your last failure will be your final failure! Your next attempt is bringing the Success! Don't give up. Try again!

CAST THEM

Are you weighed down by cares, worries or anxieties about life? . The Scripture admonishes you to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm. 55:22 NKJV). . “Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7.
. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil.4:6-7.

CHRISTIAN RACE CONT.

God commands us to “…Lay aside the sin which so easily ensnares us.” (Heb. 12:1 NKJV).
The Christian race is exclusively for the saints. No sinners can be admitted into the race (Isa 35:8).
The ticket to join the race is the New Birth experience.

You join the Christian race the moment you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work of redemption, confessing Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour and surrendering your whole life to Him(Matt. 7:13-14).
While running the Christian race the devil will constantly appeal to your flesh to tempt, trap, or entangle you, thereby hindering you from reaching the finished line.
The devil will always seek to derail you from the Christian race through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
The born-again believers don’t retain their sin nature after the New Birth because“our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Rom. 6:6 NKJV).
Nevertheless, the born-again believers are not exempted from daily temptations to sin because our souls and bodies are not yet fully redeemed from the corrupt effects of sin (Jam.1:21, Phil. 3:20-21, Jam. 1:21, 1 Pet.1:9).
The devil will always seek to tempt or trap you at your weak points and unguarded moments.
This is why the Scripture admonishes us to: "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matt. 26:41NKJV). “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8 NKJV).
Like Demas, many believers today have drawn back or fallen out of the race because they would not watch and pray.
Paul said of Demas, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica.”(2 Tim. 4:10 NKJV).

YOUR FUTURE.

One thing that robs many people of peace is the uncertainty of the future. If you are living in right stand with God, your future is guaranteed not by man or by the economy of your nation, but by God. Hence, Isaiah 3:10 says:
“Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.”

WHEN THE CHURCH IS NO MORE CONDUCIVE

When we can no longer differentiate a church from a social gathering,
And all what we do in church is to just have fun
When we can’t differentiate a choir from an harlot
And an usher is not different from a waiter
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?

When worship session in a church is just like a disco night
and we cant differentiate a pastor from a comedian
When salvation message is no longer the order of the day
but prosperity and entertainment message is now the core course
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?
When prayer warrior now have to go to tongue-speaking school for utterances
And deliverance and healing session is now like MTH 201 to be taught and learned
When pastor have to pause for members to clap and shout during sermon in enthusiasm
And all what we now gain from preaching is now new vocabulary and word usage
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?
When the church of God is now an exhibition ground for the latest designer
And those new convert can no longer come to church for the fear of being inferior
When the tithe and offering in church have to suffer for anniversary attire
And the little ones from the faithful member have to suffer for pastor’s birthday
When the church is no more conducive
Where shall we go?
Where shall we go is the question right; But never a rhetoric one
Where we can go is simply the feet of the old rugged cross
And plead for the revival of the church of our father
Because when Jesus shall appear to examine his church
The question of “where to go” will never be an excuse
Even the elect will not be excluded. Watch & pray!!

THE END IS NEAR

If u must miss any place, don't miss HEAVEN. If u must miss any appointment, please don't miss THE RAPTURE. If u must miss any meal, please don't miss THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB. The end is no more NEAR, It's HERE.

Retardation

2Kings 2 v 9-15 and it came to pass when they have gone over that Elijah said unto Elisha, ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken away from thee, and Elisha said I pray thee, let the double portion of thy spirit and he said thou has asked a hard thing nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken away from thee it shall be so unto thee, if not, it shall not be so.
And it came to pass as they still went on and talked that behold there appear a chariot of fire and forces of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up to heaven by whirlwind.
And Elisha saw it and he cried my father, my Father the chariot of Israel and the horses thereof and he saw him no more and he took hold of his own cloth and rend them into two pieces. He took up all. so the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and went to the bank of Jordan.
And he took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and he smote the waters and he said where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also has smitten the waters they parted hither and thither and Elisha went over.
And when the son of the prophet which were to view at Jericho saw him and they said the spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha and they came to meet him and bow themselves before him.
Retardation means there is growth but it's so slow that it becomes embarrassing.
When you see a child who is ten years old behaving like a child who is only three years old, you will say the child is retarded.
The problem with retardation is that they will see a little progress. But the progress is so little it becomes an embarrassment. Another way of talking about retardation is to call it trapped destiny.
In Genesis 49 v 1-4 the bible tells us that when Jacob was about to die, he called his children together and began to make pronouncement concerning each one.
He said concerning Reuben his first born; he said Reuben even though you are my first born, even though you have energy, you have power, you have everything going for you, he said Reuben you will not excel, from that day onward the destiny of Reuben was trapped.
..........I am praying for everyone today who is suffering from any form of retardation, that spirit of retardation is destroyed in your life in Jesus name.

The Christian Race

The Scripture commands: “…Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” (Heb. 12:1 RSV).
The Christian race is not a smooth and easy one; it often goes through the wilderness.

You will encounter diverse trials, sufferings, tribulations, or persecutions for the sake of Christ along the race (Psa. 34:19, John15:18-20).
This is why Jesus commanded you at the beginning of the race to deny yourself, bear your cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
It is only those who endure to the end that will be saved and crowned (Matt. 24:13).
Beloved, where are you now in the race that God has set before you?
Are you presently going through some fiery trials, sufferings, tribulations or persecutions for the sake of your faith or the gospel of Christ?
Are you presently facing many adversaries and adversities? Hang in there, don’t quit, or give in to despair! Whatever you are going through or facing in the race is nothing strange, unusual or uncommon to men, for all the past heroes of faith went through the same and came out victoriously, and many saints like you are presently going through the same and yet remaining steadfast in the faith.
If they can, you also can!
Friend, you are not alone in the race.
The Lord is with you and you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on to endure to the end.
Therefore, resist the devil, and“be steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Pet.5:9 NKJV).
“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Pet. 4:12-13 NKJV).

CHRIST DID IT ALL

Christ-Act Evangelical's Outreach Drama Week 2015 Tagged: BATTLE TO WIN

CHRIST-ACT ACT EVANGELICAL OUTREACH'S EMBLEM

CHRIST-ACT ACT EVANGELICAL OUTREACH
(We act Christ through His word)