Thriving Words

....the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? - Acts 19:15 Still on lessons gleaned from the story of the seven sons of Sceva: The problem faced by the seven sons of Sceva was that they had no power over the demon they confronted. They were not apostles. More than that, as religious as they were, they had no relationship with God. They were not believers in Christ. They did not possess the power or the presence of the Holy Spirit. There was nothing in them or their words that would cause a demon to pay them the slightest heed. One proud demon in particular seems to have been fed up with their stage show and gave them a beating they would remember. Many a Christians are like that. Outside, they look like a powerful believer, they are prayer warriors but inside they are so shallow and empty. The power of God is not about being religious, that is where the seven sons missed it. You can be a church goer, tithe payer, good deeds doers ...

....the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? - Acts 19:15 Yesterday I started posting about the lessons learnt from the disgrace suffered by the seven sons of Sceva. They were embarrassed because they lack the authority to cast out Demons in the Name of Jesus. Demons are dangerously powerful spirit beings—much stronger than we—who can cause the people they possess to do incredibly violent and uncontrollable things. The seven sons of Sceva obviously didn’t have the proper respect for demons (see Jude 1:8–9). Second, demons recognize valid authority, and they fear God (see James 2:19). It’s important to note that the authority over demons belongs only to Jesus (see Luke 8:28, 31) and to those to whom Jesus gave it. The demon in Acts 19 says that it knows Jesus and Paul. It refused to recognize any other authority in Ephesus. The demon’s question “who are you?” is chilling in its implications to the seven sons of Sceva and t...

....the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? - Acts 19:15 One funny incident that I read in the  Bible is about the seven sons of Sceva that attempted to use the Name of Jesus to cast out demons. The demons replied them that He knows Jesus and Paul, but who are they? They were given the beating of their life. (Acts 19:11-16) Were they wrong in using the Name of Jesus? No. But truth is they don't know nor understand that Name. They only want to use it selfishly just to get the results that Paul was getting. They thought it was a rocket science. Many at times we believers are like that; We live in sin , we disobey God and when we need something, we want to perform miracles, do signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus which we really belittle or don't value.  Someone once said during a plane turbulence, he saw unbelievers even shouting the name of Jesus. No wonder some folks suffered embarrassment like the sons of Sceva.  ...

... there is a time to laugh....    -  Ecclesiastes 3:4 Laughing is a good medicine for the body. So so try to laugh and release those bottled up stress of the week. It's my prayer that things of laughter and joy will not cease or be rare in your life. God shall filled your mouth with laughter.  This hilarious joke below always make me to laugh:  An Igbo* man fell into a well one day & started screaming for help. His wife rushed off to buy a rope to save him. When she returned, she threw one end down into the well & the Igbo man examined the rope & asked; "How much did you buy this rope?" The wife said "N1000". Still inside the well he shouted "What! Return it now & go to Papa Emeka, he sells for N300. Hurry up please before I die! Biko!!!! 😂🤣😆😄😁🤣🤣😅😀 *The Igbo people are an ethnic group native to the present-day south-central and southeastern Nigeria .  Good Morning and do have a pleasant day!!!

But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. - Luke 10:42 TGIF! I will be concluding the series  "Things that matter: Chose the Good Part". Kindly visit www.thrivingwords.blogspot.com for the previous posts. If attention to religion be omitted at "the proper time," it will always be omitted. If Mary had neglected to hear Jesus "then," she might never have heard him. A brother rightly said this:  Believers most time lost their priorities to things that are 'not even considered secondary' by the Lord, rather, He called them 'addendum' (Matthew 6:33)" When you are not where God wants you to be or doing what God want you to do, you have obviously chosen the wrong part. As a believer, you should ask yourself, are you doing those things that matters? Yes you might be hard working, activities oriented like Martha but have relegated JEsus to the backseat. One t...

But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. - Luke 10:42 Continuation on the "Things That Matter" Series - The Good Part. Kindly visit www.thrivingwords.blogspot.com for the previous posts on the series.   Yesterday, I emphasis on the need to balance our priorities between worlds concerns and religious obligation. There "are" times when it is proper to suspend worldly employments, and to attend to the affairs of the soul. It "was" proper for Mary to do it. It would have been proper for Martha to have done it. It "is" proper for all on the Sabbath and at other occasional seasons - seasons of prayer and for searching the word of God - to suspend worldly concerns and to attend to religion. Many a times, folks miss it completely when they they rate the secular more than the spiritual. They have stopped going to vigils, their prayer life as taken a nose dive, they hardly fas...

But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. - Luke 10:42 Continuation on the series Things that matter: Choose the good part. For those that miss the first two parts, kindly read it in www.thrivingwords.blogspot.com We are having more of Marthas and less of Marys in this present age. Thus we have so many hardworking and dedicated believers who are still missing out on the good part because they are busy with things that matter less. Another thing that matter is the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is of more importance to attend to the instructions of the Lord Jesus than to be engaged in the affairs of the world. The one will abide forever; the other will be but for a little time. I pity folks that invest a lot on things of earthly value and do nothing about the things that are of eternal value. See ur first the Kingdom of God, that is the priority, nothing else's more than that. ...

But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. - Luke 10:42 I continue on the series The Good Part; To some of us taking care of our family, working so hard to get promoted, and doing everything we can to take care of ourselves is drawing us away from the Presence of God. Nothing else in this world should matter more than Jesus. In life, some things matter than the other. As Believers we are to understand those things that matter most Because that is the good part. Mary choose the good part. The cares of this life are dangerous, even when they seem to be most lawful and commendable. Nothing of a worldly nature could have been more proper than to provide for the Lord Jesus and supply his wants. Yet even "for this," because it too much engrossed her mind, the Lord Jesus gently reproved Martha. So a care for our families may be the means of our neglecting religion and losing our souls.  Don't get it twist...

But one thing is needful: and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. - Luke10:42 Jesus ma His disciples visited the house of Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. Martha went to prepared what Jesus and His disciples will eat (which is Okay) while Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening to His teachings. Martha came out and told Jesus Mary wasn't helping out in the kitchen. And to her surprise, Jesus commended Mary and gently reprove Martha. Although what Martha was doing was not wrong, her focus was on those things and not on Jesus. Many people can get so caught up in church and completely forget about Jesus. Fixing things, making sure everything is ok, cooking, etc... They're not bad things, but when you leave Jesus aside, you are leaving salvation aside. We must seek Him first, everything else will be added on. This is what Mary did. She choose the thing that matter more which is the good part. Martha choose the thing that matter ...

What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. - Psalm 25:12 When God created humans, He gave us the power to choose, it's called freewill. That is what differentiate us from being a robot or a moron. He gave us brain so that we can think for ourselves and be creative. I personally will say God empowered us so much so that we will be less of a burden. But it's still surprising to find believers still expecting God to choose and think for them. Beloved, you are talented and gifted and all this ain't for nothing. God ain't gonna give you wealthy because He has given you the power to make the wealth. God wouldn't come and  write that examination for you l because He has given you the ability to read. Yes God is all powerful and He can do ALL things but truthful He has delegated some of those things to us. Just the way you wouldn't expect God to send manna to you when He has given you the Grace to work and succeed...

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:  - Proverb 17:22 Laughter is good for your body. So learn to laugh and stop being sorrowful. On a lighter mood, Have a good laugh with these hilarious clean jokes! What Would Jesus Drive? Q: Did you know that they had automobiles in Jesus’ time?  A: Yes, the Bible says that the disciples were all of one Accord Who Makes the Coffee?? A married couple were arguing who is making the coffee, the wife said that in the Bible it says that men should make the coffee and the husband asked her where it said that. The wife opened the Bible and said: "Right here in HEB REWS!" Going Down!!! As the storm raged, the captain realized his ship was sinking fast. He called out, "Anyone here know how to pray?" One man stepped forward. "Aye, Captain, I know how to pray." "Good," said the captain, "you pray while the rest of us put on our life jackets - we're one short." Ugly   A bus ful...

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?      - Roman 6:1 In Yesterday post, I talked about involving Jesus before you start anything just as He was invited him to a wedding which in turn led to Him performing a miracle. In today's post, I would like to state some warning. Because you have Pray and call in Jesus doesn't give you the right to neglect your own duties. We have so many christians today who are irresponsible by leaving everything to God. Because you have invited Jesus to your business doesn't mean you shouldn't strategize on how to make profit. Because Jesus is involved doesn't mean you shouldn't read before writing an examination. Because you told Jesus about your joblessness doesn't mean you shouldn't have a well tailored professional resume. Because Jesus is Grace doesn't mean you should performed illicit sex. We have take so many things for granted all in the name of Grace. If you read...

[ 1] And the third day there was a marriage ceremony in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: [2] And both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the marriage ceremony. - John 2:1-2 One interesting thing about the wedding  in which Jesus performed His first miracles in the scriptures is that Jesus and His disciples were cordially invited to the wedding. Imagine or a moment of Jesus hadn't been invited to the wedding, there won't be a way to reach out to Him to come performed a miracle and the groom would have been disgraced.- In life, anything that you involved Jesus in will be successful. Many times in life, we failed because of the solo journey we decided to take. We only call on God not at the beginning of the journey but during the journey wherein challenges and difficulties has began to set in. Why don't you invite Jesus to that project you are embarking on, invite Him into your career, business, marriage, relationships, family, health. Befo...

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.    - Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV In life, it's not about how long you lived but how well you lived. One day you will be gone forever for this earth, when you are gone, what do you want to be remembered for? No matter how long you live on this earth, you are surely going to die. So what would you have done with time you were alive on this earth. You must have a purpose for living. Don't just be alive for nothing. Take up a cause and follow it up. Impact people around you. Life is not about you gathering riches and other materials thing but it's about what you did with them.  Did you serve people well or you oppress them? Are you that landlord that keep increasing the rent or that employer that keep short-changing your employees? The children in your care, did you teach and lead them right? Are you that dad/mom that treat your step childr...

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.       - Proverb 23:19  SoMe folks actually think to be a child of God is to be a moron. Some folks believes this earth doesn't matter since they are all going to heaven. That is a big fat lie from the pit of hell. One attribute of a Christian is wisdom. You must be wise. You might not be of this world but you are definitely in this world. A child of God should be simple but not stupid. Don't be ignorant because the devil will mesmerize you. Don't be a pitiful Christian. Be a pacesetter, a trail blazer.    You must be wise because God is a wise God. Because you are a Christian doesn't mean you can't sue offenders or make an arrest. A Christian that makes foolish business decisions will surely run at loss. Foolishness shouldn't be found among the believers. You must be  smart. Everything is not always praying, you have to use the senses God has given you....

I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. - Psalms 109:30 A favorite song lyrics goes thus; "No man can know the end of Your (God) power, love, grace. You are exalted Unlimited God." One of the reasons for a man existence is to praise The Unlimited God who's is our Creator. Look back at your life and ask yourself, isn't God too good? Who else will you praise? This morning I want to encourage you to  always sing praises unto God with your mouth. Exalt the Lord with songs coming from your mouth. When you go to church, don't keep your mouth  shut during the praise section. Even if you don't know the song lyrics, try and learn it or put in your own words. Cultivate the habit of praising God with your mouth day in day out. His name is Yahweh, Miracle working God. He is Jehovah Ebenezer our Helper, He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider, He is the I AM THAT I AM. No one else deserve to be praised than G...

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. - Proverb 29:11 Of recent, There have been an increase in the reports of domestic violence. I feel sad when I see love turned sour among couples. I feel sad to hear of someone dying as a result of domestic abuse. One thing I have observe is domestic violence don't just start on it's own. Something must have cause or led to it, it starts little by little until it grows bigger and escalate beyond control. Domestic Violence doesn't has to be physical. Verbal abuse is the younger brother to a physic abuse. Anybody that curse or insult you can hit you. You are violent when you constantly attack another person self esteem. Violence can be verbal, emotionally, physical or mentally. It is not until you assault someone that you have been violent. Your choice of words to people can show if you are violent or not. We do get angry, but we shouldn't let the sun goes down while angry i.e you sho...

Do not treat prophecies with contempt . Test everything. Hold on to the good.    - 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21  I will be rounding up the series on Prophecy. This is the third part, kindly log onto  thrivingwords.blogspot.com  for the previous parts of the series. Christians are to be very wary of those who claim to have a “new” message from God. It is one thing to say, “I had an interesting dream last night.” However, it is quite another matter to say, “God gave me a dream last night, and you must obey it.” No utterance of man should be considered equal to or above the written Word. We must hold to the Word that God has already given and commit ourselves to Scripture alone. Can God give someone a message to deliver to someone else? Absolutely! Does God reveal truth to someone in a supernatural way and enable that person to deliver that message to others? Absolutely! But is this the biblical gift of prophecy? No! Whatever the case, whenev...

Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.     - Ezekiel 37:4 Prophecy as we have learnt is not just fore-telling but forth-telling.  God has Ezekiel to prophesy not because every believer that has the Spirit of God in them can prophesy. Prophecy are not reserved for some particular set of people. Yes there are some that are majority Prophets because God has called them to be, it doesn't necessarily means they are the only one that can prophesy, it's just that theirs is a ministry God has called them to be. How do you know if a Prophecy is from God? The basic rule is any prophecy that is not in conformity with the Word of God is not from God.  God and His Word are the same. In the beginning was the Word and the Word is God. One major reasons why believers always fall into the traps of fake prophets are because they don't know the Word of God. Ignorant of the Word of God could make ...

Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.     - Ezekiel 37:4 Yesterday, a friend of mine introduced me to a lady as a prophet (which I also said I am lol). The lady requested for a prophecy from me which I did but she was requesting for a more detailed, specific prediction from me. That is common among folks, they understand prophecy only to be a form of fore-telling or predicting the future. Prophecy is more than just foretelling  Prophecy means to “speak forth” or declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God which is designed to influence people. Many people misunderstand the gift of prophecy to be the ability to predict the future. While knowing something about the future may sometimes have been an aspect of the gift of prophecy, it was primarily a gift of proclamation (“forth-telling”), not prediction (“fore-telling”). To proph...

For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have everlasting life.  - John 3:16 I continue on the expository Love series on John 3:16. God is the greatest Lover, Jesus is the greatest Gift out of Love and humanity is the greatest recipient of Love. In concluding this series, we should understand that our lives will fit in and makes sense when we  walk in Love. No matter who you are or what you do, we all have been called to walk in Love. The world will be a better place if we all could walk in Love. Love is not about erotics or romantic adventures. Love is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect person. You love regardless of the faults, You love regardless of the hurt done to you. To love is to forgive, to love is to embrace someone's strengths and weakness, to love is to give  The essence of Jesus coming to save humanity was borne out of Love. The dividends of L...

For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have everlasting life.  - John 3:16 I continue on the Love series from the exposition of John 3:16;  we have come to understand that the evidence of God's love is in Giving His Son for us. Giving out of love is the best way to give. When we give because we love, we tend to give our best. Abraham gave up Isaac because He love God. He takes a love to give your best. Cain didn't give his best.  You and I have a duty to give our best to the ones we love. The evidence that you love your family is when you give your best to them. The evidence you Love God is when you give your best to Him. Jesus is God greatest Giving to the world, this He did out of Love. Preachers need to start teaching folks on how to fall in love with God so as to give Him the best. God GAVE His only begotten Son  not out of pity or because we deserve it. He GAV...

For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have everlasting life.  - John 3:16 I continue on the exposition on John  3:16  but on another dimension; GIVING. One of the benefits of God's Love is His Giving which is Jesus Few people really understand this: Giving shouldn't be by force. Giving is bore out of love. When you love someone or something, you will give to that person or thing.  I see some many preachers sweating to get their audience to give. When you are in love with a cause, it would be easy for you to give to that cause. One of the signs of Love is Giving. If you claim to love your wife/husband/children/friends, you will easily give to them. When you love your neighbor, when He is hungry, you will easily give to him/her from your abundance.  When you are in love, you can't be selfish or stingy. God gave because He loved. Giving your resources, t...

For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whosoever believes in Him (Jesus) should not perish but have everlasting life.  - John  3:16 Continuation on the last post on John  3:16  as regards to u We have come to know that God loves each and every one of us and He has prove that by giving us His only Son Jesus.  He did this even when humanity is far away from Him (God). True Love doesn't always seek to be compensated. A true child of God will always love not because there is something to gain. You give out so much Love because God so much love you. In this loveless world, we should be the love needed.  You need to love humanity just as God does, have compassion on them,  tell those that doesn't know about the love of God and bring them to embrace that Love of God. Jesus is the Love of God. There can't be genuine Love without the Love of God. The heart of man is desperately wicked, it takes the Love of God to f...