Monthly Archives: January 2016

NO MORE OVER-SABI

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer Day 8)

“Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?” (Ecc 7:16)
A mature Christian is spiritually balanced, just like his Lord; Jesus Christ. This is a common mistake I have seen with many believers. When they repent, they try to move away as fast and as far as they can from an error or sin of the past. Of course, it is good to repent. But do not “over-repent”, for that is dangerous. In Nigerian slang this person is called an “over-sabi”. An evil spirit of religion can mislead you even in the good things you want to do. The farther you move in the opposite direction, like the pendulum, you may move towards an opposite error. Then you have to repent of your false repentance.

What is the correct thing to do? You go to the Cross of Jesus Christ and stop there!!! Spiritually speaking, you have to learn when to move and when to stop. You need to locate the Cross and stay there! That is the only place in the universe where the grace of God is released to you. Do not be too fast or too slow! Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit! Keep your eyes on Jesus! False repentance is deception and leads to ruin! True repentance is purely the work of the Holy Spirit and it ends in peace, joy, increased faith and glorious worship!

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God!
I do not trust myself or in my own understanding!
I humble myself under the mighty hand of God!
I completely trust my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who first loved me and died for my sins that I may live forever!
I reject legalism and false religious spirits!
I reject the evil spirit of “over-sabi”!
I am free and free indeed!
Glory to God!
In Jesus name
Amen!

SHINE JESUS SHINE

by Silvia Leigh

 

 

HAPPY WITH CHURCH TONIGHT

“The Lord is righteous;

He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.

Let all those who hate Zion

Be put to shame and turned back” (Ps 129:4, 5)

 

The prayer meeting was wonderful. The ACs suddenly stopped working and the room was very hot. But it did not stop the brethren from praising God and from praying with all their hearts. Today, we’ve started a series on spiritual warfare. We want to lay a strong spiritual foundation for this year. We read some scriptures to remind ourselves of basic strategy in spiritual warfare. Many believers became weak and spiritually lazy.  They now ignore the devil. But we need to enroll in the army of Christ. The devil is the enemy of God, the enemy of the believer and the enemy of Zion (the church). The devil will try all he can to spoil your relationship with God. Resist him and he shall flee away from you!

 

The devil deceived Eve to doubt the character of Elohim- God (Genesis 3). Lesson: God loves you. He created you to be like Him. Do not be afraid to be like God, creative and inventive, doing something out of nothing! Reject all lies that you are nobody or a foolish man! Pray: God use me!

 

The Devil attacks King David, provoking him to number his soldiers. The army of Israel was a great army. Counting the soldiers will only produce pride. (1Chr 21:1). Lesson: when you get wealthier, the devil will tempt you to number your possessions.  Lesson: If you know exactly how much money you have in that drawer in the kitchen, or in that account in the bank, then you are becoming proud. Lesson: pray that you become free from the bondage of numbers. You may know generally how much money you have, but do not count every kobo (cent).

 

The devil attacks the high priest Joshua in the presence of God. The angel replies that Joshua is ‘a burning stick taken out of fire’ (Zechariah 3). Lesson: when the devil accuses you, bringing your past of sin to remembrance, answer that you are saved, not by your merit or by your works, but by the Blood of Jesus. The grace of God released at the Cross of Christ saved you from the fires of hell. The Blood of Jesus will speak on your behalf!

 

When attacked by the devil, Jesus answered with “It is written…” (Matthew 4).  Lesson: read, meditate and pray with the Word of God! The Bible is the best weapon to fight the devil. You shall experience a fresh hunger for the Word of God. The Bible shall be your best friend. The Son of God was manifested on earth to destroy the works of the devil (1Jn 3:8). Lesson: we shall pray and do warfare until the devil shall become bankrupt. We shall overcome the accuser of the brethren by the Blood of Jesus shed on the Cross and by the Word of our testimony (Revelation 12). Our testimony is that the Bible is the Living Word and it works in our lives. We declared that we are children of God, born of the Holy Spirit. We are the light of the world. We reject the devil’s lies and accusations about our identity. The enemies of Zion, the enemies of worshipping God in Spirit and in truth shall withdraw in shame. We shall see the defeat of them who persecute us for no good reason!  We declare that Jesus is beautiful! Therefore our lives shall be beautiful! We declare all these to the glory of God! Shine Jesus Shine!!!

TIME TO STIR UP LOVE

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer day 7)

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:24, 25)

Today I want to consider you, my readers. I want to stir up your hearts to love God and His Word more than ever before. I want to challenge you to become serious committed mature Christians. I invite you to church! Once you become born again, it is your duty to pray, that the Holy Spirit will lead you to belong to a local assembly. Once there, pray that you may understand, submit and flow with the vision of the senior pastor. If you do not like it, then go away and find another church where you can freely submit to the leadership. But do not stay in a place you dislike and grumble at what you see or hear. This is rebellion and God shall judge that sin more than any other.

Many people are afraid to go closer to others, especially if they look different. From experience I know that many are afraid to go closer to pastors or their wives. This is because of un-healed hurts in the past. Gossip is a killer in all relationships. But you still need to attend a church. It is very dangerous to stay isolated and lonely. In the wild, you have seen that the lion attacks the young antelope that has left the safety of her flock. Even so, the devil will identify and attack the lonely, foolish and rebellious Christian. Attending a living church and being part of a local ministry is a blessing to all the children of God. It is also great spiritual safety. A living church is a spiritual covering. You will grow faster as a member of a Spirit filled assembly than if you stay at home each Sunday. TV Christian programs are good but cannot replace regular attendance to a church, except in special situations.

Attending a local church is not the same as going to a social club. The unique factor is that in the Church of the Living God, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. He speaks and He rules. The Holy Spirit is there also to oversee, reward and discipline. Some people fear discipline. Fear not! We all need it, to mature spiritually! Pray for supernatural love and wisdom so that you overcome the temptations in your relationship with the other believers. Remember that not all Christians have the same level of faith or spiritual maturity. The church is a ‘mixed multitude’. There are many religious people there who are not saved. There are many superficial things that differ between Christians: the color of their skin, different cultures; the styles of fashion or the mode of worshipping. These are minor things and you should ignore them. Don’t be distracted! Look unto Jesus!

I testify that I have found a true home in my local church. I am a pastor, a pastor’s wife, a mother in Christ and a friend to many. I literally live in the church, both physically and spiritually. It is my privilege to live in the church’s building. It will take an eternity to describe the blessings, the peace, the safety, the joy of living at the center of God’s will. Nothing else matter for me. I have found my place and purpose on this earth. I taste heaven daily. I do not fear challenges, for in Christ I can do all things! I have a great spiritual family, many children and true friends. Together, ‘we are for signs and wonders’ (Is 8:18). No one is ‘ordinary’. They are all beautiful like Jesus and strong in the Holy Ghost. They are faithful to God and to the ministry! All praise and glory to the Lamb upon the Throne!

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God!
I am an active member of a living church!
I am servant of God!
To the glory of God!
In Jesus name,
Amen!

NO MORE DESPISING

by Silvia Leigh

(Fasting and prayer day 6)

“Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him” (Rom 14:1-3)

The following are some of the rules that we must apply in our relationship with other believers in the church. The rules can be extended to the relationship between husband and wife, especially if one is more spiritually mature than the other. If you are strong or weak spiritually, all believers must apply these rules to themselves!

This is God’s command: Stop despising other human beings! We should not despise or reject one another because of minor differences. To despise, it means to arrogantly ignore another, to think that others are not worthy of your notice or encouragement. To despise, it means that you see others as low class, weak, foolish, even as a liability to your progress in life. This is God’s command: Let the Eater does not despise the non-Eater. Let the non-Eater do not despise the Eater! Let the rich, gifted and beautiful do not despise the poor, ugly or simple man. And it is the other way round!!! The truth is that each man, whatever his lot in life, has peculiar temptations.

These are the two options:
The strong believer should not despise the weak one. Do not be like the Pharisees, the religious ones: “Some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others” (Lk 18:9)! The weak one also has his own peculiar temptations. He judges the strong believer. Often, the poor one is jealous on the rich. He hides this jealousy with words of contempt. A poor man judges his rich neighbor, saying that he is too worldly, that he spends too much money on the things of this world, that he ‘enjoys his life’ too much. For example, the disciples judged Mary of Bethany, saying that she is too wasteful with her wealth when she broke the alabaster box to anoint Jesus. Jesus rebuked them for that attitude! (Mt 26:6-13)

This is a great lesson! Stop despising others! In particular, wife, do not look down on your husband, because he is rich or poor! These things change! Husband; do not despise your wife because she is more or less gifted than you! The truth is that no one is perfect! There is sin remaining in our body. The process of sanctification still goes on! Pray and love one another! Celebrate your differences! Celebrate the unity of the Spirit! Encourage one another! Your lives, your marriages, you churches will so much better if you obey this simple advice! May God help us all! In Jesus name, amen!

RECEIVING ONE ANOTHER

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer day 5)

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore RECEIVE one another as Christ also RECEIVED you, to the glory of God” (Rom 15:5-7)

This is God’s command: We have to RECEIVE one another into our hearts. This ‘receiving’ must be done for the honor of the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. No unbeliever can ‘receive’ you! This sacrificial loving receiving is the privilege of the children of God! Did you forget? The Lord received us as sinners and by His love, He changed us into saints. He was not deceived by our sin. But He knew what He can do with this ‘rough diamond’. In the same way my must receive one another in His name and for His glory!

To receive it means to allow another to enter into ‘your space’ until you are ‘disturbed’. It means to assimilate another’s ideas into your mind, pray for them, until you have ‘a headache’. It means to greet another from the heart. It is not flattery, for flattery is selfish and desires to gain something thru false ‘encouragement’. To receive it means to support the pressure, the weight, the doubts, the inferiority complexes or the suffering of another. The act of Christian ‘receiving’ is a holy sacrifice. It is not easy. There are dangers connected with it. Foolishly, you can ‘drown’ trying to love and encourage another. But this is the command of God. We must still obey the command to love and receive another, for God will enable you to be a holy receiver in His name! He will give you more patience, more endurance than you need! He will give you more love than you can imagine! Be an encourager! Endure to the end! Finish the project that you have started! Practice encouragement daily, on the good and on the bad! It does not matter if you are not appreciated by men. God will surely reward you! The grace of God, the favor of God will shine forth from your life! Let Jesus be Jesus to you and in you! Let the unity of the Spirit be established in your home, your marriage and in your church! Glorify God with one mind and with one voice! Let the testimony of this amazing grace of Jesus increase in your life! You have nothing to lose, for God is with you!

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God!
I serve the God of endurance and encouragement! Therefore, I am an encourager!
For Christ’s sake, I am patient with my husband, with my children, with others and even with myself!
My husband and I we live in harmony with one another. The unity of the Spirit is established in our home!
I love God with all my heart!
I love my neighbor as I love myself!
I receive others in my heart, as Christ has received me, to save me!
I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me!
The glory of God shines in my life, in my home, in my church!
My testimony as a servant of God shall increase!
God will reward me!
To the glory of God!
In Jesus name,
Amen!

LOVE IS STRONGER THAN HATRED

by Silvia Leigh

 

(Fasting and prayer day 4)

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you… But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning” (Jn 15-27)

This world hates God the Father and God the Son. The world hates and persecutes the believers in Christ. The world hates us for no other reason than the fact that we care called out of this world to belong to Jesus. This is not my own idea. This what the Lord said. We, the servants of God, are like sheep sent to minister to other sheep that are captured by wolves. These lost sheep are waiting in line to be killed by the wolves. They do not know that their days are numbered. They do not know that will soon die. They cannot fight or defend themselves. They are hopeless and helpless. The lost sheep need a Savior! His name is Jesus!!!

We are also sheep, but ‘saved’ sheep. We are ‘missionary’ sheep sent into the bush to speak to the caged victims the message of hope found in Christ alone. Doing ministry in a hateful world is never easy. Each sermon is risky. Each counsel is dangerous. Each prayer of deliverance releases a backlash of insults and troubles. But we must go to where the Lord sends us to go! We must love the souls of men. We must learn to do warfare, not to protect ourselves only, but to liberate the bound. We need to lay down our lives of comfort to prove to others the power of love. This is what it means to be a true friend. Any man or woman, who does not minister Christ to others, cannot be called a friend. He who is the Friend of Jesus is the only true friend of men.

Dear Children of God, it is my privilege to come to you this morning, in the name of Jesus, to tell you that God loves you! To tell you that you should come out from the midst of them who love only your body but hate your soul! In the name of Jesus, I have broken the padlock of your cage. You are now free to walk away from your bondage of chronic sickness, loneliness, poverty, fear and failure. Come out of darkness! Come to the light! Come to meet the Shepherd of your soul! He is waiting for you… Be free! Taste freedom which is freedom indeed! And lastly, give all the glory to God who sent me to you! His name is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Believe in Jesus! Surrender your life to Jesus! May the Holy Ghost take control! May the power of salvation, healing and deliverance be released unto you! In Jesus name, amen!

LIKE THE SPARROW AND THE SWALLOW

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer, day 3)

“How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young—
Even Your altars, O Lord of hosts,
My King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You” (Ps 84:1-4)

What is a good, living church? A good church is a place where the Word of God is preached with the anointing and the power of the Holy Spirit. A good church is a place where the person of the Holy Spirit is welcomed and moves freely in the midst of the congregation. A good church is a place where the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted high, in praises and prayers.

Most men and women know what they want in a spouse. They make lists about the qualities of their future life-partners. But few believers know what they are looking for in a local church. Some are looking for a ‘nice’ building. Some like the music. Some like the preacher. What is the most important thing to look for as you pray for God’s direction in attending a local church? The most important ‘thing’ is the manifested presence of God the Holy Spirit. Once you sense that the Holy Spirit dwells there, He freely moves there, that is a living church to attend. Without God, that church is dead. It is more than useless; it is a dangerous place and a snare to your soul. Run away from it!

The sparrow and the swallow are little birds. But they have found a place to build their nests near the altar of God. We are like these insignificant birds. Without God, we are nothing. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. Humble yourself before God, come near the altar of God and you shall find rest for your soul. The Cross of Jesus is that altar. Jesus died to set you free from sin and hell. These little birds are lonely, restless and afraid. This is because they have many enemies. They cannot protect themselves. They need to settle under the protection of Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts! They need a secure place to hide and have their young.

This is a great lesson for us all. Your life, your love, needs the protection and the grace of the Cross. Your marriage, your family and your children need to settle in the presence of God. At the Cross, God will cover you. The leaders of your church will cover you spiritually with prayers and Biblical counsel. You need to serve God, to pay your tithes and offerings into a place where God sees and God accepts. So, be patient and continue to pray. God does not tempt His children. You shall find a place where God is and where you can find rest for your soul. Now you see why finding a good living church is vital for your peace, joy, security and fulfilment. It is dangerous to just ‘manage’ a church. It is better to stay at home and pray for leading than to attend a ‘church’ where your spirit is quenched.

May God bless the entrance of these words into your heart today! In Jesus name, amen!

I SEE JESUS NOW

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer, day 2)

“Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off” (Is 33:17)

Faith is trusting in the invisible things of the Kingdom of God. God rewards faith! But this is the revelation of the Bible: one day our faith will be unnecessary!!! Faith is the bridge to the heavenly sight! One day faith will give way to sight! Jesus healed the blind and he saw the Lord! This is the promise of God: “You shall see the King in His beauty!” The higher is your faith now, the clearer you shall see King Jesus in the future. Jesus said: “Blessed are they who are pure in heart. For they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). The word ‘pure’ means clean and clear.

The opposite is to be unclean and dirty. A dirty heart cannot see beautiful things, cannot see spiritual blessings and cannot see Jesus! An unredeemed sinful heart is a dirty heart that has never been washed in the Blood of Jesus! It conceives wicked and negative things. A dirty heart is possessed with lust and thinks only of fleshly passions. A dirty heart knows nothing about true love! A sinful heart is dull to spiritual things. Sinful lustful eyes are closed to spiritual things. They cannot see the beauty of Jesus. These blind eyes are sad eyes living in a sick body. A dirty heart fails its purpose with each beat in the chest. Failure to see it is failure to love. What a waste…

But you, child of God, you are the promised Royal Seed! In Christ, we are Sons and Daughters of the King of kings! You are Princes and Princesses! “Blessed are your eyes for they see” (Mt 13:16)! You shall see not only Jesus, but you shall see the city and the mansions He has prepared for you! Get excited! We shall have sweet fellowship over there. We shall worship King Jesus forever! We shall see the heavenly Zion. One day, expectation shall change into experience! A clean vision is blessed by God. Your eyes shall be blessed by what you shall see! All champions have clean eyes! All worshippers have clean hearts! A clean heart is protected by the fire of the Holy Spirit. With a clean heart, you shall not see wicked people anymore! God is our Judge, the Lawgiver and King. Jesus is the final authority! Jesus is the Gate! The sinners are not allowed to enter Zion! Holiness is the password to the Spirit realm, the royal seal of safety and the assurance of heaven! When the Spirit moves, there is freedom! Oh, that you may desire a clean heart…

“Change my heart Oh, Lord
Make it ever true
Change my heart Oh, Lord
May it be like You!”

In Christ I declare:
I am a child of God!
I am the promised royal seed!
I am washed in the Blood of the Lamb!
I am a sinner saved by the grace of God, thru faith in Jesus Christ, my Savior, Lord and King!
I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
One day, my faith shall become sight!
My enemies are defeated! They have disappeared from my spiritual radar! They cannot chase me anymore!
I am safe in the arms of Jesus!
My eyes are blessed for they have been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus!
My heart is blessed for it has been purged by the Blood of Jesus!
I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God!
I am beautiful for Jesus is beautiful!
All glory to God!
In Jesus name,
Amen!

THE BLESSINGS OF ABRAHAM ARE MINE

by Silvia Leigh

 
(Fasting and prayer, day 1)

“Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you!
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:1-3)

In His sovereign will, God choses Abram (who shall later become Abraham) to be BLESSED and to be a BLESSING. His descendants shall be blessed, as individuals and as families. Spiritually speaking, as born again children of God, we are Abraham’s descendants. ‘Those who believe are children of Abraham’ (Gal 3:7). In particular, we are rooted in the blessed lineage of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the blessings of Abraham, are mine, are ours.

Families are important to God. That is why it is very important to be sure of God’s will in the matter of marriage, relationships or adoption. It is also important to be led by the Holy Spirit when buying land to build a house to settle there. As we can see in this passage, there are blessed people and there are cursed people. Also, there are blessed families and there are cursed families. There are blessed choices and cursed choices.

In Hebrew, the word ‘blessed’ is ‘barak’. It means to be happy, prosperous and promoted until others congratulate you, kneeling down before you. God alone blesses a person, or a family, until others have no other option than to praise that one. That is why you do not bless yourself. God does the blessing. You do not manipulate your promotion. God will promote you. That is why you do not praise yourself but allow God to move others to do that, as a sign that He has blessed you indeed. “Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips” (PV 27:2). This is my testimony: the Lord “has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48)

In Christ I declare:
Abraham’s blessings are mine!
I’m blessed in the city and I’m blessed in the field!
I’m blessed going in and I’m blessed going out!
I’m the head and not the tail, I’m above and not beneath!
I’m blessed in the basket and I’m blessed in the trough!
I’m blessed in the land that the Lord has given me!
Even to my old age I am fruitful!
I am blessed by God!
I am happy, prosperous and promoted by God!
God has blessed my name and my reputation!
My name is great because of God!
From now on, all people shall call me ‘blessed and highly favored’!
I am a holy distributor and a source of blessings to many others!
My friends are blessed!
My enemies are not blessed! They have no peace. They are not happy. They are angry and disappointed. My enemies have gathered against me, but they have all failed!
My family (natural and spiritual) is blessed!
All glory to God!
In Jesus name
Amen!