Read the word
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE - (Judges 16: 4-20)
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(4) And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
(19) And she made him sleep upon her knees; she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.
(20) And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.
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If we always do what we have always done, we will always get what we have always got. Nothing in this world stays the same: Microwaves, VCRs, Gasoline prices, Telephones, Computers, Families, everything is in a constant state of change! Sometimes we resist change so much that we are left behind. You must CHANGE YOUR WAYS !!!!
We have no choice on whether change is going to happen…it will happen, how you react to it will determine how successful your life will turn out to be.
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Power brings change.
In Acts 1:8, the Bible says:
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"
Every soul must be reached for Christ, that is why you are so important. Soul winning is the 1st priority of God and the church! God said in Ez 18:4 " Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine . . . "
So also is your soul. So much so you must change your ways and embrace Jesus Christ, whom God has given to save you from a life of sin.
Matthew 1:21 says about the birth and mission of Jesus Christ :
"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Sin is a destroyer, and Samson is an example. Samson never learned to change the things in his life that were wrong. He just kept doing the same things and repeatedly got himself into the same type of problems. Samson lived in sin, and he was destroyed by sin. His hair was shaven, he was humiliated, and he died with his enemies. That shouldn't happen to you. You may be living a life that does not bring glory to God, it's time to come out of it. Christ will give you light.
Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light ", Eph 5:14. Allow God to lead you into a change of heart. A focused and more productive life, full of the fruit of the spirit, following God. You can never change the message of salvation and redemption, but you can change the message.
The Bible says in Mathew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light "
He will give you rest. This rest is for you. Rest from worries, sickness, disease, loneliness, failure, family troubles, separation, addiction, etc. Enter into your rest now by taking the following steps:
* Confessing your sin
* Repentance of your sins
* Ask for forgiveness
* Accept the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
And be free!!!
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-Pastor Taiwo Williams
TRY AGAIN, AND AGAIN - (Mark 10: 46-52)
Blind Bartimaeus Receives His Sight.
(46) Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.
(47) When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
(48) Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
(49) Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”. So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
(50) Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
(51) “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
(52) “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Barthmeus did not give up. Don't give up at any point, try again. Try, and keep trying. Many of us give up easily. You are not destined to fail, don't give up yet. If you try the first time and you fail, don't give up, try again and again and you will make it. Don't quit, you never win that way. You may be knocked down, but not out.
* Focus of Mark 10:46-52
The passage above tells us about a blind man called Bartimaeus. He had a problem and that problem reduced him to a beggar. One day, he encountered Jesus, and he cried out to him. The people around him tried to stop him, but he didn't listen to them, he cried again and again until his voice was heard. He cried many times before he got Jesus' attention and he got his miracle.
It was a cry for Mercy. All those that cried for Mercy in the bible, got what they wanted.
* Bartimeaus cried for Mercy and he got his miracle.
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* In Luke 17:12-19, 10 lepers encountered Jesus, and they cried for Mercy, and all of them were cleansed despite that Jesus knew that 9 out of 10 of the lepers will be ungrateful, He still cleansed them because they cried out for Mercy.
In Luke 18:10-14, A publican cried for Mercy. Despite the fact that he was a sinner, because he cried for Mercy, he went home justified. Luke 18:13 says " But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Mercy plays a prominent role in the heart of God. If you cry for Mercy today, God will hear you.
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* The cry of Bartimaeus attracted Jesus Christ. If he closed his mouth he would have remained a blind man, probably for the rest of his life.
* The cry of Bartimaeus was a cry for help.
Those who cry to Jesus will always receive help, including you.
What do we learn from the actions of Bartimaeus?
1. Bartimeaus ignored distractions. Many people tried to prevent him, but he ignored them, he cried out again and again until his cry got to Jesus. Friends, always ignore distractions. Distraction is an attack on our pursuit of happiness and purpose. Ignore distractions in every form.
2. Barthmeus was specific to the point. He told Jesus the exact thing he wanted, "that I may have my sight". He wanted his sight and he got it. Elisha was also specific, he told Elijah that he wanted a double portion of the anointing and he got it. Solomon was specific, he told God what he wanted, wisdom, and God gave him wisdom, and even added some more. What do you desire today? Be specific, in telling God what you want.
3. Story of Hannah in the Bible. Despite what Hannah was passing through, she kept on going to Shiloh. She tried again and again, but she never stopped going to Shiloh and one day God remembered her. If she had stopped going to Shiloh, how would God have remembered her? So, Be sensitive to your appointed time. You don't know when God wants to turn to your side and turn things around for your good. When God turns to your side, it becomes your turn.
In Ez 21:27, the Bible says I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is; I will give it to him. May God turn to your side in Jesus' name. Amen. In one of Hannah's several visits to Shiloh, God remembered her. You may be tired, fed up, frustrated, or discouraged and you are giving up hope, please don't give up, keep on trying because God will remember you.
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4. In Conclusion. Elijah prayed for rain after 3.5 years of drought. He was praying, and his servant was checking for the signs. He kept on it. In 1 Kings 8:41-45, the Bible says:
(41) And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
(42) So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
(43) And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
(44) And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down that the rain stops thee not.
(45) And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
He kept trying till the 7th time. God will answer you, in Jesus' mighty name, Amen.
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Prayers:
Father like Bartimaeus I cry into you this morning, please have mercy on me, have mercy on my children, have mercy on my wife, have mercy on my family.
* Elisha got what he desired, double portion, Solomon got more than what he asked for, Bartimaeus got what he desired, the list of sight, what do you desire, ask Him what you want.
* Prayer for healing
May God heal all your children that are sick, please visit them, heal them, and let their healing be permanent.
* Prayer for help
Do you want God to help you this year? If you want God to help you, listen to what He says in Mathew 11: 28, He says come to me all ye that are labor and heavenly laden, I will give you rest.
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-Pastor Taiwo Williams