BEFORE YOU STEP OUT 09/10/2023BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY MONDAY 09/10/2023

TEXT MARK 8:34 -37

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[34]And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

[35]For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

[36]For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

[37]Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Dearly beloved, the Lord Jesus said that whoever would follow Him, must deny himself.

What does it mean to deny yourself?

Following Jesus means disowning one"s self and giving allegiance to Christ alone.

This means giving Him allegiance down to the very depth of our being.

Is Jesus the Lord of your life or is He only a saviour in your life?

Christian maturity begins when Jesus ceases to be just a provider but becomes your Lord also.

It is when He becomes your Lord that you begin to live a life of sacrifice for Him.

It is only at this time that you can hear the voice of the spirit making radical requests from you.

Doing radical things  for Jesus is not carrying chairs on your head while dancing and disrupting the service.

It's about hearing dangerous instructions from God and performing them promptly when they come.

When was the last time God asked you to do something unique for Him?

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not

 bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

Ezra 6,7.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY SUNDAY 08/10/2023

TEXT LUKE 19:8-9

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[8]And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

[9]And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

Zacchaeus was a great example to all who would want to live the sacrificial life in Christ.

He was a sinner who defrauded many people, but when he recieved Christ, he made a personal decision not to put the new wine into the old wine skin.

Many christians would not give up their sinful acquisitions for the kingdom of God.

They hold tightly to them and even build altars with such weak material.

Most of us would need to work on our characters.

Character is very key in the kingdom.

Character is like smoke that cannot be hidden.

Since our lives are the bibles that the unbelievers study, let us live so sacrificially that the body of Christ is not bruised or wounded because of our weaknesses.

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

Ezra 4,5.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY SATURDAY 07/10/2023

TEXT 2 KINGS 3:25-27

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[25]And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

[26]And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.

[27]Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.

King Mesha of Moab rebelled against Israel.

Jehoshaphat the King of Israel gathered a confederation of nations to war against Moab.

They consulted the great prophet Elisha who hears clearly from God and the Lord assured them of an easy victory.

They trounced Moab.

They beat down the city until no stone was on top of another.

At this point king Mesha took seven hundred of his elite force to break through the weakest point, but they could not.

He then took his son who was to succeed him on the throne and sacrificed him on the city walls.

Immediately after the sacrifice, God abandoned Israel and Israel withdrew.

What was it that made God withdraw?

God saw a mortal perform the type of sacrifice that no celestial had yet done. 

He was disappointed in His stingy people and had to withdraw from them.

 

And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.

For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.(2 kings 3:16-18)."

Beloved, never forget that spirits are divinely drawn to sacrifices and God is a spirit. 

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

Ezra 2, 3.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY FRIDAY 06/10/2023

TEXT 2 SAMUEL 23:15-17

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[15]And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

[16]And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

[17]And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

Dearly beloved, nothing demonstrates love like what one is ready to sacrifice.

We can confidently say that the proof of love is in the sacrifice.

These men were loyal and faithful men who overheard the desire of their leader and decided to bring pleasure to him.

These men risked their lives to please a mortal man.

How much can you risk to please an everlasting God?

How far would you be ready to go in order to bring pleasure to the one who laid down His life for you?

God raised you so that you can make Him known to your generation, do not disappoint Him.

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

Ezra 1.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY THURSDAY 05/10/2023

 

TEXT: PSALMS 132:1-5

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[1]A Song of degrees. LORD, remember David, and all his afflictions:

[2]How he sware unto the LORD, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;

[3]Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;

[4]I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,

[5]Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

When a life is dedicated to the things of God, that life has been donated to God.

This type of life is the type that is not cajoled to do things for God.

When a man has given himself to God, there is nothing that is too big for him to give to God.

Dedicated people say to God,  "whatever I cannot give to you, don't give it to me".

Your treasures travel in the direction of your affection.

Those you love do not have to have to beg you in order to receive from you.

You give to them as if giving is your second nature.

Your hand can only give in the direction of your heart.

These are the people who cannot rest until the work of God is properly done.

Beloved, where is your heart?

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

2 Chronicles  37,38.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY WEDNESDAY 04/10/2023

 

TEXT MATTHEW 6:31-33

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[31]Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

[32](For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

[33]But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What is sacrifice?

Sacrifice is simply giving to God whatever He requires of you.

This includes your time, money, your talents, your energy and all your earthly possessions in other to further His work.

Sacrifice means to endure loss, give up pleasures, and renounce rights because of what we believe in.

Apostle Paul declared in Philippians 3:7-8,

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

Beloved, what prices have you paid for the gospel?

What scares have you received in defence of  the master and His message, the gospel?

Beloved, begin to prepare to lay down your all this month for the master's use.

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

2 Chronicles  35,36.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria

BEFORE YOU STEP OUT TODAY MONDAY 02/10/2023

 

TEXT HEBREW 11:4

THE OVERWHELMING POWER OF SACRIFICE

[4]By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

All spirits relish sacrifices, our God being a spirit is not different.

Every attempt to attract God without sacrifice will end up in futility.

All great interventions of our God happenes through the activation of sacrifices.

By a singular sacrifice, Abel even though dead still speaks through posterity.

What is your role in God's house?

Are you paying or are you playing?

Is your assignment bringing pleasure to our father or is it bringing Him pains?

Beloved, begin to ask God where else He would have you function in.

God bless you.

With the God I serve, nothing shall be impossible.

Your case is not bigger than God.

May you have a God filled day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Your Victory is already guaranteed

It is well, do not give up, with God all things  are possible

(Please be a blessing to seven persons by sending to them   devotionals)

For further reading,   

2 Chronicles  31,32.

Pastor  Obi Ejikeme

Senior Pastor

House of faith, Nigeria