Brighter Life Ministry

Luke  9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For every believer to walk in line with the standard of God in this world, self denial is inevitable. Because of our fallen nature into sin in the garden of Eden, our life has been subjected to the affections of this world which fights against our soul. Self denial is restraining oneself from an interest or needs, anyone who wish to quit smoking will have to engage in self denial, by restraining his body from any means by which he might think of smoking. Many believers have found themselves back in the pit of sin where they have made vow before God and man never to visit. They thought having a new life in Christ will work magic in not living a life of sin. Anyone  who chose to live above sin must be ready to crucify the  flesh and its affection, running away from any appearance of evil that may lure our heart back to sin. Satan never sleep nor slumbe

2 Timothy  1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; The Gospel that we preach or believed in today was the birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, many finds it difficult to preach this Gospel, being afraid or shameful because of where they came from or the fear of what people will say. The Judaism believers which believed in the God of moses found it difficult to believe in God becoming flesh through Jesus Christ, and subsequently suffering on a cross as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. But, Paul wanted Timothy not to be ashamed of the crucified son of God on a cross, neither does he want him to be ashamed of his fellowship with him in his imprisonment for preaching the cross. Those who are ashamed o

Ecclesiastes  10:10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. One can have knowledge, but the ability to discern the time and application of such knowledge is wisdom. It is one thing to know what to do but another thing to know how to do it. So many  people know what to do, others  know what is required but only a few people know how it can be done. Most time, many of God’s precious children get stranded in life and many are confused because of their lack of wisdom in their life  Faith is essential in the life of a believer; anointing is majorly important; skill is good but wisdom is profitable to direct. You can sharpen your skills and even get bathed in oil, but without wisdom, you can be trashed in the struggle of life or battle with the devil  If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask; nothing wavering (See James 1:5). It is time to ask in faith. God will give to every man who asks in faith. Wisdom is the pr

Matthew  16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The soul is the only commodity being traded for in the spirit world, both God and Satan has been in the business since the fall of man in the garden of Eden.  Man has the free will to sell or give his soul to whoever he pleases, but must be ready to become the slave of whoever he bargained with. And satan is not an easy slave master.  Man would never have been qualified to have his soul secured in God if not for the selfless and loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary which pays our debt and free us form the captivity of the devil.  The value of one's soul is beyond comparison with anything in this world. If one owned all that is of this world, such would not profit towards salvation of his soul.  If we truly realized the value of our eternal salvation, we would not trade anything of this world for it. If we understo

Romans  12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  A living sacrifice means that the entire person is given to God. It includes the dedication of the body  as well as the trans- formation of the inner being. We are to be set apart (“holy”) for the sole purpose of serving the Lord. It is such that the natural response of the spiritually-minded individual who has come to know and appreciate the grace of God is given wholly to Him, both the body, soul and spirit.  As the levitical law called for the total consumption of the burnt offering for sin upon the altar of sacrifice, so must Christians give their lives totally to God.  You do not become a living sacrifice unto God and say your body does not matter before God but only your soul, as much as your soul is important, so also is your body and your whole being.  By this, we must continually check our lives, be

Zephaniah  1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.  1:15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,  1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.  1:17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.  1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. The Lord is coming back again like a thief in the night, he won't come like a lamb to be slaughtered by His enemy, but as

Numbers  25:10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  25:11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Being zealous is to have great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective, godly Zeal is to channel one's energy and enthusiasm towards the things of God and His will.  Israel had committed sin against the commands of God, He had warned them never to have a thing to do with the moabites, not only did they commune with them but also committed whoredom with them.  To cap it all, they joined in worshipping their gods by bowing down to it. This kindled the anger of God and make Him to send plague over to the camp of the Israelite.  Just after the Lord pronounced  judgment on everyone who partook in the detestable sin, an Israelite brought a moabite woman into his tent for the purpose of fornicati

Numbers  23:20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. The historic conquest of the Israelite on their journey from Egypt to the promised land has received free advertisement. Their fame has gone  ahead of them to the Palestinian region.  Fear had gripped the canaanite and surrounding counties, for they saw no one who could defeat the armies of Israel. "when God is on your side, no battle of life can defeat you".  Out of fear, Balak, the king of moab sought for a well known religious personality to curse the Israelites, even though moab was not among the countries to be destroyed by the Israelite. "when God is fighting for you, everyone will tremble at your presence"  Balaam is known to be a prophet with a rear divine gift of the authority of the tongue, whatever he says will surely come to pass, he has the spirit of God dwelling in him, yet he was called to curse the children of God. "man can go extra mile to

John  21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. Jesus had just left the disciples, and anxiety about the future set in. Worse still, they had obviously forgotten  the master's instruction in John 20:21 "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you".  Their needs beclouded their sense of obedience as to their next course of action. What factors influence your actions? Do you consider the word of God as you decide on what to do, or you just act out of convenience? Peter abandoned his divine calling to return to his former vocation (John 21:3). His fellow disciples all agreed to go with him without thinking of the master's instruction. It was a total failure because it lacked the master's blessing. Disobedience brings failure and fruitlessness. Now understand this, what they spent

2 Kings  2:9 And it came to pass, when they were 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 a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. Making choices in life always bring man to the junction of decision, because whatever a man decides at that crucial moment will either make or mar a man  Such was the case with Elisha when His master was about to be taken away from him, this can be best represented today as retirement, and he was presented with an open cheque.  What would anyone have wished for, if not for materials things, riches and wealth, to better one's life or to have financial security. Elisha could have requested to be famous or have the largest number of followers or even requested that the inheritance of Elijah be willed to him. But he requested for a double power(anointing) which his master himself cannot grant  This would have been the most stupid request any man would ask, kn

Genesis  13:11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Lot was Abraham’s nephew, old enough to be Abraham’s son. God blessed him like He blessed Abraham. So much was their riches that the land they were could not contain them no longer. However, covetousness soon intrinsically reared its ugly head in him at the point of making choice. Character is condensed into a single concrete act. He was not slow to seize the advantage offered him by Abraham’s generosity. No sense of gratitude, and no rush of right  feeling, impelled him to reject the magnanimous offer. "Lot cast his eyes over the broad circle of Jordan where on both sides of the winding river lay the richest pasture lands of the country". Lot has revealed some ungodly inherent traits... Anxiety, inordinate ambition and lack of respect for divine family structure(age) It initially worked like magic, promising him infinite happiness and satis

Genesis  21:3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. When God called Abram, he was 75 years old, and barren with his wife Sarah who was ten years younger. God kept promising them  an heir. At a point in time, Abram challenged God. Not too long after that, his wife suggested a quick fix in line with the culture and practice of the day. He bought into it quite all right, but ended up complicating matters. To Sarah, the fulfillment of God's promise was being delayed. About ten years had gone by since the promise, yet the promised child wasn't coming forth, and who knows the number of years they have been married before their call from Ur. Unknown to them, God was working in their favour, imagine the joy that  filled their hearts when the aged Sarah eventually conceived and bore to Abraham the promised child, Isaac. Laughter eventually came for them. What situation are you going through that looks as if hope is being deferred?

Ephesians  6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Not every believer in Christ care about the safety measures God has prepared for us that we should always employ, many of us will get into problems before we realise God's strict measures are not wickedness but an act of love which is for our own good. I was in transit sometimes and the driver conveying us didn't put on the seat belt, he's not the only driver I have seen without using the seat belt, but his act during the journey caught my attention. To him, he is a perfect driver (self confidence) and there is nothing that can happen... As we proceed, he sighted the traffic officers ahead, knowing fully well that he would be booked for not using the seat belt, he quickly fastened it, and after he drove pass them, he removed it again.. Reason that... Its a burden. (the habit of many drivers) The truth is, the seat belt was not made with the car just to show the

Acts  9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: Saul's choice as a vessel through which the Gospel would get to the gentiles remains mysterious. He was a multilingual legal luminary, Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, who was serious employing his credentials and other resources to torment the people of the way with impunity. He confessed that he was once a blasphemer (Gal. 1:13). One thing was however evident at the spot of his call; a light from heaven flashed around him (Act 9:3). The light is Jesus, the light that pricks the sinner's heart. Breaking him down in the awesome presence of the most High God. Do you know that despite the fact that you are in the day light, you need this flash from heaven. That flash from heaven became Saul's turning pont from darkness to light. Indeed, the real light that shines in the darkness of the world enveloped him.  Just like Paul needed divine light even when he w

John  5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.  5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The man at the pool of Bethesda was identified with the age-long sickness in his life, instead of his name. It is likely you have a similar experience. You have a good news: the great physician is here now. The man had lost all hope. He has resigned to the poolside at Bethesda, waiting for when he would out move the others to get to the troubled pool in the year. He wasn't even sensitive enough when the healer he had been waiting for came visiting him at the pool, because he had adapted to his painful condition. The omniscient Jesus knew that the man was helpless and in  need of a saviour. He required no effort from the man, not even his faith. He just gave him the grace he needed for his healing. Now you know that Christ is mindful of you and your situation. He is aware

Genesis  3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Man's fall is the greatest undoing of human race. Adam and Eve fell for the Deceit of their archenemy, and since then, man has not recovered fully from the consequences. Nevertheless, glory be to God for His redemptive programme made possible through the instrumentality of the death and resurrection of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. Deceit is evil and callous. It is a wicked act of making lies look true. It is misleading and beguiling. God hates lies, and liars shall perish. Those who lie will have their portion in hell. Beware of Deceit. Deceit is a rampant phenomenon in our society. It is not unavailable in the church. Some pulpits today are already infiltrated with deceits of the devil. Many so called ministers of God rationalise the Gospel. The scripture refers to the devil as a liar and

Matthew  21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. All farmers desire bountiful harvest, investors aim to make maximum profit. Business people expect commensurate profit from transactions. More than any of these, our Heavenly father expects every believer in Christ to bear lasting fruit (John 15:16) Consider Jesus' attitude to the fruitless tree in Mathew 21:19. A similar incident happened in the parable of Luke 13:6,7. He asked the tree to be cut down. Put yourself in Jesus' shoes. Consider the  efforts, energy, money, and other resources that God has invested in you. How much has He realised on you as return on investment? Anyone who refuses to bear the fruit of repentance (Matt. 3:8) or a Christian who does not bear the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5: 22-23 ) is a barren and fruitless Christian, who can be

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. The Holy spirit is the manifestation of God that  works in and through Christians in this Dispensation of time in order to accomplish The work of God on earth through the church. It was the promise of the Father Through Jesus Christ,  first to the disciples, then to all believers in Christ Jesus Who has confessed Him as their Lord and personal  saviour The personality of the Holy Spirit works in Many offices of the church, from teaching and comforting to convicting and empowering believers for smooth relationship with God here on earth. The manifestation of the Holy spirit is not a guess work, it doesn't have a user manual. It is remotely controlled by God himself. Surely, no believer in Christ can actually survive in this world of sin without being connect to the Holy Spirit, the

Psalms 81:13 “Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways! (NKJV)  Merriam-Webster defines hearing as the “process, function, or power of perceiving sound; specifically: the special sense by which noises and tones are received as stimuli.” Listening, on the other hand, means “to pay attention to sound; to hear something with thoughtful attention; and to give consideration.” In the book of psalm, God Himself was lamenting over the behavioural pattern of the children of Israel for only hearing but to listening to His commands.  Everyone have the privilege of hearing God from time to time, but very few listen to what they have heard, not very much pay attention and give consideration to what the Lord is saying. This, has made many to experience difficulties they find themselves.  The children of Israel refused to be loyal to God, He thus gave them up because  of their disobedience. If they had obeyed God, their history would have been completely different.  Ev

Deuteronomy  28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: Prayer  is an evolving means of interacting with God, most frequently through a spontaneous, individual, unorganized form of petitioning and/or thanking. ... In these instances, such as with Isaac, Moses, Samuel, and Job, the act of praying is a method of changing a situation for the better Today many people see prayer, fasting as the only solution to problems, but sadly it is not  We may be faced with many tribulations and troubles, and have prayed all kinds of prayer known for, yet the story remains the same,  The first step to greatness and  testimony is obedience to God's word.  God reveal the secret of greatness to Moses in the verse above, all the blessings will  come over Israel not after they have prayed, but after

1 Corinthians  1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: Jesus didn't see people as losers, but as potential winners who had lost their way. He was moved with compassion for them... (Mark 6:34) He saw them through God's eyes, not weeds, but potential roses. And His perspective, which is often different from ours, brought out the best in them. Where others saw a woman with five failed marriages, He saw a restored sinner who could reach others in Samaria. They saw a blind man; He envisioned someone who could see. They saw a cripple; He pictured a man picking up his mat and walking away. They saw Mathew as a revolutionary tax collector; He saw a future disciple. They dismissed Zacchaeus as a crook; Jesus recognised a searching heart. When His disciples saw costly perfume and unnecessary expense, Jesus recognised the sacrifice of a grateful heart. Others saw an impulsive fisherman; Jesus saw a le

1 Samuel  16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Protocol is the official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of state or diplomatic occasions. There are protocols that govern our existence on earth which defines our success and failure in life.  In some cases, God interrupts this protocols according to His will,  David was anointed despite being the last born, the protocols in the family of firstly choosing the first born sons was interrupted and nullified, if not, he would have been the least to be king.  God is not interested in your age, before He will bless you, neither is He interested  in your qualification , before He can place you at great places  God is not interested in your background before he will announce your glory, Jephthah was a son born out of wedlock, sent out of his father's house. But when God would interrupt the prot

Psalms  37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Sometimes when you stay too long in the air-condition fitted room, you think the AC isn't working... You will only realize its working when you step out of the room and you are exposed to the heat outside. Do you know such is the case of most Christians in God... When most of us get too familiar with God or His grace, and what we are expecting is not forthcoming, we tend to say God is not working on our behalf, ho God has forgotten me, ho God doesn't have my time. Ho God is not listening to me.... But you will only realize God is actually at work when you move out of God's grace into the heated atmosphere of the devil... Air-conditions are like the promises of God, He will only increase the cooling temperature according to His will and time There are some situations that w

Numbers  16:23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  16:24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Most of the time, our personal decisions are not totally determined by our personalities, they are influenced by majority decisions on the side we pitch our tent. Since man is naturally a social being. We tend to find ourselves on a side of the other of the divides, more so, majority is believed to have their way while the minority make do with their say. God gave a clear instruction in Exodus  23:2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:, man must choose between good and evil all his lifetime, and this informs his final destination in hell or heaven. Man tends to be influenced by majority decision, either right or wrong. God expects us to be mature enough to decipher the right (God's stand) from the wrong on all occasions, regardless

1 Corinthians  5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. It has become a custom among brethren to call each other "Brother" or "Sister", this is a kind of love that exist among believes in Christ. Identifying oneself with Christ means crucifying the flesh on the cross and living a life of righteousness and holiness according to the perfect will of God. Nevertheless the devil never stop from time immemorial to tempt and deceive believers by enslaving them in secret sin which makes them becomes cancer in the body of Christ. Many claimed to be a brother among the believer and yet, there are elements of sin in them, and by this deceive others into the same sin. Apostle Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote to the church at corinth and warned that if any man who calls himself a &qu

Ezekiel  14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. When the question, "Are there still Daniels today," was asked in one of the Sundays school lesson, there are many reactions. Some agreed that there are no people like Daniel any longer in the society, while some were of the opinion that there are Daniels. Another set of people said that even if there are Daniels, the society would not allow them to perform  The true story of Daniel inspires outstanding spiritual qualities, great and excellent character which a believer must enviably emulate. This was not without his sacrifices, devotion, faith and steadfastness to YAHWEH. His unalloyed live and faith in JEHOVAH set him in high pedestal among his contemporaries, Nothing can be as futile as reading from the first chapter of the book of daniel to the last chapter, and yet not ignite to be upstanding and outstanding for  God

Ecclesiastes  3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: Every man's life is characterized by time and season. time when you  are born, time u will die, time to plant and time to harvest. It was a time when man falls into sin, it was a time Jesus was sent to die for mankind.  But for this sturdy, it is the time to flee  God directed the affairs of man with time because we are spiritually blind to know what will happen in times to come, so by this God reprogram or redirect  man's life towards a new direction which is the best for man's life and destiny.  There is a time for every believer to flee in our journey with God, no matter how you may be endowed with God's power or grace in life.  Truly God is all powerful to save and deliver but we are humans  and the best for us to do at certain point in time is to flee rather than trying to proof confidence.  When Jesus Christ was born unto Mary and Joseph, God instructed them in a visi

1 Samuel  13:11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; After the second year reign of king Saul, the Israelite became offensive with the Philistines through Jonathan who smote the garrison of the Philistines. This brought about the Philistines gathering to fight against Israel  When Israel saw the great army of the Philistines, they were so afraid that they hid in caves. There is a need for someone to boost their moral to fight despite they are farmers  In view of this, Samuel was expected to make a sacrifice unto  God to seek God's counsel and to affirm their victory. King Saul had prepared all things needed for the sacrifice but Samuel tarried, reasons unknown.  Saul then took into his own hands, he offered the sacrifice because the people were scattered. He gave an excuse to Samuel that the peop