Brighter Life Ministry

1 Peter  3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia emphasize on the need for unity among themselves, having one mind, being in compassion and love for one another. This unity is important because all believers in Christ are on the same team. A team falls apart and loses its aim when it is not of one mind. When we treat believers as Christ has called us to, we can be of one mind in what we believe and in our actions to glorify God. To be of one mind is to be like-minded or united in intent and purpose. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity” (John 17: 22–23 ). The purpose of Christian unity is that “the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you...

Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Scripture is not naive about our corrupt world; good people are not always financially successful (John 16:33; Philippians 4:11–13), and evil people often become wealthy (Psalm 37:7; 73:3).  But godliness, put into practice through wisdom, gives a person a better likelihood at long-lasting triumph. The contrast expressed in this verse is not a guarantee of prosperity, but a comparison between wealth gained righteously as opposed to that obtained by deception. In short, wealth obtained morally is more secure than riches gained through sin. Immoral dealings put a person at risk of revenge, legal trouble, or other problems (Proverbs 10:2, 9). Further, at least some of the pleasure of wealth is countered by a person's conscience. This should always remind us to appreciate success clearly influenced by God's intervention. In Deuteronomy 8, the Lord reminded the people of Israel that He had fr...

Leviticus  26:11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.  26:12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. The description God gives to His children has to do with the idea of selection. God has chosen or selected us through His loving kindness and grace. The word used to describe us as "chosen" is a word that means "selected." It is a word that might be used to describe one of us going out to shop for something and picking out exactly what we want to purchase. When we buy a thing in the supermarket, we might look for something special and choose the that very thing based on our preference. that is the type of word God used in this passage to describe His redeemed people. You see, God selected you and then he made you what you were meant to be. He has stamped you with the word "select" or "choice." and God didn’t chose us because we are “select” or “choice” in terms of our own q...

Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel; be strong and of good courage for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” So Joshua is leading a new generation of Israelites into the land God promised their forefathers, (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) into the Promised Land, the land known as Canaan. Biblical history tells us of the covenant God made with Abraham, the father of all nations.  Abraham had never heard the voice of God before, he didn’t see God, yet God tells him to go, and he goes. Abraham had no doubt, he had faith. Abraham was not afraid, why? God said; “Do not be af...

Proverbs 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. Kingdom riches or wealth are the kind that only the Lord is capable of providing. It is the kind we should desire to experience the wonderful benefits of grace that the Lord has for us.  True wealth will be the treasures that are laid up in heaven. These treasures can neither be stolen nor corrupted. They have an eternal value about them. As we entertain our earthly pilgrimage down here, we should be mindful that our activities and attitudes down here would affect what goes up there… God's expectations from us is for us to have the correct attitude regarding riches . we should absolutely know what the correct attitude is towards riches.  It is having a godly contentment with what God has blessed us with. It is true that we each have different measures of His blessings, but none is inferior to the other. If we indeed have the correct attitude about what constitutes true value and true worth, t...

1 Timothy  6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; we Riches and wealth are good and God desires everyone, especially the believers to have in abundance according to His will and purpose. As much as God desires us to have riches and wealth, there are moments by which we turn our heart to the world, this instance is when we see riches and wealth as a means of security. The rich man often develops the attitude that there are security in riches. His faith in God diminishes as he exalts his security in riches. Contrary to the insecurity of riches, one must trust in God who has created the world for the sustenance of the believers. The material world was not created in order to provide an opportunity for the Christians to consume things upon his own lusts. It was created in order to be understood by man to be temporary sustenance for man while he is in ...

Matthew  24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?  24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Jesus Christ, as usual was giving a random teaching to the disciples and describe the characteristics of being a wise and a faithful servant.  The faithful and wise servant, according to Christ understands the responsibility of his relationship to the master's households. So it is with those who remained faithful and wisely understand their duties to serve the Lord.  They would not be diverted to the cares of this world. They would take heed and watch for the coming of the master of the household.  Jesus Christ has given everyone who believes in Him the responsibility to become His beloved servant watching and waiting, preaching the GoodNews to others and maintaining the spiritual consistency. We are to rightfully communicate His words and Will ...

Isaiah  10:1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed; The anger of the Lord is here expressly declared against the oppressor, God judges those who are in authority over men The Lord is against all unrighteous decrees, unnatural alliances, and evil acts . "Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed"  Scribes or registrars  are who preserve all the forms of the court, and keep their pens busy upon the court register, writing down every case, and appearing to do the business correctly and thoughtfully; and yet, these  registrars were themselves plotting "to take away the right from the poor, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless."  The court of law was turned into a means of robbery, as it is in nearly every country under the sun. The scribes who wrote down the law were men who secretly or overtly broke it.  ...

1 Peter 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.  It is in the natural understanding of man to pay a man back in his own coin, it is the best satisfaction a man could get after a wrong has been done.  But Jesus taught us in Matt 5:43-45Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shall love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” We are not to repay evil for evil because Jesus tells us to love our enemies. Bless those who curse us. Do good to them that hate you and pray for those who persecute you. First, we not to repay evil for evil beca...

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers Our words can take people apart much more easily than we can put them back together. Speech is a wonderful gift of God. It is one of our human capacities which reflect our likeness to God.  For our God speaks, and like him we also speak. Speech distinguishes us from the animal creation. Cows can moo, dogs bark, donkeys bray, pigs grunt, lambs bleat, lions roar, monkeys squeal and birds sing, but only human beings can speak. 29. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Unwholesome talk means corrupt, and foul. It may include dishonest, gossip, slander, unkind or vulgar that hurts or harms in so...

Hosea  4:11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.  4:12 My people ask counsel at their stocks, and their staff declareth unto them: for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. Whoredom is a word mostly used by God while speaking to the children of Israelite when they follow another God. literally, it means prostitution or other promiscuous sexual activity. Man has always sort for what can satisfy his desire, and have nothing order than whoredom or wine. When drunk, man seems to have satisfy his will for the flesh. Nevertheless, whoredom and being drunk with wine is a sin against the flesh which God has warned man against, it destroys the integrity of man, makes him poor and drags many to hell. When Noah received the commission to begin the new era of humanity, free of sin and wickedness, he became drunk with wine and from such, his son made mockery of his nakedness. The result was a curse against Can...

Psalms 119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. The heart of the Psalmist was manifested in the verse above, He sought God's help. He wanted to understand God's will, not simply to have knowledge of His word. Since the righteous delight in the word of God, the Psalmist sought to know God through obedience to His will.  He realized that he could do this only by keeping his mind off the things of this world, and keeping on the testimonies of God. the psalmist recognizes that God must go beyond the leading rather, the LORD must shift his internal desires, his heart, toward the goodness of God’s testimonies.  The same is also true of us. Even with the guidance that God gives to us through His Word, it is still all too easy for us to kick against Him like stubborn sheep. We need also an internal leading, a new inclination of the heart, that we may actually want to walk in the path of God’s commandments and keep His law. There are tendencies that we ma...

Matthew  5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. A pure heart is one that is free of grudges, rancor, bitterness, hatred, malice, prejudice, jealousy and so on. He sets aside selfish ambition and genuinely seeks the good of others. This is the heart that shall see God.  A pure heart is filled with Joy, Love, Peace, Long-suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, and so on. This is a heart that is qualified to inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21b). There are so many things devil has introduced into the world which brought corruption to the heart of men.  This makes it difficult for many to have the presence of God resides withing them.  Instead of love, hatred has taken place, instead of edifying words, gossips has taken over, instead of peace, violence has find its place, many who are expected to enforce justice are the ones guilty of  the same sin, where humbleness should have played its role, pride and ego are s...

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. Doing good is not a mere side-line in the Christian life. It is a basic principle of Christian living, its one of the attributes of God which is evidence in the character of Christ and expected of every believer to emulate.  Our act of kindness must be expressed towards another at any point in time irrespective of who they are, even if they appear to be our enemy. In doing this, we are fulling God's desire of peace to reign among humanity, and a means of helping those who are in needs. Like the good samaritan, he had compassion on the wounded, even with so much cultural differences between them, he took it upon himself to help without expecting public praise or reward. Such act of kindness is what pleases God on His throne.  Luke 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, Another person to consider ...

1 John  4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. Love can be understood as a mix of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth, and respect for another person. Love is widely proclaimed by people from one to another, yet their actions afterwards says otherwise. Scripturally God himself is love, and by this, he gave his only begotten Son to die for mankind... John  3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. This was the extreme of God's  love for us. And as much as we accept the love given to us, we also must extend its  hand  towards one another. John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends". God is love. And He loves us all no matter where we are in life. God's love is unconditional. God's love is without limit. God loves us so muc...

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Pride is the feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's own achievements, qualities, or possessions or those of someone with whom one is closely associated. having or showing a high or excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance. pride is putting oneself in the place of God. it is a refusal to depend on God, but to instead depend on oneself and try to be self-sufficient. it is well also a refusal to give him the glory he is due, but to instead seek the glory for oneself It is seeing oneself better than the other, having more quality than anyone else and seeks to be honoured more than anyone  The spirit of pride is dangerous to any soul it possessed, it raised the ego and makes such person boastful.  Pride, on the surface seems to be harmless and “victim-less”, but it is an abomination before God, and the reason is that it dethrones God in a person's heart. Ps...

Ecclesiastes  9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. In man's philosophy of success, hardwork perseverance and preparedness is essential. To win a battle, one must possess certain qualities, the wise and those with understanding are always aligned with wealth and riches, but in the case of God, it is not so.  success in life is not always determined by one's physical or mental abilities, or even their wisdom or skill. Instead, success often comes down to luck and timing. No matter how fast or strong a person may be, they may still fall behind in the race if they are not in the right place at the right time. A projected person to win a race may come last, the most brilliant person may become a fool, and someone who is expected to live above poverty may eventually live i...

Isaiah  41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Our life in Christ and in this world shall not but include moments of disappointment, delay, tribulations, anxiety, famine among others...  Each of these moments are caused by either of the following  1. GOD wants to refine us to a better us... No gold will ever be satisfied if placed into fire for refining, the process becomes terrible and life taking, but at the end when the impurities are removed, it becomes a treasure and an asset worthy of display.  In like manner God refine our life through certain moments, you do not understand but God himself is the one in-charge as the great goldsmiths of our life.  Those moments can make you loose opportunities you think is the best for your life, meanwhile God is preparing you for a better one  Those moment can make you ...

Song of Solomon  2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.  2:2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. The lily of the valley  is a beautiful and fragrant flower that symbolizes many things in the Christian faith. In this sermon, let us explore the meaning and significance of the lily of the valley in our lives as Christians.  It is believed that the blooms symbolize the tears of Eve after God expelled her from the Garden of Eden. Many also use the lily of the valley to represent humility and the purity of Jesus Christ. No rose can be more beautiful in colour, and delightful to the eye, than the church is in the eyes of Christ, as clothed with his righteousness, and adorned with the graces of his Spirit, nor is any rose of a more sweet and fragrant smell than the persons of believers are to God and Christ, being considered in him; and even their graces, their duties and services, when performed in faith; and, as the rose, they gr...

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Life is not about life itself, but about worship of God and obedience to His will. Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes affirms from previous text the benefit of life, having riches, wealth, being famous in all man's endeavour, but yet in such case, he reiterated that all is vanity. The beauty of life at the end of a man's life is to be one who fears the Lord and keep His commandment  When obedience is stirred by fear of God in our heart, then our life will have a meaning. Life is more than what the world has to offer. In order to make life meaningful, one must consider what God has to offer. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. The abundant life comes only to tho...

Ruth 2:11 And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewest not heretofore. 2:12 The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust. God is a rewarder! God has said much about rewarding His servants. Sometimes it comes when we least expected, it may look like it will never come but certainly, God always reward His people  Yesterday we talked about the dealing process of Ruth, highlighting her travail, sorrowful journey and how she didn't relent in being diligent and hardworking, caring for her mother-in-law. Her patience and diligence paid off at the end of the day.   Ruth's reward for her devotion and faithfulness can be seen in her being blessed with a loving husband, a...

Ruth  1:16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi, whose husband died after their father without a grand children. She was a moabite who serves other gods aside the God of Israel, her union in marriage compelled her to become a worshipper of the God of Israel. Her travail being a widow did not stop her to return with Naomi her mother-in-law even after several pleading. She had a beautiful future lined out but luck was not on her side as sorrow became her new story. Despite the ugly experiences, she remain  unbroken, she continued steadfastly with her mother-in-law and hoping for a better tomorrow, and eventually, God favoured her and even her  seed gave birth to King david. What are you going through that seems so difficult?, you may have a ugly past which is eno...

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Gifts are things given willingly to someone without payment; a present, some gifts may be good, in the sense that it is beneficial to the recipients while bad gifts are dangerous  When God finished His work, He declared it very good (Genesis 1:31). When people finish their work, they consider it good enough. No matter how much a perfectionist tries, they cannot create perfection; there will always be room for improvement. Only God can produce something perfect. For this reason, James tells us, “every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17a). Meaning of "Every Perfect Gift Is from Above" The word perfect means complete or lacking in nothing. That is not to say a perfect gift provides everything a person can ever need, but rather it fully accomplishes what the giver intends.  People do not have the capacity to gi...

Psalms 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. Life is a constant battle for which path you are going to follow. The challenge is that the ungodly path of life is easy, attractive, and popular, whereas the godly path of life is often inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unpopular. This is precisely Jesus’ message in the Sermon on the Mount: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14) The godly and good path of life is lived in obedience to God’s truth. It is directed by the Lord’s standards of rightness, guided by his wisdom, and empowered by his Spirit.  The ungodly and wicked path of life is the way of foolish people. It is directed by impulse and self-centeredness and does not follow God’s standards.   ...

Titus  2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Though God was patient and forgiving with the sins of those who lived under the old testament, His grace was not fully known until the incarnation and Jesus' death on the cross.  It was on the cross that God manifested that He loved us even in our state of sin. Since the grace of God has been manifested to all men, then it is God's desire that all men obediently respond to His will.  Naturally before salvation, our life had been subjected to ungodliness and worldly lust, but the appearing of the grace of God through the life and death of Jesus Christ opens our heart to the new nature of God.  God's grace helps believers in Christ to reject ungodly living. In addition, it helps us reject sinful desires. God's grace trains us, or teaches us, to avoid ...

Ephesians  6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  It is no doubt that we believers are at war, not the conventional war that we hear around us, but a very different war. Contrary to the belief of many that once you give your life to Christ you will enjoy everlasting peace without war.. But the truth is, it is not, truly  we will enjoy peace in God only if we follow his instructions given to us to overcome our enemy.  You can't outrun this enemy, you can’t outsmart him with your carnal knowledge or physical weapon. The only way to deal with this enemy is to stand and fight him with a supernatural weapon.  With the whole armour of God, we have been  equipped with everything we need to battle Satan. God has given us the armour, but it’s up to us to put it on. Satan is the strongest enemy a Christian will ever face, Even as strong as he is, he can be defeated.  But, in order to defeat him you need...

Exodus  13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: In so many ways God wants to take the lead and direct our life towards His will, and also make himself  ready to guide us thorough it. But sadly many only accept God's direction but neglect His guidance  Without guidance and direction we cannot succeed in God even if we succeed in one.  His word today in our life is the lamp unto our feet, he gives us direction on where to go, Abraham was instructed to leave his father's house, moses was told to start a mission of redemption for the Israelite, Apostle paul was told to go to Damascus and he will be told what to do.  Each of them act accordingly and were blessed by following the guidance and direction of God at some instances respectively.  Nevertheless, there are many who followed God's direction but failed to yield to His Guidance, the...

Mark  7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.  7:35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. As Jesus was departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, on getting to galilee, a deaf and speechless man was brought to Him so he could be healed, without hesitation Christ healed him, after touching his ear, spit and touched his tongue, He commanded both to be open. And it did open.  This story can be related to our life today, while looking away from its physical meaning, looking at its spiritual point of view, there is a spiritual hearing, a hearing of the heart, that we all struggle with at times. And that Jesus wants to heal. There are many times in scripture when people with perfectly good physical hearing do not hear God’s voice. Why? It is often described as a hardness of heart. Going back to Exodus, we can remember that the Pharaoh’s “heart was hardened, and he...