the watcher

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Do you do Good? Quite a simple question, you might say, but think of it and your answer may not be that simple. You could quickly think of one person or the other you may have hurt, that lie, that discord that originated from you or you helped fan. What is Good? Christ replied a man who called Him good. Mark 10:17-18 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. The question was like saying, you call me God. Funny enough He was actually God but walking in humility. Philippians 2:6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. So was Jesus actually Good? Acts 10:38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. Jesus likened us believers as the salt of the earth. This means we make the world have it's taste, we ought to show the world who God is and bring all to Him. We are not suppose to follow the ways of the world but be an example of what it means for God to live in man. Remember you can only give of what you have. Lights gives off light so Jesus says again: Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. Are you shining, do you still have the taste? These are the questions that we need to ask ourselves when we gather and personally meditate on. So, what will your answer be? If yes, then glory to God keep shining but if no

1 Chronicles 11:17-19 David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. “God forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three. When scriptures tells us that God called David a man after His heart some may begin to wonder what really was David's disposition. Why, because many just keep that one singular act of adultery he committed in mind. Some even used this and the mistakes of others in scriptures as a license to do wrong. You hear things like, or that person was a liar yet God used Him. That person was a murder but God uses

Matthew 5:11-12 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. Yesterday we looked at persecution against believers and we can say that many of us believers are not really experiencing persecution. How do we know this? We ask ourselves, what exactly have we suffered because of our faith? There lies our answer. We saw also from scriptures that we cannot say we are persecuted when we suffer from doing the wrong things, NO! It is the recompense of our actions, we hold no one responsible for that but ourselves. That lie must be taken off our minds. So does it mean we are not serious in our faith and service to God? Not really, it only implies that we have the grace to enjoy walking with Him with less hindrance than for others. This then means that we

Matthew 5:10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:10  Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Do you always do the right things? This question could be tricky and could be very much simple. Someone may ask: "What is the right thing?" This now brings the debate on the standard for morals, then the issue of the law comes into the discussion. Thank God that every human he created was given a conscience that gives the initial clarity to what is wrong and what is right. That is why even a toddler who has no learning yet knows when they do somethings wrong. So what is our standard for morals? It should be the Creator Himself. The scriptures call it, the "fear of God". Not as an evil fear but as God being the standard of moral, the One whom we consider when we make decisions. Now, does the world want that type of standard? Not really, for the wo

Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. Are you happy when there is peace or have you gotten so used to discord that it is strange to you that there is a level of peace. Then you need help! As we have been looking through the beatitudes for some days now, have you noticed that the nature of God's Spirit is expressed? For every believer God's Spirit is supposed to be indwelling in us: John 14:17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. The Holy Spirit living in every believer is not theoretical but practical. An evidenced truth, you are supposed to hear Him and let Him lead you. Ask yourself, if God's Spirit is truly in me, would I be living the way I am? Will I be doing the things I have been doing over the years? Will I speaking whether in open or pr

Matthew 5:8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. What is purity, it means free from filth. The Oxford dictionary gives two related definitions of the English word "purity": 1. "freedom from adulteration or contamination. 2. "freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature." Literally, purity has to do with freedom from contamination, that means you canNot be talking of being pure if the initial state is not pure prior to contamination. Selah This is why everyone must be born again. The new birth gives you the initial state of cleanliness, purity, then you sustain that by His Spirit. This is what Christ was telling Nicodemus: John 3:3,5 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. The initial state of man was pure because all that God created was good and man was ma

Matthew 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. When we talk of mercy we talk of forgiveness, we talk of showing kindness to those who do not deserve it or are not our responsibility! Mercy means you wish others well. Are you merciful? Who is our example of the merciful? The Heavenly Father Himself: Exodus 34:6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,  “Yahweh! The Lord!  The God of compassion and mercy!  I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Listen, most of us claim to be God's children but do we act like Him? Do we carry His nature? Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Many claim to know God, however His nature is not found in them and the Messiah was clear when He said: Matthew 7:16a You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way th

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. The battle begins and ends in the mind! We live in a world where lots of things stream to us without our permission, this could be via * tele media * social media * radio * paper media * friends * colleagues * family * employer/employee * government and their officials * people we come in contact with casually * religious leaders * lecturers/teachers/facilitators etc. These sources seek to feed our mind one way or the other and if they persist long enough they reach our soul. There is therefore the need time and again to "purge" Just like when we eat, we are careful that we do not retain toxic substances in our system, we need to keep detoxifying our system now and again to save us from the negative effects of those unwanted substances. The mind also need to be detoxified of * evil thoughts * not forgiving  * hatred * envy * pride * selfishness * contentiousness * unbelief * lies * sexu

Matthew 5:6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 (KJV) Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. The heart of man is what really matters, it determines what the person does. We have established from scriptures time and again in this devotional that the heart is what the Lord looks at. Jeremiah 17:10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.  I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” So what is in your heart is what the Lord looks at to make judgment. Christ is teaching in the sermon on the mount that the one who has a heart that seeks God's righteousness and justice would surely be satisfied. Is that what you seek? Do you sincerely seek that things would be right, that wickedness would leave the earth, you are not comfortable seeing evil celebrated. You do not take part in it, neither do you encourage it. The true desir

1 John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Silence could connote a lot of things. * one wanting to be left alone * anger * pain * thinking * one in trouble * not having much to say * unhappiness * stress * a hidden ailment or disease or even * fear. * could also be time to reflect and to make amends * or maybe a time out to meditate There is need for us to understand the reason behind any silence, cause though nothing might be wrong, a lot could also be wrong. Those we call our loved ones should always be on our mind that we may know when something is wrong. 1 Corinthians 12:25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. One painful silence anyone could experience is when it seems God is not speaking. Nothing is as painful as not knowing what God expects from us. One thing is true, God has given us medium(s) through which he communicates with us. *

Matthew 5:5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. The opposite of humility is of course pride! What does God say about pride "the proud"? Proverbs 16:5 The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. Psalms 5:5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence, for you hate all who do evil. David testified: 2 Samuel 22:28 You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them. So God is interested in the humble and He turns away from the proud thus they head to destruction! As dangerous as this is, many still refuse to stop that they may walk in humility. Listen, some from their youth have learnt to be humble, it could be from their genetics, their growing environment or neighbourhood that includes those that influenced them from their parents, family and communities, no matter what it was, they stayed with that humble attitude. The same way some may also have become proud and arrogant from their genetics, influe

Matthew 5:4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. When a true believer sees the wickedness or perverseness in the world, it causes them to mourn and desire for God's rule on the earth. We do not mourn over mundane or canal things. No, it is not about us but about God. What we have with most supposed believers is conformity. The absurd adage that says: "if you can't beat them join them". No, it shouldn't be so. You cannot afford to lose your identity because everyone around you seem to go towards a particular direction and you feel left out. Don't fall for it, it is at that time you need to stand strong. You may have made a mistake and then you are mocked, it shouldn't deter you, keep the faith alive, stay strong. Christ never said we would have it sweet and jolly with the world because of our faith, No, He even said the contrary. John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials

Matthew 5:23-24 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. The person of the Heavenly Father have been wrongly presented to the people by many, be they preachers or ministers no matter what title they carry. Many have represented God as one who needs something from us for Him to act. Others present God as One who needs to come down from Heaven to manifest Himself, some go ahead to describe a God that can be bribed, sentimental yet still others describe Him as a killer, etc. Only One person could describe God properly in the whole time that man has existed,and that person is Himself! Isaiah 45:22 Let all the world look to me for salvation!  For I am God; there is no other. This is why people can conclude that the Son is also the same person with the Father. John 1:18 No one has eve

Matthew 5:3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. Have you ever sat down to ask yourself, "how does God see me?". All your complains, endeavours, goals, dreams, investments, studies, activities etc. What are they targeted at? Have you hurt people all the way through life? Has it just been all about you? What seeds have you sown, of discord or of love? What really has been your story through the time you have been here? Do you know your maker? When the Messiah walked the earth, He asked: Mark 8:37 Is anything worth more than your soul? Why is this question important? It is important because, your soul is the real you! Your body is flesh it will rot, your spirit is God's it will return to Him, but your soul is you, your consciousness, emotion, feeling ... This is what the enemy targets, this is also what God requires from us. For it is ours to give! Selah When God gives instructions it is for the good of your so

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee. Only God can give perfect peace. 2 Thessalonians 1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul kept repeating this statement in all his letters why? John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. When Jesus was leaving the earth he left us with peace. Troubles may arise, temptation may keep coming things might look tough but the child of God will have God's peace which passes all understanding and which can calm every storm. Mark 4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. His peace resides in us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is what the kingdom of God is about Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not food and drin

Psalms 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. After creating the heavens and the earth for six days(whether literal or otherwise) on the 7th Day God rested. After God rested on the 7th day, what did He do on the 8th day. The answer to this question is obvious, He resumed work again. Jesus confirmed this when He said ...my Father works so I work . .. John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Idleness, laziness and mediocrity are not the character of our Father, if you have these characters then you need to explain where you got them from but definitely not from God. God has already set things in motion which you activate when you work in knowledge and wisdom. The greatest of all was redemption which He had already done this from the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, With what scale do we measure? * the world * our flesh * God * or man The battle has always been for "our soul" that is the real us . . . All becomes struggle and chasing after wind when our measuring scale is the flesh. Let us say like Paul: Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours: How do we know whom we please? It is by the thoughts that we allow to stay. The one whom we consider first, before we take a decision. Is it? * What will people say about this? * How will I feel about this? or * What does God want me to do? The truth is God's own is always the best. He knows all things, he has seen further than we can ever see and already knows the outcome. Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the

Jonah 4:9-11 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?" And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!" But the LORD said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. "And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and also much livestock?" The story of Jonah is that of a prophet who was sent by God to warn Nineveh of impending destruction if they did not repent. Jonah after trying to run was diverted back to the city. He declared of the impending destruction. The city repented and God therefore did not destroy them. This caused Jonah to be annoyed. God needed to show him, to teach him. He made a plant grow over his head, then when he began to enjoy it, He caused it to wither. Jonah became so depre

Matthew 26:11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. When Jesus was teaching on the beatitudes(utmost bliss and happiness) he started with Matthew 5:2-3 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor in this passage was referring to humility, willingness to submit, not holding on to one self . . . Literally being poor is a condition of "not having", it is deficiency. One can be poor of material things like money, possessions or wealth. And one thing is certain we will always have people in that situation. Matthew 26:11 "For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. Knowing that there would be people in need at all times should make us responsible with what we have, we have a duty to ensure that we do not waste whatever it is we have, knowing that someone may be in need it of it. You may say you are not poor, but at a point in time

Philippians 2:3-4 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Relationships are generally a two way communication. From one end to the other. Effective communication is achieved when the communication flows through and from both ends. The love should be from both, not one taking advantage of the other. Selah The bible says: Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. It goes wrong when only one end is doing the work. When only a party is keeping the relationship alive, it wears down that soul and as times goes on the relationship crumbles. Amos 3:3 can two walk together, unless they are agreed? The same applies in every form of relationship * man and wife * parents and children * employer and employee * leader and follower * teacher and student * boss and subordinate * friendships  etc Relationships could

Psalms 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works Which You have done; And Your thoughts which are toward us Cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. Why, what am I to be excited about? We are excited because of what the Lord did for us, yes, for you! We know that the one thing that separated man from God was "sin". Genesis 2:17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Isaiah 59:1-2 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.  Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. But . . . there is a change, we have been set free . . . Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to prea

A haven is a place of safety; a refuge or sanctuary. Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." We live in the world where there are temptations and trials, where things do not happen exactly as we wish it to be. It is a physical world yet controlled by spiritual occurrences and powers. To make it in this world you cannot depend on your physical senses, feelings, emotions or strength alone. You must reach out into your spirit. No wonder many seek divers sorcerers and spiritualist to assist them. But you who has seen the light knows that . . . Acts 4:12 "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Matthew 28:18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. When you are in Christ every power and

Romans 2:16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. It is necessary to understand that "all" will face judgement . . . those who live right though, who stay with love and obey God having no pact or agreement with the enemy will escape judgement. 1John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. I categorize present day prophets/teachers/pastors etc into the following groups: 1. ONE Those who were never called by God but desire to "be" for their own personal gain or ego. Philippians 3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame--who set their mind on earthly things. Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. Romans 16:18  For those who are such do not serve our Lord J

Luke 10:21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. Whether trying to explain * why He does or does not exist * how we are to follow Him * who He sent or did not send * why He allows or do not allow evil * if there is a hell or a heaven * whether He has a Son or not * if angels have wings or not * how He created Heaven and Earth * good or evil * what happens after we die It circles around God. It may seem indeed strange why anyone would not believe in God. Really, instead give glory to God that you are privileged to believe. It may also seem strange not to believe in His salvation plan. How can God have a Son, how can He allow His Son to die? Indeed for mere man. Really, instead give glory to God that you are privileged to believe. For in doubt many may still dwell, in arguments man

John 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Man fell because of the seed of sin and therefore could not have fellowship with God as he ought to. We therefore had a sentence of death. Genesis 2:17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." So through one man all became sinners Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, And therefore through one man all returns to God in righteousness Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Our