Third Heaven Discourse

A Lesson from the Genealogy of Jesus Matthew's account (Matthew 1:1-17) of the ancestry of Jesus shows that 5 women obtained notable mention. From the account, it is clear that of the 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus, 42 men/fathers were rightly named. However, only 5 women/mothers were found worthy of being named. Technically, only 4 were mentioned, while the last one was described as "her who had been the wife of Uriah" (and you could tell who she was). It is interesting that these 5 women were not exactly the most awesome or perfect women in the Bible . In one way or the other, they had issues but it didn't stop them from being part of the ancestry of the Messiah nor being notably mentioned. The women were Tamar - Judah's daughter-in-law who played a prostitute so she could bear children through Judah; Rahab - the prostitute who hid the 2 Israelite spies sent to Jericho; Ruth the moabite; Bathsheba who committed adultery with King David; and ...

Look to Jesus for life, peace and advancement .  Recall in Num 21:8 that, only those who looked to the serpent lived. Those that were bitten prior to the serpent being made died and those who for one reason or the other refused to look to the serpent also died. This clearly establishes that, only those who look to Jesus lives! Jesus is the life (John 14:6, 11:25), look to Him for life. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). If you have Him, you have life for " he who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. " (1 John 5:12).  Furthermore, the Israelites were stuck where they were and were dying UNTIL Moses made the serpent. Those that looked to the serpent lived and eventually " moved on" (Num 21:10). To "move on" means to make progress, to advance. Invariably, only those who look to Jesus "move on" . Moreover, when Peter was looking on Jesus, he could walk on ...

Matt. 14:28-31a (NKJV) And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is  You, command me to come to You on the water.”  So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come  down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go  to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink  he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand  and caught him... The story of Peter walking on water is another beautiful demonstration of the importance of looking unto Jesus. Peter was walking comfortably on water to Jesus because his gaze was on Jesus. Unfortunately, he didn't know that was the secret. He had to learn the hard way that looking unto Jesus is the ONLY way to keep afloat and survive the boisterous storms of life . I mean, it would have been a BIG scare for him that day to be drowning, but I am convinced without a skerrick of doubt that he got the message; it was crystal to him ...

Num 21:8 (NKJV) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live A familiar and recurring theme of the Israelite's long and arduous journey to the promised land was their murmuring about, well, just about everything. Whenever they had a little challenge, they murmured. It was like the norm. On one of the numerous occasions where they resulted to this annoyingly unbearable act (just imagine over a million people murmuring, poor Moses), God sent serpents to bite them and many died. Eventually they realized their mistake, as they always did, and asked Moses to pray for them and Moses obliged them, as he always did. Many times in the past (even in Egypt), when God sent a plague, after Moses prayed, we saw that God removed the plague. Surprisingly, this time, God didn't remove the plague. Instead, He did something better. He told them to change ...

Matt 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.   Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.   Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. In the scripture above, Jesus revealed our duty to the world as LIGHTS . Jesus was speaking to His disciples and He is saying to you now  "You are the light of the world". Light represents good, knowledge. It is used numerous times in the bible in contrast with darkness which symbolizes evil, ignorance. Now the world is full of darkness (Isa 60:2) and lack of knowledge. Our duty then is to light it up with knowledge and good . Furthermore, the positioning of a light is a necessary factor for the intensity of its shining. Jesus said that a city "set on a hill cannot be hid" and a lamp "placed on a lampstand" gives "...

Image by Grace Pointe Church on their blog {link to http://mygracepointe.com/archive/you-are-the-salt-of-the-earth/} Matt 5:13 (NKJV) You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Jesus identifies our role and responsibility to the earth as SALTS . We are the salt of the earth. Intrinsically, salt is a sweetener. It is added to give sweetness. In addition, salt is a preservative. It is used to preserve and prevent spoilage. Therefore, we are the sweetness and preservative of the earth. Now , the earth lacks sweetness of its own . It is also subject to decay and spoilage, that's why our role in the earth is invaluable; we are on earth to act as sweeteners and preservatives. Whatever environment we find ourselves represent "the earth" to us. We are meant to give sweetness to that environment as well as being a preservative and preven...

Col 2:15  [God] disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it [the cross].  (AMPC) God defeated the spiritual rulers and powers. With the cross God won the victory and defeated them. He showed the world that they were powerless . (ICB) The crucifixion, death and resurrection of JESUS was an epic demonstration of the supremacy of Jesus over the devil. It was total victory every point of the way over the works of darkness. The victory was brutal and flawless . It was definitely a lesson in defeating your enemy. The devil fought tooth and nail but he was doomed to fail from the off. Everything he tried to end Jesus failed spectacularly . They flogged Him mercilessly, but were totally oblivious to the fact that by His stripes, we'll be healed! (Isa 53:5) They hung Him on a tree, not knowing that by that He'll redeem us from the curse of the la...

Matt 1:23 (KJV) Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. When Jesus was born, a new dimension of God was revealed: Emmanuel, God is with us ! Jesus' birth brought God down from heaven to literally live with men. Even when Jesus went back to heaven, because " Emmanuel"  had already been manifested by His birth, the Holy Spirit had to come to be with us.  Friends, I am so excited about the fact that God is with me and He is with you too! He even said it Himself, in case we needed convincing that " I am with you ALWAYS " (Matt 28:20). Make no mistake about it, the Lord is with you all the time! He was with you yesterday. He is with you right now. He will be with you tomorrow. He will never leave. In order for Him to clear every doubt we might have at any point in our lives, He said Himself " I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you " (Heb ...

Image by James Poitras on his blog {Link to https://jamespoitras.com/2013/10/15/god-gives/} John 14:27 (NKJV) 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 . The scripture above reveals that  we have the peace of Jesus  because He gave it to us. Furthermore, the statement ".... not as the world gives do I give to you" reveals how He has given us His peace. Beyond that, the bolded statement exposes God's pattern of giving to us generally -  He gives to us not as the world gives . To help us appreciate this, we need to firstly understand how the world gives. It is important to note that " the world" represents a system that is contrary to what God instituted in the beginning. The world was created when Adam sinned. John 1:10 tells us the world does not know God. So when we think about the world, we think about man with his flaws, weaknesses and his ...

Image by Jeff on his blog {link to https://bickleyhouse.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/the-peace-of-christ/} John 14:27 (NKJV) Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. When Jesus was about to return to heaven, He had to assure His disciples of their inheritance and part of that was Peace . From the scripture above, we see that Jesus left  His disciples with peace. In case you are not sure whose peace or the kind of peace He left with them, Jesus went on to say " My peace I give to you". This tells us that the peace Jesus left with us or gave to us was His peace . The same peace He had and operated with here on earth. The peace by which He could sleep in the midst of a raging storm; the peace by which He calmed the storm; the peace by which He fed over 5,000 starving and expectant people; the peace that passes all understanding!  the very peace of God!  This is the peace He gave to us. Glory to Go...

Available at appreciatinglife-blog {Link to http://appreciatinglife-blog.tumblr.com/post/10162251019} Eph 2:8 (NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. You would have heard for the umpteen time that salvation is a package that includes prosperity, healing, deliverance, success, advancement, promotion, fruitfulness, productivity , you just name it; all the wonderful things you can think of, they are all wrapped up in salvation.  Our scriptural reference, tells us that by Grace we have been saved . In other words, you receive the aforementioned wonderful gifts from God by Grace . It's the grace of God that brings salvation (Titus 2:11). You are not saved by your hard work, but by Grace alone, else Grace is no longer Grace (Rom 11:6). Never you think you have everything you do because you worked for it. Your salvation is a product of Grace, hence everything you have is by Grace . You didn't earn it; i...

Image by George W Black on his blog {link to https://www.georgewblack.com/2015/01/} Acts 3:2-8 (NKJV) And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.... Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”.... and  immediately his feet and ankle bones received  strength. So he,  leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple  with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. Our reference tells the story of a man, lame from birth, who thought that the best thing he could get from anybody that came his way was alms (money); so, that was what he continually asked for. Now, he was positioned at the gate of the temple on a daily basis! One would have thought that his ...

  Image by New Birth MBC {link to http://www.newbirth.org/spend-time-alone-with-jesus/} Acts 4:13 - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (NKJV) Acts 3 gives an account of the miracle that occurred at the beautiful gate; how the man lame from birth was healed by Peter and John. The miracle and the message that followed was ' disturbing ' that they were arrested by the Sadducees and charged for 'suspicious activity' . Later on, they were summoned before the rulers and elders of the people (members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court) to reveal the source of their power. Peter and John answered them with such boldness and panache that they were stunned. I mean, their speech was a lesson in oration. This was the same Peter that denied Jesus 3 times when interrogated by a teenager! The same Peter or maybe not. He was a total...

Image by Fahran Majeed on his blog {Link to http://quotesabouttrustissues.blogspot.com.ng/2014/02/quotes-on-trusting-god-quotes-about.html} Rom 8:28 (NLT) And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them . The scripture above captures a beautiful thought. God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose (that is you, if you are saved). The word "causes" is synonymous with make , compel , motivate , etc. God compels all things to work for our good. He controls all things and situations and hence He makes them to ultimately work out for our good. "All things" tells me that the things He makes work for my good are all encompassing, no exceptions . Yes, God makes our successes, victories, health, etc work out for our good; in addition and more importantly, He makes our sorrows, disappointments, ...

Image by Shekhar Kallianpur {Link to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrPAQhyQi_I} Rom 10:10b (NKJV) ....and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Scriptures has already established that there is power in the tongue (Pro 18:21). Everything were created with words and responds to words. Our reference tells us that with the mouth, confession is made that results to salvation. Remember, salvation is a package that entails prosperity, health, success, fruitfulness, peace, joy, fulfillment, advancement, etc. So, with your mouth, you confess and speak forth your prosperity, healing, success, fruitfulness, peace, joy, etc. It's OK for someone, maybe your Pastor, to declare your prosperity, healing, success, etc but it's far more important for you to use your own mouth to declare and confess it . Remember, you MUST confess Jesus with your own mouth to get saved.  It appears many of us are under utilizing or worse still misusing our mouths. The functionality ...

Image by Seth Polk on his blog {Link to https://sethpolk.com/god-has-spoken-title/} Psa 62:11 (NKJV) God has spoken once.... Indeed God has spoken once to us in these last days and He did so through His Son Jesus (Heb 1:2). What God has spoken through Jesus are captured in the Bible . If you want to hear what God has said, listen to Jesus and nobody else! Not Moses, not Elijah, not even your Pastor except He is repeating what Jesus has said. Jesus alone and through nobody else can we hear God. He is the way to the Father.  God is not going to speak again as it were. He is not going to speak again through another means or through somebody else. He has already done so once when He sent His Son; for Jesus is the Word of God (John 1). Consequently, the Bible is never going to be reviewed, revised or rewritten "to reflect recent realities" . The Bible is more real than any reality. There isn't going to be a Second Edition as it were. God has spoken once. The...

Image by Everyday Confession on their blog {Link to https://everydayconfession.wordpress.com/tag/hebrews-122/} Philippians 1:6 (NIV) being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. God is the author and finisher; He is the Alpha and the Omega; the Beginning and the Ending. He is a starter and even more importantly, a finisher. He always completes or finishes what He begins. There's no abandoned business with God. He is always doing and He completes them. The phrase "being confident" is present continuous and it means to be confident and to remain confident. Paul expects us to have an enduring confidence in the fact that God who began a good work in us will complete it. At no point in our lives should we entertain doubt about this .  Despite what you see around you, be confident that God will complete what He started. It may appear that some projects are lingering unnecessaril...

Image by Mike Myatt on his blog {Link to http://hub.n2growth.com/humility-and-leadership/} Matt 8:1 (NKJV) When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him 'Coming down from a mountain' speaks of humility . When you come down to people's level and relate with them, they will follow you and adore you as their leader. The majority of people ("A great multitude") are not on a mountain. They are on the ground. These people won't follow you up a mountain. Not everyone is willing to 'Go up a mountain'. In short, only few will. 'Going up a mountain' speaks of personal development. Only leaders  are willing to do what it takes to 'go up a mountain' because it requires discipline, dedication, resilience, etc. Leaders possess these attributes in spades. But after getting up to the mountain, don't relate with people from up there because they won't follow you and be with you up there. When you 'come do...

Image by Sizzle on {link to https://onsizzle.com/i/your-sins-have-been-jesus-paid-the-price-5080048} Gal 3:13-14 (GW)   Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that the laws in Moses’ Teachings bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, “Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.”  Christ paid the price so that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to all the people of the world through Jesus Christ and we would receive the promised Spirit through faith. The price has been paid! The price for our redemption, salvation and freedom has been paid by Jesus. The payment needed for our propitiation has been made by Him. He took our place of punishment on the cross and He died in our place. By His crucifixion, death and resurrection, we have been redeemed. With His precious blood that was shared, we have been made totally free from sicknesses, diseases, lack, sorrows, pain, failure. He has paid it all in full! He has paid for us to ha...

Image at Pinterest {Link to https://www.pinterest.com/pin/741264419887269379/} Heb 8:12 (TLB) And I will be merciful to them in their wrongdoings, and I will remember their sins no more.” God loves you so very much. He knows there are days you will make mistakes. He knows there are days you will be weak and cut off guard. Sometimes, unconsciously you make mistakes. Other times, you are like the great Apostle Paul who sometimes did the things He didn't want to do (Rom 7:15-20). God knows there will be such days; days when unfortunately, you will sin and do wrong. But you know what, He has made provision of mercy for you for those days. He has released mercy in advance for you. The phrase " will be " in the scripture above is futuristic. God Himself said that in those days when you will sin, He will be merciful . Not only that, He also said He will remember your sins no more . Contrary to what many believe, God is not making a note of all your sins . No! The...

  Image by Keith Thomas on his blog {link to https://groupbiblestudy.com/do-whatever-he-tells-you-3/} John 2:5 (AMP) His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” God is too busy saying what He doesn't mean and will not do. His Word is God (John 1:1) and He honours His Words even more than His name (Psa 138:2). So, WHATEVER He tells you to do, take it SERIOUSLY and DO IT . The blessing, the miracle is in the doing (Jam 1:25) .     Mary, the mother of Jesus, understood this truth very well hence she told the servants at the wedding in Cana of Galilee to do whatever Jesus told them to do. It was necessary for her to say this to them because she knew there was a possibility of Jesus telling them to do something 'ridiculous' and 'unreasonable' from a human perspective. But you know what, God's ways are not man's ways. His ways are much more higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9). His wisdom is incomparable to ours. He chooses the fooli...

  Image by QuotesGram team on their blog {link to http://quotesgram.com/quotes-about-jesus-as-savior/}   John 4:3-4 (AMP) He left Judea and returned again to Galilee. Now He had to go through Samaria. Etymologically, Judea means "a  place of praise" or "a praised place"; Galilee means "a place of darkness" or "a region of death". In the Scripture above, we see that Jesus left a place of praise, a place of happiness and satisfaction, a place where people where praising God, praising Him, a place where He was accepted and reverenced; and He went to a place of death, sorrow, defeat, shame, disappointments, darkness, failure,  a place which was the antithesis of where He left . The question is why would He do that? The simple answer is this: He went there to save the people in Galilee.  Saving people is Jesus' job description . He specializes in saving people. He derives pleasure in doing it.  The scripture says He  returned again...

Image by Bible Life Family Ministries on their blog {Link to http://www.biblelifemk.com/pages/store.html} Rev 5:10 (NKJV) And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” And so, I declare; I am a king! I am a priest! Christ has made me a king and a priest to God my Father. I have utmost power and authority. I exercise such as a king and priest that I am. I am a ruler! I am reigning! I reign over sicknesses, diseases, poverty, sorrow, lack, pain, disappointments, limitations. I receive the abundance of grace to reign in life. I so declare in Jesus' name, Amen!

  Image by Pinterest available at {Link to https://www.pinterest.com/pin/466615211361957456/} Rom 5:17 For if by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (Adam), much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in [eternal] life through the One, Jesus Christ. Through the sin of Adam, death was ushered into the world. Not just death, but its attendant ills: sicknesses, diseases, struggles, lack, sorrows, pain, etc. Ab initio, they were nonexistent, but through Adam, they became the lot of all . We all were made sinners with the wages of death because of Adam's disobedience. So also, the free gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace has been given to all through the obedience of Jesus (Rom 5:19). Now, for those who receive this free gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace, they will  reign in life. We've been empowered by the grace and righteousness of Jesus to reign ov...

Image by Apostle John Benefiel {Link to http://www.cotr.tv/jc-gods-free-gift} Gal 2:21 (KJV) I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain . Righteousness is a gift from God. It doesn't come from observing the law. If it did, it wouldn't be a gift, it would be a reward because we earned it. It is impossible for us to earn the righteousness of God from the works of the law because even in our best days, we still don't measure up to God's standards. Our own righteousness is like filth before God (Isa 64:6).  Friends, if you attempt to earn righteousness by your good works, by observing the law, you would be frustrating the Grace of God. You would be saying "Jesus didn't do it right. Let me do it myself". You could try for eternity, you still couldn't earn and deserve the righteousness of God because Righteousness doesn't come from the law. If it did, Jesus - the beloved and on...

  Image by Joyce Sparks on her blog {Link to http://undergroundjoyride.com/new-post-be-careful-with-what-you-ask-for/ask-and-you-shall-receive/} Rom 8:32 (AMP) He who did not spare [even] His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? If God could give up Jesus for our propitiation, how will He not give unto us all things we ask? God graciously and willingly  gave Jesus to die in our place. That's the hardest thing He will ever have to do for all eternity. Yet, He did it graciously. We didn't deserve it, yet He did it anyway because He so loved us. If He did this, what will He not do for us? I mean Jesus is the most valuable  gift He could ever give. There's nothing you are going to ask Him greater than what He has already given to us in the crucifixion of Jesus. Every thing is nothing compared to Jesus. If He could give the most valuable, how will He not give lesser gifts? Withholding anyt...

  Image by Quotes Ideas {Link to http://quotesideas.com/redeemed-and-forgiven-quote/} As a consequence of the sacrifice of Jesus, I am forgiven! I am redeemed! I am free! I am saved! I am righteous! am liberated! I am blessed! I am prosperous! I am healthy! I am wealthy! I am excellent! I am talented! I am fruitful! I am productive! I am successful! I am the best! I am above only, never below! I lend to nations, I do not borrow! I am getting better everyday and making progress in every endeavour! God Himself is at work in me! I have the favour of God! All things are working for my good!  I so declare in Jesus' victorious name, Amen!!

Image at Pinterest {Link to https://ru.pinterest.com/pin/465418942712930069/}   Gal 2:20 (AMP) I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. When Jesus was crucified, we were in Him being crucified too. As a result, we died with Him too. When He arose from the grave, we did too. But, the beauty of it is that, we didn't resurrect with our own life, but with His! We received His very life on His resurrection. Glory to God! So, the life we now live is not ours, it's Christ. We now have the life of God in us ; the life of power, victory, prosperity, health, success, excellence, joy, peace, faith, miracles, abundance. Christ is in us, empowering us to live the life of God. Glory to Jesus!

  Image by Vicki Marpo at Pinterest {Link to https://www.pinterest.com/vickimarpo/by-his-stripes-i-am-healed-me/} I am healed! My health has been purchased. By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed! My total and complete healing has been paid for. Every area of my life is healed! Everything about me is healed! I am healed in my spirit, soul, body, mind, finances, career, family, academics, ministry. Beyond healing, I am healthy. Christ has given me perfect health. I will never experience sickness ever again. My sicknesses have been taken away. Divine health has been given to me. I so declare in the mighty name of Jesus' Amen!! Glory to God!!!