Financial Autonomy in Ministry Through the Bread of Life

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God is With You

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

What makes a Church a Church is the Presence of God in the Church. It is not the physical size of the structure in which the people gather to worship. It is also not the economic power or social status of the people. It is not the large number of people. Rather it is the Presence of God in the Church and in the personal lives of the people. It is also the personal relationships the people have with God that dovetail into the indwelling Presence of God in the people. This is what makes a Church the Church of God. It is not the finesse of the pastor, leadership or the finery in terms of dress, furniture, etc. It is the wholesome, awesome, sanctifying Presence of God in the midst of the people or in the building that makes the place a Church.

In like manner, what makes an individual strong, a family or nation strong is the Presence of God in that individual, family or nation.

The Biblical Samson remained strong and unbeaten as long as God was with him. But the moment he got careless and made known the source of his strength, the Presence of God in his life through his Nazrite hair, he lost his super human strength and became a slave to the Philistines. His strength however returned when he repented and his hair grew afresh.

Severally, the nation of Israel was defeated by nations who they ordinarily overran. This was because the nation of Israel sinned against God and lost the critical and very important Presence of God in their personal and national lives. A case in point was the defeat they suffered from Ai, a small nation they could have defeated easily. Please read Joshua Chapter 7. But the moment there was national repentance, the Presence of God came on strong and they not only defeated Ai but went on to defeat several nations to possess the land of Canaan.

The Prayer of Release

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The prayer of release is usually more of warfare, warfare in the sense that you are saying NO to the enemy who is withholding your God given blessings and resources from you. Quite  significant is the fact that you are not in direct conflict with the enemy but that through fervent intercession, plea for mercy, acknowledgment of sins and cries for forgiveness of sins and cleansing so that the will of God is done in your life, the establishment and manifestation of His will in all goodness for your life, you tarry, spend quality time in God’s Presence for the release of  God’s divine blessings.

Circumstances contrary to the word of God, the plans and purposes of God, the will of God can also precipitate the prayer of release as recorded in Acts Chapter 12 where constant prayer was offered to God for the release of Peter from death row. Peter was already condemned to death by Herod and would be killed at any point in time. But the Church did not give up praying because they trusted God to intervene and deliver Peter. God responded to their faith and set Peter free the night before he was to be killed by Herod. As evidenced by the constant prayer made by the Church for Peter, it is clear that the prayer of release is not always a one off activity until the desired result is gotten as in the case of Elijah’s prayer for rain. It is constant prayer; pray without ceasing as stated in the Bible in 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 5 verse 17. It is akin to the prayer God requested of the intercessors He placed in Jerusalem.

The prayer of release is also the divine assignment for the person who pronounces a prophecy as well as the person who receives the prophecy. The prayer of release is what happens between the prophecy and the manifestation of the prophecy. It is diligent work.

The prayer of release is usually preceded by a word from God, a prophecy, a promise, a desire for the manifestation of the word of God in the life of a person, family, Church, community or nation. The word of God had come forth that there would be rain after a period of drought and  because Elijah knew that God Who does not lie, Who does not make empty promises had spoken, Elijah called down the rain in fervent, unceasing prayers to God after he had repaired the altar of God in Israel. Elijah prayed until there was a cloud in the skies. He did not stop praying until there was a manifestation. But for the mercy and grace of God, he would have been drenched in the rain. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 18 for details and Holy Spirit inspired understanding.

The Place of Fiscal Discipline and Fiscal Integrity in the Healing of the Nations 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The Biblical Nehemiah who served as governor in Jerusalem did not even collect his allowances and perks as governor. Rather, he supported the people of God and Jerusalem with his personal resources. He realized that state resources were small; the people were greatly impoverished having been in captivity for a while. So he did not even bother the people with extra taxes as some leaders do to raise income for their states and nations. Unfortunately, such monies are sometimes embezzled by corrupt officials thereby further impoverishing the state and the people. Beloved, Nehemiah is a good, godly and classic example of incorruptible leadership whose fiscal discipline and integrity contributed to the development of the people of Judah as well as the rehabilitation of Jerusalem.

Samuel was a great prophet in Israel feared and respected by all. On account of the power and authority conferred on him by God, he could have enriched himself at the expense of the people. Yet, he was content with whatever God blessed him with and at a point challenged the Israelites to speak up as to whether he collected anything from anyone. No one dared speak for Samuel had never received anything from anyone to enrich himself.

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons [are] with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I [am]: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received [any] bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The LORD [is] witness against you, and his anointed [is] witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, [He is] witness. 1^st Samuel Chapter 12 verses 1 to 5.

The Place of Fiscal Discipline and Fiscal Integrity in the Healing of the Nations

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor. But the former governors that [had been] before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God. Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants [were] gathered thither unto the work. Moreover [there were] at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that [are] about us. Now [that] which was prepared [for me] daily [was] one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people. Think upon me, my God, for good, [according] to all that I have done for this people. Nehemiah Chapter 5 verses 14 to 19.

A nation, community and Church finances belong to God and should therefore be divinely deployed. They should be deployed for divine as well as national, community purposes that glorify God and increase the kingdom of God. Some people in the Bible disdained the holy offerings of God by partaking of what did not belong to them but to God. They were irreverent, had no respect for God and dared to consume holy offerings. Their actions were sacrilegious and led to judgment, in point of fact untimely death and generational judgment from God. Please read 1^st Samuel Chapter 2 verses 27 to 30, 8 verses 1 to 4, Joshua Chapter 6 verses 17 to 18, 7 verse 1, 20 to 21, Malachi Chapter 3 verses 7 to 12 for greater insight.

The finances of nations and communities are also divinely designed to benefit the nationals of the nations and communities. They are not meant to be squandered in riotous living or stolen by the leaders of the people. It is a sin to deploy national or community resources for personal benefits of aggrandizement. Achan attempted to secretly steal what was divinely ordained for God and the nation of Israel. He became a stumbling block to the nation and unfortunately died young as the penalty for his transgression was death. Pathetically, he did not die alone.

Peter’s Vision

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Acts Chapter 10 verse 28.

Peter’s vision is instructive of how rigidity to certain belief systems can limit a person’s scope in about every area of life. As far as Peter was concerned, he had no business with unclean meat. But God had other plans for Peter, greater than his finite understanding of unclean meat and how unclean meat can be cleansed by God, and the ever cleansing and sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ.

Peter’s vision helped to expand Peter’s horizon of ministry which was hitherto exclusive and limited to a certain race. Peter did not realize that ministry for him as well as the other apostles was for all of humanity. But for the timely vision, Peter would not have accompanied the people Cornelius sent to him to meet with Cornelius and his household. The visit to Cornelius coupled with the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and members of his household stretched the scope of ministry for Peter. Additionally, Peter dropped his exclusionary practices to allow for inclusion of all people into the kingdom of God.

There are lessons worth learning from Peter’s vision. God’s love and salvation is for everybody irrespective of race and socio-economic backgrounds. It is not for specific families, communities, ethnic groups, race or nations. Therefore, stretch your borders beyond where you are now – extend the borders to accommodate God’s inclusion of other ethnic nationalities; expansion beyond your immediate environs and understanding. Discard orientation, belief systems and relationships which limit, resist inclusion and inclusionary practices which will bring about the expansion God is bringing your way.

The Power of His Name 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Emmanuel God With Us

The power of His name is reflected in His names and the connotations of His name. one of such names is Emmanuel which means God with Us.

God indwells His children through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the gift of God that is given to those who obey God. Please read Acts Chapter 5 verse 32. It is no use asking for the infilling of the Holy Spirit if a person has no intention of obeying the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 46 verses 7, 11, Matthew Chapter 1 verse 23, Isaiah Chapters 7 verse 14 and 8 verses 9 to 10.

The Presence of God ensures and guarantees safety, security and deliverance from any of the attacks and projections of the enemy in any form. But for the Presence of God that was with the nation of Israel, Moab deploying the services of a spiritualist named Balaam would have succeeded in cursing Israel and bringing harm to Israel while on their way to the Promised Land. But God stayed both Balaam and Moab from carrying out their designs on Israel. Please read Numbers Chapter 23 verses 19 to 24.

Leadership is Service

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Jesus Christ spent three and a half years in ministry. It is interesting to note that apart from preaching, teaching the word of God, working miracles and bringing salvation to the world and eventually dying for the redemption of humanity, Jesus also raised leaders for the early Church. These were the people who succeeded Jesus in building the early Church. Severally and privately, outside of public glare, Jesus taught them great leadership principles. He made them understand that the primary responsibility of a leader is service. Please see Matthew Chapter 20 verses 20 to 28. The Apostles definitely internalized this principle as they also served the Church of God through prayer and the ministry of the word. Please see Acts Chapter 6 verses 1 to 7. They devoted themselves to this aspect of service; raised other leaders for administrative purposes. Quite significant is the fact that some of these leaders also served God and the early Church through prayer and the ministry of the word. No ministry gift or position supersedes the other therefore no one should lord it over other people in the name of special ministry gift or position by intimidating people with threats of curses, God not blessing them if they do not worship him and members of his family so to speak.

Jesus Christ showed the Church the perfect example of leadership. He served, preaching and teaching people, healing people, raising the dead and performing miracles. Jesus did not literally harass people to follow Him or worship Him. Worship belongs to God and not humans; therefore when fellow humans demand worship from other humans who work or partner with them; then there is a problem because a contrary spirit is at work. This is because a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit and is genuinely working with the Holy Spirit will always seek to serve and not to be served. Please see Luke Chapter 22 verses 24 to 27. Beloved, leadership is service.

A leader should therefore be tolerant, accommodating, focused, selfless, forgiving, and intuitive and be humble enough to accept corrections and rebuke. A leader should have a compelling vision of where s/he is headed otherwise; s/he is driven by personal desires and passions that have nothing to do with the global public good.

The Creative Power in the Word of God 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The word of God has the capacity to burn out anything that is not of God as well as the capacity to break rocks in pieces. Please see Jeremiah Chapter 23 verse 29. This is because the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword and can pierce through soul and spirit, joint and marrow, discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart. That explains why sinners break down in tears, become convicted of sins and repent of their sins. It is also why believers are daily cleansed by the word of God as they renew their minds on the word of God (Romans Chapter 12 verses 1 and 2, John Chapter 15 verse 3.

Additionally, the word of God cleanses to bring about spiritual cleansing, healing and transformation. Please see Psalm 119 verse 9, Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 26, and John Chapter 15 verse 3.

The word of God has power because Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh (John Chapter 1 verses 1 to 9, Revelation Chapter 19 verses 13 to 16 and 1^st Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 24). Therefore, pray that the word of God will daily unfold in the hearts of people and bring light and give understanding to the simple in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Please read Psalm 119 verse 130.

The Creative Power in the Word of God

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

There is power in the word of God, the power to create out of nothing (Romans Chapter 4 verses 17 to 25, Genesis Chapter 1). Examples include the creation story where God created the universe out of a formless empty space covered by darkness. God created life and beauty by His Spirit through the spoken word, and God said, let there… and there was.

The word of God also has the capacity to give life to what appears dead and to make impossibilities possibilities. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied the word of God as directed by the Spirit of God and the very dry bones, long dead and forgotten in the valley of dry bones came alive as a powerful army of God. As Ezekiel prophesied, the spoken word of God that does not return to God void accomplished divine purpose by restructuring the bones and activating lives in them. Please see Ezekiel Chapter 37 verses 1 to 14, Isaiah Chapter 55 verses 8 to 11.

Beloved, God is able to restore life back to whatever appears dead in any area of your life in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Through the power of the spoken word of God, every stagnation and seeming lack of progress in any area of your life will give way to great progressive movements that will birth overflowing abundance in your life in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. This is the day which God made to put a new song of great joy and celebration in your mouth. Celebrate this day with thanksgiving and watch God unleash the floodgates of divine abundance, uncommon favor and awesome deliverance in your life in the mighty name of Jesus. God is always able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ever ask or think of in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

A Glorious 2019

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Dearly beloved:

I appreciate your visits to this blog. Thank you for reading through the posts, supporting the adverts on the blog through clicks on the products and services which appealed to you. I am also grateful to all of you who purchased my books. 

God bless you and reward you with the blessings of heaven above, the blessings of the deep that lies beneath, the blessings of the breasts and of the womb. May God in His infinite mercies and great love for you fill your lives with the hidden riches of secret places, the treasures of darkness and the treasures hidden in the sand. May God open your eyes of understanding to uncover these blessings in your lives so that all the days of your lives, you flourish in God’s overflowing abundance in Jesus mighty name.

I also pray that you enjoy great generational wealth in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

May God also satisfy you with long lives, so that you will see your children’s children as it is written in the Holy Bible in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. May God Who is always good and kind grant you divine health to enjoy these blessings in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

It is written in Isaiah Chapter 54 verse 17 that no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper. That is your portion in 2019 and beyond in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. May God to Whom all power belongs destroy every weapon of the enemy fashioned against you irrespective of what format it is shaped in; in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. May God overrule every tongue that rises against you in judgment in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

The Lord strengthen you, comfort you and expand you on all sides to the glory of His holy name in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Thank You and God Bless You all. Shalom.

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The Power of His Name

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests. Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king!  Answer us when we call! Psalm 20 verses 1 to 7.

The power of the name of Jesus Christ is great, in point of fact so great that the religious leaders of the day forbade the Apostles from ‘speaking to anyone or teaching anyone in the name of Jesus Christ’. Please see Acts Chapter 4 verse 1 to 31, 5 verses 27 to 42.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower where the righteous can actually run into and be safe. This implies that the name of the Lord is a strong and safe fortress, a refuge and a hiding place from trouble and all the evil darts of the enemy. Please see Proverbs Chapter 18 verse 10 and Psalm 31 verses 1 to 3.

The power of the name of Jesus Christ is great because God gave Him the name which is above every other name so that at the mention of the name of Jesus, every knee bows; whether they are knees in heaven, on earth and those under the earth.

Secondly, every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father.

The name of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit bring healing, deliverance and miracles. Please see Acts Chapter 3 verses 6, 16; Mark Chapter 16 verses 16 to 20. David came up against Goliath in the name of the Lord and loud mouthed Goliath was destroyed alongside the fear he spouted which immobilized the army of God. Please see 1^st Samuel Chapter 17 verses 32 to 54.

The name of the Lord brings salvation. Please see Acts Chapter 4 verse 12, Luke Chapter 24 verses 46 to 47.

Pray Without Ceasing

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Prayer is a command from God to believers. Please see Luke Chapter 18 verses 1 to 8, 2 verses 36 to 38 and 1^st Thessalonians Chapter 5 verse 18, and Ephesians Chapter 6 verse 18. It is also a platform for making our requests to God.

The content of prayers is very important to God. I am sure that explains why Jesus Christ gave the Church a prayer template in Matthew Chapter 6 verses 5 to 15, Luke Chapter 11 verses 1 to 4 so that believers are not misguided when praying especially so when they are praying against people who hurt them, offended them and made them angry. Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus say that believers should pray against their enemies; asking them to die, be destroyed, or their properties destroyed. Also, the prayer template does not give room for self righteousness as in the case of the two men – the Pharisee and the tax collector who Jesus Christ described in Luke Chapter 18 verses 9 to 14. Jesus Christ commended the tax collector who humbly asked God for mercy.

Why Pray

God answers prayer. The Bible is replete with instances of the people of God praying to God and God in turn responding positively to their prayers. Additionally, God said so in His word. Please see Matthew Chapter 7 verse 7, Luke Chapter 18 verses 1 to 8, and Jeremiah Chapter 33 verse 3. The early Church prayed without ceasing in spite of the fact that the Apostle Peter was already on death row. God intervened and Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel of God. Please read Acts Chapter 12 for details. Prophet Elijah prayed for the son of the widow of Zarephath and the young man came back to life. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 17 verses 17 to 24. He also prayed for rain after a long period of drought in Israel. God honored his prayer and there was a heavy downpour. Please read 1^st Kings Chapter 18. The prophet Elisha prayed and the dead son of the woman of Shunem was brought back to life. Please read 2^nd Kings Chapter 4 verses 15 to 37.