Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
In the last two months we have been considering the benefits of walking with God. So far we have looked at God’s Divine Faithfulness, and His Divine Healing. During the course of this month, we will be looking at the various facets of God’s Divine Righteousness, starting today with His consistent faithfulness.

CASE STUDY JOSEPH (Genesis Chapters 37–50)
Today’s text in Gen. 37:1-18 is simply the starting point of the story of Joseph. The entire account spans several chapters up to Chapter 41 when he was made prime minister of Egypt. The story of Joseph is a testament to God’s righteousness and faithfulness. Despite the numerous injustices and hardships he faced, God’s righteousness was evident in the end and His promises fulfilled. (Genesis 37:5-11 and Genesis 41:41-44). God demonstrated that He is faithful to His covenant, working through human actions—both good and evil—to achieve His righteous purposes.

Today’s study will be divided into five sections – (1) God’s righteousness, (2) How God’s righteousness can be obtained, (3) Maintaining Righteousness, (4) The benefits we derive from His righteousness. Finally, we will consider the important connection that exists between, God’s righteousness and His faithfulness.

1. GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.
God's divine righteousness is multifaceted, reflecting His just nature, the righteous standards of His law, and the way He imparts righteousness to believers through faith. This righteousness governs His judgments, informs His law, is essential in His plan of salvation, and will be fully realized in His eternal kingdom.

(a) God is Righteous by Nature. The Bible, in Psalm 11:7 says: "For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face." (See Psalm 145:17 and Isaiah 45:21)

(b) God is Righteous in Judgment. He is impartial and judges according to His perfect standards.
Deuteronomy 32:4 says: "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." See (Psalm 9:8 and Romans 2:5)

2. OBTAINING GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.
(a) Righteousness by Obedience. God's Words reflects His righteous standards and obedience to His Word counts as righteousness on our accounts. Deuteronomy 6:25: "And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us." Having said that, we still cannot declare ourselves righteous. It is only God Himself who can declare us righteous.

(b) Righteousness through Faith. Another way we can receive the righteousness of God is by faith.
Genesis 15:6: "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." Also see Romans 3:22: "The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction." Righteousness before God is not something humans can achieve on their own. Instead, it is imparted to those who have faith in God, particularly faith in Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:9 says: "And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith."

(c) Righteousness through Salvation Righteousness is one of the gifts God bestows on us when we give our lives to Christ. It is by grace that believers are made righteous before God. Romans 5:17 says: "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

3. MAINTAINING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Obedience to God’s Words: Obedience to God's commandments is a fundamental aspect of maintaining righteousness. We see from the account of Joseph that despite the injustices he suffered from his brothers (Genesis 37:12-36), the temptation and pressure to compromise from Potiphar’s wife and the injustice that followed (Genesis 39:7–20), he did not concede to the devil. Daniel also remained faithful to God’s laws, even when it meant facing the lions’ den (Daniel 6:1-28)

The Help of the Holy Spirit: Maintaining righteousness is possible through the power of the Holy Spirit, who helps believers resist sinful desires and live according to God’s will. (Galatians 5:16) “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is described as "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Even in the face of persecution, he maintained his righteousness, forgiving those who stoned him, just as Jesus had done.

4. BENEFITS DERIVED FROM HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
The benefits of God's divine righteousness impacts all aspects of a believer's life. Such as:

(a) Freedom from Sin and Guilt and Eternal Life: God's righteousness justifies believers. Through faith in Christ, we are declared righteous before God. This leads to salvation and eternal life, offering freedom from sin and guilt. (Romans 3:22-24 & 2 Corinthians 5:21)

(b) Peace with God: Being made righteous by God brings peace with Him. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a deep, abiding sense of harmony and reconciliation with God. Romans 5:1: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Isaiah 32:17: "The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever."

(c) Guidance and Protection: God's righteousness guides believers in making right decisions and living in a way that pleases Him. It also protects them from the consequences of sin and the traps of the enemy. Psalm 23:3: "He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His
name's sake." Proverbs 11:6: "The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires."

(d) Spiritual Confidence and Boldness: Righteousness provides believers with confidence and boldness in their relationship with God and in their spiritual lives. They can approach God with assurance, knowing they are accepted and loved. Proverbs 28:1: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." Hebrews 10:19-22: "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus... let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings."

(e) Fellowship with God: God's righteousness allows us to have a close, intimate relationship with Him. Walking in righteousness brings us into deeper fellowship with God and with other believers. 1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." Psalm 24:3-4: "Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god."

(f) Eternity in Heaven: God's righteousness guarantees us eternal life. After being made righteous through Christ, we are also promised eternal life and a reward in heaven. Matthew 25:46: "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." 2 Timothy 4:8: "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

CONCLUSION
Connection Between God's Righteousness And Faithfulness
An interesting and deep relationship exists between God's righteousness and His faithfulness. God's righteousness ensures that He is always just and morally perfect, while His faithfulness reflects His unwavering commitment to His promises and to His people. These two attributes show us that God’s actions are not only right but also reliable and consistent. His righteousness is one of the foundations of His character, (the other being love), so we can trust in His promises and rely on His steadfast love. Lamentations 3:22-23 says: "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
The reason God is faithful is because of His righteousness. Nehemiah 9:8: "You have kept your promise because you are righteous."
His righteousness guarantees that He will always act in accordance with His commitments. Psalm 89:14: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." Deuteronomy 7:9: "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments."

Contributor: Okwudili Prince Isaac

INTRODUCTION:
In the last part of this series, we see that healing could come through the laying on of hands. Today, as we conclude this series on Divine Healing, may any sickness or disease left in our system vanish in Jesus Name, Amen.

Acts 10:38
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”

One of the ways that people physically expressed a spiritual connection that has lasted for centuries is the laying on of hands. It is when a person or people put their hands on another person or group of people as part of a blessing or a prayer.
On the most surface level, a part of the significance of the act of laying on of hands is that it creates human connection. This basic truth is supported by modern science, as studies show that touch increases oxytocin, can facilitate increased well-being, and communication. Jesus used touch to assure the Apostle John when He appeared to Him at Patmos in His full glory,
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last’” (Revelation 1:17). Contact is a part of how some people connect, though not everyone.

• SPECIAL CASES OF SICKNESSES AND DISEASES
All sicknesses and diseases come from the devil. However, there are some special cases, which are because of demonic oppression and bondage. There are signs by which the special instances may be recognised.
1. John 10:10 -……the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy
2. Luke 13:16 – …a daughter of Abraham under Satan’s bondage
3. Luke 11:14 – …demon cast out of a dumb man
4. Matthew 12:22 –…healing of demon-possessed, blind and dumb
5. Matthew 9:17-27 – …dead daughter of a Synagogue leader
6. Job 1:14-17 –…the Sabeans, the Fire, and the Chaldeans

• HOW JESUS DELIVERS
Sadly, Satan is the thief, whose mission of solely to steal, kill and destroy. Joyfully, Jesus Christ is the Restorer. In-fact He came specifically to destroy the works of the devil by His special anointing.
1. Acts10:38 -…Jesus went about…. healing all who were oppressed by the devil
2. John.10:10 - …the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy
3. 1 Jn3:8 -…the Son of God came to destroy the work of darkness
4. Mt.28:18 - ….I have given you all authority in Heaven and on Earth
5. Luke.11:21-22 -… a strong man guards his house…until someone stronger
6. Mt.8:16 - …he cast out evil spirits with a single command
7. Mk.16:17- ..these miraculous signs shall follow… who believe…cast out demons
8. Jam. 4:7.- ..humble yourselves before God, resist the devil and he will flee

• PRECEDENCE
Placing hands on persons in need of healing has a strong biblical precedent as well. Although there had been times when Jesus healed the sick without necessarily laying His hands on them, He certainly laid His hands on many of those He healed. Instance of Jesus laying on His Hands:
1. Mark 6:5 – ……….even in the midst of unbelief, albeit few sick people
2. Mark 8: 22-25 – spitting, laying hands “outside the village”
3. Luke 4:40 – at sunset, villagers brought family members
4. Luke 13:13 – at Sabbath Day healing (Abraham’s daughter) crippled 18 years

• OUR MISSION
Laying on of hands is one of the ordained ways to heal the sick (Mark 16:18) “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”.

And Jesus promised that any believer could do this, including you. You can lay hands on the sick and see them get better. You just have to open yourself up to God and allow Him to heal through you.

• CAVEAT
But when you look carefully at Mark 16:18, you will notice that Jesus promised recovery.
That recovery could be instantaneous, or it could be a process that is prolonged over a period. This lets us know that all healings do not occur instantly; some of them take place over a period. But Jesus’ promise is that if we will follow His example and lay our hands on the sick, God’s power will be released into the body of the afflicted. If we are releasing our faith and believing for healing power to flow from us to the recipient, healing virtue will be deposited into the sick person’s body. Just as medicine slowly works to reverse a medical condition, the power of God that was deposited with the laying on of our hands will begin to attack the work of the devil and progressively bring that sick person back into a state of health and well-being.

Mark 16: 18 (in some Greek texts) could be translated, “…they shall progressively feel themselves getting better and better, until finally they are well and healthy.”

What did Jesus do for these people?
He laid His hands upon them, and He healed them. In such cases, Jesus was giving the perfect example of how believers would later lay their hands on the sick —including the terminally ill — and see them be restored back to health because of their obedience.

CONCLUSION
Jesus promised that any believer could do this! Any believer, including you, can lay hands on the sick and see the sick get better and better until they are finally restored back to health. All that is required for God to use you in this way are three basic criteria:
1. That you have a desire for God to heal through you
2. That you have hands to lay on sick people; and
3. That your faith is released to activate the power of God to heal.

If you can fulfil these three requirements, you’re ready to get into the healing ministry! Healing the sick is part of your responsibility as a believer. You cannot do it alone, but the Holy Spirit is present to impart His power when you act in Jesus’ name. So rather than look at sick people and feel pity for them, why don’t you pull your hands out of your pockets and go lay them on those sick people, just as Jesus did when He was ministering on the earth? The Word of God guarantees that God will work with you to bring healing and health to those who are in need.
Why don’t you get started healing the sick today?

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
In the last few studies, we have been learning about “Divine Healing” as a consequence of walking closely with God. We were taught how this divine healing could be received by God sending His Word (Psalm 107:17-20), and by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24). In today’s study, we will be discussing obtaining divine healing through prayers.
In John 14:14 Jesus said: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
James 5:14 -15 says: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.”

In our previous studies, we were taught to look at divine health from a holistic point of view. It thus implies that we should look at healing from the same holistic point of view; encompassing the physical, emotional, and spiritual. Before going into the study, I would like to cite two important truths.
1) From Jesus’s own Words, we know that it is only the sick that need healing. Mark 2:17
2) The Bible tells us how to live in divine health. In Exodus 23:25 the Bible says: “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee".
Today’s study is broadly divided in two parts. How to pray for and the hinderances to healing.

I. RECEIVING ANSWERS TO OUR PRAYERS FOR HEALING
Our Heavenly Father is a principled God and He has put processes in place that we can, by faith employ to receive our healing.
1) Praying from a place of relationship with the Father
John 14:14 says: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” But for prayers to be answered, they must be rendered acceptably. Remember James 5:16b (MSG) says: “The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.” Not the prayer of a sinner or the ungodly.
Psalms 66:18 says: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.”

First, three disclaimers:
• Disclaimer #1: When the Bible says: “God will not hear”, I believe it means, God will not answer the requester. (Proverbs 1:28a) “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer”

• Disclaimer #2: When the Bible says: “God will not hear”, I believe it does not include the cry for mercy. (Luke 17:13-14) “And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14 So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed."

• Disclaimer #3: When the Bible says: “God is Sovereign”, I believe it means, He will show mercy to whom He will show mercy. (Exodus 33:19) “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

God hears. Period! Isa.59:1-2 tells us that the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God

So, when we pray from a place of relationship with the Father, He hears us and answers us according to His sovereignty.

2) Praying According to His will
1 John 5:14-15 says: “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”
His will is that we are in health, 3 John 2 says: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
We also see this manifested when Jesus healed a man with leprosy in Matthew 8:1-3 “When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”

3) Praying with the Scripture
Jeremiah 1:12 tells us that God is actively watching over His Word to fulfil it. When we pray using specific Bible verses related to healing, it reinforces our faith and aligns our prayers with God’s promises. His Word also does not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11). The Lord Himself says in Isaiah 43:26: “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.”

Therefore pray for healing with scriptures such as:
• Isaiah 53:5 says: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
• Jeremiah 17:14 says: “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

4) Praying in Faith
Stand on the Word of God such as James 5:14-15 that says the prayer of faith will heal the sick. Mark.11:23-24 says: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

5) Praying in Agreement
Align with fellow Bible believing and sincere believers and agree in prayers. Matthew 18:19-20 says: "Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

II. HINDERANCES TO ANSWERED PRAYERS FOR HEALING
The Bible in Isaiah 59:1-2 tells us that the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God;”
He is more than able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). So when things don’t go right. It is not His fault. Here are a couple of things that we may engage in that may cause unanswered prayers for healing.

1) Doubt and Unbelief
James 1:6-7 says: “6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

2) Ignorance (Lack of Accurate Knowledge) on the Subject of Healing
It is difficult to believe what you are ignorant of. We are not sick people looking for healing, we were healed over 2000 years ago by the stripes of Jesus. The Word of God is the antidote to ignorance. Psalms 119:130 says: “the entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple.”

There are people (even believers) in the world today that do not believe in healing. Cessationists for instance, believe that the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, such as healing, prophecy, and speaking in tongues, ceased with the apostolic age. They fail to realize that when Jesus said in John 14:12 that we will do greater works, healing was included.

3) Negative Confession
The Bible in Proverbs 18:21 tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. The words of our mouths also reveal our faith. It is important that we say about ourselves is what God's Word says about us; If God says we are healed, we must confess that healing, regardless of our feelings. Prov. 11:11 (MSG) says: “When right-living people bless the city, it flourishes; evil talk turns it into a ghost town in no time.”

4) Sin/Iniquity
While sin and iniquity both refer to moral and spiritual wrongdoing, iniquity often denotes a more serious, intentional, and ingrained pattern of behaviour,
Whereas not all sickness is due to sin, a lifestyle of sin can prevent the healing of sickness. Psalms 66:18 says: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.” The NIV renders this verse thus: "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened."

To "cherish sin" means to hold onto, delight in, or refuse to give up sinful thoughts, attitudes, or behaviours. It implies a conscious decision to prioritize sin over obedience to God. The verse clearly indicates that harbouring sin can impede communication with God. God values sincerity, humility, and repentance in those who seek Him. When Jesus healed a man that was sick at the pool of Bethesda in John 5:8-9, in verse 14, Jesus said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

5) Unforgiveness
Unforgiveness creates a barrier between us and God, blocking the flow of His grace and blessings, including healing. Mark 11:25 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Forgiveness of sin many times precedes healing (2 Chron.7:14). Also, holding onto unforgiveness can lead to emotional stress, and has been known to manifest in physical sicknesses. That is why Ephesians 4:31-32 calls believers to let go of bitterness and anger, which are detrimental to both emotional and physical health.

CONCLUSION
Not all sickness is due to sin, but any sin can prevent healing of sickness.
Prayer changes things! It is a potent weapon in the hands of believers. It can change doubts to trust, weakness to strength, hopelessness to hope and surely sickness to health. Healing can be obtained simply by asking for it in prayers from the One who said that He would do whatever we ask for in His name, as long as we are in His will and believe in the finished work of Christ.

Contributor: Ayomide Oladipo

INTRODUCTION

Last week we started our series in the topic Divine Healing through the Word of God. Divine healing as we learned in the study, is healing from God Himself through His written or spoken Word, and how sin robs us of good health. Psalm 107:20 “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” The desire of God for our health in 3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” revealed to us that God wants us as believers to look at health from a holistic point of view of the spirit, soul and body, and anyone living below the standard of perfect health in all areas of our being needs ‘Divine Healing’.
We concluded the study by looking at 3 prescriptions from the God the Great Physician for a healthy life which are: (a) Regularly feeding on the Word of God (Pro 3: 1&8), (b) Exercising our spirit (Jude 1:20) and (c) Regular visits to God in retreats (Mark 4:35).

Today we will continue the series by looking at Divine Healing through the stripes of Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 “23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, all mankind became guilty of sin, and in Roman 8: 23 the scriptures tell us the consequence of sin is death. So, if all men have sinned, this means all men should die because of our sins. God knew the price for the sin of the world must be paid for, Heb 9:22 “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
Out of His benevolence as a merciful God, He sent His Son Jesus who had never sinned to be the Lamb that would take away the sin of the world John 1:29.
The ‘stripes of Jesus’ symbolises the price that was paid for our sins, as we looked at last week how God sends His Word either spoken or written for our healing, today we would examine how God gave Himself for our healing.

WHY DID JESUS GIVE HIMSELF FOR OUR SIN?
Because of the Father’s love for the world – John 3:16 “For God so love the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have evaluating life”.

By law, the world is guilty of death, because the entire world has sinned and come short of the glory of God. God is merciful, but just. Because of His justice, the scripture in Roman 6:23 “The wages of sin is death” must be fulfilled, which means all souls were required to pay for their transgressions against God with everlasting death, but for His mercy, He provided a way out for everyone. John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
We were all created by God, imagine God having created us, and from the moment we were born, knowing He will never have us again because, we would have to pay for our own sins, and for the rest of our lives He would have to watch the devil afflict His hand work and He can’t do anything because the devil now owns them.
Because of God’s faithfulness, commitment and love as our Father, He gave Jesus to die, not for His own sins but the sin of the world, now anyone that accepts this love will be redeemed from eternal guilt of death to eternal life.

Romans 6:8-10 “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.”

Jesus came to pay the debt of sin of the world so that no one will have to end up in everlasting death by default because they were born into the world. He ended the reign of the devil and provided a path to salvage the world form death to life.

ONLY THOSE THAT HAVE ACCEPTED JESUS ARE TRULY HEALED!
You might ask what has this got to do with healing, this sounds like a salvation message to me. Well, you are right it is indeed a salvation message. The truth is anyone that has not been redeemed by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour is ‘sick’. Remember we said sickness is deviation from normalcy, in the sight of God it is abnormal for any soul He created to be afflicted by the devil because of sin.
Psalm 107: 17- 18 “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death.”

This passage shows us that a soul guilty of transgression and iniquity (sin) is living in affliction. Bible says in 1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

The Devil only comes to kill, steal and destroy. An unsaved individual can be assured this is all they get from the devil. The Bible says the soul that sinneth shall die Ezek.18: 20.
An unsaved individual is physically and spiritually dead. Ezekiel 18:20 made it clear “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
Which means that an unsaved person will bear the brunt of his sin while on earth and even in eternity. God sees an unsaved person as a sick person because such individual is willingly forfeiting his right to life.
The good news is it does not have to remain that way, healing by the stripes of Jesus is available of all men, but exclusively heals those that have accepted the redemption these stripes paid for.

HEALING BY THE STRIPES OF JESUS
1. Physical Healing By the Stripes of Jesus: 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
Physical affliction was inflicted on Jesus so that we don’t have to surfer physical sickness. Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

This scripture shows us Jesus already bore our burden, sickness, affliction and paid the price for our healing. All we need do if we have already been saved is believe Him for our physical healing.
The Bible already told us the desire of God in 3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
Jesus was hung on the tree for us to be healed from the curse of affliction to a life of wholeness Gal.3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”,

The wounds and bruises are physical afflictions Jesus suffered which lead to the gushing of blood from His body, by the risen of the blood of Jesus and by faith, we can administer physical
healing into our body, Jesus being hung on the cross healed us from every curse, and Him dying and rising again healed us from eternal death to eternal life. God chose the stripes of His only begotten Son to give us an opportunity to experience His desire for our physical health to prosper.

2. Spiritual Healing By The Stripe Of Jesus: By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our spiritual healing was bought and paid for. Through the finished work of Jesus, we can receive the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of God Himself living in us. Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”.

The redemption of God through Jesus when accepted quickens the life and power of God in us ‘The Holy Spirit’. This passage tells us that the Holy Spirit was the One that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, Jesus had the Holy Spirit in Him which is the Spirit of the Father because He was without sin, so He could not remain dead. The chastisement of Jesus was for us, and by those stripes our spiritual healing was also provided for. As God has expressed His desire for us to be healthy in all areas of our lives, it is important for us to lay hold of the finished work of Jesus for our spiritual healing. Accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is not the end, but God desires for us to be healed in our spirit so we can be sons and daughters of God.

Romans 8: 14-17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Our spiritual healing obtained by the suffering of Jesus, ends the reign of the devil over our lives and adopts us back into sonship of our Heavenly Father. James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Our spiritual health reflects on our physical health.
The Word of God here guarantees that if our spiritual life is healthy, our mortal (physical) health will be simultaneously. How? The Spirit of God living in us is the power of God within us, when we invest in our spiritual health, we are simultaneously releasing the power of God into our mortal body.

CONCLUSION
Envision the finished work of Jesus as a trust fund account that our Heavenly Father opened and funded for us. It’s the path He made for us at any given time we decide to come back to Him, to be able to do so.
Even though our healing had been provided for by the stripes of Jesus, accepting or refusing it is our choice. Even though the account is fully funded, doubting its legitimacy, delaying withdrawal from it or even receiving it is all choices of ours.
The question is why suffer for what has been paid for?
Revelation 3:20 (NIV) “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
To someone opening the door means accepting Jesus, to another it means accepting the finished work that He has given to you.

Contributor: Ayomide Oladipo

INTRODUCTION
Last study we learnt about God’s faithfulness relative to our commitment as believers to fulfil God’s divine purpose for our lives. One of the things we were taught are the two sides to God’s faithfulness. The first side is God’s faithfulness of His fatherhood to us, and His commitment to His Word. 1 Corinthians 1:9: “God is faithful He is reliable, trustworthy, and ever true to His Promise He can be depended on, and through Him, you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The second side is our own path, where God expect us to be faithful to Him so we can attain His promises to us as demonstrated in the life of Abraham when God commanded him to walk before
Him faithfully and blamelessly.

Today we would be looking at the subject ‘Divine Healing’ by the Word of God. Divine healing is healing from God Himself through His written or spoken Word.
Psalm 107:20 “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

For someone to need healing, it means the part of them they need healing in is defective. Sickness is defined as a deviation from, an interruption, a cessation or a disorder of a body, system, organ structure or function (Medical dictionary), characterised by symptoms and exhibitions.
Healing on the other hand is the reversal of a sick body, system or organ back to normal. As believers, God desires for us is that we be in perfect health 3 John 1: 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospered.”

Today relative to us as believers, we would look at what sickness means, what causes it and how the Word of God can heal us.

WHO NEEDS HEALING?
Anyone or any part of our spirit, soul and body that is sick. Someone will say well am physically healthy, what about your spiritual health? What about your soul’s health? Are they healthy too? In 3 John 1: 2 God expressed His desire for our health that He wishes they all prosper. This means that God does not desire for us to be healthy is one area of our life and be defective in another. As children of God, we should not look at health from a physical point of view alone but from a holistic point of view of physical and spiritual health.

REASONS A BELIEVER CAN BE SICK
1. When a believer falls into sin: Psalm 107: 17- 18 “Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. 18 Their soul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death.”
This passage shows us that one of the ways a believer can open him/herself to affliction is through transgression and iniquity (sin). Why would sin cause me affliction you may ask, bible says in 1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”

The Bible says the soul that sinneth shall die Ezek.18: 20. Now sickness is no other thing but a representative of death. When a believer commits and remains in sin, he forfeits his right to life, in John 3:16 “for God so love the word that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life”
Either physically or spiritually, sin kills!! As explicitly written in Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

This Bible verse explains to us that a sinner is the one that bears the brunt of his sin while a righteous person is the one that reaps the reward of his righteousness.

2. For the glory of God: - John 9: 1-3 “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3. Jesus answered, neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

Based on this passage, we can establish God sometimes manifest His glory through situations such as sickness. The disciples based on their knowledge knew that for a man to be afflicted as such as being blind from birth, sin must have entered through him or his parents, however Jesus told them that sin was not the cause of this man’s affliction, it is for God to manifest in him, and we could see that Jesus went on to heal the man by His Word in the later part of that scripture.

Remember the story of Lazarus in John 11:1-44. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus; it is safe to assume that the man was not a sinful natured man for him to be God’s friend. But he became very sick that his sisters sent message to Jesus to quickly come and heal him before he dies, but Jesus responded in vs 4 “But when Jesus heard about it, he said, Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this 5. So, although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days.”

This explains to us that as believers sometimes we may have sickness and affliction, sickness and affliction does not have us! Lazarus tasted death, but death could not hold him, even Jesus saw death, but death could not hold him. This is because, as righteous children of God, we are of God not of the devil, and it is the will of God that we prosper in health, meaning God will never afflict His children without a cause.

DIVINE HEALING BY THE WORD
1. Physical healing by the Word: Romans 8:10-11 “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

As earlier established that sin kill the body, the word of God provides a remedy for this illness, ‘righteousness’. The Word of God provides healing to a sick sinner when such sinner repents of his sin and adopts righteousness through the finished work of Jesus. Now the same Spirit that made Jesus taste death, yet death could not hold Him, will recover such repentant individual from death to life.
Again, God’s desire is that we be in health, but when a person choses to forfeit a chance at life and health through righteousness, and instead choses death and affliction through sin, God’s hands are tied sort of.

Isaiah 59:1-4 “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear.”
God already provided a remedy for an afflicted soul which is everlasting life, and this life can only me ours when we chose to accept Christ and remain in Christ.

Psalm 107: 19-20 “Then they [Afflicted cause of sin] cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he[Lord] saved them out of their distresses. 20. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
Jesus already bore our burden and paid the price for our healing - Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”, all we need do is to accept Him and remain in Him.

2. Spiritual Healing by the Word

Isa.40: 31 “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary and they shall walk, and not faint.”

The passage describes the symptoms of a sickened spirit ‘fainting and weariness’, and even ‘fall’, but did provide a remedy to this spiritual illness ‘waiting on the Lord’. As believers it is equally important to pay attention to our spiritual health. There is no physical health without spiritual health.

James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Our spiritual health reflects on our physical health. Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
The Word of God here guarantees that if our spiritual life is healthy, our mortal (physical) health will simultaneously be too. How? The Spirit of God living in us is the power of God within us, when we invest in our spiritual health, we are simultaneously releasing the power of God into our mortal body.

CONCLUSION
Medical practitioners would advise good diet, exercise, regular checkup among other precautions as steps we can take to keep our body in good health.
Our great physician also advises us to feed our spirit with good diet which is the Word of God

Pro 3:1&8 “My son does not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands. 8. It will be healthy to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” God’s Word, spoken or written has the power to bring healing and deliverance from affliction, restoring wholeness to body and soul.

James 5:14-16 “14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he shall be forgiven.”
He also advises us to exercise our spirit
Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost”. Another method our great physician advised us to keep our spirit in health is to pray in the Holy Ghost to edify our spirit.

Regular visit to Him in retreat, prayer and fasting Mark 4:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Divine health is our God given right administered to us through His Word, therefore it doesn't matter how weak or sick you may be, if you accept His Word and believe, you will be made whole.

Contributor: Alex Kokobili

INTRODUCTION
God’s faithfulness can be expressed in two sides. The first is God’s faithfulness as our Father who is faithful to His word (1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful He is reliable, trustworthy, and ever true to His Promise He can be depended on, and through Him, you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord). The other is God’s expectations for Christians to stay faithful to him. God expects us to be faithful to Him to attain His promises. For instance, Abram was ninety-nine years old, when the Lord appeared to him on the need to be faithful to Him, Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless”).

Today’s study will dwell on faithfulness which involves the commitment of believers in journeying with God in order to fulfil His divine purpose in our lives. It is also important for us to be informed that God’s presence has a key role in the journey of faithfulness. The discussion will draw on the life of Joseph and then the latter part will engage on the expectation of the church in regards to faithfulness towards God.

PART A: JOSEPH’S FAITHFULNESS TOWARD GOD
1. Faithfulness is always associated with a test which could either be before or after a blessing.

Gen 39: 7 And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

The previous verses 1- 6 told us about God’s favour in the life of Joseph and how he became the manager of Potiphar’s house, and soon after Joseph’s test of faithful resulted from Mrs. Potiphar's immoral sexual desire toward him. Your faithfulness to God will be tested so that He can make you the showpiece of His glory. The test of faithfulness is a test of your love for God and full adherence to the word. There is some test that we cannot pray against but must happen as a way to examine our work with God (Job 2: 3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason). We must always pray for God’s grace to overcome all forms of tests that might put our faith in God into question (Mathew 6: 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil).

2. Holiness as the bedrock of faithfulness is not a weakness, but a strength and also a defence.

Gen 39: 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand”.

Joseph feared God and realised that he was God’s regent in Potiphar’s house. Surprisingly, an average Christian today would not think twice before accepting such an offer that Joseph turned down and would even give an excuse of blaming Potiphar’s wife for causing them to sin. Some other Christians will also blame Mr. Potiphar for not always being at home and they would say they were doing Potiphar a favour and that they would later ask God for forgiveness. Unfortunately, so many believers are ashamed to speak about the emphasis on holiness when in regards to things such as lying, fornication and adultery, pride, drunkenness, hatred, selfish ambitions, ingratitude, etc. (See also Gal 5:19-21, Rev 21: 8, 2 Tim 3: 1-5). Our commitment to faithfulness in God as Christians after salvation must be followed by a lifestyle of holiness which is a sign that we fear God (Prov. 8: 13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, And the forward mouth, do I hate. Job 28:28 And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding).

Some Christians seem to have an excuse for every action in self-defence by making assertions such as “I still have a struggle and I believe I am a work in progress or I need some therapy”. Sometimes some people even say things like “Nobody is perfect or God understands,” Why are you judging me?” etc. We must realise that trying to validate any actions of unfaithfulness through emotions, theology, philosophy, tradition and culture, personal opinions, or social perceptions does not change the absoluteness of God’s word (Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. God's Word, or Law, is eternal and unchanging - fixed and established forever in the heaven of heavens).

3. Forgetfulness of God’s faithfulness is a betrayal of His trust

Gen 39: 9 There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?

Joseph remembered the goodness of God in his life and how He caused Potiphar to favour him and on that premise, Joseph decided to stay faithful to God. So many people forget how God came through for them including how he used specific people to shape their destiny. Those who forget God’s goodness are unfaithful and cannot withstand the test of time. Have you not wondered how possible it was that Judas forgot all that he saw Jesus Christ do (the miracles and healings) and yet he betrayed his master? The carnal man is always ready with an excuse or a blame game as a defense of embracing something that God forbids.

Rev 21: 8 But people who are cowardly, unfaithful, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

Israel often forgot God’s goodness when they were confronted with unpleasant situations and in return displayed actions of unfaithfulness towards God. Judges 8: 34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God who had delivered them out of the hand of all that afflicted them round about. We have to also realize that unfaithfulness is as good as unbelief and instability of purpose in life. Psalm 78: 42
"They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt”.

4. The temptation to be unfaithful might continue for a while but we must genuinely God's intervention not to fall into sin.

Genesis 9: 10-12 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

Longsuffering is a fruit of the spirit that requires that we persevere amid temptation without giving in (Gala 5: 22).
Some people have failed the test of faithfulness because of situations such as business contracts, challenges with their health, marriage, etc. This shows our level of commitment to God

Daniel 3: 16-18 "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

We must realize that we need the strength of God to over temptations over and over again “1 Samuel 2: 9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail”.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Mathew 5:11-12 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

PART B: FAITHFULNESS IS THE PREREQUISITE FOR A GLORIOUS CHURCH
Without the glory of Christ, the church ceases to exist and even if it pretends that it exists, it will only be a building without glory. Ephesians 5: 27 "that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."

Revelations chapters 2 and 3 describe the state of the end-time church. For instance, out of the seven churches mentioned; five were considered unfaithful to Christ and were described as the Loveless Church, the Compromising Church, the Dead Church, the Corrupt Church, and the Lukewarm Church. The two that stood out and were commended for their faithfulness were the Persecuted Church and the Faithful Church. We will notice that the Persecuted Church was recognized. (Rev 2:10c “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life”.), and also the Faithful Church (Rev 3: 10 “Because you have kept my command to preserve, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth).

King Solomon was faithful in building a temple for God so that could worship God and his heart during that period in harmony with God’s presence, and during the dedication of the temple, God’s glory overwhelmed the place (2 Chronicles 7: 1-3). There is no shortcut to holiness when we talk of faithfulness. However, despite Solomon’s magnificent temple, God still required that His people would present themselves before Him in humility and repentance from evil before He hears our prayers or fellowship which we further saw in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that God promised to only hear the people when they faithfully pray to Him).

God is seeking Christians to be fully aligned with His word because we are the church. The church seems to be becoming too apologetic in trying to gain social acceptance. The fear of not offending people might lead us to things that have brought a load of imperfection upon us. We have to stay faithful to God whether it is socially acceptable or not because Christ wants to present the Church to Himself as a perfect bride. We have to understand that as long as we fail to get serious with the business of holiness, the church stands the risk of becoming spiritually disabled with no power to command God’s kingdom on earth (Hebrews 12: 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord), (Mathew 5: 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God).

CONCLUSION
There is no shortcut to faithfulness and purity as two important variables in sustaining God’s presence. We need the grace of God to stay faithful to His word and not by our physical ability ( 1 Samuel 2:9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail). Holiness is possible, when we genuinely desire perfection and then allow God to fill us with grace for the race (Mathew 5: 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled). See also
“2 Corinthians 4: 17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal”.
“Mathew 25: 21 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness”.

It is God’s presence that guides us to work according to the pattern that He has set for us to follow. Faithfulness is like a mirror that reveals God’s purity in accordance with the Bible which overrides our perception of analyzing good and evil.

Contributor: Folashade Morakinyo

INTRODUCTION
Since the last two weeks, we have been learning about God’s divine faithfulness. Last week, the focus was on the sub topic: “promotion comes from God,” and why and how God promotes. Today, we will dig further to shed some light on what happens in God’s presence.
From the very beginning of mankind, God has desired for us to be in His presence (fellowship with man). In fact, that was the purpose for which man was created. God would come in the cool of the day to have fellowship with Adam (Gen. 1:26-30). Man enjoyed God’s presence regularly until the deceiver crept in and man had to hide, moving away from God’s presence (Gen. 3:1-6). Having fallen from that level of grace through disobedience, since then, man has to be more intentional if we want the warmth of fellowship and to be in God’s presence (Gen. 3:8). Why is this? God cannot behold iniquity/unrighteousness (Isaiah 59:1-2). Therefore, we must submit ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable (Rom. 12:1-2). May the Lord give us further understanding as we study today, in Jesus’ name.

Where is the Presence of God?
Presence is the state or fact of existing, occurring, or being present.

• God as Omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-8) - He created the whole world, the heavens, the earth, andother planets; He is everywhere - we can see His works.

• He resides in Heaven - He operates, exists, and has His throne in heaven (Rev. 4:2-3, Deut. 26:15,Isaiah 57:15); this is where His administration is. There, we are close to seeing Him in His form(Rev. 21:10).

• He is Spirit; therefore, He has the liberty to live inside anyone who believes in Him and has acceptedthe work of salvation that Jesus did (Romans 8:11, Colossians 1:27) - in the person of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have His abilities, His greatness, and enjoy His goodness.

•God’s presence as a time of fellowship - personally, with family, in a group, and in the church.

Attributes of those who embody the presence of God
This section addresses the question: Who embodies the presence of God, or how can I be a carrier of God’s presence? (Gen. 39:1-3, Ps. 1:1-3).

• Joseph was a carrier of God’s presence: Gen.39:2-9: The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man.

• David was a carrier of God’s presence 1 Samuel 18:14: David succeeded in all he did because theLord was with him. 1 Samuel 23:4-5, 10-11; 1 Samuel 30:8-9; 2 Samuel 5:17-21: David constantlysought the Lord for strength, strategy, instructions, and victories. 2 Samuel 2:4; 2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 51; Psalm 32: When David fell, he demonstrated true repentance and sought to restore his relationship with God.

• Moses was a carrier of God’s presence: Joshua 1:17: Moses led with God's guidance and presence. Numbers 12:3: Moses was known for his meekness. Exodus 33:11, 18-20: Moses sought God'spresence and guidance directly and intimately.

Blessings/fruits/Blessedness of carrying the presence of God
God is the Creator, He is Light, He is the Way. We cannot be carriers of God’s presence without our lives reflecting His abilities. There are fruits attached to carrying God’s presence: Pro. 3:33, Ps. 5:12, Pro. 10:6, Pro. 28:20, Pro. 12:2, Ps. 75:6-7, Job. 17:9, II Chr. 26:3-5, II Chr. 31:20-2.
Potiphar was blessed because the presence of a righteous man in his house focused God's attention on his estate. Meanwhile, Joseph obtained God's blessings in the form of favor and rapid promotion because he carried the presence of God. If we all are carriers of God’s presence, He will surely bless us because of His faithfulness (Psalm 37:23-40).

God’s Presence is Reciprocal

It is important that we remember that God’s Presence is Reciprocal. And that we can cultivate His presence.
James 4:8a: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you"
John 14:23: "Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.'"
Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

CONCLUSION
A place is called the presence of God because God is already there. The invitation to God’s presence is for all; God desires this, which is why He created us in the first place. As we do away with sins that easily beset us and come boldly to His throne/presence, every aspect of our lives will bear fruit. God’s presence is reciprocal—meaning blessedness. "Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me" (John 15:4).

Prayer: Father, take away anything hindering me from Your presence.

Contributor: Peter Folikwe

INTRODUCTION
Last week, our teacher and contributors at the day’s teaching highlighted the benefits that come with having “a closer walk with God”: the theme of our Bible study for this year. The study x-rayed God’s divine faithful benefits through ‘the law of harvest’.
In summary, the study elaborated on God’s faithfulness to keeping His promises, when we fulfil our part through righteousness and total obedience to God’s instructions.
In today’s Bible Study, we shall be reviewing the subtopic under God’s faithfulness - ‘Promotion comes from God’.

THE TRUTH ABOUT GOD’S PROMOTION
Before we delve into the anchor scripture for today, I want us to be guided by a statement of truth in Psalm 75:6-7 “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
Meaning no one can promote you, except God. Promotion from any other source – the devil, leads to failure in the end.
Another truth is in Lamentations 3:which says 37 “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?”
Brethren, this passage reminds us to always boast in the Lord, not in our achievements in -It is by His mercies we are not consumed. life.
Finally, James 1:17 tells us that “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.”
• this tells us that promotions or progresses we make in life are gifts from God. He never waivers. He stands by His promise.
• As the unwavering, dependable and reliable God, once you meet His conditions for promotion, He will promote you.

WHY AND HOW DOES GOD PROMOTE? A CASE STUDY OF JOSEPH
1. Life Without Bitterness.
Gen 39:1-6 tells us that:
The Lord was with Joseph in Egypt because He led him there in the first place. After Joseph’s dreams that he innocently relayed to his brethren, his environment became toxic unknowingly to him. His brothers planned his death which eventually led him to becoming a slave in a foreign land, but he was not bitter at all. He became a candidate of God’s blessings and promotion.

Gen 50:19-20:

• By this time he was the Prime minister of the most powerful and influential country in the world at the time.
• He could have chosen to dissociate himself from his family and hid his identity.
• Not only was he not bitter, he forgave with ease.
• In one of Pastor’s teachings, he noted that the first thing Joseph would have requested soon as he became prime mister was to demand for Potiphar’s wife to tell the truth and offer a public apology. But he did not. Potiphar’s wife lived and died with a wounded conscience.
• Hebrews 12:14-us to admonishes 15 pursue peace with all people…….lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.
• Bitterness is birthed when we are in contention with people. It develops stubborn roots when we harbour unforgiving in our hearts towards same people.

2. Righteous Living:

• Ps. 1:1-3 - Joseph’s righteous lifestyle kept him overcoming every huddle of life he had to pass through. He refused to deny God.
• In Gen 39:9 Joseph told his master’s wife “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? “  
  • Here he turned down the enticing offer of his bosses wife, focusing more on his right standing with God than offending his master.
• His brothers ought to be happy for him and encourage him, instead they detested him and hated him. This is common in the world we live today.
• Cain orchestrated similar behaviour towards Abel in Gen 4:8-9.
• Potiphar was blessed because of the presence of a righteous man - Joseph, in his household. This focused the attention of God on his estate.
• Proverbs 10:6 The righteous will be unable to hide God’s blessings/ promotions because it will be in the glare view of all, but shame will keeps the mouth of the wicked/sinner shut. As a slave, Joseph was uniquely favoured by his master. Even in prison Joseph was a superstar.
• II Chronicles 26:3-5. Similar to Joseph was the young king Uzziah, whose reign was interrupted for 52 years simply because he made God his priority in all his decisions.
• II Chronicles 31:20-21. King Hezekiah also prospered because he diligently obeyed God’s commandment and sought the face God before embarking on any plan.
• Proverbs 3:33 “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He says comes under the curse of God An entire household blesses the home of the just.”. Conversely, blessings pursue and overtake a home ways because a man’s wicked where justice and equity prevails.

3. Focus on God’s Gifts With Patience:

• Joseph unwaveringly held unto his dreams and aspirations to the end despite consistent pitfalls along the way.
• He was not deterred despite being thrown into a dry well, sold to slavery in Egypt and thrown into prison. He lived his dreams; dreaming all-over again and again.
• Joseph looked up to God, just as we are admonished in Heb. 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He relied on God’s blessings and not that of man. Many are today men-pleasers with eyeservice, sycophants satisfied with prises from men.
• 1Pet 1:7 states “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” Reward for honest service to God is promotion here on earth and a crown of glory after our earthly sojourn. 1Pet 5:4.
• It takes a lot of perseverance and patience to wait on God sometimes. But 2Pet 1:5-7 admonishes us to be patient and godly; and also have brotherly kindness and charity

GOD IS STILL IN THE BUSINESS OF PROMOTING

• Psalms 113:7-says “He raises the poor out of the dust, And lifts the needy out of 9With the princes of His people. —the ash heap, That He may seat him with princesHe grants the barren woman a home, Like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!”
• He specializes in turning things around.
• The poor and down trodden written off by men are elevated unto enviable positions in life by God. The barren is made mother of children.
• Song: I can see everything turning around….
• Psalms 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.”
• Proverbs 12:2 “A good man obtains favor from the Lord, But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.”
• Psalms 112:2-1 ““Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments. 2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.”

CONCLUSION:
Enduring promotion is the reward for consistent commitment to God’s will and purpose for our lives. Anyone who lives outside of God’s will and purpose and seem to be enjoying the worlds promotion is simply being set-up by the devil for filure.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
From today and to the end of this year’s Bible Study, themed “A Closer walk with God.” We will be studying the various benefits we get from walking with the Father. There are several of these benefits such as God’s Divine Faithfulness which we will consider for this month under various sub topics, starting with the sub topic, “Law of the Harvest”. Our God is a faithful God. Psalm 100:5 tells us that His faithfulness continues through all generations, and part of the faithfulness of God is demonstrated in the fulfilment of the law of the harvest.
Today’s study will be divided into two parts. Part 1 will look at the Faithfulness of God and Part 2 will look at the Law of the Harvest and its relationship with God’s faithfulness.

PART 1
One of the core characteristics of God is that He is faithful. This is one aspect of Him that He has never showed the opposite of to date, despite our response to it. Others are His righteousness and His holiness.
2 Timothy 2:13 says: “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

A Few Scriptures that testify of His Faithfulness
• Psalm 36:5: “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”
• Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
• Revelation 19:11: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.”
• Matthew 5:45: “so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. AMP
It is because God is consistently faithful that we can come to Him in prayers.
• Isaiah 45:19 says: “I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright". AMP
• Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

God is faithful to:
1. His Promises: God's promises are certain and reliable. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" See also 1 John 1:9 (Forgiveness of sin), Psalm 91:4 (Protection)

2. His Covenant: The Bible records God's covenant with His people, showcasing His steadfastness. Deut. 7:9 says, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments".

PART 2
The law of the harvest was established in Genesis 8:22 after Noah’s flood.
“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

The Bible tells us in Genesis 12:1 that Isaac sowed in that land (where there was famine) and reaped in the same year a hundredfold.

Scriptures that validate the Law of Harvest
• Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”
• 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

However, a very important point to note is that the faithfulness of the Lord implies that both the positive and negative outcomes are an assurance when it comes to reaping the harvest of the type of seed sown.

1. Seedtime and Harvest – For He that Soweth to his flesh.
To sow to the flesh means cultivating and developing our sinful desires, it is to do evil or participate in any form of wickedness.
• Proverbs 22:8 “Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of his fury will fail.”
• Job 4:8 “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.”
• Hosea 8:7a “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.”

There are several examples of people who sowed to the flesh and reaped corruption. But we will look at only two.

a) David and Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11-12.
David commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges the death of her husband Uriah. The child born from the affair dies, and David's family faces turmoil and rebellion.
2 Samuel 12:10 “'Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'

b) Gehazi 2Kings 5
Gehazi goes after Naaman in response to the desires of his flesh (greed). The outcome was leprosy for him and his generation.
Verse 27 says: “27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.”
• Discussion: Give other examples – Biblical and present day

2. Seedtime and Harvest – But he that soweth to the Spirit.
To sow to the Spirit is to obey God’s Words, setting our “minds on things above, not on earthly things”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

a) Jonathan, Saul’s Son. 2 Samuel 9:1-13
The seed Jonathan sowed, was reaped by his unfortunate son.
In his covenant with Jonathan, David had promised to show loyalty to Jonathan’s family (1 Sam.18:3).
In this story, David shows kindness to Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. Verse 13 says: “So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table.”

b) Dorcas raised from the dead. Acts 9:36-42
The good seed Dorcas sowed was instrumental to her being brought back from the dead. Dorcas was known for her good works and acts of charity, particularly for making clothing for widows and the poor. She fell sick and died but was raised from the dead by Peter. In verse 39 we are told that all the widows stood near him, weeping and showing him tunics and garments— all-that Dorcas was making while being with them.

• Discussion: Give other examples – Biblical and present day

CONCLUSION
God's divine faithfulness is one of the cornerstones of a Believer’s faith, it offers us confidence in His unchanging nature and unwavering commitment to His word. Throughout the Bible, God's faithfulness is portrayed as a fundamental aspect of His relationship with humanity, providing assurance and hope in His eternal and dependable love. So we can bank on His faithfulness but be very aware that in relationship to the law of harvest, He is also unwavering to ensure that it is whatever we sow, that we will reap.
However, with the law of the harvest, there is a multiplier effect, what you reap is usually more than what you sow! Whether positive or negative. Isaac reaped one hundred times what he sowed, the Bible tells us that when we give, the return is good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. Gehazi’s entire generation became cursed with leprosy. And the Bible also tells us that those who sow the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.
As we walk with the Almighty God, we must heed Galatians 6:9 that tells us not to be weary in well doing, because such faithfulness is one way to guarantee His faithfulness. Psalm 18:25a says: “To the faithful you show yourself faithful”.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of this month, we have been considering the Word of God and how the knowledge and understanding of the Word can enable us walk more closely with God. We have looked at: The Person, The Purpose, The Power and today, we are considering The Testimony. Ephesians 4:1 tells us that we should walk worthy and today’s study points us in the right direction. The Word of God holds the blueprint of our lives and is the ultimate foundational guide for believers seeking a closer walk with God. Psalm 119:105 says: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Why the Word? Read Psalm 19:7-11

The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. (MSG)

The testimony of the Scriptures is all about Jesus. Jesus Himself, declared that they testified of Him.

• Luke 24:44: “He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
• John 1:45: “Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
• Hebrews 10:7: “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

In John Chapter 5, from verse 31, Jesus speaking to the Pharisees revealed the four-fold testimony of who He was.

1. The Testimony of John (Verses 32-35)
"There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which he bears of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. But the witness which I receive is not from man, but I say these things that you might be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light."

The first testimony Jesus considers is that of John the Baptist. These people knew John well, and evidently respected him greatly, though perhaps grudgingly. John had been sent to precede the Messiah and to identify Him when He arrived.
Concerning Jesus, John "bore witness of Him", saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me" (John 1:15) and in John 1:36, "And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”. John was a no nonsense fellow. He was strong and determined, faithfully committed to his task. Every one of his day even slightly knowledgeable of John knew this about him, so John's testimony carried much weight, but not as much as the next witness Jesus calls.

2. The Testimony of the Works (Verse 36)
"But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me."

Jesus invited the skeptics to consider the miracles He had done and which they had witnessed with their own eyes. Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Pharisees, was of the minority opinion that Jesus was from God because, as he put it, "no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him." (John 3:2). How sad that most of the rest of Nicodemus' associates rejected Jesus in spite of all the evidence provided. Human stubbornness can sometimes cause very foolish behaviours.
Jesus often alluded to the miracles He performed as being undeniable testimonies that He was the Son of God. John 10:25. “Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me”

3. The Testimony of the Father (Verse 37)
"And the Father who sent Me has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form."
The Father on several occasions audibly identified Jesus as His Son. At Jesus' baptism, the Father announced, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Matthew 3:17). Later, at the transfiguration, the same statement is made with the added admonition: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:7).

4. The Testimony of the Scriptures (Verses 38-40)
"And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him who He has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me that you may have life."
As a final witness, Jesus refers to the ancient Scriptures. These are filled with prophecies which Jesus was fulfilling daily.
One scholar, J. Barton Payne, found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow references Jesus. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to Him or His times. In His earthly ministry, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies.
Though familiar with the Scriptures, the Pharisees rejected the One of whom they spoke so plainly. This tells us that it takes more than being able to memorize and recite various passages; we must apply these things to our hearts and lives else the searching and knowing is wasted. We can claim that we honor Christ, but when it comes to applying His teachings, we dishonour Him by disobeying the Word. Consequently, by not truly coming to Jesus in humble obedience, one cannot have eternal life. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”

Why is Revelation Important for Our Walk with God?
The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians is centred around our eyes being opened to understanding who we are in Christ.
In Chapter 1:17-18, Paul prayed for the Ephesians and consequently you and I that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened. This means that our walk with God will no longer be as one who gropes in darkness. Ephesians 4:20-24 tells us that our way of life changed when we heard about Christ and taught the truth that is in Him and to put on the new self. People who know their position in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, a new identity understood by revelation. The new self does not walk in darkness, but in the light!

CONCLUSION
The Word of God testifies to its own power, its truth, and authority. Through its pages, believers find guidance, wisdom, nourishment, correction, and the message of salvation. It stands as a timeless testament to God's love, grace, and faithfulness throughout history.
Jesus Himself, His life, teachings, and actions, bear witness to the truth of who He is—the Son of God, the Saviour of humanity, and the embodiment of God's love and redemption. When Jesus said “you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free” in John 8:32, He was not referring to any truth, but Himself. You must have found out some truth that made your heart heavy right? It didn’t set you free, did it? That is why it is only the Truth that sets us free not any other truth. In John 14: 6 “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He is the Truth and that is the Testimony.