Honour The Lord With Your Possessions
Far beyond a mere financial prescription, scripture beckons believers to intertwine their material prosperity with a deeper sense of purpose and reverence for the divine. Your finances often serve as a reflection of your values. Understanding the connection between values and finances will allow you to make intentional choices that align with your beliefs and contribute to a more meaningful and purposeful journey in life. By learning to handle your finances God’s way, you will have the key to unlocking His blessing in your finances. All wealth and prosperity ultimately come from God, and discerning how to wield it in ways that echo a commitment to honouring Him is of utmost importance. Be encouraged to acknowledge and prioritize God in your financial matters. In this message, I delve into the intersections of faith, finance, and the ethical considerations of stewarding one’s resources. Be blessed as you read. “Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). The Wise Men from the Bible impart a timeless lesson on honouring God with our wealth or possessions through their actions in the story of Jesus’ birth. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mathew 2:1-2, 11). When the wise men from the East visited Jesus, they gave him gifts. They had not come simply to pay respects out of dutiful reverence. The lesson on honouring God with your possessions is vividly portrayed in the gifts they brought to honour the infant Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were not just ordinary offerings. They were precious gifts. These were heartfelt gifts of care and love. They had come to worship. In fact, by bringing gifts for the King, they partly fulfilled a prophecy because the Old Testament declared that Gentiles from around the world would come to the Messiah, bearing gifts that actually included gold and frankincense (Psalm 72:10-15; Isaiah 60:1-6). These men were indeed paying their respects to the great Jewish king, even bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh to honour Him. These gifts represented their desire to use their wealth to worship the Messiah, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The wise men had come to meet the greatest King of all, the great King who would rule over the whole earth. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and language should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14) “The Son of Man” – a title Jesus often used for Himself, identifying Himself as both human and divine. The wise men expected to meet an extraordinary person. In fact, He could not be considered a mere mortal at all. It is no wonder these men would have been eager to meet the King of kings and honour Him with gold. According to (Daniel 7:13-14), this “Son of Man” would come with the clouds of Heaven. He would be served by all the people of the earth – from every nation and language. This “Son of Man”, the Lord Jesus Christ would receive an eternal Kingdom with unlimited dominion and glory. That great monarch would be immortal and indestructible. Truly this was to be the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. That is why they came with gifts of great value. Amongst them was gold which in Jesus’ day would have been a wonderful financial blessing. They had no more precious resource to worship the highest-ranking King of all time and eternity. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Somehow, the wise men understood that Jesus was more than a man – even more than a king. They had not come merely to esteem a great king, but to worship the divine King. In Scripture, neither mortals nor angels are permitted to receive worship. But Jesus was greater than a man, He was greater than the angels. He was and is the unique and eternal Son of God. Yes, they had come to worship but they didn’t come empty-handed. They came with precious gifts to honour the King of kings and the Lords of lords. The Bible says a generous person will be made rich. The Wise Men’s generosity extended beyond the material gifts, however. They exemplified a generous heart willing to give the best they had in honouring the Messiah. Their offerings were not only expressions of homage but also acts of honouring the Lord that reflected the depth of their reverence for the divine. This story teaches a profound lesson on a way to honour God, emphasizing that to truly honour God involves giving from the heart, offering one’s best, and acknowledging the worthiness of the recipient. The Wise Men’s gifts were not mere tokens; they were sacrificial offerings, demonstrating a generosity that goes beyond the ordinary. In the Christian tradition, the story of the Wise Men inspires believers to approach generosity with a similar spirit. It encourages giving not only material resources but also the best of one’s time, talents, and love in worship and service to God and others. The lesson from the Wise
Understand And Respond When God Speaks
If it’s God who is speaking, we trust that by His very nature, God is worthy of our undivided attention. So, when we listen, we’re to respond accordingly because God may be saying something to you through His word or through someone else that will change your life. It’s so important to obey God’s voice when He speaks. Don’t allow anything to distract you from seeking God first and hearing His voice in everything you do. He wants you to respond when he speaks. Therefore, making Him the priority of your life, bring every thought to the obedience of Christ. The word of God is so incredibly powerful and transformative. The word of God doesn’t exist so we can argue with it. It’s not up for negotiation or broad interpretation. It’s exactly what it says. It’s a touchstone of truth. It’s our strength and it is crucial for our well-being. If it’s optional for you, it can never be transformational. It’s time to replace opinions about the word with obedience to the word. The word of God resides in a place of authority, not subjectivity. It’s unchanging. Likewise, God is our stable, strong foundation that does not waver and isn’t malleable to the opinions and whims of popular culture. If we are to eliminate uncertainty and fear in our families, relationships, careers, finances, health, etc. – we must trust the Lord and hold on to His word and respond to His word accordingly. Your life will never be the same if you make the word of God a priority. God is going to touch your life today, not because of who you are, but because of who He is and His promises. There’re so many things happening around us in the world today. It’s so easy to get caught up in the world and see all the different things that are going on. There’s a constant barrage of how unsteady and unsafe, and constantly moving our world is, and yet God promises that we will not fall if we build our lives on His word (Mat. 7:24-27). He is our rock, the thing that never moves; the structure that we can count on and find ourselves attached to. He is your protection, and that’s why you don’t have to worry. Don’t fear no matter what comes against you. We have every reason to trust Him no matter what our daily circumstances may look like to our human eyes, and no matter what we may face in our personal lives. I pray that we would be awakened to the knowledge and truth of the goodness of God in all situations, and respond in accordance to His word. How will you respond to the Lord today? You can trust Him with your uncertain circumstances. You can trust Him with your present problems and future plans. Trust and obey, He is enough for you. I would like to encourage you to keep your eyes fixed and focused on your relationship with God. That’s the main reason why Jesus came and died for us so that we can be brought back into fellowship and relationship with the Lord. He’s given us His word, so we have a firm foundation to stand on, and as we truly base our lives upon the word of God, we’re going to be successful. No matter what we do, no matter what the world or our circumstances dictate, it doesn’t make a difference, the truth of God’s word surpasses everything. So, it’s important for us to stay focused on His word. Make God’s kingdom and His word your top priority. God thinks differently from us. He sees things we don’t see. He knows things we can’t even begin to imagine. That doesn’t mean we can’t change the way we think to match how He thinks, because the Bible says that we can do so. We have the mind of Christ. For, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) Having the mind of Christ means that we agree with God and His ways. We can know His thoughts. In Psalms 103 verse 7, the Bible actually says that the children of Israel knew the acts of God, but Moses knew His ways. What we see is that God revealed His ways and character to Moses. You and I are called to know the ways of God and to understand the way He thinks. So, it’s not just a matter of outlooking and saying how does God think. It’s participating in that action. And so, the question that I’m going to pose to you is what is your response? How are you going to respond to what God is about to tell you? God has declared so many wonderful things in our lives, but have we responded well? In Genesis chapter fifteen the word of the Lord came to Abram before he became Abraham. After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” What an amazing statement to hear from the Lord. But let’s look at Abram’s response. This is what Abram said, 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” What’s incredible to me about that is that God just appeared to Abram in a vision. He said I am your exceeding great reward; you’re going to inherit me. And he responded, but I have no child. Oftentimes, that’s what happens to us as we start looking at our circumstances. We look at who we are, what we have, and what we don’t have rather than what God has declared to us. I want to challenge each and every single one of us that our lives are bigger than our current situation. 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house
Think what God says you should think
“8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Phil 4:8 NIV). Thoughts of God The thoughts you think help determine the direction of your life. You can’t dwell on defeat and expect to see victory. When thoughts of worry, fear or anxiety try to take root, choose instead, the promises of God. Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. What we think is extremely important and especially what we think consistently. That doesn’t mean every little thought that goes through your mind becomes reality in your life, but certainly things that we think consistently. What should we be thinking consistently? According to this text of scripture, they are things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. God has given us power to control our thoughts, bringing every thought into line with what the word of God says. There are a lot of negative things going on around the world at the moment. You may be feeling grief and sorrowful. You may be confused and be asking; God why are these things happening? You can take control of your own thought life completely by speaking to and immediately casting down wrong thoughts and replacing them with the right thoughts listed in “Philippians 4:8”. “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). Know that God is a good God. If we think about the goodness of God, we will be able to cast off the fret and the depression and the grief and the sorrows that will come. Instead of seeing yourself poor, you can say my God shall supply all my needs. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Our supply is coming from a different source, not according to the government’s riches, not according to your employer’s or your origination’s riches, not according to your parent’s or children’s riches, but according to God’s riches in glory by Christ Jesus. “And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 9 As the scripture says, “He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.” (2 Cor. 9:8 -9). Why don’t you let these words paint a picture in your mind? People read these scriptures and yet they see themselves poor. That’s the image that they have, that’s the expectation that they have. They never expect to get out of the situation that they are in. And that’s not thinking the way God wants us to think, and that’s not meditating on the word, and that’s not focusing on God. But that’s allowing your mind to follow what other people are following. Or what other people are saying. They keep saying: There’s economic downturn, life will never return to normal, everybody is going to go through a recession. Things will come to pass exactly the way you see them. Make sure you resist negative thoughts with the word of God. Meditate on the word day and night (Ps. 1: 1-3 and Joshua 1:8). Meditation is so important. What’s meditation? You have to take the word of God and let it paint pictures on the inside of you and this takes time, but if you do this on a regular basis, it’s going to revolutionize your life. Don’t see yourself sick and don’t see yourself dying even if you’ve been diagnosed with an incurable disease. There’s power in your thinking and what you say. “As he thinks in his heart so does he become” (Pro 27:3). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit” (Pro 18:21). You can see yourself well in your thinking instead of expecting the worse. Some of you know that God has bigger plans for you than what you are experiencing. You may even know some of the details. You may know the business that He wants you to start or how He wants you to go out and minister. You have direction from the Lord, but you are not seeing it come to pass because you haven’t sat down and meditated. You haven’t pictured it to see it coming to pass. Meditate on what God has told you. Ask Him that God, here is where you want me to go, how do I get there? God will direct you exactly where He wants you to go. Focus on God and you can see things in your Spiritual womb. Keep your imagination on God and you will arrive at the right destination even in the midst of crisis. If we want to be changed then our minds should be changed before anything in our lives is going to change. And God will help us with that. He will teach us how to think. The Holy Spirit is so wonderful, and He is inside of us and He will even remind us when we are not thinking right. And He will even remind us what we should be thinking if we have enough of the word in us to rise up and confront the wrong thing. We give control of our minds to the enemy if we don’t resist wrong thoughts that come up against us. And the very best way to resist wrong thoughts is to open your mouth and speak out loud a portion of scripture that you have learned that you know confronts that wrong thoughts. And the thoughts stop immediately because if you are speaking, then it goes through your mind so the thing that the enemy is trying to put in your mind has to go away. Speak to it and immediately cast down wrong thoughts
What Is Life Really About?
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, February 9th, 2022, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK Life is not an accident. There is a purpose and meaning to every life. The meaning of life, according to the Christian faith, is ultimately found in Jesus Christ. In Him, the questions about identity, origin, meaning, purpose, and destiny are answered with profound hope. We are the beloved children of God, created by our heavenly Father to reflect His glory, walk in His love, and do His will in our lives. You see, the key to the Christian life is living out of your born-again spirit instead of your flesh. God has already prepared the good works He has for us, and He did it with the purpose that we walk in them. This message expounds on the true meaning to a fulfilled life by following the examples of believers given in the Bible. The Christian life is like an athletic program. After salvation, God sets us on a race of life. So, when we were saved, He said, “this is the direction I want you to live your life.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). This is your goal: “walk in the good works that I set for you” and “be in the race set for you.” “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1–2). In this race of life, we have encouragers. Being in the race set for us is fulfilling the purpose for which God created us. The Bible is saying, in this race there are encouragers—some pioneers have come, with their good works following them. There is a purpose for which God created every one of us, and until a person accomplishes that or is in the process of doing so, he or she will never be living an abundant life. He or she will never be living a life worth living or living a fulfilled life. You may have all the money you want, or all the relationships you want, but you wouldn’t be living the purposeful life that God gave you as a believer if you are not in the race of life set before you. That is, if you are not living in the will of God or seeking to obey Him, you will never find fulfilment. If you don’t walk in the good works that God prepared before the foundation of this earth, you will never be satisfied in life. You will never be able to fill that void with anything in life than walking in the will of God. We need to walk in the good works that God prepared for us and not to walk away from them. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Now the race of life becomes more personal when we read Hebrews 12:2: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” It’s not a matter of speed but a matter of being able to last. It’s about being able to run the whole length. In our Christian lives we also have those things that impede and hinder our walk. Anything that hinders our keeping the pace of God is a distraction. It must be laid aside or turned away from. We are to lay aside those things that hinder and distract us in our Christian walk. As we are living in the will of God, anything that hinders or gets our attention and leads us away from the will of God must be dealt with. That can be a habit in our lives. Some sport or even watching TV. Anything which is being overemphasised in our lives must be dealt with. That means, something we give special importance or value to. It may even be doubt or fear, action, attitude, or relationship. Anything that hinders, impedes, slows us down or gets us out of the will of God may have to be removed. We have to look in our own lives and say, ‘what is it in my lifestyle that hinders me or keeps me away from focusing on my God-given goal, His will or allowing Him to work His way in my life?’ We all have to examine ourselves and lay aside the sin that ensnares us. Sometimes it’s not easy to identify them. We may have some habits in our lives that have been there for years. And we may think, that’s just the way I am, but it may be retarding your spiritual walk. Sometimes it could be just a little doubt that lingers in our lives. We may think, does God even care or have a plan for my life? We sometimes make decisions and ask God to bless us, but do we ask the mind of God before we make those decisions? So, there are many areas that we can make them hinder our race and walk with the Lord. Firstly, we must examine ourselves to see what’s hindering us. Secondly, we must decide to deal with them and thank the Lord for showing us those hindrances. It may not even be deliberate or a known willful sin, but acknowledge that it’s hindering your walk and therefore, needs to be laid aside. You
Get Rid Of Your Disappointments And Regrets
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, March 16th, 2022, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK As Christians, we can become complacent and satisfied knowing that we’re going to heaven, but God wants us to live an abundant life here and now! When you have God’s double portion blessings, you can expect your life to be fuller, richer, and more satisfying. But are you willing to go after it? If you truly want a double portion from the Lord, then you’ll be willing to put your own plans aside and seek out what God has for you. It doesn’t necessarily come easy. It’s not going to come without some dedication and effort from your side. But if you are willing, like Elisha was, to chase after a double portion, the opportunity is there. God has already blessed you. His favour is on you. So, go after Him with all your heart and see what God has got in store for you! The purpose of this message is to show you how to receive a double portion of God’s blessings in your life. Living in double portion blessings means living in God’s greater blessings. This is a higher realm of living. “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours” (Isa. 61:7). This scripture says instead of your former shame, you will have a double portion and instead of humiliation, your people will shout for joy over their portion. In their land! I’m glad He didn’t say when you go to heaven. I’m sure many of you have a lot of difficult and challenging things in your life. God wants to renew your strength so you can enjoy the peaceful and joyful life He has planned for you. Go for what God has planned for you. You don’t have to settle for less than the many blessings God has for you. Your attitude of settling for less is what is keeping you from receiving the good and perfect things from God. God’s blessings are the blessings that belong to all His children. When you become born again, you are called into God’s blessings. In that place of blessings, you are favoured. Every child of God is blessed and you begin to walk in the promises of God. You are supposed to walk in good health, righteousness, and prosperity. You are a blessed person. You may be going through a couple of struggles here and there, and still going through life. And that’s where a lot of Christians are. It’s a good place to be, but there’s another realm of God blessings where only a few Christians live, and that’s God’s greater blessings. That’s a double portion blessing. The main reason we aren’t receiving His double portion blessings is because we are willing to settle for less. Very few are committed to receiving what God has for them. We have been influenced more by the world than by God’s Word and are satisfied to accept far less than what God has provided. Christians are to live an extraordinary life God designed for us to enjoy. Living in double portion blessings will not happen automatically. Only few of God’s children live in this realm. This is a place you decide how your life will be. As long as you are not eager to receive God’s double portion blessings, you will remain the same. That is an important truth. You must reach a place in life where you eagerly pursue God’s greater blessings. You must have a holy dissatisfaction with ordinary life before you can experience all that God has for you. It doesn’t happen accidentally or automatically. God wants you to have an abundant life. That includes double portion blessings (see John 10:10). You will not live in God’s double portion because you are a nice person. You will not live in God’s double portion because you are prayerful. You will not live in God’s double portion because you are born again. So many of God’s children live in His blessings, but there are greater blessings, or double portion blessings, and it takes faith to get those blessings. It takes faith, trust, and obedience to get those blessings. It takes more than just praying to receive God’s double portion. We pray but many have misconception about prayer. We think when we pray, then God does everything. When we pray, very often God shows us what we need to do. I’m not saying God doesn’t move supernaturally. The things we cannot do, He will do them for us. But if we are going to do nothing and expect God to do everything, then that’s not going to happen. You need to understand the message of faith in order to obtain God’s greater blessings. It’s just sad that so many Christians are even fighting the message of faith. Unless you’re willing to stand and fight the fight of faith, you will be overcome by this world. If you don’t stir yourself up, you will settle to the bottom. The world isn’t going to encourage you toward God’s perfect and good things that He has for you. Most Christians are not going to encourage you toward God’s greater blessings as well. Sadly, religion is one of the strongest weapons Satan is using to discourage people from believing for something more. Many churches believe that God doesn’t perform miracles today, or worse, that God is the one who wills for our lives to be in such a mess to break us. That is not true. This is where you believe ‘by His stripes you were healed.’ So, when sickness come to your body, you say no way. So many Christians, when sickness come, will say, well — sometimes up, sometimes down. I believe I will be ok, and they go through the sickness or process. Some
It’s Time To Move On
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, March 23rd, 2022, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK Are you living with regret over the time you’ve wasted, the opportunities you’ve squandered, the sins you’ve committed, and the relationships you’ve destroyed? You see, the reason so many of us never get where we’re supposed to be in life is because we don’t want to leave where we are. But so often in the plans of God, letting go is the door to your destiny. Holding onto regrets will always hold you back from living the life God wants you to live. When you focus on your past mistakes, it causes you to run from the life God created you to live. It’s a new day with a new opportunity to get your life together and move on to greater things, so don’t waste it looking back in regret! The purpose of this message is to encourage you to break free from regret to avoid missing your destiny by holding on. We all deal with missed opportunities, regrets, sorrows, and disappointments. No one is exempted. You can look back and feel sad about what you should have done, shouldn’t have done, would have done, couldn’t do, or didn’t do. But know that God can restore you. God can do more with your future than you could do if you were to live your past all over again. That’s the kind of God we serve. So, we can be free from regrets, disappointments, missed opportunities, past sins, broken relationships and many other situations that we face in our lives. We all have that. People think regret is a good thing. Of course, you shouldn’t feel good about the bad thing you did. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor. 7:10). The worldly sorrow produces death. But with godly sorrow, there’s some regret initially but it doesn’t last forever. Obviously, it’s not going to last forever because God is going to wipe every tear from our eyes when we get to heaven. So, regret is not God’s long term will for you. You can apply the full manifestation of some of the inheritance that God has for us. God wants you to move on with the life He has given you no matter what has happened in the past. Are you dealing with the loss of loved ones? This is something that there’s no escape from unless you go to heaven first. The longer you live, the more people you are going to know that pass away, and this can come with regret that you didn’t love them or show your love enough. There are all kinds of things that you think you should have done, could have done, would have done, and even just the loss itself. People are defensive, and I’m not here to say that you shouldn’t have a process to go through, but it shouldn’t last forever. Jesus wants us to be happy, Jesus wants us to be filled with joy, that’s why He comforts you when you mourn. He wraps His love around you. He said “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted” (Mat. 5:4). Jesus wants us to move on in life. I heard this testimony about a lady who was happily married and had three children. They were on a family trip and she was driving their minivan, but she fell asleep at the wheel and the van went out of control. It threw out her husband and their middle child, and they died. It was devastating. She nearly lost her mind because of not only the loss but the guilt as well. So, she was dealing with guilt and grief, and it was almost more than she could bear, but she gave herself to the Lord, and she gave herself to the word of God. Most people will think you can’t get over something like that. Maybe you shouldn’t get over something like that. You did something terrible; you will have to bear that scar for the rest of your life. And that’s where people are, and you can’t talk them out of it. That’s their decision. But I don’t believe that long term chronic grieve is God’s will for His people. Jesus wants to set you free. This lady gave herself to the Lord, she prayed, she went to Bible school, she got into the word, and four years after that accident, she got married to a new husband. God set her free. And now her new husband testified that she’s one of the happiest people he has ever met. If this woman could get over that, then you and I can get over ours. That’s what her testimony does. You may have lived a mild life compared to her. We all have disappointments and regrets. You may be saying, if you’ve been through what I have been through, then you will understand. But the Bible says there’s no temptation taken you such as it’s common to man. Some people may say, mine is special. I tell you, very few people have gone through what this lady had to deal with, but she overcame the situation. Once she shares her testimony, people begin to realise that what happened to her is worse than what is happening to them. And if she’s happy and she got over it and moved on with her life, then we all can get over ours, and move on too. It’s God in us who makes us strong and turn us into overcomers. It’s Him in us who makes us brave and courageous. It’s Him in us who gives us confidence. It’s Him in us who gives us eyes to see a hopeful future. It’s Him in us who allows us to not worry. It’s Him in us who gives us the tools to fight battles bigger than ourselves. To fight
No Regrets At The End Of This Life
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, April 6th, 2020, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK Life is full of many different pursuits and possible achievements, but as followers of Christ, how do we live our lives to reach our full potential so that, in the end, we will have no regrets? All of us have done things in our lives we wish we could do over. It may be an action that hurt us or someone else, a bad financial decision or relationship, or maybe some words we wish we could take back. All too often our lives are held captive by the actions or experiences that we regret. But the great news is that there’s hope for moving past our regrets. We must learn to let go of past mistakes, lost opportunities, and failed expectations to live richly in a present filled with hope of new possibilities. Maximising every day is key. Be encouraged to look at life now with the end in view in this message. Don’t waste your life. Live your life consciously and be aware that each moment you breathe is a gift. We must leave a legacy and fruit behind and impact our generation so that when our time to pass from this life to the next life comes, we don’t have any regrets on how we lived. We can live our lives to the full, being proud of the life that we lived, and happy with the life that we lived. Regardless of who you are, it’s imperative that you make sure that living with regret hasn’t become a subtle part of your life and how you do what you do. The Bible says in Isa. 38:1–5 that, in those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,3 “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.”And Hezekiah wept bitterly.4 Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.’” So, here’s the thing nobody wants to hear: Set your house in order, for the reality is that we are all going to die one day. It’s not a question of if we’re going to die or when we’re going to die. The appointed time to the end of this life can be unexpected — it can be the most unlikely time. Throughout history, death has become well known for turning up in unexpected time. It’s the most challenging time of this life for us. The question is, what have you done with your life? What are you doing with your life? Is your life a blessing to your generation? Hezekiah reminds me of myself, and he reminds me of so many people because when it came to the time to set his house in order, what did he pray for? He prayed for more time. When Hezekiah was about to set his house in order, the only thing on his heart was ‘I wish I had more time,’ and so God gave him more time because God is gracious. God gave him 15 more years. But I just want us to be able to meet our end — being transferred from this life to the next life — without wishing we had more time. So, if there’s something that we need to do, we should do it today. The word that is dear to the heart of God is the word “today,” but Satan’s favourite word of all words is the word “tomorrow.” Today is one of the greatest gifts God has given to mankind. “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.2 For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.’Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2) Today, don’t harden your heart while you hear His voice. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is not the day. Yesterday wasn’t the day — but today is. Tomorrow can be a dangerous word, for tomorrow has robbed many dreamers of their dreams. It has robbed students of educational achievement and career opportunities. It has kept more men and women from coming to Christ than any other word in the dictionary. Let me remind you that tomorrow will rob you of opportunities to serve the Almighty God. What’s the first thing that a man needs to fulfill his God-given purpose? What’s the first thing that a man needs to live the abundant life that God created us for? It’s a day — it’s today. As simple as that sounds, every day is a gift, and it’s so precious. God gave us structure. He gave us a day, He gave us weeks, months, and years. He gave us seasons. They all begin with a day, and that could be today. This is God’s provision for our purpose. So the first thing that a man needs to fulfill his purpose is a day. The day God puts something on your heart is the day you should start moving in that direction. I’m talking about when the Holy Spirit has put something on your heart. He’s trying to lead, guide, and direct your life — but we do nothing. Now, if there’s one thing that’s going to be responsible for change in our lives, it’s when we take immediate action to do the thing that God has revealed
God Never Forgets Your Works For Him
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, April 27th, 2020, byEvangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK Most Christians find themselves living between the “Every person, with no exception, will one day stand before God and give an account of his or her life. Some people might think; well, as long as I am going to heaven, that is enough! But simply hoping to get to heaven after death is a selfish motive that produces a selfish life. We should live for God and for His glory in response to His great love for us, and realize that we are alive for a purpose, and part of that purpose is for God to use us to help reconcile others to Him. Be conscious of a good God who gives you the grace to do good works, yet rewards you well when you use that grace! You see, many of the rewards God has for us are so great that it will take eternity to appreciate and enjoy them. The purpose of this message is to show you how God rewards you when you simply use the grace He has given you. You are so important to God. Purchased by the blood of Jesus, left on this Earth to live for Him. Christ’s coming was a surprise to many, His death and resurrection was a surprise, and what that means for us is also a surprise to many. God left us here to speak about His love and to demonstrate His love. We didn’t just get saved so we could make it to heaven. We represent Him on this earth, so He has put His spirit in us (I John 4:4, 13, 17). God has a plan for you, and it has to do with doing things in life that matter to Him. I just want to tell you that whatever you are doing, whether people appreciate you, whether they acknowledge your efforts, whether they celebrate what you’re doing or not, I want you to know that God appreciates you and that God sees everything that you do. You are important to God. He appreciates you, He will celebrate you, and so that’s what this message is about. Hebrews chapter 6:10-12 NIV says, God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. The word ‘forget’ means to lose out of mind, or to no longer care for. It’s like out of sight out of mind. Sometimes when people are right there with you and they see what you’re doing, they can appreciate your effort, they can appreciate your service, but once they walk away from you, let’s say for a few weeks or a few months or maybe even a year, it’s like out of sight out of mind. They totally forget what you’ve done, they forget what you offer, they forget the contributions that you’ve made and so God is saying that you’ll never be out of sight, and out of mind with Him. He will never lose you out of His mind, that’s what He’s saying. It says God will always care about what you’ve done for His people and what you’ve done in His name. It doesn’t have to be this grand thing because the bible says whatever you do, do as if you are doing for the Lord. It could be every day you wake up, maybe as a single parent and you take care of your children, or maybe every day as a police officer you go and you risk your life for the community, or as a good citizen, you serve the people around you. It doesn’t have to be this huge thing where you’re on the world’s stage. If you’re touching one life at a time, if you’re making small deposits in people throughout the day, the bible says that God is not unjust to actually forget what you’ve done and to forget the difference that you’re making. So, people may be unjust and they may forget what you’ve done for them, but God will never forget, and He sees and appreciates everything you’ve done even if other people don’t see and appreciate. And so, what you don’t get from people, you get it from God. Sometimes you can serve people and be a blessing to people, and they can be ungrateful. For example, you can even raise your children and then when they reach their teenage years, they don’t appreciate how long you’ve been taking care of them and how far you’ve brought them. They get to that place where maybe they’re a little bit ungrateful and they may not appreciate you as a parent. So, it doesn’t matter where you are in life, all of us experience this in one form or another, where you give your all to someone, you give your all to something that you believe in or someone you believe in and you don’t feel it’s reciprocated. They don’t appreciate or even acknowledge what you’re doing. But what God is saying here is that, don’t worry if people don’t see and appreciate what you’re doing. Don’t let that stop your love, don’t let that diminish your love. Keep loving, keep serving, keep being a blessing because I see everything you do and at the end of the day the Bible tells us that everything we do, we do it as unto the Lord anyway. Always know that God recognizes you even when you feel alone, unseen, invisible, or you feel like nobody appreciates what you’re doing. You’re not invisible. God sees everything you do, and God celebrates and appreciates
Looking Back At Life Without Regrets
A Sermon Delivered on Wednesday evening, March 30th, 2020, by Evangelist PAUL ACQUAH, Live on MZ Radio London, UK Most Christians find themselves living between the “regrets of yesterday” and the “worries of tomorrow”. Anyone familiar with the Scripture knows that this is not a part of God’s plan. In fact, the believer is to forget the past and press on without anxiety. You see, the not-so-good decisions in our lives can stay with us for years. And even after the effects have worn off, regrets can remain. It’s so easy to go back and relive memories that we aren’t proud of. And one of the biggest ways that Satan tries to get at us all is with regret. But thankfully, there are steps we can take to live without regrets. You can take solace in knowing your past does not define who you are or what God is going to do in your future. This is a message on maximising our time on earth by redeeming the time. You may ask, is it possible to live a life where you don’t have any regrets at the end? And the answer is, it’s possible. How do we do that? It’s about maximising the time that we have on this earth. And how do we maximise the time that we have on this earth? It is simply by redeeming the time. Redeeming the time is to take ownership of our time. It’s about not being distracted in life, but taking control of our time. That will enable you to live with no regrets. Let’s turn our Bibles to 2 Tim 4. I’m going to read verses 5 to 8. The apostle Paul writing to Timothy said: “5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.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” (2 Tim. 4:5-8). “The time for my departure is near”. So, here’s the thing nobody wants to hear – my life is being poured out, the time for my departure is near, my life has come to an end. The reality, however, is that we are all going to die one day. So, it’s not a question of if we’re going to die or when we’re going to die. The true thing that I want to address is how we die. In other words, what legacy are we leaving, what fruits are we leaving behind to impact our generation? When our time to pass from this life to the next life comes, will we have any regrets about how we lived? It’s possible to live for all of eternity, being proud of the life that we lived and being happy with the life that we lived. Paul reminds me of myself, and he reminds me of so many people because when it comes to the time for our departure, what will we do? What did Paul say? What did he do? Did he pray for more time? Paul didn’t pray for more time, He didn’t pray that he wanted more money, he didn’t pray for all of the things that we may think are necessary to chase after, what we call worldly success. When Paul was at the end of his life, the only thing he could say was, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. “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” (2 Tim. 4:6-8). If you were to be near the end of your life today, will you say I wished I had more time? When Paul was about to transfer from this life to the next one, the only thing on his heart was, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. I just want us to be able to meet our end, or transfer from this life to the next without wishing we have more time. And so, if there’s something that we need to do, we should do it today. If there’s someone that you love, and you haven’t told them that you love them, you should tell them you love them today. Tell them you believe in them today. Give them encouraging words today. If there’s someone that you need to forgive today, then forgive them today. Live every day like it’s your last day. That’s how you redeem the time. Live every moment to the maximum and maximize every moment you have in this life, because this life is precious and this life is not promised. We’re not going to live forever. We have a limited time on this earth. And therefore, something that’s limited is precious because it’s not unlimited – it’s not like you can just get more and more of it. There’s a set amount of time we have on this earth and that makes it precious, so we should live with our end in mind. We can look back at our lives and not have any regrets because we all have seasons of opportunities in this life. Why are some people living higher lives, and for others, life is a struggle after struggle? They are always crawling. You may be thinking, how come someone else’s life just seems to be going up high and headed to the top and I am always in a