Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,

A light to my path alway,

To guide and to save me from sin,

And show me the heav’nly way.

Thy Word have I hid in my heart,

That I might not sin against Thee;

That I might not sin, that I might not sin,

Thy Word have I hid in my heart.

Forever, O Lord, is Thy Word

Established and fixed on high;

Thy faithfulness unto all men

Abideth forever nigh.

At morning, at noon, and at night

I ever will give Thee praise;

For Thou art my portion, O Lord,

And shall be through all my days!

Thro’ Him Whom Thy Word hath foretold,

The Savior and Morning Star,

Salvation and peace have been brought

To those who have strayed afar.

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Video: Jesus Is Always With You

Dear Friends,

I recently began writing a new book called "Jesus: A Man Like No Other." I am very excited about this and before I started, I went to my wife and asked her, “What was the one thing that stands out the most to her about Jesus?” Without any hesitation she said that “He was always there.” I agree, for indeed, our Lord is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

In good times and bad, Jesus is always with you. My wife then told me about a great music video called "Jesus Is Always With You" that I now want to share with you. It is my deepest prayer that this great video will help remind you that even though you may not be able to see Jesus with your natural eyes, He is with you every step of the way.

He is rejoicing in happiness right alongside you and wiping away your tears when you are sad. I promise that this four minute video will touch your heart just like it did mine. Be sure to share it with someone else who needs to know that Jesus is always by their side.

You are not alone. Jesus will always be there for you no matter what happens. So, be rest assured that you are safe wherever you may go. For He promised, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20 NIV).

Thank you and God bless.

** By Randall J. Brewer **

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Lies Of The Devil

One day, a young woman raised in a Christian home was asked by her pastor if she was born-again. “Of course, I am born-again. I am a true child of God,” she responded confidently.

The pastor smiled warmly and asked further, “how do you know you are born-again?”

“Well, it’s obvious as everyone can see. I am good, decent, disciplined, kind and loving person. Besides, I go to church regularly. These make me a good Christian,” she replied with excitement.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Feeling guilty for lying to her boss, a woman went to her pastor for counselling. “I had lied to my boss to avoid being fired, and now I feel guilty before God,” she admitted in tears after telling him what had happened in the office. “Please pastor, what do I do?”

“Is that why you are crying?” the pastor queried with a soothing smile. “You should understand that no human can live without sin. Besides, lying to your boss is just a little sin. You only said that to protect yourself from any misfortune. It doesn’t matter; God understands.”

The foregoing interactions reveal how the devil, the old evil genius, the master of deception and all evil machinations, the brilliant mastermind of revolts and rebellion against God, and a professional trickster, tricks people with his lies, giving them a false hope of eternal life. You must understand that he has nothing to offer you.

Being the archenemy of man, his major goal is to destroy lives, and he does this through his subtle, skillful but destructive lies (John 10:10). Jesus says, “There is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Imagine the damnable lie he told the woman who had lied to her boss through the pastor that no human can live in this world without committing sin, and that “a little sin” doesn’t matter, justifying the woman’s action. To say a person can’t do without sinning is simply underestimating the power of God’s grace.

The Bible tells us that the moment you are born-again, you are free from sin because you are regenerated and quickened by the grace of God, you have Christ formed in you, and you are made a partaker of God’s nature. You don’t live, walk, give yourself or continue in sin because you are under the influence of the Spirit, power and grace of God which preserve you from the temptations of the devil, pollution of the world and corruptions of your own heart (1 John 3:9).

Moreover, there’s no big or little sin. Sin is sin! So what you call a little alcohol, a little lust, or a little lie will damn your soul because “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). God never takes any “little sin” lightly, even if it is committed to protect one’s self or to get out of trouble.

It’s also strange to believe that being kind, generous, disciplined and regular in church without assurance of salvation qualify you as a Christian. Being nice or religious is not the same thing as being born-again. Substituting salvation with a good religious and moral lifestyle is another lie of the devil.

The Bible teaches that everyone needs salvation because we were all born in sin; we were all sinners by nature (Romans 3:23), and to be born-again simply means to repent of or turn away from all your sins.

Six (6) steps are involved in true repentance:

1 Recognizing you are a sinner (Psalm 38:18)

2 Confessing your sins to God in prayer, asking for His forgiveness (1 John 1:9)

3 Forsaking those sins (Proverbs 28:13)

4 Believing you have been forgiven (Romans 8:1-2)

5 Accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, and living a righteous life (1 John 4:14-15)

6 Reconciling with those you have wronged by righting your wrongs (Numbers 5:6-7; Matthew 5:24; Luke 19:8).

If you haven’t taken these steps, you are not born-again and no amount of good deeds, religious activities or moral uprightness can cancel out the debts of your sins.

Finally, the Word of God never teaches eternal security – once you are born-again, you are forever born-again – even if you sin at will or occasionally after you professed to be born-again. If you believe you are secured eternally and lead a sinful life, then you have been brainwashed by agents of the devil. Anyone who had repented of his or her sins and believed in Jesus at one time or the other can backslide.

The Bible uses expressions such as “left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4); “depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1); “put hand to the plough and looking back” (Luke 9:62); and “the dog is turned to his own vomit again…" (2 Peter 2:22) to tell us that you can lose your salvation or any other Christian experience you have. Luke 9:62 categorically says that when this happens, you are unfit for God’s kingdom – heaven.

So friend, don’t allow yourself to be deceived by the lies of the devil. If you are not born-again, repent of your sins now and accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. And if you are born-again already, don’t fall into sin and damn your soul. Be wise!

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

The Christian’s Obligation To The Lord

Text: Matthew 25:14-30

All believers have a responsibility to fulfill the purpose of God for the Church in the world. Having accepted the gospel and becoming children, they must accept the obligation of passing the message of salvation to other people.

God expects every believer to join in the urgent task of rescuing those on the path of destruction.

The Lord has endowed every one of His children with certain gifts, abilities and talents to enable them serve Him. These talents, which include ability to preach, teach, evangelize, help, provide succor, etc., are to be deployed for the benefit of other people. Also, the blessings of God are not to be selfishly kept to ourselves, but to be used to expand His kingdom; we receive to give.

As love prompted God’s great gift of His Son, so His love in our hearts should prompt us to give, minister and engage in loving services in the church for the welfare and happiness of other people. Our commitment should constrain us to evangelize, invite people into the church, warmly receive and care for new church comers and cultivate their friendship.

We must also not default in paying our tithes and offerings for the support of the local church and mission work.

As committed members of the body of Christ, we must be true and faithful ambassadors of Christ by upholding the teachings of the Bible. If we are faithful and the Lord meets us so, we shall be greatly rewarded when He comes to take home His own.

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Welcome To August!

From The Truth Media family,

Happy New Month!!!

I’ve seen the ways of the humble and just,

How they March through grace to August;

Though sometimes are weary but never weak,

They in the Lord abide and remain meek.

When trials fester and persecutors pester,

They stand resolute and bold as Esther,

Confidence reposed in the King of kings,

Knowing that triumph is what He gladly brings.

Let this mind be in you this August

And not to delight in contention or lust;

Sow for yourself righteousness

And reap the fruit of love and God’s goodness.

Another month, another blessing,

Another month of progressing.

Welcome to August!

*** Written by Michael Olajubu alias Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

There Is No Wisdom In Sin

The world has divided men into two classes, the stupid good people and the clever wicked ones.

This false classification runs through much of the literature of the last centuries from the classics to the comic strip, from Shakespeare’s Polomus, who furnished his son with a set of good but dull moral platitudes, to Capp’s Li’l Abner, who would never knowingly do a wrong act but who would rather fall on his head than on his feet because there is more feeling in his feet than in his head.

In the Holy Scriptures things are quite the opposite. There righteousness is always associated with wisdom and evil with folly. Whatever other factors may be present in an act of wrongdoing, folly is one that is never absent. To do a wrong act a man must for the moment think wrong; he must exercise bad judgment.

If this is true then the devil is creation’s prime fool, for when he gambled on his ability to unseat the Almighty he was guilty of an act of judgment so bad as to be imbecilic, He is said to have had a great amount of wisdom, but his wisdom must have deserted him at the time of his first sin, for surely he grossly underestimated the power of God and as grossly overestimated his own. The devil is not now pictured in the Scriptures as wise, only as shrewd. We are warned not against his wisdom but against his wiles, something very different.

Sin, I repeat, in addition to anything else it may be, is always an act of wrong judgment. To commit a sin a man must for the moment believe that things are different from what they really are; he must confound values; he must see the moral universe out of focus; he must accept a lie as truth and see truth as a lie; he must ignore the signs on the highway and drive with his eyes shut; he must act as if he had no soul and was not accountable for his moral choices.

Sin is never a thing to be proud of. No act is wise that ignores remote consequences, and sin always does. Sin sees only today, or at most tomorrow; never the day after tomorrow, next month or next year. Death and judgment are pushed aside as if they did not exist and the sinner becomes for the time a practical atheist who by his act denies not only the existence of God but the concept of life after death.

History is replete with examples of men whose intellectual powers were great but whose practical judgment was almost nil: Einstein, for instance, who was a mathematical genius but who could not look after his own bank account and who absent-mindedly ran his little motorboat aground with the excuse that he “must have been thinking about something else.” We can smile at this, but there is nothing humorous about that other class of men who had brilliant minds but whose moral judgment was sadly awry. To this class belong such men as Lucretius, Voltaire, Shelley, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman and thousands of others whose names are less widely known.

The notion that the careless sinner is the smart fellow and the serious-minded Christian, though well-intentioned, is a stupid dolt altogether out of touch with life will not stand up under scrutiny. Sin is basically an act of moral folly, and the greater the folly the greater the fool.

It is time the young people of this generation learnt that there is nothing smart about wrongdoing (sin) and nothing stupid about righteousness. We must stop negotiating with evil. We Christians must stop apologizing for our moral position and start making our voices heard, exposing sin for the enemy of the human race which it surely is, and setting forth righteousness and true holiness as the only worthy pursuits for moral beings.

The idea that sin is modern is false. There has not been a new sin invented since the beginning of recorded history. That new vice breaks out to horrify decent citizens and worry the police is not really new. Flip open that book written centuries ago and you will find it described there. The reckless sinner trying to think of some new way to express his love of iniquity can do no more than imitate others like himself, now long dead. He is not the bright rebel he fancies himself to be but a weak and stupid fellow who must follow along in the long parade of death toward the point of no return.

If the hoary head is a crown of glory when it is found in the way of righteousness, it is a fool’s cap when it is found in the way of sin. An old sinner is an awesome and frightening spectacle. One feels about him much as one feels about the condemned man on his way to the gallows. A sense of numb terror and shock fills the heart. The knowledge that the condemned man was once a red-cheeked boy only heightens the feeling, and the knowledge that the aged rebel now beyond reclamation once went up to the house of God on a Sunday morning to the sweet sound of church bells makes even the trusting Christian humble and a little bit scared. There but for the grace of God goes he.

I am among those who believe that Western civilization is on its way to perishing. It has many commendable qualities, most of which it has borrowed from the Christian ethic, but it lacks the element of moral wisdom that would give it permanence. Future historians will record that we of the ‘twenty-first’ century had intelligence enough to create a great civilization but not the moral wisdom to preserve it.

** Written by Aiden Wilson Tozer (A.W. Tozer) **

*** From the Book - "Man: The Dwelling Place of God" ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ.

The Will Of God For Believers

A remarkable difference between a believer in Christ and the unregenerated is the former’s total yieldedness to the will of God.

The sinner by nature cannot obey or carry out God’s will. He or she is controlled by self-will – the will of man – and daily desires to satisfy the cravings of the flesh. But as for the believer, his/her heart thirsts and pants after God’s will for therein lies his or her victory and success in life.

The true believer, like his/her Master and Saviour, declares plainly to all and sundry in words and deeds: “my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work. I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 4:34, 5:30).

To glorify and worship the Lord in thoughts, words and deeds are the believer’s ambitions. Moreover, through prayer, diligent searching of the Scriptures and counseling from Spirit-filled Bible believing Christian leaders, the true believer finds out what the will of God is for him/her in every area of his/her life. His/her understanding of what the will of God is for his/her makes him/her to be more committed in doing it.

However, God’s revealed will for us may be contrary to our expectations, unpleasant to the flesh and dissatisfying to well-wishers and sympathizers. Yet, true believers will receive this with joy and “in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning them” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

It is God’s will that we should be sanctified and live in holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Also, the uprightness of character that God expects us to maintain in our relationship to sinners and rulers is explicitly outlined in 1 Peter 2:11-17. Our consecration and commitment to holy living and obedience to civil authorities, as much as this does not conflict with the Scriptures, is part of God’s will for us in order to silence the ignorant and the foolish.

Nevertheless, we are not to be conformed to this world as we are but strangers and pilgrims here on earth. Essentially, whatever will take salvation from us, defeat our testimony in Christ or diminish God’s glory in our lives is not the will of God.

As Christians, it behooves on us to daily examine ourselves whether we are still in the faith and doing the will of God. For those who know and do God’s will are those that Christ recognizes as His brother, sister and mother (Mark 3:35; Matthew 12:50; Luke 8:21).

Mere profession of Christ as Lord, regular church attendance, giving of tithes and offerings, attending vigils and engaging in other church programs do not guarantee entrance into the kingdom of God. Only those who do the will of God will abide in the presence of the Lord forever.

Now, in all honesty and sincerity of heart ask yourself this question: are you doing the will of God for your life?

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Search Me, O God

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;

Try me, O Lord, and know my thoughts I pray;

See if there be some wicked way in me,

Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy Word, and make me pure within;

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;

Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender - Lord, in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;

Send a revival - start the work in me:

Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;

For blessing now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ.

Is Your God Able To Deliver?

A Christian who cowers with fear and trepidation at all threats and challenges of life really doesn’t know the God he or she claims to serve.

Such a Christian is one the Lord describes as, “O, ye of little faith” and is not deeply rooted and built up in Christ nor established in the faith that moves mountains. The body of Christ doesn’t rejoice in cowardice for we have not been given the spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

We should know that there will always be oppositions and daunting times in every believer’s life. Daily, our adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He is still in the business of killing, stealing and destroying the souls of men (John 10:10), and his major and only target are the very elects of God who have chosen to live by the Spirit and are dead to the works of the flesh.

It is undeniable that our Christian walk can never be devoid of trials and adversity, “for we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Even the Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Truly, only in Christ do we have lasting victory over the world’s difficulties and troubles. To trust in the arm of flesh is to settle for disappointments, depression and despair. But no true child of God ever knows defeat for his or her trust and confidence is in the Lord, God Almighty (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

This brings to memory the uncommon and uplifting story of the three Hebrew brothers – Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah – and how mightily God works for them that solely trust in Him. There’s no one who ever reads the Bible, even the book of Daniel 3:1-30 and would doubt the unrivaled power of the Most High God.

King Nebuchadnezzar openly put to test the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (as we all know them to be called) and wanted to know if their God was able to deliver. As the incident was recorded, King Nebuchadnezzar had made an image of gold and ordered all his provincial officials to worship it and warned that whoever does not worship the image will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.

The three Hebrew brothers with knowledge of God’s clear command in Exodus 20:1-5, 34:14-17, knew better not to worship a man-made god with eyes but cannot see, with ears but cannot ear and with mouth but cannot talk. To shorten the story, these brothers defied the King’s order and were thrown into the furnace. Then the miraculous happened afterwards.

What, however, strikes the mind is the Kings query when the brothers defied his order. King Nebuchadnezzar asked, “Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:13-15).

Have you ever been in a situation where your faith is put to severe test? Your salary hasn’t been paid for months and your rent is due, your partner’s business isn’t as vibrant as it was, your child’s school tuition fee is impending and you are running out of stock for food. You ask a colleague for loan and he or she is requesting a nonnegotiable thirty percent interest on principal every month. Your siblings and relatives all exhume excuses with global economic cash crunch.

For want of alternatives, you ask few neighbors around and one of them puts it straight to your face, “but I thought you are a Christian and all these are happening to you. Don’t you pray? Why not ask your God for help?” You look at all sides and see no one to turn to. And here the devil rejoices at your calamity, asking you this same question, what god will be able to deliver you from my hand?

Dear brethren, learn from the Hebrew brothers and be strengthened by the example of their faith. And they responded, “We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18).

Time and again has history revealed that they that know their God are strong and shall not be moved by the schemes of mean men or by threats and trials from the evil ones. They are not one to faint or falter in the days of adversity and times of troubles (Proverbs 24:10).

They are as brave lions that are never shaken. They have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they have no fear and in the end, they always look in triumph on their foes (Psalm 112:6-8). Now, the question is do you know the God you claim to serve? Is your God able to deliver?

But for those who do know their God and trust in Him, this is what He says to you, “I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you… I will give you praise and honour in every place you have suffered shame… and among all the people of the earth when I restore your fortunes before very eyes,” says the Lord (Zephaniah 3:18).

Don’t you believe it? If truly you do, then, have faith! The Lord is at work and He is able to deliver and save you from all your troubles.

*** Written by Michael Olajubu aka Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Is Your Church A Lifeboat Or A Love Boat?

Aside the huge, ultramodern edifices, massive congregations, popularity of denominations and reputation of pastors that characterize the cynosure of modern day churches, is there an ounce of assurance for your church to be seen as a lifeboat church or a love boat church?

Such a thoughtful question as this requires an urgent response from church leaders and pastors on whom the destinies of several lives rest upon their shoulders by their calling (Acts 20:28).

Image Credit: Christian Media Magazine

Morton T. Kelsey, an Episcopal priest and religious writer, once said, “The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.” This assertion depicts the church as a lifeboat launched to rescue the helpless, depressed, hopeless, weary, and all manner of troubled souls needing resuscitation.

I couldn’t agree more with this stirring portrayal of the church as lifeboat (though some see the church as a love boat), for the Lord of the church did say “come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

History reveals that the church is depicted by the symbol of a boat, and in view of its maiden conception, a vessel of salvation (lifeboat); but to add plausibly in view of present realities, a vessel of entertainment and pleasure (love boat).

From the standpoint of the 21st century church, the concern that begs attention is whether the church is conscious, fervent and dutiful about the “Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). We are, sadly, in an era where it has become difficult to place a clear distinction between worldly organizations and the church.

There is an obvious but saddening shift in priority where the focus and consistent message from the pulpit is on prosperity and not power of the Triune God; mammon and not meekness and mercy; ease of life and not eternity; happiness (secondary and transient) and not holiness of life and joy in the Holy Ghost.

These are some of the concerns where, in fact, the world is in dire need of a lifeboat church as opposed to a love boat church. What then is a lifeboat church or a love boat church?...Please click this link to read full article: http://bit.ly/2uktyzq

** Written by Michael Olajubu alias Jacobs Adewale (Admin) **

*** Originally shared on Christian Media Magazine ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ