Short Powerful Sermons. Heart Touching Prayer Points. Daily Inspirational Short Devotional Messages.

" How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" -  John 5  Verse  44 (NIV) Praise can come either from men or from God.  People will praise you; it's their choice and right to do so. People, even Christians, may also flatter you. It matters a lot how you handle the praise directed to you . In the verse above, Jesus warned his audience against accepting praise from one another. What this means is:  let not people's praise get to your heart (or head). Allow people to praise you. Be grateful about that and thank them most  sincerely . But let it not inflate your ego. In the same verse, Jesus underscored the need for people to make an effort to  obtain  the praise that comes from the only God . This is an important instruction. Never waste your time trying to obtain the praise that comes from men; that won't do you any good. Instead, make ...

"I have no greater  joy  than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" -  3 John 1  Verse  4 (NIV)   No greater joy. Glory to God! This is how John's children (Christians) gave him the greatest joy ...  walking in the truth. This shows how important it is for Christians to always walk in the truth. It should be our number one priority, an indispensable passion; there indeed can't be an alternative top mission for us! If seeing his children walk in the truth gave John so much joy, how much more will it give joy to Christ to see Christians walking in His likeness!  Do you desire to please God? If so, then there is no other way you could achieve this except by walking in the truth daily. Somebody may say, "I want to walk in the truth but do not know what truth is." So did Pilate. "What is truth?" Pilate asked (see John 18:38, NIV). Dictionary.com  defines truth as  " the true or actual state of a matter." So, when ...

"If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!" - Galatians 1 Verse 9 (NIV) You need to be careful about the kind of gospel that you embrace.  Paul warned Galatians about some preachers who were in the habit of peddling  'a different gospel'   which is  'really no gospel at all'   (see Galatians 1:6-7) . We have such preachers in our midst today. To demonstrate how dangerous and unwanted their gospel is, Paul wished its peddlers would be  'eternally condemned!' unless they quickly realize their folly and mend their ways. The peddlers of such a gospel lead many astray ... into condemnation and spiritual death; this obviously is against God's plan for mankind! This other gospel is not, and will never be, in your interest!  You need to see through it. Action point [top priority]:   Adopt the habit of verifying from the Bible every teaching that you receive  from a...

Your age does not matter. How inspiring! The word of the LORD came to me, saying,  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."  But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." - Jeremiah 1 Verses 4-7 (NIV) That's the word of the LORD, directed at you; yes, YOU .  The LORD says, "Your age matters not to me. You've to do whatever I send you to accomplish. You may be young, you may not be popular with people, people may be looking down on you on account of your youth, but if I have chosen you, you've to  immediately embark on my assignments without hesitation. " Jeremiah said, "I am only a child." The LORD replied, "Do not say, 'I am only a ...

Some people worship God and idols (other gods) at the same time.  Such people never give themselves time and space to question their actions. Today they are in the assembly of the saints, worshiping God (or so to say); tomorrow they are holding an all-night prayer to other gods, seeking protection and guidance! Look at this: “What agreement is there between the temple of God and  idols ? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people .’" - 2 Corinthians 6 Verse 16 (NIV) Some think that worshiping God and idols at the same time provides some kind of insurance cover. In their reasoning, they say, “You never know what works. If God  doesn't  work for me, idols will; if idols don’t work for me, God will.”   What is God's position on idolatry and people who practise it? Look at this: Then the word of the LORD came to me:   "This is wh...

We normally take an idol to be an image that's separate from us; something carved out of stone or wood. However, the Bible teaches us that an idol could also be something in our hearts ; something that takes all the space within our hearts, relegating God to second, third, or fourth class. It could be a fantasy or some other bad habit. The moment that thing overtakes us and takes all of our attention, the moment that we feel we are imprisoned by it and can't get out, it becomes an idol. Nothing should be your master, except the Word of God. You should never allow alcohol, drugs, pornography, sex, wild partying, et c. to take dominion over your life.  The moment you think you can't escape from them;  they've become your gods! You might not believe that you could be your own idol.  You may have never thought of it in that way. The fact is   y ou could be your own idol .  You could be a self-worshiper, singing all the praises to yourself! Some Christians, when ...

"I declare that I am an example to the world," you may claim. The question is: What kind of example are you? Every Christian should constantly ask themselves this question: "What kind of example am I  to those around me?" It is recommended that Christians examine themselves now and again in this regard. A Christian should be a living sermon or testimony , a walking biblical message , a role model, and a free, human daily devotional . A Christian should be a written message that women, teens, and men alike may all see, read, and be inspired by. The authentic Christian life is a sermon in action. If you live this kind of life, without saying a single word those around you will see and hear your example loud and clear! "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but  set   an   example  for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." - 1 Timothy 4 Verse 12 (NIV) Set an example, be exemplary, Paul instructed Timoth...

Apart from being born again, love is what distinguishes the  body of Christ from any other body . After receiving salvation, the next thing that would delight God is for us to walk in  love . That's what I believe. Without love , the Church becomes 'technical' or 'administrative' , a mere organization no different from, say, a local Government authority.  I also believe that the Church can only function in grace only to the extent that it walks in love .  As far as I am  concerned , it would be an impossible contradiction for the Church to operate in grace without, at the same time, walking in love . The grace that we enjoy today came from  love , which was manifested by way of an act of love .  "For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son,  that whoever believes  in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3 Verse 16 (NIV). God started by 'so loving the world' . "Greater  love  has ...

The Easter holiday is a time for celebration the world over.  Both Christians and non-Christians celebrate it, but for different reasons and in different ways. Some even use the holiday for celebrations that provoke God to anger. But for Christians , this is a time of reflection, of reliving the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In it we should be able to see a miracle of miracles.  What Jesus did was not done for its own sake. As He went through the pain and suffering, the only thing that made Him go on was us, you and me, the reason for His mission. But what, in practical terms, does Easter mean?  Look at this:  "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." - Romans 6...