Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Very little things God did alone if any at all. Yes, I know the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is One God - "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:" (Deut.6.4) - but when he was to create man, he says "Let us". "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen:1:26) This shows us that the plan God had for man was for man to be part of the command structure but man fell in the garden of Eden and became subservient in many ways but one. But Jesus came and died to restore man to man's original estate. So when Jesus Christ died, man died with him, when he was buried, man was buried with him and when he rose, man rose with him. "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (E

The world was dead to God. When man fell in the garden of Eden, the whole human race fell with him. Some will say that God said the man was going to die if he eats the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil but when he did he did not die. He did die but the death was a spiritual one, where we became separated from God and were now in need of a quickening. To quicken is to bring back to life, to revive or make alive. Paul the apostle says that while we were dead in sin, He made provision for us to be made alive and this He did before the foundation of the world. He quickened us in Christ Jesus "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Eph.2.5) The death of Christ brought him to the same level of deadness as we were. This was done so that when Christ is quickened, we also will be quickened with him. Hence the Bible says "hath quickened us together with Christ. You are quickened in Chri

One proof of love is consistent and unwavering mercy. Love does not love if It is not merciful. The Bible tells us that the mercies of the Lord endure forever. Most times our minds are not able to fully comprehend the import of what forever is. Someone has said that forever is a long time. No, that is not correct. Forever is everlasting, unending. And because none of us has ever seen what forever looks like or what it is measured as, we just imagine a concept that runs for as long as long can be. But forever is unending, that is how the mercies of the Lord are toward you. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us," (Eph.2.4) God is rich in mercy because He has great love. One cannot experience mercy, except there is an iota of love. Because God has great love, His mercies endure forever. A man cannot forgive his wife, nor a woman forgives her husband because there is no commensurate amount of love. Mercy can only be experienced t

"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Eph.2.3) Conversations speak of our dealings, our transactions, and our relationships. These were based on the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Our goal was to do what the flesh desires, to fulfill the desires of our mind, sensual desires instead of our spiritual desires. He says this was the way we once walked, we once conducted ourselves but not anymore. Not anymore since we got quickened by the Spirit of God (see Eph:2:1) It is one thing for one to have been quickened, it is another thing for that one to walk after the dictate of the Spirit of God that quickened one. Paul taught us in Romans that to whom you yield yourself, servant, to obey, it's whose servant you would become. What is important and we should deduce fr

Nothing is as it seems these days. If the devil came at you with horns and a garden fork, you will easily recognize him for who he is. If temptation came your way labeled as temptation, you will most likely resist it. The prince is a spirit that works in the children of disobedience. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" (Eph.2.2) He may come to you as a prince but his workings are those that disobey God. What this means is that the devil will come to you clothed in what will entice you and appeal to your weakness. To Eve in the garden, he introduced the fruit so that she saw it as "good for food and pleasant to the eyes". (see Gen:3:6) This spirit that works in the children of disobedience is dressed as a prince. The Bible says that Satan does this all the time. The devil is playing dress-up to suck you in &

Christ is the center of the world. He is the center of human existence. Christ Jesus is that point where the past and the future meet the present. And the church is His body and He does not speak, acts, and fill all things with His presence without His body, the church. The church is not peripheral to the world, it is not at the edge or a corner of civilization but in fact, is the center of it "The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence." (Eph.1.23 MSG) One reason God expects the church to take her rightful place at the center is that it is through the church that Christ speaks and acts. It is through the church that Christ fills everything with His presence. So when we shy away from politics, it becomes difficult for Christ to fill it with His presence. When we stay back from governance, Christ can't

You are very important but the world does not revolve around you. We are only a very minute speck in the grand scheme of things. God is in charge of everything and He has the final word on everything. Many of us may find this a little hard to believe because in our mind, we think we are in charge, we've got this, that, and the other under control but if the truth were to be told, God is in charge of it all and has the final word on everything. "He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church." (Eph.1.22 MSG) This is not to excuse us from responsibilities but to rather put things in perspective. Let us know who to run to when situations and circumstances seem to overwhelm us. We may have delegated authority but God has the final word on everything. And because we know that God loves us and will always have our best interest at all times, we can truly trust Him with being in charge. It should be

When Jesus died and rose again, the Bible tells us that God sets him over all things in the heavenly place from where he runs everything. Ephesians:1:20-21 tells us that much. And from this heavenly place, he runs everything "in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever" (Eph.1.21 MSG) If someone had told me that Christ was in charge of running the universe, I would not have a problem with that. The universe seems to run seamlessly. That much my mind can accept without questions. But it didn't stop there, it says he runs governments too. Now my mind is contracted, trying to find a place for that truth to rest and find a foothold. I looked at governments around the world that are nothing short of evil and I asked myself, "is Christ running such also? But we shouldn't forget that best pictures are painted against contrasting backdro

If only we truly know the amount of power, God's power that we carry as believers! There is tremendous power available in and for us. Power to be good, to do good, to heal, to raise and uplift. There is power in you. Paul's prayer for the believer among other things included that the believer will know and understand the immeasurable and unlimited power and surpassing greatness of God's power in the believer. "And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, (Eph.1.19 Amp ) We do not yet know the amount of power that we carry. Paul also told us that it is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. I pray that we do not just talk about this power but that we experience it. In the previous verse, we are told how to access this power. It says that our eyes should be "flooded with light." &qu

Eyes that look are many but the ones that see are few. What you see most time is as a result of focus. You could miss something that is right there because you were not looking for it. The challenge is that we are missing out on what God intends for us to see because we do not even know what to look out for. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." (1Cor.2.9) Eyes have not seen... This is the way the Apostle Paul puts it. Why?  Because we are not focused on what the lord is focused on. Paul, the Apostle says he prays that your eyes are focused and clear. Why? So that you will see exactly what it is God is calling you to do. "your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians(Eph.1.18 MSG) God wants you to not only see what He

The Apostle Paul taught us to think and then thank God. Then he went further to say, I do not only think and thank God, I ask. I am not ungrateful for what God has done. I think about it, then I thank God but because I need more, I ask. It is one thing to be grateful to God for the things God has done but because I need more, I ask God for more. My gratefulness for the little things is a license for God to do greater things. What do you want to ask God to do for you as you go forward into the new year? "But I do more than thank. I ask--ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory--to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally," (Eph.1.17 MSG) We have not because we ask not. (see James:4:2) If you want to have then you have to ask. Jesus said ask and it shall be given unto you (see Matthew:7:7) Asking is equally as important as what you asked for.  It is interesting to note what the Apostle Paul asked for. He did not ask for cars

I want to ask you to do a little exercise with me today. I want you to think of the good things that God has done for you, all the bad things that could have happened but did not happen. After you've thought about these things I want you to thank God because if you can think, then you can thank God. The Story is told of this lady who thought nothing was working for her. She thought of ending it all, taking her life but before that, she went to speak to this Minister. The Minister asked her to carry out a little exercise. He asked to take a sheet of paper and rule a line in the middle dividing the paper in two. On the one part, she wrote all the things she was grateful for and on the other part, all the things she thought weren't working for her. By the time she was done, she was surprised that she had more things working in her favour than against her. If you can think, you can thank. The Apostle Paul taught a very important lesson in our text: "I couldn'

Trust is first and foremost about trustworthiness. You cannot be trusted if you are not trustworthy. Jesus is trustworthy. You can invest your trust in him and you will not be put to shame. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise," (Eph.1.13) Who you trust is very important, in all of life's endeavours. If you trust the wrong person, it could spell doom in life or business. The Apostle Paul says it this way, 'for I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded. He says this Is the reason he is not ashamed. "For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (2Tim.1.12) This throws up two very important ingredients that strengthen trust. One is knowle

Jesus Christ is central to who we were, are, and are going to be. Yes, who we were. This is so because the person we used to be led us to who we are now and the person we are now will lead us to who we are going to be. At the core, we are who we will always be. But the decisions we make along the way brought about where we are per time. That tells us that decision is a very vital part of becoming who we were meant to be. Watch your decisions, they make or mar you. Our decision determines whether or not we will come into our inheritance. As long as you are in Christ, you have an inheritance. The scriptures say: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" (Eph.1.11) Your inheritance is in him and this has been predestinated by the purpose that God has in store for you. God will align and arrange situations and circumstances along your way that will br

One fundamental question we ask is, what is the will of God for my life? Knowing the will of God is central to doing the will of God. If you don't know it, how will you be able to do it? The will of God is not something we find out from reading textbooks. In fact, the Apostle Paul asked the question: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1Cor.2.16) It has always been the pursuit of man to find out what the will of God is, as there is a certain peace that comes when one is in the center of God's will. Conversely, that peace is forfeited when you are not in the will of God. Prov.25.2 tells that: "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. So when God makes his will known to us, it comes to us as a mystery. "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:" (Ep

Can you come up with just one scenario in your life where you think God is incapable of taking care of you? Some would say it does not exist; but if you are capable of coming up with one such scenario, what it means is that you need a better perception of the abilities of your God. God's got you covered. Case in point, when He created Adam in the garden of Eden, He created him on the sixth day by design because by then everything man would ever need would have been readied. And when it appeared as though the man needed something that God seem not to have taken into account, He created her. God's got you covered. "GOD said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." (Gen.2.18) When this need arose, it was to prove to man, that there is never a need that will arise in his life that God will not be able to take care of. "He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need," (Ep

Some would say, "Not once did we see the disciples of Jesus plead the blood of Jesus. Neither did we see the Apostle Paul plead the blood of Jesus. I wonder where we get the notion of pleading the blood of Jesus in the place of prayer? I see in Revelation that they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev.12.11) The blood of Jesus is a powerful resource made available for the believer to make use of. Here in our text, we see two benefits of the blood of Jesus Christ. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Eph.1.7) Our redemption is in him. "In whom we have redemption through the blood. Redemption is one of the many things that the blood of Jesus provides for us. Our redemption settles our position wi

It was Jesus who told us that anyone who came to God through him will in no wise be cast out.  That means acceptance in the sight of God Is found in Jesus Christ the son. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." (John.6.37 This is one reason I know that I have been accepted by God because God accepts Jesus and if God accepts Jesus Christ and I am in him, then God accepts me. "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Eph.1.6) I am not trying to keep myself from falling. I live as responsible as possible as I can but the one who keeps and upholds me from falling is Christ Jesus. He says anyone who comes will not in any wise be cast out. I believe what the word of God says. Christ will not for any reason cast me out, all he requires of me is to come to him. Paul says this is to the praise of the glory of his grace. When I am standing, it

I am reminded of the passage of scripture that says "In him, we live, and move and have our being". Our very existence begins and ends in him. Little wonder Hebrews tell us that he is the author and the finisher of our faith. (See Heb:12:2) "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts.17.28) This ascertains that our existence is in Him. He is our beginning and our ending. We began in him and in him, we will end. This is a privilege that we have been accorded those who have made Christ their  Lord and Saviour. And this privilege guarantee's us certain benefits. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" (Eph.1.4) In Him, we are chosen. Jesus said we did not choose Him but that He chose us. (See John:15:16) He chose us before the foundation of the world. He c

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Eph.1.3) We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. All of these blessings are in heavenly places. This is important to grasp because this means there is no blessing that you need that is not already available to you in heavenly place in Christ. But availability is not the same as accessibility. Case in point: "And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." (Luke.15.31) The elder brother of the prodigal son had all the father's blessing available to him - "all that I have is thine" -but he lacked accessibility. That was why he said: "...and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:" (Luke.15.29) He had the blessings available but had no access. Access is only available in Christ. All of God's

"All who walk by this standard are the true Israel of God--his chosen people. Peace and mercy on them!" (Gal.6.16 msg) There is something about the land of Israel. It is home to about the two most popular religious faith. If we trace back to Abraham, one thing we will see about him is that he was a friend of God. But he also is the father of the two sons Ishmael the first son and Isaac the second and son of promise. What is interesting about the second son is beyond telling. Adam the first son, Jesus Christ the second. Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Reuben and Joseph,  Ephraim and Manasseh, Eliab and David. And the list is long enough to show a pattern. The blessing seems to rest on the second son. In all the examples given above,  we could see God by-passing the first sons and giving the blessing to the second. Jacob helps us see this pattern better in Genesis 48. "Then Joseph took the two boys, Ephraim with his right hand setting him t

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." (Gal.6.15) The "in Christ" experience is better experienced than explained. Everything God has for the believer can only be enjoyed "in Christ". God will not bless you outside of Christ. Little wonder we are told that we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Eph.1.3) Circumcision was the premise upon which 'salvation' was obtained in the olden days as this was the token of the covenant between God and Abraham. So everyone who was to identify with God through Abraham had to go through circumcision. God gave that instruction to Abraham "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall