Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

When Caleb and Joshua came back with the other spies and told the people that they were able to take the land of promise despite the so-called giants the remaining ten spies complained about, they were foreshadowing our text. Granted, scripture is replete with stories with such lessons, they all were also pointing us to learn this lesson. "Don't be intimidated by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself." (Phil.1.28 NLT) Don't be intimidated by your enemies. That suggests that they may appear intimidating but refuse to be intimidated. Refuse to let the enemy see you sweat. Don't flinch or dodge before opposition. Don't be frightened by anything by the opponent Paul told us the reason for this. He says God has not given us the spirit of timidity.  "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear...

Suicide is never an option but a desire to that effect is a daily reality for most people. The Apostle Paul tells us that he had suicidal tendencies. Maybe his was a passive one - that is, wanting to die without having a plan. Now we must understand that the Apostle Paul spent a better part of his life in prison. He wrote this letter from prison to the Philippines. And he may not have had it easy. He says he had a hard choice to make, either to break camp here and be with Christ or stay here. And that some days, he could think of nothing better. Hmm "Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better". (Phil.1.23 MSG) Another very prominent Bible character that expressed this desire was Elijah. After he had slain 400 prophets of Baal and Queen Jezebel was after him.  "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for ...

It is true that when the purpose of a thing is known abuse is inevitable. It is also true that when the purpose of a thing is known, fear takes a back seat. The subject of death has held many in the grip of fear. The Bible talks about those who are subject to bondage as a result of the fear of death all their lives. "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Heb.2.15) But the Apostle Paul is one of the Bible characters that addressed the subject of death from the place of knowing. He spoke without fear when he spoke of death. He said in our text that if he dies, he is the bounty for Christ. "Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose." (Phil.1.21 MSG ) He says if he is alive, he is the messenger of Christ. He knows that living will allow him to continue to be of service to the kingdom of God. But if he dies, it is gain for his Master Jesus Chri...

The Apostle Paul used three very strong phrases to describe how much he does not want to be a disgrace or be put to shame. He says in keeping with his 1) eager desire, 2)persistent expectation, and 3) hope that he shall not disgrace himself. Paul is the Apostle of grace so if he says he does not want to disgrace himself, we should listen. And for this disgrace not to happen, he is eagerly desiring, persistently expecting, and hoping that he will with the utmost freedom of speech and unfailing courage magnify, glorify and praise Christ in his body "This is in keeping with my own eager desire and persistent expectation and hope, that I shall not disgrace myself nor be put to shame in anything; but that with the utmost freedom of speech and unfailing courage, now as always heretofore, Christ (the Messiah) will be magnified and get glory and praise in this body of mine and be boldly exalted in my person, whether through (by) life or through (by) death." (Phil.1.20 A...

Have you been in a situation that did not seem to or look like it was going to work out in your favour? There is a power available to the believer when the believer prays. And because we pray, and through the help of the Spirit of Jesus, we know that it is going to turn out in your favour. "because I know how it's going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done". (Phil.1.19 MSG) There is a knowing that should attend your prayers. This knowing is what we call faith. Paul the Apostle says because I know... This knowing is at first abstract before it becomes concrete or tangible. It is first inward as a result of a fellowship that exists between you and God. And this fellowship creates a knowing that not only can God do it but that He will do it. He says this prayer is faithful... Prayer is faithful when it is consistent and when it is tenacious a...

This is a worthy verse to not only school yourself on but to pray on regularly. The prayer began in the previous verse where the Apostle Paul began to pray. And it says to not only love much but well. And here it says that: “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ" (Phil.1.10) Imagine what your life would turn out to be if you approve only excellent things? That is, your actions will exceed the ordinary. Oh!, that that will be your desire and your quest. How does one achieve a life of excellence? The Apostle Paul was praying for the Philippian church and his pray was that they will approve excellent things. So that is a good place to start. Pray that you may approve excellent things. And then he went further to say to fill one's mind with excellent thoughts. "And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and ho...

Love is the signpost of true discipleship. It is the law of the New Testament. Jesus said in John.13.34 - "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way, I loved you, you love one another." And the next verse says that it is by love that "everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other." (John.13.35) Love is important. More important than faith, more important than hope (see 1Cor:13:13) As a result the Apostle Paul prays that we love very well. "So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings" (Phil.1.9 MSG) He prays that we do not only love much but well. What does it mean to love much? Jesus told a story of a lady who was forgiven much and therefore loved much. This would suggest a love that reciprocates. An obligatory love, though not compe...

Faith is confident reassurance that God will do what He says He will do. At different places, the Apostle Paul would say "we know..." but here he says "being confident of this very thing. Where is your confidence? Where do you have your confidence? God is the most dependable you can find anywhere, anytime, and any place. You can count on Him. I don't know what you're going through but of this, you must be confident, God is dependable. "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" God is a God who watches over His word to perform it. One reason you can conveniently count confidently on God is that He does not begin what He has not ended. He is the Beginning and the Ending. He is not just the Beginning without the Ending, neither is He the Ending without the Beginning. Every time you see Him as the beginning, you also see Him as the Ending. See some examples:...

One of the greatest forces in the world today is volunteerism. And the power behind it is that of selfless service. When we put in our hands to work, whether in church or secular responsibility, one word should greet our services at all times and that should be a faithful servant or dependable servant. The reason volunteering is such a strong force is that they do what they do from the place of passion. And when knowledge is added to passion, the outcome is usually incredible. "Tychicus, my good friend here, will tell you what I'm doing and how things are going with me. He is certainly a dependable servant of the Master!" (Eph.6.21 msg) Apostle Paul described this aide of his Tychicus as a dependable servant of the Master. He says, he is a dependable servant of the Master. It is noteworthy to mention that he did not refer to him as his servant but that of the Master. Whose servants are you? Do you know who your Master is? Are you dependable? It is because s...

I have had cause to go and preach at the Kirikiri Correctional Center, which is the Kirikiri prison in Lagos, Nigeria. And as we go in, a tag is handed to you with the instruction to keep it safe because without it you cannot come out. You will become a prisoner. We go in willingly knowing we are coming out. But the Apostle Paul was not a visitor to this prison, he was a prisoner for preaching the gospel. "I am in chains now for preaching this message as God's ambassador. But pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should". (Eph.6.20 NLT) I imagine what the headlines would read if a popular preacher was to be sent to prison today. There would be all sorts of insinuations and how the name of Lord and King is being dragged in the mud. But the Apostle Paul was giving prison a purpose. What have you given up for the sake of the gospel? Paul gave up his freedom. Many have given up their time, others their lives. What are you willing to walk away f...

The concept of 'praying without ceasing never ceases to boggle the mind. The picture of one staying on your knees ceaselessly just talking to the Lord is nobel but a bit unrealistic. "Also [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward (faint, lose heart, and give up). (Luke.18.1 The words 'to the effect' say a lot. This would mean, in summary, praying always. Talk to God always, often. "Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints (God's consecrated people). (Eph.6.18 Amp.) Again we see the instruction 'pray at all times, on every occasion', more of being in an attitude of prayer. That is when you know that prayer is a communion and a dialogue, where you can speak to God and He will speak back to you in...

No soldier goes to war at his own expense is the way the Apostle Paul puts it in 1 Cor:9:7 and if we are the armies of the living God, God is the one Who looks after our welfare. And this He did when He instructed us to put on the whole armour of God. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Eph.6.13) It is instructive to note that if there is a whole Armour, then there is partial armour. The word of God does not contain meaningless details. I believe the reason some have fallen and are not standing as they ought is that they have not appropriated the armour that God has made available. God did not say fast and pray so that the armour can be provided. They are available to you and all you have to do is put them on. How? Through the instrumentality of our mouth and the way, we live our lives. Just as we get salvation through believing in our heart and con...

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph.6.12) This one question I believe runs through the minds of many believers. Someone had asked, "if the devil is defeated, why do we need to fight? I am also interested in the answer to that question responded another. Let's go back to the garden of Eden. Even before Eden, when there was a war in heaven, Micheal drove the devil and his cohorts from heaven. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, (Rev:12:7) And then verse 8 has this to say, "And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven." (Rev.12.8) There was no place found in heaven for the devil. Now, remember that in Eden, the man was given dominion over the earth. "And God blessed them, and...

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph.6.10) The Apostle reminds us and began by saying... Finally... After all, is said and done. Finally... when it comes to the final analysis, he says to be strong in the Lord. That is to say, allow your strength to come from the Lord. Do not be strong in your riches, not in your connections, not in your skills and competencies... but find your strength in the Lord. Even when you have strength in all of these areas, do not be dependent on them but the Lord. The reasons for this are not far-fetched. Because our fight is not with flesh and blood. It is not with anything physical but with spiritual. So if your strength is anything other than what it should be, you will not succeed. He says, to dig deep within you and find your strength in the Lord. In other words, build your capacity in the Lord, build your competence in the word of his grace that is able to build you up, and don't...

God introduced Himself to Abraham as the exceeding great reward. He told the children of Israel that He hasn't called them to serve Him in vain. And He says that the workman is worthy of his reward. Good work gets good pay. God advises that when you work that you should do it with a smile on your face because you are rendering service not unto men but unto God irrespective of who's giving the command or order. Here we see that you will get a good reward if you put in a good day's work every workday, whether you are a slave or free, employer or employee. "Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free." (Eph.6.8) The Master does not reward according to man's reward system. Man looks at just the output but God looks beyond just the output, God looks to see if there is a smile on your face while you are doing your work. That speaks to having the right attitude at the workplace for the employee and wheth...

A person without a smiling face should not keep a shop is the way a Chinese proverb goes. And this seems to agree with our text today. "And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you're really serving God. (Eph.6.7 MSG) Work with a smile on your face. A smile is an outward expression of an inner occurrence. It is an outward expression of an inner attitude. Some would say the smile is not real. That it is just a cover-up, a facade. And then they would add, "suffering and smiling". But the Bible admonishes us to work with a smile on our faces. That's why you should work with people you can trust, this would make it easier. If not, then trust the people you work with. Your work should evoke a smile every time you think of it. But if it is not, ask God to give you something you will enjoy doing. But the love for your job isn't the reason why you were asked to work with a smile on ...

"Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord." (Eph.6.4 Amp.) I like the balanced way the Bible presents issues and solutions. For example, verse one of Ephesian instructed children to obey their parents but verse four gives this charge to fathers to not irritate and provoke their children. I know most parents would not like this charge but God is no respecter of persons, He respects our individuality, our will. That means He won't do for one person what He won't do for the other person. He says do not exasperate them to resentment. Those are strong words. Do not irritate your children... Do not provoke your children to anger... Do not exasperate them to resentment... But says "rear them [tenderly]. It means to raise them tenderly. How? 👉 In the training and discipline:  to train is to teac...

We have looked at the role of the parents in their marriage now the Apostle Paul addresses children and he says it is fitting for children to obey their parents. "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do" (Eph.6.1 NLT) Some would ask why they should obey their parents and one reason was given above all others - because you belong to the Lord. Not because they are Christians, not because they are not Christians, not because they are right or wrong but because you belong to the Lord. He shifts the responsibility away from the actions of others and puts it on the children. He says because they belong to the Lord. I am reminded of the story of Jesus Christ after he visited Jerusalem with his parents and went missing - actually stayed behind without his parents noticing. After they have searched for him for three days, found him in the temple. The Bible records that he went home with them and was obedient to his ...

Ephesians chapter 5 addresses the husband and the wife. The husband, his responsibilities, and charge. And the woman and her charge. Verse 33 particularly mentions 12 ways how the wife could cherish her husband.  "However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]". (Eph.5.33 amp)  Let the wife see that she: 1. Respect her husband: some have said the man's greatest need from his wife is respect, I would only add that the wife was asked to respect her husband.  2. Reverences him: implies that he is revered, highly and deeply respected.  3. Notices him: meaning you see him, you notice him for who he is and not who you want him to be.       4. Regards him:...

God is a God of design and a God of purpose. There is nothing He does that is by mistake. Every one of His actions is by design. And that design is to make the best out of the church of which you are a member. Everything He does and says is by design to bring the best out of you. "Christ's love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her," (Eph.5.26 MSG ) I have come to know that the love of Christ for me always works out the best in and for me. The procedure and process may not be palatable but I am settled in my heart that it will work out the best for me. God is preparing me for the path and not just the path for me. There is a prepared path for me but as a God who knows the end from the beginning, He is preparing me for the prepared path. If everything He does and says is designed to bring the best in me, it only follows that I will align myself with Him so that my words and de...