Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

In verse 14 of Hebrews 4 we were introduced to our High Priest, Who He is, and His location. Verse 15 tells us that He understands and sympathizes with us and that He shares our feelings, weaknesses, infirmities, and liability as far as the assaults of temptation are concerned.  That He has been where we are, tempted in every respect as we are, yet He did not sin.  This verse took this much time to explain to us that Jesus understands us, our pain, our temptation, our weakness our feelings, and all.  "So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. (Heb.4.16 MSB) As a result, we have free access to His throne. It says that we walk right up to him and take what he is so ready to give. God is more ready to give us than we are ready to receive. He says whatever you need walk right up and receive.  Is it mercy you need? Walk right in and receive. Is it help? Walk right in and receive it. Is it the healing you need? Wa

"Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done. (Heb.4.13 NLT) We all stand bare before the word of God. The Word can see into us, see through us and cut through anything that stands between us and what the Word of God has for us.  It is not only that the word of God can see into the dark crevices of our lives with the intent to clean or light it but it also empowers us to bring about a change.  David said it best when he asked, "Where can I go from your presence?" "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (Ps.139.7 NKJV)  And then he answered the question. He says darkness is like a day to God and vice-versa.  "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." (Ps.139.12) If that is the case and it is, what then should be our respo

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb.4.12 NKJV) Let us take a few of the qualities of the word of God as listed in our text.  The word of God is living. The word is a living, breathing self-sustaining, and life-giving entity. Jesus said the words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life (see John:6;63) "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John.6.63)  When you speak God's word into a situation, that situation comes alive.  This living word of God is powerful. It is by the word that God sustains all things.  "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purif

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Heb.4.11) There is a lot of misconception about believers labouring. Some in certain quarters have made labouring look like a bad thing. But we see the Apostle Paul in the scriptures say he laboured more than all but it was the grace of God labouring through him.  "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1Cor.15.10) Grace is not an excuse for laziness. The grace of God in the Apostle Paul laboured.  Our text talks about labour, rest, and unbelief. Jesus speaking in John 6 says the work that is required of believers is to believe   "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John.6.29) Therefore, for one to enter into the rest,

"Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still holds and is offered [today], let us be afraid [to distrust it], lest any of you should think he has come too late and has come short of [reaching] it. (Heb.4.1 AMP) In the grand scheme of things God sometimes appears too late and sometimes too short. But God is never too late, neither is He too short. The story of Sarah comes to mind. God had said that she was going to bear a son according to the time of life. But Sarah laughed and the Lord asked: "Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee , according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." (Gen.18.14) God is never too late and He is not too short. But our text is not about the capacity of God to deliver on His promises but on our ability to think of or consider ourselves too late or too short to receive the promise God has for us. Do not count yourself out. Your shortcomings notwithstanding. God

"They never got there because they never listened, never believed. (Heb.3.19 MSB) The background to our text was that God had made a promise to the children of Israel as they left Egypt that He was bringing them a land flowing with milk and honey - the promised land. This was a promise made to Abraham before any of them was born. When Moses came into the picture, he rehearsed this same promise before the children of Israel. God brought the plague on the Egyptians as a result of this promise. They were all familiar with the promise. Then the process  of fulfillment began, they were in the wilderness and then they forgot every word of the promise they have ever heard. So our text says, they did not enter because they did not listen. They did not listen, because they did not believe. Whatever the promise of God is to you, keep it constantly in your mouth, speak it repeatedly, and consciously believe it. For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (see Ro

"For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. (Heb.3.13 MSB) Today is an interesting lexicon. It reminds us that it is not yesterday -a day that has gone by; neither is it tomorrow -a day yet to come. But today is the present, a gift from God for you to become better than you have ever been. So today is a present from God. How do intend to use it? And as you may know, in everything God does for you, the devil tries to take advantage of it and use it against you. But you will not let him. Hence the text says to keep each other on our toes. You will hardly become anything of worth, staying off your toes, staying in your comfort zone.  The Amplified Bible makes this point clearer.  "But instead warn (admonish, urge, and encourage) one another every day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you may be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [by the fraudulence, the

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (Heb.3.12) Take heed, take care, watch your steps, see to it, and be careful then - all of these are synonymous. Whichever way you look at it, you have a part to play in keeping unbelief away from your heart. Our text calls unbelief evil and that it is lodged in the heart and when it does, it makes the heart evil. The verse says, take heed or watch your steps. The only places where you watch your steps are places where there is either a trap, snare, or the ground is slippery. That tells you that unbelief creeps in on you. You do not set out going to unbelieving. But then the situation persists a bit beyond normal, and if you do not take heed, unbelief begins to seep into your heart. And when that happens, you begin to depart from the living God. What do we do to resist unbelief in our hearts? We need to replace it with faith-filled words. We begin to

"And I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, "They'll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road." (Heb.3.10 MSB) The number one way you can walk in the pathway of God is by keeping your mind on God. What does it mean to keep your mind on God? It means to keep your thoughts on God. It means to constantly keep the word of God in mind. It means before you do anything, you are thinking, what does the word of God say about this thing I'm about to do? It means you consult with God before carrying out your actions.  The Psalmist speaks of the man who does not think of God. It says God is not in all his thought and therefore refers to him as wicked. That means the sure path to wickedness is to keep God from your thoughts "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts." (Ps.10.4) Keeping your mind on God means applying what God's word says to your situations.

"For [of course] every house is built and furnished by someone, but the Builder of all things and the Furnisher [of the entire equipment of all things] is God. (Heb.3.4 AMP) This passage calls to mind Psalm 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." (Ps.127.1) What should be noted is that the house was b uilt but the Lord was not involved and as a result, it was said to be in vain. Our text says every house is built and finished by someone but the Builder and the Funisher of all things is God. What that says to us is that God wants to build through you. He wants you to cooperate with Him so that when you build, it is Him building and finishing through you. Why is this important? Because you do not want your effort to be in vain. Let God build through you, whether it is your home, your business your children, or whatever it is you are building. God has the et

"For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house." (Heb.3.3) When most people look at Jesus, it is through the prism of deity. And as a result, we ascribe to him, things that no mortal man can achieve. But Jesus was equally hundred percent man and our text showed us that much. And this man was put side by side in comparison with another man - Moses - and was found to be worthy of more glory than Moses. The man was counted worthy of glory. That says you too can be counted worthy of more glory. That says that you are good enough. It means as a man we can become all that God has in stock for us. Jesus fulfilled his ministry as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. (see Acts:10:38) That means we need to cultivate the necessary relationship with the Holy Spirit that brings about such anointing that overcomes. By flesh shall no man prevail. If He was available to Jesus He is available to

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." (Heb.3.1 NIV) We are admonished in several places in scripture to look unto Jesus (see Heb:12:2) but here is our text today to fix our thoughts on Jesus. Our thoughts are a very critical part of our service to God. It is with our mind we serve God (see Rom:7:25) And one of the strategies of the enemy is to get your thoughts off Jesus. When your thoughts are on Jesus your eyes will see Him. Circumstances and situations in life come to distract us, to cause us to take our thoughts off the Master just like Peter did when he walked on the water. The enemy wants to get your thoughts off the master so he can get you to take your eyes off Him and begin to look at the situations instead. But fix your thoughts on Jesus. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isa.26.

"Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death." (Heb.2.14 NLT) Jesus in John 4 tells us that God is a spirit. And as a spirit, it follows that his children will be spirits. But in our text,  Hebrew tells us that God's children are human beings, that is, made of flesh and blood and as a result, Jesus also became flesh and blood. This is significant in that without Jesus who is spirit becoming a human being, he would not have been able to redeem us . So divesting Himself of everything that made Him God He became flesh and blood. And as flesh and blood, He could die and in dying He breaks the power of the devil. Jesus overcame the devil as a man, as flesh and blood so that you and I as flesh and blood will have a chance to overcome also. It is possible

"All the while God was validating it with gifts through the Holy Spirit, all sorts of signs and miracles, as he saw fit. (Heb.2.4 MSB) So many people are trying to validate God's word but they can't. Only God can validate His word. This brings the story of Uzzah to mind (see 2 Sam:6:6-7) You cannot help God. When Jesus was leaving the earth, He gave the disciples, and the church the great commission. And it is on record that He was with them confirming and validating His word with signs and wonders following. "And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence.] (Mark.16.20 MSB) We are to go and preach the gospel. Some believers are at the point of error in that they are trying to validate God's word. And this has caused some to try to perform without the help of the Holy Spirit. Our place is to speak the word of God in faith and it is God's place to validate His w

"So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. (Heb.2.1 NLT ) This verse of scripture reemphasizes the message of Roman 10:17 which say faith comes by hearing. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom.10.17) Our text in Hebrews says we listen carefully to what we have heard. How do you listen carefully to what you have heard? By hearing it over and over again. It has been said and rightly so that faith does not come by haven heard but by hearing... put in the way our text has instructed, by carefully listening to the truth you have heard . One way we can hear the truth over and over again is by saying it over and over again so that we hear it. As in the place of meditation, where you mutter it to yourself again and again. When we hear it repeatedly, it keeps our focus on the truth of God's word that we have heard. And this helps us to not drift away. Pay attention, my child

"But angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation." (Heb.1.14 NLT) Angels are servants... And what do you do with servants? You send them on errands. But the problem is that most people have lived with, for so long, a servant mentality that they do not know how to put their angels to work.  God made a special arrangement for you as the heir of salvation to have at your beck and call servants that you should put to work. Angels heed the bidding of the Lord. They carry out His plan, they do His commandments. How? By listening to the voice of His word "Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." (Ps.103.20) So as the heirs of salvation speak the word of God, the angels listen and carry out His commands in your mouth. The word of God in your mouth is just as powerful as it is in Jesus' mouth. When you speak God&

"You love it when things are right; you hate it when things are wrong. That is why God, your God, poured fragrant oil on your head, Marking you out as king, far above your dear companions." (Heb.1.9 MSB) The concept of right and wrong began in the Garden of Eden. That is to say, it has been there from the beginning. It is older than every one of us. It is as old as time itself . Adam chose to choose wrong in the Garden of Eden. But that was not the case with Jesus in our text. Speaking of Jesus our text says "You love it when things are right; you hate it when things are wrong. The choice to love what is right and hate what is evil is called the fear of the Lord.  The Psalmist says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of being wise. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endure forever ver." (Ps.111.10) In today's world, very little is said about the

"But as to the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever (to the ages of the ages), and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of absolute righteousness (of justice and straightforwardness). (Heb.1.8 AMP) This verse of scripture establishes the God status of the Son. Here God spoke to the Son and of the Son. "To the Son, He says to Him, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" Here the Son is called God  and this is very important for your sake and mine. The Apostle Paul showed us in his epistle that when Jesus was crucified we were crucified with him (see Gal:2:20) And when he was buried we were buried with him, (see Rom:6:4) And when he rose from the dead we rose with him. It did not end there. When he sat down at the right hand of God the Father we sat down with him. "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heave

"For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? (Heb.1.5 AMP) The relationship that most people have with God is that of the creator and the creature. Aside from that they do not have anything else to do with God. More like, dey your own, I dey my own.  For others, it is a relationship between God as the deity and as worshippers. And at this level, all they want is to look up to one supreme being, one they can run to when they are in dire need. One to whom they can pray and their prayers are answered. One to whom they make supplication but other than that, nothing more.  But for yet others, God may be God to the whole world but He is Father to them. As God, He may desire worship but as Father, He wants an intimate Father-son relationship with you.  And we can see this relationship play out in

"[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. (Heb.1.4 AMP) Jesus Christ in his pre-incarnate self had a name far greater than that of angels. He was God. But our text is not talking about him as God but as a man. As a man, He inherited a place and rank that is far superior . This is very important for you and me. Important because it shows us that if Jesus did it as a man, we can too. It opens up the possibility that you and I can too. Jesus truly is God but he did not do anything he did while he walked the earth as God but as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist says God told him that upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain. "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which

"Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Heb.1.3) Jesus was the truest representation of God. If you wanted to know how God loves, who God is and how He thinks, how God heals etc, to see the totality of who God is, all you had to do was look at Jesus At one time, Philp asked Jesus to show them the Father. "Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?" (John.14.8 - 9) Paul the Apostle says we are the epistle written so that all men may read "Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epi