Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Good conscience "Keep praying for us, for we are convinced that we have a good (clear) conscience, that we want to walk uprightly and live a noble life, acting honorably and in complete honesty in all things. (Heb.13.18 AMP) Your conscience is the voice of your spirit. It is not the voice of God, not the voice of the Holy Spirit but of your spirit. And depending on how you have trained your conscience, it leads you. If it has been fed junk, it will not recognize good from evil.  That is why it s important to clear your conscience. And the Apostle Paul here in our text says prayer should be made for him and his team members so that they have a good (clear) conscience.  How? That they walk uprightly  And that they live a noble life,  Acting honorably  And in complete honesty in all things This way your conscience is kept clean, free from contamination.  Today, be determined to walk upright, live a noble life, act honourable and in complete honesty  Happy New Month Good d

The joys of leadership "Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under the strict supervision of God. Contribute to the joy of their leadership, not its drudgery. Why would you want to make things harder for them?" (Heb.13.17 MSB) Here in our text, we were admonished to contribute to the joys of our leaders. The verse also contrasts the person who contributes to the joys of leadership and the person who makes things harder for leaders.  What sort of a follower are you? The truth is, everyone is a leader in a certain sphere. A husband may be a janitor in his place of work but he is the leader in his home. A child may be a follower at home but a class captain in school. But even more important is that everyone must be a leader of his or her own self.  And when we set out to make the work easy for our leaders, the Bible says we contribute to the joys of leadership. Ask yourself what and wh

Praise is a sacrifice "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Heb.13.15) Praise is a sacrifice. Sometimes you are asking yourself what you should praise God for. Situations and circumstances do not seem to give you enough reason to praise God, that is when you should praise Him because praise is a sacrifice.  Anyone can praise God when the going is good and rosy. They can see the breakthrough, lay hold on the blessings, children doing well in school and business is going just as planned. At these times, it is okay to praise God. But what do you do when the reverse s the case? That's when you offer the sacrifice of praise. And how do we do that? The fruits of our lips giving thanks unto His name. Our words are the fruit of our lips. One thing that giving a sacrifice of praise does for you is that it keeps praise on your lips in the bad times. And because you are offer

Share with those in need  "Don't forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to God. (Heb.13.16 NLT) If there is one thing we must not forget as believers is that our mandate is to do good. The Apostle Paul tells us that the reason we are born anew in Christ Jesus is so that we can do good  "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Eph.2.10 NLT) In our text, it says "Don't forget to do good and to share what you are with those in need." Why does it say we should not forget? Because we tend to focus only on our needs. But we must learn to share, especially with those in need.  Finally, it says that doing good and sharing with those in need is not because it is convenient but because it is a sacrifice. And that this sacrifice is pleasing unto God.  Find someone who has a need you can meet to

Love God, not money, love money, not God  "Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you." (Heb.13.5 NLT) It appears we cannot love God and money at the same time. Don't take my word for it. Jesus said, "You cannot love God and mammon.  "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matt.6.24) What then constitutes the love of money? What would one have done to show that one loves money? Does loving God presupposes that one cannot love money? What does it mean to love God? If I drew you a picture of the person who loves God what features would the person have? To answer these questions we must draw a contrast between greed and God.  Loving money means putting money above and beyond God. Prioritizing money above God. Even though i

Honour marriages "Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery." (Heb.13.4 NLT) I have heard it said that people are good when it is easy and convenient but that when push comes to shove, they flip. Is that you? Is that everyone? Or are there those who are faithful irrespective of? Give honour to marriage and be faithful to one another in marriage.  I said that to say, it is a given that it is not easy to be faithful, especially in a marriage. To be faithful to one person all year round twenty-four-seven. Does it sound out of this world, an impossible task?  If it was easy there will be no honour in it. There is a reason gold is more valuable than stone. The stone we can pick off the street, gold we can't. We have to dig deep to get it.  There is something valuable, honourable when it is not common. The reason we give honour to marriage is that it is not easy.

Suffer with those who suffer  "Don't forget about those in prison. Suffer with them as though you were there yourself. Share the sorrow of those being mistreated, as though you feel their pain in your own bodies. (Heb.13.3 NLT) Empathy is a success factor. Jesus exemplified empathy more than anyone I can think of. In fact, Jesus took empathy a step further and became a substitution for the sins of the world.  "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2Cor.5.21) Our text says, don't forget those in prison...don't forget those who are hungry, orphans, and those who are suffering, mistreated, and in pain.  When you empathize with those who suffer or are fatherless and widows, the Bible calls it true religion  "Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us."

Be generous "Be ready with a meal or a bed when it's needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it!" (Heb.13.2 MSB) In most people's minds, generosity has been narrowed down to the gift of money because money grants access. Money buys almost anything you want.  But being generous is much more than money. It is also a good disposition to people; the care and the love you show. How you speak to people may even be more important than what you say and how you say it.  Sometimes, all a person needs is a shoulder to cry on or an encouraging word. Money in these instances will not suffice. "Be ready with a meal or a bed when it is needed". "When it is needed" is the operative word.  Some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it. That shows that it was not that they set out to entertain angels but that it was their disposition to be generous at all times and that way they were generous to angel

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚Held together by love "Stay on good terms with each other, held together by love." (Heb.13.1 MSB) Love may be the most important word in the English language but expressing and receiving love are the best emotions one may feel. The love of God does not discriminate, it holds everything together.  You cannot love people and not stay on good terms with them. There may be some difficult days and difficult people but when all is said and done, love holds everything together.  Love shows up, love speaks up, love covers, and love shields. Love restrains, love helps, love holds and love lets go of hate, hurt, and distrust. Love forgives, love forgets and love gives. Love is patient and love is kind. It speaks peaceably. It is firm, it chastises, it rebukes and it corrects. Love holds everything together  Good day, Have a great day today,  EmmA (aka Mr. Lift)  @Liftemma

God himself is Fire! "He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!" (Heb.12.29 MSB) You cannot come in contact with God and remain the same. When you encounter God something has to give. The presence of God in a man's life is visible through the changes that people see.  Why is that? God is actively cleaning house. Your spirit is the house where God's spirit lives. 1 Cor.6.19 says "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" He is constantly tinkering with you, bringing out the best version of you. Our text says "He won't quit until all is cleansed."  That is why we must all recognize that we are all works in progress. Everyone is not making progress at the same pace. Some are faster than others but as long as you recognize that He is the one at work in yo

Esau syndrome  "Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite." (Heb.12.16 MSB) One of the hallmarks of maturity is the ability to delay gratification. The world is so much in a hurry today, it is fast-paced, and with this comes the desire for instant gratification.  Along with this now-now generation, is also the "me, me" disposition. It has to be done now and it has to be me first. The Bible calls this the Esau syndrome.  The Esau syndrome tends to make tradeoffs. Exchanging temporary benefits in place of eternal values. Because we want it now and are not willing to delay. Esau traded his birthright which did not seem like much at the time for a plate of food. Nobody dies for skipping a meal. The Esau syndrome undervalues what it has and overvalues what it lacks. But with the right attitude, little today becomes great tomorrow if we are willing to wait, be patient, and nurture it. Don

Be on the lookout  "Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time." (Heb.12.15 MSB) This is one of the best scripture when looking out for your brother or sister. It says to make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. The generosity of God stipulates that "God so love the world" (see John 3:16) And that He is not willing that any should perish (see 2 Pet3:9).  So He says to the believers, "Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent". Here believers, especially leaders must be careful to not cause to wander away the sheep, for whom the Chief Shepherd was willing to leave the ninety-nine.  We "discipline" erring brothers or sisters and then every other person treat them as an outcast. We avoid them, condescend to them and make them feel like fish out of water.  But this is the time to hover

Try to live in peace with everyone  "Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord." (Heb.12.14 NLT) Peace is not the absence of conflicts but the presence of justice. Try to live in peace with everyone.  Everyone? Yes! I know that is a tall order, right? But if God is not tall, I do not know what else He is.  God will always set the bar higher so that you will continue to stretch and reach further and in so doing you get better.  Peace is a vital asset. Without it, growth is almost impossible. But we know that there are difficult people to deal with, hence we were enjoined to "try to live in peace with everyone  and seek to live a clean and holy life" It should be noted that to "Follow peace with everyone", does not mean the same thing as "pleasing everyone". Trying to please everyone is a recipe for disaster. Being peaceful sometimes means being firm and

Illegitimate offspring or an irresponsible God There is a popular saying that when a child does well, he or she is the child of the father but if otherwise he or she is a child of the mother. Success they say has many fathers but failure is an orphan.  The Bible says that foolishness is hidden in the heart of a child and for a child to do well, it takes several correctional steps to instill discipline and training. But where these teachings, training, and discipline are lacking, it s either we have an illegitimate offspring or an irresponsible father  "Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God's children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. (Heb.12.8 AMP) And we know from scripture that God is not irresistible. We see the Father's heart of God demonstrated severally in the scriptures. God will do what he has to do to get you to where you ought to be.  "the normal experience of

Discipline "And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, "My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. (Heb.12.5 NLT) Very few people will see discipline as an encouragement. But our text says it is. It says "Do not forget the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children?" Wait a minute! Did you see that?  It says that the discipline that the Lord gives is in words, spoken words!  Not the cane? The rod? But words? Yes, words!!! There is so much ado as to whether corporal punishment should be used or otherwise. We see here that the discipline of the Lord is in words, spoken words.  The question that begs the answer really is what is the essence of discipline?  And this verse also answers that for us. It says it's to correct. So if think the cane or the rod is what will bring about that correction, then, use it; but God's word is

Consider Him "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." (Heb.12.3) Standing up for something is one thing but people standing against you for standing up for what is right is a different ball game. Even worse is you standing against what everyone else is standing for. When you find yourself in such a position, our text says to consider Him.  He stood when every single one of the disciples deserted Him. I want you to look at this for a moment. You and your friends have all agreed to something you were all going to do and then when the time was right, none of them stepped up to the plate. See Jesus for a minute, as your everyday regular person, who with his disciples have prayed together and they have said to him, we are with you all the way.  "And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death." (Luke.22.33) We agree that Peter regretted his

Looking unto Jesus "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.12.2) The songwriter wrote, "Look to Jesus now and live". Who or what you look at determines your focus. And your focus determines where you go, how you live, and what you do.  We look to Jesus because He is the author and finisher of our faith. That means we began and end up in Him. Without Him, we can do nothing. All the more reason to keep your eyes locked on Jesus.  How do we look to Jesus?  By looking at the word of God. Jesus is the same as the word of God. The Bible is the written word, and Jesus is the living word. John 1:14 says that the word became flesh. So if you want to see Jesus, look at the word of God.  I like the way the message puts it:  "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. St

Run your race... "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. (Heb.12.1 NLT) Truth is the highest perception but not everyone sees it. It is the surest reality, yet not everyone lives or experiences it. Jesus said I am the Truth... But Pilate asked: What is truth? "Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all." (John.18.38) After he asked the all-important question, he would not even stay long enough to get an answer to his question. He was distracted. He was preoccupied. Too many people are not living the reality of this truth because they are distracted, and weighed down by besetting sin. They know they are free but they cannot rise above

Sheepskins, goatskins;  afflicted and  tormented "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;" (Heb.11.37) The yardstick for measuring faith was far-reaching, with a very wide spectrum taken into consideration. We see Abraham and Sarah who believed God for their promised child. But we also see the nameless folks who wore sheepskins and goatskins, those who were destitute, afflicted, and tormented.  These nameless folks were judged not on the level of Abraham and Sarah but on their terms. Their challenge possibly wasn't with not being able to bear children but their faith was recorded nonetheless.  Did not the Bible say we should not compare ourselves? Run your race, face your battles, and steer your course, knowing what God has called you to do.  Have faith in your faith says a wise man. Know that when you act on what God's word sa

The substance of faith "[Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life." (Heb.11.35 AMP) We must learn to give substance to our faith. If faith is the substance of things hopes for, then faith without substance is not faith.  Let me explain it like this, a very active young child with boundless energy running and jumping around, playing shouting, laughing, and just being a child, has a lot of energy (faith) but no substance (purpose for that energy).  A lot of believers are like that child. A lot of faith but that faith is not targeted at accomplishing any worthwhile goal, no substance. Nothing for their faith to look forward to. Get out there and apply yourself.  In our text, some women received again their dead brought back to life. Others were tortured to death with clubs. Because they

Let faith urge you on...  "[Urged on] by faith the people crossed the Red Sea as [though] on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do the same thing they were swallowed up [by the sea]." (Heb.11.29 AMP) Sometimes the enemy thinks he has trapped our God because he succeeded in trapping a believer but he is sadly mistaken. The believer may be trapped but not the God in and of the believer. That situation becomes an avenue for God to show Himself strong on your behalf.  "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." (2Chr.16.9) That God opens a door for you does not equate to an open door for the enemy. God is not partial but He is just. Meaning if He did something for you because of the covenant relationship He has with you, let the unbeliever not think he can take advant

  The simple act of faith "By faith (simple trust and confidence in God) he instituted and carried out the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood [on the doorposts] so that the destroyer of the firstborn (the angel) might not touch those [of the children of Israel]." (Heb.11.28 AMP) The act was simple but it wasn't the act that counted for much rather the simple faith behind it. So that it is not what you did but why you did it, it wasn't the word you said but why you said it.  The deep-seated belief is that because God said it, it will be according to as He said. Mary said be it unto me according to thy word.  "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." (Luke.1.38) How does one explain that God instructed one to smear the doorpost and lintel with the blood was what saved the lives of the firstborn sons of the people of Israel when the lives of the firstborn sons of Egy