Weekly Sermons.

THOSE WHO WILL NEVER MAKE HEAVEN (2)

May 4, 2025

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21

Continuing in the old way of life after salvation is disobedience to God, and it diminishes the full blessings of our salvation. God requires a new life after salvation regardless of wealth, nation, profession, gender, or fame. The old life is characterized by what the apostle Paul calls old things, old sinful nature, thoughts, ideas, and actions. Unbelievers possess a sinful nature that separates them from God in many ways, even when they are active in the church. A lifestyle that displays the works of the flesh and control of the devil. Atheists may exhibit basic moral values depending on their upbringing and environment, but they primarily live for themselves rather than God. Religious people who are unregenerate by the word of God cannot talk about an old life passing away. They hold them tight, fight to keep them, follow them, live by them, and glorify them above the words and teachings of Christ Jesus.

This is what Christ Jesus told His disciples - “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set Him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3. He told them plainly, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, even thou you are my disciples, except you are converted by My word. Following Jesus is never enough; conversion is the thing. You must be born again. That is what salvation requires.

Being religious without being converted and transformed by the word of God leads to self-righteousness. “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law. So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, It is through faith that a righteous person has life. This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, It is through obeying the law that a person has life.” Galatian 3:10-12

“Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty.” Revelation 21:27. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. Lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power, gullible men and women, people who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, those who are always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth, will not enter into the kingdom of God.

“Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people, none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Without the new birth, there is no heaven, despite being religious. If there is no renewal, no transformation, and no obedience, and sumissiveness, there is no heaven. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2. However, for those who believe in Christ, old things have indeed passed away.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, and my Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the gift of Salvation and the miracles of the Cross. Keep me in You always, accept me in your kingdom, and bless me. I submit myself to follow and obey you all the time. I ask that you help me do these in Jesus' Name. Amen.

To be continued

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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THOSE WHO WILL NEVER MAKE HEAVEN (1)

April 27, 2025

“The people do as they please. It's all the same to them whether they kill a bull as a sacrifice or sacrifice a human being; whether they sacrifice a lamb or break a dog's neck; whether they present a grain offering or offer pigs' blood; whether they offer incense or pray to an idol. They take pleasure in disgusting ways of worship. So I will bring disaster upon them, the very things they are afraid of because no one answered when I called or listened when I spoke. They chose to disobey me and do evil.” Isaiah 66:3-4

The door of heaven is open to all, but not all will make it through. The door of the church is open to everyone, but not everyone will be in the church. The gospel is preached to everyone, but not everyone will believe and accept it. The truth is always available and revealed, but many will rather take the lies for the truth and prefer the easy and less stressful ways. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.

The door of heaven is still open, and salvation is still possible regardless of our past. It is made possible by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, confessing past sins, turning to a new life through repentance and the renewal of hearts and ways, obedience, and submission to the word of God. Christ Jesus did not come to condemn, judge, or destroy anyone, He came to show us the way of living, the way to heaven, and reconcile us to God the Father. He did not come to use us against ourselves but to unite us to Himself through love, sacrifice on the cross, forgiveness, mercy, and divine patience.

God wants everyone to receive salvation and be in heaven with Him, but not everyone will be saved, not everyone will be in heaven, not everyone can continue in righteousness, and God will not compel anyone. Receiving salvation and remaining saved is optional, and carries rewards and consequences. He has done all that is needed, and given everyone a chance through Christ Jesus to come to Him, to know Him, be reconciled to Him, and remain in Him. It is now left for us to do our part. Go to Him with a submissive spirit and obedient heart. What are you doing?

It is not by good works, though that is necessary; it is not by name, though that is also good; it is not by religious affiliation, though that is needful, and it is not by nationality, tribe, profession, age, or color. It is only by salvation that results in a complete change of heart, mind, and way, obedience to the word of God, and submission to His word through obedience.

Christ told Nicodemus, a Jewish scholar and teacher – “Jesus replied I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. But how can anyone be born when he is old? Nicodemus asked Him. Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born? Jesus answered I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

Being born again is a requirement, not church affiliation, good works, or a good name. God set this goal and the bar by His word, not by our thoughts or imagination. If we are not submissive to His word, we are not His. Do you know that not everyone in the church will enter heaven, regardless of their titles and services to the people of God in the church and outside the church? “Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do. When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, in your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles. Then I will say to them, I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people.” Matthew 7:21-23

LET US PRAY

To be continued

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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THE MIRACLES AT EASTER

April 20, 2025

“The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the Lord. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion. When the Lord restores His people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” Psalm 14:1-7

-- Jesus Christ came, lived, died, was buried, He rose back to life, He is alive now, and forever.

-- He lived to prove God is real and true; the gospel is true, and believing is rewarding.

-- Christ Jesus came into the world

-- Christ Jesus died by crucifixion on the Cross

-- Christ Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

-- Christ Jesus gave gifts to men for the continuation of His ministry.

-- He sets the captives free

-- Defeated Satan in his domain

-- Took the keys of death and hell from Satan.

-- Christ Jesus triumphs over sin and death

-- Christ Jesus defeated death on His resurrection.

-- The soldiers confirmed, surely this is the Son of God

-- Mary Magdalene saw an empty grave and a resurrected Christ

-- Beyond all else, Salvation is rewarding, and hope becomes a reality.

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

We need Jesus Christ, we need His laws, and we need grace. If there is no law, why would you need grace? If there is no mercy, why would we need forgiveness? If there is no heaven, why do we believe? Where there is no law, neither is there disobedience. Romans 4:15. We need grace to be forgiven for breaking God’s law, and once we have been forgiven, we should stop living a life of disobedience to God’s law.

He disarmed Satan and destroyed his host

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:9-15

He descended, also ascended, and gave us gifts

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people. What does He ascended mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him, the whole body joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:7-16

He defeated sin and death

“For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:53-58

Graves were open

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” Matthew 27:51-53

Conclusion

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.” Romans 8:9-11

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, and my Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the gift of Salvation and the miracles of the Cross. Keep me in You always, and bless me. I wholly submit myself to follow and obey you all the time. I ask that you help me do these in Jesus' Name. Amen.

To be continued

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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GO FOR GREATER THINGS (1)

April 13, 2025

Zechariah 4:1-5. The Vision of things God had planned, the reality of the things God will do, and the assurance of the things that you have.

You were not saved to be a copycat, or look like or emulate others. You were saved from sin and its evil so you can be like Christ in all things, emulating Him, and be watchful for greater things hereafter. Like Zerubbabel the high priest who set his eyes, heart, and strength in rebuilding the broken temple and restoring true worship of God in Israel, God wants you to look to Christ Jesus while depending on the Spirit of God to lead and direct your path, not on your strength, not on the power, or money or wealth, and not on the help or promises of men. Zerubbabel was told it would be possible to do greater things like rebuilding the temple, but “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. You will have to be not only a believer or friend of Jesus Christ; you will have to be committed to every word. Friendship without commitment and obedience will not profit you anything. You have to follow and depend on the word of God as Joshua was instructed – “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed.” Joshua 1:8-9

Christ Jesus told His disciples, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do because I go unto my Father.” John 14:12. Don’t just wait for greater and better things, prepare yourself for them physically and spiritually. You were saved and delivered from your past for greater and better things to come, not past things, not what the devil is doing or going to do; you were saved for a meaningful and impacting life here on earth based on the word of God not on things that destroy oneself and destroys the works of Christ. You are saved and given a divine opportunity for a new beginning to begin all over again after a disappointment, a fall, or a failure; you were saved to become better and have a foundation quite distinct from the past, far better than the past, and supported upright by Christ Jesus on a foundation that will never crumble irrespective of the forces against it, and you are called to be prepared by absolutely believing Christ Jesus, believing every word of God, following every word and promises in obedience and sincerity. Christ told His disciples, Greater works will you do because of Him and where He was going.

Quit fighting small things; quit fighting on small issues, quit fighting things that Christ had given you victory over already on the cross – believe He won, and that victory was for you. Distracting issues will come often, but do not lose focus and the mission. You have to be prepared for the things God has promised. Preparing for greater things comes with self-discipline, a focused mind, a determined vision, and purposefully keeping the mission upfront in you all the time. Our Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples never to quit believing if they wanted to see and do greater things in their lives, but soon after, we see how hunger and the lack of funds compelled them to go after seeking ways for themselves. Peter said, “I am going fishing,” and others responded, “We will come with you.” John 21:3.

Distraction is what takes us off the path of preparation, and we must know that Satan uses such in many ways to keep us off the tracks God has set for us and we have set for ourselves. This is what Apostle John said to all who have this desire “Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure. Whoever sins is guilty of breaking God's law, because sin is a breaking of the law. You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins and that there is no sin in Him. So everyone who lives in union with Christ does not continue to sin, but whoever continues to sin has never seen Him or known Him.” 1 John 3:3-6. Keep yourself from sin – God will not keep you; do not break God’s law – you will pay the price; do not continue in sinful thoughts and habits - it will eventually destroy and ruin your hope and preparation.

“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross, on the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what He went through, how He put up with so much hatred from sinners. So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:1-3. You have a large crowd of angels and people on earth waiting to see you do great things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as He had promised.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, I desire to do greater and better things that will glorify you on earth. I ask that you help me, take ME away from all things that will distract and hinder me. I wholly submit myself to follow and obey you all the time. I ask that you will help me do these in Jesus' Name. Amen.

To be continued

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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BLESSINGS OF LOVE

April 6, 2025

“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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” John 3:16-21

Through God’s love for humanity, Jesus Christ was revealed to the world. Through Jesus Christ, we receive salvation. Through Salvation, we are released from the powers of Satan and sin and liberated from the consequences of our past. Those are just a few of the blessings of God’s love. The blessings of our love for others are also numerous. It liberates us from having a hate-filled heart and mindset, frees us from hateful people and a hateful environment, liberates our hearts from being judgmental, and liberates us from condemnation.

God is love, love is a blessing, and blessing is love. Love and blessings are what God does to all people regardless of language, age, and place. It is a blessing to be loved and a blessing to love. In all things and to all people, God’s love triumphed over judgment and shame. Love is the one means through which God shows the world who He is; through love, we are forgiven and receive salvation; through love, we are reconciled and restored to God. Through love, we are not lost from His sight, and through love, He keeps us for the day of redemption and reward.

Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God’s love. He is the fullness of the blessings of God’s love that we receive and enjoy. The blessings of love are numerous, and we, the world, and all human beings, regardless of nationality, plants, and animals living in the world, need all of them now more than ever before. The blessings of Love are peace and harmony, acceptance of one another, tolerance, good relationships, joy, and good neighborliness. Love is living, and life as God intended for humanity.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed His love among us:

He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us. Love

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.

Whoever lives in love, lives in God, and God in them.

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment.

There is no fear in love.

Perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment.

The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because He first loved us.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.

For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God.

Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

1 John 4:7-21

Loving those brings unity, joy, encouragement, progression, and power to mend hearts. In loving others, we create an atmosphere where God’s grace overflows and peace reigns.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there are demands in the love that I have for you and others. I ask that you help me meet these demands and remain in your love. Help me to practice forgiveness in love. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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IF ONE IS MISSING (2)

March 30, 2025

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:8-12

It is amazing that God wants us to keep the whole law, obey all His commandments, and keep ourselves from all physical and spiritual evil or errors. While these demands seem too big and impossible considering that we are still in this wicked world, God has promised to help us be and do what He says through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We cannot afford to miss one of the demands of loving God and others. This is His written law, His spoken demands, and His measurement to help us measure ourselves in love. Loving God and others is not to be done according to our thoughts and desires, but according to His word and demands, and nothing else. Samuel told King Saul, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

True Christianity is not only having a good spiritual lifestyle but also having and maintaining a good physical lifestyle. God requires all His children to do all they can physically to follow His word. Our efforts are important, and necessary, and will be rewarded by Him. Love is beyond words, feelings, personal comfort, and gifts. It is what God demands from us and of us daily in all things to all peoples regardless of religious affiliations, nationalities, gender, or race. Love is bigger and larger than the thoughts of men.

Love demands – Endures – Patience - Serenity – Kindness – Thoughtfulness. It is not jealous – or envious; it does not brag, is not proud – arrogant – rude - self-seeking. It is not easily provoked, overly sensitive, and easily angered; it does not take into account a wrong endured. Does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth when right and truth prevail.

Love bears all things and all people regardless of what comes; believes all things, looking for the best in each one; hopes all things, remaining steadfast during difficult times; it endures all things without weakening. Love never fails, and it never fades or ends, no matter the outcome.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now, we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. Now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13.

The greatest thing we can offer to God and anyone else is love. It is not our comfortable feelings, praises, prayers, gifts, or pleasures.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there are demands in the love that I have for you and others. I ask that you help me meet these demands to remain in your love. Help me to practice forgiveness in love. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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IF ONE IS MISSING

March 23, 2025

“I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell. I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains, but if I have no love, I am nothing. I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned, but if I have no love, this does me no good.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

God is calling us to a higher standard in our relationships and is ready to lead us to that level when we are fully submissive to Him and to His word no matter what. He does not want us to fail or miss anything in His demands. “For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all.” James 2:10. Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. -- Make no mistake, regardless of where you are and who you are, God’s love for you is complete and perfect, and nothing is missing, that is how He wants us to love without giving excuses. He is perfect in all He does, His words are perfect and His ways are perfect. Nothing He demands from us is impossible because He knows us well enough to also know what He has endowed us with regardless of what we know and see in ourselves.

When He demands from us, He knows we can do it. When He demands obedience, He knows we can do it. When He demands forgiveness, He knows we can do it. He would not demand what He has not given us the power to do. He loves us to the fullness and did not leave any detail for us to imagine in that love for us. He loved us so much that He did not spare His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. God’s love did not only end in the salvation of our souls, it continued into our forgiveness, blessings, guardian, correction, supports, and mercies until we find peace in our lives, peace with Him, and peace with others through love. It continued through the grave and after the grave, His love holds nothing back from us and not one jot is missing from His acts of love for every one of us. God does not love us for what we are but for who He is.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He called; those He called, He justified; those He justified, He glorified. What then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:28-35

In desiring to love, and be loved, nothing should be missing from our side, and obedience to all of His word is the best and only way to show how much we truly love God. He does not want us to show love according to our thoughts, imaginations, and feelings, but according to His word in the Scriptures. This is how important that is – Jesus said who we are and what we should do –

-- You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

-- You are the light of the world.

-- A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

-- Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

-- Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

-- Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;

-- I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

-- Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

-- Anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

-- Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

-- I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

-- Anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca (Idiot), is answerable to the court.

-- Anyone who says, you fool, will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:13-22

LET US PRAY

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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THE DEMANDS OF LOVE (4)

March 16, 2025

Forgiveness is not a choice; it is one of the demands of love, it is following and obeying God’s word and the teachings and examples of Christ Jesus. God demands that we forgive others as He forgives us. Forgiving is very hard but very powerful. It takes consistency, strength, and humility to let go. But when we forgive, we open ourselves to God’s love in our hearts and relationships.

“The one who gets wisdom loves life; the one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:8, 11

In love, do not overlook the importance of patience and forgiveness. They are a foundation for a peaceful life and lasting true love. Love demands forgiveness everyday, everywhere, and every time, and in every offense. God loves us and the first thing He did in that love was not to count how many times we have offended Him or refused to obey His command – offered us forgiveness to everyone who comes to Him regardless of their past. “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” 1 John 1:8-10

Love is far beyond a gift received or given. At all times, for love to thrive, we must endeavor to meet its demand. If any one of these demands is missing, love is lust and lost regardless of what we say and do in the name of love. Practicing forgiveness in Love is what we are called to do

Christianity is about Christ Jesus, love, and forgiveness. Christianity teaches us how important it is to practice forgiveness, it allows us to remember how God forgave us our sins, it allows love to flow freely from us to others, it frees us from guilt and hatred, and gives us peace of mind to look up for better days and relationships. When we refuse to forgive, we build walls that hinder ourselves and our relationships. The lack of true forgiveness keeps us trapped in bitterness, and an expectation of evil. Forgiveness does not only set others free, it liberates us and frees our hearts from conceiving evil. Through forgiveness, love, strength, and unity will strive; understanding, and encouragement will improve our productivity, and peace will reign.

Practice forgiveness at all times, let it rule your thoughts and sink into your heart, let it be your new life and way of doing and reasoning things out. Don’t just forgive once, forgive always until your heart is free. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15

Remember it is forgiveness that restores us to God through Jesus Christ. Forgiveness brings restoration. “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:12-15

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is demanded by God. It doesn’t mean forgetting or accepting wrongs, it is about letting go of resentment and choosing healing and restoration. Forgiveness frees us from the past, it brings a future full of love, reconciliation, and restoration. Forgiveness changes us, changes relationships, and helps us move past anger and bitterness. It breaks the cycle of hurt, rejection, loneliness, and isolation. It helps us build relationships and grows our understanding and acceptance. “One day Jesus said to His disciples, there will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves. If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive. The apostles said to the Lord, show us how to increase our faith. The Lord answered, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, may you be uprooted and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” Luke 17:1-6

LET US PRAY

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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THE DEMANDS OF LOVE (3)

March 9, 2025

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5b. “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6. “Be sure of this; I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20. “I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.” Joshua 1:5b. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43:2-3a.

“The Lord himself watches over you. The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” Psalm 121:6-8

Love requires guardians and guidance. Being a guard and a guide is being there at all times. God gave us His word as a guard and guide in our daily living. Without guidance and a guardian, love is ineffective, insufficient, aimless, purposeless, and powerless. Love changes all people and all things and the most effective kind of love is God’s love. In all things, remember that God loves you and has paid the full price through that love for everything you will ever require to move on to the next level regardless of what you know is working against you.

True love is us being there at all times, in all circumstances, and through all situations. In times of shame, sadness, lack, sorrow, confusion, tears, loneliness, disappointment, disqualification, rejection, loss, and joy without being afraid of repercussions. God’s love is with a purpose - to show how much we are loved by Him. “Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.” Hebrews 13:1-3

The true demands in love are huge and sometimes painful, but the rewards far outweigh all the pains therein. God saved us by love through Jesus Christ and wants us to show love to others as He does to us. God’s love never ends, never fails, and never diminishes with time no matter what, where, and who. That is the demand of love He wants us to have towards each other.

When you love people, show it by the genuine guidance you provide, not just by the gifts you give. When you love people, you will also love to be guided in all activities.

Importance of Loving Guidance

In our Christian journey through life, we should always rely on love to guide our actions and decisions. We should not give up God’s guidance and follow the guidance of the people of the world no matter how rich and successful they are in what they do. When we love God, we will also love and follow His counsel. When we love people, we should listen to and follow their counsel and also provide counsel. The Scripture emphasizes the importance of loving counsel and wisdom from others. “And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined, and everyone undergoes discipline, then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live? They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” Hebrews 12:5-12

We benefit tremendously from sharing our concerns with love-filled friends and family, who can help steer us in the right direction in good and bad times. By recognizing the value of loving guidance, we learn and grow in the things of God, molding ourselves into the loving individuals God calls us to be. “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult. An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.” Proverbs 1:8-9, 12:15-20

This is what King David said the word of God affected his life, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, Lord, according to your word. Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.” Psalm 119:105-109

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there are demands in your love and in the love that I have for you and others. I ask that you will help me meet these demands and remain in your love as I love others as you also love me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

---------

THE DEMANDS OF LOVE (2)

March 2, 2025

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.” 1 John 4:7-11. True love has a divine demand. God loves us so that we could love Him back through Jesus Christ and love others also as He and Christ Jesus love us. True love is not loving ourselves or others as we want, but loving as God wants and has given us guidance through His word. In all things, loving as God loves and wants is the most important, and that was exactly what Jesus Christ did, and is doing right now.

Love – endures with patience and serenity. Love – requires kindness and thoughtfulness. Love – is not being hostile, jealous, or envious of anyone. Love -- does not brag about past deeds or present favor. Love - is not proud or arrogant. Love -- is not being rude to anyone for anything. Love - is not self-seeking or talking to promote oneself. Love – does not provoke others. Love - is not being overly sensitive and easily angered. Love - does not take into account a wrong endured. Love -- does not rejoice at injustice. Love -- rejoices with the truth when God’s truth prevails. Love -- is patient enough to bear all things regardless of what comes. Love – is not suspicious but believes all things and looks for the best in each one. Love -- hopes for all things. Love -- remains steadfast during difficult times. Love -- endures all things without weakening.

In the world today, love has been misinterpreted, misunderstood, misrepresented, mismanaged, and misused. It is most often used for personal purposes. We have replaced love with only affection for people we like in the world or family, but God’s love is all-inclusive to all people, all race, all gender, all language, and all ideology everywhere in the world regardless of family affiliation and affluence. In the world, we love those who love us; we give to those who like us, we love those who submit to our ideas, we love those who do not challenge us even when we are wrong. While urging us to love, God even asked us to not only love those who love us but to also love those who hate us, -- love our enemies, those who disagree with us, those who disrespect us, and those who have no regard for us or our beliefs or our faith.

“I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned, but if I have no love, this does me no good. Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass. For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial; but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear.” 1 Corinthians 14:3-9

Love requires providing guardians and guidance. That is one reason God gives us His word to guard and guide us as we live and love. This is what David said in the scripture. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again, I will obey your righteous regulations. I have suffered much, O Lord, restore my life again as you promised. Lord, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart’s delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.” Psalm 119:105-115

All of the words of God are the expression of His love. His promises are the promises of His love to us. They are not only to inform us of heavenly things but also to guide and guard us on earthly things. If we refuse to be guided and guarded by His word in all of our activities, then we are not working in love. If we love ourselves, we have to abide by His word, and if we love others, we have to show them how by God’s word. Love is not complete without providing a guide and being there as a guardian always and althrough.

To guide is to lead, and to guard is to protect. If we cannot meet these demands in love, then we cannot love, and there is no true love in us. Love demands guidance – that is why God gave us His word. We cannot say we love God without knowing and loving His word.

LET US PRAY

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

--------

THE DEMANDS OF LOVE (1)

February 23, 2025

“Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way. God sent His One and Only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:7-12

“For God loved the world in this way, He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

There are so many ways to love and to show love, but there is only one perfect way, - to first love God through knowing and accepting Jesus Christ in all of our ways, thoughts, and actions and to meet the demands therein. We cannot say we are in love without meeting those demands. Love is not indulging in any form of immoral sin or compromising the word of God. Love is beyond gifts, and showing compassion; love is an unending lifestyle expressed always to all people created by God on earth while mirroring the word of God through every step, action, and thought. There are demands that must be met in true love. God loves us with a demand that we believe and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and Jesus Christ loves us with a demand that we keep His commandment – “If you love Me, you will keep My commands.” John 14:15

“And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in Him. In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. And we have this command from Him, the one who loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:16-21. And if we love, we must also show love with a demand.

His love is unchanging and everlasting but it has a demand. God’s love has a demand – that we will come to Him through Jesus Christ. That we love Him in return. That we will be changed from the inside and the change be seen in everything we will ever do thereafter. That we will believe in Him and accept His ways. That we will repent from our sins and turn away from our evil past. That we have a new life in Him and live in the comfort of that love.

God demands love to be a guiding principle in all of our relationships; should be thoughtful, kind, forgiving, unconditional, persistent, devoted, and mirror God’s love for us. God’s love demands we strive to love others the way God loves us. Love fosters understanding, and encourages healthy relationships, harmony, and peace in our lives and the lives of others. Where there is conflict, there is hatred, fear, confusion, and war, and where there is God’s love, there is peace, harmony, hope, and joy. “A good person's words are a fountain of life, but a wicked person's words hide a violent nature. Hate stirs up trouble, but love forgives all offenses. But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins” Proverbs 10:11-12, 1 Peter 4:7-8. There are so many things amiss in each of us, but while correcting, true love covers what is seen as amiss and gives direction through peaceful and loving counsel. Loving counsel and wisdom from others is a great benefit in a love-filled relationship. It steers us in a direction that God wants and brings guidance, learning, growing, and molding into our lives.

Love demands that you seek God’s wisdom and do what it says. “If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way. Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong. If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains. Honor the Lord by making Him an offering from the best of all that your land produces. If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to store it all. My child, when the Lord corrects you, pay close attention and take it as a warning. The Lord corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child of whom they are proud. Happy is anyone who becomes wise, who comes to have understanding. There is more profit in it than there is in silver; it is worth more to you than gold. Wisdom is more valuable than jewels; nothing you could want can compare with it. Wisdom offers you a long life, as well as wealth and honor. Wisdom can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it. Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.” Proverbs 3:4-18

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there are demands in your love and in the love that I have for you and others. Please help me meet these demands and remain in your love as I love others as you also love me. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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DO YOU KNOW THEM?

February 16, 2025

“Don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. So, I will acknowledge in front of my Father in Heaven that person who acknowledges me in front of others. But I will tell my Father in heaven that I don’t know the person who tells others that he doesn’t know me.”

Matthew 10:31-33

Those who know, and follow God are known in heaven and seen on earth because their actions are never hidden, they carry a divine reward for all to see and are not hidden. God says if you acknowledge Him, He will acknowledge you. That is a straightforward promise. There is nothing else attached to that and is open to everyone, Christians, Jews, people of every nationality, color, age, gender, and language. Christianity is a call to everyone in every nation. Everyone is welcomed and called to accept, believe, follow, obey, and be subject to the word of God through Jesus Christ. Christianity is not hidden and everyone who is called a Christian, and truly follows Christ Jesus and obeys His word would not be hidden by anything on earth and in heaven. Jesus says He would acknowledge them before His Father in heaven and to all men on earth. He would expose them openly for people to see their good works, good hearts, good words, and good character before all men.

These are men and women all over the world displaying the commandments of God and His words through deeds, actions, words, imaginations, thoughts, and judgments regardless of the condemnation by people of the world. “Everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way, He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God. This, then, is the judgment; the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.” John 3:15-21

These are men and women displaying, following, and keeping all the commands given by Jesus Christ. “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this, all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

These are people who had been renewed, transformed, and engaged by the word of God alone and nothing else. “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” Romans 8:1-2; Romans 12:1-2

God promised to enable them to sit and stand before kings no matter what displaying His good works, character, and showing His goodness, and faithfulness by their daily deeds. “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand in the presence of kings. He will not stand in the presence of unknown men.” Proverbs 22:29

These people are not distinguished by their strength but by God’s strength through grace and spirit. They are sometimes hated by the world but they are loved and secured in the hands of the Almighty God. They do not look wise in the eyes and knowledge of the world but they bring people to the kingdom of God. “Brothers, consider your calling, not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. Instead, God has chosen what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world, what is viewed as nothing, to bring to nothing what is viewed as something so that no one can boast in His presence. But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in order that as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

There is no knowledge, wisdom, understanding, thoughts, imagination, insights, or wonders that are beyond God’s and there is nothing anyone can do or would do that is not known and seen by Him. God knows who and what we are and nothing is hidden from His knowledge and sight. He knows us more than we know ourselves and loves us more than we love ourselves. God does not want us to hide who we are, hide our salvation, Christianity, activities, acceptance, fellowship, and understanding of Him from others. He wants us to declare Him openly and publicly.

LET US PRAY

Thank You, my Father for saving my soul, and delivering my spirit, mind, and body from the evil influence of the world. I submit myself to you and ask that you would use it for your glory as long as I live. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

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CONDITIONS FOR HIS PRESENCE

February 9, 2025

“For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:16-21The scripture gave this conditional statement to whosoever.

It is worthy to note that in all the appearances of Christ Jesus to His disciples, He always left behind an instruction to follow. He never showed Himself to them for the fun of it, so also in our time; Christ Jesus will not show Himself without leaving behind an instruction that will lead us into bigger things in His mission and His blessing.

It is worth knowing that in all His appearances, the disciples met certain conditions before He

showed Himself. He never showed Himself to individual disciples but always to a group of at least two except for Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Christ Jesus said, “The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me, and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and will show, reveal, manifest Myself to him. I will let Myself be seen by him and make Myself real to him.” John 14:21. These are the six conditions that we must also meet if we want to experience what the disciples experienced after the resurrection.

1. We must seek Him with all of our hearts. That was what Mary Magdalene did even in the presence of the armed soldier without being afraid and she was not disappointed. If you would do the same, you will not be disappointed regardless of the threat from people. “But if from there you will seek, inquire for and require as necessity the Lord your God, you will find Him if you truly seek Him with all your heart and mind and soul and life” Deuteronomy 4:29

2. We must learn to talk about Him in our private and public conversations. That was what the two disciples did on their way to Emmaus and Christ Jesus joined in that conversation. He is willing to join us not only on Sunday morning services but every day and everywhere if we will give ourselves to talk about Him everywhere and every day “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man loves me, he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.” Matthew 10:32, John 14:23-25

3. We must always learn to gather together in His name. That was what the disciples did when He showed Himself. Note that Thomas was absent and missed seeing the Lord at that first gathering. “For wherever two or three are gathered, drawn together as My followers in My name, there I Am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

4. We must learn to pray and trust in His name. God answers prayers. Remember corporate prayers attract corporate blessings. “If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

5. We must learn to do what the scripture says. There is no need to call on the Lord if you will not learn to obey His instructions. “Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

6. We must love the Lord with all our heart and substance. Your first and foremost love in life should be the Lord Jesus Christ. If you cannot love Him, you will not be able to love yourself or anyone else appropriately. The heart that loves and obeys Christ Jesus as Lord will love and respect all human beings. There is no true love without the first love of Jesus Christ in our hearts.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. If a man says I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.” 1 John 4:7-21

LET US PRAY

Thank You, my Father in heaven, I have read of the presence of Jesus Christ with His disciples after the resurrection. I desire that You will be with me, show Yourself in my situation, and grant me the grace to rejoice in You the rest of my life. I ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

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BY YOUR ACTION

February 2, 2025

“The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Just a little while now, and the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. At that time you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who really loves Me, and whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I too will love him and will show Myself to him. I will let Myself be seen by him and make Myself real to him. Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered, If a person loves Me, he will keep My word, obey My teaching, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. Anyone who does not love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but from the Father Who sent Me. I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf, He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall, remind, bring to your remembrance everything I have told you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I now give bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed, and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled. You heard Me tell you, I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved Me, you would have been glad, because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater and mightier than I am. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does take place you may believe and have faith in and rely on Me.” John 14:17-29

Our deeds and actions are important. None is insignificant and none will go without a reward. God is forever bound to fulfill His words and promises to everyone who diligently obeys, follows, and stands by those words and promises. He always speaks before every event in human history. He makes a way for His words before confusion sets in; provides life-giving instructions before sending anyone on assignment, and corrects every error when we mess up, repent, and go back to Him. One thing with God is that, in every situation, He cherishes a true and genuine heart of repentance and our willingness to get it right again by looking unto Him.

Before the death of Christ Jesus on the Cross, He told the disciples many things would happen to Him and what He would do after the resurrection. He gave these three-in-one promises to His disciples. These were the promises made by Christ to the disciples personally -

1. He promised not to leave them. Though Christ knew He was about to be crucified on the cross, He told the disciples without any doubt that He would not leave them. That promise signified His continuous presence despite whatever happened and even when He knew He was to die. This is happening right now among true Christians, His presence can be felt when and where true believers are gathered together in His name. “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable and faithful to His word. And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up to love and helpful deeds and noble activities. Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together, as is the habit of some people, but admonishing one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching” Hebrews 10:23-25. Christ has never stopped being with His children at all times in all situations as He was with the Apostles. Without His presence, there is no church and no fellowship. His presence is what makes the difference in every life in every situation.

2. He promised to come to them. The second promise was that He would come to them, and truly He went to meet them at the appointed place after the resurrection. In all His appearances to the disciples, He went to them, on the road to Emmaus, by the sea of Tiberia, in the upper room, and when they were praying. “Jesus answered, If a person loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23. Christ dwells in you when you invite Him into your life.

3. He said they (the disciples) shall see Him. This was what Judas asked, “Why to us alone and not to the world” and this was the answer: “Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you. Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:12-14. One thing is quite certain, Christ will never impose Himself, His teachings, His promises, and His lifestyle on anyone, He will never force anyone to believe Him, to worship Him, and to seek Him, but anyone who will ever step out to seek Him will find Him.

LET US PRAY

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Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

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THE DIFFERENCE (2)

January 26, 2025

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice. Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me, everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9

Living to make a difference is what God desires for all Christians. Christ came to this world to make a difference, He died, was buried, and raised again to life to make a difference. He forgave our sins and saved us so we can live the rest of our lives to make a difference. Where your heart is important in making a difference. What you give your heart to remember and meditate on is also important to your health and in making a difference.

God wants us to remember His testimonies and fix our hearts on Him always. “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me. For I brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you. Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness. What can we bring to the Lord? Should we bring Him burnt offerings? Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you, to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:3-8

God has provisions for all Christians to be healthy, to have a cheerful heart, and to be thankful to Him. Being thankful to God affects our heart and our health positively; it makes us ready for excellent and transforming service to God and to man, ready to learn, ready to be submissive, and ready to be responsive to the instructions of God; ready to impart the lives of others and ready to bring them to the presence of Jesus Christ seeking the salvation of their soul.

Jesus Christ, His angels in heaven, and the church of the living God on earth will be glad to see us living in happiness and being merry in our hearts always in the presence of God, in His word, and acting in according to what is written in the Scriptures. The state of our heart contributes positively to the health and expectation of our body, making us lively and rightly fit for business, for acceptance in the presence of God and men, making God’s face shine on us, and rendering us pleasant to one another. A cheerful heart makes our meditation and devotion very profiting and encouraging, but the sorrow of the heart is a great enemy to our health and spiritual well-being at all times. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” 3 John 1:2-4: Proverbs 23:7

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, I submit my heart to You and ask that You will help me to keep my heart on You, on Your word, and on the things that will help me grow in Your righteousness, in Your power, and in Your divine love. Let my health reflect my heart in You always. Thank You for looking at my heart for good, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry: click here

Someone is always here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

-------------

THE DIFFERENCE

January 19, 2025

“In the house of the righteous is much treasure; but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge; but the heart of the foolish doeth not so. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord, but He loveth him that followeth after righteousness. Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way, and he that hateth reproof shall die. Hell and destruction are before the Lord, how much more then the hearts of the children of men? A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him, neither will he go unto the wise. A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge, but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Proverbs 15:5-16

Wisdom is not enough; learning and knowledge are never adequate, fame is never a requirement, and wealth is not at the top but godliness is what is required and will always make a difference at all times and places regardless of gender age, nationality and race. God wants us to make a difference every time and everywhere. He wants those who believe, trust, depend, follow, and call on Him to make a difference. He wants us to wholeheartedly be thankful for everything small or great. Thanking God for what we have and will have is a way to go; it is a way to show who we are and what He Is. There are many ways to make a difference through a thankful heart and Salvation is one of the greatest means to begin making a difference.

These are areas King Solomon wants us to test our lives to begin making a difference.

A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the wicked and the good. The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s discipline, but a person who accepts correction is sensible. The house of the righteous has great wealth, but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge, but not so the heart of fools. The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight. The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but He loves the one who pursues righteousness.

Making a difference should start from the heart filled with thankfulness. Thanking God for the transforming power in His words, and revealing Himself through His word. For the results we have now in our efforts as we follow His words and practice His ways. Thanking Him because He never abandons His words, His righteousness, His love for those who diligently obey Him, and support for His people.

A thankful heart is important to us individually, to general health, to a vibrant Christian life, in relationships, in everyday activities, and in all desires for success, victory, and productivity. The heart of man is the center of spiritual and physical activities; a place where God dwells and has a way in our lives; a place where one grows in godliness, faith, and righteousness. A place God changes first before other parts of the body. A thankful heart will result in physical and spiritual happiness, a healthy and peaceful life and living, and a productive life.

The battle of life begins from the heart. The battle to be successful, to be a faithful Christian, devoted to godliness, and approve begins from the heart. The battles to not compromise the word of God, follow what others are doing irrespective of their religious belief and faith, not to follow unscriptural ways, the battle to remain obedient to God alone, and the battle to ignore the words of God concerning the issues we have at hand begin in the heart. The result of such battles depends on what we allow in our hearts and how long we meditate daily and often, what we give our ears to hear, and accept at the end.

This is one of the best ways of having victory, remaining strong, relevant, and healthy spiritually and physically from our heart; remaining productive, and happy; maintaining a good relationship with God and man as Christians. “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:20-23.We have everything we need to maintain good health, good relationships, have victory, and make great progress in the word of God. Our relationship with God begins with a heart actively focused on His words and accepting what is therein.

Several things are seeking to convince our hearts; asking us to change our hearts by dropping our faith; making us feel inferior, cheated, and restricted by believing and following Jesus Christ; many out there that seem good and pleasing to the eyes, good to be tasted, and good to the body, yet most are not approved by God and do not reflect the righteousness of Christ Jesus in us; there are several things that people are doing in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ which are self-conceived and enslaving at the end. Remember Christ Jesus came to set us free from those things, He does not want us to be enslaved again by these things, He does not want us to be addicted again to any ungodly ways, ungodly thoughts, and fruitless practices; He does not want our heart to be deceived by any of the deceiving words of the devil. Apostle Paul wrote this concerning himself: “I have the right to do anything, you say but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything but not everything is constructive.” 2 Corinthians 10:23

Just as God seeks our hearts, the devil also seeks our hearts, to turn it against God, and all of God’s instructions and righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, and obedience. The devil wants to use our hearts against every human being; He wants hatred to grow instead of Godly love; he wants bitterness and destructive thoughts and actions to emanate from our hearts instead of godliness and peaceful constructive thinking. By seeking to use our hearts, the devil wants to actualize his purpose in our lives by planting illness, ill feelings, and evil plots to hunt us physically and spiritually, destroy our health, and adversely affect our overall happiness. “A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.” Proverbs 15:13

LET US PRAY

Please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry: click here

Someone is always here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

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NO GOING BACK

January 12, 2025

Looking back often brings regrets and sorrows and creates a desire for revenge. It reminds us of hurts and evil more than the blessings, it wants us to take a step back, or desire what had passed, but God wants us to be courageous and hopeful for what is to come; He wants us to be thankful for the past no matter what it was, and be thankful because of impacts of our salvation and for what we will benefit therein, and to desire better things as He gives us the grace to see each new day. This is the promise as we move ahead with the desire not to go back. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you who are willing to learn with My eye upon you.” Psalm 23:8. While God will forever be committed to His word and promises, He is looking for and waiting on men and women who will stand on those words and promises no matter what. Remember, His word will never fail even when everything on earth is unstable, and there is uncertainty in every situation and all men become unfaithful thereafter.

His word and promise is that He will instruct, teach, counsel, and guide us on the way we should go, and every step we will take if we will be submissive and willing to learn. That is, He will never leave us to our understanding of events or the understanding and counsel of men. God will forever remain faithful to His word. His word changes people and situations, restores hope, and whatever has been lost or destroyed. By His word, all things were created, sustained, and restored. No matter what, there is hope and assurance for your future in Christ Jesus.

In the passage above, God promised to teach, instruct, advise, guide, and counsel us concerning where to go and what to do. It is never enough to claim Christianity without the willingness to submit oneself to learn, receive instruction, and follow the instructions in His word. The Lord says I will teach you the way you should go; I will instruct you and advise you. There is no way back but forward to greater things and through grace from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, better things are ahead, He will lead, guide, direct, defend, and ensure where you are going is where He had destined and where you arrive is where He has said in His promise to you. In following Christ submissively, there is assurance beyond hope and dreams.

When Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt, despite the Red Sea, the armies of Pharaoh, the wilderness, and the forty years, God ensured they arrived where He had promised, where He had destined, and where He had prepared for them. By His word and presence, God led them, guided them, directed their steps, defended them, and sustained them. By His presence, He ensured they did not miss the way despite delays; they were not defeated despite the battles and did not destroy themselves despite the grumblings.

“I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator, your King. This is what the Lord says, He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick. Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” Isaiah 43:15-21

In deciding not to go back, this is what Paul said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if at some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Philippians 3:12-16

The way forward is to set a target and press towards that target, to press beyond the level of yesterday’s success or failure, to go beyond today’s challenges, and be focused on things that God would do. Resist all temptations to glory in the past, refuse similarities created by men, and press on unto grace in Jesus Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

While pressing forward with determination, do the following - “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones. Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:5-12

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there is no going back for me, I need your help and guardian, lead my steps, and keep my heart in you always, I ask these in Jesus' Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

To be continued

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ON EAGLES WING

January 05, 2025

“Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up like someone awakened from sleep. He asked me, what do you see? I answered I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. Also, there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left. I asked the angel who talked with me, what are these, my lord? He answered, do you not know what these are? No, my lord, I replied. So he said to me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty. What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel, you will become level ground. Then He will bring out the capstone to shouts of God bless it, God bless it.” Zechariah 4:1-7

The Almighty God through Christ Jesus our Lord based on the salvation given to us by grace has guaranteed we will be successful in whatever He asked us to do, whatever He reveals as our physical or spiritual assignment, and whatever we put our hearts and hands to do that will glorify His name, but in those revealed things, in the ones we have the privilege to learn, know, and also practice, it will not be done successfully by our power, our knowledge, our wealth, past experiences, position, profession, location, gender, with right people to work with, but it will be done successfully only by the presence of His power with us and the open display of His might to counter failures, frustrations, delays, stagnations, and abandonment. God does not want us to abandon what He had given us, what He had revealed to us to do, and what He expects from us – He wants us to be successful in every given assignment through His guidance and the power of His Holy Spirit poured into our lives.

There is no place for human might or power when it comes to divine assignments. You will have to seek and depend on God’s grace, God’s Spirit, and the display of His mighty hands while being obedient and faithful with the knowledge that nothing is impossible with Him. “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:26-31

Zerubbabel was the governor of Jerusalem with the desire to rebuild God’s temple, to restore true worship of God in Jerusalem while Zechariah the prophet and the priest encouraged the people to use it in their worship. But God sent Zechariah the priest to Zerubbabel the prophet and priest with these words in Zechariah 4:6 “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts”

The construction of the temple had been stopped by the opposition and when Zebbabel tried to rebuild it, he also suffered setbacks, frustrations, lack of funds, and lack of support, but in a night vision message through Zechariah, God showed him a solid gold lampstand with two olive trees that provided the lampstand with the oil needed to keep the light on and connecting pipes attached to it, with the key message in verse 6; “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit.” signifying that the work of rebuilding the temple would be successful but it will be accomplished by God’s Spirit, not by human might, nor power, nor anything else.

God is calling all Christians, all those who believe, trust, and follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and only Savior to depend on Him this year, and henceforth, the task ahead is possible, it will be accomplished and successful only when we depend on Him to supply what is needed as the Lampstand, even though it was golden, it could not supply its own oil to keep its light on and shining. Did you know you are the golden lampstand that needs to keep the light on and shine bright? You will need an abundance of the oil, the Spirit of God to keep the light on and shining. You cannot shine without the supply of oil and the connecting pipe.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16. You are the light of the world, - let your light shine. By showing the golden lampstand, the oil, and the pipes supplying oil to the lamp – the message was clear, it will be possible but only by my power.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, there is nothing you cannot do, I need to know you, to see you, and be used by you. My desire is to be what you want and nothing else and I know you have good and better plans for my life. Help me, dear Lord, I ask these in Jesus' Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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LIFESTYLE

December 29, 2024

“If you really love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby, to be with you forever; the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive and take to its heart because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He the Holy Spirit remains with you continually and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, helpless, comfortless, and bereaved. I will come back to you. After a little while, the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me, because I live, you will live also. On that day when that time comes, you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who really loves Me, and whoever really loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him, I will make Myself real to him.” John 14:15-21

Love is expressed in lifestyle. Loving our Lord Jesus can only be seen in the way we live and conduct ourselves daily. Christianity is not a bondage as some people think and wrongly believe. Christianity is love, compassion, and grace made available through Jesus Christ to all who accept, believe, and surrender themselves to obey Him. Christianity is a break from Satan’s bondages and his evil works, plans, and desires of men with twisted wisdom. Christianity is the return to the fullness of freedom that God made before we were conceived; it is not a restriction as some may assume but a way of life that glorifies God and brings forth the best in us and of us to fulfill that which we were made by God and placed in this world to fulfill; it is not a hindrance to being our very best in every field of endeavor that God had called us and endowed us with grace and wisdom to excel, It does not stop us from dreaming but encourages us to have positive and rewarding dreams and stand up for those dreams until they are made physical in our eyes and beneficial to us and others. Christianity is living a lifestyle that is synonymous with the life and words of Christ Jesus while He was on earth. Christianity is the best freedom you will ever have compared to any other freedom you desire or have ever heard.

Love is a commandment to Christ followers, a new lifestyle after salvation. Christ said, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.” John 13:34-35. To Christians, walking in love and remaining in love is a commandment that must be followed. We are not to choose who to love and who to hate, we are commanded simply to love. Unselfish love proves to everyone around us that we are the disciples of Jesus Christ. “Do not be surprised believers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into Life because we love the brothers and sisters. He who does not love remains in spiritual death. Everyone who hates, works against his brother in Christ is at heart a murderer by God’s standards, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this, we know and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious love, that He willingly laid down His life for us because He loved us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers. But whoever has the world’s goods, adequate resources, and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him? Little children, believers, dear ones, let us not love merely in theory with word or with tongue giving lip service to compassion, but in action and in truth, in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words. By this we will know without any doubt that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him.” 1 John 3:13-19

“For the true love of God is this, that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult to obey.” 1 John 5:4. Christian love is more than giving, and knowledge; it is the knowledge of the love of God and accepting that love personally; it is knowing the purpose of the love accepted and called into; it is desiring to remain in that love permanently, to walk in that love continually, and desiring to be the mirror that reflects that love in the dark world. Christian love is compassion. Christian love is not seductive but inductive; it does not support evil and does not support evil acts, and words; it is compassion, truth, sincerity, guided life and speech, and works. Christianity is not repulsive, but attractive, meaningful, rejuvenating, engaging, and always productive. Christian love is not a feeling, it is living the commanded and required life after salvation. It is following the examples and precepts of Jesus Christ regardless of our location, profession, age, and gender.

Christ Jesus told the lawyer that Christian love is the first and greatest commandment “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets". Matthew 22:36-40. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Christian love is being merciful, and showing the love of God through you.

The essence of Christianity is to love God and to love others because everyone deserves to be loved. "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12. “Owe nothing to anyone except to love and seek the best for one another; for he who unselfishly loves his neighbor has fulfilled the essence of the law relating to one’s fellow man. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor it never hurts anyone. Therefore unselfish love is the fulfillment of the Law.” Romans 13:8-10.

Christian love is doing to others those things that you would want others to do for you if you were in their situation, and it is doing so even if they can't pay you back. Christian love is respect for others. It is mercy. It is charity. Remember, God's Love is unselfish and unconditional. Let your life be a reflection of Jesus Christ, His love, compassion, and mercy. Not a reflection of what people are saying or doing against you. Love others as Christ Jesus Loves you.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me how to love You and others and how to remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

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ALL FULFILLED

December 22, 2024

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2.

Christianity is the best proof of God’s love; Christ Jesus is the anchor of that love, and Christmas is the fulfillment of all God had said and promised. The coming of the Messiah - Jesus Christ was not in darkness, the world was well-informed many years ahead of that very day. He did not come out from the darkness, neither did He come in secret. God prepared Him and God sent Him. His coming, purpose, name, how, and duty were all made known to men by God and written in the scriptures. The coming of the Messiah was not a surplice because it was foretold, many heard it from the prophets, many read it in the scriptures, many knew the announcement in temples and synagogues in Israel, many believed it, and many looked forward to the fulfillment with expected to see, and many waited patiently for it for years, but when He finally came, only a few saw Him, and only a few believed Him.

The tribe of Judah was chosen not because it was highly populated or because it had many great men with wealth, knowledge, or wisdom. Judah was even the least of the tribes of Israel, yet it was the tribe chosen by God because that was what pleased Him, Bethlehem was also chosen by God to be the city, and that pleased Him; a virgin was chosen also by God, and the manner of birth was all chosen by God. There was no human input to the choice, the design, the place, and the manner. All were done by God, made possible by God, and all was for His glory and nothing else. “Nevertheless, the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, as when at first, He lightly esteemed. The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward more heavily oppressed her, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. Every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, and garments rolled in blood, will be used for burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 7:1-7

God has not hidden anything from men regardless of what we choose to believe, what we choose to ignore, what we choose to follow, and what we doubt. In all things now and in the future, God has made His plans known to all men and all are documented in the Holy Scripture, He has made His intentions known and all are in writing in the Holy Bible, and He will not change any but He will by His own power fulfill all. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:9-11

Everything about the Messiah - Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was made known to men before He came, God did not fail in His word and in His promise but men failed in their expectations then and that is the same mistake we are making today. I want you to know that our expectations will fail, our dreams will fail, the best of knowledge, what we learn and what we know will fail, wisdom will fail, and our calculations in time and of time will fail, but it is very certain that our failure will never translate to God’s failure or His words and promises to fail at any time. Time will change, knowledge will change, language will change and people will change but God and all of His words and promises will never change.

The reason for the Messiah – Christ Jesus – The reason for Christmas. These are the things we have and should expect in our lives individually as we celebrate Christ Jesus this Christmas

---- That time of darkness and despair will not go on forever.

---- The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled,

---- There will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, will be filled with glory.

---- The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
---- Those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.

---- You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder.

---- You will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders.
---- You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.

---- The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, thank You for Your word and the gift of salvation; thank You for enabling me to receive this salvation through Christ my Lord; I ask that You help me as I desire to walk in obedience to Your words every day. I ask for direction in Jesus' name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

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JOHN THE BAPTIST

December 15, 2024

“The Lord gave me this message: I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5. Those words do not apply only to Jeremiah or Christians but to all human beings on earth, of all ages, professions, or religions they may be in. God knows everyone before they were conceived in the womb and He knows everything before it happens. God does not only know you before you were born He also knew you before you were conceived and He made you before you were conceived. He did not only make you, He made plans for you and spoke concerning your entire life, whatever you were then, whatever you are now, and whatever you will ever be on earth.

There are many things we should never take for granted, one of such is God, and the other is His knowledge not only concerning the universe and the future but our own very lives. God knows everything about our past before it came, about our present before we start experiencing it, and everything about our future before we fulfill and inherit it. God does not only know them, but He also made them, He permits them, and He spoke about them. His words have never failed and will never fail. Christ Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” Luke 21:33

We know what God said to Jeremiah concerning his life and mission, we want to study what God said concerning others before they were conceived. Today we want to look at eight things God said concerning John the Baptist before he was even conceived: “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through?” Numbers 23:19. When God speaks on anyone or issue, He ensures all His words are fully followed through and their purpose is fulfilled as intended. God said this through the angel to Zechariah concerning John the Baptist that not yet conceived:

1. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord; God will not take His eyes off him for any reason.

2. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks; that was for the effectiveness of his consecration and mission.

3. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. That was for the success of the mission he was being called to do.

4. He will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He is a messenger of God

5. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. That is the physical sign of work he is being called to do for the Lord on earth.

6. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. The forerunner for Christ Jesus

7. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. He will have followers

8. He will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. He will be a man of God’s wisdom which will be different from the wisdom of the world and of the religious leaders of his time

“While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, don’t be afraid, Zechariah, God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.” Luke 1:11-17

God’s plans are true, they are pure, there are peaceful, they are attainable and because He speaks concerning you before you were born, He also makes the ways for you to accomplish His plans through the salvation of your soul by Christ Jesus our Lord. Remain in Him.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, thank You concerning the word You spoke of me before I was born, help me to see them fulfilled completely. I ask that You will help me fulfill Your plans and desires. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

YOU AND CONFIDENCE

December 8, 2024

“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” Daniel 11:32

What is needed urgently by all Christians today in and outside our churches and around the world is confidence in our God and our salvation, confidence in our call to ministry; confidence in the God who saved and called us, confidence in the words of God we read, hear, and preach every day, and confidence in the faith we profess. There are no shut cuts to success in life, no shut cuts to godly excellence in Christian leadership, no shut cuts to godly glory, and no shut cuts to heaven except through Jesus Christ. Confidence is built through a decision to remain focused and to pay the full price to be what God had made and called us to be in life. Confidence is not external but deeply internal and very personal because as we grow and follow our Lord, things will crop up later in life that will force us to ask ourselves some real personal questions about ourselves. Even with evidence of calling, competence, and character, success may not happen as expected if Christians and Christian leaders lack the confidence they need to remain faithful and focused on their God.

A leader must have the confidence and be ready to pay the full price of the office he or she occupies. Confidence in leadership does not translate to being the head or at the top of a mission or ministry; it is being responsible and taking responsibility at any level that you are rendering the services required of you with utmost satisfaction. Did you know that being a servant is a position of leadership? Jesus Christ our Lord defined greatness in terms of service that is rendered to others and not position held, a great servant is a true leader because leadership exacts a price. Anyone who aspires to leadership should also count the cost that is required and should know that leadership requires service as its priority before any other motivation. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12

There are many reasons for lack of confidence in leadership but none should be a barrier to you if God is with you and for you as a Christian. There will always be something to challenge your confidence. Moses, Jeremiah, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ had trouble with confidence but nothing stopped them from doing what they were called and asked to do, and all of them were able to overcome such and had success in their services. We can overcome the lack of confidence if we ascribe greatness to our God that He is the true solution to the problems of humanity as we engage ourselves in doing His will. We can overcome the lack of confidence by concentrating on the area we are called and gifted and remaining faithful in it like John the Baptist did when asked who he was. “Now this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who are you? He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? Are you Elijah? He said, I am not, are you the Prophet? And he answered, no. Then they said to him, who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself? He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.” John 1:19-23. We must use our gifts properly to the fullest if we must grow in confidence. We can overcome the lack of confidence if we allow suffering to play its part in our development. Suffering as a leader does not destroy but increases our faith in the God we serve. We can overcome a lack of confidence if we refuse to admit defeat and refuse to quit when we are challenged by circumstances beyond our control.

Faith in Christ Jesus is a great tool for growing in confidence. Apostle Paul gave us a clue on how he was able to deal with the lack of confidence through grace when challenged: “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthian 12:7-10. There will be a time in the course of our duties as leaders when we will be required one way or the other to prove our calling, to show our character, our competence, and last of all, our confidence in leadership. We have all been warned concerning pride and self-glory as Christians and leaders, but showing our competence and confidence with all humility is not pride.

If Christian leaders must affect and lead this generation to God, we must learn, seek, and build great confidence in our God at all times and in His word through faith, grace, and the Holy Spirit. This was what Micah needed in his time to declare the word of God; “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, And of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin.” Micah 3:8. And Apostle Paul also wrote; “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. Moses showed confidence in God by accepting to stand before Pharaoh with the word of God despite the threat to his life. Elijah was confident enough to stand before King Ahab to declare the intent of God for His people. These were his words to King Ahab on two occasions: “Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel lives, the God I serve, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word. But Elijah said, I swear by the Lord Almighty, in whose presence I stand, that I will present myself to Ahab this very day. So Obadiah went to tell Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, so, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel? I have made no trouble for Israel, Elijah replied. You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead.”1 Kings 17:1 and 1 Kings 18:15-18

Eloquence is desirable in Christian leaders but that will not make any difference if we lack confidence in presenting the whole truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ to the world. Calling without confidence leads to failure. God is looking for a man who will stand in confidence and present His words. We need confidence to trust that the word of God is powerful enough to change souls and our situations even when we experience delays in seeing our desires fulfilled and prayers answered as expected. Jesus Christ our Lord was very confident before going to the cross that He will not be abandoned on the Cross and that He will not remain in the grave for more than three days. He was quite confident of His resurrection. “So the Jews answered and said to Him, what sign do You show to us, since You do these things? Jesus answered and said to them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, it has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days? But He was speaking of the temple of His body. Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:18-22.

Fear, sin, injustice, greed, self-seeking and self-satisfaction, the love for money and the quest for fame, the pride of life. Ignorance of the love and purpose of Christ Jesus destroys confidence.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, thank You for Your loving insight into what I need to be effective in leadership and in ministry. I ask that You help me to grow in confidence and in my ability to use this confidence to Your glory alone. I ask all this in the Name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, Amen. For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Lynchburg VA, 24502. USA

www.theglobalministries.com

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GOD KNOWS YOU

December 01, 2024

God knows you and has set a mark over your life. Salvation preserves your soul, quickens your mortal body, quickens His word for you, in you, and through you. I believe in Christ Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I believe in destiny, I believe in the destiny that God has set for me, for you, and all humanity. I believe in your divine destiny, and in all things, I believe God will have the praise and the preeminence. Because He made you, He knows you well enough to do and to use you to accomplish all that He has planned; all that He has destined, and all that He wants.

“So it happened when they had come, he looked at Eliab the eldest son, and thought, surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said the Lord has not chosen this one either. Next, Jesse had Shammah pass by. And Samuel said the Lord has not chosen him either. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, the Lord has not chosen any of these. Then Samuel said to Jesse, are all your sons here? Jesse replied, there is still one left, the youngest; he is tending the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, send word and bring him; because we will not sit down to eat the sacrificial meal until he comes here.” 1 Samuel 16:6-11

David was not elected by men but appointed by God to oversee men. Does God know it? Has God appointed you for a mission? Nothing will change it, not even the works of the wicked or the ancestral or mistakes or sins that God has already forgiven and removed from your life. What God had said, is what God will do. God will never mistake you for anyone else and will never mistake anyone else for you. No word or curse or evil omen of men can change you from what God had made of you and for you. He is perfect even in your case and in everything that will ever concern you regardless of the delays, the loneliness, the rejection, and the experiences in your life now or that which will come hereafter.

“So Jesse sent word and brought him in. Now he had a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said to Samuel, arise, anoint him, for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and terrified him.” 1 Samuel 16:12-14

God knows everything about our hearts, including every intention, desire, and fleeting motion that comes from them. He knows the moment that comes from outside influence and how they have affected us. He does not know our hearts, He also knows our deeds and motives. He knows what we know and what we do not and cannot know. He sees what we do not and can never see. He sees and knows things that are hidden beyond the knowledge and wisdom of all men. He sees His word and knows its effectiveness. He knows when and how they will be fulfilled. He created us and knows every single part of us, and we cannot hide anything from Him.

He knows the good and the bad in our hearts and even the things we are unaware of. He judges the intent of our hearts and understands our motivation and why we want what we want. “The heart is deceitful above all things and it is extremely sick; who can understand it fully and know its secret motives? I, the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the heart, to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10

Denying the problem won’t help. Do-it-yourself efforts can’t repair it. Having what you want, going where you want, being at that place of your dream, won’t help, and being with that person will not change it. Only God can fix what He has made. He made you and He can fix you no matter how you have been betrayed and destroyed by the works of the adversities in your life. Who can fix what is wrong in our lives besides God?

Knowing the God who knows you should be your ultimate in life. That was David's knowledge and desire. David saw himself in light of who God is, which gave him a personal spiritual vision of himself before God at all times. God was the basis of David’s self-identity, self-worth, and self-esteem. You cannot know yourself until you know your God. What should you know about God to know myself? This is what David knows about the God who knows him.

“Lord, you have searched me thoroughly and have known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up, my entire life, everything I do; you understand my thoughts from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and You are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue still unspoken, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and You have placed Your hand upon me. Such infinite knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high above me, I cannot reach it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, the nether world, the place of the dead, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will take hold of me. If I say, surely the darkness will cover me, and the night will be the only light around me, even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You, but the night shines as bright as the day; darkness and light are alike to You. For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was being formed in secret, and intricately and skillfully formed as if embroidered with many colors in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were appointed for me, when as yet there was not one of them even taking shape. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God, how vast is the sum of them? If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:1-18

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, help me to know you, accept you, follow you, and remain in you. Teach me and lead me on the path you have made for me. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

THE CHARACTER OF LOVE (2)

November 24, 2024

“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you except to be just, and to love, and to diligently practice kindness, compassion, and to walk humbly with your God setting aside any overblown sense of importance or self-righteousness. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline, abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind, and self-control.” Micah 6:8, 2 Timothy 1:7

God wants us to love not in words only but also in character, and has given us the spirit needed to love the way He wants. It is our choice to do the way He desires and please Him in our actions and the character we show to the world. Love is living the word of God in action. Jesus told his disciples – “If you really love Me, you will keep and obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby, to be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive and take to its heart because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He the Holy Spirit remains with you continually and will be in you.” John 14:15-17

The character of love is far beyond what we say, it is mostly reflected in what we do by what we know. The word of God is the yardstick we need of what love is and not our thoughts of what we think love is.

This is the checklist for true love –

Love endures with patience and serenity,

Love is kind and thoughtful,

Love is not jealous or envious;

love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.

Love is not rude;

Love is not self-seeking,

Love is not provoked

Love is not overly sensitive and easily angered;

Love does not take into account a wrong endured.

Love does not rejoice at injustice,

Love rejoices with the truth when right and truth prevail.

Love bears all things regardless of what comes,

Love believes all things, looking for the best in each one,

Love hopes all things, remaining steadfast during difficult times,

Love endures all things without weakening.

Love never fails, it never fades nor ends.

“I may give away everything I have, and even give up my body to be burned—but if I have no love, this does me no good. Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass. For our gifts of knowledge and of inspired messages are only partial; but when what is perfect comes, then what is partial will disappear. When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways. What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete, as complete as God's knowledge of me. Meanwhile, these three remain, faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:3-13

Our love should be beyond what the world calls love; it should be what the scripture says, that is the kind of love that will last and will be rewarded by God no matter what may come our way. It is what God says and wants that He approves and nothing else. – “In Him also we have received an inheritance, a destiny we were claimed by God as His own, having been predestined, chosen, appointed beforehand according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior would exist to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:11-12

“Do not love the world of sin that opposes God and His precepts, nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things, these do not come from the Father but are from the world. The world is passing away, and with it, its lusts, the shameful pursuits, and ungodly longings; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me to love You and others and help me remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

WHAT GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU

THE CHARACTER OF LOVE (1)

November 17, 2024

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. Above everything, love one another earnestly because love covers over many sins.” John 14:15, 1 Peter 4:8. Beside everything else, the greatest that Christians can do for God is to love Him back, love His word, and love others by doing whatever the word of God says. If this kind of love is failing, we cannot say we love others as God says and wants and we fail in our love of Him. We speak love, but God wants us to act out that love physically. Love is expressed in our actions by our character better than in our words. Love is the actions we take by our deeds at all times in all places and to all people. We can never hide true and godly love because God’s love is never hidden, it is available and open to everyone everywhere regardless of age, nationality, gender, language, or tribe. “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.” John 3:16-17. God’s love is what saves us and our love is expected to save others.

“Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers and overwhelms all transgressions, forgiving and overlooking another’s faults.” Proverbs 10:12

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much, but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47

Christian character is what we would have and develop after accepting, believing, following Jesus Christ, and reading the Holy Scriptures. Without character change, being a Christian isn’t possible in the sight of God regardless of what you do, and what people may say of you. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Having the character of love is making reconciliation with God and seeking reconciliation with all men regardless of the offenses or sins. Without a consistent pursuit of reconciliation with all people, there is no love. Love is not selective because God loves all people and desires all people to be reconciled to Him through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we come to Christ, all our sins and wrongs are instantly forgiven and corrected by God without asking the reasons we did those things and we are told with all assurance that the following will take place in our lives: –

(1) the new creation has come. God completely recreates us

(2) The old has gone, all old characters are taken away

(3) the new is here. A new life begins with new opportunities and character

(4) God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ. We are completely reconciled to God.

(5) gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We have a mission and ministry to pursue – seeking and desiring reconciliation of all people to God through love, not guilt or anything else.

(6) God is not counting people’s sins against them. Our past is no longer standing against us.

Reconciliation goes along with forgiveness and love is the fundamental requirement. Character is what distinguishes people. Character is your personality within and without. It is what we are inside and outside no matter what we have and where we are on open display. We may hide many things from people, and mask our words but Charact displays what we are to the public

Character is what our personality holds and shows to the world. It is features that make up and distinguish us individually. It is what people see not hear; a feature that separates distinguishable things into categories; a distinctive quality; a detectable expression of action traits marking and individualizing a person; it is an essential nature that strongly marks and distinguishes us.

Our character is important to our Christianity, never push it to the backside or ignore it in any way. God is watching us as the world looks at us to see who and what we become in Christ. Love has a character, a way, and a purpose. Its purpose is not to satisfy oneself but to satisfy the God we serve. Love is a requirement because God is love and His love is unchangeable. Love will be tested and tried, stressed and stretched, pushed and pulled, and require endless sacrifice, but true love never gives up because Christ Jesus did not give up. He is with you, and in you as you obey His commands to love.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me to love You and others and help me remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

THE COST OF LOVE (2)

November 10, 2024

“If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” John 14:14-15. Above all things, to love God is to obey His word, and to follow Him truthfully is to submit oneself to obedience regardless of the cost. Obedience to God’s word is the Height of loving God, and it will always be a delight regardless of the physical consequences and the views of the people around you. Samuel told King Saul - “Which does the Lord prefer, obedience or offerings and sacrifices? It is better to obey Him than to sacrifice the best sheep to Him. Rebellion against Him is as bad as witchcraft, and arrogance is as sinful as idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:15:22-23

Jesus Christ gave His disciples a new definition of love and what it demands - “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” John 14:15. “Now I give you a new commandment, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35

“Dear friends, let us love one another because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed His love for us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him. This is what love is; it is not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and His love is made perfect in us.” 1 John 4:7-12

Many of us want to be loved and want to love but many are not willing to pay the price required. We are not willing to pay the price to earn the fullness of God’s love even though God paid the full price in Jesus Christ to make that love available. If you love me Jesus said. God did not only ask us to love, He showed us how to love. Jesus Christ did not just ask us to love, He showed us how to love and if we say we love Him, we must follow and do what He did. “Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like Him. Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave His life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.” Ephesians 5:1-2. We must love to please God and not ourselves, that was what Jesus did when He went to the Cross and was crucified.

Contrary to what many believe, love, as described by God’s Word, is an action, a behavior-based personal decision, not a mere feeling or emotion, and certainly not lust, infatuation, or obsession. Love is goodness that one chooses to do on behalf of another, and it relies on faith and hope in God. True love is humble, righteous, forgiving, patient, generous, kind, and willing to endure personal loss and suffering. It is even willing to remain among true followers of Christ. Love is the opposite of self-absorption and selfishness, which are chiefly devoted to one’s own personal pleasure, benefits, welfare, and profit. Extreme selfishness is of Satan, the devil, the enemy of God and mankind. Love is commanded of us by our Creator.

True love is never free, never cheap, and never without a prolonged test. When God showed humanity His love, He bore the total cost, He did this – “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” John 3:16

When Jesus showed us His love, He did this -- “For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually.” 1 Peter 3:17-18

Matthew 16:24–25 tells us that imitating God is a costly endeavor, one that requires daily self-denial and the narrow road of discipleship. If we think that there is no price to following the Savior, we are kidding ourselves. This price might even mean a martyr’s death, but for most of us, it will mean putting up with the flaws of others, being eager to forgive, and being willing to give up what we want to do to serve others. If loving God and people has not cost you anything, then you are far outside of loving God and people as the scripture says. If anything is missing from the divine standard of love, then the whole exercise of your loving God and people is false.

Love will be tested and tried, stressed and stretched, pushed and pulled, and will require endless sacrifice, but never give up because Christ is with you and in you as you obey and love.

“So do not be surprised, my friends, if the people of the world hate you. We know that we have left death and come over into life; we know it because we love others. Those who do not love are still under the power of death. Those who hate others are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life in them. This is how we know what love is; Christ gave His life for us. We too, then, ought to give our lives for others. If we are rich and see others in need, yet close our hearts against them, how can we claim that we love God? My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:13-18

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me to love You and others and help me remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

------------

THE COST OF LOVE (1)

November 03, 2024

“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross. On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what He went through; how He put up with so much hatred from sinners. So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3.

Christ Jesus was sent into the world because of the Father’s love. Christ Jesus lived on the earth to show us how to love, what love is, and what it will cost; He did not give up despite the hatred and pains because of love; He went to the Cross and was stripped naked because of love; He gave up His life and died on that Cross because of love, but He was raised back to life because of that same love and was rewarded for obeying and following the principles of love. Godly love pays regardless of the pains we will endure and the sacrifices we make.

Love is expensive but everyone can afford the cost, but not everyone is ready to follow God’s principle of love. Love does not require money as many believe and think, but faithfulness to the word of God and following the ways laid down by God in the scripture, following His examples and the examples of Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of the Christian faith. True love is not following our mind or thoughts or what people will do or say to or against us, it is truly following the instructions in the word of God. It is doing what God did, what God said, and what God demands in love. Loving God and loving your neighbor are connected, we cannot love God rightly if we do not love our neighbors, and we cannot love our neighbors rightly if we do not love God. The greatest commandments are to love God wholly and totally and to love one’s neighbor. These two are inseparable. Love of neighbor hinges on whether you love God with your whole being.

Without God’s Spirit dwelling in us and leading us, we cannot love God despite knowing Him, reading and reciting the scriptures, singing, and praising Him. His Spirit leads us into His presence and nothing else. His Spirit enables us to love and nothing else. His Spirit enables us to sacrifice and endure the times and nothing else and His Spirit is all we need to be like Him.

God is a Spirit – “God is Spirit, and only by the power of His Spirit can people worship Him as He really is. The woman said to Him, I know that the Messiah will come, and when He comes, He will tell us everything. Jesus answered, I am He, I who am talking with you.” John 4:24-26

God is love – “Dear friends, let us love one another because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And God showed His love for us by sending His only Son into the world so that we might have life through Him. This is what love is; it is not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.” 1 John 4:7-10

Those who love God must love as He did – “Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and His love is made perfect in us.” 1John 4:11-12

Love is a word we use every day to express ourselves, our feelings, thoughts, and expectations, but true Godly love is never cheap, it is costly, it will cost us a fortune and we must be ready to pay the price if we want to be loved or to show love.

God did not love us because we were righteous, He showed His love to us when we were sinners, unholy, unrighteous, faithless, wicked, and unregenerated. While we were in our past depraved character, weakness, and shameful deeds, works, and words. He loved us when we were hostile to Him and His word, He loved us when we rejected His ways and teachings, He loved us when we refused to be obedient to what we know is true, and loved us until we returned to Him in full repentance. That is what true love demands

God’s love cost Him much, sending His Son for our redemption was not cheap, and the death of His only begotten Son was not something too big for the sake of His love. Costly love pleases Him. Imitating our Creator in love means we will pay a price; that in love, we have to surrender our well-being to advance the good of others.

To show His love, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s instruction, He God did not reject or abandon them right away, He visited them there, spoke to them there, and made provisions for them there. That was love and that is what we need. “That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from Him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man, where are you? He answered I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you because I was naked. Who told you that you were naked? God asked. Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat? And the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.” Genesis 3:8-11, 21

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me to love You and others and help me remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

-------------------

ALWAYS LOVE

October 27, 2024

“But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees with His reply, they met together to question Him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap Him with this question; Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses? Jesus replied you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40

There is a missing link in the lives of many Christians today, it is not the knowledge of God or His desires, it is not wealth or fame, it is not worship or praise and it is not the reading of the Bible; that missing link is the true expression of the love of God as expected by God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ in all activities and relationships. All Christians should know that they are direct products of God’s love made effective through the forgiveness of sin by Christ Jesus. Without love, there is no forgiveness, no salvation, no Christianity, and without love, there is no true relationship, no true worship, no true church, and no true praise. God is love absolutely, and those who follow Him must also love absolutely as He is love. In all of Christianity, love is the first and basic foundation needed for every other activity. Without love, such activities will not be acceptable in the sight of God, will not attract His praise, and will not earn His reward.

Paul described true Godly love this way: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. He said eloquence, knowledge, understanding of secrets and wisdom, strength in faith and speaking in tongues, wealth, success, possessions of good things, and excellent profit in all things have no value without God’s love.

It is expected that all Christians must show love unselfishly at all times, in all seasons, in all locations irrespective of their past or present experiences and the evil activities of men against them; it is expected that they should love without regrets, should walk in love with God and with men, should show love instead of hate, instead of self-seeking glory and pride. The true reward of the love you show towards God and man will come from the hand of God alone; the reward is far beyond the best reasoning of men, the best understanding of men, and the sweet dreams and visions of men. In loving God, we receive His true nature and purpose for our lives and in showing love to men, we reveal who God is and what He intends for them. True love is a way of life; Jesus said, He is the truth, the way, and the life.

Paul advised Christians on how to use love to fulfill God’s requirements for their lives: “Owe nothing to anyone except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, you must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet. These and other such commandments are summed up in this one commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law. This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living” Romans 10:8-12

Living and showing true love is evidence that we know the Almighty God and that we have been forgiven and accepted by Him through the love of Jesus Christ. “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him. This is real love not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us.” 1 John 4:7-13

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17

“Three things will last forever faith, hope, and love and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35

Christians are to love one another just as God loved us. Because Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior is love, we have to love. Love is unconditional selflessness rendered for the good of others for the only reason that God requires us to show love irrespective of what we feel, know, and see. God has not changed, His word remains the same, His expectations are right and His love is still active as it was in the beginning. People will change because of expectations, experiences, and the actions of others, but irrespective of the changes of men and their actions, God, and His words will never change and those who follow Him and truly believe in our Lord Jesus Christ will live by His unchanging words irrespective of the experiences and the actions of men. Brethren, many Christians have failed the test of showing the true love of God to others; you should not be in that number. Never allow the outward signs of human understanding, and the world’s interpretation of love to confuse you with the divine requirement, words, and expectations of love. Love is God and God is love and true love begins with loving God and holding oneself in His love as the true image that God had created.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, please teach me how to love You and others and to remain in Your love forever, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

------------

GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU

A WORTHY REWARD (2)

October 20, 2024

Children of God, self-denial and sacrifice for the sake of advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ is not common and easy in today’s material world but we have a worthy example to follow and rely on. Christ Jesus came into the world in human flesh so we can truly see and emulate Him in all things but many Christians prefer emulating other human beings, ignoring the example of Christ Jesus and His words because of temporal gains and self-glorification as seen in the life of those they follow and desire to emulate.

“As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross. On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for Him, He thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and He is now seated at the right side of God's throne. Think of what He went through; how He put up with so much hatred from sinners. So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up. For in your struggle against sin, you have not yet had to resist to the point of being killed. Have you forgotten the encouraging words which God speaks to you as his children?” Hebrews 12:1-4

Look unto Jesus; fix your eyes on Jesus, fix your thoughts on Him, and never let go because of the pains, and hatred of men, and disloyalty of and reward of others. God’s plan is to reward you and He will not fail.

In self-denial, we put Christ Jesus first and last in everything without self, while commitment puts Christ first and the mighty self, second in everything it does. The entire bible was preserved and made available to believers by the self-denial and sacrifice of others; these were men and women who gave their lives even to the point of being killed for our benefit. Note that every believer has a distinctive duty to perform to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ on earth and its success depends on how much you practice self-denial. Those who practice self-denial are always available for the use of the Lord Jesus Christ anytime, anywhere, and place no restriction on God in anything.

While Paul gave us a personal example, Peter gave us guidelines on how to obtain this crown. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 1:3-5; 2 Peter 1:5-11

The flesh is very powerful and once we are diligent enough to put it under the control of the Spirit of God through self-denial, we will gain greater access to the presence of God to do what God expects from us daily in our various walks with Christ Jesus. The daily battle to submit oneself to the rule of the spirit, to allow the Holy Spirit to take His place in us, to allow Christ Jesus to rule over all our words, emotions, and desires will never go unrewarded. The daily battle to overcome sin, its power, and its vices in our body and in everything we do gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to increase His presence in us and make us more effective in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. The more we overcome sin, the more we advance in our relationship with God and the more we become very useful. You cannot strive against sin in vain. You cannot deny yourself on earth and God denies you in heaven hereafter. You cannot be faithful to God continually and go without a reward. This crown is a reward to those who give themselves to self-denial in order to be effective tools in doing the things of God. Ask yourself; is anything keeping you from self-denial for the sake of Jesus Christ and His gospel?

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, help me overcome the things seeking to stop me from practicing self-denial for the sake of advancing Your gospel. I ask for the grace to stand up till the very end that I may be worthy to receive the incorruptible crown that You promised. Thank You Father for granting this request, I ask in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

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GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU

A WORTHY REWARD (1)

October 13, 2024

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run your race that you may lay hold of the prize and make it yours. Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness that cannot wither. Therefore I do not run uncertainly without a definite aim. I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. But like a boxer I buffet my body handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships, and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit, not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

God’s plans, design, and intentions are to reward every one of us in everything individually. The underlining word for obtaining a worthy reward, the incorruptible crown is self-denial for the sake of advancing oneself in the gospel of Jesus Christ beyond just the salvation and preservation of oneself and the personal gains in believing and following Jesus Christ. Self-denial for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a call in itself with a far-reaching reward in heaven than on earth. Behind every great move of the Holy Spirit on earth, there must have been the unpublished and unknown sacrifice of self-denial by some unknown and most often uncelebrated individual in an unknown location. Before the fire and the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrate any nation, before any revival, before any taking over of cities and nations by the Spirit of God, before any genuine repentance and true fellowship, before any consistency in doing the work of God, before any result of faithfulness and commitment, and before revelations from heaven on what is to come on earth, there must have been a sacrifice of self-denial by someone somewhere.

Unfortunately, self-denial is not a popular preaching topic these days in churches, many do not want to hear it, do not want to talk about it, and do not want to practice it, but every Christian expects a miracle and the move of God in their lives every day. We have come to know this much and enjoy this much today because of the sacrifice of self-denial by our predecessors in faith. We have read of the apostle’s denials and personal sacrifices, and the reward is what we have as the continuity of Christianity. Apostle Paul said in the scripture above of – conducting himself temperately, and restricting himself in all things. But like a boxer, I buffet my body, --handle it roughly, --- discipline it by hardships, and -- subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel. Is that not excellent and worthy of our emulation?

One of the reasons we are not witnessing revivals of great magnitude in our assemblies is the lack of self-denial and discipline among believers. No one wants to deny himself for the sake of advancing the gospel without asking for personal gains, many Christians do not want to deny themselves so that others may benefit through their self-denial and sacrifice. Everyone wants to be seen, wants to be known, and wants to receive earthly recognition and be applauded. Self-denial is not measured by success, it is measured by the impact it creates in the lives of others with time. All the individuals recorded in the Old and New Testament with exceptional work for the gospel were people who greatly denied themselves for the sake of the call upon their lives and the success of the gospel of Jesus Christ committed to them. Unlike today, these men and women were not looking at personal successes, personal achievements, and legacies to leave behind, they were all looking at the preservation of the legacies of Christ Jesus and His gospel. Paul being an excellent example of self-denial said of himself; “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Paul said he denied himself, made himself a servant to everyone that he may gain the more, made himself all things to all men for the sake of the gospel. Remember, he was not forced to deny himself for others, he willingly submitted himself to self-denial after he was saved and called into the ministry. God will not force anyone to deny himself but if you can do that for the sake of Jesus Christ, He will surely reward you with the crown as promised in heaven. We have many committed Christian workers and pastors around the world in all churches, but we have a few who are practicing self-denial for the sake of the gospel. Self-denial is far greater than being committed. Commitment is always short-lived, seasonal, and always looking at what benefit it will bring to the person involved now or later; self-denial does not look at personal gains on earth to the individual involved but on eternal gains and the benefits of others after a long period of time and year. Paul said again: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward, but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.” 1Corinthians 9:16-17

You can never miss the worthy reward of a true sacrifice and self-denial for the sake of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. God will never fail in His promises and words.

LET US PRAY

My dear Father, You are my God; teach me to do your will. Be good to me, and guide me on a safe path. Rescue me, Lord, as you have promised; in your goodness save me from my troubles. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

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GOD’S WILL GOD’S WAY

October 6, 2024

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet so that my ankles do not give way. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.” 2 Samuel 22:31-37; Isaiah 55:7-10

If any Christian refuses to question his or her motives and actions with absolute reference to the word of God, they will never be able to walk in, follow, and fulfill the will of God for their lives irrespective of their prayers and services to God in their respective denominations of faith. It is never out of place to state that God has a will for every human being and has a way that He wants each of us to pursue and fulfill that will. God’s will for every one of us is the very best that each of us can ever have on earth regardless of our place of birth, current location, nationality, profession, gender, color, and language. His will for us in every situation is higher than the best we will ever have for ourselves; always higher than our best dreams, visions, and desires; they are higher than the best of our best thoughts, higher than the best of our best knowledge and wisdom; higher than the best of our best imaginations, and they are the very best ever that can bring life and light and brighten up our lives on earth in times of darkness; that can uphold us when we are pushed down by circumstances, it can lift us when we fall, and sustain us when we are frustrated, shamefully disappointed, and disgraced in every area of our lives as we seek to become relevant in the society we live.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:11-14.

The will of God at all times and seasons is more powerful and beneficial to us than we can ever imagine, and they are never subjected to the powers of good, wicked, or friendly people; they are not subjected to our level of wealth or education; they are not subjected to our ancestral ties and are not subjected to the government in power at any time. They are subject to our complete willingness and humility in following God’s ways through the salvation of our souls and compliance to God’s divine principles.

True and genuine salvation opens the divine door for us to know God’s will for our lives and gives us the grace to follow them with all diligence and assurance of success. Christians should know that there are no shortcuts to fulfilling God’s will for their lives and no easy path to follow through. There are no separate paths for certain classes of people; we all must follow the ways that God had set and made known to us through the Holy Scriptures if we so desire to walk in and fulfill His will. “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come; buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” Isaiah 55:1-3

These are some set rules God had put in place for anyone irrespective of circumstance, location, language, profession, gender, and color to follow in seeking to discover and fulfill His will:

Truth: if we want to follow God’s will for our lives, we must do all we can to walk in and abide in the truth at all times and in all situations. Truth is the consistency of a statement with the facts of reality not laced with any form of self-imagination or self-interpretation of events. Truth is a character, a virtue, and a reliability of personality and events. “For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Psalm 33:4-5

Righteousness: this is a behavior that is morally justifiable or right before God and man. It is characterized by standards of morality, justice, virtue, and uprightness. We have to walk in God’s righteousness to be righteous in ourselves because God is righteous and He expects us to also be righteous. Righteousness is our conduct in relation to God and others. “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name, Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.” Psalm 33:18-22

Faith in Him and faithful to His words: being faithful to God is being submissive to all of His instructions in the scriptures, and being faithful to His words is being obedient and willing to comply with His words without reservation or preference. Walking in God’s required faith will definitely change us, totally change everything about us, and finally make us better instruments for His glory to shine through on earth. “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6. Walking in God’s required faith will definitely require the utmost display of a higher level of tolerance, patience, kindness, meekness, humility, and hope at all times.

Holiness: God is absolutely holy and if we must walk with Him, we will have to be like Him, and we must fulfill His will, we must follow His steps. “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16. Holiness is separation from that which is wrong and sinful and a complete adherence to divine principles of living. God desires we separate ourselves from thoughts and actions that do not enhance His words, His name, His virtue, and principles on earth.

Love, mercy, and forgiveness: it is a fact that we will often be hurt by people, but despite that, we should never fail to show love, mercy, and forgive. We are Christians today because we received God’s love, enjoyed His mercies, and received the forgiveness of our sins. Love should always follow mercy and should result in forgiveness. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” John 3:16-17. Walking in love, mercy, and forgiveness, we display the true attributes of the God we sincerely serve and equally attract His love, mercy, and forgiveness.

LET US PRAY

My dear Father, thank You for Your will for my life; thank You for enabling me to know the path to take as I desire Your will; help me to be faithful, to be lovely, and to forgive others as I truly desire to full the will You set for my life. I ask in Jesus Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

-----------

CALLING AND CALLED

September 29, 2024

“But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter, for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles, and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they, to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.” Galatians 2:7-10. These were the words of Jesus Christ regarding leadership and the calling. Total surrender to the one who called and gave you the tool to lead; leadership is not a grab-and-run thing, it is following principles and adhering to the one who called to do what you were called to do; “For as the Father has life in himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out, those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” John 5:26-30

One thing is certain in the lives of those called; they have no alternative to what they have been called to do by the Lord, they have no other desire, no other pleasure, no other attraction, and no other focus irrespective of the circumstances they find themselves and the result they are having while doing the work. A good picture and a perfect example of those truly called by the Lord is the lives and decisions of the apostles of Jesus Christ. “Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, it is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:1-4. They were not distracted from their core functions when members increased; when big money came; when praise, glory, miracles, signs, and wonders increased, but rather they appointed other people to lead in other fields of the ministry while they gave themselves to teaching and prayers as God had called them to do.

A leader who is called sees abilities in others and sets his or her mind to developing them in their calling to glorify God and not to use them for his or her advantage. What we see in leadership today is to develop and use and if that is refused they are cursed. A true leader who is called will never place a curse on anyone irrespective of the circumstance rather he or she will seek that person’s freedom from curse and weakness in life and will pray for that person’s success in life and ministry.

We are all called to lead in various ways but God will always call a man to lead in specific areas that He alone will equip that person with the tools necessary for effective, active, and productive results that will exalt God, exalt His words, and His plans. Note, all callings are never the same; they differ in grace, duties, results, and location. Stepping out from your area of calling and assignment and out of your location is dangerous even when you are still willing to do what God had called you to do.

A house is not one perfect fix but a combination of several materials strategically placed in positions to perform specific functions; the misplacement of any material will render such a building hazardous and expose the occupants to danger. Calling, the called, and leadership is like a building. Those who are called are conscious of the responsibilities and relationship with the one who called them and will never in any way seek to indulge in sin and anything that will affect the call, the relationship, the lives of others, and their own lives thereafter. They have an unconditional love for people and the ministry they have been called into; they show persistence in the things and ways of God; they show outward love, and focused vision in their lives and presentation of their messages; they show desires that are not biased; they accept responsibilities not passing blame; they exhibit confidence in humility and show fierce biblical faithfulness.

Those called will show great dedication, carefulness, commitment, consistency, mercies, purpose, and humility. We all knew what happened to Jonah when he was called and sent by God. He was willing to do the job but was not willing to go where God directed him to. He wanted to suggest to God instead of following His direction. He found himself in the belly of the fish in the sea. How many people (Christians) are in the belly of the whale today as Jonah? That is the price we pay when we run from the location even when we are willing and committed to answering the call. Jonah was willing to die in the sea rather than going to Nineveh, but God was not willing he die, but prepared the whale to preserve his life. “So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:15-17

When Peter left what he was called to do, he spent his time doing what could not produce any result; he could not even feed himself and it did not bring him any joy or satisfaction in life. “After these things, Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way, He showed Himself: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, we are going with you also. They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, children, have you any food? They answered Him, no.”John 21:1-4

LET US PRAY:

Dear Father, we love You and thank You for the call upon our lives. We ask that You will help us to realize this call, to cherish this call, and also preserve it using it to benefit the kingdom, we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Someone is here to pray with you.

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Lynchburg VA 24502. USA

www.theglobalministries.com

REMAIN FAITHFUL

September 22, 2024

“We must not indulge in nor tolerate sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand suddenly fell dead in a single day. We must not tempt the Lord, test His patience, question His purpose, or exploit His goodness, as some of them did and they were killed by serpents. And do not murmur in unwarranted discontent, as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now, these things happened to them as an example and warning to us; they were written for our instruction to admonish and equip us, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let the one who thinks he stands firm, take care that he does not fall into sin and condemnation. No temptation regardless of its source has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance, but God is faithful to His word, He is compassionate and trustworthy, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability to resist, but along with the temptation He has in the past and is now and will always provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy.” 1 Corinthians 10:8-13

There is and there will always be every attempt by the devil and his cohorts to bring you down from the grace enjoyed in your salvation and relationship with Christ Jesus; there will always be an attempt to bring you down from where God had placed you in life, in your marriage, in your job, and profession; there will always be an attempt to bring you down on your knees to beg those you should never beg, to bring you down in shame you never anticipated; attempt to bring you down and make you the next example of people who failed, make you the next person who had a mistake, missed opportunity; the next person who missed out on what they assumed is the good things of life and make you the next example of who will never recover again in life. I want you to know that most of these things will be done or are done to you just because you are a Christian, a follower, and a believer in Jesus Christ and His principles; they are done to you just because you trust in Christ and had given your whole life to walk in His obedience and precepts, but as Christ overcome, so will you; as He defeated Satan and his cohorts, so will you defeat and as He reigned above them, so will you reign in this life also above those temptations and people seeking to take you down and make you an example of their conceived evil thoughts and plans.

There is so much going on in your thoughts that you cannot fully comprehend, so much going on in your mind that you cannot understand, so much going on around you that you cannot tell how they came and when they will leave. What have you gone through that others have not gone through before? What is it that you have gone through in life that you think or assume no one else had or will ever go through? What is it that you have seen that others don’t see? What is it that you have heard that others have not heard? What is it that you are experiencing that others have not experienced? The Holy Scripture says none, and that there is nothing new on earth that you have experienced or experiencing that others have not gone through. The comfort you will ever have with regards to all the things you are going through is right in life is in the Holy Scripture: “No temptation regardless of its source has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance, but God is faithful to His word, He is compassionate and trustworthy, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability to resist, but along with the temptation He has in the past and is now and will always provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

There are attempts and there will always be attempts by those you know, things you know; those you do not know, and things you do not know; there will always be attempts by things you can and things that you cannot imagine to make you irrelevant, seeking to destroy your faith in Christ Jesus, in His words, and make you lost hope in God’s promises, but your determination to remain faithful to the Almighty God and His words and promises will always deliver you; your faithfulness to Him will always defend you; your faithfulness to Him will always reward you; your faithfulness to Him will always humiliate those who think and plan to humiliate you; your faithfulness to God will always defeat those who think and plan to defeat you; your faithfulness to Him will always destroy those who think and desire to see you destroyed, and your faithfulness to Him will always promote you and take you above those who think and plan to demote you. I want you to know and to remember that your faithfulness to God and His words will always pay you and will bring you out of every condemnation of Satan and men.

There are several examples of people in the Holy Scripture who were adequately and, beyond measure, rewarded by God for their faithfulness. Daniel was one of them. Daniel was faithful to God and like all of us, he had reasons of personal safety to disobey or deny God because of the choices and temptations before him, but he decided to remain faithful and committed to his God in all things and through all things. Daniel was snatched from home and moved as a prisoner to Babylon. There he was enrolled in school in the king's court and trained to act and believe in ways that were contrary to the ways of the God he knew and believed as a Jew, but Daniel was unmoved by what he experienced and did not compromise his thoughts and knowledge with what he was exposed to in the prison. God honored and exalted him for his faithfulness in the prison and his faithfulness thereafter. He was so faithful to God and in his given assignments by the kings that when enemies sought to overthrow him, they were unable to do so because God defended him, and when they resorted to bringing him down using his worship of God and his prayers to God as a weapon against him, God turned their plans against them and they were consumed by lions in the same den they had prepared and planned for Daniel. “It seemed good to Darius who became king after Belshazzar to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge throughout the kingdom, and over them three chief commissioners of whom Daniel was one, that these satraps might be accountable to them, so that the king would have no loss from disloyalty or mismanagement. Then this Daniel, because of the extraordinary spirit within him, began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and the satraps, and the king planned to appoint him over the entire realm. Then the commissioners and the satraps began trying to find a reason to bring a complaint against Daniel concerning the administration of the kingdom; but they could find no reason for an accusation or evidence of corruption, because he was faithful, a man of high moral character and personal integrity, and no negligence or corruption of any kind was found in him. Then these men said, we will not find any basis for an accusation against this Daniel unless we find something against him in connection with the law of his God.” Daniel 6:1-5.

We learn that God honors faithfulness even in the most ungodly surroundings as He did for Daniel. While we often remember Daniel as the one in the lions' den, there was a lot more to his life besides the dreams and the exploits against the lions. Through faithfulness, Daniel distinguished himself before the commissioners, the king, the promotion panel, and the Almighty God though he ran into several situations that may have caused him to lose faith and bend from his beliefs, but Daniel stayed on with faithfulness and remained strong in his faithfulness to God. These are the types of people God is looking for in our generation and you can be in this number.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, I ask for the grace to remain in faith and be faithful to You as I pass through testing moments and pains in trying to meet up with demands in my life. Keep me strong and useful. I ask in Jesus Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

www.theglobalministries.com

To be continued.

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BEYOND THESE

September 15, 2024

There are many things to worry about but beyond all these things

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the streams and the rivers. Who may ascend unto the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul to what is false, nor has sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who diligently seek Him and require Him as their greatest need; who seek Your face, even Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord Mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:1-10

Barriers are everywhere and God wants you to move beyond them, It is time to break into a new horizon in life by looking beyond the walls of opposition, shame, sickness, self-defeat, self-pity, lack, poverty, unfriendly friends, unfriendly family members, homes, and the environment that we fixe our eyes and thoughts on over the years. The scriptures advise we fling wide those gates and the King of Glory will come into our lives to make the difference we need, to help us, and make us victorious as expected of Christians and true followers of the Lord and His word.

To change our world, community, and family, we must first change ourselves by changing our thoughts and views according to the word of God; we have to know and understand that there are better things beyond what we see and know within ourselves and that they are better things in our future and our destinies in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. To get beyond many things in life, we will have to change our thinking about those things we see, about things we know, and things we do. Through the grace of Christ Jesus and the power of His salvation in us, we need to experience the positive side of life and living. Through grace, we have to cross the barrier; open the gate that divides, see what God has for us in life, and overcome Satan and his barriers. Most of us are programmed not to venture past those invisible and powerful signs that silently scream at us when attempt to move past them; most of the screams have an alarming headline ‘no trespassing don’t dare refrain, stop, don’t come; you don’t belong; it’s not safe to come near; you won’t be accepted; stay where you are; beware of sins and potholes; stay clear, and many more. The Holy Scripture reveals those powerful signs are false and they are designed only to keep us from seeing and experiencing changes permanently. But God will make a way through them as we give ourselves to Him daily.

You need to do something right, move, if God requires you to; and pray if it requires you to, which He does; submit to Him if He requires submission; believe, and trust in Christ Jesus, this is always required as a Christian, and turn to praises if it requires that. God wants you to be seen, known, appreciated, accepted, celebrated, and honored. As a child of God, you deserve them. Those walls, though big and hard to overcome, there are no barriers to what God will do in your life. Remember the wall of Jericho was no barrier to the God of the children of Israel because He had asked them to move and they obeyed.

There is never a man without barriers in life, none. When you overcome one another one comes up immediately. You can never live without one, but with the King of Glory Jesus Christ, you can overcome them as they come. The more the barriers you overcome the greater the progress you will make every day. So start looking beyond those barriers and concentrate on your destined victories in life and the destiny of God for you. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uppermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in places like a porter’s vessel. Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” Psalm 2:8-12

Barriers placed on your path are temporal. They exist to test your faith, knowledge of life, and the profession you have. They are not to stop or prevent your progress. They exist to correct you when you stray out of the ethics of Godliness and confession because God knows them, knows you, and sees your faith. Those barriers will not overcome you. Abraham had barriers but through grace and consistency in following God, keeping His ways and words, and obeying and believing the promise and the God who promised, those barriers were removed to enable him to fulfill the promise. There are no barriers that can overcome or destroy you if you follow God according to His words. Noah followed God and overcame the flood; Abraham followed God and overcame hindrances, and the children of Israel followed God’s words and survived Egypt, the wilderness, the Red Sea, the Jordan River, and the wall of Jericho.

LET US PRAY

Thank You, dear Lord, for Your wisdom and promises to work me through my barriers. Help me as you did with Noah, Abraham, and the children of Israel. I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued.

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REGENERATION IS NEEDED

September 9, 2024

“He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for Him who died and was raised to life for their sake. No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into His friends and gave us the task of making others His friends also. Our message is that God was making all human beings His friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and He has given us the message which tells how He makes them His friends. Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making His appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends. Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:15-21

Christianity is beyond being in the church every Sunday. It is (1) a change that comes from the heart, (2) repentance that is true, (3) a fellowship with Christ Jesus which is real, and (4) obedience to His words that is without compromise. True repentance comes with a physical change in habit, desires, character, speech, dreams, and a willingness to submit who and what we are to Christ Jesus and His words in full obedience. That is what will bring a spiritual change in our lives and build our faith in Him. Regeneration after salvation will not just happen, it will require doing the following, spending time reading the scriptures, hearing His Word, and meditating on the word of God; a personal effort to obey and act on the word, a determination to follow all the directions and instructions given by God and true dedication of oneself to God.

True Christianity will change your current interest, your leisure, and your comfort to the very best. It is true that no one is able to hide true Christianity from the eyes and notice of others around them. This was what happened to Peter physically; “After a little while the men standing there came to Peter. Of course you are one of them, they said. After all, the way you speak gives you away. Then Peter said, I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know that man. Just then a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him; Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know me. He went out and wept bitterly.” Matthew 26:73. A regenerated soul will know what sin is when he or she had sin, and will not wait or have peace until true repentance and real confession is made to God. Note what Peter did when he remembered what Christ told him personally; “he went out and wept bitterly. He did not go out and continue his life. Note the reply of David to Nathan; “I have sinned against the Lord.” He did not say I have sinned but said I have sinned against the Lord. David instantly knew his action was contrary to the word of God and repented. They did not give excuses to justify their actions.

How many Christians, leaders, preachers, prophets today will accept the admonition of the word of God? Many will instead justify their actions even when the word of God condemns such. It takes the heart and the mind of someone who is regenerated by the word of God, not by wealth or fame, or anything else to instantly accept the admonition from the word of God, repent, and work to correct his or her ways. We read Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” But there is room for repentance through grace by Jesus Christ and regeneration by the word of God and following God’s principles thereafter. In repentance, seeking forgiveness, and restoration David cried to God and said “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.” Psalm 51:12-14. David knew what he lost through sin and when he repented, God heard his prayers, forgave him, and kept him strong on the throne as king of Israel with dignity.

True Christianity is loving God by loving Christ Jesus, loving His word, obeying His word, and loving others according to His word, in His ways and His precepts. “Jesus answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40. Christianity is allowing only the word of God to be your guide, not your mind, thoughts, understanding, wealth, or wisdom, but the word and demands of God. Christianity is having the assurance of heaven without doubts through the word of God and the application of those words in all of our actions. Christianity is a fearless trust and reliance on Jesus Christ irrespective of the prevailing situation. Regeneration will bring you into total obedience because the word of God dwells in you and acts in you through the working of the Holy Spirit of God.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, we need regeneration among Christians, help us to know when we go astray, help us to have a new heart, thoughts, word, and to walk in your ways. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

514 Northwynd Cir.

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

---------------

IT IS FOR A PURPOSE

September 1, 2024

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. Listen to advice and accept discipline, and in the end, you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Psalm 51:12-14; Proverbs 19:20-21

God will not do anything without a reason and a purpose. Reason and purpose are two different things. Reason expresses a cause, and gives explanations and justification. Purpose gives the intent and objective. God’s plans are known by Him before He makes or allows anything and before they come to exist in the physical for men to see and know. His purpose is always divine, good, and eternal. God will not do anything outside of His revealed word irrespective of our bad or best feelings, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and persuasion of men through any form of prayers. He is the Almighty God and will always remain so in all situations. It is good that you have and maintain a cogent reason for being a Christian and that reason must align with His revealed word in the Bible. Christianity is for a purpose; salvation is for a purpose; every human being and everything else God made and created is with a divine reason and a divine purpose.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 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.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Salvation comes with a price paid by Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary and regeneration makes the benefits of that salvation to be full in the lives of the recipients – those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord; those who walk and practice obedience to His word, that is the only way that righteousness can be certified to bring us closer to God. Without obedience to the word of God, there will be no regeneration despite church activities. Irrespective of what people say and do, regeneration is necessary for righteousness to be ascertained, maintained, and thrive. David was a man who understood the purpose, and benefit of salvation such that when he went astray, he cried for restoration. Salvation is deliverance from bad and evil thoughts, harm, ruin, sins, and loss of one's body and soul by grace through Jesus Christ.

Christianity comes after salvation. Christianity is living and working in the newness of thoughts and of actions because of the benefits and power of the salvation received. Christianity is Christ Jesus living in you and working out His good deeds through you. Christianity is far beyond just going to church every Sunday, praying every day, giving arms, and doing charitable works. Christianity is the action, the desire, the determination, and the mind of not going back to the state we were before we received salvation, not going back to the actions that do not reflect and promote the true life of Christ Jesus. Christianity is a voluntary decision to allow Christ Jesus and His words to dominate our lives, thoughts, and actions instead of Satan with his evil words and works. Christianity is seeking the face of God, His strength, and His power in every situation. Christianity is depending on Christ Jesus alone and not on our strength, knowledge, ability, thoughts, and wisdom. Christianity is not foolishness or stupidity, it is God in action in us and through us in everything and nothing else. Christ Jesus said this to His disciples. “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:15-22

David knew when he went out of God’s plan through lust; he knew when he went out of God’s grace through sexual immorality and knew what he lost in those acts. A regenerated mind, according to the word of God, is a Christian who knows when things are not right and seeks the right mind and place of God in those situations through repentance and submission. Let this settle in our mind, God saved us for a purpose bigger than the best of our thoughts; a purpose bigger than our feelings, and a purpose bigger than what we are, and doing right now. God has not changed His mind concerning the reason and purpose for our salvation; He has not changed His mind concerning His word and has not changed His mind concerning our actions.

Christianity made us new creatures on earth; enabling us to get past our old and evil ways of doing things, get rid of our old self-destructive thoughts, our old bad feelings of self and things, and get rid of our former inappropriate actions and reactions to issues. Regeneration by the word of God makes us prepared for the fulfillment of God’s divine purpose on earth in all things. It was regeneration that David had from the onset that enabled him to know that his actions in killing Uriah and taking his wife Bathsheba were wrong; accepted his action and decision as wrong, and sought repentance and restoration from God thereafter. Regeneration will open our eyes and understanding to know the mind of Christ Jesus in our actions, thoughts, and feelings according to His words, not according to the understanding of our actions; it will enable us to seek true repentance and restoration when and where we have gone astray as David did accept admonition through the word of God. “Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.” 2 Samuel 12:13. Note the reply of David. He did not say I have sinned, but I have sinned against the Lord. David instantly knew his action was contrary to the word of God and sort true repentance immediately.

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, we need regeneration among Christians, help us to know when we go astray, help us to have a new heart, thoughts, and words, and to walk in your ways. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

514 NorthWynd Cir.

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

------------------

REGENERATION (2)

August 24, 2024

“While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you. He replied to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to His disciples, He said, here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:48-50. What then is the will of God if not to accept, confess, and follow Him?

The first will of God for all mankind is accepting Jesus Christ as Lord; “And this is His command, to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in Him and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us. We know it by the Spirit He gave us. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” 1 John 3:23-24; Acts 4:12

The second is all about our character after believing and accepting. The true character of a Christian is measured by obedience to the word of God, not our thoughts, understanding, or wisdom, and submissiveness to the Holy Spirit of God in helping us live the life God approves. God’s principles and precepts can never be substituted for anything else, they are His will in all situations irrespective of our understanding, feelings, wisdom, knowledge, and power.

Christ gave us this clarification below.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. But I will reply, I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.” Matthew 7:21-23. Miracles, great sermons on Sundays, bible teachings, fire conferences and crusades, and charities all in the name of Jesus Christ are great things happening all over the world today in the name of Jesus Christ, but do those events qualify us to be with Him in heaven, which is the greatest expectations in all of these services we render in His name?

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10.

Salvation comes when we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, believe Him in our hearts, confess Him with our mouth, follow His words, and obey His commands in all of our actions. That is where we will begin experiencing regeneration and live in a true relationship with Him. Christianity is your deliberate decision to allow Jesus Christ to affect your life, your words, and your actions. As many as will confess Jesus Christ as Lord, believe Him in their heart, and act according to His words and commands are true believers – that is true, that is the expectation and that is godliness.

We can confess Christ Jesus as Lord without believing His word; We can follow Christ Jesus as Judas did without having any conversion, and we can do the work of God without having any conviction in our hearts. That is where regeneration, reformation, and refurbishing stand out in Christianity. We are saved by His words to be regenerated, -- made a new, renouncing old ways of life, totally embracing His words and ways, kept in union with Him by the power of the Holy Spirit through obedience before true fellowship with Him will be rewarding. We are not saved to be refurbished by His word – still keeping the old self, and old character while bearing a new name. We are not saved to be reformed – wearing old clothes on old skin – just seeking improvement in our lives while we retain our old selves. The salvation we received from Christ Jesus is for a total regeneration and transformation of our lives by the power of His words.

Without the constant application of the words of God in our daily activities and interactions with others in everything we do, there will be no evidence of our regeneration or transformation. “And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2. Regeneration changes our bodies physically, our thoughts, minds, words, meditations, and our actions. That is God’s will for us and it is good, it is pleasing, it is excellent and that is pleasing to Him.

Many Christians are still in active practice and participation in their past activities and behaviors; they are following Jesus Christ without repentance though they confessed Him Jesus as Lord and Savior; they are active in Christian activities, churches, and other Christian organizations, have the true knowledge of the word of God; they have great wisdom; they can speak and teach the word, but are deficit when it comes to obedience to the word of God in their activities and character. Christianity had been watered down not by satan, or nonbelievers, but by followers of Jesus Christ, preachers of the gospel who have rejected regeneration by the word of God, but trust in reformation to satisfy the people. “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that.” 2 Timothy 3:5. Is the church as it is today standing up for regeneration, refurbishing, or reformation? We should reject refurbishing and reformation, we should go for regeneration for that is the will and the desire of God for all believers and true followers of Jesus Christ

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, we need regeneration among Christians, help us to become new in heart, in thoughts, in words, and in our actions. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

514 Northwynd Cir.

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

Get this book “YOUR CHOICE, YOUR DESTINY” ISBN=9781624190506

To be continued

REGENERATION (1)

SALVATION, CHRISTIANITY, AND REPENTANCE

August 17, 2024

Jesus Christ came to save, to deliver, and to open the door for a true relationship with the Almighty God. He came to lead our hearts on the right path of godliness. Our heart is a place of power that impacts everything we do. True Christianity begins from the regeneration of our hearts before it shows itself outwardly in our bodies in the things we do thereafter that the world sees. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23. What we do, how we do them, and where we do them is evidence of what we believe; and what we participate in doing consistently is evident in what we believe. What we believe has the power to change us, and whom we believe and follow is important in every aspect of our lives. While Jesus Christ came because of God’s love and plans, what we do when we believe in Him is important.

Christianity today has been watered down; the impact of true salvation is fast eroding; the joy we derive from being saved has been misinterpreted, and the expectations have been highjacked or misplaced for all kinds of selfishness, greed, and personal ego. To understand the concept of being saved by Christ or true Salvation, we have to understand and think about what we were; who and what we are saved from; who we are saved by; what we are saved to do, and become thereafter. It is good to understand that Salvation is a divine call to a physical change in life, and it is the only opportunity given to us that enables us to have a physical and spiritual relationship with the Almighty God. True Salvation will affect our past, our present, our future lives, and everything else in and about us physically and spiritually. There is no section of our lives that true salvation from the Almighty God will leave untouched. Salvation brings a holistic change that is seen in our lives every day and everywhere irrespective of our situations.

Christianity begins with Salvation, and Salvation is not real without a personal regeneration. It is not the church attendance that makes one a Christian, but true repentance from past and present sin, renunciation, and separation of oneself from all evil works, thoughts, actions, a commitment to follow the words and instructions of God in the bible thereafter. That will enable our faith to grow and the expected regeneration by the word of God and the consistent practice to follow. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is His good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2.

As living Christians, we should know these four things concerning our lives and our salvation:

(1). what we were before we became Christians. Nothing else but a sinner and deep in sin. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. Who is a sinner? “Everyone who sins breaks the law; sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4. Every kind of lawlessness and action against the words and demands of God are sin. It is every act that is against godliness, against God’s word, desires, and plans for our lives and others; every action that is against His word is sin. What is sin? Sin is the lack of conformity to the moral character of God or the law of God. We sin by and in thinking evil, speaking evil, acting evil, or omitting to do good. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23. Sin is doing things that go against the trust and the faith and the truth in God. When we know something pleases God and fail to do it, it is a sin. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Sin is a violation of God’s character and law. It is only in the Scriptures, not in our thoughts, imaginations, knowledge, wisdom, or understanding by the society at large that sin is properly defined and given its real perspective in our lives and the Scripture is the word of God not the words, knowledge, or understanding of men.

We were all sinners; caught up in Adamic sin, ancestral sins, practices, and our own personal sins, and living in a sinful world. We should not forget that we lived and practiced sin before we received grace from God for Salvation. Apostle Paul acknowledged his past and did not forget what he was doing. “You have been told how I used to live when I was devoted to the Jewish religion, how I persecuted without mercy the church of God and did my best to destroy it. I was ahead of most other Jews of my age in my practice of the Jewish religion, and was much more devoted to the traditions of our ancestors.” Galatians 1:13-14. Sin destroys, distracts, distorts, disgraces, and hinders every good plan and things, mostly plans and things of God for your life and that of others around and with you.

(2). What we are saved from? Saved from continuing in sin; saved from the condemnation of sin; saved from the past, present, and future consequences of sin. “The reason the Son of God came was to destroy the devil’s work.” 1 John 3:8. Jesus Christ came because of our sins and because of the anger and sentence of God against sinners. He came to redeem us from our past, our present, and our ancestral sins. He came to deliver us from all wickedness and evil, He came to give us a new and true life, He came so that through Him, we will be restored to God in deeds, words, thoughts, actions, and in all things. He came to show us the only approved way of serving and knowing God. Without knowing what we are saved from, how can we repent? Without acknowledging our sins how can we confess? Without knowing where we came from, how do we know where we are going, and how do we know our destination? That is what the revelation of true Christianity is about. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, thank You for sending Jesus Christ to save my life. I plead for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation of my soul, deliver me from my past and lead me to my destination in following You. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

514 Northwynd Cir.

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

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AVOID USELESS THINGS

August 11, 2024

“For as these qualities are yours and are increasing in you as you grow toward spiritual maturity, they will keep you from being useless and unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted, closing his spiritual eyes to the truth, having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your relationship with God; for by doing these things actively developing these virtues, you will never stumble in your spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from sin; for in this way entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth which is held firmly in your grasp. I think it right, as long as I am in this earthly tent, to inspire you by reminding you.” 2 Peter 1:8-13

It is the will of God that everyone is usefully engaged and productive in life and in everything they do. This engagement is to be constructive and beneficial and according to the best plans that God had laid down for every one of us. God specifically placed Adam in the Garden of Eden after creation and in his perfection, God told him to be useful by keeping the place. Genesis 2:15. God did not drop him on earth to do whatever he liked, it was a specific assignment to avoid being useless and unproductive. When Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them out of the garden with an instruction again not to remain useless and unproductive Genesis 3:17-19. The Almighty God is glorified when we are useful, and productive, when we walk according to His plans and desires for our lives, and when we give Him the glory that He deserves. He desires to see us grow physically, spiritually, mentally, and financially; He desires to see us productive and making profits; He desires to see us increase and multiply and in His will accomplish His purpose. He desires to see us achieving and fulfilling His words and breaking down barriers that cause deviation and sorrow.

God had given us life to live and what we do with the life we have is important to Him and to His plans for us. God does not want us to waste our life; give it away through carelessness and pleasure-seeking, or take it for granted. Life is important and should not be wasted for any reason; life is important because it comes from God and is the best gift of all besides salvation; it is important for His plans for all humanity and His creation. Without life it is impossible to know God; without life, it is impossible to have salvation; without life, it is impossible to know and praise God; without life, it is impossible to have feelings, knowledge, and differences, and without life, there is no hope, no plans, no dreams, no prayers, no joy, no sadness, no expectation, no pleasure, and no celebration.

A meaningful, productive, and useful life is so important to God that He had to do everything to preserve and rescue man from wasting it away carelessly through ignorance and sin. He did that to rescue in the time of Noah with the flood and thereafter He sent Jesus Christ to complete the work by giving man salvation because He does not want us to be useless, unproductive and to waste away. God reacted then when He saw the people wasting away the precious gift from Him. We are saved so we can be useful, and productive and glorify His name, not wasting away the life in us and not living by the emptiness of our thoughts and minds. God had delivered our souls from the ability of Satan to assert his control over us in the way he wants, thinks, and likes.

Peter gave those who have received salvation sixteen spiritual qualities that will help them avoid being useless. These are the qualities that have been given to us by God and Peter emphasized that Christians should increase in them by setting personal goals to grow so we can have the increase: “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 1:8. These are the qualities.

1. A dynamic spiritual life; having a dynamic spiritual life is not optional, it is demanded by God and the body of Christ that you have it; it will benefit you in all aspects of life; growth is a product of a dynamic Christian life and it will bring an increase in your productive life as a believer. Peter had a dynamic life the moment he started following Jesus Christ and was rewarded with leadership and greater grace.

2. Right knowledge of Jesus Christ; seeking to know more about Jesus Christ will give you a greater opportunity to be active, useful, and productive. The increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ will increase your faith in Him, strengthen your hope in Him, increase your love for Him, and establish your foundation in the kingdom. Paul was an apostle with such a desire.

3. Glory and excellence. God’s glory is indispensable. It ushers us into His excellence and enables us to walk in His excellence. In His glory, we see His complete perfection, enjoy His amazing beauty, and partake in the fullness of His love. Everyone desires excellence in life, in their respective profession, and God is willing to enable us to have it as long as we will seek to glorify Him through our activities. Moses saw the glory of God transferred into his life.

4. Set values in your life, relationship, with God, and with men. Seek to grow in those values. An added godly value is a blessing and God will not ignore such a person. Abraham added value to his walk with God through obedience.

5. Run from engaging in an immoral lifestyle. The lure to be immoral is very prevalent in the world today than ever before. Set Godly boundaries for yourself and God will help you to achieve them. “Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body.” Colossians 2:18-19

6. Separate yourself from disreputable desires and ideas of the flesh; “Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.” Romans 1:28. Human desires are powerful and without godliness, they result in evil activities that do not glory and promote the holiness of God.

7. Desire to share God’s divine nature in you; share His word, share his love, share His grace, share His humility, and share His gospel. “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

8. Grow in diligence and divine promises; remind yourself of His providence in all situations and seek to apply that diligence daily. Paul told Timothy to show all diligence in presenting himself before God. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

9. Exercise your faith in Christ always and in all things, do not allow fear to hold you back or the knowledge, words, and ideas of men to hinder you. “But without faith, it is impossible to walk with God and please Him, for whoever comes near to God must necessarily believe that God exists and that He rewards those who earnestly and diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

10. Develop moral excellence, live with and in it. The people of God want Christian role models and mentors today to stop the discouragement that Satan brings into to their lives. We want men and women who will stand up for Christ and for His words fearlessly. “Preach the word as an official messenger; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not, keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome; correct those who err in doctrine or behavior, warn those who sin, exhort and encourage those who are growing toward spiritual maturity with inexhaustible patience and faithful teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:3.

To be continued

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, my desire is to be useful and productive and I ask for the ability to increase in the grace that You have given me in Christ Jesus, I ask that You will help me fulfill this desire. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.

www.theglobalministries.com.

Twitter http://twitter.com/Pastorudobong

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To be continued

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KNOWING HIS WILL

Matthew 6:33

August 04, 2024

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:25-34

Seeking the kingdom of God is seeking to know and to see and to follow His will. His Kingdom and whatever is in it are completely revealed in His will. When we seek to know and follow and do God’s will, we will cease to worry about our will because He will not only show or reveal them to us, He will enable us to do and live in them. In pursuing His Father’s will, Jesus Christ our Lord lived to fulfill all of His Father’s will for His own life. These were the personal words and focus of Christ Jesus about His life and the will of God. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:38-40. – “My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34. - “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30. - “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matthew 26:39. - “Teach me to do Your will.” Psalm 143:10

The above passages assure us that God will meet our needs and we will discover His will for our lives. We spent years laboring to give ourselves the comfort we think we need, to give ourselves the joy we think we deserve and the glory we think we have earned in our years of labor, but all through these years, worry we strive and we fight ourselves and others when these things we need are not forthcoming or are delayed and we become discouraged and frustrated for not being what we want, yet we know our God can do all things and He can supply all of our needs according to the riches of His glory and He will not fail. Philippians 4:19

“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Set your heart on things above, set your mind on things above, that is to be done voluntarily and God will set things right for us. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things we ask for, we fight about and we quarrel with mem for in our lives will be added unto you. God will not refuse to bless us if we know and follow and do His will in everything that concerns us. He is and will always be faithful as He was with those mentioned in the scriptures. He wants our minds transformed, our hearts renewed and our ways to be right.

Knowing God’s will and pursuing it will enable you to discover His will for your life. God does not want us to be ignorant worshipers and followers. His will shape us into what He wants and says and it will affect everything about us for our good. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these; anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices, put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” Colossians 3:1-11

LET US PRAY

Dear Father, help me to know your will, to love them, and to follow them. Help me not follow my own will but to submit my will for your will at all times, and keep me safe as I seek to do your will oh Lord. I ask in the Name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.

For prayers and encouragement, someone is here to pray with you. Click here

Pastor Alfred and Edna Udobong

Global Manifestation Ministries

Lynchburg VA, 24502 USA.