Quiet Time

  Scripture : Mark 10: 29-30      “ And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, BUT HE SHALL RECEIVE AN HUNDREDFOLD IN THIS TIME, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, WITH PERSECUTIONS; and in the world to come eternal life .” Mark 10: 29-30 Sickness is a powerful agent of humility. Whether you believe it or not, when you are not well, you will start to pray. Many people are humbled by illness and turn to the Lord before they die. Someone once said that people should be struck with a terminal disease because it would humble them greatly. Indeed, it seems the Lord allows many sicknesses because they humble us.   There are two types of politicians: those who have power and those who want power. Those who often have the power are often arrogant and are puffed up. The n...

Scripture : Proverbs 30: 8-9      “ Remove far from me vanity and lies: GIVE ME NEITHER POVERTY NOR RICHES; Feed me with food convenient for me: LEST I BE FULL, AND DENY THEE, and say, Who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain ” Proverbs 30: 8-9   Indeed, sometimes, God blesses people so much that it is impossible for them to remain humble. You will notice that most people who have a lot of money and earthly blessings are no longer humble enough to be good Christians. The wise man who wrote the Book of Proverbs knew this reality. He even prayed that he would not have much money because he knew that riches could destroy him through pride.        “ Remove far from me vanity and lies: GIVE ME NEITHER POVERTY NOR RICHES; Feed me with food convenient for me: LEST I BE FULL, AND DENY THEE, and say, Who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain ” Proverbs 30: 8-9 ...

Scripture : James 4: 10    “Humble YOURSELVES in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up” James 4: 10   “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble ” 1 Peter 5:5 ‘Do it yourself” is an important concept that saves money and time for human beings today. In many countries, it is expensive to hire a carpenter or a plumber. You are better off going to a ‘DIY’ shop and learn to repair a bed yourself. The same applies for humility!   God asks you to do it yourself. He asks you to humble yourself. In other words, do the humbling and lowering things yourself, the alternative to humbling yourself is not a nice one. If you do not humble yourself some agents will do it for you.       The bible describes various unpleasant agents of humility. These unpleasant agents of humility are standing by to ...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Luke 8: 2-3 “And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils. And Joanna, the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance” Luke 8: 2-3 10. When you are humble like a servant, you patiently wait for instructions. When you lose this humility, you cannot wait for anything or anyone.      What is a servant for? He is there to minister to the needs and wants of others. When you have lost the humility of a servant, you do not want to serve anymore but you want to be served. It is important to maintain the attitude of someone who exists to minister and to serve.   So whom s...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Isaiah 14: 13   “For thou hast said in thine heart, I WILL ASCEND into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” Isaiah 14: 13 9. When you are humble like a servant, you promote your master in everything. When you lose this humility you are no longer prepared to remain in obscurity.       When you are humble like a servant, you will promote your master and not yourself. Servants promote their masters and not themselves.   The master is the one who is known and not the servant. Anyone therefore who promotes himself is not a servant. He has lost the humility that is needed in Servanthood.   Do we pro...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : John 3: 30   “He must increase, but I must decrease” John 3: 30 8. When you are humble like a servant, you do not need to be seated in a prominent place of honour. When you lose this humility you must be given a prominent place.       When you are a servant you do not need to sit on the high table of the front row. Your strong desire to be seated on the front row reveals your pride.   I once hosted a major programme in which a great man of God came from overseas. During the programme, I invited several pastors from the city to attend. I was amazed at how one of them was offended with me because he had been put on the second row instead of the first row. The hurt in this pastor was so real and ...

In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Luke 17: 10   “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” Luke 17: 10 7. When you are humble like a servant, you do not need to be thanked or acknowledged for everything. When you lose this humility you need to be thanked and acknowledged for your contribution   When you have the humility of Christ we will be like the servant who needs no acknowledgement, no praise and no appreciation. The great need to acknowledge people in the house of the Lord is a result of the pride that has seeped into Christianity. When you work for the Lord with the humility of Christ, no one needs to say thank to you. The fact tha...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Acts 1: 8 “…and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all  Judæa and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth . ” Acts 1: 8 6. When You are humble like a servant, you can be sent anywhere. When you lose this humility, you are no longer willing to go to certain places       A servant can be sent anywhere. Can you be sent anywhere to do anything for the Lord? Since the church found its newfound prosperity, it has become almost impossible to send anyone anywhere.   Many of the villages and towns that need missionaries are abandoned because no one can be sent to these places. Indeed, the church is no longer filled with humble servants but with pride-filled house owners a...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Matthew 8: 9 “For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it” Matthew 8: 9 5. When You are humble like a servant, you patiently wait for instructions. When you lose this humility, you cannot wait for anything or anyone.      When you have the humility of a servant you will have the patience to wait for instructions. When you have lost the humility of a servant you cannot wait for anything. You cannot wait outside the door. You cannot wait for the meeting to begin. You cannot wait if there is a delay in the programme. The life of a servant is a life of waiting upon the master’s plea...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Malachi 1: 6   “A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master…” Malachi 1:6  4. When you are humble like a servant, you honour the master God has placed over you. When you lose this humility, you do not acknowledge your master any more.     Giving honour is the honour of a servant. People who have lost this humility of Christ find it difficult to honour anyone. If you have the humility of Christ, you will practice the art of honouring to whom honour is due. So let’s ask ourselves, to whom is honour due? Who does the bible say we should honour?   The bible teaches us to honour fathers, mothers, pastors, teachers, and masters. If you find it difficult to honour any of these people in yo...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).     Scripture : Ecclesiastes 4: 13 “Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, WHO WILL NO MORE BE ADMONISHED” Ecclesiastes 4: 13 3.     When you are humble like a servant, you are willing to be trained in your work.  When you lose this humility you no longer willing to receive training   Some people cannot enter higher dimensions of the pastoral ministry because they cannot bend down and accept to do the things that are necessary for a change to come. They may read about what to do but pride prevents the old dog from learning new tricks.   Many people read books and are enlightened about new and wonderful things they must experience. But to experience these wonderful things, they would nee...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).   Scripture : Ecclesiastes 4: 13   “Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, WHO WILL NO MORE BE ADMONISHED” Ecclesiastes 4: 13 3. When you are humble like a servant, you are willing to be trained in your work.  When you lose this humility you no longer willing to receive training   The start of a servant’s life is his training. You can never be a servant unless you are trained to do things that your master likes and wants. Every master is peculiar and expects specific things from his servants. When you have lost the humility of a servant you cannot be trained or re-trained to do anything. Indeed, it takes humility to be trained.   Without being humble, you cannot be trained- disciplined, or instructe...

  In this Quiet-time series, we shall study the various characteristics of humility as exhibited by a servant. In God’s Kingdom, one who serves is positioned at the highest position and is called the greatest (Mathew 20: 27).   Scripture : Luke 9: 58 “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath nowhere to lay his head” Luke 9: 58 2.  When you are humble like a servant, you are content with meagre or basic conditions for your life. When you lose this humility you no longer accept basic conditions.   Every real servant is content with lowly conditions. Have you heard of a servant who asks for air-conditioned rooms and cars before accepting a job?..... Humble and lowly people who work as servants do not need more than basic conditions to do any job.   God wants us to work for Him without making any expensive demands.   This is why large sections of the work of the Lord remain untouched. This is ...

Scripture: Judges 6:13 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people who are in DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. "And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? But now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Judges 6:13 Many of us want some supernatural sign that God is with us. Difficult circumstances seem to be a silent message from an invisible God that, “I am against you.” If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? It is natural to ask this question. Why would God call someone He is fighting against? The circumstances may be giving a message that God is against you. But you must not allow circumstances to lead you away from your call. Circumstances are not the voice of God to you! Circumstances do have a part to play in our lives, but they are not our guiding po...

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:6 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls YOUNG people. "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." Jeremiah 1:6 Many young people reject the call because they feel that they are too young for something as noble and distinguished as the ministry.  Another reason why young people stay away from ministry is because of their sexual proclivity and numerous temptations. The sexual feeling is so base in its nature that it is followed by feelings of unworthiness and carnality. Many young people wish they were without those feelings so they could serve the Lord in holiness. God called me as a young person and I constantly battled with these feelings of unworthiness. Because of this, I was very happy to discover that Elijah was a man of like passions. Did Elijah really have the same passions, as I seemed to be having? This encouraged me to carry on in the ministry even though I was a very young boy. When I discovered that ...

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:6 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people who are NOT ELOQUENT. "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child." Jeremiah 1:6 An eloquent person expresses himself readily, clearly and effectively. The prophet Jeremiah knew that he could not express himself very well and he said so. This is a common complex that people who are “called” have. When you listen to eloquent preachers who have been in ministry for years, you wonder if you will ever be able to speak like them. With such shining examples before you it is always easier to remain in your world of anonymity. When God called me to the ministry, my greatest problem was my inability to speak in public.  I sought out the leader of our fellowship and asked him to pray for me because my greatest problem was my inability to stand before a group of people and speak. I remember when I knelt down to be prayed for about this problem. Today, I am able to preach to many...

Scripture: Exodus 5:22-23 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people who HAVE FAILED AT EARLIER ATTEMPTS in ministry. "And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." Exodus 5:22-23 The miracles of Moses did not have the effect Moses expected. Moses was disappointed in God and in himself. Perhaps you have had some disastrous disappointments in the ministry. These disappointments should not be taken as indications of whether you are called or not. Being called has nothing to do with things working or things not working out! Being called is all about your conviction of God having appointed you to His service. "And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a f...

Scripture: Exodus 4:10 (NASB) Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people with an INFERIORITY COMPLEX. Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Exodus 4:10 (NASB) All of us have things about us that give us an inferiority complex! Your inferiority complex makes you feel that God should choose somebody else. Moses felt that he could not speak as well as other people, so he asked the Lord to send someone else.  Be careful with your prayer requests because God got angry with Moses for constantly questioning his call. God had invested in him over the years. God had protected him from the Egyptians and trained him in the Egyptian palaces. When it was time for him to step out in ministry he gave excuses. But there is no excuse, no matter how humble-sounding it is, that is good enough for you to reject the call of ...

Scripture: Exodus 4:1 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people who are NOT BELIEVABLE. "And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee." Exodus 4:1 It is true that there is nothing about you that would particularly make people believe in God. Most of us are just ordinary people with nothing special about us. In spite of this, God uses ordinary people like you and me. It is amazing that He gets His work done with people who are not readily credible or believable. Dear friend, have faith in God. If He can raise up stones to worship Him, then He can use you. Credits: Excerpt from  Many Are Called Bishop Dag Heward-Mills 

Scripture: Exodus 2:12-14 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls people who have been REJECTED. "And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.  And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known." Exodus 2:12-14 Rejection is part of this life. Rejection is a very painful experience. To be rejected is to feel disliked, disrespected and unwanted. I have been rejected many times. There are many times that I have felt disrespected, disliked and unwanted. It is not easy to go through rejection. And yet, most people will experience rejection as part of their spiritual journey. Someone said, “Before you are fully accept...

Scripture: Exodus 3:11 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls UNWORTHY PEOPLE. "And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:11 If you examine yourself honestly, you will realize how unworthy you are. But it will be your ability to overcome this sense of unworthiness that will release you into ministry. Do not let the feelings of unworthiness keep you from obeying your call. We all know we are unworthy.  If you hold back from obeying God because of your unworthiness, you would have become the biggest fool on earth. God “calls” unworthy people and He is calling you. Credits: Excerpt from  Many Are Called Bishop Dag Heward-Mills 

Scripture: Exodus 3:11 Topic: Characteristics of “Called” People - God calls FAILURES. "And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:11 Moses failed to deliver the people in the first instance, but God chose him even though he had failed to deliver the people.  Are you a failure in any way? Many people have failed in their life’s assignment but God still “calls” failures. Credits: Excerpt from  Many Are Called Bishop Dag Heward-Mills