Showing posts with label God's Will. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's Will. Show all posts

Wednesday, 8 June 2016

The Sovereignty of God (Pastor 'Lola Owotumi) 08-05-2016

MY SERMON NOTES
@ NDIC/DMO Fellowship
Central Business District,
Garki - Abuja
8th June, 2016

LEADER'S PRAYER MEETING

* Speaker: Pastor 'Lola Owotumi
* Topic: The Sovereignty of God
* Text: Amos 3:6-7 "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

* In the sovereignty of God, He uses human beings to fulfill His purpose

* When God sends you, your responsibility is to obey without rationalizing the instructions He gives you

* Only those whom God reveals his Word to that knows what He Says

* God will not say anything unless there is something to be addressed

Psalm 119:60"I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments."

* Esau lost his birthright due to undue haste

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Judges 11:24"Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess."

Saturday, 7 May 2016

The will of God (Evangelist Lewis Dam) 07-05-2016

MY SERMON NOTES
@ Ecumenical Christian Centre,
Central Area,
Behind Central Bank of Nigeria - Abuja,
7th May, 2016

☆ Marriage Between
Barr. Prizing Binwai & Grace Barde

Evangelist Lewis Dam
SERMON
* Speaker: Evangelist Lewis Dam
* Topic: The will of God
* Text: 1 John 2:17 →"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." (NKJV)

* In this generation, many marriages are 'upside down' because they do not understand nor walk in the will of God

Ecclesiastes 12:13 →''The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you." (MSG)

* The most damnable thing in life is not death
→ It is life outside the will of God

* It is impossible for a man to find fulfilment outside the will of God

* Foolish people think they are free to do whatever they like outside of God

* Gone are the days whereby young people travel into marriage on their knees. Today, they travel into marriage on their feelings

* Many people do not take the time and the pains to discover God's will for marriage before they make the commitment

* Many marriages in Church are founded on deciet

* One of the most foolish questions in life is "what will people say?"
→ Because of other people's opinions, many become frustrated and even kill themselves
→ The people whom you worry about their opinions do not really care about you

* Fulfillment and genuine success does not come from man's ingenuity, but by walking in God's will

* You must be mindful of what God says, not what people think

Hebrews 10:36 →  "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
 
* There is a promise for those who do and obey the Word of God

1 John 2:17 → "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."
 
* Most Church marriages end in divorce (or separation) because of selfishness  
→ Many people enter into marriage only to please themselves.
→ They lie to themselves, their friends, their families and the Church that they are God's will for each other

John 6:38 → "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me."
 
John 16:13 "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
Jeremiah 23:21 →  "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message;I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied."  

* God was upset at Priests that ran with messages when they have not heard from God

* A good sermon is comprised of a message from God delivered to a targeted audience by a faithful messenger

* There is no marriage that succeeds without the ability to hear God clearly  

* Each day you will be confronted with decisions either to do your will or God's will

* The Holy Spirit helps us to hear and obey God always

* The best and most successful couples are those who wake up every day, ready to die to themselves and submit to God's will

Is doing God's will easy?
→ It is not easy, but it brings the best rewards in the end

* God rewards a believer for doing what asks him/her to do
→ You cannot decide to do what you want to do and expect God to reward or bless you

* The greatest pleasure in life is to know and do God's will
 
* Some people live through life only labouring for their stomachs

* Do not allow the history of your life to be written on the lives of others
→ Allow God to write your own history for you

* You can hear what people say, but do not listen to them

* NOTE: Anything done with the spirit of unforgiveness does not have God's blessings
 
Barr. & Mrs. Prizing Binwai
 

Wednesday, 28 January 2015

God with us (Pastor J. K. Abiodun) 28-01-2015

NDIC/DMO Chapel
Central Business District,
Garki-Abuja, Nigeria
28th January, 2015

* Speaker: Pastor J. K. Abiodun
* Topic: God with us


* Matthew 1:20-23 →" But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying: Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."


* Jesus came principally to do the will of God

* Do You know the purpose for which You were sent on earth?

→ Jesus came as an atonement for our sins so that we do not have to sacrifice bulls

* John 10:10 →"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

→ Jesus came to neutralize the works of Satan in our lives

* Jesus has come to bring life

* John 17:3 →"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

* He has made us to pass from death to life


- Jesus has come to bring light into the world & our lives


* The coming of Jesus has ushered the qlory of God


* NOTE: The same Jesus that is the Cornerstone is also a stumbling block to those who are disobedient


Sunday, 7 December 2014

Knowing God's will in Christ Jesus (Rev. Festus S. Dashem) 07-12-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Jiyep-Hwolshe, Jos
Plateau State - Nigeria
7th December, 2014

SERMON
* Topic: Knowing God's will in Christ Jesus
* Theme: Knowing the will of God
* Speaker: Rev. Festus S. Dashem
* Text: Luke 2:1-14

* So many people do not know the true meaning of Christmas, even though they celebrate it every year

* The common expression "as weak as a baby" does not apply to Jesus Christ - He is God; He is the Centre of Power

* It was the Roman Government's tradition to conduct population census every 14 years.

* Bethlehem means "house of bread". Note: Jesus is the bread of life. → John 6:35 "Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

- Therefore, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem was symbolic.

* The announcement of the Messiah's birth was given by an angel to some anonymous Shepherds. Why shepherds, not Priests or Scribes?

* Reason: The Grace of God was revealed to all men, regardless of status or position.
Romans 2:11 - "For there is no partiality with God."

* Their work (as shepherds) made them ceremonially unclean, and kept them away from the temple for weeks, so they could not be made clean

* God does not only call the rich and mighty, but also the poor and lowly

* The shepherds were conscripted as heralds and evangelists of the Saviour's Coming

* The Massage of the Angels:
 Verse 10: "fear not, we bring good news"

* As a Christian, you must not be afraid to preach the good news of Christ anywhere you go
 
* The Hebrew word "Shalom" means more than peace (absence of war), but total well-being, security, soundness and completeness of mind.

* NOTE: Outside Jesus, you cannot experience genuine peace/Shalom

* Shalom has more to do with character, more than circumstances

* At the time of difficulty for the Israelites (taxes were high, there was unemployment, and poverty) God Sent his Son to usher in a reign of lasting peace

* During the period of Jesus' birth, High Priests and Priesthood was controversial for the following reasons:
→ No person/worshiper could see the Priest except through his Captains;
→ A Priest must marry a virgin of not more than 12 Years old;
→ A Priest must not eat in public;
→ A Priest must not touch any woman except his wife;
→ The temple was segregated according to levels of Holiness. Only the High Priest can enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer atonement on behalf of the people;
→ A Priest must not come near a corpse
→ The crippled, lame, leper can not enter the temple for any reason
→ A Priest must wear 18 garments to heal 18 ailments

* Jesus Came to deliver people from the old order of things

* Jesus is the High priest that sets the captives free

* In Jesus Christ, Priesthood is no longer dependent on garments and the fulfilment of strict religious criteria, but by faith in Jesus Christ

* In Jesus, healing is a matter of faith, not of garments or religious ceremonies and rituals

* The mission of Jesus is to rescue all men from darkness and translate them to the light of God

* The coming of Jesus is absolute good news to all of us

* Question: is your life a source of good news to your family, office, colleagues, community, Church, etc.?

* You should live a life that portrays good news to the world

* If your life is not a source of good news, the solution is simple → Repent and accept Jesus Christ the Messiah as your Lord and Savior.

Sunday, 30 November 2014

Growing up in Christ (Mr Ishaya Manji) 30-11-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
MY SERMON NOTES
Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Garki Area 1 - Abuja, Nigeria
30th November, 2014

* SERMON
* Speaker: Mr Ishaya Manji
* Topic: Growing up in Christ
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Sub-Theme: Blessings of Doing God's Will
* Service Leaders: Mr Timothy Pam
* Text: Ephesians 4:14-15 - "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."

Round up & Summary of the COCIN Community Missions Week 2014
* The problem of the Church today is that many Christians still remain as infants even after many years after becoming believers.

* The desire of God is that we all grow up to become mature believers

* The Church has a bunch of Christians who are physically growing older, but remain Spiritually immature

* Spiritual maturity cannot be measured by your eloquence, or Physical appearance. It can only by demonstrated by displaying the Characteristics of Jesus (that is, the fruits of the Spirit).

* Growing in Christ entails the following:
1. A Continuous willingness to develop & display the character traits of Christ
2. To remain Connected to Christ
3. To be rooted and grounded in order to bear fruit that will last
4. To hold onto the truth and share it boldly, regardless of the consequences.

* The genuine Christian life is magnetic.
- You will automatically attract people to Christ if your life radiates the love of Jesus

* The difference between a mature and immature Christian:
→ A mature Christian produces the fruits of the spirit, the immature Christian does not
Galatians 5:22-24 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

* Every mature Christian is a missionary.

* Anywhere you find yourself is your primary mission field (office, family, community, etc.)

* Essential Elements for growing up in Christ:
1. The Character of Christ
→ Galatians 5:22-23
* God's plan is for you to be transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ

2. Commitment
- This entails a willingness to work hard and to give your energy to the discharge of a given duty
- God requires Christians to be committed in missions and support it by all means possible.
* As a Christian, You are expected to grow not only physically, but also spiritually.
*When you spend time with God and His Word, you will grow in love and Spiritual knowledge of God's Will.
* You must be ready to give every fibre of yourself as an instrument to honour and Serve God

* Everything you have been entrusted with (e.g.. Your job, talents, resources, possessions, opportunities, experiences, etc.) are tools for serving Christ and advancing His kingdom here on earth.

* You must show the love of Christ to everyone, especially those who are under Satan's bondage

* If you must grow spiritually, you must study to know the mind of God so that you can project that same mind through mission work and liberate those in darkness and translate them into the Light of Christ.

* It is expected that once you give your life to Christ, you must grow spiritually, just as a new born baby is naturally expected to grow and become strong & independent

* The Church cannot be able to grow into a holy temple if every Christian are not ready to play their parts in God's plan

* Encouragement: we need to encourage each other (especially the Missionaries) by prayer, visitations, generous giving etc.

* Three things that the devil will never ask you to do:
1. give (in support of the advancement of Christ's kingdom)
2. pray
3. preach

* Causes of Spiritual Immaturity:
1. Sin
2. lack of Self-Control
3. lack of humility
4. lack of Spiritual balance-diet
   - This results in Spiritual stunted growth
   - God's word is our spiritual food (the balanced-diet)
   - You cannot give what you have. You must know the word for yourself
5. lack of submission to authority
6. lack of Spiritual discipline (e.g. through prayer and fasting & Bible Studies)

* If you really want to be effective in God's scheme of things and influence your generation for Christ, you must determine to grow Spiritually and be committed to knowing God's Word

* Allow God to work in you and through you

* Your life should sparkle (for Christ) like a diamond

* Spiritual infancy results in lack of effectiveness on the part of a Christian

* Practical ways by which you can be involved in Missions:
1. You can go to the Mission fields to preach personally
2. You can Support Missionaries through:
   -   Your financial gifts
   - Your consistent prayers for the success of Missions & Missionary endeavours

Sunday, 16 November 2014

Life of Victory (Elder Simon Bunshak) 16-11-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki-Abuja, Nigeria
16th November, 2014

SERMON:
* Speaker: Elder Simon Bunshak
* Topic: Life of Victory
* Text: Romans 6:1-14
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Sub-theme: Blessings of Doing God's will
* Service Leader: Mrs. C. Mangut

* When you are walking with God, the Seed of God is deposited in you. That seed produces the life (fruits of the Holy Spirit) that sets you apart from people who do not walk with God

☆ Effects of Sin in the life of a man:
1 . Sin dishonours the name of God in Your life

2. Sin can rob you of the joy and the power of God in your life
- The joy of the Holy Spirit is the source of your victory

3. Sin destroys your Christian testimony
- Satan's aim is to ensure that you never fulfil God's purpose in your life by being constantly under the bondage of sin

☆ How to overcome sin and live in victory:
- Note: Sin is the primary cause of failure in the life of a man

* Victory is an act of God
- You cannot attain victory on your own or by your own personal effort(s)

* Victory can only be attained by consistently living in obedience to God's Word
Deuteronomy 28:1-14

* Jesus has already won the victory for us; that is what we are standing upon

★ 1st John 1:8 → "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

* The victorious life entails:
- Overcoming sin (including the so-called "little sins" such as anger, fault-finding, irritability, complaining, lack of love, wrong thoughts, worry, anxiety,)

* The "small" victories you get by overcoming in "small" areas of your life translates to bigger victories eventually

* There is nothing like a "small sin". Before God, sin is sin and He hates it.

*Every sin is a major obstacle in your quest to attaining victory in Christ

* Many people have overcome the temptations and tendencies of falling into "sign-board" sins (ie, the known "big sins") and neglect the more subtle ones

* The trick of Satan is to magnify the power of sin in your life to such an extent that you are constantly kept in fear and bondage and therefore, fail to be liberated.

* Overcoming the power of Sin can only be possible in Christ Jesus.

* As soon as your faith in Christ dies, genuine victory will always elude you

* When you are defeated in your mind, you cannot attain victory
→ Victory proceeds from a mind that is transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God

* The life of Heaven begins with a life of holiness

* Holiness is the Key to attaining constant victory

* Here on earth, you will constantly struggle with sin, till you get to Heaven where sin and death lose their power

* Three (3) Blessings that accompany a victorious Christian life:
1. Unbroken fellowship with God
Genesis 3:8-10
* When sin comes into your life, it breaks your relationship with God

2. The power to do the work of God.
- Sin robs you of the confidence to serve God effectively
- Holiness enables you to receive massages from God and to also deliver them with power and confidence
Philippians 4:13"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

* You share in the privilege of reconciling people back to God (through evangelism)

3. It opens you up into a life of prospect to the possibilities of being used by God for honourable and noble purposes

* Ephesians 3:20-21

* Victory in Christ is a gift, just like salvation & eternal life

* You cannot get victory in Christ through your merits, achievements and human effort

* Grace is God's omnipotent power working through us, in us, and for us

* Living in constant victory is only possible when you depend upon God's grace to live a holy life

Romans 5:17b → "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

* How to live a life of victory in Christ:
1. Dedicate your life to Christ totally & allow Him to sustain you
2nd Timothy 1:12"That is why I suffer as I do. However, I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I’m convinced that he is able to protect what he has entrusted to me until the day that he comes."

2. Drop your burdens and challenges at the feet of the Lord
1st Peter 5:7 →"Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you."

3. You must take Christ as your Victory

4. When you fail, don't accept defeat & remain subdued.
- Anytime there is a challenge, run to the Saviour for support

*NOTE: Victory is not just trying, but trusting
→ 'Trying' is what you do on your own, by your own strength and wisdom (self-sufficiency)
→ 'Trust' entails looking up to God to do for you what you cannot do for yourself

_____________________________________________________________________
* HOLY COMMUNION SERVICE
EXHORTATION

* Speaker: Rev. Chrysanthus John Bala
* Text: Luke 22:39-46

* Anguish & pain caused Jesus to prevail in prayer at Gethsemane

* Jesus Submitted Himself to God's will in prayer.
- What He wanted at that point was immaterial because His desire was for God's will to be done in His life

* Today, many Christians tend to 'command' God to do what they wish, whenever they desire. This is not supposed to be so.

* Jesus encouraged His disciples to also pray along with Him in His hour of need & trial. (v. 46)

* NOTE: Prayer is the believer's sheild against falling into temptation

* Temptation will not overtake you if you consistently prevail in the place of prayer

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Fruitfulness (Rev. Chrysanthus Bala John)

SUNDAY SERVICE
★ MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki-Abuja, Nigeria
Boys' Brigade Enrolment Service
19th October, 2014

* Preacher: Rev. Chrysanthus Bala John
* Topic: Fruitfulness
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Sub-Theme: Blessing of Doing God's Will
* Service leaders: Benjamin Philemon (English); Job Dapan (Hausa)

* Text: John 15:16-17 →"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another."

* Every fruit produces a particular kind of seed

* The seed referred to here is the 'Seed of righteousness'

* God expects you to go into The world and bear fruit

1st Timothy 1:12 →"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."

* Every minister is God's appointee to carry the mandate of the Gospel

* 3 reasons for the appointment of faithful Ministers of the Gospel
1. To go forth
2. To bear fruit
3. To preach the Gospel Christ

* Our sole duty in this world is to take the gospel to the dying world

Matthew 3:8"Produce fruit that is consistent with repentance!"

* People are always looking to see whether your fruits are Consistent with your confession of repentance

* Fruitfulness is the precedent to receiving answers to prayers

John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."

* When we preach the gospel, it is an indication that we have received it.

2nd Kings 7:9"But then they told each other, “We’re not doing the right thing. This is a day of good news, but if we keep quiet until morning, we’re sure to be punished! So let’s leave and go tell the king’s household!”

* Do not keep the good news to yourself

* Delay is dangerous: You must approach the Gospel with all sense of urgency

* We have been chosen & appointed by God to bear fruit

* When you come before the Judgement throne what do you have to show?

* Every Christian that does not bear fruit is heading to hell

"But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  

Sunday, 5 October 2014

Access to God's Grace (Rev. David Kwamkur) 05-10-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki- Abuja, Nigeria
5th October, 2014

* Speaker: Rev. David Kwamkur
* Topic: Access to God's Grace
* Theme: Knowing the will of God
* Sub-theme: Blessings of doing God's Will
* Service leader: Mrs. Anna Yoila
* Text: 2nd Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."


SERMON
* There is no point knowing the will of God if one has no intention of doing it

* If you do the will of God, there are blessings that are sure to follow you

* A preacher asked Someone: "do you know anything about grace?" The person answered "grace who?"

* Many people think of "grace" only as a name

* Grace is more than just a name

* Grace is everything we are today & will become tomorrow through the unquantifiable mercies of God

* Grace is the unmerited favour of God

* There are things that you will never achieve in life based on just credit & merit

* Grace is God's enablement, God's power, God's wisdom that compensates man's inability

* There is something in God that man does not have

* God's Grace is the sufficiency of God

* As a believer, you have the fullness of God in you

* Grace makes things that are inaccessible to become accessible

* God's grace helps the natural man to access things that are obtainable in the spiritual realm

* God's grace makes the impossible possible

* God's grace is the strength of God in times of weakness

* God's grace is the courage that comes to you when you are discouraged

* God's grace makes difficult things to be easy and surmountable

* God's grace is not in opposition with obedience

* God's grace enables you to obey God

* We cannot do as we like just because we are living under grace

* The grace of God keeps you away from sin
 
Romans 6:1 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

* The grace of God keeps you from Struggling - Whenever you struggle to get something, you must check

* God's grace promotes you from one level of struggle to the level of consistent victory

* You should not be struggling with the same thing that you struggled with this time last year

* Two Great Commodities given to Believers
1. Grace
2. Mercy

* Note: Most time, God gives us raw materials, not the finished product - There is something useful in every raw material

* Grace is the raw material used to produce what you not deserve

* Mercy is God not giving you what you deserve

* Grace & Mercy work & operate in every circumstance - their principles are static

* Types of Grace
1. Saving Grace
- This is potentially given to everybody
- You can only access it when you confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour

2. Sanctifying Grace
Leviticus 11:44 "I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground."
- This grace Keeps you away from Sinning & Sets us apart for God

3. Sustaining Grace
- Grace keeps you from being overwhelmed by the issues of life
- Grace helps us to endure hardship

4. Growing Grace
- this grace helps you to realize and maximize your potentials

* Being in the middle of God's grace does not exclude you from the Challenges of life

* God's grace is inexhaustible; it is infinite

* When you draw from God's Grace, you cannot get to the end of it.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

Knowing the Will of God (Elder John Ayuba) 07-09-2014

SUNDAY SERVICE
MY SERMON NOTES
@ Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN)
Area 1, Garki - Abuja, Nigeria
7th September, 2014

SERMON
* Speaker: Elder John Ayuba
*Topic: A Humbled Giver
* Theme: Knowing the Will of God
* Sub-Theme: Excelling in the Grace of Giving
* Service Leader: Elder Titus Golar

* Humble means "without pride or arrogance"

* A brief on the "Knight Templers":
- When they were baptized, they were immersed in water but their swords were held above the water, signifying that they are 'submitted' to the Lord, but not with their sword. This is a classic case of 'partial/conditional submission.'

- Just like the Knight Templars, many people today are baptized as Christians, but they still hold their jobs, wallets, wives, cars etc. out of the 'water' of total submission to the Lord

* When you want to come to God in humility, do not measure yourself with other men

* When you measure your achievements in the light of God's mercy that had been extended to you, you have no choice but to be humble.  

* Pride comes from the spirit of arrogance and self-deception

* Refusal to obey lawfully constituted authority is a sign of pride, especially when you have more qualifications or achievements than those occupying positions of authority

* When you measure yourself with God, you will realize that you are nothing

* When you realise that God is your Source, you have no option but to be humble

* Once you hear God's voice, you must be humble

* God's projects supersedes yours

* Psalm 37:4 - "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

* Once you delight yourself in the Lord, and you make your desire His own desire, He will fulfil that desire - because it is His own desire

Note: Mary Magdalene gave the Lord her best gift - (precious oil of Nard) and wiped it with her hair which is her glory

* You need to understand God in order to know How to give Him the best glory possible