Day 1 September 2022

CHAPTER 1

What It Means to be a Strong Christian

Finally, my brethren,  BE STRONG IN THE LORD, and in the power of his might.

Ephesians 6:10

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

How You Can Become a Strong Christian?

• All  through  the Bible,  Christians  are  exhorted to  be strong.
• You will see the phrase, ‘be strong’ appearing many times throughout the Bible. 
• In order to be strong you must strengthen yourself.  
• Most Christians desire to be strong in their bodies, strong in politics, strong in academics, strong in business, strong in relationships but not strong in the Lord.  
• God is emphasizing that you must be strong in the Lord.
• To be strong in the Lord is to be a strong Christian.
• Many people come to know the Lord but never become strong in the Lord.
• They remain spiritual weaklings for the rest of their lives.
• There are a number of things that characterize a good strong Christian.  
• You must aim to develop all those attributes if you are going to be a good strong believer. 

To be a strong Christian you must develop following chracteristics:

1.      To be a strong Christian is to develop a deeper Christian life.

• Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts :all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Psalm 42:7

2. To be a strong Christian is to become steadfast.

• Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding   in the work   of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in 1 Corinthians   15:58

3.  To be a strong Christian is to become unmoveable.

• Therefore,  my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always   abounding   in the  work  of  the Lord, forasmuch  as ye know that your labour  is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

4.    To be a strong Christian is to become spiritual.

• And  I,  brethren,   could  not  speak  unto  you  as  unto spiritual,   but  as  unto  carnal,  even  as unto  babes  in Christ. 1 Corinthians3:1

5.    To be a strong Christian is to become holy.

• Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

6.    To be a strong Christian is to become mature.

• That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Ephesians 4:14

7.       To be a strong Christian is to be zealously affected always in a good thing.  To be strong in the Lord is to be full of zeal.

• But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing,  and not only when I am present with you. Galatians 4:18

8.    To be a strong Christian is to become fruitful.

• 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. John 15:16

9.    To be a strong Christian is to be in a state of readiness to meet God at any time.

• Therefore  thus  will  I  do  unto  thee,  0   Israel:   and because I will do this  unto thee, prepare  to meet thy God, 0  Israel. Amos 4:12

Six Reasons Why You Must Strengthen Yourself

1.  Strengthen yourself so that you can overcome the wicked one.

• I have written   unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.  I have written unto you, young men, BECAUSE YE ARE STRONG,. and the word of God abideth  in you, AND YE HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE. 1 John 2:14
• The wicked one is not a weakling.  It is only when you are strong that you can overcome the wicked one. 
• If you joke with the enemy, you will have yourself to blame. 
• Fighting Satan is to fight a seasoned warrior who has seen many battles. 
• The devil has fought many Christians over the years.  
• He is experienced in destroying and tempting Christians. 
• The devil was alive when Jesus was alive.
• He is not a newcomer, but you are!
• Rise up and become stronger so that you will defeat the wicked one.
• When you are strong, the wicked ones are forced to leave you alone. 
• The wicked ones know that they will be defeated.
• Satan will not dare to even start a problem with you  because he knows it will not end well for him.
• You must be strong because when something stronger than you comes against you, it will overcome you and destroy you.
• When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:  but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted,  and divideth his spoils. Luke 11:21-22
• This should be the greatest motivation for strengthening yourself!
• As you become stronger, the wicked one is forced to leave you alone because he knows that many temptations will simply not work on you.
• Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might! Ephes.6;10

2.    You must strengthen yourself in the Lord because your enemy is planning to attack you again.

• And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and  Israel  pursued   them:  and  Benhadad  the king  of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and   chariots,   and   slew  the  Syrians   with   a  great slaughter. And the prophet  came to  the king of Israel,  and said unto him, GO, STRENGTHEN  THYSELF, and mark, and see what  thou doest: for at the return  of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee. 1 Kings 20:20-22

• Your enemy is planning an attack. Whether you like it or not you will be attacked.
• The enemy has eyed you and selected you as a prime target. Matt 12:43-45
• Without provocation the enemy will strike when his season comes.
• Jesus was attacked over and over throughout His life and ministry. 
• Even on the cross, in His very last few minutes, Jesus experienced unrelenting temptations and attacks.
• I want you to decide to become the strongest Christian possible because you are going to defeat the enemy many times over.

3.   Strengthen yourself so you can run your race properly.

• Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.  In them hath he set a tabernaclefor the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth AS A STRONG MAN TO RUN A RACE. Psalms 19:4-5

• You will notice that athletes, even women, are very muscular and strong. 
• Without strength you cannot run a race. 
• You need to strengthen yourself if you are going to be a spiritual athlete and run your course. 
• All of us are involved in the Christian race. 
• We must run the race that is set before us and we must win.
• “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12: 1.

4.   Strengthen yourself so that you can withstand in the evil day.

• Wherefore take unto you the whole armourof God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6: 13
• Everybody reacts differently in crisis.  
• Some people, with soft hearts, collapse and die in time  of  crisis.
• Others go mad in time  of a crisis.
• You see, in the day of your crisis everything changes.
• Without strength, the pressure, the crises and the problems will destroy you. 
• It is time to be strong in the Lord so that you can withstand in the evil day.
• There are others who have experienced so many crises in their lives and are still standing.
• Will you be left standing in the evil day or will you fall and give up when the pressure rises?
• It is time to prepare yourself for the day of crisis and pressure.
• Those who plan to merely pass an exam often fail. 
• When something goes wrong, they are quickly tipped into the failure zone.
• That is why you must aim higher so that if something goes wrong, you do not fall below the mark.
• Decide to be far stronger than you really need to be. 
• In the evil day, you will be well able to withstand the pressure.

5.    Strengthen yourself so that you can help other people.

• We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Romans  15:1
• When you are on an aeroplane, they teach you to put on your oxygen masks in the event of an emergency.  
• They also ask that parents should put on their own oxygen masks first before attempting to help their children.   
• Why is this?   Should they not attend to the children first since they are weaker?
• Answer is ‘No’!   The parents will need oxygen to keep them alive and strong.  
• If they are not alive and strong, they will not be able to help anyone, not even their own children. 
• Strength is important if you are going to help your neighbour.
• Have you ever wondered why African countries are not asked for financial when there is a world crisis?
• People often look to America because they are well known for their financial and military strength.
• Without strength you cannot bear the infirmities of the weak.
• There is no way you can help other people if you yourself are down and out.
• God has called you to be strong in him and to become a blessing to other people.
• Develop strength so that you can be a blessing to many other people.

6.   Strengthen yourself because it is a wise thing to be strong.

A WISE MAN IS STRONG;  yea, a man of knowledge increaseth  strength. Proverbs  24:5

• Since the Second World War, most nations have strengthened themselves because they have learnt from experience that it is wise to develop strength lest another tyrant like Hitler should arise in their midst.
• The end result is that Europe has become an armed nuclear camp waiting to be ignited.
• Indeed, European nations prefer to arm themselves than to sit down in weakness, lest anyone rise up to create another war.
• You must not sit down in weakness.  
• The devil will take advantage of you as soon as he realises you are not wise enough to prepare yourself in times of peace.
• You must strengthen yourself because it is a wise thing to do.

Let us pray

Aggressive Praise Worship

1. SHACKLES OF IDOLATORY HOLDING ME BACK IN ANY FORM BREAK BY FIRE IN JESUS NAME
2. I DECREE THAT ANY ONE MAKING IDOLS TO CAGE ME  FROM AFAR SHALL FALL FOR YOUR SAKE IN JESUS NAME
3. LORD, WE ASK THAT THROUGH YOUR WORD, YOU WOULD TEACH US INSTANT OBEDIENCE, AND FEAR OF COMING TO YOU A SECOND TIME AFTER YOU’VE MADE YOUR WILL CLEAR TO US.
4. HELP US TO ALWAYS LET OUR HEARTS AGREE WITH YOUR POSITION, RATHER THAN TRY TO FIND A WAY AROUND IT AND JUST OBEY IN THE OUTWARD PAYING YOU LIP SERVICE ONLY
5. FATHER GOD, WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD BURN THIS INTO OUR HEARTS AND MAKE THIS REAL TO US IN OUR LIVES FOR YOUR GLORY IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST WE PRAY.AMEN
6. Every object of bewitchment, in my possession, be exposed and be destroyed, in the name of Jesus.
7. Every bewitchment against my spiritual  life die by fire in Jesus name
8. . I pull down every satanic bewitchment upon any organ of my body, in Jesus’ name.
9. Bewitchment of my flesh, blood and bones, terminate, in the name of Jesus.
10. I loose myself from any bewitchment, directed against my (a) head area; (b) chest area; (c) stomach area; (d) reproductive organs; (e) hands and legs, in the name of Jesus.
11. . Every bewitchment against my moving forward in life, die, in the name of Jesus.
12. I break and loose myself from every form of divination, in the name of Jesus. 7. I break and loose myself from all enchantments, in the name of Jesus.
13. I reject every enchantment from the covens targeted at my life, in the name of Jesus.
14. I pull down every satanic divination assigned against my destiny, in the name of Jesus.
15. . I deliver my soul and spirit  from every witchcraft divination, in the name of Jesus.
16. I loose my hands and feet from any witchcraft bewitchment, in the name of Jesus.
17. Bewitchment in my finances, terminate by fire, in the name of Jesus.
18. Every instrument of enchantment and divination, set in motion against me, be roasted, in the name of Jesus.
19. Every sorcery, assigned against my spiritual progress in life, die, in the name of Jesus.
20. I break and loose myself from every demonic bewitchment, in the name of Jesus.
21. I command the bewitchment over my city to be broken, in the name of Jesus.
22. I command every instrument of divination over my environment to lose its grip, in the name of Jesus.
23. Lord, arise and deliver my household from spiritual bewitchment, in the name of Jesus.
24. I break and loose myself from every form of divination of the earth targeted at my life, in the name of Jesus.
25. My spiritual destiny, hear the word of the Lord, reject every bewitchment,  in the name of Jesus.
26. Every anti-progress power, working against my destiny, be broken, in the name of Jesus.
27. Every bondage of ‘thou shall not excel’, fashioned against the ladder of my destiny, break, in the name of Jesus.
28. Every weapon of divination, assigned against my success, be roasted, in the name of Jesus.
29. All bewitchments and enchantments of bad luck shall not prosper in my life, in the name of Jesus.
30. My head, reject every household divination, in the name of Jesus.
31. O heavens, O earth, vomit every bewitchment against me, in the name of Jesus.
32. My head, reject every manipulation of untimely death, in the name of Jesus.
33. My body, reject evil arrows, in the name  of Jesus.
34. My soul, reject evil arrows, in the name of Jesus.
35. I loose my hands and feet from any witchcraft bewitchment, in the name of Jesus.
36. I cancel any bewitchment of any photograph or image that has ever be created for me, in the name of Jesus.
37. Every arrow of bewitchment and divination, fired into my brain, catch fire, in the name of Jesus.
38. Every witchcraft bewitchment on my destiny and potentials, die, in the name of Jesus.
39. You my children’s destiny, refuse to harbour divination, in the name of Jesus.
40. Every enchantment programmed into my destiny, backfire, in the name of Jesus.
41. Every instrument of sorcery, affecting my breakthroughs, be rendered impotent, in the name of Jesus.
42. O thou, that troubleth the Israel of  CHRIST’S LOVE MINISTRIES   INTERNATIONAL the God of Elijah shall trouble you today.
43. Every enemy, of CHRIST’S LOVE MINISTRIES   INTERNATIONAL scatter, in the name of Jesus.
44. O God, arise and uproot, anything You did not plant inside CHRIST’S LOVE MINISTRIES   INTERNATIONAL in Jesus’ name.
45. Fire of revival, fall upon, CHRIST’S LOVE MINISTRIES   INTERNATIONAL in the name of Jesus.