Delightsome Agbabo

October 1 THE SAME SPIRIT But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. — ROMANS 8:11 The term “mortal bodies” in this text does not refer to our resurrected bodies in the future; it refers to our mortal bodies now! (“Mortal” means death-doomed.) Our bodies will not be mortal in the grave. They are mortal now. The Spirit will not dwell in them then. The Spirit of God dwells in them now. Now is when we need our mortal bodies quickened by God’s Spirit which indwells us. One of the reasons for the Holy Spirit’s indwelling our mortal bodies is to heal us of the diseases which are continually trying to attach themselves to us. Healing is part of God’s plan or covenant for us today. Healing is part of His provision for His children — His Body — upon the earth. If we could understand God’s plan of healing as we ought to understand it, the sick would simp...

September 30 HELPER And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever. — JOHN 14:16 (Amplified) It is sad to realize that some Christians ignore the Holy Spirit who is indwelling within them. I believe they mistakenly think He will come in, take control of their lives, and make them do whatever needs to be done automatically with no effort on their part — but He won’t. Demons do that. They are the ones that make people do things which the people don’t want to do. Demons drive, force, and control people. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is a Gentleman. He will never force you to do anything against your will. In the Scriptures we see that the Holy Spirit leads, guides, prompts, and urges. He may give you a gentle “push,” but He will never force you to act. Some complain, “Why doesn’t God do this or that?” The Holy Spirit won’t do anything until you put Him to wor...

September 29 ABILITY . . . For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. — 2COR.6:16 Few Christians seem to be conscious of the fact that God lives in them. They couldn’t be and still talk the way they do. What do I mean? When a need arises in their life, some Christians are quick to say, “No, I can’t do that.” Why? Because they’re trusting in themselves, or the flesh, to put them over. They know they don’t have the ability in themselves to do it. But if we are conscious that God is in us, then we know He has the ability to do anything. So we can stop saying, “I can’t,” and we can begin saying with confidence, “I can — because I’m trusting God! I can — because God is in me! I can — because greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!” No matter what you face — and you may be facing seemingly impossible obstacles in your life — you can say, “God will put me  over! ...

September 28 THE GREATER ONE WITHIN Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. —1 JOHN 4:4 It should be common practice for you to say in every crisis of life: “I am a victor. I am more than a conqueror. The Creator dwells in me. The Greater One lives in me. He can put me over. The Greater One will make me a success. I can’t fail.” That’s not bragging on you; it’s bragging on the Greater One who is in you. And it will put Him to work for you! If you’re a born-again, Spirit-filled believer, you have in you, ready for your use, everything you will ever need to put you over. The divine potential of all the power that there is, indwells you! If you will believe the Bible and begin to confess what it says, the Greater One will rise up in you and give illumination to your mind, direction to your spirit, health to your body, and help in every aspect of life. Confession Greater is He who is in me than he that is i...

September 27 GOD-INSIDE Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God’s temple (His sanctuary), and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]? — 1CO3:16 God Himself, after He makes us new creatures, actually makes our bodies His home. No longer does He dwell in an earth-made Holy of Holies. God says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you? . . . ” (1 Cor. 6:19). We need to become mindful that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit — we have God inside of us! Chiseled on the front of a beautiful church in Texas is an Old Testament scripture declaring that the building was the temple of God. I get provoked every time I drive by. Why? Because these people have a lie right on the front of their church building! To say that a church building is the house of God because He dwells there, is incorrect. God doesn’t dwell in a church buildin...

September 26 RECEIVING THE HOLY SPIRIT And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost . . . . — ACTS 2:4 . . . They sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. — ACTS 8:14,15 . . . Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? . . . —ACTS 19:2 In New Testament times, it was the exception for believers not to have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, with the supernatural sign and initial evidence of speaking in tongues. The Epistles were written to believers who knew Jesus as Savior and who had been filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank God, the Holy Spirit is in us too. But too often people who have been born again and then filled with the Spirit just think of themselves as having received a blessing or some kindof experience — and they miss entirely what the Word of God teaches! A Divine Personality actually comes to live in us! God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit indwells us! Confession God Hi...

September 25 PROVISION If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — 1JOHN 1:9 Someone once asked me, “I can see from the Scriptures that we’ve received remission from our past sins; that we’ve received the gift of righteousness; and that we’ve been made righteous new creatures. But what about those sins I’ve committed since I’ve become a Christian?” Thank God for His provision — First John 1:9! This verse isn’t for sinners — it’s for Christians! First John is written for Christians (1 John 2:1,2). When a man sins, he is under condemnation. He loses his sense of righteousness. But when he confesses to the Lord, “I have sinned; I have failed You. Forgive me, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.” The Lord does two things: 1. He forgives him 2. He cleanses him What does God cleanse him from? All unrighteousness! Unrighteousness is simply the word righteousness with the prefix “un” attached to it. When we are cleansed from unrighteou...

September 24 EFFECTUAL PRAYER . .The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. JAMES 5:16 Jesus who is righteous became your Righteousness (1 Cor.1:30). Your standing with God is secure. Therefore, you can stand in the Presence of God as though you had never done wrong! As though you had never sinned! Without a sense of condemnation, and without a spiritual inferiority complex! No wonder Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come BOLDLY unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” When you know these powerful spiritual truths, you won’t have to run around to get someone else to do your praying for you. You’ll know that God the Father will hear you as quickly as He hears any other believer. Why? Because you have just as good a standing with God as any other Christian has. God doesn’t love one member of His Body more than another. People sometimes think, If I could just get So-and-so to pray, his prayer would work. He’s a re...

September 23 REIGNING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). — ROMANS 5:17 (Amplified) One of our greatest problems is relegating everything to the future. Think about the songs we sing: “When we all get to Heaven . . .” Thank God we are going to get there, but we don’t have to wait until we get there to enjoy God’s blessings. We can have them now! Yes, we will reign with Christ then. But we don’t have to wait until then! When does our text say we will reign as kings? Now! In life! In this life! How? By Jesus Christ! Paul used this illustration of reigning as kings because in the day in which he lived, they had kings. Each king reigned over his own particular domain. His ...

September 22 THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; thatwe might be made the righteousness of God in him. — 2COR 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin . . . .” I’ve tested people by reading this portion of Scripture and then I’ve asked them, “How many of you believe that’s true?” They all lifted their hands. Then I would read the last part of the same verse, “. . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” And then I would say to them, “Therefore, we — you and I — are the righteousness of God in Christ. How many of you believe that’s true?” Most of the time I couldn’t get half of the crowd to lift their hands on the last part. And yet, if the first part of that verse is true, then the last part must be true too! God made a provision for us that belongs to us. We need to realize that it is ours! Confession Jesus became sin for me that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. I am the righteousness of G...

September 21 RIGHT STANDING 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. — ROMANS 5:17 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness . . . . — ROMANS 10:10 Most people think righteousness is a state of spiritual development which you grow into by right living. The Bible teaches right living — but right living itself will never make you righteous. (If it would, you wouldn’t need Jesus.) Righteousness means rightness, or right standing with God. Righteousness is a gift. A gift is something you receive now — whole and complete. A fruit, on the other hand, is a state of spiritual development— something which grows and develops. Thank God, we can grow spiritually — but we cannot grow in righteousness. In fact, you won’t be any more righteous when you get to Heaven than you are right now. How did you get to be righteous? You were born that way! Righteousness c...

September 19 NEW CREATION FACTS Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God;as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 2 COR6:14-16 In order to have strong faith, you must see yourself as God sees you — and you must say about yourself what God says about you. In the scripture quoted above, believers are called believers, and unbelievers are called unbelievers. So you can call yourself a believer. Believers are called righteousness, and unbelievers are called unrighteousness. Have you ever called yourself righteousness? That’s what the Bible calls you, so you are. Believers are called light, and unbelievers are called da...

September 18 BLOTTED OUT I , even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. — ISAIAH 43:25 “I guess I’m just paying for the life I lived before I got saved,” a minister who was having a hard time once said to me. Many Christians, like that minister, are defeated, permitting things to take place in their lives, because they think that’s the way it has to be. They don’t know the difference between repentance and doing penance. They try to do penance for their past life. But in reality, since they repented of their sins, God has no knowledge that they’ve ever done anything wrong! “I blotted out your transgression,” God said, “for My own sake.” God didn’t do it for your sake, but for His own sake. “I will not remember your sins,” He promised. If God doesn’t remember them, why should you? You shouldn’t! When you were born again, you were redeemed from the penalty of sin. If you had to go on paying for your wrongdoing, you’d have to go t...

September 16 BORN AGAIN Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. — 1 PETER 1:23 We are begotten of God. We are born of God. We are children of God. We are heirs of God. We are joint-heirs (“joint” means equal) with Jesus (Rom.8:17). In declaring this, we do not magnify ourselves. We magnify God and what He has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not make ourselves new creatures. God made us new creatures. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. We are new creatures created by God in Christ Jesus! Confession I am begotten of God. I am born of God. I am born of incorruptible seed by the living Word of God. I was born into the spiritual realm,given eternal life, and made a branch of the vine through the incorruptible Word of God.

September 15 LOVED I [Jesus] in them [believers], and thou [God the Father] in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. — JOHN 17:23 When you know — really know — that God is your very own Father and you are His very own child, this knowledge will have the following effect on you: You will have as much freedom and fellowship with the Father as Jesus had in His earth walk, because God the Father loves you even as He loved Jesus! John 17:23 says so: “. . . and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” “I just can’t believe that God loves me as much as He loved Jesus,” some may say. Thank God, I can! I believe it, because the Bible says it, and that settles it! You and I can say with Jesus “. . . I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). Because if God loves me as He loved Jesus — and He does — then He is with me as He was with Jesus. I am never afraid, just as Jesus was neve...

September 14 FAMILY But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. — JOHN 1:12,13 No truth in all the Bible is as far reaching as the blessed fact that when we are born again we come into the family of God! God the Father is our Father! He cares for us! He is interested in us — each of us individually — not just as a group, or a body, or a church. He is interested in each of His children, and He loves each of us with the same love. However, our Heavenly Father is not the Father of everyone, as some supposed. Jesus said to some very religious people, “Ye are of your father the devil . . .” (John 8:44). Yes, God is the Creator of all mankind, but a man must be born again to become His child. He is God to the world, but Father only to thenew creation man. God is your very own Father. You are His very own child. And since He ...

September 13 NEW CREATION Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. — 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 I’m glad I’m a new creature. I was only fifteen when I was born again, but I remember exactly what happened. Something took place inside of me. It seemed as if a two-ton load rolled off my chest. Not only did something depart from me — but something came into me! The moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and confessed Him as your Lord (Rom. 10:9,10), you, too, were recreated. At that moment, the redemption which Jesus provided two thousand years ago became a reality to you. At that instant, the very life and nature of God were imparted to your spirit. You were recreated — born again! The New Birth is not an experience. It is not a religion. It is not joining a church. It is the re-birth of your spirit. When you were born again, old things passed away. In the sight of God, all sin and all of your past ...

September 12 NO TRESPASSING! Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. EP 4:27 (Amplified) I remember reading in Reader’s Digest about a lovely little patch of grass that people were prone to cut across. So the gardener built a small fence around this beautiful square of grass — just some small stakes and string. But people persisted in stepping over the string and walking across the grass. So the gardener painted a crude sign: Gentlemen will not, and others must not, trespass on this property! That gave me the idea of putting up a sign on my body. You can’t see it, because it’s in the spirit. But the devil can see it. My sign says: NO TRESPASSING! DEVIL, THIS MEANS YOU! I did that by faith. I’ve had that sign up for years now, and the devil doesn’t trespass on God’s property — my body. As the custodian of your body, it’s your job to see to it that Satan does not trespass on God’s property. Confession As a custodian of God’s property, I do not allow t...

September 11 PURCHASED Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. — 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19,20 (Amplified) I like the way I saw a missionary, who had returned from the field, minister to the sick. Ministering to one woman, he prayed first: “Father, this woman is Your child. She belongs to You. It’s not right for the devil to dominate her. You laid her sickness and disease on Jesus, for it is written, ‘ . . .Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses’” (Matt. 8:17). Then the missionary talked to the devil: “Satan, this woman’s body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. It belongs to God, and you have no right to trespass on God’s property. Remove yourself from God’s property!”Then he talked to the woman: “Satan has o...

September 9 DOMINION . . . He [God] raised him [Christ] from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. — EPHESIANS 1:20-23 Once we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, Satan’s dominion over us isended. Jesus is the Lord and Head of this new Body — the Church. We are the Body. Christ is the Head. The Church is the Body. Christ is the Head. The whole Body of believers — all the born-again ones — are new creatures in Christ Jesus. Then each of us individually is a new creature, too, because all of us are members of that Body. Satan has no right to rule over the Body of Christ — and he has no right to rule over us individually either. Christ is the Head of ...

September 8 OVERCOMER And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony . . . . — REVELATION 12:11 Because Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), he will try to exercise authority over you in this life. He will try to dominate you. He will try to keep you from walking in your redemptive rights. But you can overcome the devil every time, no matter what the test. You can overcome him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony! You simply have to know what the blood has bought for you: deliverance from the power (authority) of darkness (Satan), and translation (by virtue of the New Birth) into the kingdom of light. Then you have to add your testimony to that knowledge. Stand your ground. Confess what the blood of the Lamb has wrought. Thank God, there is power in the blood! But the power in the blood won’t just work automatically — you have to addyour testimony to it. Confession I am an overcomer. I overcome the devil in every co...

September 7 TRANSLATED Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [able] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power [authority] of darknessand hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood .COL1:12-14 Darkness is the kingdom of Satan. And in that word “darkness” iseverything Satan is. Light is the Kingdom of God. By means of the New Birth, you were translated out of the kingdom of darkness — and into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, the Kingdom of God, and the kingdom of light. Our Heavenly Father has fitted His children (or made them “meet”) to partake of an inheritance — “the inheritance of the saints in light”! Part of your inheritance is that God has delivered you out of Satan’s authority of darkness, and He has now translated you into the kingdom of His dear Son! God has made you meet — He has delivered you — He has translated you. Thank God, you can partake of your i...

September 6 REDEEMED In whom [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood— EPH 1:7 Webster defines the word “redeem” as (1) To buy back; (2) To free from captivity by payment of ransom. To walk in the highest kind of faith, you must know the reality of your redemption in Christ not as a doctrine, a philosophy, or a creed, but as an actual redemption out of the authority of Satan. When Adam fell, mankind went into captivity. But God had a plan — a great plan of redemption! And He sent the Lord Jesus Christ to consummate it. (Webster defines “consummate” as complete in every detail: perfect.) Now God’s Word tells us, “In whom [Jesus Christ] we have redemption . . . .” How thankful we can be that we’re not trying to get redeemed. We already have redemption! We are redeemed and delivered now from the authority of darkness; from the power of Satan! Confession I am redeemed! In Christ I have redemption! Through His blood I have redemption! I’m not trying to get it; it’s mine. I have i...

September 5 THE WITNESS If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. . . . And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life . . . . — 1 JOHN 5:9,11,12 Faith in God is simply faith in His Word. Study God’s Word with this determination: I will find out what God says and agree with it. You can’t expect the things of God to work for you if you take sides against His Word. This may mean unlearning certain “religious” ideas. Too often we’ve been religiously brainwashed, instead of scripturally taught. Find out what God says in His Word regarding: (1) What God has made available for us in His plan of redemption; (2) What the Father is to you; (3) What Jesus is doing for you now at the right hand of the Father; and (4) What the Holy Spirit is doingin you. Then find out from His Word what God thinks about the following: (1) What He says you are in Christ; (2) Who you are in Christ; (3) What you have b...

September 4 THE WORD So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. — ROMANS 10:17 “I just don’t have any faith,” some Christians say. “I’ve prayed and fasted for faith, but I just don’t have any.” Asking for faith will never produce faith. Why not? Because faith doesn’t come by asking; faith comes by hearing. By hearing what? The Word of God! Having to encourage Christians to have faith means that the Word of God has lost its reality in their lives. None of the New Testament Epistles encourage believers to have faith. Why not? Because the Epistles were written to the Church. And its individual members are actually born into the family of God. Believers have received the Holy Spirit as their Teacher, Guide, and Comforter. And the measure of their faith will be the measure of their knowledge of the Father — and their knowledge of their privileges. Simply study the Bible and get acquainted with your Heavenly Father. Walk in the closest possible fellowship with Him. Beco...

September 3 PERFORMANCE Then said Jehovah . . . I watch over my word to perform it.—JEREMIAH 1:12 (ASV) In all probability, you have faith in your employer. You believe what he says, and you act on it. If he promises to raise your salary, you don’t question him. Also, you and your word are one. You are behind your word and your promises. If your word is no good, then you are not good. But God’s Word is more reliable than the word of a man! God’s Word and God are one. If God’s Word is no good and it cannot be relied upon, then God is no good, and He cannot be relied upon. But God can be relied upon! He stands behind His Word! He stands behind every Word He promises! You come to know Jesus through the Word of God. Jesus introduces you to God the Father. Then you begin to act upon God’s Word. You test it. After a time of acting upon what God says in His Word, it becomes as natural to you as acting upon the word of the man for whom you are working. Confession I believe God. I act upon His ...

September 2 SETTLED For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar .—ROMANS 3:3,4 To establish a firm foundation for your faith, I suggest you adopt the following motto which I wrote in red ink in the flyleaf of my Bible many years ago. The Bible says it. I believe it. And that settles it. Determine to always do these two things: (1) Accept God’s Word for what it says, and (2) Walk in the light of what the Word says. Don’t try to get around certain things or explain them away. Don’t try to read things into the Word just because you want to believe those things that way. Study the Word — and accept it just as it is written. For example, the denomination I was reared in didn’t teach faith and healing. I was bedfast sixteen months as a teenager, and five doctors said I had to die. But I turned to the Word of God, and the more I studied, the more I saw that the Word is true. I declared, “I ...