tremdagenham – Page 4 – TREM Marks Gate

What Christmas without Christ? by Deacon Abiodun Adebisi

Christmas is truly “the most wonderful time of the year.” That song blaring on most television and radio channels at this time captures the mood of the season. I hope it does the reason for the season.

It’s the end of the year when everyone could do with a well-deserved holiday or visit friends and family, give their homes a make-over, display beautiful Christmas lights, exchange greeting cards and give gifts to loved ones as well as the needy as a gesture of “goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14 KJV).

God loves all that because love is his nature. The scripture says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1John 4:8 NIV). In fact it was the love of God for mankind that propelled Him to send his only begotten Son to the world as propitiation for our sins, that He might redeem us, for we lost it big time with the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. What the scripture says is, “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” (John 3:16 KJV).

However, it’s not our gesture of goodwill that gives us right standing before God. It’s our intimate relationship with him. The scripture likens all our righteousness to “filthy rags” before God if we fail to take advantage of the redemption from sin for which Jesus Christ came into the world (Isaiah 64:6 KJV). The significance of his birth lies in his mission. That’s what makes Christmas Christmas.

The eating and drinking and general Christmas merry making is good, no doubt. But is Christmas an opportunity to sleep around and drink to stupor? Far from it. In fact, that contradicts everything Christmas stands for. The kingdom of God is not about that, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17 KJV). Righteousness is of the Lord, his peace is beyond human understanding and it is he who gives joy that keeps flowing like a river (Isaiah 54:17; Philippians 4:7; Psalm 46:4). Let’s remember this as we sing, “Joy to the world…”

In case you’ve been seeing your goodwill as a passport to heaven, think again. That mindset is what the scripture describes as “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”, a characteristic of the last days (2Timothy 3:5 KJV). The word of God says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV). You can’t possibly please him without faith (Hebrews 11:6). Your faith in God is consummated when you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10 KJV). That’s how to be saved. It’s as simple as that.

The world may laugh at you as you do this. Let them laugh. It’s because the only means of reconciliation to God which he himself approves looks foolish to the world: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1Corinthians 1:18 KJV).

Accepting Christ is the best decision you will ever make and you have no reason to be ashamed of the gospel. Apostle Paul boldly declares, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” (Romans 1:16 KJV). This admonition comes with a stern warning from Jesus though: “But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33 NIV).

One more thing that Christmas is not. It’s not about ghost stories or supernatural tales. There’s only one story which the scripture captures so vividly:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 KJV).

What Christmas then without Christ? Let’s bear in mind the reason for the season as we celebrate. Merry Christmas!

Deacon Abiodun Adebisi
Deacon Abiodun Adebisi, a National Officer with The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM) writes from the United Kingdom.

Daily Confessions for Dec 13 – 20, 2015

I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins. He rose again triumphant over death, grave and hell. He is sitting at the right hand of the Father God from where He will come to take me home. I am glad that I am saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost. While I am waiting for Him, I will live my life here to please Him.

The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress, and my Deliverer. He is my God and in Him do I trust. He is my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower. I have called upon the Lord for He is worthy to be praised and He has saved me from my enemies (Psalms 18:1-3)

God hath given me riches and wealth, and hath given me power to eat thereof, and to take my portion in the land , and to rejoice in my labour; this is my gift from God, Every place that the sole of my foot shall tread upon, the Lord has given unto me as He promised. . (Eccl 5:9, Joshua1:3)

I have given and it is given unto me good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, men shall give unto my bosom. With what measure I mete, it is measured unto me. I sow bountifully therefore I reap bountifully. I give cheerfully and my God has made all grace abound towards me and I have all sufficiency of all things – do abound to all good works (Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8). There is no lack, for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)

I am a firm believer in the word of God; and I know that whatever the word cannot give me does not exist. And I do not need it. I stand boldly on the word of God and the word will produce in my life. Therefore, I am convinced beyond every shadow of doubt, that, every word of prophecy and every declaration that has been made over my life this year for good will come to pass. I live under an open heaven. I am an Overcomer (Jn 1:1-3; Heb. 1:3; Is. 44:24-26).

I am a follower of Christ; therefore I am committed to excellence in all I do. I am a diligent worker and I am dedicated to service in full understanding of God’s call upon my life. I achieve results because God prospers the works of my hands. (Job 37:23; Ps. 148:13; Ps. 150:2; Prov. 12:26).

I treat everyone that comes in contact with me with courtesy; I let the light of God shine through me because I am the extension of God to my world. Every day and in every way, I am getting better: spiritually, physically, financially, mentally, morally and in all my endeavours. (Prov. 4:18; Matt. 5:14; Jn 8:12; Jn 5:37; Jn 14:9; 1 Jn 4:17).

I am called for a purpose, I will fulfill purpose and I will arrive at God’s ordained destiny for my life. Nothing will cut me short. I will make a formidable impact in my world for the Kingdom.

Therefore I declare boldly that as I go about my assignment this week, favour will attend my ways. I attract favour anywhere I go.

It is my week of Abundance and Goodness

My week of Increase and overflow

My week of Opportunities and Achievements

My week of Restoration and Release

My week of Grace and Greater Glory

My week of Celebration

Evil shall bow before me; the wicked shall bow at my gate.

Everywhere I go this week, I carry the goodness of God

Because there is Power in the word of God

God’s Rest by Deaconess Yemi Adesanya

Deaconess Yemi Adesanya of TREM Dagenham preaches a challenging message for today’s restless generation.

Daily Confessions for Nov 29 – Dec 6, 2015

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Ps18:2)

The Lord will give me rain in due season, and my land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. The Lord will give me peace in the land, and I shall lie down, and none shall make me afraid: The Lord will rid evil beasts out of my Land neither shall the sword go through my land. And my threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and I shall eat my bread to the full, and dwell in my land safely. (Levi 26:4-6)

I am called for a purpose, I will fulfill purpose and I will arrive at God’s ordained destiny for my life. Nothing will cut me short. I will make a formidable impact in my world for the Kingdom.

Therefore I declare boldly that as I go about my assignment this week, favour will attend my ways. I attract favour anywhere I go.

It is my week of Abundance and Goodness

My week of Increase and overflow

My week of Opportunities and Achievements

My week of Restoration and Release

My week of Grace and Greater Glory

My week of Celebration

Evil shall bow before me; the wicked shall bow at my gate.

Everywhere I go this week, I carry the goodness of God

Because there is Power in the word of God

What He Has, You Have Also by Dr Mike Okonkwo

Dearly beloved, I bring you greetings in the name that is above every other name, Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God and our soon coming King. Over the years, the church has laid emphasis on what we were delivered from because of the fall of man. We were taught that we have been delivered from the bondage of sin and sickness. Consequently, the church placed emphasis on showing you where you are coming from. The message is however not complete if it only tells you where you are coming from.

Let me share this scripture with you:

“And he brought us out from thence that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers” Deuteronomy 6:23 KJV.

Our text today reveals a key principle in the dealings of God with His own people. And that is: He brings out to bring in! He does not bring you out to leave you hanging. In other words, God brings you out because He has a place He wants to bring you into. Religion has told you that you need to get saved, and work hard to be right with God, but does not tell you what you get by being saved. It does not tell you the benefits of the redeemed life.

Beloved, the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a complete gospel. It is a total package. It tells you where you are coming from and also let you know what you are entitled to. We have in time past failed to emphasize the believer’s entitlement. So somebody says “I am a Christian” and he does not even know what makes him one. He is ignorant about what is available to him. Like I have always said and it bears repetition, the believer is in Christ. That means that everything Jesus deserves, you are entitled to as well. Everything Jesus deserves you also get. What does this mean? It means you are not just redeemed from sin, but you are also blessed. As a believer, you are standing on a blessed ground where there is no sickness, lack, barrenness, struggle or curse.

On this blessed ground, you are made wealthy. He brought you out so He can set your feet on a solid rock. He does not just bring you out so you can stay on a muddy ground. No! He brought you out, so that you can stay in a wealthy place. Child of God, understand the fact that Jesus is wealthy! Therefore, you cannot but desire wealth. When you wake up in the morning, expect only good to come to you. What is good is your portion and there is nothing the devil can do about it. This is so because Jesus took everything that has to do with you and handed over everything that has to do with Him. It was a spiritual exchange. Though He was rich, He became poor that you also might become rich. Never again say you are poor! Stop looking at your pocket! Rather, accept what He has provided for you.

When you accept that you are rich, then heaven will move everything on your path to ensure that there is money in your pocket. That is why; the greatest thing any believer can do is to believe. For instance, when the devil strikes with sickness, receive the healing that has provided because as long as Jesus cannot be sick, you know you cannot be sick. The assignment you have is to believe. When you believe in the finished work of Christ on your behalf, you begin to operate in the realm of rest. It is all about Jesus and what He has already made available for you. You don’t have anything to do with it. He did it all for you. What a love!

Child of God, don’t reject what has been paid for by Jesus Christ. Without Him, you will be embarrassed. Without Him, you will see shame. Your path is to receive. That is what you are called to do as a believer. Believe and receive! Begin to function from a position of rest. He has finished it all. He cannot be working and you are also working at the same time. The Psalmist says in Psalms 121:4 that ‘’He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep’’, that means He is awake for your sake. That should give you rest. Why then are you awake at night while He that keepeth you is also awake at the same time? Don’t forget, that He brought you out to bring you in so you can truly rest.

Let me quickly remind you that Kingdom Life World Conference kicks off by 4:30pm next Sunday, so begin to prayerfully prepare to come receive all that God has in stock for you. Ensure you avail yourself of the opportunity to be in all the services. Don’t choose which service to attend because you never can tell where God will meet you. I have prayed and believe that this year God will do for you that which He only can do. Expect a miracle. I declare that you will not go empty handed. I bless you. Maranatha!

In His Royal Service,

Dr. Mike Okonkwo, The Presiding Bishop

Rest by Pastor Abiodun Adesanya

This is a message preached by Pastor Abiodun Adesanya at TREM Dagenham where he addresses the issue of Rest. In this inspiring message, he talks about Rest being characterized by Restoration, inclusive of Positional Restoration, Financial Restoration, and the restoration of Authority amongst other things.

Daily Confessions for Nov 15 – 22, 2015

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. (Ps18:2)

I am called for a purpose, I will fulfill purpose and I will arrive at God’s ordained destiny for my life. Nothing will cut me short. I will make a formidable impact in my world for the Kingdom.

Therefore I declare boldly that as I go about my assignment this week, favour will attend my ways. I attract favour anywhere I go.

It is my week of Abundance and Goodness

My week of Increase and overflow

My week of Opportunities and Achievements

My week of Restoration and Release

My week of Grace and Greater Glory

My week of Celebration

Evil shall bow before me; the wicked shall bow at my gate.

Everywhere I go this week, I carry the goodness of God

Because there is Power in the word of God

This is Your Season of Liberty by Pastor Abiodun Adesanya

This is a message preached by Pastor Abiodun Adesanya at TREM Dagenham where he addresses spiritual blockades and obstacles and declares ‘enough is enough’. In an anointed delivery, he declares boldly that this is the Season of Liberty. Note: This is an impromptu amateur video shot on impulse and so excuse the footage and key in to the message.

I will; be Thou Clean by Dr Mike Okonkwo

Matthew 8:2-3 {KJV}
‘’And behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.’’

Often times, we do not really doubt God’s ability, but we are not too certain if He is willing to handle our situation and so we approach Him with so much fear and uncertainty. I come to assure you this morning that the God you serve is both willing and able to do much more than you can ask because He loves you. He is favorable disposed to you, so all through the remaining days of this fast, you must approach Him with an iron clad assurance that He has taken care of all that concerns you. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in Romans 4:21-22 ‘’…And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’’

From the scriptures, it is clear that Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to do what He had said even when he had not seen the manifestation. All he did was to believe and receive. Do you realize that the devil may have used people close to him to discourage him? Rather than doubt, he believed in what God had promised. In the same token, you must also believe that God heard you even though you have not seen the manifestation yet. I know that the devil has an age-long trick, of bringing back the symptoms of the challenge and making you feel like nothing has happened. He may even try to make you feel as if the prayers are not answered and that God is not real, but beloved, stand your ground and you will take delivery of all that God has packaged for you.

All through the remaining days of the fast, I encourage you to walk with the confident assurance that your God is both able and willing to do all you have asked. Operate from a position of victory because you know He will come through for you. He has your back covered and your victory is assured. However, you must refuse to give the devil a foothold this season. There are several ways through which you can give the devil a foothold in your life. I want to zero in on three major routes through which you can give the devil access.

The first strategy is through negative confession. You will agree with me that often times we give in to pressure and exchange the symptom for the real thing. Yes, you have prayed and God has assured you of your healing, but the symptom is still there. Understand that the devil actually intensifies the symptom to make you confess negatively and of course whatever you confess you receive. So when he backs you to the wall and applies pressure, rather than confess negatively, choose to praise the Lord. No wonder God commanded us to give thanks in all things. You may not know how, you may not know when, but be fully persuaded that He will do it again. Beloved keep thanking God until you see the result; and I guarantee you that it will not tarry.

The second strategy is un-forgiveness, malice and strife. Paul writing to the church at Corinth as recorded in 1 Corinthians 3: 1-3 described those early believers as carnal and not spiritual. Yes, they were believers, but he called them carnal. The scriptures tell us that they were involved in envying, divisions, strife and yet they expected the power of God to move in their midst. That is why you cannot afford to lift up holy hands to God in prayers, and yet refuse to forgive those who have hurt you no matter what they did to you. Go out of your way and make peace with all men. Refuse to harbor grudges against any person. Don’t let strife and bitterness against any person rob you of your benefits during this fast.

The third strategy is listening to the second voice – because it is so loud and compelling. The first key to controlling the second voice is to identify it, the next thing you do is to cast it down. Don’t give it any room to grow in your life especially at a time like this. Counter it with the word of God. Remember God spoke to Abraham in Genesis 17 that He would make him the father of many nations, but the second voice came to Abraham and he laughed. Why did he laugh? He looked at his age and the deadness of Sarah’s womb, but thank God the story did not end there. God’s reply to him was – ‘’…Is anything too hard for me?’’. The second voice will always make you disbelieve God’s word. This word of assurance from God helped Abraham and his family to overcome the voice of the adversary. That same God will prevail in your life to shut down the second voice. You will not miss out in Jesus name.

I encourage you to keep these issues close to heart so that you will be a partaker of all that God has ordained for you. Remember, He who hath begun a good work in you will surely perform it. My God will exceed your expectations. You will surely testify. I bless you in Jesus name. Maranatha!

In His Royal Service,

Dr. Mike Okonkwo, The Presiding Bishop

Daily Confessions for Oct 18 – 25, 2015

…If it had not been the Lord who was on my side, when men rose up against me:Then they had swallowed me up quick, when their wrath was kindled against me:Then the waters had overwhelmed me, the stream had gone over my soul:Then the proud waters had gone over my soul.Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given me as a prey to their teeth.My soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and I am escaped.My help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:1-8)

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.(Psalm 16:6-8) Blessed be the Lord, who daily loaded me with benefits, even the God of my salvation. (Psalm 68:19)

I am called for a purpose, I will fulfill purpose and I will arrive at God’s ordained destiny for my life. Nothing will cut me short. I will make a formidable impact in my world for the Kingdom.

Therefore I declare boldly that as I go about my assignment this week, favour will attend my ways. I attract favour anywhere I go.

It is my week of Abundance and Goodness

My week of Increase and overflow

My week of Opportunities and Achievements

My week of Restoration and Release

My week of Grace and Greater Glory

My week of Celebration

Evil shall bow before me; the wicked shall bow at my gate.

Everywhere I go this week, I carry the goodness of God

Because there is Power in the word of God