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Fruitful Living

Applying God’s promises to your life ( Part 2 )

 When God gives us a promise, we can be sure He will do what He has said.

It is a matter of demonstrating His character and nature to us. Believing God, trusting God, studying His Word, and applying it to your life are elements of the Christian faith that must work together. God is not going to operate one way one day and then another way the next.

What He tells us in His Word will al­ways line up with His nature and charac­ter. God is faithful. Therefore, His Word is trustworthy and His promises are too. He is faithful to keep everyone. Not one promise will fail — ever.

People will say one thing and then go and do something else. Many will be kind and supportive in your presence but later will oppose you. But God never will. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That is a promise you can claim!

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Why does God choose to give promis­es to you and me? He wants us to learn something about His character.

God is faithful, true, loving, patient, forgiving, kind, and so much more. He gives promises to us so that we will see His nature and learn deeper truths about His character and personal care for us.

You may have a definite need and wonder what God is going to do. You have prayed and asked Him to give you His wisdom. While studying His Word, you find yourself reading the following:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own under­standing. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3:5-6

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Is this a promise you can claim? Absolutely. God is saying, “I’m aware of what you are facing. I know your need. Trust Me, lean on Me and not on your human knowledge, and I will provide all that you need and so much more.” Paul underscores this very thing when he writes,

My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 4:19

GOD IS FAITHFUL

In 1 Thessalonians, he simply tells us,

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Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. — 1 Thessalo­nians 5:24

God is honoured and glorified when we trust Him and when we pray, “Lord, show me in Your Word a promise that I can cling to in this trying time.” There is not a time when God refuses to answer the prayers of His people. He says call to Me and I will hear your voice (Jeremi­ah 33:3).

He wants to give us hope. All of us are encouraged when we know that someone is pulling for us — someone who wants us to cross the finish line victoriously.

You may be able to think of a time when you did not know whether you were doing the right thing or not. Then someone you admired walked up to you and said, “God has placed you on my heart, and I want you to know that I’m praying for you.”

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God wants you to know that He cares for you.

He is cheering for you, and He has a plan for your life. Psalm 62:1–2 says,

My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

And Psalm 18:33–36 promises,

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He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand upholds me; and Your gentleness makes me great.

You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.

God is faithful to keep each and every promise. He is all powerful, and we can trust Him to take care of all that concerns us. The prophet Isaiah empha­sises His power and majesty:

Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing. — Isaiah 40:26

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Not only does God take care of the heavens, He personally watch­es over you and me. Why do people doubt God’s ability? Usually we fail to trust God because we don’t want to lose control over our lives or our circumstances.

This is almost laughable because the God of the universe — the same God who created you and me and who has numbered the stars in the sky and holds each one in its place — certainly has the ability to take care of my life and my problems.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes, this I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. The LORD’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I have hope in Him’. —Lamentations 3:21-24

No matter what your circumstance, God’s Word has a promise of hope wait­ing for you.

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You can try to figure out a way to encourage yourself, or you can say with the psalmist,

But as for me, I will hope continu­ally, and will praise You yet more and more. — Psalm 71:14

He wants to develop our faith in Him. When we begin to trust God for simple answers to prayer, our faith increases.

The more we read and study His Word, the more aware we become of His ability. One lesson learned at the feet of God builds on another until we have come to a point where we are talking through every decision we need to make with Him.

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We also discover that if we ask Him to show us what we should do, He does it! He speaks to us through His Word.

Then, when we meditate on Scrip­ture, we begin to internalise His truth in our hearts. From this point, we express our needs and God responds by giving us insight and wisdom.

He also promises to move in certain ways and provide for the needs we have.

Whatever God calls us to do, He will confirm it in His Word and He also will provide all that we need to accomplish the task.

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This is how our faith is built. He opens a door and we step through it. He opens another one, and once again we trust Him because we have learned that He is faithful, not some of the time, but all of the time!

Stay blessed!

For further inquiries, please contact us on Tel Nos. 0243588467 or 0268130615.

Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com

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Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org

By Dr. Joyce Aryee,the author

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Fruitful Living

 Khutba for the blessed month of Ramadan

 Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Aalameen. We begin this Khutba by extolling the greatness of Allah (SWT), the Lord of the worlds, and thanking Him for His in­finite blessings upon us. We praise Him for His mercy and guidance, for allowing us to witness another Ramadan—a sacred month unlike any other.

We send peace and blessings upon His noble messenger, Prophet Muham­mad (SAW), the Seal of the Prophets, his family, his companions, and all those who follow his guidance until the Day of Resurrection.

May Allah make us stead­fast in following the Sunnah of the beloved Prophet Mu­hammad (SAW).

The Blessed Month of Ramadan

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Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, we are on the brink of welcoming Ramadan, a month that Allah (SWT) has uniquely blessed for the Um­mah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Hijri calendar, a month that Allah has made sacred by filling it with mer­cy, forgiveness, and rewards for those who engage in acts of worship.

Importantly, Ramadan is the month in which the Holy Qur’an, the ultimate guidance for humanity, was revealed.

Allah (SWT) says in Surah Al-Baqarah: “The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur’an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:185).

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This verse establishes the connection between the Qur’an and Ramadan, reminding us that fasting is not only an act of worship but also an opportunity to reflect upon the guidance of the Qur’an and implement its teachings in our lives.

Additionally, in Surah Ad- Dukhan, Allah (SWT) high­lights the significance of the Qur’an’s revelation during a blessed night:

“Indeed, we sent it [the Qur’an] down during a bless­ed night. Indeed, we were to warn [mankind].

On that night is made dis­tinct every precise matter— [every] matter [proceeding] from us. Indeed, we were to send [a messenger]” (Surah Ad-Dukhan, 44:3–5).

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This ‘blessed night’ is Laylatul Qadr, a night that is better than a thousand months. It is a night when Allah, in His infinite wisdom, decrees the destiny of all creation.

This connection between Ramadan, the Qur’an, and Laylatul Qadr underscores the profound spiritual signifi­cance of this sacred month.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also emphasized the link between fasting and the Qur’an, saying: “Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for a servant on the Day of Judgment. Fasting will say, ‘O my Lord, I prevented him from food and drink during the day, so let me intercede for him.’

And the Qur’an will say, ‘I prevented him from sleeping at night, so let me intercede for him.’ And they will both intercede” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 6626).

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The Obligation of Fasting in Ramadan

Fasting in Ramadan is a divine obligation, a duty decreed by Allah upon all Muslims who have reached maturity, are of sound mind, and are physi­cally able. Allah (SWT) says: “O you who have believed, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain Taqwa” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:183).

The goal of fasting, as indicated in this verse, is to cultivate Taqwa—a state of heightened awareness of Al­lah, leading to greater obe­dience and righteousness.

The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:

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“Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan out of faith and seeking its re­ward, all his past sins will be forgiven” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 30, Hadith 1901).

This Hadith further empha­sises the spiritual benefits of fasting, encouraging Muslims to engage in this act of wor­ship with sincerity and hope for Allah’s forgiveness. (To be continued)

The author is the Metro­politan Chief Imam of the Kpone Katamanso Metrop­olis

Email: chiefimaamk­ponekatamanso@gmail.com

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 By Imam Alhaji Saeed

Abdulai,

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Fruitful Living

 How can I learn to trust that God is in control?

 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own under­standing; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Introduction

LIFE often presents uncer­tainties, challenges, and moments of deep frus­tration that leave us ques­tioning if anyone is truly in control. As believers, we are called to trust in the sover­eignty of God, but what does that really mean? How can we confidently rest in the assurance that God governs all things? Before we can fully embrace this truth, we must answer critical ques­tions: Is God truly sovereign? How much control does He actually have? If He is not in complete control, then who or what is? Most important­ly, how can we grow in our trust that He orchestrates everything for His divine purpose? By exploring these questions through the lens of Scripture, we will gain a deeper understanding of God’s supreme authority and find peace in His unshakable rule over all of life’s circum­stances.

Is God Really in Control?

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The concept of God’s control over everything is known as His sovereignty. Nothing gives us greater strength and confidence than understanding this divine truth. God’s sover­eignty means His complete and independent authority over every creature, event, and circumstance at every moment in history. Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent, God does what He pleases, only as He pleases, and always as He pleases. He governs every molecule in the universe, and everything that happens is either caused or allowed by Him for His own perfect purposes.

Isaiah 14:24 affirms this: “The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.’”

Nothing in life is random or by chance, especially in the lives of believers. God has deliberately resolved to do what He will, and nothing and no one can stand in His way. Isaiah 46:10 further declares, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My pur­pose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” This is our powerful and purposeful God who is in control of every­thing. Recognizing this truth should bring us great com­fort and alleviate our fears.

To be continued……  

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  • By Rev. Dr Joyce
    Aryee, the author

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