Machaira With Apostle Bennie

Tag: maturity

  • EPISODE 894 – YOUR LOVE-LIFE IN CHRIST MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

    EPISODE 894 – YOUR LOVE-LIFE IN CHRIST MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    When your heart is cultivated by the Word of God through meditation, you conceptualise God’s goodness, prosperity, good success and glory. Beloved, STORE UP THE WORD IN YOUR HEART!
    Apostle Bennie
    Author
    Saturday, 5th, July, 2025

    YOUR LOVE-LIFE IN CHRIST MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

    “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. 
    Ephesians 4:15 (GNT)

    There are some fellow saints in Christ, who are interested in growing their finances, their businesses, their families, and their relationships.
     
    They feed their minds with information which helps them in their career pursuits.
     
    However, you must know that a person is sustained by how he has built his inner man.
     
    “The spirit of a man sustains him in sickness, But as for a broken spirit, who can bear it?”
     Proverbs 18:14 (Amplified)
     
    If you are not well built in your spiritual life, you don’t carry any weight. When your life is hit by a raging storm, your spiritual weight and foundation will determine whether you will be shaken, moved or immovable.
    The strength of your life is dependent on how rooted you are in God.
    How deep are you growing in Christ?
     
    You don’t have to live a shallow life in Christ. Grow deeper in Him, for He is the strength of your life.
     
    The greatest evidence of your growth into Christ in every way is how you practice and express the love of Christ.
    The expressions of the love of Christ are the fruits of love.
    A plant which doesn’t grow, cannot bear good fruits. The good fruits you bear are the evidence of your maturity.
    There are people who measure their spiritual growth by the gifts of the spirit they demonstrate.
     
    Meanwhile, the gifts of the Spirit are gifts. You can have the gift of word of knowledge or the gift of prophecy and not necessarily be mature in Christ. 
    A gift of the spirit does not determine your growth in Christ. 
    Your growth in Christ is determined by the Fruits of the Spirit you bear.
     
    Look at what Paul said about gifts of the Spirit and love:
     
    “If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal. And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing. And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value.”
     1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (TPT)
     
    The Lord does not measure your maturity by the mighty gifts of the spirit you demonstrate. Your maturity or growth in Christ is measured ultimately by LOVE.
    Your love-life in Christ makes all the difference.
    I ask you again, are you growing in Christ?
     
    Selah.
    DIG DEEPER
    (Ephesians 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 1:8; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2; Galatians 4:1)
     
    WE PRAY
    THAT WE WILL GROW MORE INTO THE LOVE OF CHRIST WHICH SURPASSES KNOWLEDGE.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2025
    1 YEAR PLAN
    Psalm 73-75

    2 YEARS PLAN
    Deuteronomy 30

    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – I take heed to every instruction and training.
     
    – I am not dull in hearing the word of God.
     
    – I make time daily to fellowship with the scriptures.
     
    – I don’t lazy about my spiritual development.
     
    – I don’t trivialize my fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
     
    – I demonstrate the love of Christ in all things.
     
    Oh Hallelujah!!! Glory to God!!

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  • EPISODE 890 – MATURE INTO CHRIST

    EPISODE 890 – MATURE INTO CHRIST

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    You may have big dreams and great plans for this new month; however, without being immersed in the Spirit, you can do nothing. Get intimate with the Holy Spirit and enjoy His overwhelming presence this month. Shalom Aleichem!
    Apostle Bennie
    Author
    5. Growing spiritually to become a mature believer.
     
    6. Reaching the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness] 
     
    7. Exercising our spiritual gifts in unity. 
     
    8. As we step into the above reality of our growth in the spirit or maturity; WE ARE NO LONGER CHILDREN [SPIRITUALLY IMMATURE].
    The spiritually immature are tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine. 
    When you are not maturing or growing spiritually, you become a victim of:
     
    – every cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men.
     
     – deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. 
     
    However, from these verses we see the matter of LOVE.
     
    “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head”. Ephesians 4:15 (GNT)
     
    We grow up into Christ by LOVE. And the reality is, apart from love, there is no other way to genuinely grow up into Christ.
    Your growth is not into yourself or personal desires. Your growth is into Christ; who is the ultimate example of love.
    Our Heavenly Father has made these provisions of gifted men to bring us to the place of MATURING INTO CHRIST in the perfection of His Love.
     
    Submitting to the training of the gifted men God has given you in your “local Church” is your reception and enjoyment of God’s provision for your growth in the spirit.
     
    Selah.
    DIG DEEPER
    (Jeremiah 3:14-16; 23:3-4; Ephesians 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 1:8; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2)
     
    WE PRAY
    Dear Lord, please teach me how to humbly submit to the nurturing and training of my man of God.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2025
    1 YEAR PLAN
    Psalm 61-63

    2 YEARS PLAN
    Deuteronomy 26

    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – I humbly submit to training.
     
    – I take heed to every instruction given by my man of God.
     
    – I am not dull in hearing the word of God.
     
    – I make time daily to fellowship with the scriptures.
     
    – I don’t lazy about my spiritual development.
     
    – I don’t trivialize my fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
     
    – I demonstrate the love of Christ in all things.
     
    Oh Hallelujah!!! Glory to God!

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  • EPISODE 823 – YOUR COMMUNICATION MATTERS

    EPISODE 823 – YOUR COMMUNICATION MATTERS

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    Don’t just walk in the awareness or intellectual perception of the Word; be drenched or participate or become one with the reality of Jesus. Selah.
    Apostle Bennie
    Author
    Friday 25th April, 2025
     

    YOUR COMMUNICATION MATTERS

    “He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend” 

    Proverbs 22:11 (ESV)

    This is the code to walk in greatness.

    It takes a man who loves the purity of heart and is gracious in speech to have the king as his friend.

    The king will associate himself with the mature. And it is the direction of your thoughts and the dexterity of speech which defines your maturity.

    “For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.” James 3:2 (ESV)

    To be a perfect man in this context means to be a matured man. Anyone who has mastery of the tongue and knows how to speak or tame the tongue will excel in every place.

    You must be intentional about how you think and also your words.  Let the Word (Wisdom) of God saturate your mind or heart and your speech.

    Don’t speak as you feel, speak what is right.

    Truth is not how you think, truth is how God wants you to think.

    There are people whose speeches are full of ungraciousness, impoliteness, arrogance, pride, and dishonour, and will claim they are being truthful. Truth is always spoken in humility of heart and speech.

    If you are truly humble at heart, you will speak with humility. If you are gracious at heart your speech will be gracious.

    Your words are the description of your mindset. The mouth will speak what is in the heart.

    As we looked at the Psalm 45:2:
     
    “You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever” (NLT)

    David as a king did not use his royalty to become rude and boastful in his speech. He was gracious.

    To speak graciously, also means to speak kindly and politely. It means to speak an attractive speech that is impressively articulated and fitting for the occasion.
    This is not about making a faith declaration but knowing how to address situations and people through wisdom.

    When you learn to speak right, you avoid unnecessary conflicts and even stagnation. Some people have lost great opportunities because of how they think and how impolite they are in speech.

    Let grace be poured on your lips.

    Even our Lord, Jesus, was gracious in His speech.

    “Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22 (NLT)

    Jesus at every given time had the right answers to the most difficult questions.

    Beloved, let gracious words proceed out of your mouth. Let your tongue be soaked with wisdom.

    “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.” Isaiah 50:4 (ESV)

    It is not only your mind which must be given to training. Your tongue must be taught to be skilled at speech.

    The Lord through His Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit teaches you to speak before kings.

    The Lord said to Moses, “Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:12)

    Your communication (speech or writing) skills will enable you to harness relationships and accomplish success.

    Think right, and speak graciously.

    This is how you steer your life to glorious accomplishments.

    Hallelujah!!!

    DIG DEEPER
    (Matthew 10:19; Proverbs 22:12; Ecclesiastes 10:12; Proverbs 16:13; Luke 21:15; Zephaniah 3:9)
     
    WE PRAY
    We pray that the Lord shall train our hearts to reason his thoughts and our lips shall be equipped with wisdom to know what to say at any given point of time.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2025
    1 YEAR PLAN
    1 Chronicles 1-3

    2 YEARS PLAN
    Leviticus 24

    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – My tongue is saturated with grace, therefore I only speak gracious words.

    – I excel in speech with the right words in and out of season.
     
    – It doesn’t matter the challenge at a particular time, I speak right.
     
    – My tongue is soaked with wisdom.

    – Only gracious words proceed out of my mouth.

    – I think right and I speak graciously.

    Oh Hallelujah!

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  • EPISODE 365 – DEPENDENCE ON GOD

    EPISODE 365 – DEPENDENCE ON GOD

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    Tuesday 23rd January, 2024

    DEPENDENCE ON GOD

    “For I am Yahweh your God, who strongly takes hold of your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.”

    Isaiah 41:13 (Legacy Standard Bible)

    One of the greatest signs of maturity is dependence on God.

    In the society we find ourselves today, most people see dependence as weakness and others also see it as immaturity.

    But that is not the situation in God.

    The more you grow in your relationship with God or as you mature in Him, the more you realise you have to depend on Him.
    The immatured ones don’t depend on God.

    Dependence on God is not a sign of weakness. Dependence on God is a quality of wisdom and humility.

    It takes a lot of pride to think you don’t need God.

    Such people don’t pray.

    They do everything with their own strength and understanding.

    The wise in Christ trust in God’s strength. They don’t try to use their own strength. They depend and utilize the strength of God’s resources.

    Just think about it, trying to use your limited resources to accomplish an assignment of the Limitless God?

    A man who has accomplished great things with God and made an impact which has shaped culture, is a man who has absolute dependence on God.

    Like we read yesterday, Paul the apostle showed us the secret to His great accomplishments.

    “…by the grace of God I have laboured more than they all…” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

    The Lord who made you, knows the weight of the assignment He has entrusted to you; therefore He has made abundance of resources and grace available for your benefits. Yours is to take advantage of these resources.

    David said to Goliath,  “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” 1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJV)

    Don’t confront any assignment or task or life situation by your strength.

    Deploy the tools of God.

    Let your confidence be in the Lord. As you spend time in prayer and the meditation of the word, He will show you what to do.

    Where is your strength?

    Just as the Lord spoke through the Prophet Isaiah (as quoted in the opening verse), He is still speaking to you today;

    “For I am Yahweh your God, who strongly takes hold of your right hand,
    Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.”

    Beloved, don’t be afraid. The Lord knows what is at stake. He will not leave you. He is strongly holding your hand and is with you as your helper. Depend on Him at all times.

    Don’t be like the people of the world.

    Let this be your testimony:

    “Some find their strength in their weapons and wisdom, but my miracle deliverance can never be won by men. Our boast is in the Lord our God, who makes us strong and gives us victory!” Psalm 20:7 (TPT)

    Praise the Lord.

    DIG DEEPER
    (Psalm 20:1-9; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 27:1; 121:1-2; John 15:5)
     
    WE PRAY
    We pray that the Help and supply of divine strength will abound towards us to accomplish great things unto His glory.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2024
    Exodus 20 – 23
     
    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – I have absolute dependence on God.
     
    – My strength is in the Lord.
     
    – I depend on God in all things.
     
    – I don’t confront any assignment or task by my our strength but by the enabling strength of God which is at work in me.
     
    – By the supply of the divine strength of God, I accomplish great things unto His glory.
     
    Oh Hallelujah!

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  • EPISODE 236 – SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY 2 (ARE YOU GROWING? 9)

    EPISODE 236 – SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY 2 (ARE YOU GROWING? 9)

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    Saturday 16th, September, 2023

    SIGNS OF SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY 2 (ARE YOU GROWING? 9)

    “Brothers and sisters, when I was with you I found it impossible to speak to you as those who are spiritually mature people, for you are still dominated by the mind-set of the flesh. And because you are immature infants in Christ,”

    1 Corinthians 3:1 (TPT)

     
    God is interested in your growth in the spirit.
     
    In as much as God doesn’t wait for you to be fully matured in the spirit to trust you with a gift of the spirit, or to put you in the ministry, He expects you to grow.
     
    He doesn’t want you to remain a babe in Christ.
     
    “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)
    The purpose of the Word of God, and the teachers of the word is to nurture and culture you unto maturity.
    We have seen that the greatest fruit of a matured life in Christ is LOVE. And the greatest sign of an immatured life is the influence of the flesh.
     
    The more you grow in the spirit, the less you are influenced or dominated by the flesh.
     
    The flesh is a limitation to your growth in Christ. It has expressions and these expressions of the flesh are as weeds in a crop farm.
     
    Weeds are basically unwanted plants. They compete with crops for nutrients and resources which harness growth.
     
    They can interfere with harvesting operations and increase risk of spoilage.
     
    As you are planted in Christ don’t permit any effect of the flesh to germinate in your heart.
     
    Your heart is a field for the cultivation of the word of God (Mark 4:14-15).
    It is important you identify whether you are growing or not by knowing the deeds of the flesh.
    To live by the flesh is to live by your self-interest. It is to choose your own way than the way of the Spirit. The flesh does not depend on the graciousness of the spirit but the self. It is contrary to the spirit.
     
    ” I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws. But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:16-21 (TLB)
     
    The activities of the flesh always compete with the Spirit in your heart, just as weeds compete with crops in a farm. They oppose and affect your growth in the spirit.
    Don’t give room for any of these things to germinate in your heart.
    Live by the influence of the Holy Spirit. 
     
    Shalom
    DIG DEEPER
    (Galatians 5:16-25; Matthew 15:19; James 1:15; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 22:37-40; Ephesians 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Peter 3:18)
     
    WE PRAY
    We are praying and declaring that the flesh should not have a loud voice. And that we will not permit any effect of the flesh to germinate in our hearts.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2023
    Day 221
    Proverbs 4 – 7
    John 11 – 12
     
    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – I am not dominated by the flesh.
     
    – My actions and decisions are not influenced by the desires of my flesh.
     
    – I don’t permit any effect of the flesh to germinate in my heart.
     
    – My heart is for the growth of the word of God.
     
    – The Spirit has mastery in my life.
     
    – I am dominated by the word of God.
     
    – The word of God has a free course in my heart.
     
    – The word of God has power over me.
     
    Oh Hallelujah!!! Gloreeeey!

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  • EPISODE 233 – ARE YOU GROWING? 7 (THE FRUIT OF YOUR MATURITY 2)

    EPISODE 233 – ARE YOU GROWING? 7 (THE FRUIT OF YOUR MATURITY 2)

    CHRIST COMMONWEALTH-COMMUNITY

    The Love-Life Agency

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    Wednesday 13th, September, 2023

    ARE YOU GROWING? 7

    (THE FRUIT OF YOUR MATURITY 2)

    “Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. 

    Ephesians 4:15 (GNT)

     
    In as much as your growth in the Lord or maturity in the spirit is your responsibility, you don’t do it alone.
     
    You don’t create the things you need for your growth. It is the Lord who supplies you with what you need and you put them to work.
    The greatest evidence of your growth in Christ is how you walk in the LOVE OF GOD. 
    The difference between the mature and immature is not just in the tongues they speak, the scriptures they quote and the gifts of the spirit they demonstrate. The difference between the mature and immature is in the level of love they demonstrate.
     
    Meanwhile the Love of God is shared abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
     
    Which means, you did not generate the Love of God, it was worked into you by the Lord Himself.
    LOVE IS THE GREATEST FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT! (1 Corinthians 13:13)
    We see the FRUIT of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 :
     
    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (ESV)
     
    From the above verses we see nine graces of the Spirit. However the verse says FRUIT and not FRUITS.
     
    There is the same Greek word, “KARPOS” for both singular FRUIT (Galatians 5:22; James 3:18) and the plural FRUITS (Matthew 7:16,20  and Philippians 1:11).
     
    We see nine graces mentioned, so why are they referred to as FRUIT?
     
    This is because these nine graces are collective singular. They can all be put into one great expression of the Spirit, which is LOVE.
    “BUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE…”
    The amplitude of love is demonstrated through the eight other graces.
     
    No tree produces different kinds of fruits. Each tree produces a specific kind of fruit.
     
    An apple tree only produces apple fruit. Though it may have more than one of its kind on the same tree.  Love is that unique fruit of the Spirit, though it may have different expressions.
     
    The Passion Translation reveals it clearly:
     
    “But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit.
     Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.”
    When you begin to walk in the fullness of the Love of God, the self doesn’t have expression. 
    Which means the eight other graces are tangible realities of LOVE AT WORK.
     
    When the LOVE of God finds expression, there is no need for the demand of the law of Moses (Romans 13:8-10).
     
    WALK IN THE PERFECTION OF LOVE, FOR IT IS THE PROOF OF YOUR MATURITY.
     
    Are you Growing?
     
    Selah.
    DIG DEEPER
    (Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 22:37-40; Ephesians 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 3:18; 2 Peter 1:8; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Peter 2:2)
     
    WE PRAY
    That this divine love of God will find its full expression in and through us.
     
    BIBLE READING IN THE YEAR 2023
    Day 218
    Psalm 139-144
    John 7
     
    DECLARE THESE WORDS:
    – I demonstrate love in all things.
     
    – The love of God gains full expression through me by the day.
     
    – I commit myself daily to the study of scriptures.
     
    – I fellowship with the Holy Spirit daily.
     
    – The strength of the self is broken because I walk in the fullness of the love of God.
     
    Oh Hallelujah!!! Glory to God!!

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