January 2023, Festival of Tongues - March, 2025

The January 2023 edition of Festival of tongues holds on Friday, 13th of January, 2023.

Festival of Tongues is a program where we present our lives on the altar of God as living sacrifices for the HolySpirit’s examination, detoxification, sanctification and empowerment.

As Christians in a fallen world, we sometimes get caught in the web of worldliness through our daily interactions. We pick up ungodly desires that we might have been exposed to via media, and interactions with worldly Christians and unbelievers.

We pick slangs, attitudes, cliches and perspectives,  that do not glorify God, and it is possible to carry on with these ungodly add-ons till they become part of our lives.

At the festival of tongues, we take stock of our lives in the past month and ask the Holyspirit to do a diagnosis of all that does not align with His will and uproot them. We also call for him to renew our zeal and desires for righteousness and all things that please him.

Bible Verses that support the need for the Festival of Tongues Program

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2)

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in them. For everything in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. (1John2:15-16)

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2Corinthians 13:5)

 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 

And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.(Acts 1:1-4)

Festival of Tongues is our monthly spiritual reset to godliness where the Holyspirit infuses us with fresh fire.

Join us for this January 2023 edition at 9pm Nigeria time, 10PM South Africa time and 4AM Philippines times

Life is a maze and we all need directions and answers that will take us to destiny. Many deploy their strength, human intelligence and connections to find answers, but the answer of peace only comes from God.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. – John 14:27

What is the answer of peace?

There are answers that give worldly peace. Worldly peace is a product of worldly wisdom, and it is earthly, sensual and devilish.

The answer of peace is  a product of the wisdom of God; and it is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy (James 3:15-17)

Which would you rather have? An answer of peace or an answer of trouble? God gives the answer of peace and he shall give us such answers to all of life’s dilemmas in Jesus name.

There are more prayers in the Prayer Bank. Now is a good time to press on in the spirit

He gave the answer of peace to Pharaoh. The answer saved his government and people from the pain of famine, it directed them to do the needful in the time of plenty and also ushered Pharaoh into generational wealth which still exists to date (Read more about this in Genesis 41)

He gave the answer of peace to Moses when he led the children of Israel to the red sea and they had nowhere to hide when the Egyptians were advancing towards them.

He gave the answer of peace to Daniel when he needed to tell the king his dream and its interpretation to save his life and his friends’ lives.

The Practical Ways of Overcoming Quiet Time challenges Course holds in January 2023. Have you registered for the course?

Prayer for Answer of Peace

Thank you Lord for you are the prince of peace, your peace passes all understanding and has been keeping my heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)

Thank you because your peace has been giving me victory over the trials and tribulations in the world (John 16:33)

Lord forgive me for the times  I have refused your wisdom and offer of peace

Lord Jesus in every troubled area of my life help me to trust you, that I might receive an answer of peace (Isaiah 26:3)

At every juncture of life where I do not know what else to do and how else to turn, Lord give me an answer of peace  in Jesus name

Over every issue or circumstance that has kept me wide awake at night, God of peace give me an answer of peace (Psalm 4:8)

Wisdom of God, open my eyes  to  my answer of peace

Lord of peace, lift up your countenance upon me and give me peace always and by all means in Jesus name (2 Thessalonians 3:16, Numbers 6:26)

By the power of the Holyspirit, I withdraw from all forms of carnality that is holding my answer of peace bound ( Romans 8:6)

For Every circumstance that is questioning the existence and power of God in my life, I receive an answer of peace in Jesus name

God, you are not an author of confusion, but of peace, disperse every confusion in my life and give me an answer of peace (1Corinthians 14:33)

My mind, make room for my answer of peace; I pull down all strongholds, I cast down all imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2Corinthians 10:4-5)

My life become a peaceful abode to accommodate my answer of peace in Jesus name.

Thank you Lord that my life is now in alignment with peace. I welcome my answers of peace in the name of the father, the son and the Holyspirit in Jesus name.

There are divergent perspectives on the question – can a righteous person be lazy? The views come from two sources – righteousness as an English word and righteousness as a biblical term.

What is the literal meaning of righteousness?

Literally, righteousness connotes living right, living a life of uprightness or high moral standards. Men set morals and they could mean different things in different cultures.

This notwithstanding, laziness is considered bad worldwide (I stand to be corrected) so it wouldn’t even fit into the body of morals that make up righteousness in the human sense of the word.

What is the biblical meaning of righteousness?

Biblically, which is the angle we are expected to judge things from as Deliberate Christians, righteousness is NOT a list of things Christians do that make them look good before God. Righteousness is a gift we receive from God because of the sacrifice Jesus did on our behalf on the cross of Calvary.

For Hev made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him - 2 Corinthians 5:21

This explains why we are the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Apart from Christ, no man can attain righteousness regardless of how hard they try.

The Bible says our righteousness is like a filthy rag before God. 

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rages;we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6 

The Deliberate Christian Prayer Bank is full of bible-based and Holyspirit inspired prayers on diverse topics  Go there now. 

What does the righteousness of Christ entail?

The righteousness of Christ which has also become our righteousness by faith in the finished work of Christ entails all that Christ is.

Righteousness encompasses all that we can refer to as the attributes of Christ. His words, his thoughts, his deeds, his judgments, his will, his way etc 

From the paragraph above, we can infer that there cannot be an exhaustive list of what righteousness is. It is therefore not a mere activity, but a lifestyle. 

Since we have been gifted righteousness by Christ, it encompasses all there is to us, the what, when, why, how, who, and where of life. 

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What is laziness?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, laziness is the quality of not being willing to work or use any effort. 

Can a righteous person be lazy?

Before answering this question, we would need to answer the question – can God be lazy? 

The reason is that righteousness is God. If a person is considered truly righteous, righteousness is not by or from him. It was imputed.  

Can God be lazy?

lazy and God are two words that sound awkward. They can’t even be paired.

God cannot be lazy because 

1. He created heaven and earth in 6 days, and only rested on the 7th. Creation remains unfathomable to the wisest of men. How could all we know as earth be created in 6 days? Let’s not talk about heaven we do not even know half of what heaven is. Genesis 1
2. He attends to the needs of all living beings per moment without leaving anyone unattended including the evil ones – Psalm 145:16
3. Regardless of the number of people calling God per moment, he hears and answers us. Romans 10:13
4. All creations attest to his diligence and attention to detail. Who tells the day to break? He tells the moon to come out? Who tells the sun it is time to retire? 
5. He is the God of all flesh. Nothing is too difficult for him. His hands are never too short to help his ears are never deaf. Jeremiah 32:27
6. In Him were all things made, without him was nothing made that was made. Colossians 1:16-17
7. The Lord is righteous in all his ways – Psalm 145:17

Can a Christ-imputed righteous person be lazy?

If righteousness is all that Christ is, and the righteousness that is Christ’s is imputed to believers by faith, it is therefore impossible for a possessor of the righteous person of Christ to be lazy because laziness cannot be found in Christ. 

You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. - Ephesians 4:22-24

Why then do we have Christians who are lazy?

Laziness is a human-nature trait. Laziness is not from God and cannot be found in God. 

It is not everyone who identifies as a Christian that is truly one. True Christians are believers. They receive by faith all that Christ has given. They are Christ-like; thinking, talking, doing and living like Christ. 

A lazy man who receives the gift of righteousness by faith cannot remain lazy because the excellent spirit of God will produce diligence in him. 

The spirit of Jesus quickens mortal bodies. The Spirit works in us both to will and to do God’s good pleasures.

But if the Spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you - Romans 8:11

For it is God who works in you to will and to do of his good pleasures - Philippians 2:13

Jesus reiterated his commitment to work when he said  I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can  work - John 9:4

The spirit also expressly states through Paul – He who does not work should not eat. 

Accepting Christ as Lord and saviour is accepting all that he is, all that he says and all that he does, and by his spirit, replicating the same. 

Manifesting the righteousness of Jesus starts as a walk of faith before it becomes a work of faith

Abraham walked with God for a while and still had many shortcomings. As he progressed in his walk with God by faith, his obedience was counted as righteousness. 

A lazy Christian is one who has confessed Christ as Lord but has not come to know that he is a possessor of the righteousness of Christ and has therefore not commenced the walk of faith to access that which he already possesses. With truth comes deliverance. 

Conclusion

In summary, can a righteous person be lazy, No (spiritually and literally), but are there lazy Christians, yes, because they might really not be Christians or they might be Christians because they only confessed him as Lord without daily walking with him to access the righteousness he has given(this is called Sanctification).

We would like to read your responses to this post. If you are blessed by it, drop a prayer for Deliberate Christian in the comments section.

Spiritual Wickedness emanates from the devil and resides in the heart and ways of men. Wickedness started after the fall of man in the garden of Eden and it has continued to multiply since then.

The spirit of Wickedness gives man the desire to do evil and to turn against God’s commands. It sets man against God and it is that spirit that caused God to regret ever creating man.

HOW SHOULD A CHRISTIAN RESPOND TO SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS?

Spiritual wickedness should not be taken lightly by any believer. At the slightest manifestation of it, go all out in spiritual warfare against it and ensure you have your full spiritual armor on before engaging spiritual wickedness.

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. the lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. – Genesis 6: 5-6

First step to take before engaging in spiritual warfare against spiritual wickedness

Before engaging in spiritual warfare against spiritual wickedness, thorough self-examination is needed. A wicked person cannot cast out spiritual wickedness. Search your life by the help of the Holyspirit for all traits or traces of wickedness.

The spiritual realm answers to the law of sowing and reaping.

15 prayer points for deliverance against spiritual wickedness

Thank you Lord for your unending mercies in spite of my unrighteousness

Thank You Lord because your righteousness and not mine speaks over my life

Lord forgive me for every act of wickedness I have emulated (Psalm 1:1)

I choose righteousness, Lord purify my heart and my ways from all acts and ways of wickedness

 Every plot and expectation of the wicked over my life and all that concerns me, come to nought in Jesus name (Proverbs 10:28, Psalm 37:12)

By your mercy oh Lord, release every blessing that wickedness has suspended in my life and family in Jesus name ((Psalm 1:1)

The righteous God who probes minds and hearts, bring an end to the wickedness produced by the wrath of men, let the wicked fall into the very pit they have dug for me.

Lord deliver me from the evil that hides beneath the words of the wicked

God of the secret place, make my life a mystery to all forms of spiritual wickedness

Lord Jesus, secure all you have blessed me from spiritual wickedness

Lord Jesus Protect me and my family from every devise of the wicked to cause me to stumble

Every being exercising spiritual wickedness against my life or family lose your peace in Jesus name ( Isaiah 57:21)

I decree the condemnation of God upon all wicked schemes against my life and family

Holyghost, snuff out the lamp of every  spiritual wickedness working against my life in Jesus name

Thank the Lord for answered prayers.

Blessed by the prayers? Please drop a word of prayer for Deliberate Christian in the comments section. God bless you as you do so.

Wicked is an adjective no one loves to be described with, nonetheless, it prevails amongst us. Wickedness exists in homes, lineages, workplaces, communities and even places of worship.

No wonder many describe this world as a wicked world.

What the Bible says about spiritual wickedness

The Bible identifies wickedness as a spirit. It would be wrong for any believer to think that wickedness is a mere behavioural trait.

Wickedness is a spirit that manifests in thoughts, words, deeds and purposes. It can be masked by acts of kindness, good words and feigned humility but it is discernable by the spirit of God.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places - Ephesians 6:12 

While this might come as a surprise to you, a supposed child of God can manifest the spirit of wickedness.

By God’s grace, as we pray, we shall be convicted of any form of wickedness, we shall repent and we shall be delivered from the oppressive manifestations of wickedness in all aspects of our lives in Jesus name.

Deliberate Christian Hangout holds this Saturday. Register to attend

Prayers of deliverance from spiritual wickedness

• Thank you Lord for your mercies over me and all that concerns me.
• Thank you Lord for your righteous ways and decrees that keep me from the ways of wickedness
• Lord I repent from all acts of wickedness perpetrated or aided by me or any member of my family. Please have mercy upon us and forgive us. Romans 1:28-32
• Lord rid my heart of all forms of wickedness and fill me with your fear
•  I command the wrath of God upon every spirit of wickedness that is attacking the truth of God in my life and all that concerns me in Jesus name. Romans 1:18
• By the power of God’s grace I shall overcome wickedness with righteousness, the wickedness of the wicked shall not enrol me into wickedness
• The God who watches over Israel, who neither sleeps nor slumbers, protect me from the wickedness of the wicked that causes men to stumble
• Deliverer of the helpless, Jesus, deliver me from all forms of household and lineage wickedness
• I decree an end to every spiritual wickedness that seeks to frustrate God’s faithfulness in my life in Jesus name
• Spiritual wickedness holding on to the answers to my prayers, release them in Jesus name
• Spiritual wickedness oppressing my health let go and give way for divine health in Jesus name
• Spiritual wickedness keeping me in lack, vacate my life and be replaced by prosperity in Jesus name
• Spiritual wickedness holding back my fruitfulness I exercise the covenant of fruitfulness against you. I shall be fruitful because God said so.
• Spiritual wickedness holding me stagnant, by the might of God, I advance in Jesus name
• Thank you Lord for answered prayers

In a world full of chaos, pain, lack, disappointment, sorrow, loss and many more unpalatable things, the last thing many would believe,  is that God truly gives peace and rest.

This notwithstanding, God’s word is settled in heaven and true on earth for as many as believe in him.

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 28:11

Are you from Nigeria, Ghana, USA, UK, Canada etc? This "January 2023, Festival of Tongues" will help you learn, grow, and become a deliberate Christian before God.