MEMORY VERSE: I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Proverbs 8:17
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 24, Ps 31, Eccl 7, 2 Tim 3
Proverbs
8:17b says those that seek Me early shall find Me. From studying this
verse, we come to the conclusion that it is possible to seek God and not
find Him. Not only that , it is also possible to seek Him late. If you
seek Him late, He may be gone. It is good to always get to church on
time. If service start by 10am , God would have been there by 9.30am to
bless His people. If you come by 11am , well God help you. The question
is this, what does it mean to seek God early? When you careful study the
bible, you will notice that the Lord’s Day starts in the evening and
ends in the morning. This is why you see the bible saying ‘so the
evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5); so the evening
and the morning were the second day (Genesis 1:8) e.t.c. Seeking God
early could mean seeking God in the early hours of the morning. I feel
sorry for Christians who are too lazy to wake up at night to pray. As a
Christian you should not be playing with night vigils at all.
Seeking
the Lord early could also mean serving the Lord from a tender age.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 says remember now thy creator in the days of thy
youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou
shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Don’t spend your youthful age
chasing after women or following after men. Don’t spend your youthful
age partying and clubbing. Joel 2:28 says And it shall come to pass
afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your
young men shall see visions. Only the youths have vision. They are
strong and are able to chase after things unlike the old men who tired
and weak.The youths are like battle-ax in the hands of God and with them
, He brings down kingdoms of darkness.
Seeking the Lord early
could also mean serving God before problem arises. There are many who
only remember God when they have challenges. God is out of the question
when everything is running smoothly. God is not someone who you turn to
only when you have challenges, He is God and He is to be worship whether
you are going through a challenge or not. Do not wait for the enemies
to attack before you run to God. Do not wait to encounter challenges
before you begin to fast and pray.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please as i seek you early help me to find You.
Monday 29 July 2013
Sunday 28 July 2013
COOPERATING WITH GOD
MEMORY VERSE: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land, Isaiah 1:19
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 23, Ps 30, Eccl 6, 2 Tim 2
God has good plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. According to Psalms 40:5, the plans of God for your life are too much to number. He wants you to prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers, 3 John 1:2. He also wants you to have eternal life, that was why He sent Jesus to die for your sins, John 3:16.Whether the enemies like it or not , the plans of God for your life will come to fruition. Isaiah 43:13 says when He decides to do a thing; there is nothing anyone can do about it. According to Psalms 33:8-9, all He needs to do is just say the word and it is done.
Isaiah 14:27 says for the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall dis annul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? When God decides to bless you, no witch or wizard or demon or man can stop Him except you. The only one who can stop God from blessing you is you. One thing with God is that He will never bless anyone against their will . Instead of forcing His way into your heart, He will stand by the door and knock. You are free to answer and if you decide not to, it is up to you. Just remember that if He knocks on the door of your heart and there is no response, when you knock on the gate of heaven, there will be no response. That will not be your portion in Jesus name. I know once He knocks , you will hear Him and open the door to Him.
For those lovely plans God has for you to come to past , you need to cooperate with God. Isaiah 1:19 says If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Without your willingness and obedience, there is very little the Lord can do to assist you. To be willing means readiness to get to God's destination for your life using His own route. There are several who want to get to God's destination for their life using their own route. The only disadvantage in doing these is that, one never get to God's destination using his route. Also for the plans of God to materialize in a life, there must be total obedience - 100 percent not 99.9 percent. God will never reward incomplete obedience. If God begins to reward incomplete obedience , it means He is encouraging incomplete obedience and He will never do that. If God begins to reward wickedness, what is then the incentive for living a life of holiness.
PRAYER POINT: Father as I cooperate with You , please bring your plans to fruition in my life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 23, Ps 30, Eccl 6, 2 Tim 2
God has good plans for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. According to Psalms 40:5, the plans of God for your life are too much to number. He wants you to prosper and be in good health just as your soul prospers, 3 John 1:2. He also wants you to have eternal life, that was why He sent Jesus to die for your sins, John 3:16.Whether the enemies like it or not , the plans of God for your life will come to fruition. Isaiah 43:13 says when He decides to do a thing; there is nothing anyone can do about it. According to Psalms 33:8-9, all He needs to do is just say the word and it is done.
Isaiah 14:27 says for the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall dis annul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? When God decides to bless you, no witch or wizard or demon or man can stop Him except you. The only one who can stop God from blessing you is you. One thing with God is that He will never bless anyone against their will . Instead of forcing His way into your heart, He will stand by the door and knock. You are free to answer and if you decide not to, it is up to you. Just remember that if He knocks on the door of your heart and there is no response, when you knock on the gate of heaven, there will be no response. That will not be your portion in Jesus name. I know once He knocks , you will hear Him and open the door to Him.
For those lovely plans God has for you to come to past , you need to cooperate with God. Isaiah 1:19 says If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. Without your willingness and obedience, there is very little the Lord can do to assist you. To be willing means readiness to get to God's destination for your life using His own route. There are several who want to get to God's destination for their life using their own route. The only disadvantage in doing these is that, one never get to God's destination using his route. Also for the plans of God to materialize in a life, there must be total obedience - 100 percent not 99.9 percent. God will never reward incomplete obedience. If God begins to reward incomplete obedience , it means He is encouraging incomplete obedience and He will never do that. If God begins to reward wickedness, what is then the incentive for living a life of holiness.
PRAYER POINT: Father as I cooperate with You , please bring your plans to fruition in my life.
Saturday 27 July 2013
GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE NAKED
MEMORY VERSE: Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Lev 22, Ps 28-29, Eccl 5, 2 Tim 1
BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 3:1-21
After Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruits and their eyes were opened; they discovered that they were naked. When they heard the voice of God in the garden, they ran to hide from the presence of God. After the Lord had thoroughly addressed the issue of their disobedience, He made tunics of skin to clothe them i.e. cover their nakedness. It is true that Adam and Eve were the architects of their own misfortune. They became naked as a result of their disobedience to God. It can also be argued that they became naked because they refused to listen to the counsel of the Lord .The Lord warned them not to touch the forbidden fruit but they refused and ate of the fruit. Adam became naked as a result of following the multitude to do evil. He knew that eating the fruit was forbidden, but because his wife gave it to him, he ate it.
Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the glory of the Lord that was a covering unto them departed. There are one or two lessons to learn from this, the product of disobedience to God is shame. So also the product of obedience to God is glory. Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Not only that, failure to follow godly counsel exposes us to unnecessary hardship. Adam and Eve failed to follow God’s counsel and the ground was cursed for their sake.
When you study this passage carefully, you will come to the conclusion that Adam and Eve were not only physical naked, they were also emotionally naked.The reason why they hid from God was because the mistakes of their past was made known to God. Their terrible past, their misdeeds , the errors of their past , things they did out of foolishness , their wrong decisions came to God’s knowledge. What do you when people’s terrible past comes to your knowledge? What do you do when you become aware of things people did out of foolishness before they met the Lord? What do you do when you become privy of the wrong decisions a fellow took in the past? Immediately God became privy of the past of Adam and Eve, He covered them up. He did not laugh them to scorn, He did not look down on them, He did not even call them names. If for one reason or the other you become aware of a person’s past especially in the church of God, do not segregate them. Don’t turn the stories of their past to a topic of discussion amongst your friends. If you cannot pray for them, don’t compound things by using it to preach or refer to it when addressing a gathering.
PRAYER POINT: Father , in every area of my life I have become naked as a result of disobedience to you, please forgive and cover me up.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Lev 22, Ps 28-29, Eccl 5, 2 Tim 1
BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 3:1-21
After Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruits and their eyes were opened; they discovered that they were naked. When they heard the voice of God in the garden, they ran to hide from the presence of God. After the Lord had thoroughly addressed the issue of their disobedience, He made tunics of skin to clothe them i.e. cover their nakedness. It is true that Adam and Eve were the architects of their own misfortune. They became naked as a result of their disobedience to God. It can also be argued that they became naked because they refused to listen to the counsel of the Lord .The Lord warned them not to touch the forbidden fruit but they refused and ate of the fruit. Adam became naked as a result of following the multitude to do evil. He knew that eating the fruit was forbidden, but because his wife gave it to him, he ate it.
Because Adam and Eve disobeyed God, the glory of the Lord that was a covering unto them departed. There are one or two lessons to learn from this, the product of disobedience to God is shame. So also the product of obedience to God is glory. Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Not only that, failure to follow godly counsel exposes us to unnecessary hardship. Adam and Eve failed to follow God’s counsel and the ground was cursed for their sake.
When you study this passage carefully, you will come to the conclusion that Adam and Eve were not only physical naked, they were also emotionally naked.The reason why they hid from God was because the mistakes of their past was made known to God. Their terrible past, their misdeeds , the errors of their past , things they did out of foolishness , their wrong decisions came to God’s knowledge. What do you when people’s terrible past comes to your knowledge? What do you do when you become aware of things people did out of foolishness before they met the Lord? What do you do when you become privy of the wrong decisions a fellow took in the past? Immediately God became privy of the past of Adam and Eve, He covered them up. He did not laugh them to scorn, He did not look down on them, He did not even call them names. If for one reason or the other you become aware of a person’s past especially in the church of God, do not segregate them. Don’t turn the stories of their past to a topic of discussion amongst your friends. If you cannot pray for them, don’t compound things by using it to preach or refer to it when addressing a gathering.
PRAYER POINT: Father , in every area of my life I have become naked as a result of disobedience to you, please forgive and cover me up.
Thursday 25 July 2013
PROFITTING FROM WISDOM - A WISE SON MAKES HIS PARENTS GLAD
MEMORY VERSE: A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother. Proverbs 15:20.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 22, Ps 28-29, Eccl 5, 2 Tim 1
Psalms 111:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. According to Proverbs 16:6, it is by the fear of the Lord men depart from iniquity. A fellow who fears the Lord will do anything to bring joy to his parents. You can be a worker in the vineyard of God, you can be faithful in the payment of your tithe, you can even evangelize, you can do all these and much more but if you are not looking after your parent it means you do not regard God. There are a lot of benefits in making your parents glad. When you honor your father and mother as the Lord commands, it will be well with you, Ephesians 6:2-3. Iif you are not in talking terms with your parents or you do not honor them as the Lord advises, you are only courting problems. There are many believers who are struggling today and they don’t know why. If you are struggling in any endeavor, you better check your life and see if you are making your parents glad. Sir, it does not matter how hardworking you may be; if you do not honor your parents prospering will be difficult.
Also honoring your parents brings long life and prosperity, Deuteronomy 5:16. Do you know that when you lie to your parents you are dishonoring them? Whether you believe it or not, anyone lying to his father or mother is dishonoring his parents. They asked you have you done your assignments and you said yes when you are even yet to start them. Because you don’t want to do the house chore, you tell your parents you have to do some assignments or you have test on Monday. These are lies and they have consequences. Many even lie to get extra pocket money. All because you do not want your parents to ask you for money; you tell them you are out of work when you are actually full time employed, it is still a lie. I know you are a wise fellow and I know you will repent immediately.
Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory. Daniel 12:3 says that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament. Do you know that the prayers of your parents are very potent? The prayers of your parents carry more power than that of men of God. Do you know that if your father or mother tells you,’my son it shall be well with you’, even the devil cannot change it? When you study your bible very well you will notice that no pastor or prophet prayed for Israel and Isaac yet they became very mighty. The Lord blessed these men because their parents prayed for them. Do everything possible to earn the prayers of your parents. If you are not in talking terms with your parents you better settle with them as soon as possible.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please forgive me for dishonoring my parents. Please let it be well with me.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 22, Ps 28-29, Eccl 5, 2 Tim 1
Psalms 111:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. According to Proverbs 16:6, it is by the fear of the Lord men depart from iniquity. A fellow who fears the Lord will do anything to bring joy to his parents. You can be a worker in the vineyard of God, you can be faithful in the payment of your tithe, you can even evangelize, you can do all these and much more but if you are not looking after your parent it means you do not regard God. There are a lot of benefits in making your parents glad. When you honor your father and mother as the Lord commands, it will be well with you, Ephesians 6:2-3. Iif you are not in talking terms with your parents or you do not honor them as the Lord advises, you are only courting problems. There are many believers who are struggling today and they don’t know why. If you are struggling in any endeavor, you better check your life and see if you are making your parents glad. Sir, it does not matter how hardworking you may be; if you do not honor your parents prospering will be difficult.
Also honoring your parents brings long life and prosperity, Deuteronomy 5:16. Do you know that when you lie to your parents you are dishonoring them? Whether you believe it or not, anyone lying to his father or mother is dishonoring his parents. They asked you have you done your assignments and you said yes when you are even yet to start them. Because you don’t want to do the house chore, you tell your parents you have to do some assignments or you have test on Monday. These are lies and they have consequences. Many even lie to get extra pocket money. All because you do not want your parents to ask you for money; you tell them you are out of work when you are actually full time employed, it is still a lie. I know you are a wise fellow and I know you will repent immediately.
Proverbs 3:35 says the wise shall inherit glory. Daniel 12:3 says that those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament. Do you know that the prayers of your parents are very potent? The prayers of your parents carry more power than that of men of God. Do you know that if your father or mother tells you,’my son it shall be well with you’, even the devil cannot change it? When you study your bible very well you will notice that no pastor or prophet prayed for Israel and Isaac yet they became very mighty. The Lord blessed these men because their parents prayed for them. Do everything possible to earn the prayers of your parents. If you are not in talking terms with your parents you better settle with them as soon as possible.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please forgive me for dishonoring my parents. Please let it be well with me.
Tuesday 23 July 2013
LUST - SIGN OF DANGER AHEAD PT2
MEMORY VERSE: for all that is in the world, lust of the flesh, and
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of
the world.1 John 2:16
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 21, Ps 26-27, Eccl 4, 1 Tim 6
BIBLE STUDIES: 2 Samuel 13:1-21
In part one of these series, we highlighted the difference between love and lust. One of the major differences between love and lust is that, lust is impatient but love is patient. We learnt that lust often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill one’s desires with no regard to the consequences. In 2 Samuel 13:1-21 is an unfortunate story of Ammon and his sister-Tamar. The spirit of lust entered into Ammon and he raped Tamar. At the end of the day Ammon was murdered. If we carefully study this story, we will see that the end of lust is always a sad one. Untimely death, shame, loss of favor, disappointment, unhappiness, e.t.c. are all end results of lust.
There are two types of lusts – lust of the flesh and lust of the yes. 1 John 2:16 says for all that is in the world, lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. What is lust of the flesh? It is an evil desire for the things of the flesh or desire for things which are forbidden. The desire doesn’t have to be for sex; it can be for any pleasure. Lust of flesh is a sensual and impure desire. The lust of flesh employs our sense of tasting, smelling, touching and hearing. Examples of lust of flesh are overeating, laziness and slothfulness, fornication, adultery, oral sex ,pornography, online sex, gambling, given to drugs – marijuana, cocaine, heroin e.t.c, homosexuality, homosexuality and so on . Romans 13:14 says but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts there of.
What is the lust of the eyes? It means having an inordinate desire for something that someone sees. The lust of the eyes employs our sense of seeing. It was the lust of the eyes that put Eve Into problem in the Garden of Eden. This also resulted in not only in her spiritual death but the spiritual death of her husband- Adam. The bible records that the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, Genesis 3:16. Watch what you feed your eyes with because the enemy could use it to destroy you. The enemy used the organ of sight to reap Eve of her destiny. Eve who used to live in heaven on earth, now began to live with weed, thorns and wild animals. The end of all lust is untimely death as we see in the case of Ammon. The death may not come physically,it could come financially, spiritually, maritally or materially.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please rid me of carnality.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 21, Ps 26-27, Eccl 4, 1 Tim 6
BIBLE STUDIES: 2 Samuel 13:1-21
In part one of these series, we highlighted the difference between love and lust. One of the major differences between love and lust is that, lust is impatient but love is patient. We learnt that lust often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill one’s desires with no regard to the consequences. In 2 Samuel 13:1-21 is an unfortunate story of Ammon and his sister-Tamar. The spirit of lust entered into Ammon and he raped Tamar. At the end of the day Ammon was murdered. If we carefully study this story, we will see that the end of lust is always a sad one. Untimely death, shame, loss of favor, disappointment, unhappiness, e.t.c. are all end results of lust.
There are two types of lusts – lust of the flesh and lust of the yes. 1 John 2:16 says for all that is in the world, lust of the flesh, and lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. What is lust of the flesh? It is an evil desire for the things of the flesh or desire for things which are forbidden. The desire doesn’t have to be for sex; it can be for any pleasure. Lust of flesh is a sensual and impure desire. The lust of flesh employs our sense of tasting, smelling, touching and hearing. Examples of lust of flesh are overeating, laziness and slothfulness, fornication, adultery, oral sex ,pornography, online sex, gambling, given to drugs – marijuana, cocaine, heroin e.t.c, homosexuality, homosexuality and so on . Romans 13:14 says but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts there of.
What is the lust of the eyes? It means having an inordinate desire for something that someone sees. The lust of the eyes employs our sense of seeing. It was the lust of the eyes that put Eve Into problem in the Garden of Eden. This also resulted in not only in her spiritual death but the spiritual death of her husband- Adam. The bible records that the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, Genesis 3:16. Watch what you feed your eyes with because the enemy could use it to destroy you. The enemy used the organ of sight to reap Eve of her destiny. Eve who used to live in heaven on earth, now began to live with weed, thorns and wild animals. The end of all lust is untimely death as we see in the case of Ammon. The death may not come physically,it could come financially, spiritually, maritally or materially.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please rid me of carnality.
Monday 22 July 2013
LUST - SIGN OF DANGER AHEAD PT1
MEMORY VERSE: Do not lust after beauty in your heart not let her allure you with her eyelids. Proverbs 6:25
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 20, Ps 35, Eccl 3, 1 Tim 5
Love is a Spirit. John 4:24 says God is a Spirit. 1 John 4:8 says God is love. If God is a Spirit and God is love, then Love is a Spirit. According to 2 Timothy 1:7 fear, power and love are all spirits. Just as love is a spirit, lust is also a spirit. The fashion world today is run by the spirit of lust. You may not believe it but that is the gospel truth.There are many who follow fashion without understanding. They do things because everyone is doing it without knowing the intentions behind them.
What the world calls love is not love but lust. When you begin to feel funny around a particular brother or sister you are not married to, that is not love but Lust. When all you love to do is be alone with someone you are not married to in a room or dark place, that is Lust.
What is the difference between love and lust? Love always wants to give but Lust always want to possess. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave. Love always want to share but lust always want to take. Love focuses on the individual but lust focuses on the looks and body.My sister if all a brother is interested in is in your looks and body, that brother has the spirit of lust . He may tell you he loves you but the truth is he is lusting after you.Love always think of the other party's happiness but lust does not. Lust focuses on pleasing oneself alone.Lust often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill ones desires with no regard to the consequences. Lust is about greed and possesion. Most importantly Love is of God and Lust is of the devil. Love is patient but Lust is not. Lust is all about sex. If you are involved in a relationship and you begin to notice Lust instead of love, you better leave that relationship because Lust is the first sign that the relationship will end in disaster.
KEYWORD : Lust is about sex alone. Love is patient but Lust is not.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 20, Ps 35, Eccl 3, 1 Tim 5
Love is a Spirit. John 4:24 says God is a Spirit. 1 John 4:8 says God is love. If God is a Spirit and God is love, then Love is a Spirit. According to 2 Timothy 1:7 fear, power and love are all spirits. Just as love is a spirit, lust is also a spirit. The fashion world today is run by the spirit of lust. You may not believe it but that is the gospel truth.There are many who follow fashion without understanding. They do things because everyone is doing it without knowing the intentions behind them.
What the world calls love is not love but lust. When you begin to feel funny around a particular brother or sister you are not married to, that is not love but Lust. When all you love to do is be alone with someone you are not married to in a room or dark place, that is Lust.
What is the difference between love and lust? Love always wants to give but Lust always want to possess. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave. Love always want to share but lust always want to take. Love focuses on the individual but lust focuses on the looks and body.My sister if all a brother is interested in is in your looks and body, that brother has the spirit of lust . He may tell you he loves you but the truth is he is lusting after you.Love always think of the other party's happiness but lust does not. Lust focuses on pleasing oneself alone.Lust often leads to unwholesome actions to fulfill ones desires with no regard to the consequences. Lust is about greed and possesion. Most importantly Love is of God and Lust is of the devil. Love is patient but Lust is not. Lust is all about sex. If you are involved in a relationship and you begin to notice Lust instead of love, you better leave that relationship because Lust is the first sign that the relationship will end in disaster.
KEYWORD : Lust is about sex alone. Love is patient but Lust is not.
Saturday 20 July 2013
CHRIST'S ATTITUDE TO THOSE WHO LET HIM DOWN PT1
MEMORY VERSE: But I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me strengthen your brothers. Like 22:32
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 18, Ps 22, Eccl 1, 1 Tim 3
BIBLE STUDIES : Luke 22:55-61
It is not a good thing at all to be let down by people. It can be very painful when people you have invested time, energy, money etc let you down.Such was the case of Jesus and Peter. When Jesus met Peter, he was a failure. Peter had tried repeatedly and failed. When He met him, Peter was just an ordinary fishermen who had no future. Peter was broke, confused, tired of life, unhappy, tired physically to mention a few. Jesus saw him in the midst of all these and turned his situation around - he asked him to launch into the deep and let down his net for a catch. Peter obeyed and his long awaited breakthrough came, Luke 5:1-7. Jesus took their relationship to another level by showing Peter His glory on mount of transfiguration. He finished it off by writing his name in the book book life,Luke 10:20. Jesus did not stop there, He even went a step further to invest time and energy on Peter's extended family.He left His engagements and personally paid Peter's mother - in - law a visit when she was sick,Matthew 8:14. Jesus had a little challenge and Peter disappeared. The same Peter who the Lord had mightily invested on swore that he had not even set eyes on Jesus. Actually Jesus was few feet away when Peter denied Him the third time.
What did Jesus do when He resurrected? He didn't swear never to greet Peter again. It would be a right thing for Jesus to immediately take his name out the book of life . Jesus did not do that , He forgave Peter. Jesus was so willing to forgive, despite the fact that He knew Peter was going to betray Him, He prayed for Him in advance.
Has anyone betrayed you? Has anyone promised to marry you or promised to be there and let you down? Has anyone taken advantage of your generosity and kindness? Brethren please let's forgive. Heaven is too precious to miss because of someone who let you down. Do you know that even before Jesus ascended to heaven he that to first eat with Peter? Eating with Peter was to proof that, He that nothing against Him and He had moved on from what happened. There is a reward for forgiveness , Peter (who was forgiven) later became one of the pillars in the church? The first sermon he preached, 3000 souls were won for Christ. The question is what if Jesus had not forgiven Peter?
PRAYER POINT :Father please help me so that unforgiveness would not rob me of your plans for my life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 18, Ps 22, Eccl 1, 1 Tim 3
BIBLE STUDIES : Luke 22:55-61
It is not a good thing at all to be let down by people. It can be very painful when people you have invested time, energy, money etc let you down.Such was the case of Jesus and Peter. When Jesus met Peter, he was a failure. Peter had tried repeatedly and failed. When He met him, Peter was just an ordinary fishermen who had no future. Peter was broke, confused, tired of life, unhappy, tired physically to mention a few. Jesus saw him in the midst of all these and turned his situation around - he asked him to launch into the deep and let down his net for a catch. Peter obeyed and his long awaited breakthrough came, Luke 5:1-7. Jesus took their relationship to another level by showing Peter His glory on mount of transfiguration. He finished it off by writing his name in the book book life,Luke 10:20. Jesus did not stop there, He even went a step further to invest time and energy on Peter's extended family.He left His engagements and personally paid Peter's mother - in - law a visit when she was sick,Matthew 8:14. Jesus had a little challenge and Peter disappeared. The same Peter who the Lord had mightily invested on swore that he had not even set eyes on Jesus. Actually Jesus was few feet away when Peter denied Him the third time.
What did Jesus do when He resurrected? He didn't swear never to greet Peter again. It would be a right thing for Jesus to immediately take his name out the book of life . Jesus did not do that , He forgave Peter. Jesus was so willing to forgive, despite the fact that He knew Peter was going to betray Him, He prayed for Him in advance.
Has anyone betrayed you? Has anyone promised to marry you or promised to be there and let you down? Has anyone taken advantage of your generosity and kindness? Brethren please let's forgive. Heaven is too precious to miss because of someone who let you down. Do you know that even before Jesus ascended to heaven he that to first eat with Peter? Eating with Peter was to proof that, He that nothing against Him and He had moved on from what happened. There is a reward for forgiveness , Peter (who was forgiven) later became one of the pillars in the church? The first sermon he preached, 3000 souls were won for Christ. The question is what if Jesus had not forgiven Peter?
PRAYER POINT :Father please help me so that unforgiveness would not rob me of your plans for my life.
Thursday 18 July 2013
GOOD IDEA VS GOD'S IDEA
MEMORY VERSE : But the wisdom from above is is first pure, then peaceable,gentle,and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 16, Ps 19, Pr 30, 1 Tim 1.
BIBLE STUDIES : Genesis 16:1-6
The word 'good idea' is relative. A good idea yesterday could turn out to be a bad idea today e.g. in the area of Nigeria where I came from, it used to be a good idea to have tribal marks. Today it is not so anymore. Also a bad idea yesterday could turn out to be a good idea today. Hundreds of years ago it was a bad idea to educate girls not anymore . Thank God we now have female doctors, pilots even prime ministers. A good idea in one part of the world could turn out to be a bad idea in another part of the world an vice versa. In western culture it is a good idea to keep eye contact when you are been addressed by someone older. It means you are listening and you are not hiding anything. Meanwhile in Africa it is considered rude and could attract the wrath of the fellow addressing you.
A good idea in one religion is a very bad idea in another religion. In Christianity it is ok to eat beef but in Hindu religion cows are sacred. One thing with all good ideas is that it may bring an un-intended response or it can turn out to be a bad idea after all. In our bible studies is a prime example of this. Abram and Sarai thought it was a good idea for Abram to have children through Hagar (Sarai's maid) since Sarai had passed child bearing age. That turned out to be a mistake of a life time because immediately Hagar became pregnant she became rude to her boss.
When an idea is of God, it will always turn out good. God's idea always has a God ending i.e. joyous ending. The idea may not seem too good at first but the end is always good. An example of this is found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-26. Two mighty nations - children of Ammon and Moab waged against a very small city of Judah. Jehoshaphat reported this matter to God and the Lord instructed him to go to war with choirs instead of soldiers. This did not seem like a good idea but nevertheless Jehoshaphat obeyed .At the end they won the battle and became rich too.
ACTON POINT : Always follow God's Idea.
Tuesday 16 July 2013
JOY OF A CHRISTIAN MANIFOLD
MEMORY VERSE :My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations.James 1:2
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Lev 17, Ps 20-21,Pr 31, 1 Tim 2.
Challenges
are part and parcel el of life, be it a believer or an unbeliever . The
Lord said in Isaiah 43 : 2, when you pass through waters I will be with
you not if you pass through waters. Isaiah 54:17 says no weapon
fashioned against you shall prosper not if a weapon is fashioned or in
case a weapon is fashioned. Weapons will be fashioned but the good news
is it shall not prosper. Most people dread challenges. Many pray not to
even have them at all but challenges are not such a bad thing. If they
are bad the bible would not say count is all joy when you face
challenges , James 1:2
Why do we face
challenges? One of the root causes of challenges is sin. Jeremiah 5:25
says sin withholds good things from us. According to 2 Chronicles 6:
21-36, sin causes unanswered prayers, famine, problems e.t.c. Another
reason why we face challenges is because Jesus said so. John 16:33 says
but in the world you will have tribulations,but be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world for you. Matthew 11:12 says from the day of John the
Baptist the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violence take it
by force. Another reason for challenges is that it helps us to grow in
the Lord. It is fire that purifies. James 1:3 says it is the trying of
our faith that produces patience. It is this patience that makes is
mature in the Lord.
Another reason why we face
challenges could be that the Lord wants to glorify Himself in our life
publicly.When you study Daniel 3:1-30, you will see that the Lord
permitted the three Hebrew boys to be cast into fire because He wanted
to glorify Himself in their lives publicly. At the end, the emperor left
his thrown and prostrated before these boys praising the Most High God.
Another
reason why we face challenges could be because we are a threat to the
Kingdom of darkness. Many people have asked me, why is it that believers
face more challenges than others. I always ask them, if you have ten
chickens in your cage and one of them escapes what do you do? Their
replies has always been 'I will go after it'. The same thing applies to
believers, we used to be in the cage of the enemy. >From the moment
we give our lives to Christ, we escape death. The enemy would not bother
about his own, he knows they are his already but he will go after those
that have escaped.The good news is that he can do his worse but over us
he will fail. Do you know even before you face challenges, the Lord has
provided a way out? Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. This verse was written over a thousand years
ago which mean that long before the challenge came, you had already been
declared a victor.
PRAYER POINT : Father thank you for making me a victor, please help me never to loose my advantage in You.
Monday 15 July 2013
PRIVATE PREPARATION DETERMINES PUBLIC PERFORMANCE PT3
MEMORY VERSE: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also
with exceeding joy.1 Peter 4:13
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 15, Ps 18, Prov 29,2 Thes 3
BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33
In our bible studies is a very popular story. It was late at night and there were no ships around to take Jesus to His disciples so He decided to walk on water to them. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and asked if he could join Him? Jesus said ‘come’, Peter jumped out of the boat and began to walk on water towards Jesus. After taking few steps, the wind began to blow and he began to panic. Before you know it Peter began to sink, thank God he quickly called on the name of Jesus and was saved. It is important to know that the presence of Jesus could not prevent Peter from sinking . Why? Because of fear. Anywhere fear is present,failure is inevitable. It does not matter whose errand you are running. You could even been acting on the word of God like Peter, once fear comes into the equation failure is not far away. No wonder Hebrew 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Even in the ministry, if you give room to fear instead of faith , you may fail.I pray you will not fail in Jesus name.
1 Peter 4:13 says but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
To be glad with exceeding joy , you must be ready to suffer for Christ. In Part two of these series ,i shared the testimony of a brother who the Lord paid his tuition and expenses throughout the duration of the course in the university. I also talked of this brother's labor of love in the private .I do not know why but i believe there is someone the Lord wants to publicly reward and He wants me share a little bit more about this brother to encourage that fellow. I mentioned in part two of these series that this brother is part of virtually all the groups in the church. Do you also know that this brother holds the key to the church i.e. he is the first to get to the church and last to leave? Not only that around eighteen months ago ,this brother challenged the faith of everyone by turning down a job that pays around £1,800 a month for a job of £200 a month all because he didn't want anything to come in between his commitment with his maker ; this brother is married with 3 kids. You are wondering why God provided a scholarship worth over £50 ,000 for this brother? You are wondering why God would go out of His way to pay for the tuition and expenses of this brother before he even started university? This brother suffered greatly for Christ in the private and today he is glad with exceeding joy because he is going to study for free while others have to pay.
PRAYER POINT: Father please open my eyes that i might do what will make me qualify for your exceeding joy.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 15, Ps 18, Prov 29,2 Thes 3
BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33
In our bible studies is a very popular story. It was late at night and there were no ships around to take Jesus to His disciples so He decided to walk on water to them. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and asked if he could join Him? Jesus said ‘come’, Peter jumped out of the boat and began to walk on water towards Jesus. After taking few steps, the wind began to blow and he began to panic. Before you know it Peter began to sink, thank God he quickly called on the name of Jesus and was saved. It is important to know that the presence of Jesus could not prevent Peter from sinking . Why? Because of fear. Anywhere fear is present,failure is inevitable. It does not matter whose errand you are running. You could even been acting on the word of God like Peter, once fear comes into the equation failure is not far away. No wonder Hebrew 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. Even in the ministry, if you give room to fear instead of faith , you may fail.I pray you will not fail in Jesus name.
1 Peter 4:13 says but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
To be glad with exceeding joy , you must be ready to suffer for Christ. In Part two of these series ,i shared the testimony of a brother who the Lord paid his tuition and expenses throughout the duration of the course in the university. I also talked of this brother's labor of love in the private .I do not know why but i believe there is someone the Lord wants to publicly reward and He wants me share a little bit more about this brother to encourage that fellow. I mentioned in part two of these series that this brother is part of virtually all the groups in the church. Do you also know that this brother holds the key to the church i.e. he is the first to get to the church and last to leave? Not only that around eighteen months ago ,this brother challenged the faith of everyone by turning down a job that pays around £1,800 a month for a job of £200 a month all because he didn't want anything to come in between his commitment with his maker ; this brother is married with 3 kids. You are wondering why God provided a scholarship worth over £50 ,000 for this brother? You are wondering why God would go out of His way to pay for the tuition and expenses of this brother before he even started university? This brother suffered greatly for Christ in the private and today he is glad with exceeding joy because he is going to study for free while others have to pay.
PRAYER POINT: Father please open my eyes that i might do what will make me qualify for your exceeding joy.
Sunday 14 July 2013
PRIVATE PREPARATION DETERMINES PUBLIC PERFORMANCE PT2
MEMORY VERSE: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:4
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 14, Ps 17, Prov 28,2 Thes 2
BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33
In Matthew 14:22-33 is a story we all know. It was late at night, there were no ship around and the disciples of Jesus were in a ship far away in the middle of the sea. Since there were no means of transportation, Jesus decided to walk on the sea towards them. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and requested to join Him. Jesus told him no problem and immediately Peter got on water and began to walks towards Jesus. After Peter had taken few steps he noticed the wind and began to panic. Before you know it Peter began to sink, he called on Jesus and was saved.
One very important lesson from this passage is that immediately you allow fear in your heart, you begin to sink and if you don’t take time the challenges might drown you so please do not entertain fear in your heart. Jesus and Peter walked on the same water, how come only Peter sank? Aside from the fact that Peter entertained fear, while Jesus was on the mountain praying, Peter was busy chatting away with his fellow disciples. Because Peter had not made any private preparation (spiritually), a little wind made him lost his composure and he began to sink.
Matthew 6:4 says that thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. What this literally means is everything we do in the secret will be rewarded in the open. If you are pretending that you are Christian in the open and you are committing secret sins like adultery and fornication e.t.c ,the reward is coming except you repent. If on the other hand you are serving God sincerely, laboring for the propagation of the gospel day and night, people might not see it or take notice of it but the Lord who sees your effort in the secret will reward it in the open. Just of recent a brother was sharing a big testimony with me. The brother won a scholarship and the university said they were going to pay his tuition and other expenses throughout the period of his study in the university i.e. for three years he wasn’t going to pay a dime! When he calculated the whole expenses, it was over fifty thousand pounds and the Lord paid it before he even started university. I know the Lord really loves this brother and this is a public show of affection by the Most High but do you know that this brother belongs to virtually all the groups in the church? Oh yes, he is part of the evangelism group, prayer warrior, drama, sanctuary cleaner, usher, church greeters e.t.c. Most people do not even know how much this brother labors for God in the secret but the Lord who saw his activities in the secret has rewarded him in the open.
QUESTION: What are you doing for God in the secret that He can reward you in the open for?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 14, Ps 17, Prov 28,2 Thes 2
BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33
In Matthew 14:22-33 is a story we all know. It was late at night, there were no ship around and the disciples of Jesus were in a ship far away in the middle of the sea. Since there were no means of transportation, Jesus decided to walk on the sea towards them. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and requested to join Him. Jesus told him no problem and immediately Peter got on water and began to walks towards Jesus. After Peter had taken few steps he noticed the wind and began to panic. Before you know it Peter began to sink, he called on Jesus and was saved.
One very important lesson from this passage is that immediately you allow fear in your heart, you begin to sink and if you don’t take time the challenges might drown you so please do not entertain fear in your heart. Jesus and Peter walked on the same water, how come only Peter sank? Aside from the fact that Peter entertained fear, while Jesus was on the mountain praying, Peter was busy chatting away with his fellow disciples. Because Peter had not made any private preparation (spiritually), a little wind made him lost his composure and he began to sink.
Matthew 6:4 says that thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly. What this literally means is everything we do in the secret will be rewarded in the open. If you are pretending that you are Christian in the open and you are committing secret sins like adultery and fornication e.t.c ,the reward is coming except you repent. If on the other hand you are serving God sincerely, laboring for the propagation of the gospel day and night, people might not see it or take notice of it but the Lord who sees your effort in the secret will reward it in the open. Just of recent a brother was sharing a big testimony with me. The brother won a scholarship and the university said they were going to pay his tuition and other expenses throughout the period of his study in the university i.e. for three years he wasn’t going to pay a dime! When he calculated the whole expenses, it was over fifty thousand pounds and the Lord paid it before he even started university. I know the Lord really loves this brother and this is a public show of affection by the Most High but do you know that this brother belongs to virtually all the groups in the church? Oh yes, he is part of the evangelism group, prayer warrior, drama, sanctuary cleaner, usher, church greeters e.t.c. Most people do not even know how much this brother labors for God in the secret but the Lord who saw his activities in the secret has rewarded him in the open.
QUESTION: What are you doing for God in the secret that He can reward you in the open for?
Saturday 13 July 2013
PRIVATE PREPARATION DETERMINES PUBLIC PERFORMANCE PT1
MEMORY VERSE: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:4
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 13, Ps 15-16, Prov 27,2 Thes 1
BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 14:22-33
In our bible studies is a story we all know. After Jesus had fed five thousand men not counting women and children, He constrained His disciples to get into a ship, to go before Him, while He sent the multitudes away. When everyone had left, He went to a mountain to pray. Later in the evening, he came down from the mountain and began to walk on water towards his disciples.
Water spiritually signifies challenges or trials. Isaiah 43:2 says when you pass through waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. The water and river referred to in this passage are challenges and trials. I believe the Lord is telling someone that the challenge you are going through will not sweep over you because He is with you, Amen. When you study this story you will notice that before Jesus Christ actually walked on water that night, He had first spent quality time in prayer. He had first prepared Himself spiritually. He had first suspended the laws of gravity in his prayer closet before going out in the open to walk on water. The athletes and sportsmen we see during Olympic don’t just turn up without preparing in the private. They practice for years and years for activity that lasts for only an hour or less. Many of us want to take over the world, to do that you need to first take over the spiritual world in your prayer closet.
I remember a particular incident when my boss wanted to sack one of the very hardworking staffs in my team because he made a mistake. I was called into the office and told that Mr. ‘A’ needs to go. In all honesty I could not defend this man because he was a guilty of a gross misconduct. While she was advising me on how to go about the dismissal, a colleague of mine came in to check something with her. As she was speaking to this colleague, I quickly used that opportunity to mumbled some words and pray in tongues for around a minute or two. After attending to this colleague, she looked at me and said it seems you don’t want us to sack this man and I said yes. She said ‘ok then, let’s give him a warning’. The Lord’s name be praised that this man escaped the sack that afternoon. I know that’s a very good testimony and I pray that such testimony’s and many more will happen through you In Jesus name but do you know that before going to work that morning , I had spent at least an hour speaking in tongues ? Before starting that day by the special grace of God, I had spent nothing less than ninety minutes with the Most High. For the world to see the glory of God in your life in the public, you need to spend quality time with Him in the private.
KEYWORD: If you don’t prepare in the private the enemy will disgrace you in the public.
Friday 12 July 2013
ANOINTING VS SKILLS
MEMORY VERSE: And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden
shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy
neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. Isaiah
10:27.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 11-12, Ps 13-14, Prov 26, 1 Thes 5
BIBLE STUDY: Luke 5:1-7
In our bible studies, we read the story of Peter who fished all night and caught nothing. He was a skilled fisherman. Not only that, he was very experienced and to add this he was a hardworking man. Despite all these he still failed.
There are one or two points I will like to highlight from this story. Point 1 - skills and experience can fail you. You can be an expert in your field, it does not guarantee anything. Plans can fail you. I don’t believe that Peter left home that day without a plan or strategy . He must have planned his day, where he was going to start and all that. I also believed that he had contingency plans too i.e. what to do if plan A fails. Support networks do fail. That night Peter had a companion with him and their combined experience could not produce result. Hard work guarantees nothing. A fellow who decides to put in extra effort by working when others are sleeping is not a lazy man. That was Peter's intention , at the end he had nothing to show for all the effort. Everything can fail ; Jesus cannot fail. Immediately Jesus came into the scene, the man who had failed repeatedly made only an effort and results began to flow in.
Point 2 – To become what God has created you to be, you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What is anointing? Anointing is what makes an ordinary man do the supernatural or extra ordinary. You cannot fulfill God’s destiny for your life through skills alone. You cannot win souls for Jesus through skills or experience. I remembered the times when I will search on the internet for questions people ask during evangelism. I will get all the answers, prepare myself and go and witness. I found out that you can answer all the questions people ask you and they still would not give their life to Christ. I know how many religious arguments I have won based on knowledge, there are even times when the other party will agree with me and at the end still say 'I don’t want to give my life to Christ.' I remembered the case of a particular fervent sister who backslidded for one reason or the other. She had an answer to all the bible verse I gave to her. At a point I gave up because I was exhausted. Then a day came we were just discussing over the phone over a matter and she began to cry. I asked her if she wanted to give her life to Christ and she said yes! All this while I had been using skills and experience but that day I allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work and within two minutes she returned to Christ. Point 3 – anointing produces more results than skills. Jesus who was anointed with the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38), gave a simple instruction and Peter caught so much fish that two boats began to sink.
PRAYER POINT: Father, anoint me with the Holy Ghost
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 11-12, Ps 13-14, Prov 26, 1 Thes 5
BIBLE STUDY: Luke 5:1-7
In our bible studies, we read the story of Peter who fished all night and caught nothing. He was a skilled fisherman. Not only that, he was very experienced and to add this he was a hardworking man. Despite all these he still failed.
There are one or two points I will like to highlight from this story. Point 1 - skills and experience can fail you. You can be an expert in your field, it does not guarantee anything. Plans can fail you. I don’t believe that Peter left home that day without a plan or strategy . He must have planned his day, where he was going to start and all that. I also believed that he had contingency plans too i.e. what to do if plan A fails. Support networks do fail. That night Peter had a companion with him and their combined experience could not produce result. Hard work guarantees nothing. A fellow who decides to put in extra effort by working when others are sleeping is not a lazy man. That was Peter's intention , at the end he had nothing to show for all the effort. Everything can fail ; Jesus cannot fail. Immediately Jesus came into the scene, the man who had failed repeatedly made only an effort and results began to flow in.
Point 2 – To become what God has created you to be, you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. What is anointing? Anointing is what makes an ordinary man do the supernatural or extra ordinary. You cannot fulfill God’s destiny for your life through skills alone. You cannot win souls for Jesus through skills or experience. I remembered the times when I will search on the internet for questions people ask during evangelism. I will get all the answers, prepare myself and go and witness. I found out that you can answer all the questions people ask you and they still would not give their life to Christ. I know how many religious arguments I have won based on knowledge, there are even times when the other party will agree with me and at the end still say 'I don’t want to give my life to Christ.' I remembered the case of a particular fervent sister who backslidded for one reason or the other. She had an answer to all the bible verse I gave to her. At a point I gave up because I was exhausted. Then a day came we were just discussing over the phone over a matter and she began to cry. I asked her if she wanted to give her life to Christ and she said yes! All this while I had been using skills and experience but that day I allowed the Holy Spirit to do His work and within two minutes she returned to Christ. Point 3 – anointing produces more results than skills. Jesus who was anointed with the Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38), gave a simple instruction and Peter caught so much fish that two boats began to sink.
PRAYER POINT: Father, anoint me with the Holy Ghost
Thursday 11 July 2013
NEVER MARRY A MAN WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IN HOLINESS
MEMORY VERSE: Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 10, Ps 11-12, Prov 25, 1 Thes 4
It is not in the plan of God for you to marry an unbeliever. God is not an author of confusion and one thing He will never do is go against His holy words. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? If you are already married to an unbeliever, you need to seriously pray for the salvation of his or her soul because after salvation , the second factor that decides whether you will have eternal life or not is who you marry. You may not believe me but I will share this story with you. A very committed pastor who loved the Lord had an argument with his wife one early morning , things went out of hand and she slapped him . This man got very angry and left the house. As he was traveling he had an accident and died. When he got to heaven, he was sent to hell. This man began to plead with Jesus and ask why? The Lord told him he died without forgiving his wife who slapped him. This man broke down and began to cry for mercy. Because this man had labored greatly for the kingdom of God and had served God passionately, he was giving an opportunity to return and make things right with his wife.
One of the purposes of marriage is to share. You can only share what you have. A brother who is not filled with the spirit of love cannot share love. He can pretend by buying you lovely gifts and all but in a matter of time the real him will come out. A sister who does not value her time cannot value your time. If all a brother has is stories of those that tried and failed in life, such brother cannot share faith with you. If all a sister has is anger and bitterness, God help you. So before you fall in love, have it at the back of your mind that it is what this brother has that we are going to share and vice versa.
If a brother does not have the fear of the Lord inside him, don’t expect him not to disappoint you. Proverbs 16:6 says by the fear of the Lord men depart from iniquity. If a brother does not fear God – his creator, who will he fear then? If he does not regard God – his maker, who will he regard ? Marrying a brother who does not fear the Lord is like sitting on a time bomb. It is the equivalent of a disaster waiting to happen. Don’t marry a guy who does not believe in holiness. Proverbs 14:34 says righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. A brother who can compromise his faith in God or abandon his commitment in God in order to fit the circumstances of the moment, can compromise on anything even your love. Don’t expect a brother who is not faithful to God to be faithful to you !The main reason why you need to be wary of brothers who do not believe in holiness is that they can do anything to get rich. They can do and undo.
KEYWORD: If He does not regard Jesus, He will never regard you.
Tuesday 9 July 2013
PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT
MEMORY VERSE: But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude 20.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 6, Ps 10, Prov 24, 1 Thes 3
What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? You see many equate praying with the spirit to praying in the Spirit. To pray with the spirit simply means to pray in tongues, for example Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, ‘what is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.’ Praying in the Spirit means to pray by means of the Holy Spirit or with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is praying according to the Spirit’s leading or praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Romans 8:26 says we likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.
When we pray in the Spirit we are praying according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God and brings prayer points for us to pray on. When the Holy Spirit leads you to pray for a particular brother or sister, or leads to pray about a particular matter please pray about it. Most of the mishaps that happen in the body of Christ could have been avoided if only people prayed when the Holy Spirit asked them to pray. When you pray in the Spirit you are destroying the plans of the enemy. Not too long ago I shared the story of a man of God who the Holy Spirit led to pray against the loss of huge amount of money. At the point when the Holy Spirit was leading him to pray, he was not involved in any business dealings so the prayer point made little or no sense to him but he prayed. Several weeks later some men introduced him to some business, the men wanted to dupe him of his life savings but the Holy Spirit destroyed the plan and exposed these men because he prayed when the Holy Spirit led him to.
Ephesians 6:13 says wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye maybe able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Do you know that when you pray in the Spirit, what you are doing is you are putting on one of the armour of God? Ephesians 6:18 says praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
When you pray in the Spirit you get more results from your prayer life. I remembered a sister told me she was going for an interview and the Holy Spirit led me to pray with her. I asked her if she didn’t mind if a common church cleaner prayed with her and she said no problem. We said a very short prayer and she left for the interview. An hour later or so she called saying she got the job. What really amazed her was the interviewer did not really ask her any question aside when she was available to start. Instead of spending hours praying and binding the devil, losing and casting demons, the Holy Spirit led us to pray for favor and we did just that and the Lord took control.
PRAYER POINT: Father, as from now on help me to pray more in the Spirit.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 6, Ps 10, Prov 24, 1 Thes 3
What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? You see many equate praying with the spirit to praying in the Spirit. To pray with the spirit simply means to pray in tongues, for example Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, ‘what is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also.’ Praying in the Spirit means to pray by means of the Holy Spirit or with the help of the Holy Spirit. It is praying according to the Spirit’s leading or praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Romans 8:26 says we likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.
When we pray in the Spirit we are praying according to the will of God. The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God and brings prayer points for us to pray on. When the Holy Spirit leads you to pray for a particular brother or sister, or leads to pray about a particular matter please pray about it. Most of the mishaps that happen in the body of Christ could have been avoided if only people prayed when the Holy Spirit asked them to pray. When you pray in the Spirit you are destroying the plans of the enemy. Not too long ago I shared the story of a man of God who the Holy Spirit led to pray against the loss of huge amount of money. At the point when the Holy Spirit was leading him to pray, he was not involved in any business dealings so the prayer point made little or no sense to him but he prayed. Several weeks later some men introduced him to some business, the men wanted to dupe him of his life savings but the Holy Spirit destroyed the plan and exposed these men because he prayed when the Holy Spirit led him to.
Ephesians 6:13 says wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye maybe able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Do you know that when you pray in the Spirit, what you are doing is you are putting on one of the armour of God? Ephesians 6:18 says praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.
When you pray in the Spirit you get more results from your prayer life. I remembered a sister told me she was going for an interview and the Holy Spirit led me to pray with her. I asked her if she didn’t mind if a common church cleaner prayed with her and she said no problem. We said a very short prayer and she left for the interview. An hour later or so she called saying she got the job. What really amazed her was the interviewer did not really ask her any question aside when she was available to start. Instead of spending hours praying and binding the devil, losing and casting demons, the Holy Spirit led us to pray for favor and we did just that and the Lord took control.
PRAYER POINT: Father, as from now on help me to pray more in the Spirit.
Sunday 7 July 2013
ATTITUDE TO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
MEMORY VERSE: Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness
above thy fellows, Hebrew 1:9
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 8, Ps 9, Prov 23,1 Thes 2
There are three basic attitudes to unrighteousness. Firstly, there are those who do not see anything wrong in living a life of unrighteousness. There are people who believe there is nothing wrong in telling a small lie especially to cover for a friend ,as far as no one gets hurt. There are those who do not see anything wrong in having sex before marriage especially when you know that you are going to marry the person. 1 John 5:17 says all unrighteousness is sin. There are also doctrines although not biblical that says once you give your life to Christ you automatically go to heaven whether you commit sin or not .Even if you fornicate with all the women in the church it is ok as far as you have giving your life to Christ. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Salvation Is not a call to uncleanness i.e. life of impurity , but to holiness. Colossians 3:25 says but he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons. Whether you have giving your life to Christ or not, if you die in sin you will get the reward of sinners. None of us shall spend eternity in hell In Jesus name.
Secondly , there are those who do not sin but permit sin. This include majority of us. We are now saved and sanctified. We do not consume alcohol because we know our body is the temple of the living God but we don’t mind entertaining guests at our parties or at homes with alcohol. We do not smoke cigarette because it is harmful to our health but we do not mind giving people money to buy cigarette. There are many believers who do not fornicate or commit adultery but will give the keys of their house to friends to bring women to sleep with. This group of believers does not steal but don’t mind if their colleagues steal or do dodgey deals. They do not fornicate but do not mind if their friends fornicate. Proverbs 13:20 says he who walks with the wise shall be wise but the companies of fools shall suffer disgrace. Do you know in the company of fools there are few wise ones there? The day the fools will get the reward for their foolishness, the wise amongst there will partake out of it.
Thirdly there is the last group who don’t condone sin at all. They have zero tolerance for sin in their lives. They hate sin. Do you know when you hate something you do not want to see it at all; you don’t want to be associated with it; you don’t even want to see it around you. Every time you see what you hate or hear about it, you begin to feel uncomfortable. That’s the same reaction we need to have for sin not sinners. Hebrews 1:9 says when you love righteousness and hate iniquity, God pours an oil of gladness on you.
POINTS TO PONDER: How do I see sin? Do I mind sin? Do I permit sin? In what area of my life are my permitting sin? Do I hate sin enough?
There are three basic attitudes to unrighteousness. Firstly, there are those who do not see anything wrong in living a life of unrighteousness. There are people who believe there is nothing wrong in telling a small lie especially to cover for a friend ,as far as no one gets hurt. There are those who do not see anything wrong in having sex before marriage especially when you know that you are going to marry the person. 1 John 5:17 says all unrighteousness is sin. There are also doctrines although not biblical that says once you give your life to Christ you automatically go to heaven whether you commit sin or not .Even if you fornicate with all the women in the church it is ok as far as you have giving your life to Christ. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:7, Salvation Is not a call to uncleanness i.e. life of impurity , but to holiness. Colossians 3:25 says but he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons. Whether you have giving your life to Christ or not, if you die in sin you will get the reward of sinners. None of us shall spend eternity in hell In Jesus name.
Secondly , there are those who do not sin but permit sin. This include majority of us. We are now saved and sanctified. We do not consume alcohol because we know our body is the temple of the living God but we don’t mind entertaining guests at our parties or at homes with alcohol. We do not smoke cigarette because it is harmful to our health but we do not mind giving people money to buy cigarette. There are many believers who do not fornicate or commit adultery but will give the keys of their house to friends to bring women to sleep with. This group of believers does not steal but don’t mind if their colleagues steal or do dodgey deals. They do not fornicate but do not mind if their friends fornicate. Proverbs 13:20 says he who walks with the wise shall be wise but the companies of fools shall suffer disgrace. Do you know in the company of fools there are few wise ones there? The day the fools will get the reward for their foolishness, the wise amongst there will partake out of it.
Thirdly there is the last group who don’t condone sin at all. They have zero tolerance for sin in their lives. They hate sin. Do you know when you hate something you do not want to see it at all; you don’t want to be associated with it; you don’t even want to see it around you. Every time you see what you hate or hear about it, you begin to feel uncomfortable. That’s the same reaction we need to have for sin not sinners. Hebrews 1:9 says when you love righteousness and hate iniquity, God pours an oil of gladness on you.
POINTS TO PONDER: How do I see sin? Do I mind sin? Do I permit sin? In what area of my life are my permitting sin? Do I hate sin enough?
Thursday 4 July 2013
REALIZING YOUR POTENTIAL IN CHRIST
MEMORY VERSE: Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those which are behind, and reaching forth unto things which are before, Philippians 3:8.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 7, Ps 7-8, Prov 22,1 Thes 1
Inside every believer, are great potentials. Jesus Christ highlighted some of the potentials in Him in Mark 16:17 -18. He said in His name, we shall cast devils; speak with new tongues; take up serpents and if we drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt us; we shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. The least every believer should be able to do is speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues is very important because Christ said so. Not only that when you pray in tongues, you are praying out God’s plan for your life. I remember the testimony of a great man of God who had the gifts of interpretation of tongues. One early morning while he was praying in tongues, he found himself praying against the loss of a large sum of money but he did not understand. Two weeks later some men tried to dupe him out of his savings but one way or the other the whole thing collapsed. This man did not know he was about to be duped but the Holy Spirit knew about it and helped him pray against it while he was praying in tongues. If you are a believer and you are yet to speak in tongues, you do need to go to God in serious fasting and prayer.
Another potential in every believer is mentioned in John 14:12, Jesus said ‘ verily verily I said unto you , He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. As a believer, there is a room to exceed the great works Jesus did whilst He was on earth. One of the very few men who realized their potential in Christ was Paul. This man worked so hard for God, while he was still alive the Lord took him and showed him the crown that awaits him in heaven – crown of righteousness, 2 Timothy 4:8. One of the secrets of Paul’s achievement in Christ is found in Philippians 3:8- I count not myself to have apprehended: but his one thing I do, forgetting those which are behind, and reaching forth unto things which are before.
The fellow who will realize his potential in Christ must count himself not to have apprehended or achieved it yet. The reason why the growth of many are pegged in Christ today is because they think they have achieved it. They look back at the fasting or praying or souls or the messages God has preached through them and they begin to commend themselves. The best time to measure success is at the end of one’s life not while you are still young. Not only that, the fellow must forget his past achievements and work hard as if he or she has never achieved anything. If the longest time you have spent praying in tongues is forty –five minutes, aim for one hour. If the longest time you have spent praying to God is three hours, aim for four hours. Praise God that you pay your full tithe but you can increase it to fifteen percent. If the number of people you tell about Christ is five in a month, it is time to enter the ten a month level.
KEYWORD: To realize your potential in Christ , see yourself as someone who has not achieved much and work hard to exceed or break your past records in Christ.
Tuesday 2 July 2013
HOT OR COLD
MEMORY VERSE: So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth, Revelations 3:16
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 6, Ps 5-6, Prov 21, Col 4
The Most High God does not operate in half measures but full
measures. He does not like, He loves. John 3:16 says 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. Psalm 33:5 says He
loves judgment. According to Psalm 11:7, the righteous Lord loves
righteousness. All Solomon asked of Him was wisdom but because He loved
this young man He decided to give him what he did not even ask for which
was untold wealth and sound health, 2 Chronicles 1:1-12. The Lord does
not dislike, He hates. According to Proverbs 6:16-17 , He detest pride
and hates a proud look. Psalm 11:5 says His soul hates those that love
violence. If you are in the habit of beating up your partner – husband
or wife beware. Psalm 5:5 says He hates all workers of iniquity. Herod
incurred the wrath of God because of pride. This foolish king was so
proud that he enjoyed been compared to God. One day God made an example
of him – right on the spot worms ate him up alive, Acts12:12-23
Because God operates in extremes, He appreciates people who operate
in extremes too. When it comes to obedience, He prefers disobedience to
half obedience. In 1 Samuel 15:1-28, God gave Saul an instruction to
kill and destroy all the Amalekites. Saul went there and instead of
carrying out the instruction , he killed everyone and brought back the
king, cattle and livestock. Because of his half obedience, God dethroned
Him and gave the throne to David. Malachi 3:10 says Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house. The
Lord prefers people who do not pay their tithe at all to those who pay
half or one quarter tithe.
God prefers no service at all to half service. God does not take
lukewarm Christian serious. To Him they do not know what they want.
Revelations 3:16 says so then because thou art lukewarm, and neither
cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. If you want to be hot
for God be very hot and if you want to be cold be very cold but
lukewarmness He hates with a passion. If you want to be spiritual be
spiritual, if you want to be carnal be carnal but missing carnality and
spirituality is courting His wrath. There is nothing like Sunday Sunday
Christian. If you want to be a Christian be a full Christian, Monday to
Sunday, 24 hours of the day. If you want to be a Christian, be a full
Christian at home, at church, at college, at work e.t.c. not that they
know you as a holy sister or holy brother in church and outside church
you are something different.
ACTION POINT: Take an inventory of areas in your life where you have been neither hot or cold and begin to make amendments.
Monday 1 July 2013
ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD
MEMORY VERSE: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 5,Ps 3-4, Prov 20, Col 3
Whatever you are going through , God is aware. It does not matter how rough and touch it maybe, He is aware and He will bring you out unhurt. Psalm 34:20 says the Lord keepeth the bones of the righteous and not one of them is broken. The interpretation of this is that the enemy may throw challenges at you, he may fold, bend, shake, shuffle you, do all sorts but the Lord God himself will ensure that nothing happens to your bones which means you will come out of every challenges bouncing in the Lord. Whatever you going through, will not destroy you. How do I know these? Isaiah 3:10 says tell the righteous is shall be well with him. Whatever the enemies are planning against you, just ignore them because it will only work out for your own good. Romans 8:28 says all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.
When the bible says all things work together for good it means everything will work out for your good. Someone may then ask that how can losing my job or failing an exam or not finding a partner work together for my own good? I believe Joseph must have nurtured this thought too when his brothers sold him to slavery. He must have reasoned that how can been put in prison for an offence he did not commit work for his good ? Few months after I joined my currently employer on a temporary contract, a temporary supervisory role came and I applied for it. I prayed and fasted, I also informed some pastors and we all prayed and the Lord said that I would get the job. Brethren when the result came out I was not even shortlisted at all. To make matters worse they cut down my hours and I was really devastated. Around three years later, that temporary supervisory role was advertised as permanent and I applied for it again. I applied with the people who were currently in that role as temporary team leaders and the Lord gave me the job. Everything that happened worked together for my good.
From studying our memory verse, you will come to the conclusion that two conditions have to be satisfied before all things can work together for good for us. Condition 1 is that we must love the Lord and condition 2 is that we must give our life to Christ. How can i proof to the whole world that i love Jesus ? By obeying His commandments. Jesus says in John 14:15 if ye love me keep my commandments. If you do everything the Lord expects of you, I can guarantee you that no matter what happens it will work for your good.
PRAYER POINT: Father, please let all things work together for my good.
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