Vanity of Influential people

VANITY OF INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE

Monday 3 September                              Bible in one year: Esther 8-10

Memorise: The Lord is good,a strong hold in day of trouble;and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7

Read : Hosea 10:13-15

Due to the nature of man,placing your hope on associates can cause the death of your expectations. The reasons some are hopeful of getting a job or a particular contract is because a friend or close associate has assured them of assistance. Never allow any associate take the place of God in your life!In Jeremiah 9:2-4,Jeremiah warned the Israelite that they should not put their trust in their brother or neighbor because their lifestyles was replete with lies.Jesus did not commit Himself to man because He could see how vain they were(John 2:24-25). For those living in these last days, the Bible paints a bleak picture of their character even believers are not spared because,commitment to the truth is ebbing fast. It is increasingly difficult to really have someone to trust among professing Christians today because many have adopted and retained some level of falsehood. Before you enter into partnership with fellow believers, be led of God to the specific believer or else, you would be thoroughly disappointed by the actions of some Christians whose lives have been taken over by the love of money and falsehood.

Similarly , any expectation build on influential people such as those in government ,family,church , academia,trade unions,etc., can easily disappoint because those making the promises are ordinary men. How many people who voted into public offices have truly kept their promises? Basing your hopes on such people could cause a heart attack when they disappoint you.God raised the nation of Israel through the ranks; from humble beginnings with inexperienced soldiers to a greatly fortified nation with mighty warriors . But what did the people do? They took their trust from God and placed it in their mighty men. No wonder God told them they would fail (Hosea 10:13-15). The  confidence of some Christians has shifted from God to their prayer contractors. Even some church leaders now put their trust in their prayer band members forgetting that when men pray, it is left to God whether to answer or not. If He refuses to answer, you cannot take Him to court. Let your trust be in the Lord.

KEY POINT: It is either you trust in God or in man. Who trust determines whether you are blesses or not.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E A Adeboye

LOVE IS UNQUENCHABLE

Thursday 9 August Bible in one year: Joshua 10-12

Memorise: Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all substance of his house for love, it would utterly contemned. Song of Solomon 8:7

Read: Songs of Solomon 8:6-7

Although it is difficult to effectively define love, it is clear that love involves very powerful emotions. Solomon was a beneficiary of God’s love and he writes that love is equal to death in terms of strength (Song of Solomon 8:6). Most people fear death but very few fear love, yet they are equal in strength. Death and Love have a sense of finality associated with them. Those who really know what love is are always afraid of falling in love because once you really love someone; it does not matter what the fellow does, your love for that individual never dies. Song of Solomon 8:7 says
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Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it: If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

Floods of adversity and difficulty cannot quench love. If you say you love and later say you do not love your spouse again because there is no money at home for food, or because of negative pressures form in-laws, that love is quenchable.

In Romans 8:35-39, Paul says nothing and nobody can stop the love of God from flowing to us. Love is unstoppable and unquenchable. It is difficult to offend someone who really loves you because love forgives all sins, wrongs and offences (Proverbs 10:12). Are you finding it difficult to forgive your spouse for falling into fornication? If you love that spouse you will receive the grace to forgive. There is no harm that is done to you that you cannot forgive if you love somebody. However, taking it for granted that your spouse will always forgive your sins is a dangerous thing because God Himself may take up the assignment of judging you. What happens when the one you love disappoints you? The three Hebrew boys before king Nebuchadnezzar stated that even if their God disappoints in delivering them, that will still love Him ( Daniel 3:16-18)? Many Christians will be offended when God does not grant their request; this shows their level of love for Him. When you are genuinely in love, it will be a thing of pleasure to make sacrifices for the one you love. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were ready to die in the fire out of their love for God. Do you love God to the extent of dying for Him, just like He loved you and died for you?

PRAYER POINT: Father, just as you have loved me to the point of giving Your Son Jesus Christ to die for me, help me to love You without holding back anything.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

BLESSED HOPE RENEWED

Monday 16 July Bible in one year: Judges 16-18

Memorise : wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Read :1 Corinthians 15:51-58

The Holy Communion is a special meal. It is a celebratory meal. As you take of it , you celebrate your victory over worry and anxiety. John 14:1-3 says you should not let your heart be troubled because He is returning to us. Jesus partook of this meal before His departure and He promised to return for us. Even if you have different issues troubling you, the remembrance of the fact that He will return and that your tomorrow will be alright, should bring glorious peace upon you.

1 Corinthians 15:49-57 tells that because He died and resurrected after His body was broken and His blood was shed, we no longer have any cause to fear death. Sometime in 1980,my father in the Lord was sick and his friend was also sick. He sent a message to his friend that he would soon be going. His friend replied, “i will give be gone before you”. They were talking about dying like taking an ordinary journey. When you partake of the Holy Communion , you celebrate your victory over death. Fear of death is completely nullified. Also ,taking the Holy Communion helps you celebrate that blessed hope that one day , your Savior will come. In Matthew 26:29 , the Lord says

But i say unto you , I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,until that day when I drink it with you in my Father’s Kingdom.

Yes, one day, the Lord will come for us and take us to His Father’s kingdom and there we will wine and dine with Him. What a blessed Hope! This hope is a wonderful source of comfort for all believers in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). Partaking of the Communion therefore reminds you that you have another home ahead-in the perfect land of blessedness where you won’t have to suffer as you did on earth. As you take the Holy Communion ,you are reminded of His promise in John 14:1-3 that one day, He will take you to be with Him and you will forever be in His presence. We shall forever live with your Savior in Heaven. This is why you must not miss communion service. The power of this meal is normally experienced at our monthly Holy Communion Service, If you can ,don’t miss it. How prepared are you for Heaven ?

PRAYER POINT:

Thanks God that Jesus is returning for you. Pray that you will not miss His return.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

THE UNLIMITED GOD

Thursday 12 July                         Bible in one year Luke 14-17

Memorise : To whom then will liken me, or shall i be equal? saith the Holy One . Isaiah 40:25

Read: Isaiah 40:28-31

God is the omnipotent God. The word ‘omnipotent’ is a combination of two words omni and potent. Omni means ‘all’ , while potent means ‘power’ . So the word omnipotent means the who has all the power.

Behold , i am the Lord , the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:27

A major difference between God and man is in the area of limitation. Man is limited but God is unlimited . Man is limited in strength. Isaiah 40:30 says

even the youths shall faint and be weary , and the young men shall utterly fall,

As energetics as youths are, they can still faint, and fall. Man is also limited by death hence James 4:13-14 compares a man’s life with vapour. On the other hand , God is not limited in strength as He is neither tired nor weary (Isaiah 40:28). He does not need to sleep or slumber because He is never tired ( Psalms 121:3-4). God is not limited by death because He lives forever( Revelations 4:9). The spirit of death is only one of His numerous creatures and when God is through with it, He will send it to the lake of fire( Revelations 10:24).

Many people make promises that they honestly intend to keep but before they could fulfill their promises , death snatches them away. God never grows old as He is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalms 90:1-2). Also, He has no beginning , since everything that has a beginning must equally have an end. Hence , whatever problems there are in your life today started one day and must also end one day. Our God is unlimited in resources like men. There are times you will desire to do something,say assist a needy fellow or heal a sick person but the resources will be lacking; but not so with God. Some years ago, my youngest son came to ask me what I wanted for Christmas but I told him not to bother. He insisted that I should just mention it so I asked him to buy me an aeroplane.He laughed and said that was not the kind of gift he was talking about. Why? it was because he was limited. Some people would wish they could support the projects in camp or buy their pastor a car or house but they are limited in resources. The implication is this: because God cannot be limited, all our limitations are extremely limited. Every limitation facing you shall be swallowed up by His unlimitedness in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT
Father, this season , let your Almightiness swallow every limitation in my life and family.