QUIT MAKING EXCUSES

MEMORY VERSE: Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young. Jeremiah 1:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 4

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” It is one thing for God to want to bless an individual; it is another thing for that to happen. It is one thing for God to want to give an individual a major breakthrough; it is another thing for that to materialize. It is one thing for God to want to take an individual to the very top; it is another thing for that to happen at God’s time or even happen at all. It is one thing for God to want to give a brother a good sister as wife or a sister a good brother as husband; it is another thing for that to happen for the brother or the sister. One of the things that has prevented many from becoming who God wants them to be or becoming who God created them to be is ‘excuses’.

Moses was born to be a deliverer. God created him for the sole purpose of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt to the promise land. When the Lord sent him to Pharaoh, he came up with an excuse. Exodus 4:10 says, “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” The same thing with Jeremiah, God ordained him to be a prophet from his mother’s womb. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” When the Lord called him into ministry, he too gave an excuse. Jeremiah 1:6 says, “Alas, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” How about Esther? The Lord raised her from dunghill to sit with kings and queens. She was an ordinary orphan before the Lord elevated her to become the queen of a whole kingdom. When it was time for her to speak for her people because that was why God put her there ( to speak for her people), she too came up with an excuse. Esther 4:11 says, “All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days."

I thank God that He did not allow Moses, Jeremiah, and Esther to have their way. He insisted, directly or indirectly, that they carry out His assignment. They did and profited greatly from carrying it out. One thing that will hinder you from becoming who God created you to be is the excuse you are giving not the devil or household enemy. Those excuses will not take you anywhere. There is no man or woman alive who does not have an excuse. Every great man or great woman you read about today or hear their stories had excuses not to do those things they did that made them great. Many miss church because they are not feeling well. Not everyone who comes to church feels well. Some despite their menstrual pain still come to church. Friend, you are not the only one who has excuses. I read the inspiring story of a man named Stephen Sutton. At the age of 15 he was diagnosed with cancer. He decided that although it was over for him, he would raise enough money to cater for other cancer patients. Before he died at the age of 19, he had raised over 4.96 million pounds from over 340,000 donors. This young man had a genuine excuse to be unhappy. He had a genuine excuse to complain and moan. He had a genuine excuse to sit back and wait for death but he didn't. He decided to raise money for charity.

NOTE: Excuses and self-pity will not take you anywhere.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MAKING IT UP

MEMORY VERSE: lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, Colossians 3:9. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 29, Ps 73, Isa 21, 2 Pet 2

A lie is a lie no matter how you paint it. As far as it is void of the truth, it is a lie. There is nothing called half truth, it is either a lie or the truth. No matter how you phrase it or put it, as far as it is not the whole truth it is a lie. If there is a tiny bit of a lie in a story, the whole story is a lie. Galatians 5:9 says a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. One aspect of lying is making things up i.e. when something is not there and you say it is there, it is a lie. No liar will make heaven. Why? According to John 8:44 the devil is the father of lies or liars and no child of the devil will be permitted in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 says a lying lips are abomination to the Lord; but they that deal truly are His delight.

When we talk of making things up, it does not necessarily have to be telling a lie. There are many who without opening their mouth make things up. All they need to do with their pen is add two extra zeros and 500 becomes 50000. Another example is found in many CV’s today. People want to sell themselves to their prospective employers so they begin to come up with experiences they do not have or funny references. If it is not true then it is a lie! There are some who are still living a life of lies. An example of this is acting holy. Holiness is not an act but a lifestyle. You can fool men into believing anything but you cannot fool God who sees inside and out. To be pure outside you need to be inside first. This is why the holy word of God says that blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, Matthew 5:8.

There are many who who make things up with their actions.There many today who dye their hair immediately they begin to notice grey hair coming out. Whether you believe it or not this is a form of lie. You give people an impression that your hair is dark when it is actually grey! One of the biggest lie in the church of God today is the use of make-up. As the name implies you are making things up i.e. you are making something that is not there appears as if it is there. This is all what ‘make up’ is all about; giving people false impression. As brothers you should not be attracted to ‘make-up’ but character, besides what is the point of engaging with someone who is not sincere with basic things like the length of her hair or her nails. It is better to know that a sister has pimples before marriage than to find out next morning after marriage when the ‘make-up’ is all gone. Sisters be wary of a brother who wants you make-up first before he falls in love with you. The reason why he wants you to make-up first is because he does not like the real you and honestly immediately that make-up goes off that brother will run away. Sisters be careful of a brother who loves to be told a lie because such brother do not value the truth and the chances are he will tell you a lie.

KEYWORD: A lie is a lie regardless of who is saying it and how it is presented.