I SHALL BE THE HEAD PT2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ex 2, Luke 5, Job 19, 1 Cor 6

Deuteronomy 28:13 and the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.

In Part 1of these series, we defined the meaning of the head. We also mentioned that the head carries a lot of responsibilities. The head bears heavy responsibilities because inside the head is an organ called the brain. The only part of the body that does not rest is the brain. While the hands are folded and the legs are crossed, the brain is busy at work. To be the head means I will be hard working. When you say I shall be head, what you are saying is whilst others are busy wasting time I will be busy working. Proverbs 12:24 says the hands of the diligent will rule but the lazy man will be put to forced labor. Been the head simply means I will make good use of my time. It means I will be the first to get to the organization, school or business and the last to leave. It means I will get to church before everyone. I shall be head also means while people are sleeping at night, I will be busy watching in prayers.

The brain is the seat of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. The brain is responsible for making decisions. To make wise ecisions, wisdom is required. Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says but wisdom is profitable to direct. Ecclesiastes 7:19 says wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers of the city. Been the head means i will make wise decisions because the head gets the blame for every wrong decision. One of the reasons why the head gets blamed for whatever goes wrong is because the head controls the body. It is the brain that tells the body to carry out actions. Where does the brain gets its wisdom from? Psalm 111:10 says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If there is a fellow who does not fear the Lord, something is wrong with the fellow’s brain. To make wise decisions, one needs to have the fear of the Lord in his heart. Proverbs 8:13 says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Proverbs 10:27 says the fear of the Lord prolongs days. Proverbs 14:2 says he who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. To be head means I will fear the Lord.

KEY WORD: I shall be the head simply means I will be hard working. It also means I will fear the Lord.

I SHALL BE THE HEAD PT1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ex 1, Luke 4, Job 18, 1 Cor 5

Deuteronomy 28:13 and the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.

The plan of God for every of His children is that they be head always and never be the tail. The head is the most important part of the human body. When applying for a visa or passport, you will be required to provide a passport picture of the head. Why? It is because they know that if they amputate a man’s leg, he can still live; if his two hands are amputated, he can still survive but once the head is cut off that is the end. Not only that, the only part of the human body that cannot be transplanted is the head! So when the Lord promises to make you the head, what it means is you will be the most important person around. What it simply means is you will become indispensible. It also means you will be at the top at all times. You will be so important that the strong and mighty will be coming to you for counseling. Jesus Christ is the head of the church, Ephesians 5:23. The tail on the other hand is so useless, the Lord did not even bother giving it to man. The head is the fellow in charge; the leader; the captain.

The head carries a lot of responsibilities. It is true that the head is the most important part of the body but do you also know that it is only the head that suffers headache? When everything is running smoothly, the whole body takes the glory but when things go bad the head is held accountable. Take for instance a football team. When the team wins matches and qualifies for major competitions, the whole team gets the praise but when they fail to qualify or win trophies, the manager (the head) gets the blame and loses his jobs. Anywhere you go to in the world, the head always gets blamed when things go wrong, be it in the church, family, at work, in the country. Even when the head is not aware of what is happening in the body, he gets the blame for anything that goes wrong. David and his men had just come back from war when they found out that the Amalekites had invaded and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire, 1 Samuel 30:1-8. The Amalekites took everyone in Ziklag as captives and went their way. When the men of David saw this, they became angry and began to contemplate stoning David their leader. David was in no way responsible for what the Amalekites had done; besides he lost his family just like everyone else but because he was the head they blamed him for the actions of the Amalekites. Whilst in Rephidim, the children of Israel thirsted but there was no water to drink so they began to blame their head- Moses, Exodus 17:1-7. When Moses could not find water they said he was doing it on purpose just to kill them and their children in the desert. It got a point they began to contemplate killing him. Moses too had no water to drink but because he was the leader, the children of Israel held him accountable for the lack of water. Thank God there is someone called the Burden-Bearer. When the men of David contemplated stoning him, David ran to God –the Burden Bearer. Also when things began to get out of hand, Moses too ran to God. No matter what challenges you may face at the top, there is a Burden- Bearer who you can call on and He will assist you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please bear my burdens for me

HE MUST INCREASE PART 3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 49, Luke 2, Job 15, 1 Cor 3

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease

To become an ambassador of Christ, Christ must increase and we must decrease. As ambassadors we do not represent ourselves but Christ. Today we will be looking at Christ increasing in what we hear and see. Mark 4:24 says take heed what ye hear, with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. Take heed simply means watch out. What you hear can either make you happy or sad. It can either strengthen you or weaken you. What you hear informs your decision and actions. Romans 10:10 says for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the heart to believe unto righteousness, the ear must have heard something. What you hear can either build your faith or destroy your faith. Hebrew 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. The question is how do I get faith? Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The more of God’s word you hear, the more faith you will have. This is why we must do away with audio and video materials where they curse and swear, talk about sex or glorify crime. By hearing the word of God, our faith becomes stronger and stronger. The more of God’s word we listen to, the more of it we will have in our hearts and the more of life we will have. According to Galatians 3:5, God supplies His spirit to us and works miracles among us by the hearing of faith. If you want to become fuller with the Holy Spirit, hear more of God’s word. Since His words are spirit and life, every time we hear it life comes to dead situations in our lives.

Christ must also increase in what we see. It is impossible for Christ to increase in our life when we indulge in pornography or materials with sexual contents. We must cut down on TV; most of the programs on TV are not really good for our spiritual growth. Most of these sitcoms and soap operas add no value to us, they only eat up the time we could have spent reading the bible. For Christ to increase in our life, we must read the bible more. The goal of every Christian should be to complete the bible in a year. The bible equips you for good work, 2 Timothy 3:15-16. 2 Timothy 2:15 says study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. When you study the word of God, He approves of you. For Christ to increase, we must read more Christian literatures especially the ones on Holiness and the Holy Spirit.

KEYWORD: The responsibility of growing your faith lies in your hands. You can grow it by hearing by the word of God.

I SHALL BE THE HEAD PT3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Ex 3, Luke 6, Job 20, 1 Cor 7

Deuteronomy 28:13 and the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them.

The head is the most important part of the body. The head simply means the leader, captain; one in charge e.t.c. The head bears a lot of responsibility because inside the head is the brain responsible for making decisions. Inside the head are two eyes. For the head to function properly, it needs good eyes. Luke 11:34 says the light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine is single, thy whole body is full of light. Without good eyes, the whole body will be in darkness. Matthew 6:23 says if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. The eye is an organ of vision. Therefore the head is responsible for vision. Proverbs 29:18 says where there is no vision, the people perish. When we talk of vision, we mean spiritual vision i.e. seeing things the way God will sees them. The question is how does God see sin? He sees all sins as sin , there is no big sin or small sin ; all sins are sin. To be head means I will see sin as a sin i.e. I will see a lie as a sin not a white lie or blue lie. How does God see commitment to Him? Revelations 3:15 says I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. To God you either cold or hot, lukewarmness is an abomination to Him. To be the head means I will be very hot for the Lord. Spiritual vision also means following after the direction of God. To be the head means I will guide the people aright i.e. in the way of righteousness. When you say I shall be the head, what you are saying is that I will lead people in the part of righteousness.

There are several advantages of having a good vision or seeing things the way God sees them. One of it is one begins to see his or herself surrounded by opportunities. In 2 Kings 4:1-7 is the story of a woman in big debt. She had a small jar of oil and was surrounded by people with empty vessels. She was surrounded by opportunities but could not see it. She ran to the man of God and that one asked her what she had. She said she had nothing except a jar of oil. Because the man of God could see, he told her she was surrounded with vast number opportunities i.e. there are other people around her with empty vessels. He told her to go and borrow the empty vessels and pour her oil in them; their poverty will make her rich. An individual who sees things the way God sees them will see the need of the people around and from the need of the people become prosperous. The individual will see a need for a service or goods around him, and from providing the goods or service he will become rich. Another advantage is one begins to see a way where there is no way. When the children of Israel saw Goliath, they saw an unbeatable champion, 1 Samuel 17:20-58. Actually they saw challenging Goliath to a fight as suicide. When David came to the scene, he not only saw that Goliath was beatable,he saw that his head could actually be severed from his body too. He aimed at his unprotected skull and immediately Goliath fell, he took his huge sword and cut off his head.

KEY WORD: I shall be the head simply means I will begin to see things as God sees them not as men see them.It also means i will lead people in the path of righteousness.

ACCEPTING CORRECTION

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 47, Luke 1:1-38, Job 13, 1 Cor 1

Exodus 18:17 and Moses’ father in law said unto him, the thing thou doest is not good.

BIBLE STUDIES: Exodus 18:1-27

The elders have saying ‘we see the back of the head of others someone we will see your own for you’ i.e. we see the faults of others; we need someone to see our faults. Ecclesiastes 7:20 says for there is not a just a man upon earth, that does good, and sins not. What Solomon meant was there is no one who is universally and perfectly good. The only One who is universally and perfectly good is God. James 1:17 says with Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. There is no man alive who has never made mistake. No one knows it all or has it all. There are things we do that we think is right that are far from right. At times there are errors in our judgment, we overact and under react. Many at times we do things in the integrity our heart not intending to hurt anyone not knowing we are actually hurting people. We take decisions that seems best to us only to found out few minutes or days later that we should not have taken such decisions.

In our Bible studies we see Jethro (Father in Law of Moses) advising him. Jethro heard the mighty things God was doing in Israel, especially how God was using his son –in- law so he decided to pay Moses a visit. Immediately Moses saw him from afar, he ran to him bowed with his face to the ground. They greeted and he took Jethro in. Jethro noticed how Moses would sit from morning till evening to judge and settle petty disputes between the children of Israel. He called him and advised him to appoint fit and God fearing men, teach them and make them rulers over thousands, hundreds and tens. Moses obeyed and his life was prolonged. There are one or two points I will like to bring to your attention in our bible reading. Firstly, you are been watched. Whether you like it or not people are observing how you talk, react to issues, and conduct yourself. Just as Jethro watched how his son-in-law did things, people are watching how you do things. Secondly, the way you carry yourself will determine if people will correct you or not. It will either encourage them or discourage them. Immediately Moses saw his father in law he bowed down and humbled himself . Jethro was able to correct Moses because he was humble and approachable. If you are humble and approachable, people will point out things you should have done better or things you are currently doing that are not too good. Remember the Lord can use anyone to correct you. Moses was a mighty prophet dripping with anointing. Through the hands of Moses, God performed mighty signs and wonders – parted the red sea; turned his rod to a snake that swallowed snakes and so on. Despite all his achievement in the ministry and the fact a whole nation looked up to him, the Lord used a common man with no anointing and achievement to correct him. Thirdly when people correct you, they are been diplomatic. What they are really saying is that thing you are doing is not good. Fourthly it is not enough to say you have heard; do something about it. Lastly, do not procrastinate because delay could be fatal.

KEY WORD : The way you carry yourself will determine If people will correct you or not.

LOOKS CAN BE DECEPTIVE

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 46, Mark 16, Job 12, Romans 16

 Genesis 13:10 and Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah , even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 13:6-15

There was a big strife between herdsmen of Lot and Abram over wells and pastures. This strife began to affect the relationship between Lot and his cousin – Abram. Abram suggested to his cousin that they separate and Lot should pick a portion of land. When Lot wanted to pick, he employed his eyes instead of God. He relied on his physical vision and common sense to make a life changing decision. The bible records that he lifted up his eye and beheld all he plain of Jordan that it was well watered everywhere. He made his decision based on what he saw – a well watered land not what he heard from God. His wants played a major role in the decision he made that day. Despite the fact that he was aware of the ways and lifestyles of the inhabitants of Sodom, he remained in Sodom because of business. The family of Lot profited a lot from doing business with the people of Sodom.They made him their judge and gave him a seat at the city gate. Lot’s priorities hinged on worldly gains not heavenly gains.

Shortly after he moved to Sodom, another king waged war against Sodom and took him captive, Genesis 14:1- end. God used Abram to deliver him. The next thing that happened was he got into a bigger trouble and began to exchange his daughters for peace. The men of Sodom tried to molest his guests. To protect them, he had to offer his daughters to them for the peace and safety of his guests, Genesis 19:4-8. On the same day, the judgment of the Lord came on the Sodom and he had to run for his dear life. Lot did not know peace in Sodom as he jumped from one problem to another. It was in this process that he lost all he had and his precious wife. He went to Sodom with thousands of cattle, sheep, goat and servants but he left Sodom with nothing. Before you know it, Lot became a drunkard. From that day onward the bible had nothing to say about Lot again. Abram on the other hand waited on the Lord and chose according to God’s plan for his life. He went on to become the father of nations. Today many singles marry based on looks. The ladies want a tall, black and handsome man with a good job. The men want a woman with a perfect figure. Many enter relationships based on what they can get from the relationships not what they have to offer. Financial or material gains should not be a deciding factor when it comes to making a decision. Do not do things because everyone is doing it. What decided the end of Abram and Lot were factors that informed their decisions.

ACTION POINT: Let God inform every decision you make not your wants or looks.

BAD DREAMS, NIGHTMARES AND EVIL PROPHESIES

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 45, Mark 15, Job 11, Romans 15

Genesis 37:10 and he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said to him, what is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down to thee to the earth?

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 37:9-11

In Genesis 37:9-11 is a story we all know. Joseph stood before his father and brethren to tell them about a dream he had. In the dream, he saw the sun, the moon and eleven stars paying obeisance to him meaning his father and brothers were going to be his servants. Immediately Jacob heard this dream, he did something very interesting. Firstly he rebuked Joseph and rejected the dream; secondly he took note of the dream. This man did not wait for any pastor to come and reject the dream, right in the presence of Joseph he rejected the dream i.e. he refused to be a servant. The brothers instead of rejecting the bad dream they got angry at Joseph and his dream.

What do I do when I have nightmares or evil dreams? What do I when I get evil prophecies that something terrible is going to happen to me? The first thing you do is reject it. Immediately Jacob heard the dream, he rejected the dream. When you have a bad dream, immediately you wake up before talking to anyone reject the bad dream. If anyone comes to tell you of any bad dream or give you evil prophesy, right in their presence reject it. Numbers 14:28 says say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you. It is what you say in God’s ear that He will do. Let God hear you say ‘that evil dream or vision is not my portion’. In His hearing, reject that evil prophesy, dream or vision they saw about you. In His hearing, reject the vision or dream of death, failure or loss. The mistake many make today is once they have a bad dream or hear an evil prophesy or hear that something terrible will happen to them or their loved ones, they begin to panic and cry. Instead of rejecting the dream or vision they accept it, and unconsciously begin to expect it to happen. Brethren, it is what you expect that will come to pass. Proverbs 23:18 says your expectation shall not be cut off. Stop expecting evil prophesy or bad dreams to come to pass. Reject them immediately you hear them. The next thing Jacob did was he took note of the dream. He took note of the dream so as to put measures in place to ensure that the evil dream will not come to pass in his life. Take note of those evil prophesy and bad dreams; start praying and fasting. Ask the Lord to bring every counsel of the enemy to nothing over your life. The brothers of Joseph of accepted the dream and began to get angry at Joseph and his dream. By the time we get to Genesis 50:18, we see them bowing with their face to the earth begging to be Joseph’s servant. Jacob on the other rejected the dream, took note of it so as to pray.By the time we get to Genesis 47:10 we see Pharaoh (the most powerful man in the world at that time) bowing down to Jacob for prayers.

ACTION POINT: Reject every evil prophesy, vision, dream about you.

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITY

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 44, Mark 14, Job 10, Romans 14

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil

Our life is a sum total of what we have done with opportunities that have come our way. Opportunities are chances for progress or advancement. To succeed in life, one needs opportunities even if it is one. What a man will become will be determined by how he takes the opportunities that comes his way. The amount of souls you won for Christ last year is a function of how you took the opportunity to witness. The amount of souls you will win for Christ this year is dependent on how you to take the opportunities to evangelize. A man’s achievement is a sum total of what he has done with the opportunities he had in life.

Firstly, to take advantage of an opportunity you must be able to recognize the opportunity. In Matthew 14:22-33 is a story we all know. There were twelve disciples in the boat. They were all faced with the same challenges. They all saw a figure walking on the sea and panicked. Jesus told them all to fear not. At the end He said ‘come’; Peter got out of the boat and walked towards Jesus while others watched. A once in a life time opportunity presented itself to these disciples to do something no man had ever done before which was walk on water. Eleven out of the twelve disciples saw the wind not the opportunity. Peter on the other hand saw the opportunity not the wind. Secondly, you need power to take advantage of an opportunity. Power is defined as the ability or capacity to do work or exercise control. The man at the pool of Bethesda saw thirty-eight opportunities to receive his healing but could not take advantage of it because he lacked power, John 5:1-16. Every time the angel of the Lord came to stir the water, someone stronger and more powerful gets into the pool before him. Acts 1:8 says and ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me. A witness is someone who provides evidence. Once power comes taking advantage of opportunities becomes easy.As you take advantage of these opportunities, signs and wonders will begin to happen. Healing, miracle, progress, open heavens will begin to take place. This are the evidences that you will provide when you witness to people about Jesus.The Psalmist says in Psalm 62:11, God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. The only who gives real power is God, the one the devil gives is counterfeit!

PRAYER POINT: Father, fill me your power today.

LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN LEG

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 43, Mark 13, Job 9, Romans 13

Psalm 147:10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: He taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.

When the elders refer to your legs, they are referring to the people you know, your friends and support network. When they say an individual has long legs, what they are saying is that individual knows people at the top or those that matter in the community. What they are saying is that individual knows power brokers or decision makers e.g presidents, kings, governors, CEOs etc. In the world we live in today, who you know matters. Elisha told the Shunamite woman “wouldest thou be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the host (2 Kings 4:8-17)”? Because Elisha knew those that mattered in the society – the king and the captain, he offered to speak on behalf of the Shunamite woman to them. I pray that the Lord will connect you to people that matter in Jesus name. I also prayer that you too will be numbered among the people that matters.

Physically, the stronger your legs the farther the distance you will able to travel. The more people (decision makers) you know, the more you will able to achieve in life if you are serious. When it comes running, strong and fast legs are advantageous as they would get you to your destination quicker. When you know the right people, you succeed within a very short period. A journey of twenty years will take you a year courtesy of who you know. Also outrunning your competitors becomes easy when you know the decision makers. To stand for a long period of time, strong legs are required. To remain at the top , you need to know and be friends with people that matters. Physical strong legs are needed to carry heavy goods. The stronger your legs the heavier the burdens you will be able to carry. To become the president of a nation, you must really know a lot of highly placed people. Physical strong legs are needed to climb a ladder ,so also knowing the people that matters are needed to rise in life. It is a good thing to know the people that matters but do you know that the Lord does not need your support network or contacts to bless you ?Psalm 147:10b says He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man. When it comes to rising to the top, you don’t really need to know anyone except the Lord. The only One that matters is Jesus. All human contacts, connections, support network e.t.c all have limitations. When the Lord carries you, you will reach your destination in the shortest possible time; outrunning your enemies becomes easy; remaining at the top becomes easy ;undertaking heavy responsibilities becomes easy because the Lord is your strength (Psalm 60:12); reaching the top becomes easy because His arms are everlasting ( Deuteronomy 33:27) .

PRAYER POINT: Father , please as from today begin to carry me.

DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 42, Mark 12, Job 8, Romans 12

Mark 6:3 is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at him

Bible studies: Mark 6:1-6

Mighty signs and wonders were happening in the ministry of Jesus. Everywhere He went to preach, people received major miracles. One day He decided to visit His own country to bless them, heal their sick, raise their dead, perform mighty signs and wonders, fellowship with them and spend a nice time with them. When He got there, He could not heal them or render much assistance because of their unbelief. Instead of exercising their faith they began to doubt and look down on Him. They said ‘is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us? And they were offended at him, Mark 6:3. Because they knew the family of Jesus, they took Him granted. Because Jesus grew among them instead of taking Him as a prophet, they took him as the son of an ordinary carpenter. They did not even listen to Him and because of this they missed out on their blessings. They took the relationship they had with Jesus for granted and they missed out on the benefits of that relationship. The relationship that could have resulted in having unlimited access to Jesus was taken for granted. Because they took the relationship and visit for granted, the bible did not record Jesus going back to His country again after that incident. People who take their relationship with people for granted end up not benefiting from that relationship. Do not take your husband or wife for granted. There are many single who crying to God day and night for a husband or wife. Do not take your children for granted. Do not take your Pastors for granted. Do not take your friends for granted. There are people who are looking for a shoulder to cry on and there is none. If you have people who care about you and call you from time to time to check on you ,please do not take them for granted.

Judas Iscariot did not value the opportunity to be the disciple of Jesus so he exchanged Him for thirty pieces of silver, Matthew 27:3. At the end he regretted and committed suicide. People who take opportunities for granted lose them. Maximizing the benefits you can get from a relationship will be impossible if you take it for granted. Please never take anything for granted. Thank God for everything you own. Please do not take your spiritual gifts or your advantage for granted. I know of a sister who did dry fasting for fourteen days for the gift of speaking tongues, if you speak in tongues don’t take it for granted. Do not take your employment for granted, there are people who will do anything to get a job. Do not even take your freedom and liberty for granted, there are many innocent people in the prison.1 Thessalonian 5:18 says in everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ concerning you. You might be looking to God for one thing or other, thank God for the gift of Life because only the living has needs.

KEY WORD: Opportunities taken for granted are lost. Benefiting from a relationship taking for granted is impossible.

WATER TO WINE PART 4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 41, Mark 11, Job 7, Romans 11

John 2:3 and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine.
Bible studies: John 2:1-11

After the wine was exhausted, Mary approached Jesus to inform Him of the situation of things. After a brief chat with Jesus, she gave an instruction to the disciples of Jesus and left. Today we will be looking at the instruction she gave as it was pivotal to the miracle that turned water to wine. She said “whatever He says to you, do it”. Let us look at the word ‘whatever’ closely. Whatever He says simply means anything He says. In other words she was telling them to carry out any instruction from Jesus, whether it is convenient or not, whether it appeals to common sense or not, whether it is logical or not, whether it is demanding or not, whether it will make them look stupid or not, whether it will cause them to lose friends or not but whatever instruction from Jesus, they should carry it out. There is no point running to Jesus if you are unwilling to carry out the instruction He will give. Isaiah 1:19 says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. The good of the land is available for all but only the obedient will eat of it.

After she left, Jesus instructed them to fill the water pots with water and they did. He then asked them to draw out some and give it to the master of the feast. They did as they were told and there was a miracle.There is a big lesson to learn here. The first instruction Jesus gave was they should fill the water pots with water. Secondly He told them to draw out of the water pots and give it to the master of the feast. The obedience to the first instruction brought the organizers of the party a step to closer to the miracle that turned water to wine. If they had disobeyed Jesus and not fill the water pots with water, there would not be anything to draw from when Jesus told them to draw from the water pots and give to the master of feast. Disobedience to the instruction of Jesus would have hindered the manifestation of God’s glory in the groom’s life. For one reason or the other I love King James Version of the bible but I own a New King James Version. I have always wanted to buy one but for a reason or the other it did not materialize. After service on a very cold Sunday, I walked into a corner shop or supermarket to buy some beverages with the last seven pounds on me. As I walked into the shop, an elderly man saw me with my huge NKJV bible and began to tease me. He asked about the church service and we got talking about bible and all that. While we were chatting, the Holy Spirit laid it on my mind to give this man two pounds out of the seven pounds to get a beverage for himself. I did as I was told but this old man refused. Instead he invited me to his house which was around the shop and I went with him. On getting to his house, I got to know that he was a pastor and a theologian. He had the bible in every language. To cut the long story short, I left his house that day with a brand new TBS KJV bible worth over sixty pounds. Because I was willing to part with my two pounds and I obeyed the Holy Spirit, I got a gift of over sixty pounds. Whatever the Lord asks you to do, please do it. He has a reason for asking you to do it.Brethren every of God’s instruction you carry out is a step towards your breakthrough. Every time you obey God, you are a step closer to your miracle.

KEY WORD: What He says to you, do it. Every time you obey God, you are a step closer to your miracle.

WATER TO WINE PART 3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 40, Mark 10, Job 6, Romans 10

John 2:3 and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine.

Bible studies: John 2:1-11

Immediately the wine finished, the organizers of the party did something interesting; they ran to Jesus. Instead of complaining to God or blaming God or worse still ask God why me? They ran to Jesus. The mistake most of us make when something goes wrong is we begin to apportion blame to people. Apportioning blames never solve problems, it only create enemies. When you blame people all you are doing is destroying the opportunity of God using that fellow to bless you in the future. Even if the individual is actually the cause of the problem, blaming them will not solve it. Many instead of going on their knees to pray begin to blame witches or wizards .Others even take it to another level by making negative confessions. They begin to used words like ‘my life is destroyed’, ‘finally my enemies have caught up with me’, ‘where will I start from’,’ I am in trouble’. Using words like these never solve problems, it only compounds it! Also complaining about our challenges never solves it. Actually the more we talk about it the bigger it becomes. One thing you should never do during challenges is ask God why me? Many even ask God ‘is this how you are going to pay me for all the things I have done for you- my offerings, my services, my this and that?’ This is not a wise thing to do. If you have ever done this before please apologize to Him.

John 2:3 says and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine. From studying this verse you will notice that the people waited for the wine to finish before crying for help. Why wait till the wine finishes before going to Jesus? In 2 Kings 4:1-7 the widow waited until her creditors began to threaten to sell her sons to pay of her debt before running to Elisha. Stop waiting till something happens before you pray. Don’t wait for challenges to come before you fast. Don’t wait for something to go wrong before you start going to church every Sunday or attend mid week services. Start fasting and praying now. Start attending all the services now. Don’t wait a week before the exams before you start praying. If the exam is in four months, start praying about it now. Don’t wait till you begin to have challenges in the family, work or home before you start asking God to uproot every tree He has not planted in your life. Start asking Him to do that now before challenges begin. Don’t wait until you are sick or begin to develop symptoms before you go for medical checkup. Go for check up from time to time so that if there are any concerns you can pray about it early. If you are over the age of forty, make sure you check your blood pressure regularly and do other necessary check up. Don’t wait for high blood pressure symptoms or any other disease related symptoms before you go for medical check –up. Many leave things too late; they rush to God in the last minute expecting God to jump into action. God is always ready to act on our behalf but it is wiser to take things to Him early. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says pray without ceasing. It is not too early to begin to pray about anything, actually the earlier the better.

KEY WORD: Don’t wait till the last minute before you run to God.

WATER TO WINE PART 2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 39, Mark 9, Job 5, Romans 9

John 2:3 and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine.

Bible studies: John 2:1-11

In part 1 of ‘water to wine’ series, we learnt that water symbolizes challenges and wine symbolizes celebration. Therefore water to wine simply means challenges to celebration. We touched the subject of Christians and alcohol. We also talked about one of the things that needs to be in place for water to turn into wine-for challenges to turn into celebration.

The fact that you love God does not mean there will not be challenges or problems. Problems and challenges are part and parcel of life - believers and non believers. The believer is only at an advantage because right in his boat is the Prince of Peace and a word from Him will still the storm. If anyone tells you that once you give your life to Christ there will not be challenges it is a lie. The bible says that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all, Psalm 34:19. Jesus even told His disciples that in the world they will have tribulations but they should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world for them, John 16:33. The Most High God says in Isaiah 43:2 that when you pass though the waters, He will be there. He did not say if you pass through waters, He said when you pass through waters.Jesus was in the boat when a great windstorm arose and the waves began to beat into the boat, Mark 4:35-41. When Jesus is in your boat, there could be storms but be rest assured that the boat will never sink. Jesus was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee and when the wine finished, John 2:1-11. When Jesus is at your wedding or function, the wine may finish but be rest assured that He will provide a better wine in excess. The fact that you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior does not exempt you from trials of faith. Several years ago I was about to close from work when the manager called three of us into his office. He told us the department was overstaffed and our services were no longer required. Our contracts were terminated right on the spot ; no notice period was given. Since we were temporary staffs, there was nothing we could do except leave. Today in that same place of work I have been made permanent, received recognitions, been promoted, participated in several recruitment e.t.c. The wine finished on that day but the Lord provided a better wine at the same place work. Whilst serving the Lord in spirit and truth, the enemies may attack and your wine finishes. I want to tell you the God you serve will provide a better wine. In that endeavor of yours, things might go wrong unexpectedly, I want to tell you there is God on the throne and you will not suffer disgrace. Anytime I am facing any challenges, i will tell people please do not pity me because Christ in me is the Hope of glory, Colossians 1:27. The wine may finish one hundred times but I very confident that Jesus will produce a better wine one hundred and one times.

KEYWORD: Challenges are part and parcel of life. When going through any challenges remember Christ in you is the hope of glory not of shame.

WATER TO WINE PART 1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 38, Mark 8, Job 4, Romans 8

John 2:3 and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine.

Bible studies: John 2:1-11

Water is a symbol of calamities and challenges. Isaiah 43:2 says when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee. Wine on other wine is a symbol of potency, joy, celebration, bounty, banqueting e.t.c. Isaiah 25:6 says in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full or marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. The summary of the story in John 2:1-11 is Jesus turned calamities and challenges to joy and celebration.

I have heard many Christians argue that there is nothing wrong in consuming alcohol, after all Jesus turned water to wine. They will round it up with 1 Timothy 5:23 where Paul advises Timothy to take little wine for his stomach problems. In Proverbs 31:4 -5, we see the mother of a King –to- be advising her son that it is not for kings to drink wine ,lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. One thing I know for sure is that Jesus did not and will never offer wines that will cause people to forget the law and the wine Paul referred to was not the type that helps pervert the justice of all the afflicted. There is nothing wrong in consuming fruit wines but wines containing alcohol even 0.5 percent is not to be touched by believers. Proverbs 23:29 -30 says who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Proverbs 20:1 says wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Isaiah 5:11 says woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! Not only that our body is the temple of the living God not a beer pub or alcohol storage facility. The organizers of the wedding at Cana in Galilee did one very wise thing; they invited Jesus to the wedding. One thing the devil hate is joy. He hates to see celebration and shouts of joy. That is why you would never see the devil around places where they are always shouting Hallelujah! He hates that word with a passion. The wedding planners planned the wedding to the best of their abilities but they still invited Jesus just in case. The One who can turn water into wine is Jesus. He only can turn challenges into celebrations. You may have had it all planned up, you have put measures into place, you have done all that needs to be done, dotted all the I's and crossed all the T's ,despite all that you still need Jesus. He only can keep the devil away or turn situations around. You may have everything in the world; once Jesus is missing you have nothing. Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and savior today and begin to enjoy a life full of celebrations.

KEY WORD: The only One who can turn water to wine is Jesus.

GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE PREGNANT

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 37, Mark 7, Job 3, Rom 7

 

Genesis 16:7 and the angel of the Lord her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

 

Bible studies: Genesis 16:7-14

 

Every one of us is pregnant . Some are pregnant with babies, ideas for expansions and other good things. In Genesis 16:7-14 is a story we all know. Immediately Hagar became pregnant her conduct and attitude changed towards her mistress - Sarai. Because of her disrespectful behavior, Sarai began to deal with her harshly and at a point she ran away. On her way the angel of the Lord met her and advised her to return to her mistress. She heeded to the voice of the angel and returned home.

 

There are one or two things to learn from this story. Firstly, God acknowledges and appreciates pregnant women. He pays special attention to them, and He expects us all to respect and care for them. It is a shame that in the society we live in today, people do not really appreciate them as they should and I believe there is more we can do when it comes to caring for them. There are some wicked husbands who physically abuse their pregnant wives or neglect them. There are some who will rather sit and watch a pregnant woman stand in the bus. This is bad and it should not be happening. Because of the stress Hagar was going through - a pregnant woman physically running away from her harsh mistress, God had to send an angel from heaven to her rescue. God has the same attitude towards anyone pregnant with ideas or any good thing. God loves serious minded people - people with vision and purpose. He will always go out of His way to send an angel to rescue them in trouble. Secondly, God is interested in what you are carrying. He puts measures into place to ensure that you do not miscarry what is inside you i.e. the baby, ideas, projects e.t.c. Hagar could have easily suffered miscarriage whilst running and the stress she was under would not have help matters. In other to ensure that she does not miscarry the baby, God sent an angel to guide her. God is very much interested in the safe delivery of the baby or ideas. This is why God frowns at abortion. Whether you believe it or not , abortion is the equivalent of murder. People may argue otherwise but according to Leviticus 17:11a , life of the creature is in the blood. The foetus in the womb has blood flowing through it and that is life.If you are reading this message and contemplating abortion , please refrain from it. If you have once had an abortion, please go to God for forgiveness immediately . If you are a guy who has consented to abortion with your partner in the past, please go to God for forgiveness.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me not to miscarry my good plans in 2013!

THE GOD OF PEREZ

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 34, Mark 5, Job 1, Romans 5

Genesis 38:29 and it came to pass, as he drew back his hand , that behold , his brother came out; and she said , How hast thou broken forth? This breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Perez.

Bible studies: Genesis 38:27-30

In our bible studies we read an account of events that took place in a particular labor room. Tamar the daughter in law of Judah was pregnant with twins and was putting to bed. The part of the baby that usually comes out first is the head and then the body. In this case one of the twins put out his hands first. The midwives then tied a scarlet on his wrist indicating he was the firstborn. The boy withdrew his hand and the midwives thought he was going to come out with the head but something shocking happened. The other twin in the womb came out instead. The midwives wondered out that happened? They literally asked the baby how he managed to do that i.e. this breach be upon you! They named him Perez. The other twin with the scarlet on his wrist came out and they called him Zerar.

At the beginning Zerar took the lead by putting out his hands and he was recognized immediately. They put a scarlet thread on his hands (form of an award). The midwives concluded he was the first born. They decided his destiny and put him ahead of his brother. As from that day, Zerar would always come before Perez. When it comes to inheritance, Zerar would get the lion share. When it comes speaking in the family, the opinion of Zerar will supersede that of his brother Perez. At that point, the destiny of Perez was also decided that he would be a follower all his life. Even if he tried, the best he can get is second. The God of Perez moved into action and changed things. Zerar withdrew his hands and Perez came out with the head making him the first born. The life of many can be compared to that of Perez; no one has ever paid attention to them because they felt they are second best. There are many who are unhappy because they consider themselves as been behind in life. They are yet to gain admission into the university while all their friends have all graduated and gotten jobs. They are single while their friends are now married with children. They are still applying for jobs while their friends are getting promotion at work or setting up their business and prospering. It is a bad place to be in life because people will start coming up with funny things. Some will say it is because you are too lazy or you are too proud that’s why you are single.At times people even attribute it to sin .The God of Perez is alive and He will help you in Jesus name. The meaning of Perez is making an opening through constant hammering. Whilst in the womb Perez did not give up. Despite the fact that Zerar had already put out his hands and had been recognized, he continued to make an effort. Perez also means to cause an interruption in a pattern. When you continue to make an effort you cause an interruption in pattern. Perez was a product of persistent effort and trust in the Lord. Psalm 25:3 says no one who trusts in the You will be disgraced. You may be behind today but as far as the God of Perez is concerned, the race is far from over. Keep working and trusting the Lord, I will soon hear your testimony, Amen.

KEY WORD: Perez was a product of persistence and trust in the Lord.

THE HOUSE OF PRAYER

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 35-36, Mark 6, Job 2, Romans 6

Mark 11:17 and he taught, saying unto them, is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.

Bible studies: Mark 11:11-17

In our bible studies we read a very disturbing account of what transpired between Jesus and the church. Jesus the head and the owner of the church visited a temple to fellowship and have a good time with them. Because the visit meant a lot to Him, He got there very early hoping to perform signs and wonders , raise dead situations and marriages , restore lost opportunities , impart them, bless them and most importantly spend the night with them . He came fully prepared having spent quality time in praying and fasting and all that. When He got to the temple, He decided to inspect the temple and what He saw grieved Him greatly. He saw religious ceremonies carried out with no relationship to the Spirit. He saw commercialism, injustice, exploitation, hypocrisy and a disregard for the holiness of His Father. This made Him very sad; no one even acknowledged Him and by the time it was evening He left the church grieving in His heart. Just as He visited the temple, He visits churches today to inspect and bless them but He leaves disappointed. He sees the church turning into a social gathering instead of a spiritual gathering. He sees the church turning into a fashion centre, a place to display wealth and success. He sees a lot of activities that has nothing to do with the Spirit. He sees people fighting to the extent of hurting themselves over church posts; He sees the shepherd interested in what the sheep has to offer rather than feeding the sheep and He returns back to heaven in tears. A young girl died and went to heaven.She described an incident were Jesus was crying over souls going to hell . In her own words, she said “Jesus does not cry like humans, when He cries you can feel it even to His heart!”. She said it is a painful thing to see yet many churches make Him cry every Sunday. He visits many services and while everyone is busying having fun, He is at the back weeping because He is now invisible even in His church i.e. His house.

After the inspection, Jesus left. He returned the next morning and we saw a side of Jesus that I pray that no one will ever see. You see Jesus can be very loving .1 John 4:8 calls Him love. He can also be a consuming fire too. Hebrew 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Three particular activities made Him very angry – buying and selling; money changing and dove selling. There should be no buying and selling inside the church. Outside the church you are free to buy and sell. There should be no money changing, if you need to change money do it before you come into the church. Dove selling is selling of anointing handkerchiefs, apples e.t.c. and it is prohibited in the house of God! No commercial activity should take place inside the church. After throwing out the money changers, dove sellers, He taught them and told them that the church is a house of Prayer. The church is a place for serious business with God not man. It is not avenue to socialize at all. There is nothing wrong chatting with your friends after the service but whilst in the presence of the Most High it is serious business. The centre of attraction in the church should be Jesus not you or me or the pastor.

PRAYER POINT: Father, send revival into all your churches all over the world.

KINGDOM PRINCIPLES Part 1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 33, Mark 4, Est 9-10, Romans 4

John 12:24 verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

God is a God of principles. Anyone who will experience heaven on earth must be addicted to following God’s principles. Firstly, every word that comes out of the mouth of Jesus needs to be taken seriously. According to John 6:63, the words that He speaks are spirit and life. When Jesus begins a sentence with verily (verily means truly), take that sentence very serious. When He says verily, verily i.e. truly, truly, please pay careful attention to the statement that follows because something of eternal value is about to be released. For example He says in John 3:5 verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior and you are yet to be baptized, you better run to your pastor and register for baptismal classes. Today I will be dealing with a principle found in the book of John. The Gospel according to John is filled with so many principles. John 12:24 says verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. How does a farmer turn a grain of corn into several? He plants it. The corn dies and germinate into a corn plant where he can now get enough corn to feed himself and his family. How does a man multiply what is in his hands? by sowing it. Matthew 13:12 says whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. The question is why is it that those who have will have more and out of the little people who don’t have has, it will be taken away? The answer is found in John 12:24. Those who have will have something to sow to bring forth increase and those who do not have will have nothing to sow. The truth is there is no one who does not have anything to sow. You may not have money but you have time. You have the strength to work in the vine yard of God or your mouth to witness.

I have always fancied studying abroad but the resources to do that were not available. My parents were blessed but their yearly earning could not even pay for a term’s school fees talk less paying for my yearly tuition and all that. The Holy Spirit inspired me to go and join the work men working at our church convention ground for free and I did. Six months later I was on the plane to UK to study. Back then I could not give an offering but I gave my time and strength. The Most High God even used this principle. He wanted many sons and daughter so He gave His only Son – Jesus to die. Today the Lord has several children all over the world all because He gave Jesus Christ. John 12:32 says if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. I know of a sister who wanted to get married. While other sisters were busy attending musical concerts, special church programs hosted by different churches with the hope of meeting a godly man, this sister joined all the departments in the church and began to work tirelessly. Within a year or two, the Lord brought her husband and she is happily married. Those attending concerts are still attending concerts.

KEY WORD: Sow what you have , to get what you do not have.