BAIT YOUR HOOK

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matthew 17:27

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 14-16

When Jesus arrived at Capernaum with His disciples, those in charge of temple tax collection approached Peter and demanded for temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27). He reported the matter to Jesus, who then instructed Him to go and fish. Matthew 17:27 says notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

Anyone who knows about fishing will tell you, an EMPTY hook will catch NOTHING. To catch a fish, one needs to BAIT his or her HOOK. A BAIT is not an ordinary fish food; it is food that LOOKS, SMELLS and TASTES as attractive as possible in order for the fish to want to eat in the first place. The fish have a lot of choice out there – somehow you have to make that choice easy for them. Today, your PRAYER REQUEST is a hook, to get an ANSWER from the heavens; you need to BAIT YOUR HOOK in other words you need to make your prayer requests as attractive as possible. How do I make my prayer request attractive to the heavens? Firstly, live a life of PURITY and HOLINESS. Isaiah 59:1-2 says behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. You can’t be disobeying God and expect Him to answer your prayers. If He does that, that will mean He is encouraging sin. Secondly, be HUMBLE and MEEK. Psalm 147:6 says the Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Many find it hard to apologize when they are wrong. One of the ways to identify a proud man is that he has DIFFICULTLY SAYING SORRY even he makes mistakes.

Thirdly, PAY your VOWS. Psalm 50:14 -15 says offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. There are many reading this devotional that are yet to pay the vows they made two years ago, there are some who are yet to redeem their pledges of 2010. Lastly, FORGIVE. Before you come to God with your prayer requests, ensure you have made peace with everyone. Matthew 5:7 says blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Psalm 18:25a sayswilt the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful. That brother has begged you, he has even invited people to beg you on his behalf, it is high time you showed mercy and forgive. That sister has apologized, it is high you forgave her!

NOTE: Unredeemed pledges hinder prayers; redeem your pledges as soon as possible.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.