THE FATHER’S RESPONSIBILITY (TO ALL PARENTS)

MEMORY VERSE: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Genesis 18:19

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:1-6, Proverbs 31:1, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Your children belongs to God not you. Psalm 127:3 says this: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” You are only a caretaker or guardian to your children and as such, you are expected to raise them to be useful for their parents i.e. God. You are expected to train them in a particular way. Proverbs 22:6 says this: “train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The question is this, what is the way they should go? In the way of the Lord i.e. in the right path – to fear God,to be humble, to respect God and man, to serve God first, men second and their nation, to be a law abiding citizen, to be loving and kind towards people, etc. This is where many parents fail; they train their children to hate certain people. Some single mothers train their children especially daughters to hate their fathers. Some fathers do this too. Some train their children to tell lies and play tricks. One thing most parents do not know is that children learn by observation a lot. They see how mummy talks behind Dad’s back and they learn it. They see how dad talks to mum and they learn it.

Another mistake many parents make is they tell their children about the way they should go. God did not ask you to tell your children about the way they should go, the instruction is "train them in the way they should go." Training is more than telling. Training is making sure someone does something correctly until it becomes a habit. Train that young girl on how to cook and take care of the house until she learns it and it becomes her second nature. Train that young boy on taking responsibilities until he learns it and it becomes his second nature. Train those children on how to take care of things. Many children act as a ‘devourer’ because they have not been trained to look after things. If you do not train your children on how to look after things, you will end replacing the furniture and gadgets at home every 6 months. They must be trained to be honest. Honesty must rewarded and deception must not be tolerated. Training may involve the use of the rod of correction but it must be in love. Proverbs 19:18 says this: “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” Training can become too late. There is a time to train your children; the bible puts it as "while there is hope" i.e.while they are young.

Children must be trained to respect the words of their parents. If they are not trained to respect the words of their parents, they will not respect anyone -including God -without first experiencing the painful consequences of their actions. When a child is not properly trained, it affects everyone negatively. Eli’s failure to train his children affected not only his own family very negatively, but also caused disaster for the nation of Israel (1 Samuel 4:10-11). When Eli’s sons behaved badly, the Lord held Eli accountable not their mother. God places primary responsibility on fathers to make sure their children are trained according to God’s Word. Mothers are not exempt from this responsibility, but God does hold fathers ultimately responsible. God said,“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him”(Genesis 18:19). God expected Abraham to lead as Sarah was his helpmeet so He placed the primary responsibility on Abraham . (Sarah – a good mother will definitely help her husband in achieving this great task).

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: It may seem easier at the time for a parent to let their child do whatever they want -- without restraining them or training them to do right. However, that harms the child because it trains them to do wrong. As a result they are robbed of the peace and blessing they should enjoy.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I pray that the parents in our land will train their children according to the Word of God.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

HE UNDERSTANDS

MEMORY VERSE: For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Hebrews 5:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 146-150, Proverbs 30

High priest is one of the many titles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:14 says this: “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” To appreciate His title - High priest, we must get some basic understanding of a thing or two. Who is a priest? It is someone who mediates i.e. stands between God and the people, in religious services. He takes sacrifices from people, and offer them up to God (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31 & Hebrews 8:4). He intercedes on behalf of the people before God (Leviticus 9:22-24 & Numbers 6:22-27). In addition, he inquires of God for the nation (Exodus 28:30). Among the priests, one is selected as the High Priest, and he enters into the Most Holy Place once a year on the Day of Atonement to place the blood of the sacrifice on the Ark of the covenant (Hebrews 9:7). He represents the whole nation before God (Exodus 28:12).

According to Hebrews 5:1, every high priest is taken from among the people. This is because he, the high priest, understands the challenges and weakness of the people. Therefore, if someone brings his sin offering to him, he does not insult him or break out into anger and indignation but pities him, and sympathizes with him. Jesus, so that He might serve as our Great High Priest before God, became man and suffered death. As a man, He was subject to all the weakness and temptations that we are, so He could personally relate to us in our struggles (Hebrews 4:15). Whatever you are going through now, Jesus went through them or something similar when He was on earth. This is why, He is able to relate to you in that challenges you are facing. Are you hungry? Jesus knows what it is to be hungry. He was hungry after forty days and forty night of fasting (Matthew 4:2). Are you facing rejection? He faced it too from His own people. John 1:11 says this: “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” Are you sad because a friend betrayed you? Jesus’ friend and disciple, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Him and sold Him to His enemies (Luke 22:48). Are you down because you have just lost something valuable? In John 11:33-36, Jesus lost His beloved friend – Lazarus. Are you emotionally and physically tired? Jesus was so tired in Mark 4:36-38 that He slept during a storm. Are you facing shame? Have you not read that He was crucified like a criminal for a sin He did not commit? Have you become frustrated after several attempts with nothing to show for it? Jesus was so frustrated that He said this: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37). The bible is able to say this, “cast your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7), because He understands all the emotions you are going through. You are unhappy because your wife is not submissive, well Jesus understands the feeling. How many of His children truly submit to Him? Very few. As a wife, you are unhappy because your husband does not appreciate you enough, Jesus understands. How many of us wake up every morning and say “thank you Jesus for keeping me alive? Very few too. Jesus knows how you feel and will not leave you in that current situation without helping you.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Jesus understands your pain because He tasted pain whilst on earth.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please heal me of every pain in my life.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

JESUS ENDURED THE CROSS

MEMORY VERSE: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 141-145, Proverbs 29

The moment one hears the word ‘endure,’ what comes to mind is pain, hardship, sorrows, suffering, to mention a few. Hebrew 12:2 says this: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” “ ...Him (Jesus) endured the cross...”, implies that the cross experience, which later led to His glorification, was not a palatable experience. If the Holy Spirit opens your eyes to see what Jesus went through from the point of His arrest to His crucifixion, you will be forever grateful to Him. He was scourged until He began to bleed badly from the back, face, neck, legs, chest, etc. After that, He was forced to carry a cross - a heavy piece of furniture - to Golgotha. (Mind you, the wound He sustained from the scourging was not dressed). He was hungry and thirsty, as He had not eaten or drank anything in more than 24 hours; He was tired and weary, as He had lost a lot of blood; He was in great pain as His wounds were fresh. (I think He must have passed out a couple of times). Jesus, at this point, could have easily called down angels to defend Him and destroy the armies. This would mean that humanity is doomed but He did not. He endured the pain, torture, shame, etc. Philippians 2:9 says this: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:”

Just as Christ endured a lot – pain, shame, sorrow – on His way to His glorification, you and I must endure these and many more too. In our Christian walk, we will be required to endure a lot of challenging situations, especially as we await the second coming of Christ. There are times in my life where i have had to eat cooked rice with no stew or soup or any seasoning, just cooked rice for many days because i had no food at home. Even the rice was a gift from someone. I did not complain or refuse to go to church because of that. Neither did i resolve to sin to get food. Thank God, things have now changed but my point is, even in your Christian walk, you will have to endure things. I do not know what you are facing now, but i want to admonish you to endure. Are you in full time work and studying at the same time? Do not give up on your education and focus on your work alone. Endure it; you will graduate soon. Are you struggling in your marriage, there is constant argument and it is taking a toll on you? Divorce is never the solution. Whatever it is that is happening, endure it because Christ is working in the background to restore peace into your marriage. Are you of a marriageable age and there is pressure to compromise? Please do not do that! Are you facing persecution at work due to your faith? Are people calling you names like 'Mother Mary' or 'Sister Martha' because you have made up your mind that your beauty will not be of outward adorning but the hidden man of the heart ( 1 Peter 3:3-4)? Endure whatever name they are calling you. Remember, you are not trying to please man or meet man’s standard of dressing. Let everyone wear whatever they like, you - daughter of the Most High - stick to godly ways of doing things. The master is coming and in that day, you will get your reward.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: It is not enough to endure briefly, we must endure to the end (Matthew 24:13)

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the grace to endure to the end.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

LET HIM DECIDE WHAT YOU WILL HAVE AND WHAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE

MEMORY VERSE: In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.Isaiah 38:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 136-140, Proverbs 28

God is the only One who knows everything. Not only does He know the beginning from the end, according to Isaiah 46:10, He knows the end from the beginning. The Lord knew me long before my parents met each other. Jeremiah 1:5 says this: “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.”Many a time, it appears as if the devil knows a lot but he does not. Except something is revealed in one way or the other, the devil does not know it. Do you know he does not even know the thoughts of your heart? However, God knows what you are going to say even before you think of saying it. Psalm 139:4 says this: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” Because of the volume of information before Him, He is able to guide you aright. He is able to tell you when to start something and when to stop. He is able to tell you when to hide from the enemy and when to attack the enemy. He is able to tell you when to invest and when not to. Because of the depth of riches of both of His wisdom and knowledge, He is able to give you the expected end He wants you to have (Jeremiah 29:11). He is also able to decide what you should have and what you should not have.

When God does some things, we - mere mortals- question Him as if He does not know what He is doing. May God have mercy! When He tries to take some things away from us, we fight Him and many a time, He lets us have our way not because He is weak but because He hates to force Himself on us. Hezekiah became a king at the age of twenty- five. By the time He celebrated his thirty –eighth year birthday, He had successful turned the heart of a whole nation back to God (2 Kings 18). He walked before God with a perfect heart. God saw some things in his future and decided to take him home early. Isaiah 38:1 says this: “In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order: for thou shalt die, and not live.” God wanted to take Hezekiah home early to avert what was going to become of him but he refused and the Lord kept him alive. Few months after, pride enter into his heart and he began to boast about his wealth before the servants, of the king of Babylon, who were sent to greet him after his recovery (Isaiah 39).Three years later, he gave birth to a son called Manasseh. This boy, when he became king, destroyed everything Hezekiah had built. In his 55-year reign, he single-handedly turned the whole nation back to idols. He rebuilt all the high places his father had destroyed. Not only that, he turned the house of the Lord into a place to offer sacrifices to idols. At the end, he destroyed his father’s legacy. Hezekiah's perfect record before God was tarnished in the remaining 15 years he spent on earth.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: If you had all the information God has, you will make the decision He makes.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please let me never have what you do not want me to have.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

TO HUMBLE THEE

MEMORY VERSE: And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:2-3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 131-135, Proverbs 27

God is all knowing. He knows the beginning from the end. Isaiah 46:10 says this : “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” According to Psalm 139:2, He knows what you are thinking of without you uttering a word. He knows what you are going to say before you open your mouth to talk. Psalm 139:4 says this: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” He sees into the future. He knows what you are going to do in the next fifteen years. He can tell you where you are going to be at 10am on 15 November 2016 (if the Lord delays His coming). With all these information at His disposal, before something bad happens, He takes necessary steps to avert it. At times , He will humble a man so as to keep him in check. The Lord knew that the children of Israel were not broken 'enough' to receive what He wanted to give to them. He also knew that if He brought them into the promise land too early, they would turn to false gods. This was why He took them through the desert to work on them i.e. humble them. He also did that to weed out certain things out of their life. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says this: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”

The Lord knows us more than anyone else even ourselves . He knows what we are going to do if He gives us certain things. He knows that many sisters, although they are of marriageable age, are not patient enough to handle marriage. He knows that many brothers are not ready for marriage even though many will argue and say no. He knows that many of us cannot manage the responsibility that comes with possessing certain spiritual gifts. He knows that if He gives us certain things today, we will become proud. What He does to keep us in check ,for our own good , is that He humbles us. He allows us to go through certain things so as to prepare us for what He is about to deposit into our lives . He intentionally allows us to go through some challenges, knowing fully well that we will not suffer any harm , so as to be able to work on us. I shared a story the other day of how my managers wanted to promote me after three months of working with them. I can tell you that if the Lord had allowed them to promote me back then , I would have turned into something else. I thank God that He did not allow it and instead, He humbled me by permitting those I trained on the job to be promoted before me. After working on me, and He is still working on me, He gave me the job permanently.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: There is a reason for everything that happens in life. You may not understand today but in the future, you will understand and thank God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the spirit of patience so that I will not rebel against You whilst you are trying to prepare me for your blessings.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

BUY THE TRUTH

MEMORY VERSE: Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. Proverbs 23:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 126-130, Proverbs 26

Proverbs 23:23 says this: “Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.” To buy something, you need to KNOW what you are buying, what VALUE you will derive from buying it, what are its USES, what are its IMPORTANCE, to mention a few. What is the truth? The truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus (Himself) said this in John 14:6, “I am the way and the TRUTH and the life.” Revelation 1:8 says this: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”Jesus is of inestimable VALUE. According to John 15:5, without Him you can do nothing. Some of the BENEFITS of having Jesus is that, at the mention of His name, every knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth bows (Philippians 2:10). The TRUTH, Jesus, is IMPORTANT because He sets people free. John 8:32 says this: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

“Buy the truth...” implies that the TRUTH will cost you something. To buy means parting away with everything for it that is required. It is not free; the TRUTH definitely comes at a price. Your relationship with Christ will cost you a lot. It will cost you some relationships; it will cost you some hobbies. You cannot be friends with Jesus and still visit stripper clubs or gamble /bet. No! That is not possible. It will cost you those fictional novels especially those ones with erotic contents. All these only fill one up with junk. It will cost you your time and energy. To be friends with Jesus, you need to spend time with Him regularly. You need to spend time with His word i.e. at His feet learning. He must come first in your life. It is a pity, many of the things God gave to us- our husbands, our wives, our children, our businesses, our works, our projects, etc – now comes before Christ in our lives. Many will rather stay at home on a Sunday morning to do their university assignment than go to church. Christ is not ready to take the second position in our life. This brings us to the other part of “buy the truth” which is “and sells it not.” The TRUTH is not to be sold upon any account, or for anything whatever. It should not be parted with neither for the riches, honors, and pleasures of this life, nor for the sake of a good name among men, nor for the sake of peace, nor for the avoiding of persecution. In the body of Christ today, some have sold the truth. We no longer preach against sex before marriage, fornication and adultery, divorce, pride, bribery and corruption because we do not want to offend certain people. Let us not part with the TRUTH just because we want to keep some families in the church. Let us not part with the TRUTH because we do not want to offend a big man in the congregation. Let us not part with the TRUTH because we want the church to grow. Let us not part with the TRUTH because we want men to give us an award. Christ is too valuable for anyone to lose. I will rather be lonely and make heaven, than have many friends and end up in hell. Let us not part with the TRUTH because we want to be married. Do not compromise because you want to keep a man.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: The truth can also be a collection of organized information, which can be found in books especially ones written by anointed men and women of God. These books contain truths about marriage and relationship, how to grow spiritually and so on. Invest in these books because inside them you will find wisdom, instructions and your understanding of life in general will increase

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the grace to put you first in all that i do.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

GENTLENESS IS REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Colossians 3:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 121-125, Proverbs 25

God wants us to prosper. 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.” Deuteronomy 28:13a says: “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;” According to 2 Corinthians 8:9, He intentionally became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich. Asides prosperity, He wants us to have a long life too (Psalm 91:16). I have heard some people say that Christ, whilst on earth, was a ‘big man’ who had a moneybag where He kept money. A brother once joked that Jesus’ garment was so expensive that when He was crucified, the soldiers began to fight for it and at it the end; they had to divide His garments. This is not so. Besides, why did the Pharisees need someone to identify Him if He was a big man with expensive clothes? Jesus whilst on earth looked like His sheep. He looked just like His disciples; it was difficult to tell the difference between Peter – an angler and Jesus the Messiah. That parting of His garment was a fulfilment of prophecy in Psalm 22:18.

Christ wants us tell our unbelieving friends, especially those who do not believe that He was crucified, that He actually died (for our sins). Through Adam’s disobedience, all men became condemned to death, but through Christ’s obedience unto death, justification came and life for all who will accept Him as their personal Lord and Saviour (Romans 5:12-21). Although, when many of us talk about salvation, we keep silent about holiness. We pretend as if we do not know that God has called every believer to live holy.1 Thessalonians 4:7 says: “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

It is true that God wants us to prosper and live in good health. Do you know He also wants us to be gentle/ meek? It is the assignment of every believer to share the gospel with the world. Therefore, you are doing a good thing when you preach to your work colleague or friends in college. Do you know that whilst doing all these - as you go about your daily business , you are required to also put on gentleness? Colossians 3:12 says: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;” When i hear the way we , especially brethren in Christ, boast about how we responded in a rude way to fellow brother or sister or colleague at work, i marvel. Gentleness involves humility and thankfulness toward God, and polite, restrained behaviour toward others. A gentle person does not always flare up at slight provoke. The excuse some of us give is that we do not like to be insulted. If you do not like to be insulted, you are not fit to be Christ's follower because Christ was insulted yet He did not respond. Every man is powerful. We can speak words that influence others; we can act in ways that help or hurt. Gentleness constrains and channels that power. Gentleness is recognizing and accepting that God’s ways and thought are high above our own. Gentleness is not struggling with God. A gentle fellow readily forgives. Where gentleness abounds, competition and sectarianism will disappear. Gentleness is not justifying actions that God calls sin. It is not letting someone continue in sin without speaking the truth. Gentleness means to confront people when they err in line with scripture – be mild, loving and encouraging

QUESTION: Are you a gentle fellow?

PRAYER POINT: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.(Psalm 122:6)

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SPIRITUAL VIOLENCE REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 115-120, Proverbs 24

One day, Jesus was in a place teaching and everyone around gathered to listen to Him. People from neighboring villages heard He was around and they came too. (Within hours, the whole area was packed. Some had to stand because there was no place to sit). Everyone brought his or her challenges, sick friends and relatives to Jesus. After teaching, He began to minister to the sick, pray with those who wanted Him to agree with them in faith over a thing or other, counsel those that needed counseling, etc. As He was doing these, the disciples of John the Baptist arrived and asked, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? (Matthew 11:3)” In other words, are you the messiah, are you the one who the prophets prophesied about? He answered and said, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard (Matthew 11:4).”

As John’s disciples departed, Jesus began to testify about John the Baptist. He said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:12).” All the prophets before John prophesied of the coming messiah. They spoke of Him in obscured terms or represented him under dark shadows and figures. Whereas John spake of Him as already come, and in plain terms, directed people to His very person. John said in John 1:29, “...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” From the day, John started his ministry – preparing the way of the savior and pointing to Him as the way to access the kingdom of God - the kingdom of darkness have been doing everything it can to prevent people from accessing the kingdom of God and its benefits. As such, violence is required to access the kingdom of God and its benefits. Violence against every opposition is mandatory.

Your number ‘one’ opposition is Satan and his demons. All that he and his demons stand for must be treated with violence. This is why the bible admonishes us to resist him (James 4:7). The word ‘resist’ is a violent term. The word ‘resist’ implies that he will try to block you from accessing the kingdom of God and its benefit. Except you do something about him and his demons, they will block your way. As for his demons, the bible admonishes us to cast them out (Mark 16:17). The word ‘cast out’ is another violence term. You number ‘two’ opposition is the flesh. Mr Flesh is an ally of the devil and it does not want to please God but itself. The only way to deal with Mr Flesh is by mortifying it (Colossians 3:5), in other words keep it under. Deny it its cravings. Your number ‘three’ opposition is the world system of evil. The bible admonishes us not to conform to it (Romans 12:1-2). Last but not the least, ‘anyone’ who invites you to sin is an opposition and to deal with them say a Big No!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Matthew 11:12 says: “And from the days of John the Baptist until now.....” The word ‘now’ means ‘at the present moment’. The kingdom of heaven still suffers violence and this will continue until Christ returns.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to stand firm against every opposition.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

DOES '1 TIMOTHY 2:12' FORBID ALL WOMEN FROM TEACHING.

MEMORY VERSE: But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1 Timothy 2:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 110-115, Proverbs 23

1 Timothy 2:12 says: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” The issue of women teaching in the church is the most hotly debated issue in the church today. It is very important not to see this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe women should not teach and that the bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation. Does ‘1 Timothy 2:12’ forbid all women from teaching? No!

Women are allowed to teach women in the church. Titus 2:3-5 says: “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Women may teach men in the assembly. Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Paul was speaking to the church, which includes men and women. Priscilla, a woman, was involved in teaching Apollos - a man. Acts 18:25-26 says: “This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.” And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” ‘1 Timothy 2:11-12’ does not forbid a woman from asking or answering a question in a public adult Bible study or during Sunday school.

The two functions – teaching and exercising authority – mentioned in ‘1 Timothy 2:12’ are the function of the elder. It is not a problem for a woman to minister in hundreds of ways in the church but the office of leadership and teaching of men is preserved for spiritual and godly men. A woman ‘teaching and exercising authority’ over a man has the sense of usurping authority. However, she is not usurping authority – when teaching the youth, or even teaching from the pulpit, or running a ministry – as long as there is a man over her. There ought not be a woman that is the head of the church, or women on the council, because then they would be in a position of ultimate authority, which this supposedly restricts. The argument that she may not teach anything in any way (i.e. read scripture, ask or answer a question in a Bible class) in the presence of a man because she would be doing some teaching, is not consistent with the teaching and admonishing (Colossians 3:16) which she does in songs and hymns and spiritual songs in the public church assembly.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: it is true that women preachers are a sign of the times, but more one of the abdication of responsibility by men than of anything else. Men need to stand up and be counted. They need to wake up and take their rightful position before God as leaders.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we come against every spirit causing division among the body of Christ.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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BE A GOOD FRIEND

MEMORY VERSE: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 106 -110, Proverbs 22

READ: Luke 5:17 -20

Jesus was teaching in a house one day when some men, around four, brought their friend who was taken with palsy. When they arrived at the house, it was packed full of people who had come to listen to Jesus teach. They appealed to the people, especially those who were standing by the doorway, to pave way for them to bring their friend in and lay him before Jesus but they refused. Since they could not find a way in, through the doorway, one of them got a ladder, climbed the roof of the house, looked for where Jesus was standing and removed some tiles around that area - creating a hole in the roof. Another one joined him on the roof and they made the hole big enough to fit a stretcher. Those on the ground passed the sick man to those on the roof. Using a rope, those on the roof carefully let down their friend to where Jesus was standing. On seeing this, i thought Jesus was going to get angry with them for disturbing Him while He was teaching. He did not! Instead, He commended their faith. Friend, you are not disturbing Jesus when you bring your request to Him. It does not matter how many times you come to Him in a day, instead of rebuking you for disturbing Him with your requests, He would commend you for your faith.

The friends of the man who was sick, with palsy or paralyzed, were good friends. They were determined to go extra miles to get help for their sick friend. To carry their heavy friend - paralysis causes the body to become very heavy – through the roof requires a lot of effort, yet they did not mind the pain because they were determined. Naturally, friends tend to run away when one faces challenges. Proverbs 19:7 says: “All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.” For the friends of this man to have stuck by him during this period says a thing or two about the character of this sick man. Firstly, he (himself) was a good friend. He (himself) was a friend in ‘deed’ and a friend indeed. Proverbs 18:24 says: “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Secondly, he was a giver. Proverbs 19:6 says: “Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.” Thirdly, he was a helper too. According to the law of sowing and reaping – give and it will come back to you (Luke 6:38) - this man reaped what he had sowed into the lives of the people around him. He helped people and others helped him. Fourthly, he was a grateful fellow. The reason why many people cannot get help is not that they are not prayerfully. Many a times, it is simply because they are ungrateful. They are ungrateful first to God, and to men. Never think you deserve anyone’s help. You do not! People have the right to say 'no' to you, so when they say 'yes' to you, appreciate it. The friends were motivated to help because they knew he would appreciate their effort.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: What kind of friend are you? Are you a friend in ‘need’, in ‘deed’or a friend when it is rosy?

PRAYER POINT: Pray that the Lord will uproot every tree (friends) He has not planted in your life.

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DO IT WELL

MEMORY VERSE: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 101-105, Proverbs 21

God demands that His children be like Him. They must love whatsoever He loves and hate whatsoever He hates. They must be holy for He is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). They must be merciful for He is merciful (Luke 6:36). They must forgive just as Christ forgave (Colossians 3:13). They must be perfect just as He is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Many say it is impossible to be perfect especially in this generation. The disciples of Jesus said the same thing too. After hearing Him preach powerfully about salvation one day, they asked Jesus, “who then can be saved (Matthew 19:25)” To which Jesus responded, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).” In other words, humanly speaking it is impossible but God is ready to help anyone who is willing, obedient and determined to make heaven. He is ready to help anyone who will present his or her body to Him as a living sacrifice, who will not conform to the world but renew his or her mind (Romans 12:1-2). One way to renew your mind is by daily meditating on the word of God. The word of God is a cleanser (John 15:3). When I counsel people who are addicted to masturbation, I always tell them to meditate on the scripture daily. As they meditated on the scripture daily, the urge to do this terrible thing reduced drastically and God freed them from that bondage.

Whatever God does is good, that is His signature. When you read Genesis 1, you will observe that whenever God creates anything, He will first check to see if it is good before moving on to another thing. This is why “And God saw that… it was good” is repeated several times in Genesis 1. James 1:17 says: “ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” The Lord expects His children to have this ‘signature’ too. Do not do things anyhow. Do not do things haphazardly. Whatever you do, do it properly. It can be demanding at times but it is profitable. Jesus created the world; He created the womb and every part of it. When He wanted to come into the world, He came through one of the womb He created. Thank God, He created it perfectly. Had it been He created the human womb anyhow or imperfectly, He would have had problems inside Mary’s womb or worse still, He would not have been able to come through a human womb. This is why whatever your hand finds to do, do it well. As a custom officer, do not allow people to import fake drugs into the country. Asides the fact that it is a sin, what if your children falls sick and the doctor unknowingly treats them with one of the fake drugs you allowed into the country? A rich man once gave his servant, who had served him for 20 years, one last job - a contract to build a beautiful mansion. He showed him the design and gave him enough money to complete the project. Since it was the servant’s last job, he decided to use that opportunity to steal from his master and enrich himself. He used cheap second-hand materials to build the house and kept the rest of the money. After completing the project, he gave the keys of the house to his master and the master thanked him. On the day of his send-off party, his master gave him the keys of the house he had built with cheap second hand materials as his send-off gift. He thought he was stealing from his master but unknown to him; he was robbing himself. He had the opportunity to build himself a nice house but he squandered it.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Do to people, as you would want them to do to you.

PRAYER POINT: Pray that you will not use your hands to destroy what God has built for you.

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FAITH PERFECT FOR SALVATION

MEMORY VERSE: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 96-100, Proverbs 20

BIBLE STUDY: Romans 12:1-2

What is faith? Hebrew 11:1 says: “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, faith is a confident assurance, a well-grounded assurance that something we want and hope for is going to happen. It is a conviction of the reality of things hoped for, which we cannot yet see. To have faith in God means to completely trust in God. It means being absolutely convinced that God would do what He has promised to do. Faith must have a basis of which it must be firmly rooted and grounded. Our faith is grounded in the Gospel, we believe that the Gospel being preached to us is true, and the bible on which the Gospel was written must be true. We are absolutely convinced that Jesus died and rose again. His resurrection from the dead becomes a guarantee to us that we who put our faith and trust in Him will one day rise from the dead to ever live with Him.

There are things you need to know about faith. Firstly, faith becomes useless when it is without deeds (James 2:20). Secondly, faith alone is dead without works (James 2:17). Thirdly, faith can be perfected. James 2:22 says: “seest thou how faith wrought with works, and by works was faith made perfect?” A perfect faith is one, which results in a transformed life. For one’s faith to be perfect for salvation , one must do the will of God. Matthew 7:21 says: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

To do the will of God, one must first discover God’s will. To discover God’s will, one must first present his body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). A sacrifice is something that is totally and absolutely given with nothing held back. To present your body as a living sacrifice means to put your body on God’s altar as a living sacrifice. From now on, you do not own your body. God owns it. You do not decide where you are going to go or what you are going to wear. They are now God’s decision. Your body becomes God’s personal property. The good news is that God accepts maintenance responsibility of what He owns. Secondly, one must not be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). The phrase “conformed to this word” refers to anything pertaining to the habit, manner, dress, style of living, music, of this sinful world. Christians are to dress modestly which means not drawing attention to themselves. Modesty is rule of the Christian’s apparel and dress that does not draw attention to one sexually. Thirdly, one must be transformed. To transform something means to change it. We are to be transformed from living a life of seeking worldly pleasures and self-goals and desire to one of living for the Lord. For transformation to take place, our minds must be renewed. The old carnal mind is replaced with one that seeks the Lord and is able to understand God’s truth and apply it one’s life.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: God’s will is that we live today for Him, giving our lives sacrificially to Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to live my life daily for you.

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SEVEN THOUSAND PREPARED REPLACEMENTS

MEMORY VERSE: Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.1 Kings 19:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 91-95, Proverbs 19

We do not know much about Elijah’s background except that he was a Tishbite who resided in Gilead (1 Kings 17:1). One thing we know is that he came from a humble background. The Jews are very proud of their heritage so when they want to write about a great figure e.g. Jesus Christ, they will start with the family genealogy. This is why you see a lot of ‘A’ begat ‘B’, 'B' begat 'C' and 'C' begat 'D', 'E', etc in the bible. If the person is a prophet/prophetess, a king, or some important personality, they will start by mentioning the person’s name followed by the father’s name for men and husband’s name for women. For instance, the bible introduced Elisha the prophet as Elisha the son of Shaphat (1 Kings 19:19) and Deborah the prophetess as Deborah, the prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth (Judges 4:4). Elijah’s father was poor and so insignificant in their community that the author of 1 Kings did not even bother to mention his father’s name. Despite his humble background, he became a man who even the king could not ignore. Despite his not-so-fortunate background, he became a man who God used to start a national revival. At the end of his ministry, God sent a chariot from heaven to bring him home. He was one of two men- the other one is Enoch – who did not die. Friend your background means nothing when God is with you.

Through Elijah’s ministry, we saw the impossible become possible. In 1 Kings 17:11-16, he told a woman who was about to prepare her last meal that her jar of flour shall not spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty and it happened as he said. For many months, without any source of income, the woman fed herself, her son and the prophet without borrowing because her jar of flour was not spent. In 1 Kings 17:17-22, he prayed for a dead boy and he woke up. He was so anointed that he could shut the heaven and there will be no rain for many years (1 Kings 17:1-2). In addition, he could open a shut heaven on his knees (1 Kings 18:46). At the height of his ministry, this prophet began to see himself as indispensable. He began to have an exaggerated view of himself. One day something happened and he told God, “and I, even i only, am left(1 Kings 19:14).” In other words, You (God) are stranded without me (Elijah). The Lord replied and said: “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.(1 Kings 19:18)” In other words, I have seven thousand people who i could pick one from to replace you. God had prepared an excess of seven thousand people who He could pick to replace one of the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. If God had seven thousand men who He could pick from to replace Elijah, how many do you think He could pick from today to replace you and i, if we allow pride in our hearts or become too big for Him to carry? Friend, you are not indispensable. You are what you are, where you are because of Him. If the Lord is using you in any capacity, please take it as a very big privilege. I want you to know that He had many people to pick from before giving you an opportunity.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: When we talk of giving to God, many of us think that we are doing God a favor when we give to Him. God can touch the heart of any billionaire to give to Him if He needs money. Besides, He owns the whole world – the gold mines, oil wells, etc. He asks us to give so that He can multiply whatever we give to Him and return it to us.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me never to become too big for you to carry.

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