PRAYER: A MASTER KEY

MEMORY VERSE: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. James 5:14-15

BIBLE READING: 1 Kings 5-8

There is a song we used to sing back in Nigeria: ‘Prayer is the key. Prayer is the key. Prayer is the master-key. Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer. Prayer is the master-key.’ How true are the lyrics of this song? Jesus started His ministry with prayer (in the desert) and ended it with prayer (on the cross). One of the secrets of Jesus' success whilst He was on the earth was prayers. He prayed regularly. Prayer is a prerequisite for greatness.

Anyone who wants a change of story, a change of circumstances, victory, a breakthrough, etc., must pray. By praying for the sick, God can heal them. James 5:14-15 says: ‘Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.’ Fervent prayer can turn a situation around. James 5:16 says: ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.’ There was a conspiracy at work to get rid of me some years back. At a point, it was certain that I was going to be sacked because they recruited someone to replace me. I reported the matter to God and He turned the table around. The person that led the conspiracy was demoted and she left out of shame. Others were sacked. Prayer draws angels closer to you. Jesus prayed and angels came to minister to Him (Luke 22:39-43). Prayer diffuses fear and imparts unshakeable confidence. Acts 4:31 says: ‘And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.’ However, one thing is required for your prayer to be answered and that is faith. Hebrews 11:6 says: ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’

NOTE: Prayer draws you closer to God.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

CREATING YOUR WORLD: THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

MEMORY VERSE: Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Numbers 14:28

BIBLE READING: 1 Kings 1-4

The people of the earth decided to build a city and a tower whose top would reach heaven (See Genesis 11:1-9). Verse 4 says: ‘And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ Whilst building, God visited them and halted the project. He halted it because of their pride; viz., wanting to make a name for themselves. Also, He halted it because they refused to multiply and replenish the earth as He had commanded. As a result, He confused their language and the people moved away from each other.

Verse 6 says: ‘And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.’ Please take note of this statement: ‘AND NOW NOTHING WILL BE RESTRAINED FROM THEM, WHICH THEY HAVE IMAGINED TO DO’. Everything around us is a product of someone’s imagination. The personal computer, mobile phones, artificial lakes, Islands, skyscrapers, electricity, aeroplanes, ships, emails, etc., are products of people's imagination. Do you know this universe is a product of God’s imagination? It once existed in God’s thought. The Lord recognises the power of imagination; as such, whenever He wants to do something for a man, He will set the power of the fellow’s imagination into motion. For instance, after He promised to make Abram a father of nations, He began to speak to him using pictures to set his imagination into motion. Genesis 15:5 says: ‘And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.’ God gave Joseph a dream to set his imagination into motion. He gave him another one to stretch his imagination; and for the first time, Joseph began to nurse the possibility of ruling the whole world. His attitude to life and things changed completely. He began to think like a leader, act like a leader; and within a short while, he was made the prime minister of Egypt.

NOTE: There is a direct relationship between your imaginations and what you will have. Your confession is a product of your imagination (thoughts) – out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks - and what God hears you say is what He will do for you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

THE WEAPON OF PRAISE PART ONE

MEMORY VERSE: and when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth forever. 2 Chronicles 20:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 11 – Mark 13

What is a weapon? According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, a weapon is something used to injure, defeat, or destroy. If there is something the enemy does not want you to know, it is this, ‘praise is a weapon.' A revered man of God once said, ‘if prayer fails, try praise.’ Friend, you can pray amiss. James 4:3 says: 'ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon lusts.' You can pray amiss, but you can never praise amiss. If only you will start praising God over that stubborn child, God will touch his heart and he will change. If only you will stop worrying about that relationship and start praising God, the storm will seize. In 2 Chronicles 20, three mighty nations - the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir - came together to invade tiny Judah. When Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, heard the news, he was perplexed. In his prayers, he said to God, ‘we have no might against this great company that cometh against us (2 Chronicles 20:12).'

The Lord spoke after He heard his confession: 'but our eyes are upon thee (2 Chronicles 20:12). One of the reasons why God has not sent help to some of us is because we are too strong. Friend, God is not interested in helping a strong man or woman. The bible calls Him, ‘the helper of the helpless (Psalm 10:14)', not the helper of the mighty or strong. He told Paul: “my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jehoshaphat did not come to God as a strong king; he said, ‘my eyes are on you’ and God arose on his behalf. Friend, you need God. You cannot do it without Him. Are you not tired of struggling on your own and not getting results? Are you not tired of trying different medications and all to no avail? Are you not tired of using your brains, yet no results? For God to help you, you need to agree that you are weak, first. Accept that you are weak and let God help you. You cannot win the battle on your own or using self-will. Cry to Him today and He will come to your aid.

PRAYER POINT: Let us pray for those suffering from one form of addiction or the other that as they surrender to God, He will help them and heal them.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

CREATE YOUR WORLD WITH YOUR WORD

MEMORY VERSE: Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Numbers 14:28

BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 21-24

We live in a word’s world. It is a word’s world because of the reasons listed below. Firstly, the world was created by the Word. Who is the Word? Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1-3). Secondly, the world was created using the word (Genesis 1:1-3). Everything in the world responds to the word. For instance, mountains respond to the word (See Mark 11:23). In Mark 4:37-39, a great storm arose and beat against the ship. Meanwhile, Jesus was sleeping in the ship. His disciples woke him up in the middle of the storm and He rebuked it ( See Mark 4:39). Even the sun and the moon responds to the word. In Joshua 10:12-13, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still over Gibeon and the moon, over the Valley of Aijalon; and they stood still.

With your word, you can create your world. What you confess is what you will have (See Numbers 14:28). David said to Goliath, ‘this day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:46).’ Do you know that all David had when he spoke to Goliath was a sling and few stones? Before the end of that day, he severed the head of Goliath as he had prophesied. He slung a stone that knocked Goliath down. He ran to his unconscious body, grabbed his sword, the only sword big enough to cut off his head, and cut off his head. Your word can change or alter the chemical composition of things. As a result, the weak should say 'I am strong (Joel 3:10)'.

NOTE: When you say there are no good jobs, you are indirectly creating a scarcity of good jobs for yourself. If I were you, I will confess what I want, not what I see.
 
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.