Friday 29 September 2017

THE BLESSING IN REVELATION

MEMORY VERSE: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 21-24

What is a revelation? When something hidden is revealed, we call it a revelation. There are few things you need to know about revelation. Firstly, revelation can bring about (spiritual) blessings. Jesus asked His disciples, in Matthew 16:13-20, ‘Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?’ Verse 16 -19 says: ‘And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, BLESSED ART THOU, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’

Revelation can bring about financial blessings. In Genesis 31:10 -12, Jacob had a particular dream, a revelation, on how to breed livestock. Jacob did what he was shown in the revelation and became a very prosperous man. A story that comes to mind is that of a man called George Washington Carver. The Lord revealed one hundred (100) uses of peanut to him. That revelation changed his life. Revelation can bring about elevation. In Revelations 2, Nebuchadnezzar forgot a dream he had. As no one could interpret the dream, he decided to kill all the wise men in the land. The Lord gave Daniel a revelation of the dream and its interpretation. On interpreting the dream, King Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel. Daniel 2:48 says: ‘Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.’ One of the keys to receiving revelations from God is praying.

PRAYER POINTS: (Ephesians 1:18 says: ‘The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.’) Father, please let the eyes of my understanding be enlightened.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Wednesday 20 September 2017

TO HATE IS TO LOVE

MEMORY VERSE: Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Psalm 45:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 21-24

What is the ‘oil of gladness’? To be glad is to be joyful, cheerful, delightful, or content. Oil is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit. The ‘oil of gladness’ or better put the ‘oil that gladdens’ is the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 says: ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.’ Another synonym for the ‘oil of gladness’ is the ‘oil of joy ( Isaiah 61:13).’

There are one or two things you need to know about the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Firstly, it comes in a measure. We know it comes in a measure because Jesus had it without measure. John 3:34 says: ‘For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.’ Elijah, on the other hand, had it in a measure. We know Elijah had it in a measure because Elisha, his servant, asked for the double portion of his anointing (2 Kings 2:9) and received it. One of the many advantages of the anointing of the Holy Spirit is that it turns a man into a problem solver. In the conventional world, you are paid according to the problems you are able to solve. For instance, a medical doctor earns times four of what a cleaning operative earns (and no disrespect to any cleaner as I used to be one before God helped me) because of the level of problems the medical doctor is able to solve which the cleaning operatives simply cannot solve. Jesus, the Man that had the Spirit without measure, solved the problem of the world; also, He received the biggest pay. Philippians 2:9 says: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.’ Every child of God has been anointed with the Holy Spirit- some more than the others. The key to increasing the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon your life is to love what God loves and hate what He hates. Psalm 45:7 says: ‘Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.’

NOTE: Good and bad are two opposite things; also, righteousness and wickedness. To love righteousness simply means to hate wickedness and vice versa.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Sunday 3 September 2017

GOLIATH FELL II

MEMORY VERSE: And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.1 Samuel 17:43

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Chronicles 13-16

In 1 Samuel 17 is the story of how Goliath was defeated. Knowing how and why he was defeated is important. One of the reasons why Goliath was defeated was because he underestimated his opponent (David). It is impossible to adequately prepare for an enemy one underestimates. 1 Samuel 17:43 says: ‘And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.’ Goliath thought David was a weak young boy; unknown to him, David was a lion and a bear killer (1 Samuel 17:37). Goliath was fooled by David's appearance and stature. Before Goliath knew what was happening, he was on the floor lying unconscious.

You cannot defeat an enemy you underestimate because you will be under-prepared. Many have been defeated because they underestimated the enemy, Satan. Satan is not a fool. He is wiser than you think. He is also very sly and cunning. If care is not taken, he can catch one unawares. As such, you must run from sin and continually live a life that is pleasing to God. Don’t underestimate the power of confessions. Proverbs 18:21 says: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ Your confession can make or mar you. The wrong confessions can bring you pains, losses, untold sufferings, even untimely death. A story that comes to mind is that of a man who always referred to the small growth on his face as cancer. To him, it was only a joke; also, to everyone it was a joke. One day, he had cancer (for real) and died. Don’t underestimate the power of the things you listen to. Firstly, they inform your confessions. Luke 6:45 says: ‘A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.’ Secondly, they inspire faith or fear in you. Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17); also, fear comes by hearing. Don’t underestimate the power of relationships. The right ones can draw you closer to God and the wrong ones, far away from God. The right one can bring you up and the wrong one can bring you down.

CONFESSION: I shall not be defeated.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki