A GOOD SOLDIER?

MEMORY VERSE: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 5-9

One of the names of our Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of hosts (Revelations 19:11-20). The word "host" is a translation of the Hebrew word "sabaoth meaning “armies” – a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. Lord of hosts simply means the Commander in Chief of all the hosts in heaven. The moment a man gives his life to Christ, he is enlisted in the Lord’s army. As a believer, you are part of the Lord’s armies here on earth and you are already in a war. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” As a Christian, soldier of Jesus Christ, certain things are expected of you. Firstly, you must be loyal to your master Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:38 says: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Secondly, you must be ready at all times or be instant in season. 2 Timothy 4:2 says: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” You must be prepared at all times to be called upon by our Lord to lead a soul out of the camp of the enemy into His camp. Also, you must be dressed for battle at all times. Ephesians 6:13-16 says: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Thirdly and very importantly, endure hardness. 2 Timothy 2:3 says: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Hardness simply means hardship or suffering. One or two things are implied in the phrase “endure hardness”. One of it is, expect hardship. This is non-negotiable for any believer. Isaiah 43:2 says: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” The bible says “when thou passest through the waters” not “if thou passest through the waters”. Jesus Christ, Lord of hosts, said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” I was sharing with a brother, sometimes back, a time where things were so bad that I had nothing to eat. The Lord was merciful to me and someone gave me a bag of rice and oil. For a whole month, all I ate was plain rice – no salt, no stew, no meat or fish. Thank God things have changed now. I have a good news for you, Jesus will never leave you in the time of hardship. According to Isaiah 43:2, when you pass through waters (challenges), God is with you. Lastly, you are expected to be a good soldier. The question is what type of soldier are you? Are you a soldier who denies Christ when the going gets though? As a soldier what is your priority – the Master’s business or your business? Are you using your weapons to fight for the Lord or fight against the Lord? Are you always prepared?

NOTE: 2 Timothy 3:1 says: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” These are perilous (risky) times and as such, you have to have your armour on at all times.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in this perilous time please keep me safe.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

STIRRING UP THE GIFT OF GOD

MEMORY VERSE: Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.2 Timothy 1:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 23-25

Paul, in his second epistle to his son-in-the-Lord, Timothy, said, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” There are several lessons we can learn from this verse. Firstly, the gifts of God can be transferred through the laying of hands. Acts 8:17 says: “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” Acts 19:6 says: “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” The laying of hands involves the senior laying hands on the junior or someone higher in the spirit laying hands on his son-in-the-Lord or daughter-in-the-Lord or younger in the Lord. For instance, a senior pastor can lay hands on a worker or a junior pastor. However, there is a caveat associated with this. Just as one can transfer the gift of God through the laying of hands, one can also transfer evil spirits through the laying of hands. Just as laying-of-hands can change your life drastically for good; if the wrong person or an evil person lays hands on you, it may turn your life upside down. Not only that, just as something good can be taken out of your life through the laying of hands, something good can also be removed from your life through the laying of hands. Make sure you know who is laying hands on your head or your children’s head. The reason is that they will transfer whatever spirit inside them into you or your child.

Secondly, the gift of God, in you, needs to be stirred up if you want to realise its full potential. 2 Timothy 1:6 says: “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God ...” To stir up something simply means to fan something. If there is a need to stir / fan the gift of God, it automatically means that the gift of God can lie dormant in a man. It means one’s fire can grow dim due to certain reasons. It means the potency of the gift of God lies in its stirring up. For the gift of God to grow, it has to be fanned or stirred up. Thirdly, it is your responsibility to stir up the gift of God inside you. Each of us started with the same level of faith at salvation or we all received a measure of faith. The question is this, how come some have the faith to move mountains and others don’t? This brings us to the question: how can I stir up the gift of God in my life? Firstly, by reading – reading the Bible, reading books written by anointed men and women of God. The moment I gave my life, i began to yearn to hear the audible voice of God. I prayed and prayed and prayed until I heard a man of God talk about reading the bible and hearing the voice of God; that message changed my life. One way to stir up the gift of God in your life is by studying your Bible. One of the major reasons why we are seeing less and less of the demonstration of God in our midst is because most of us don’t read our Bibles. There is a blessing attached to bible studies. Revelations 1:3 says: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” As you feed your spirit with the word of God, your faith automatically grows. By reading books written by anointing men of God, you understand how some gifts of the Holy Spirit operate in a man’s life. Reading books written by anointed men of God will help your spiritual growth but it should not replace your Bible. You can stir up the gift of God by regular prayers. Lastly, you can stir up the gift of God through frequent exercise of them.

ACTION: Draw out a Bible reading plan and follow it. Also, seek for opportunities to exercise your spiritual gift.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL”

MEMORY VERSE: Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 1-2

There is a connection between ‘asking’ and ‘receiving’. The Lord Jesus said (in Matthew 7:7a), “Ask, and it shall be given you;” He went further, “For every one that asketh recieveth (Matthew 7:8a).” The reason why you don’t have could be because you have not asked. James 4:2b says, “ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” You may not be believe it but there are people who don’t like asking questions, asking people for help, asking for direction, asking for counselling, etc. One of the reasons why they don’t ask questions or ask for direction is because they don’t want people to know that they don’ know. In other words, they don’t ask to hide their ignorance. It is deception to pretend to know something you don’t know. Anyone doing this is only fooling himself and very soon, the truth will come out. No one knows it all. Even Paul – a learned man – confessed that there were areas he didn’t know as much as he should know. No wonder he said, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10). The fact that you don’t know something is nothing to be ashamed of. Another reason why many of us don’t like asking for direction, guidance, etc, is because we don’t want to disturb people. Many erroneously think it is impolite to ask for direction from strangers. Friend, it is not impolite to ask questions from people as far as you are not rude about it. Actually, a lot of people are willing to help. They don’t mind when you ask them questions. Some of them will go out their way to get you the answers you need. If you are around me and you know something i don’t know, God help you. Because I will ask you – oh yes, and you won’t go until i get my answers.  

People don’t ask for help because they don’t want anyone to take credit for helping them. What is more important, to you, getting an answer to your question or people taking credit that they helped you? All i need is answers, if people want to take credit they should go ahead. It is very common especially in lecture rooms to find students who don’t want to appear stupid so they don’t ask questions. Friend, it is better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake. Firstly, a stupid mistake costs more than a stupid question. Secondly, the embarrassment of making a stupid mistake is bigger than that of asking a stupid question. Thirdly, some stupid mistakes could leave a permanent mark on your life. Fourthly, some errors are irreversible. Once you make them, you have no other option than to live with the consequences for life. Some don’t ask questions because they don’t want people to think they doubt them. The fact that you are asking questions or challenging a report does not mean you don’t trust the person. It simply means you are seeking greater understanding. There are several advantages of asking questions for instances, the more you ask the more you know. The more you know the lesser time it will take you to make progress. Also, the more questions you ask, the fewer the mistakes you will make in life. John 16:24 says, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” The best time to start asking is the moment you discover that your joy is not full over a matter. And, you stop only when your joy is full or when you are satisfied that God has answered you. One thing many of us do is we stop asking too early. We erroneously believe that when we ask God for a thing twice or thrice and we don’t get the answer, it means that thing is not God’s will for us. That’s not true.  

NOTE: Persistence is one of the keys to receiving answers to prayers. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world