FEAR, A ROBBER

MEMORY VERSE: Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. Judges 7:3

BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 9-12

After the children of Israel repented of their sins and cried to God for help, He raised a judge for them, Gideon. Thirty thousand men volunteered to fight alongside Gideon. Judges 7:2- 3 says: ‘And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.’ There are one or two lessons we can learn from this story. Firstly, victory is decided by God, not by the size of an army. Proverbs 21:31 says: ‘the horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.’ As far as God was concerned, the twenty thousand were not needed.

Secondly, boldness and courage are 'must-haves' for anyone who will work for God or work with God. God used ‘the presence of fear or absence of faith’ as a yardstick in deciding those He will use and those He won’t. Judges 7:3a says: ‘Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.’ 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.’ To rephrase this, with fear (without faith) it is impossible to please God. Fear is a robber. It robbed the twenty thousand of an opportunity to be used by God. Fear robbed them of an opportunity to be everything they can be for God. It robbed them of an opportunity to be numbered among the greats, the 300 God used to deliver Israel. It robbed them of an opportunity to become record breakers and pacesetters. Fear robbed them of an opportunity to become a victor.

NOTE: Fear – fear of failure, fear of the unknown, etc. – can rob one of greatness or good things.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I receive the spirit of boldness.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

THINK LONG TERM

MEMORIZE: 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: Romans 1-2

Hebrew 12:2 says, “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.” Why is Apostle Paul, author of the book of Hebrews, encouraging us to look unto Jesus? Only a free man can set others free. If a twelve years old boy promises you a brand new car, you know the young man is only prophesying. Where on earth will he get a brand new car from? Jesus is the author of all meaningful achievements. This Apostle is encouraging us to look unto Jesus because only Jesus can give a man meaningful achievements. He, Apostle Paul, is encouraging us to look unto Jesus because He alone knows the way. Only the fellow who knows the ‘way’ can point you to the ‘way’. Jesus said, “....And if the blind lead the blind, both shall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). Not only does He know the way, He is the way (John 14:6).

When we look unto Jesus, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see some of the secrets behind His meaningful achievements. For instance, Jesus tarried in the place of prayers. He would wake up very early in the morning and talk with His Father in heaven (Mark 1:35). Asides His prayer life, Jesus thought in long terms. You see, there are short term thinking or myopic thinking and long term thinking. A fellow with short term thinking only considers his present circumstances. He is motivated by events currently happening. The ‘present’ is what informs his decision. But, a fellow with long term thinking considers the future. Although he is aware of the present, the ‘future’ informs his decisions. He is motivated majorly by events that are going to take place in the future. A fellow with short term thinking sees only his problems, disappointments, how people around are behaving towards him, and so on. But, a man with long term thinking sees the future. He sees the end result of his efforts. He sees the finish line. He sees the rest that comes after labour. He sees the rewards of not giving up. This is exactly how Jesus thought – in long terms. Hebrew 12:2 says, “................................ Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.......” Jesus set His heart on the joy that was set before Him i.e. the future glory. He was able to endure the present pains i.e. cross of Calvary, because His mind was set on the joy that awaited Him. Had it been He set His mind on the cross i.e. the present not the future, He probably would have been discouraged. It is very tasking to work full time and prepare for professional exams. Where i get my strength to read and prepare from, after i must have prayed, is that i set my heart on the opportunities that will open up to me when i pass the exam and strength automatically comes. Thinking long terms also help build relationships. Jesus was able to accommodate the weaknesses of His disciples – Thomas’ doubts, Peter’s denial, John and James’ violence and many others, because He thought in long terms. At that time, the spiritual lives of His disciples were nothing to write home about but Jesus did not look at that. Instead, He focused on their future – Peter’s sermon leading to 3000 souls saved, John and James book on love, Thomas’ ministry in India, and so on. This was why after Peter denied Him thrice He still forgave him. The reason why God is giving many second chances is because of the future He has for them. However, His ‘second chances’ are not to be abused.

 WISDOM NUGGETS: Those who think short term always want quick fixes while those who think long term goes after spiritual development.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the strength needed to finish the race set before me.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

NO CHARACTER, NO FUTURE

MEMORY VERSE: 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. Jeremiah 29:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 1, Ps 35, Eccl 11, Titus 3

God has good plans for your future. According to Psalm 37:37, He wants you to have a future of peace. Not only that, He plans to give you an expected end, Jeremiah 29:11. Do you know that you will not die young? Psalm 118:17 says I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord. Do you know that it will be well with you? Isaiah 3:10 says say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Your present circumstances may not bear resemblance of your proposed future but don’t worry, all is well. Job 8:7 says though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Good character is required to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for your life. There are many who work tirelessly to get to the ‘top’, only to come crashing back after a while due to lack of character. There are many women who have lost their places has a result of lack of character. Queen Vashti was replaced; the remains of Jezebel were not found because dogs ate her up; Michal lost her place in the palace. There are many mighty prophets to be who became a leper as a result of lack of character. This was the case of Gehazi, he was on his way to become one of the greatest prophets in Israel. The heavens had planned to give him double portion of the spirit of Elisha but because of a little lie and greed, instead of been anointed he became sick; instead of a blessing he received a curse. The man who the whole nation was meant to look up to began to live in the jungle alone.

Lack of integrity, lie telling, inconsistency in character, lack of patience, non- payment of tithes e.t.c reveals lack of character. You may be wondering how non- payment of tithes reveals lack of character. According to Malachi 3:8, those who do not pay their tithes are robbing God. Now tell me a fellow who robs God, who can he not rob? Lack of character could also be not knowing how to talk. A lot of people have lost great opportunities because they do not know how to talk. Many of them talk rudely to everyone one even their parents. Let me tell you a fact, a child who talks rudely to his or her parents is playing with fire! I know you will not be cursed because you will not talk rudely to your parents. The problem with not knowing how to talk is that once you say it , it is the end. You cannot take it back again. People can forgive but they will never forget what you have said.

PRAYER POINT: Father, pleased do not let lack of character rob me of my glorious future.

LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 8:22 but Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 28, John 7, Prov 4, Gal 3

BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 8:21-22

There are three seasons in the life of every man – past, present and future. Out of these seasons, two of them are out of our control – the past and future. The present is all we have so let us make very good use of it. In our bible studies, we read the story of a man who wanted to first go and bury his dead before following Jesus. The dead referred to in this passage is his past. The father of this disciple did not just die, he had died sometimes back. A very rare opportunity came to this man to enjoy an usual relationship with our Lord Jesus i.e. to move forward in life, but his past (events that have already taken place in his life) wanted to rob him of it.

Just like this disciple, the past of many are robbing them of an opportunity to move forward in life or have a breakthrough. The past of many are robbing them of liberty and happiness .Do not let the enemy rob you of your joy by condemning you about what you did before you met the Lord. Whatever you did before you met Christ, is forgiven! Many are living in bitterness as result of unforgiveness. People have wronged them in the past; people have offended them through what was said against them and instead of forgiving they are holding unto it. There are many who still beat themselves down because of a wrong decision they made in the past. The truth is you cannot change the past so why not let go of it and move on. There are many who believe that because they made a mistake in the past, their future is ruined. It is a big lie, your past does not decide your future, and it is your present that decides your future. Some years back, I and a junior member of staff had an argument over an instruction I gave out. I overheard her threatening to slap me. Later she apologized, I forgave her and we moved on. Some two years after I was suspended over a matter I knew nothing about. Three days to the final hearing, my phone rang and when I checked it was this sister that threatened to slap me. I picked up the phone and she gave me an inside information that turned the case in my favor. If I had decided to stop greeting her because of what happened two years prior, will the Lord have used her to provide me with that information? The past achievements of many are robbing them of an opportunity to move forward. Instead of working harder, they sit and begin to remember how the Lord used them to do A and B. Before you know it, they get carried away and pride sets in. Whatever the Lord has done through you in the past is the past. The most important thing is what the Lord is doing through you in the present. What you did for the Lord in the past is the past, what are you doing for the Lord today! To move ahead in life, one needs to forget about the failures of yesterday; the disappointments and shame of yester-year. One also needs to ignore the achievements of the past to be able to achieve more. Failure to let go of the past would render you stagnant and keep you in the past.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please severe me from every past that is preventing me from going forward.

BURNING THE BRIDGES

1 Kings 19:21 – so Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen’s equipment and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

BIBLE STUDY: 1 Kings 19:19-21

Immediately Elisha received the call to serve, he killed his livestock, gave away the farming implements, and followed Elijah the man of God. He burned the bridge between his past and future. Many today who have giving their lives to Christ are yet to burn the bridge between their past and future. After giving our lives to Christ, the first thing we need to do is to destroy anything that ties us to our former life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says therefore is any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed way; behold, all things are become new. As new birth bachelors and spinsters we no longer need to keep birth control pills and contraception. These things are for fornicators not for singles who are born again. We no longer need to keep clothes that expose parts of the body that is meant to be covered so we need to dispose off those clothing. We no longer need the contacts of our old lovers because we now have a new lover which is Christ.

Why did Elisha kill the livestock and give away his farming implements? He that to avoid backsliding. He knew if kept the animals and farming implements, he could be tempted to backslide. Elisha knew that his attention will be divided between his oxen (past) and Elijah (future). Because of this he decided to forego his past for a glorious future ahead. We need to do away with our sinful past so as to avoid destroying our glorious future. The chances of back-sliding are very high when after giving our lives to Christ, we are still in close contact with our ex-lovers; still keep birth control pills and contraception ; still keep friends we used to commit sin with. If they have giving their life to Christ no problem but if they have not we have nothing in common again. After giving my life to Christ, the first thing I did was to dispose off every material that does not glory Christ in my life. I confiscated CDs, novels, DVDs, cards, e.t.c . After that I went to preach to all my lovers both new and old. I politely told of all of them that I am a new creation and I am no longer who I used to be. I preached to my friends but I was still hanging out with them. I noticed that this was affecting my spiritual life so I gave everyone up and stopped calling them. I noticed that immediately I did this, I began to grow spiritually. It is true I lost very close friends but I gained the most valuable friend any man can have which Is Jesus. Why did Jesus ask the rich man to give all he had away and follow Him, Matthew 19:21? So that once he starts following Him, his riches and wealth will not draw him back from serving Jesus. When Jesus called Peter, he did not destroy his boats . Immediately Jesus was crucified, Peter went back to fishing, John 21:1-6.

ACTION POINT: Make a list of what is affecting your walk with Christ and begin to take measures to deal with them.

GREATER TOMORROW

Job 8:7 – though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.
 For every beginning, there is an ending. For every first, there is a last. For every start, there is a finish. The only One who has no ending is God because He has no beginning. Colossians 1:17 says He is before all things. One common feature of every beginning is they are always small. Huge lions are born as little harmless cubs , mighty giants are born as little babies. Contrary to popular beliefs, your beginning  has nothing to do with your end. How a man starts a race does not determine how he will end the race. Saul started as an ordinary farm boy but he ended up on the throne. One’s position at the beginning does not necessarily determine one’s position at the end. Joseph started as the second to the last born but  he ended up as the first in the family. Gideon started from the smallest tribe in Israel, smallest family in his tribe, least in his father’s house but he ended as the first in the whole nation. One’s status or role at the beginning has got nothing to do with one's future . Daniel started as a slave in a foreign land and ended up as second in Command to the Most Powerful man in the world! By the special grace of God i have seen a toilet cleaner become a manager in the same company. So the beginning has got nothing to do with the ending. Rahab started as a prostitute in Jericho but ended up as the great grandmother of David in Israel.

  Your end is not determined by the support network around you or your experience or what you know or who you know. It is decided by two factors – God and you.Zechariah 4:6 says it is not by power nor by strength but by the spirit of the living God. Strength can fail – Isaiah 40:30, Riches can develop wings and fly away – Proverbs 23:5 but our God remains. God has made up His mind to give you a great future. Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the thoughts i have towards you says the Lord of Host, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. God’s part is settled, it is our part that we need to worry about. To have a greater tomorrow it takes our willingness and obedience. Isaiah 1:19 says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. It takes strong faith in God. Mark 9:23 says all things are possible to him who believes. It takes humility and submission to God and authorities. Proverbs 16:5 says a proud heart is an abomination to God. It takes prayers and fasting. Matthew 17:21 says howbeit this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. There are some breakthroughs that come only by fasting and prayer. It takes a life of Holiness. Hebrew 12:14 says without holiness no man shall see God. You want to see God in that challenge? Live holy. God is ready and waiting to take you to the top. Are you ready?

PRAYER POINT: Father , I am ready please give the grace to pay the price to reach the top.