IS THE WORLD STILL INSIDE OF YOU?

MEMORY VERSE: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk

The first thing you do when an individual drowns in water is you get the individual out of water. If he is unconscious you resuscitate him. You do CPR and press hard on the chest several times to get him breathing again. In the process of doing this, the individual may spit out of a gob of water and then wake up. In a nutshell, to save a drowning person, you have to get the person out of water first and then get the (excess) water that may have entered into the individual’s system out. The Lord, by the hand of Moses, delivered the children of Israel out of the hands of the Egyptians. The children of Israel were taken out of Egypt but Egypt was not taken out of them. Although they were finally out of Egypt – not under the influence of the Egyptians anymore – they still reasoned like Egyptians, spoke like Egyptians, dressed like Egyptians, saw life the way an Egyptian would see life and so on and so forth. When Moses went up into the Mount to collect the Ten Commandments, they reverted back to Egyptian ways. They got Aaron to mold a golden calf with their earrings and began to worship it. The question is where did they get the idea of the molten calf from? Egypt. They learnt the art of worshiping idols in Egypt and now in the desert, far away from Egypt, they still worshiped a golden calf like the Egyptians (Exodus 32). 

The first thing the Lord does when a man gives his life to Christ is that He takes the man out of the world. Colossians 1:13 says, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” He then proceeds to take the “world” out of the man with the man’s cooperation. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Although we have been taken out of the world, the “world” needs to be taken out of us. For many of us, we have given our lives to Christ but our dressings and mannerisms are still very much of the world. Our brothers wear earrings which is a worldly thing. Our sisters dress bearing their cleavage, wearing transparent dresses like the women of the world. Someone once said our dressing does not matter. Really? Friend, it matters. Moses was a Hebrew man but the children of Reuel described him as an Egyptian because of the way he dressed. Exodus 2:19 says, “And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.” Many are out of the world but they still listen to worldly music and do worldly dance moves even during praise and worship. Someone said he wants to praise the Lord in “Shoki” way. (Shoki is a dance step from a worldly music that glories fornication and adultery). How can you praise God with such dance steps and expect the Lord to accept such dance offerings? We can’t praise a holy God in a worldly way. He won’t accept it. I see many young people doing Azonto dances in church; do you even know the origin of Azonto dance? You can’t do a worldly dance to a Christian music, No. My heart bleeds when i see Christian gospel artist even doing Azonto dance.

NOTE: The more of the world you have in you, the less of Christ you will have in you. 

PRAYER: Father, please purge me of every worldly appetite. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

SIN AS A WOUND

MEMORY VERSE: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 18:13


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jonah
One of the names of our Lord is Merciful. Exodus 34:6 says: “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” We are all standing today simply because of His mercy. Psalm 130:3-4 says: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” We are all alive because of His mercies. Lamentations 3:22 says: “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” God’s mercy attracts human mercy. Jeremiah 42:12 says, “And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.”

However, there are certain criteria you must satisfy before you can receive God’s mercy. Firstly, you must be born again. You must accept Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour. Anyone who does not accept Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior is against Him. Matthew 12:30 says, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Secondly, you must be merciful. Psalm 18:25 says, “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.” Not only will the merciful obtain mercy from God, he will also receive blessings from Him (Matthew 5:7). Thirdly, you must be God-fearing. Psalm 103:11 says: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” God’s mercy is not for the wicked. To fear God simply means to depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6). A child who fears God will not steal from his or her parents. Also, a government official who fears God will not steal from government coffers. Lastly, you must confess your sins and forsake them. Proverbs 28: 13 says: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

A sin is like a bleeding wound on the leg of an athlete. If the athlete does nothing about the wound and continues to run, he may fall and faint. If he covers it up without treating it properly, the wound will fester and decay. The leg will start to hurt and he won’t be able to run as fast as he could. If he continues like that for several days, the leg will become swollen and the doctors may have to amputate the leg to save his life. The right thing to do is treat the bleeding wound. The only way to treat sin which is also a wound is confess /expose it. Let the fresh air of the Holy Spirit blow on the affected area and healing will start. Go to God humbly and tell Him what you have done. Don’t say God forgive me for my sins. Confess each sin to Him and ask Him to forgive you. After confessing to God, you may need to confess to man in some instances. This is very important if you really want to deal with the sin and silence the accuser. (However, going about this requires godly wisdom and as such, seek counsel from an anointed man of God to guide you on how to go about this). After exposing it to fresh air which is confessing it, commence treatment in other words, forsake it. Investigate what led to the sin and put measures in place to avoid falling into the same sin again. Ask God to keep you standing and also watch!

NOTE: One of the advantages of exposing sin is that you won't want to sin at all because of the embarrassment of confessing it especially when it is against people. Where needed, make restitutions.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TEARS IN HEAVEN

MEMORY VERSE: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 1:4

One event the whole world is waiting for is the second coming of Christ. The day He comes to take us home is going to be a glorious day. When we arrive in heaven, there will be a lot of meeting-with-the- saints, greeting-fellow-brothers-and-sisters who made it and so on. It is also going to be an emotional event. Oh yes! There will be a lot of tears. Revelations 21:4says, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” One may ask, ‘why the tears?’ Well, they will be tears of joy. When we look back on our journey through the ‘narrow road’ that leads to heaven, all our struggles, all the humiliations, prices we paid, sacrifices, selfless service and all that, we will weep for joy, knowing that it was not in vain. We will weep for joy , knowing that we finally made it! We will weep for joy , knowing that all our struggles, pains and sickness, are all over for eternity!

Another event that will bring tears to our eyes is when we find out that some of our brothers and sisters in the Lord did't make it, probably because they left the 'narrow path' for the 'broad road'. Or, we found that some of our loved ones didn't make it. Oh God! The fact that we will then be separated from them for eternity will cause tears to flow. We will weep because it will dawn on us that we could have done much more to get them to heaven. We could have dedicated a day or two, in a week, to pray and fast for their salvation. We could have gone after our brethren who left the ‘narrow road’ for the ‘broad road’ and brought them back. When we look back at what we could have done to get them to heaven and we didn't, and the fact that it is now 'too' late, tears will start to flow down our cheeks. Another major event that will cause many to weep is when saints will be rewarded for their deeds in the body and crowns given out. When one looks at the opportunities he or she has had, to serve the Lord and earn great rewards and didn't, tears will begin to flow. When Christ begins to tell us what we could have gotten, if only we were more diligent, if only we won more souls, if only we did more follow-ups, if only we gave to the poor more, if only we fasted and prayed more, if only we gave more to the work of God, if only we didn't skip service to pursue shifts at work , if only we gave when the Holy Spirit prompted us to give, if only we didn't procrastinate, etc, uncontrollable tears will begin to flow down our cheeks. When we look at the number of crowns available for any brother or sister who served God in spirit and truth and also endured persecution and shame, and the number of crowns we received, maybe out of the five available crowns, we only received a tiny one, tears will begin to flow. Also, when we see our unclaimed inheritance – things we should have had on earth that we didn't, probably due to our ignorance of those promises or our disobedience to His conditions for those promises, tears will also flow. A brother had a dream of heaven and the angels showed him an enormous warehouse filled with boxes of every shape and size. In those boxes were gifts and blessings that were available to God’s children, but which they never took time to claim. 2 Peter 1:4 says, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” The biggest cause of tears will be the realization that it is too late to work harder, claim the blessings, win souls, etc.

QUESTION : If Christ comes now, are you going to make heaven?

ACTION: Examine your life and look at how you are spending time. Start working towards your rewards in heaven. Are you doing enough for the Master?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY

MEMORY VERSE: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, Exodus 20:8.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 1, Ps 81-82, Isa 30. 3 Jn 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Exodus 20:8-11

One of the questions people ask is when is the right day of worship – Saturday or Sunday? Saturday is the 7th day of the week and it is obviously the Sabbath day, why worship on Sunday? There are one or two things you need to know about the Sabbath day. Firstly, Sabbath means rest. Remember the Sabbath day simply means don’t forget to take a day off. The reason why God rested on the seventh day was not because He was tired. According Isaiah 40:28, He never grows tired or weary. He rested to emphasize to us the need for rest. Working seven days a week will not necessarily make you rich. Proverbs 10:22 says it is the blessings of the Lord that brings wealth. According to 1 Corinthians 3:7, it is the Lord who gives increase. It is important to rest to avoid burn out or fatigue.

Secondly, you are to keep the Sabbath day holy. Keep it holy simply means to set it aside from all other days as special. The rest is not to be aimless rest, but God-centered rests i.e. focus on the holy God. Thirdly, the holy rest day should be one out of every seven. Exodus 20:9 says six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. There is nowhere in the bible where it says that the Sabbath (‘rest day’) has to be the last day of the week or the first day of the week. The concept of weeks is not even mentioned. The command is simply work six, rest one. Every seventh day should be a Sabbath.

Why do Christians now worship on Sunday? Sunday worship started with the early church. The reason why the church came to count the first day of the week as her day of rest and worship is that the Lord of the Sabbath(Jesus) rose from the dead on the first day of the week (John 20:1). Just like the work of the first creation was finished on the seventh day of the week, the work of the new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:10) was finished on the first day of the week by the resurrection of Jesus. So from the very earliest days Christians have set aside the first day of the week as their usual day of rest and worship. The disciples of Jesus and even Paul worshiped on Sunday. Acts 20:7 says and upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight. Another instance of Sunday worship is also recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:2.

NOTE: Colossians 2:16-17 says let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day or of the new moon, or the Sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. A shadow is a representation cast by light of an object that has substance. The shadow is not the real thing. Jesus Christ was the substance of what these shadows represent. Jesus is the real thing, He is the key to salvation not Sabbath days or new moon.

WHAT IF?

MEMORY VERSE: Yea, before the day was I am He; and there is none that deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? Isaiah 43:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 27, Ps 34, Eccl 10, Titus 2

What if Moses had not heeded to the call of God on His life (Exodus 3:2-22)? The Lord would not have killed the firstborn of the Egyptians and drowned Pharaoh in red sea. If Moses had refused to be used by God, the red sea would not have been parted; the children of Israel would not have eaten manna for forty years; the wall of Jericho would still be standing; Rahab – the prostitute would not have received salvation and become the great grandmother of David (Matthew 1:5-6) and David would not have killed Goliath. If Moses had said no to God, the children of Israel (the Lord's firstborn) would still be slaves till today in Egypt. By refusing to be used by God or witness about Jesus to your friends, do you know the pain you are causing Jesus? Do you know what is at stake by deciding not to witness about Jesus to that colleague or family member of yours? 

What if Mary had abortion, our Lord Jesus Christ would not have been born. What if Joseph disobeyed the angel of the Lord when he was told to take Jesus to Egypt because Herod sought to kill him (Matthew 2:13). Herod would probably have gotten hold of the baby and killed him. Had it been Joseph remained in Israel when he was instructed to take Jesus to Egypt, the woman with the issue of blood would not have received her healing (Mark 5:21-34); the man with the withered would have not received his healing(Luke 6:6-11); the woman who had a bent back for eighteen years would have died in that pain (Luke 13:10-17); the widow of Nain who lost her only son would not have known joy again( Luke 7:11-17). Let’s just imagine for a second that Mary had an abortion because she became pregnant out of wedlock, the man who had been sick for thirty eight years at the pool of Bethesda would have died waiting for the pool to be stirred (John 5:1-16); Peter would have remained a failure all his life (Luke 5:1-7); the woman caught in adultery would have been murdered (John 8:1-11).

The fact that you got pregnant out wedlock is not a reason to commit an abortion.You have made a mistake but don’t make a bigger one by becoming a murderer. Before you go for that abortion think twice and ask yourself, what if my parents had an abortion would I be alive today? Before you abort those lovely ideas you are pregnant with, think twice . If Moses had not heeded to the voice of the Lord, the Lord would have called somebody else. If Mary had had an abortion, the Lord would have used another virgin to bring the savior into the world. No one can hold God to ransom. Isaiah 43:13 says Yea, before the day was I am He; and there is none that deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? What He would do , He would do .

KEY WORD:No one can hold God to ransom.

HEARING FROM GOD

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 14, Matt 13, Neh 3, Acts 13

Amos 3:7 surely the Lord God will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.

BIBLE STUDIES: Jeremiah 42:1-22

God is still in the business of speaking to His children. He speaks through dreams, vision, prophesy, the bible. He speaks to our heart; He speaks in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13); He speaks in an audible voice and you hear him clearly as if you are speaking to a friend. He speaks concerning all issues. In Genesis 21:12, He spoke to Abraham about his marriage. In 1 kings 17:2-9, He spoke to Elijah about his sustenance in the midst of famine. He spoke to Isaac about where to live in Genesis 26:1-6. He told Gideon of his assignment to deliver his nation, Judges 6:11-40 e.t.c. If you want His input in that choice or decision you are about to make, why not go to Him today.

For God to speak concerning a matter or issue, there are one or two things that needs to be in place. First of all, if you want His input on any matter you need to go to Him. James 4:8 says draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Every time you go to God in prayers, He comes close to listen. Before we go to Him, we must make sure that we have dealt with whatever can hinder Him from speaking to us. The reason why we don’t actually hear from Him when we call on Him is sin. Psalm 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. How can God answer when He cannot hear us calling on Him? John 9:31 says we know that God heareth not sinners: but he does listen to anyone who worships Him and does His will. This is why if you are yet to give your life to Christ, please do so today and if you have giving your life and you are still living in secret sin, ask Him to forgive you and wash you in the blood of Jesus. Another thing that must be in place to hear from God is the readiness to do whatever He says whether it is pleasing or displeasing. If you are expecting him to always say what you want to hear, am afraid you are wasting your time. Long after Abraham had separated himself from Lot, he was expecting God to commend him or say something he wanted to hear. God told him “walk before me and be perfect “, Genesis 17:1 . That was the last thing Abraham expected but he listened and God visited him. Lastly be ready to wait on Him. God is no one’s servant and He is not obliged to answer you immediately. If you petition the president of your country or your boss in the office, he will reply at his convenience and you have no option but to wait. If you can wait for mere men, how much more the King of glory, King of kings and the Lord of Lords. The Most High is not a talkative; anyone who wants to hear from God must learn patience. In our bible studies, Jeremiah heard from God after ten days of praying and fasting. If you come to God in fasting and prayers and you do not hear from Him, do not get tired, come back to Him again. Been patient with God is profitable because once He speaks concerning any matter, success is guaranteed.

ACTION POINT: Put measures in place to deal with anything that might hinder God from hearing you this season.

THE NEED TO BE HOLY

Ezekiel 33:13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trusts in his own righteousness, and commits iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he has committed, he shall die for it.

What Is Holiness? Holiness is simply obedience to God. When a man is holy, God puts a covering around him. This covering serves
as a shield from the enemy. In Job 1:7-10, Satan could not come near Job or his belongings because the Lord had placed an edge around him. Why did God put an edge around Job? Because of Job’s life of obedience to God. God testified in verse 8 that there was none like job in all the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil. When a man is obedient to God, he becomes untouchable. According to Psalm 91:7, a thousand may fall at his side, ten thousand at his right hand but nothing will come near him.

When we disobey God, the reverse is the case. This is why we need to avoid sin. Prior to sin, Adam was fully protected by God. He was clothed in God’s glory but immediately he disobeyed God that glory left and he was exposed. Once the covering of God over one’s life disappears, such person is at the mercy of the devil. Sin exposes us to attack from the enemy. Some brothers were travelling for a revival in another part of town when they were stopped by armed robbers. One of the armed robbers singled out a particular brother and began to beat him up. He pushed this brother to the ground and took out a big cutlass to kill him. This brother said immediately he saw this huge cutlass, in split seconds he remembered all the sermons he has heard about living holy. He said at that point he asked God for one more chance. The Lord answered him and from nowhere the leader of the armed robbers shouted stop. That was how God spared his life that day. Although he was Christian brother, because he indulged in sin the covering of God over his life disappeared. He only discovered that he was exposed to attack when the armed robber took out the huge cutlass to kill him. Civilization is not an excuse to disobey God. Malachi 3:6 says God does not change. Many a times we believe because we live in a civilized environment we can now disobey him, we cannot! Ezekiel 33:13 says if the righteous commits iniquity all his righteousnesses will not remembered and because of the iniquity he has committed, he shall die for it. I pray that this will not be our portion in Jesus name , Amen.

PRAYER POINT: Father , help me to obey you to the letter.

BE AN EAGLE

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I have always told people that out of all birds, the Lord loves the Eagle the most. Why? Well, the Eagle is the most favored bird. When you look at God’s favor, it is always directed at those He loves. For example the Lord loves the righteous – Psalms 33:5, and surrounds them with favor – Psalm 5:12. Because of His love for the Eagle, He ensured that out all the birds, only the Eagle is permitted to fly close to the sun. When we talk of flying close to the sun, we are talking real close. While flying around and hunting, debris gathers around the Eagle and this weighs it down. To get rid of th

is debris, the Eagle flies so close to the sun so that the heat from the sun melts the debris weighing it down. Also from time to time the Eagle goes so close to the sun so that the rays and heat from the sun can burn off the films that develops over its eyes and its vision is renewed .Any other bird that tries to go as close to the sun as the Eagle will either lose its eyes sight or something worse will happen. Asides flying close to the sun, the Eagle flies at an altitude that other bird can only dream of. Proverbs 23:5 says the Eagle soars to the heavens. While normal birds lay their nest on trees, according to Job 39:27-28 the Eagle lays its nest on very high mountains where no prey can reach.

Why does the Lord love this breed of bird specially? How come they are the only bird enjoying special favors? Firstly, the eagle does not touch dead animals or unclean things. The vulture eats anything but the Eagle will never go near dirty thing or unclean thing. Secondly, the Eagle depends on the wind to soar. Once the Eagle sees a storm coming from afar instead of running like other birds it simply uses the wind of the storm to lift itself high above the storm. Brethren anyone who wants to enjoy special favors from God must do away with unclean things i.e. sin. Anyone who wants to operate at altitude others can only dream off must depend on the Wind which is the Holy Spirit according to John 3:8. Without these two, enjoying favors will be impossible, and also achieving what people can only dream off will be impossible too. Daniel excelled so much in His endeavor because the Holy Spirit was operating at full blast in his life. The bible records in Daniel 6:3 that Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent Spirit was in him.

Prayer Point: Father, fill me with the Holy Spirit that i might be able to fulfill destiny.

KEEP THE ROAD CLEAR

Psalm 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

One of the constant things in life is challenges. The presence of Jesus did not prevent the storm in Matthew 8:22-27 but once the storm rose He calmed it down. The assurance we have is regardless of what happens we will come out victorious. Psalm 34:19 says many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers them from it all. One thing with challenges or storms of life is that they do not give notice. From studying 2 Kings 8:18-37, we will notice that the son of the Shunamite woman was hale and hearty. Suddenly he began to complain of minor headache and before you know it he was dead.  This like many other challenges happen unexpectedly. When Elisha slept in 2 Kings 6:15 everything was alright, he woke up the next morning to see that the whole city had been surrounded by army.

Because the challenges and storms of life do not give notice, we need to keep the road clear between us and God.We need to do away with anything that might hinder our prayers from been answered. We never know when we will need to cry to God in a hurry. Psalms 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. When you look at fire stations, they do not permit cars around their offices because emergency might occur.  One thing they do not want is been called to attend to an emergency and there are cars parked blocking them. The same thing applies to us .We need to do away with sin and live a holy life, we need to forgive all those who have offended us, and we need to be merciful because we do not know when we might urgently need the mercies of God. We need to pay the tithes we owe, fulfill our vows immediately. Psalm 50:14-15 says pay your vows to the Most High, Call upon Me, and you shall glorify Me. A born again sister was traveling in a commercial bus to a city. While sitting at the back reading her bible, something happened and the car began to somersault. It had happened so fast that all she could say was JESUS; she did not even have the chance to ask for forgiveness. She had no chance to forgive anyone. In a mysterious way, she survived the crash with no scratch but others died. If you have not giving your life to Christ please do so immediately. If you have and still living in sin please stop and take away anything that may stand in your way of getting to heaven.

ACTION POINT: Challenges and storms of life do not give notice neither does death, keep your path to heaven clear.