THE GOD OF ORDER

MEMORY VERSE: How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 1 Corinthians 14:26

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 21-22

READ: 1 Corinthians 14:26 -36

God is a God of order. By the special grace of God, I have met one or two people who have been to heaven. These are matured Christians who are sold out to Christ and His purposes on earth, not those who claim that they went to heaven and saw baby angels. There are no baby angels in heaven. Firstly, angels are genderless and secondly, they don't reproduce. Those little creatures are demons, not angels. In addition, I have read several accounts of people who went to heaven. They all said that heaven is beautiful. This chimes with John’s revelation of heaven. Revelations 21:21 says: “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

Also, they said that heaven is a place of order. Several portions of the Scripture allude to this. For instance, Ezekiel described the four living creatures he saw in a vision (Ezekiel 1). These creatures moved in an orderly manner. Verse 21 says: “When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.” John described the twenty-four elders he saw worshipping God in a vision (Revelations 4). Verse 10-11 says: “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Everything they did oozed of order. They knelt, took off their crowns, laid it before God and spoke at the same time. He also spoke about some angels in Revelations 15-16. These angels spoke in an orderly manner - they spoke in turns. The second angel spoke after the first angel, the third angel spoke after the second angel and so on.

God loves order. Wherever there is order, there you will find peace, love, growth, progress, happiness, fruitfulness, prosperity, spiritual growth, etc. Hence, Paul encourages orderliness during worship in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 14). Verse 26 says: "How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." Disorderliness appals Him. No wonder He cast out Satan from paradise when he tried to break the order in heaven. Wherever there is disorderliness, there you will find hatred, rebellion, animosity, stagnancy, anger, bitterness, even at times - death.

NOTE: If you are going to enjoy a walk with God, then you must be an orderly person.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

DID HE SEND YOU?

MEMORY VERSE: And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. Luke 10:41

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 41-42

READ: Luke 10:38-42

Luke 10:38 says: “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.” I want you to take note of this sentence - “Martha received him into her house”. Jesus didn’t force His way into Martha’s house; she opened her door to Him out of her own volition. Jesus will never force His way into your life except you open the door to Him. He said in Revelations 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” No one has ever opened his door to Jesus and regretted it. Whoever opens his or her heart to Jesus will receive everything Jesus has to offer. Every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17), and He will give them to anyone who asks in faith.

Jesus sat and taught in Martha’s house. Mary, Martha’s younger sister, sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His gracious Words. I want you to take note of where Mary sat – “at Jesus’ feet”. Bro, where are you currently sitted? Mary had a teachable spirit. She sat at Jesus’ feet to learn. Martha, on the other hand, was in the kitchen preparing food. She was busy preparing food for Him without asking Him if He wanted to eat and what He wanted to eat. What if He was fasting? No wonder, Jesus rebuked her when she came to report Mary for not assisting her in the kitchen. Luke 10:41 says: “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.”

Did Martha bother to know what Jesus wanted to eat? NO! Had she asked, Jesus would have told her not to bother. Many of us are like Martha in that we are busy serving without asking the Lord what He wants us to do or in what capacity He wants us to serve. Martha wasted all that food, time and effort doing what she was not sent to do. I doubt she got a thank you from the Lord for the food. Many of us are expecting a "thank you" from God for doing what He has not sent us to do. Who sent you on that mission you are on? Don’t expect a reward for a task He has not given to you. Those unassigned tasks are “weights” and they can pull you down. Hebrews 12:1 says: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Don’t join groups in the church because your friends are part of that group. The Lord may want your friend to be part of the protocol team and you, a choir. You will know if the Lord is leading you to join a group. Many a time, the Lord will speak to your pastor who will then direct you to the right group to join.

NOTE: You must ask yourself from time to time, "Why am I doing what I am doing?" Brother, why are you in the prayer warrior group? Is it because it is convenient or because you want to stand in the gap? If you are doing it because it is convenient, you will leave once it becomes inconvenient. If you are in a group because your friends are there, if care is not taken you will leave when they leave too.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

HOPE FOR THE REJECTED

MEMORY VERSE: The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. Psalm 118:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 10-11

BIBLE READING: John 1:43-50

Nathanael’s response when Philip (his friend) witnessed to him about Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus Christ) was, “can anything good thing come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael,although from Galilee, despised Nazareth. The Pharisees (religious leaders), at that time, disdained it. They rejected Jesus Christ as the Saviour because He came from Nazareth. According to them, no prophet had ever risen out of Galilee (Luke 7:52). Even outsiders called Nazareth a land of Cabul. Hiram King of Tyre, on returning from the twenty unnamed cities of Galilee King Solomon gave to him as a surety for supplying cedar, cypress and gold to build the temple of the Lord, said to Solomon, “what kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother (1 Kings 9:12-13).” The bible records that he called them the land of Cabul. The name Cabul in Hebrew simply means “good-for-nothing”. Within minutes of meeting with Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael said: “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” The Best had come out of Nazareth!

Friend in Christ, there is hope for you after that rejection. I don’t know who has rejected you; I don’t know what was said to you but one thing I know is there is hope for you. Psalm 118:22 says: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.” That little town of Nazareth that no one thought much of became the town of our Lord Jesus Christ. It does not matter who has rejected you, they will come back soon to glorify God in your life. Before the end of this year, in that name that is above every other name (Jesus), you are going to become a surprise. Human builders rejected that stone but God (the Greatest Builder) didn’t. Please don’t tie any result or any material to your sense of worth. The fact that you didn’t do well in that assessment doesn’t mean you are not good enough. A police officer, some years back, killed himself because he failed his Police Sergeant Exams. Why? He tied his sense of worth to the result of an examination. PLEASE, PLEASE and PLEASE, DON’T JUDGE YOURSELF BY ANY RESULT. As far as you have not written yourself off, there is still hope for you. The same God who turned that rejected stone to a head stone is with you. He has done it before and He will go it again.They told Oprah she was unfit for TV but today she owns a TV network. Poiter Syndey in his first audition was told by the casting director, “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?” He later became the first African- American to win an Oscar. Beethoven’s music teacher described him as hopeless. He later became one of the most famous influential of all composers. Frank Winfield Woolworth was told by his dry Store Manager that he didn’t have enough common sense to serve customers. This man later became the founder of F.W. Woolworth Company. Not only that, he also introduced the common practice of buying merchandise from manufacturers and fixing prices on items, rather than haggling. If God can do it for the people of the world, why won’t He do it for you- His child?

CONFESSION: There is hope for me!

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

WHAT IS THY NAME?

MEMORY VERSE: And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. Genesis 32:27-28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 9:1-28

Names are very important in the Bible because names represent the person. Take for instance, the name “Jacob”. It means “holder of the heel” or “supplanter”. If it were to be today, we would have called him a fraudster. He duped anyone dupe-able. Esau, after he was duped said to Isaac (his father),” Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? (Genesis 27:36)” Names are not just a means of identifying a man; names speak volume about a man’s destiny. The name "Ishmael" means "God hears”. This by implication means a destiny whose success and fulfillment depends on the power of prayers. No wonder when his mother, Hagar, was driven out of Abraham’s house and there was no water for him to drink, God miraculously provided water when he cried. Genesis 21:17- 18 says: “And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.” Sadly, Ishmael did not capitalize on this. He stopped praying after that day. I think his descendants must have realized his mistake, hence they pray many times a day today. My surname used to be “Fatoki” (Ifa is worthy to be adored). Ifa is a Yoruba deity. Several years back, God spoke through a minister that my dad should change his surname. He obeyed and chose “Oluwatoki” (God is worthy to be adored). Not many years after he changed his surname, he built his first house. In my personal life, God is indeed worthy to be adored.

Genesis 32:27-28 says: “And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” What is thy name simply means who are you? Might i ask you the same question this morning, what is thy name? Friend, who are you? Who are you when you are not in church? Who are you when the pastor or brethren from the church are not around? What is your name at work? What is your name when you go out of town? Is it kerb crawler (a person who drives around areas known for street prostitution soliciting prostitutes for sexual activity)? What is your name when you are alone in your room? Is it pornographer? Asides the fat salary, degree, houses and properties, big church title, who are you? When the angel said to Jacob, “what is thy name”, he responded saying “Jacob”. Jacob was the name people – his father, his mother, his brother, friends and family – were calling him. Whenever his father wanted to send him on an errand, he would say “Jacob do this for me”. Whenever his beloved mother wanted him, she would say, “Jacob come here!” Whenever Esau (his brother) wanted to check on him, he would say “Jacob how was your day?” Since everyone was calling him “Jacob”, he assumed that he was indeed a "Jacob". Thank God, the angel challenged that name and changed it. Today, you must challenge the names people have been calling you. Tell them, you are not a “dullard”. You are not who others say you are. Your bank balance does not determine who you are. You may be in red but that does not mean you are poor. You are more than your finances. You are more than you past failures. You may have failed an exam but you are not a failure. You may not have a child today but you are not barren. There is something good about you. You are unique in every way. The people around may not see your uniqueness but you are unique.

NOTE: You are not worthless. You are worth dying for because Jesus died for you! Don’t allow anyone to tell you anything different.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

KNOWN BY HIS NAME(S)

MEMORY VERSE: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name the LORD was I not known to them. Exodus 6:31

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 6:9-8:22

God introduces Himself to people in different ways. One of the ways He introduces Himself is through His name. Exodus 6:31 says: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name the LORD was I not known to them”. In other words, I introduced Myself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by My name God Almighty (the One who is able to fulfill all His purposes, promises and covenant; One whom nothing is impossible with). He introduced Himself, to Abram, as a Protector by His name “Shield”. He introduced Himself, to the Israelite, as Great Physician by His name “the One who heals” (Exodus 15:26).

He introduces Himself to people through His attributes. For instance, He introduced Himself to the Israelite through His attribute, holy (Leviticus 20). In 1 John 4:8, He introduced Himself through His attribute, love. We see Him introducing Himself to Moses through His attributes - merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6). James, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, introduced God to us through His attribute, Generous. James 1:17 says,” Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Many a time, He goes extra mile to paint a picture of these attributes to us (Psalm 103:11). To help us understand His love, He said “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 66:13). He goes further still to demonstrate this attribute. In John 8:1-11, He took a woman caught in the act of adultery, someone condemned to death by stoning and forgave her. To demonstrate His love, He gave His only son, His Best, for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus demonstrated His love by giving Himself (John 15:13). To demonstrate His generosity, He told Solomon “Ask what I shall give thee” (2 Chronicles 1:7). He introduces Himself to people by telling them what He loves and what He hates. When He wanted to tell us that He is pro-marriage, He said “I hate putting away (divorce)” ( Malachi 2:16). Besides telling us what He hates, He rewards some actions to inform us that He loves them and punishes some actions to tell us He hates them. After warning Nebuchadnezzar repeatedly about his pride, He turned him into an animal for seven years.

NOTE: God has warned many of us through sermons, books, audiotapes, etc, but we have refused to listen. Why not repent before He takes action against you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please have mercy.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE AUTHOR OF PEACE

MEMORY VERSE: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen. 4:16- 5:32

One of the names of our Lord Jesus Christ is 'Lord of Hosts' (Revelations 19:11-20). The 'Lord of Hosts' simply means the Commander in Chief i.e. the Supreme Commander of all the forces in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth. Philippians 2:10 says: "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Even, Satan, the head of demons, bows at the mention of the name of Jesus. Another name of our Lord Jesus is the 'Prince of Peace'. Isaiah 9:6 says: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” The word 'Prince' means 'Ruler'. Therefore, Jesus is the Ruler of Peace or the Author of Peace.

The moment Jesus steps into a man's boat, peace steps into the man's boat. The moment Jesus departs from a man, peace departs from the man. What is peace? Peace is the absence of disturbance. In Mark 5:21-43, a woman with the issue of blood met Jesus. Not only was she sick, she was disturbed. She was of marriageable age and no brother had come to propose to her. Also, she was poor and had no food to eat. She didn't even know where her next meal was going to come from. Mark 5:26 says: “And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was noting bettered, but rather grew worse. bettered, but rather grew worse.” To make matters worse, her disease was incurable. One day, she met Jesus (Author of Peace) and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The impotent man at the pool of Bethesda was sick,sad, weak and stressed (John 5:1-15). The pool of Bethesda was like a war zone. The angel of the Lord comes once a year to stir the water. Anyone who steps into the pool first after it has been stirred will automatically be healed. As a result, people will start rushing to get into the pool when it is stirred.  This man had done this for 38 years;  someone stronger, faster and more powerful had always jump into the water first. John 5:7 says, “The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” What really disturbed him was he had no helper. There were opportunities but no means of taking advantage of the opportunities.  One day, he met Jesus (Author of Peace) and peace came. Nicodemus was not only confused, he was troubled ( John 3:1-5). He wanted to know about how to get to heaven. One night, he came to Jesus and that questioned was answered . Friend, only Jesus can give you peace. All you get outside Jesus is a temporary peace.

QUESTION: What is troubling you? What is causing you sleepless night? Take it to Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

JESUS IS THE WAY

MEMORY VERSE: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 2:4b-25

A way is simply a path that takes you to a place or out of a place. It is the route you follow to a place or out of a place. There is a way that leads to my house. To visit me you need to follow the way that leads to my house. If you do otherwise you will end up at a different address. There is also a way that leads out of my house. There is a way that leads to success; it is diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says: “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” There is a way that leads to poverty; it is oversleeping. Proverbs 20:13 says: “Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.” There is a way that leads to divine promotion; it is humility. James 4:10 says: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” There is also a way that leads out of divine promotion; it is pride. James 4:10 says: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

According to John 14, Jesus is THE way. Verse 6 says: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He is not “A” way but “THE” way. He is the path out of something or to something. According to John 5:1-15, He is THE way out of DEFEAT. The impotent man at the pool of Bethesda had experienced defeat on numerous occasions. He had been defeated so many times that he now expects defeat. John 5:7 says: “The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.” One day he met Jesus, The Way, and for the first time in many years he secured his first victory. Jesus is the WAY out of FAILURE (Luke 5:1-7). Peter had tried several times and failed several times. Actually, Jesus met him when he had given up. Verse 5 says: “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” After that day, Peter became a success. He cast his net only once and he caught so much fish that he had to beckon to his friends to help him. The same river he had fished all night and caught nothing, he tried with Jesus and caught so much fish that his net actually broke. Not only is He THE way out of DEFEAT and FAILURE, He is the way out of PAIN. Jesus was in the temple one day when He saw a woman that was bent double for 18 years (Luke 13:11-13). I don’t need to tell you she was in great pains. Jesus said a short prayer and her pain was gone. Today, I read the testimony of a woman who suffered from uterine fibroid, cramping and painful menstrual periods. She could not do much with her life because of the pains. She could not work or do business. She was in bed for at least 2-3 days, and then had digestive problems after that for the rest of the week. One day, she met Jesus, The WAY, and that pain disappeared. He is THE way out of UNHAPPINESS especially in marriage. Jesus was at a wedding in Cana when the wine finished (John 2:1-12). Wine symbolises celebration and joy. They told the matter to Jesus, The WAY, and He gave them brand new heavenly wine. A woman came to say goodbye to her neighbour as they had been evicted out of the house. The couple were hopeless alcoholics; all their money was gone, the marriage was on the rock. Every evil thing one could imagine was happening in their marriage. The neighbour used that opportunity to tell her friend about the WAY (Jesus). The woman accepted Jesus; two days later her husband too accepted Jesus. What happened? The alcohol problem disappeared. The home was not lost. The marriage did not break up. Friend, I don’t know what you are going through but Jesus is The WAY out of it.

NOTE: The WAY out of that terrible situation is to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you have backslidded, then you need to return to Him today.

PRAYER POINT: Saviour, please save me.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

DELAYED GRATIFICATION

MEMORY VERSE: He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. Proverbs 21:27

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 143-145

There is a popular term in psychology called ‘Delayed Gratification’. It refers to the ability to put off something mildly fun or pleasurable now in order to wait for something that is greatly fun, pleasurable, or rewarding later. Delay Gratification simply means making a choice which limits the ability of getting something now, for the pleasure of being able to have something bigger or better later. For example, you could watch TV the night before an exam, or you could exhibit delayed gratification and study for the exam. The latter would increase your chances of getting an 'A' in the course at the end of a semester, which is much more satisfying long-term than a night of watching TV.

There are some pleasures you have to deny yourself now if you want to have a glorious future. 3 John 2 says: “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” For this verse to be fulfilled in your life, there are some pleasures you have to deny yourself. Some of the pleasures are sweet and sugary food – food full of fats and sugars. Another pleasure is fizzy drink. Medical doctors have warned that sugary drinks increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Water is cheaper and better. By delaying gratification and choosing the more healthy option, the glass of water over the glass of coca-cola, you will reap the rewards of delayed gratification by being more healthy in your life, have less illness and have more energy to live your life to its fullest. Do you want to have breakthroughs? Do you want to do well in life? Do you want to do well in your studies? Do you want to be strong at your old age? Do you want to have more than enough or prosper? You need to start delaying gratification from now on. Do you want to fulfil destiny? Do you want to finish that project you have started? Do you want to be filled with the Holy Ghost? If you are like me, you may want to raise the dead. Then, you have to cut down on food. First of all, eating cuts down your life; eat to live not live to eat. Your inability to fast will limit you. Mark 9:29 says: “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”

Another pleasure you need to deny yourself of today if you want to have a glorious future is 'sleep'. How can you sleep 8 hours a day - 4 months a year - and expect to achieve much? Besides, those who love sleep are at the mercy of the enemy. Matthew 13:25 says: “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” That aside, poverty is not far from a man who loves to sleep. Proverbs 20:13 says: “Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.” Some battles are only fought at night, you will remain stagnant if you don't wake up to pray. The wrestling match that changed Jacob’s life forever took place at night (Genesis 32:22-32). The crossing of the Red Sea took place at night (Exodus 14). You have to work hard now so that you can rest later. Whilst everyone is going out to party and have fun, use that time to develop yourself.

ACTION: Make it a point of duty to develop an area of your life this year.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

MEMORY VERSE: A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 John 4-5

As I mentioned in part one of these series, how you handle situations matter. One thing I ask God for, from time to time, is wisdom. Wisdom will teach you how to handle a conflict situation. Wisdom will tell you that you don’t have to shout to resolve that issue. Proverbs 15:1 says: “a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” The fact that you are right and the other person is wrong is not a license to be rude or intimidating. The fact that you had a terrible day at work is not a license to shout at everyone that come your way. Be nice to people you meet. Be nice to that bus driver, that gate man, your secretary, that customer adviser, that cashier, that policeman, etc. A man, in a high-powered Mercedes sports car, was stopped by the police sometimes back. It was a random check; the police officers just wanted to check his insurance details and all that. Instead of being polite, he started giving the police officers attitude and they decided to teach him a lesson. A check that should have lasted for three minutes took for over ten minutes. They did everything to waste his precious time; there was no way he won’t be late if he had an appointment. If you try to make people feel small, they will respond by making you feel worthless. The police officers had nothing to lose but he had a lot to lose because he was standing doing nothing whilst the police officer wasted his precious time.

Learn to resolve issues in a non-violent way. Kohath, Abiram, Dathan and co felt the sharing of tasks in the house of God needs to be reviewed; they wanted more assignments (Numbers 16). Instead of meeting with Moses and Aaron to ask for more tasks, they rebelled. Verse 3 says: “And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?” That rebellion led to their death (Numbers 17). Whenever a man handles a matter wrongly, the matter will be blown out of proportion and at times, they may even lose out. A brother was owed 3000 pounds. The borrower had been promising to pay for a while but for one reason or the other, he could not keep to his word. One day, he gave his lender 500 pounds and promised to pay 2,500 pounds later. Instead of accepting the 500 pounds first and then get angry later, the lender got angry first - he refused the 500 pounds. Somehow, I heard about it and I advised the lender to take the 500 pounds because a bird in the hand is worth 10 in the bush. Grudgingly, he took the 500 pounds. Do you know the borrower has not paid the balance of 2,500 pounds till date and this happened five years ago? Thank God the borrower accepted the 500 pounds. Had the lender not accepted that 500 pounds that day, he would not have received a dime out of the money. In your anger, be wise. If someone owes you money and brings part of the money to you, please accept whatever he brings first before getting angry because that could be all that you will get.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please fill me with the spirit of wisdom.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

YOUR ASSOCIATION CAN BRING YOU BLESSINGS

MEMORY VERSE: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Malachi

BIBLE READING: Psalm 1:1-3

It is very important that you select your friends wisely and carefully. Why? Your friends or association will determine whether you will be a success or a failure. Your friends or association will determine whether you will have a happy marriage or not. Your friends will determine whether you will do well in an examination or fail. Your friends will determine the quality of life you will have. God, and you friends, will determine your lot in this life. How? Firstly, your friends will inform your confession and your confession will inform your lot in this life. According to Romans 10:17, “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Just as faith comes by hearing, fear (opposite of faith) comes by hearing. Many today live in fear of people of certain religion because of what they have heard in the media... suicide bombing in this part of the world... suicide bombing in that part of the world... hate crimes being perpetrated by some members of this religion. This tiny group, within this religion, perpetrating this hate crime may not truly represent this religion; however, what we hear in the news about them has informed a lot of things. Everything you hear is a seed that will go into your soul and produce fruits. 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.” Whenever you see a brother saying there are no jobs or there are no good women to marry or there are no opportunities in this country, go and check out his friends. You will find that, 9 out of 10 times, his confessions are similar to those of his friends. If there is a problem with your confession, there will be a problem with your life because whatever you confess is what you will have (Numbers 14:28). If you make sickly confession, you will become sick.

Secondly, your association will inform your behaviour. The elders have a wise saying: “show me your friends and i will tell you who you are.” If you really want to know who a person is, look at their friends. I am always wary of so-called “good people” who have a lot of bad friends. The simple reason is that, the Word of God says: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed (Amos 3:3)?” For the sake of argument, let’s say he does not agree with the bad boy lifestyle; he is only their friend to change them. 1 Corinthian 15:33 says: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” There is a saying in Latin: “qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent”. The meaning in English is this, “he that lieth with dogs shall rise up with fleas”. Judas Iscariot’s association with the Pharisees turned him into a rogue disciple. It is easier to turn a good person into a bad person than to turn a bad person into a good person. Your association will affect how you perceive life. It will affect your attitude to life. If you sit around those who whinge, moan and complain, after a while you will unconsciously begin to whinge, moan and complain too. If care is not taken, people will start to avoid you or distant themselves from you because no one loves people who whinge. Thirdly, your association will inform what you get from the Lord. According to Psalm 1:1-3, association with the godly will bring increase and fruitfulness. Verse 1 says: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” However, association with the ungodly will cause the opposite.

NOTE: If you are going to be successful in life, make sure you associate with those who will tell you the truth not those who will tell you what you want to hear.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BEWARE OF ENVY 2

MEMORY VERSE: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 1-4

The presence of the Lord is the place to be. It is the safest place in the whole world. Recently, I read a report about the top 10 safest countries in the world and the safest country, according to that report, is New Zealand. Due to their tough and strict criminal justice system, the loss of lives in crimes is almost zero and the rate of crimes is also the least. You are safer in the God's presence than in New Zealand. You are safer in God's presence than in the White House in America, Buckingham Palace in Great Britain and other presidential villas and palaces of this world put together. Satan and his co-demons can enter any of those places to wreck havoc; one place they dare not enter is the presence of the Lord. In 1 Kings 18, some soldiers came to arrest a man of God in the presence of the Lord. Fire came from heaven and consumed them. The only place you can find real joy is in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 says: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Many of us see the church as the presence of God. I want you to know that not everyone in church is in the presence of the Lord. Oh yes, there are many who are physically in church but there mind is somewhere else. Many are physically in church but truthfully speaking, they are not in church but on Facebook. They are busy on checking photos on Facebook whilst the pastor is preaching. Some are on BBM and instagram not in the church. In the presence of the Lord is deliverance. Obadiah 1:17 says: “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” The mad man of Gadara – the maddest man ever – got into the presence of God and was delivered (Mark 5:1-28). In the presence of God is breakthrough as seen in the case of Peter (Luke 5). In the presence of God is solution to challenges and problems that are beyond medical science.

To get into the presence of the Lord certain conditions must be met. One of the conditions is you must have a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4 says: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” You must have a clear conscience towards all. Envy will destroy you. It will destroy your relationships with people. It will cloud how you see things. Rachel saw her blood sister’s sons as her rival’s sons instead of her own sons. Envy will cause you to behave in a bad way to people. And as a result, you begin to beg for what should be yours. Had Rachel not misbehaved to her sister out of envy, Reuben would have given her some mandrake when he returned home. But because of her behavior towards his mum,Leah, Reuben only brought mandrake for his mum; Rachel had to beg to have some of this mandrake (Genesis 30:14 -15). Envy leads to unhappiness. It leads to sadness. Envy will cause you to start reading meaning to everything – even things you should not read meanings to. Envy will cause you to see your friends as your rivals. It could lead to hate. As i said the last time, envy will inform evil and ungodly ideas in you. The idea to give her slave to Jacob came as a result of Rachel’s envy. Envy makes one desperate. Aside all these, it will prevent you from being allowed into the presence of God. A man who has a pure heart does not envy people. He rejoices with people when they rejoice.

NOTE: Envy causes one to say what he should not say and the bible says for by your words you will be justified, and by your words will be condemned.

PRAYER POINT: Any harm I may have done to my destiny and my life as a result of envy, Father please reverse them and free me of envy.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

https://www.facebook.com/samuel.olu.16

YARDSTICK FOR SUCCESS

MEMORY VERSE: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 8-14

One of the yardsticks we use to measure success in the world today is material wealth. If a brother who hops from bus to bus suddenly buys a very big jeep or a brother who is renting suddenly builds/buys a big mansion, we say he is successful. We Christians will say he has enjoyed divine favor and some will begin to use his life as a point of contact for their breakthroughs. God wants all His children to prosper (3 John 2). He actually delights when His children do well which includes financial prosperity (Psalm 35:27). When Peter said to Jesus, "Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us?" Jesus responded saying:” Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:28-29). In other words, all you have lost for the sake of Christ are not lost, they are only being kept for you. One day it will be multiplied and given back to you.Although, material wealth is ONE of the ways of measuring success, it is NOT the absolute way to measure success. A brother can appear to be doing well physically when he is actually going down spiritually. A typical example is Lot. The moment he moved into Sodom and Gomorrah, he began to go down spiritually. On the surface, he was doing well. He was acquiring cattles, sheep, servants and all that. He even became a judge in Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, he was going down. Friend, not all wealth is God’s favour.

Sister in Christ, you have entered into a relationship with a brother who is an unbeliever. On the surface, people may be congratulating you. He may even buy gifts and make you feel loved and appreciated. It may appear as if you are moving in the right direction because at the end of the day, you are no longer single. However, remember that marrying an unbeliever means you will be having the devil as an in-law. As a matter of fact, the moment you begin to date an unbeliever, you begin to go down. To everyone, Brother Lot was enjoying divine favour until he lost all and began to live in caves (Genesis 19). If you are robbing people or cheating people and you are buying houses, you are not going up – you are actually going down. Also, success in ministry, at times, is measured by the size of the congregation and size of the tithes every Sunday. Well, increase in tithes don’t always mean God is blessing His church. Someone who stole from government coffers may decide to share some of his bounty and give a big offering. Besides, there was a time when Korah’s ministry grew. He had virtually all the princes in the land with him -although they were all rebels. Yet, by man's standard he was doing well. The only way to measure success is by checking how one is performing against God’s standard for one's life. If by God’s standard –considering the fact that you have been a Christian for several years – you should have won at least one soul to Christ and you have not then you are failing.

ACTION: Pray to God and ask Him to help you in areas you are failing.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

OF HIM SHALL BE MUCH REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deuteronomy 10:12

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Peter 1-3

God is love (1 John 4:8). John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” However, He does not love all equally. The same God who created Jacob and Esau said: “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated (Romans 9:13).” He loved Jacob more than Esau. Joseph had two sons: Manasseh (senior) and Ephraim (junior). He took them to his father,Jacob, for prayer. He put Manasseh, the older one, at his father’s right hand and Ephraim, the younger one, at his father’s left hand. When it was time to pray, the old man crossed his hands, and put his right hand on Ephraim, the younger one, and his left hand on Manasseh, the older one. When Joseph saw this, he was displeased. He tried to move his father’s hand from Ephraim to Manasseh but the old man refused. Genesis 48:19 says, “And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.” The Lord loved these two boys but He loved Ephraim more than Manasseh. 

The measure of love He dishes out to individuals varies. For example, Jesus Christ said, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44).” You are in Christ today because the Lord, out of His great love, drew you to Him. The same message you heard that made you give your life to Christ, others heard it and continued in their life of sin. Out of the several billions on the face of the planet today, He drew you to Christ. This is a proof that you are in receipt of a greater measure of His love. He drew you to Christ to give you a glorious future (Isaiah 3:10). He drew you to Christ to turn your shame into glory. Colossians 1:27b says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” He drew you to Christ so that you will reign with His son in Heaven (. John 3:3-5). The more the measure of love He dishes out to a fellow, the more the amount of love He expects back from the fellow.  Luke 12:48 says, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” The Lord is beginning to pour out of His love in great measure to some of us. He is beginning to use some of us in various ways – ways beyond our wildest dreams. He is beginning to open doors to some of us. He is beginning to turn our lives around. He expects us to reciprocate those love back to Him.  Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” The Lord loved Solomon and blessed him. When he asked for wisdom, the Lord gave Him wisdom and riches. What did Solomon do? He reciprocated that love back to God. He offered a sacrifice of 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats (2 Chronicles 6:42). Ephraim,on the other hand, did not reciprocate it back. Instead, he began to follow after idols and the Lord abandoned him (Hosea 4:17). 

NOTE: If for one reason or the other, maybe due to sin,  He has turn His attention away from you, there is still something you can do. You can repent,  rededicate your life to Christ and start afresh. Judah became His favourite because Reuben, Simeon and Levi misbehaved badly. But one day, the whole Israel sinned and Moses said "whoever is on the Lord’s side come to me". Only the children of Levi went to him (Exodus 32:26). From that day, the Lord drew Levi back to Himself. Only Levi was allowed to come near the ark of God. If you demonstrate your love to Him, He will draw you to Himself. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

PRESERVED BY FOCUS

MEMORY VERSE: 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. Hebrew 12:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Haggai

Vision (the ability to see) is very important. Why? The man who cannot see will inevitably end up in a ditch. Matthew 15:14 says, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” What a man sees can either make him or break him. For instance, Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple” and that changed him (Isaiah 6). Isaiah, like many of us, used his environment as a yardstick to measure his holiness. Whenever a man uses his environment or people fornicating and committing adultery around him as a yardstick to measure his holiness, he will always come out very holy. On that faithful day, he saw his holiness and God’s holiness and cried “woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). That singular event turned him into a broken man for the Lord. What John, a very hard man, very violent, nicked named son of thunder by Jesus (Mark 3:17), saw in Revelations 1 broke him completely. Revelations 1: 17 says “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.”

However, what David saw in 2 Samuel 11 almost destroyed him. When David was meant to be at war fighting the Lord’s battle, he tarried back at home and slept. When he woke up, he saw a naked woman bathing and that was it. He committed adultery with her and killed the husband to hide the truth. What you see is important, but more important is what you focus on. Two people can see the same thing but focus on two different things. The twelve spies Moses sent to Canaan saw the same thing - the land of Canaan, the big fruits of Canaan, the men of Canaan, etc- but focused on different things (Numbers 13&14). Ten of them focused on the size of the men of Canaan and the other two focused on the word of God and God Himself. What the ten focused on informed their confession. Numbers 13:33 says, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” What the ten focused on informed their decision and actions. Numbers 14:4 says, “And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” All these led to their destruction. Numbers 14:30-30 says, “Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.” Do you know that what you focus on, at times, informs your dreams when you sleep? If you spend the whole day watching horror movies and all that, don’t be surprised if you sleep and find strange creatures chasing after you in your dreams. Or if you indulge in pornography, don’t be surprised if you sleep and find yourself making love to strange people in your dream. Ecclesiastes 5:3 says, “For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.” Your focus will preserve you. What kept Jesus going despite the rejections He received was His focus. Luke 23:18 says, "And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas." The bible records “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrew 12:2). What made Jesus say “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42), was His focus. If you focus on your present situation you will be discouraged, and if care is not taken you may fall into sin. Focus on the promises of God for your life, as recorded in the bible, and you will be greatly encouraged. What will keep you going during times of trial is your focus.

NOTE: If you focus on the work to be done to achieve something you will be discouraged, but if you focus on the rewards on completion of that task, you will be strengthened.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TEN CHEESES

MEMORY VERSE: And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. 1 Samuel 17:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 5-6

BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 17:16-19

Noah Webster’s dictionary 1828 defines a key as “an instrument for shutting or opening a lock, by pushing the bolt one way or the other. Keys are of various forms, and fitted to the wards of the locks to which they belong.” Today, due to technological advancements, the definition of a key has changed slightly. A more general definition of a key is anything that grants one entry into a place or something. The moment we hear the word “key” what comes to mind is a door. Then, what is a door? A door is simply anything that is used to restrict access into a place/something or out of a place/something . You need a key to open or lock a door. Certain keys open certain doors. The key to my front door should only open my front door. The same thing with yours. If your front door key suddenly opens my front door then something must be wrong. Actually, it means i need to change my front door lock. The bible contains several keys to open certain doors in our lives. For example, the key to promotion is diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” The key to heaven is salvation . John 3:3 says” Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Romans 10:9-10 say, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The key to reaping is sowing. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” A man who sows nothing will reap nothing. The key to abundance of resources is giving. Proverbs 11:25 says, “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Be a giver. Give to God and give to men also. You can pray from today till tomorrow, if you don’t sow you will not reap.One thing i have found with most billionaires -if not all- is that they give to charity a lot. I am talking of genuine billionaires, those who worked for it not those who stole from the government. The Lord is always prospering 'givers'. He is always opening doors for them. Your gifts will open doors for you. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.” Please we are not talking of giving bribes or accepting bribes. A true child of God will neither give bribe or nor accept one. Your gifts will bring you favour before God and before man. Your gifts will open doors to your  children and bring them favour also. What granted David access to the battle ground was his father’s gift to that captain of thousand. 1 Samuel 17:18 says, “And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.” No civilian is allowed into the camp except he has a personal message for the king or the general and in the case of David, he had a message for the captain of thousand. They allowed him in to deliver his message to the general who was at the battlefront. (Generals are always at the battlefront giving out instructions and cordinating things). Whilst there, David heard Goliath boasting, fought him and won the price. Those ten cheeses brought him favour before the captain of thousands. It is possible that it was this captain that granted David access to Saul when he volunteered to fight Goliath.   

NOTE: It is one thing to want to give; it is another to have the resources to give. Pray that God will put resources in your hand so that you can be a giver.

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHO IS BACKING YOU MATTERS

MEMORY VERSE: David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 1 Samuel 17:37

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: James 4-5

BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 17:1- End

In 1 Samuel 17:8- 11, Goliath stood and challenged the armies of Israel. Verse 10 says, “And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” Why is he able to do this? It is simple. He had his four brothers – also giants – behind him (2 Samuel 21:15-22). Not only that, he had the whole nation behind him cheering him and backing him up. David, on other hand, had no one behind him except God. His brothers didn’t believe in him; King Saul politely advised him that he was not good enough. 1 Samuel 17:37 says, “David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” David fought Goliath and killed him. There are several lessons we can learn from this story. Firstly, the fact that men are backing you does not guarantee victory. The reason is those that backed you today can decide to turn against you tomorrow. Those who shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna!’ to Jesus were the same bunch who shouted crucify Him! Crucify Him! Also, the fact that you don't have a backing does not translate into failure. After all, no one backed David yet he defeated Goliath. 

Secondly, who is backing you matters. Why? The amount of help or support you can expect  will be determined by who is backing you. Also, the fellow backing you  will only take you as far as he has gone. He can only take you to a height he has reached. He can only give what he has; what he doesn't have he can't give. Imagine getting marriage counselling from someone who is single or someone who is divorced. If i were you, i will look for someone whose marriage has worked by God's grace and is still working. You will only stand as long as the fellow backing you is standing. If he falls, God have mercy. The one backing you will determine how high or how far you will go in life. He will determine how high you will be promoted. The chairman of an organization can decide to make you his deputy -that's how high he can take you - but a team leader can only help you to become, at most, a supervisor under him. 

 Thirdly, the fact that something has never been done before does not mean it can’t be done. No one had ever defeated Goliath before and as such, no one knew his weakness. Because he had never been beaten before, no one knew how to beat him. The fact that no one you know has ever passed that particular exam does not mean you can’t be the first. God’s presence in your life cancels out all other factors that could work against you. David didn’t know how to use a sword and a shield yet he conquered Goliath. He never received any form of military training yet he prevailed over Goliath. The presence of the Lord makes all the difference. A lot blame their short stature or round stature or other things for the reason why they are still single. Only if I was slimmer… Only if I was taller…etc. All you need is God’s presence and His favor.  

NOTE: God will only back His children. If you have not given your life to Christ you better do so now. Also, He won't back a thief. If you have been stealing from Him through tithes and offering you better restitute your ways. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

YOU SHALL HAVE WHAT YOU CONFESS

MEMORY VERSE: For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:37

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 13-14

We live in a “word” world/ planet. This planet was framed by the “word of God”. Hebrews 11:3 says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Whatever God spoke came to pass. Genesis 1:3 says, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:9 says, “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.” If you read through the account of creation, Genesis 1, after you read, “And God said,” you will read, “and it was so”. What God says happens! If He said it, you can bank on it. For instance, He said in His word,” Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings” (Isaiah 3:10). Whether the devil likes it or not, it shall be well with you because the Most High said so. He says in Isaiah 54:15: “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.” Because He said so, you can bank on it. In Genesis 1, the Most High God used His words (spiritual things that are not seen) to create the physical universe (natural things that are seen). The Most High God created man to operate the same way He operates. Man was supposed to use his words to accomplish God's plan by being fruitful, multiplying, replenishing, subduing , and taking dominion over the Earth ( Genesis 1:26,28). After the fall of man, his nature changed but the mandate from God remained the same so did the power of his words. Whatever man spoke still had the power to determine his destiny and affect the destiny of everything around him – whether he served God or the devil, whether he spoke words of life or words of death.

Words are the most powerful things on this Earth. They can change and rearrange anything – for good or for evil. Matthew 12:37 says, “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Because of the value of words, every man will give account of every idle word he spoke. Matthew 12:36 says, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” Watch your words, asides from the fact that they can hurt people, you will give account to God one day. Just as God's words (spiritual things that are not seen) created the physical universe (natural things that are seen), you own words too (spiritual things that are not seen) will create things ( natural things that are seen). I heard the story of a man who always joked that the tiny growth on his face was cancer. "Na cancer o my brother " meaning it is cancer my brother , was his response whenever people ask what the little growth on his face was. Several years later, he was diagnosed with cancer and he died. Watch what you call yourself. There was a man who used to call himself “Mr Popular”. He began to call himself “Mr Popular” from a tender age. Forty years later, he became very popular. So popular that wherever he went, within minutes people will fall in love with him and want to be his friends and sometimes do business with him. You will always have what you say or confess. The woman with the issue of blood said, “If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole (Matthew 9:21). When she touched the hem of Jesus' garment she was made whole as she prophesied. David told Goliath, i will kill you and cut off your head (1 Samuel 17). When he said so, all he had on him was a staff, a sling and five stones. That’s all he had, but Goliath had a big sword, shield, and all the military gear. What happened? David cut of his head as he had confessed.

NOTE: What God hears you say is what He is going to do for you. Numbers 14:28 says, “Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you.”

ACTION: With your mouth, confess what you want the Lord to do for you in the remaining months of this year.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“AND FOUND HIM SITTING UNDER AN OAK”

MEMORY VERSE: And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zephaniah

BIBLE READING: 2 Samuel 11:1-5

Imagine the Lord came to you in a dream or in a vision, and instructed you to go to a church nearby and cry against the altar because of the evil that was taken place there. He warned you not to eat or drink there. Immediately, alarm bells will begin to ring in your head. Why on earth would the good Lord warn me against eating there? "Hmm! There must be some kind of danger attached to the food they may want to serve me", you would have thought. " There is poison in the food", you would conclude. As such, whilst you are there you will stay away from food or drink. Not only that, you will keep your mouth shut about the Lord’s instruction not to eat or drink because they may grab you and force feed you.

He also warned you not to return by the way you came. Again you say to yourself, "if the Lord wants me to return by a different route then there must danger along the route". "Someone must be out there to harm me either on my way to the church or on my way back from the church". For this reason, you will keep that information to yourself and not waste time at all. The moment you leave the church, you will run back home. No matter how tired you are, even if you are pressed and you needed to use the toilet, you will not stop until you get home. This was what one would have expected from the young prophet who the Lord sent to Bethel to cry against it (1 Kings 13). On his way back the king invited him to a meal. He turned down the offer, and then went on to divulge the instruction the Lord gave to him. On his way back, he decided to rest under a tree and the enemy caught up with him and tricked him. 1 Kings 13:14 says, “And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.” The enemy fed him and he ended up as lunch for a lion. Had it been the young prophet did not wait by the tree, the enemy would not have catch up with him and he would have reached home safely. There is danger in resting before the finish line. There is danger in sitting, by a tree, when one should be walking or if possible running.

When David was meant to be at war fighting the Lord's battle, he stayed back at home and slept. 2 Samuel 11:1 says, “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.” Before he woke up, the enemy had strategically positioned a naked woman around him. He saw her and fell into adultery. This is why it is not good to stay at home when you should be in church. The moment Jesus told Peter “That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18), one would have expected Peter to become very careful and watch his words because God has a plan for his life. Actually, it would have been wise for Peter to start praying that the Lord would keep him and the enemy would not succeed over his life. However, Peter continued as usual and before he knew it the devil started speaking through him. Jesus had to rebuke him at a point (Matthew 16:23).

COUNSEL: Friend is the Lord beginning to use you in one capacity or the other? It is not the time to go around boasting. It is a time to start serious prayer. It is one thing to start; it is another thing to finish. Are you beginning to enjoy unusual favour, it is not a time to show off at all. It is a time to start praying for wisdom to manage your relationships. Are your spiritual or physical children beginning to prosper, it is not a time to boast at all. It is a time change your prayer gear into the next level.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

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. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

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. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world