TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Exodus 14:15-16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hebrew 1-4

Matthew 18:18 says: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” There are several lessons to learn from this verse. Firstly, the power to bind and lose have been given to you. Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Sadly, man lost this dominion when he fell. However, when Jesus redeemed mankind He restored to us dominion through His name. Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Friend, you are not weak. You are not powerless. Jesus says, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven”. In other words, if you take the step of faith and bind something on earth today, heaven will back you up. According to Matthew 17:20 you don’t need big faith to do this. Matthew 17:20 says, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Secondly, you are responsible  for binding and losing. In other words, whatever you permit is what God will  permit. Whatever you allow in your life is what He will allow in your life.  All you need to do is speak the word in faith and leave the fulfilment of the word to Him.  God will not bind or lose for you.  When Moses cried to God at the Red Sea asking Him to please part the Red Sea, the Lord responded and said “Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea”( Exodus 14:15-16). Friend, why are you asking God to chase away demons He has given you authority over?It is your job to do that. You are to ask them to leave in the name of Jesus not ask Jesus to drive them away. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  Thirdly, only a genuine child of God can bind and lose. Matthew 12:30 says,” He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” You either for Him or against Him. You are either working for Him or working against Him. Not until you give your life to Christ, you are not for Him. And if you claim to have given your life to Christ and you are living with a man that you are not married to, then someone must be fooling himself or herself. Why not do the right thing and go to the altar and be joined in holy matrimony. Or if you claim to have given your life to Christ and you are fiddling with meter readings so that you don’t pay for electricity, i want you to know that Christ does not approve of that; no one who is for Him will do that. 

PRAYER POINT: I bind every spirit working contrary to the fulfillment of my destiny in the name of Jesus, under the blood of Jesus pack your bag and never return!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER 1

MEMORY VERSE: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. John 16:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 81-83

What happens when an individual accepts Jesus as his or her personal Lord and saviour? By the Holy Spirit, Jesus comes into the life of the individual, his or her sins are washed away through His poured-out Blood, and he or she is given a new kind of life i.e. eternal life. The Holy Spirit having joined Himself to the individual’s spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17) brings it back to life; it is ‘born-again’ and becomes what Paul calls a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer causes nine manifestations of the fruit of the regenerated human spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Fruits don’t grow on the trees but on the branches. According to John 15:5, Christ is the vine and we are the branches. As such, it is our regenerated or born again human spirit that produces this fruit as a result of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit or the life of the Holy Spirit within.

The Holy Spirit in the life of a believer does more than fruit bearing. For examples, He comforts. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (Please permit me to use myself as an example. It is not to show off or anything but to show you how the Holy Spirit comforts). Several years back, i sensed in my spirit, whilst at work, that something was about to happen. Few minutes later, a man walked into the office with a brown envelope and i knew he was there to suspend me. How did i know this? Through the Holy Spirit that resides in me. A hour later, i was suspended. As i was literally marched out of the office, the Holy Spirit comforted me with these words: "don't worry you will not loose your job. You will return." He told that morning that He deliberately permitted it so that we, myself and Him, can have time together. Immediately i heard these my fear dissipated. What a comforting word i received that morning.

Two months into the suspension, He gave me a dream, one night, and i saw myself return to work. Few days later, i received a letter, from my employer inviting me for a hearing for gross misconduct in other words i may be loosing my job. Had not the Lord shown me that dream, a few days earlier, i would have been thrown off balance. I read the letter and smiled because i had already been comforted even before it arrived. Because i was so sure of my victory, i began to tell everyone that i would be returning back to work on Monday - as Friday was my hearing. Another brother who received comfort from the Holy Spirit was Gideon. He was going to fight the Midianites with 30, 000 men and the Lord cut it down to 300 men (Judges 7). That brother began to panic and shake. To comfort him, the Lord told him to go with his servant to the camp of the Midianites and hear the conversation that was going on there. When he got there, he heard a Midianite soldier sharing a dream he had with his friends. The soldier, in the dream, saw a loaf of bread tumbling into the camp of the Midianites destroying it. Gideon was the loaf of bread. When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, strength returned to him and he worshiped the Lord.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please comfort me and the brethren.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

HEARING FROM GOD: A KEY TO LIVING A VICTORIOUS LIFE

MEMORY VERSE: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelations 2:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 44-47

One of the key conditions that must be met before a man can enjoy a walk with God is the ability to hear from God. The Lord told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28 that if they would listened to His voice, great blessings will be theirs. He also warned them saying: “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:”(Deuteronomy 28:15). Hearing from God is crucial to our existence on the face of the earth. We can give several examples of people who have escaped death because they could hear from God. A particular brother was dressing up one morning to go and watch car racing. He and some other brethren in the church had arranged to meet up at a particular spot where they could get a very good view of the racing track. Whilst he was shaving, the spirit of the Lord told him to remain indoors and study his bible. Being a brother with integrity, having given his word to his friends that he would attend, he didn't want to go back on his word. Nevertheless, he obeyed and remained in doors. By 8am the car race started, and he could hear their powerful engines from his apartment. After a short while, he had a deafening bang and he rushed out. He instinctively knew that the bang came from the racing track. When he got to the spot where he was supposed to meet his friends and watch the race from, he saw dead bodies, some with severed hands lying all around. As God will have it, when his friends got there around 8am and he was not there, they left to watch the race at another spot thereby escaping death too.

Hearing from God is a precursor to getting it right in the choice of a marriage partner and having a blissful marriage. Joseph, earthly father of Jesus, heard from God in a dream that he should take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20). The servant of Abraham who was sent to get a wife for Isaac heard from God before speaking to Rebecca’s parents (Genesis 24:13-21). The ability to hear from God is necessary if a man does not want to make costly mistakes in life or take a wrong step. The revered man of God, Samuel, almost anointed the wrong candidate as king over Israel. He was about to anoint Eliab as king when the Lord, who sees the heart of every man, told him to stop. Hearing from God puts one's mind at rest whilst others are panicking. Whilst everyone on onboard with Paul were screaming, panicking, some saying their last prayers - most likely asking for forgiveness of all their sins - Paul was unmoved by tempestuous wind, Euroclydon, that was blowing ferociously at the ship. The man of God had heard from God that, although the ship will be totally destroyed, there will be no loss of lives (Acts 27:1-44). I am not an author when it comes to hearing from God. I am still learning to hear from God and asking Him to help me to hear more. But, i can share an experience or two, in my life, that will help you appreciate the importance of hearing from God. Several years ago, i had a challenge at work and it was obvious that i was gone especially when someone was brought to replace me. I was favoured to have a lot of caring people around me (God bless their darling hearts) and they began to worry that i was going to lose my job. In the midst of all this, i was at peace because God had said to me through His Word, ‘Christ in you the hope of glory ‘(Colossians 1:27). Anytime people called, i would tell them "all will be well” and to the glory of God all went well. Had i not heard from God, i would have looked for another job, leaving where God wanted me to be at that time. When the Pharisees told Jesus to run for His life as Herod was making plans to kill Him, He told them "Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected"( Luke 13:31-32). Hearing from God puts you in charge of the situations in your life. Jesus was always in control of circumstances because He hears from God.

NOTE: To hear from God, one must spend time in the place of prayer. If one is not regularly talking to God, He will not talk back to the fellow. Also, meditating on the scripture, obeying the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and living a life of holiness and purity are a must for anyone who wants to hear from God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a hearing heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE

MEMORY VERSE: for I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died, Romans 7:9

 

BIBLE VERSE: Josh 16-17, Ps 148, Jer 8, Matt 22

 

BIBLE STUDIES: Revelations 20:11-15

 

What is the Lamb’s book of life? The Book of Life is the set of names of those who will live with God forever in heaven. Revelations 20:15 says and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. One of the popular misconceptions is that you need to be saved before your name is written in the book of life. If you get your names in the book of life by salvation then all babies are lost both babies of saved and unsaved people. Not only that, people who have not reach the age of accountability as well. There are people who will never reach the age of accountability no matter how old they are due to challenges in their brain. An example of a fellow who cannot be held accountable for his action is a mad man on the street. James 4:17 says therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not to him it is sin. Mad people do not know right from wrong.

 

First of all there is no place in the bible where the bible talks of your name been written in the book of life. There is a part that talks of it been blotted out, Revelations 3:5. This is why the notion of once saved always saved is totally wrong.Believers will not stand before the Great white throne of judgment only unbelievers. Believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of their action and deeds in the body. The bible records that anyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire, Revelations 20:15. If the names had not been written there before, while will they checking to see if it was there? It will make little or no sense to check the name of a student who had never attended a school before in the school’s register.

 

At one point in time the names of everyone was written in the book of life because God planned a family. At one point all our spirits were alive unto God. Paul said for I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died, Romans 7:9. Paul was not referring to physical death but spiritual death. When the commandment came i.e. when he reached the age of accountability or when he began to know his left from right, he could now be held accountable so he died spiritually. Thank God for the salvation of his soul later. What causes names to be blotted out of the book of life? Been an enemy of God. Matthew 12:30 says he that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. A fellow who refuses to give his or her life to Christ is against Him. A fellow who refuses to repent and walk in holiness and righteousness is against Him because He said be holy for I am holy, 1 Peter 1:16

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me  i do not want my name blotted out of your book.

THE LIVING HAS A HOPE

  MEMORY VERSE: For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 10, Ps 46-47, Sng 8, Heb 8

In elementary school we learnt about living things and non living things. The difference between living things and non living things is that living things make decision. Plants and trees make decisions, one of the decisions they make is that they grow towards sunlight. Animals also make decisions; they purposely decide to move away from burning fire. There are three seasons in the life of a man – the past, present and future. Out of these three seasons we have control over the present, the past and future are out of our control. The most important of these three seasons is the present because we make decisions in the present i.e. we are alive in the present. After that, is the future because the decisions we make today affects our future. This is why Proverbs 22:29 says those who decide to be diligent today will sit before kings tomorrow (the future). Those who decide to be idle today will suffer hunger tomorrow (the future), Proverbs 19:15. To avoid a future of hunger, please get busy with your work or studies today.

The least important of these three seasons is the past. There is no one alive today who does not have a past. We all have past experiences – some of which are good and some of which are bad. We have all been let down and disappointed in the past. Many of us have been taken advantage of, and deeply hurt from events of the past. Some have made terrible mistakes in the past maybe in relationship or business or in career. Many have been abused in the past and molested by those who are meant to protect them. Friends I want you to know that we all have a past and we all have reasons to look back into the past. 

The past is considered dead. It is dead because we have no control over it. We cannot make decisions in the past and no matter what we do today, we cannot change the past. When you look to the past or think about it, you are just grasping the wind or chasing after shadows. Ecclesiastes 9:4 says for to him that is joined to all the living there is hope .Anyone that focuses on the past is joining his or herself to the dead. The dead has no hope of a better tomorrow, only the living has hope. Dwelling in the past is a step in retrogression. Looking back keeps you on the same spot for a long time. When you keep your focus on the past, it discourages you and stifles your initiatives. The reason for many depressions today is as a result of people failing to let go of the past. Do you know looking back prevents you from moving into the glorious future the Lord has for you? The only way out is for you to focus on the future and that is a function of the present. Change in circumstances is a possibility for those who focus on the future. Focusing on the future propels you to get into your future. Join yourself to the living today by dropping your past!

PRAYER POINT: Father I drop my past at your feet, and pick your future for my life.

WATER TO WINE PART 2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 39, Mark 9, Job 5, Romans 9

John 2:3 and when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine.

Bible studies: John 2:1-11

In part 1 of ‘water to wine’ series, we learnt that water symbolizes challenges and wine symbolizes celebration. Therefore water to wine simply means challenges to celebration. We touched the subject of Christians and alcohol. We also talked about one of the things that needs to be in place for water to turn into wine-for challenges to turn into celebration.

The fact that you love God does not mean there will not be challenges or problems. Problems and challenges are part and parcel of life - believers and non believers. The believer is only at an advantage because right in his boat is the Prince of Peace and a word from Him will still the storm. If anyone tells you that once you give your life to Christ there will not be challenges it is a lie. The bible says that many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all, Psalm 34:19. Jesus even told His disciples that in the world they will have tribulations but they should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world for them, John 16:33. The Most High God says in Isaiah 43:2 that when you pass though the waters, He will be there. He did not say if you pass through waters, He said when you pass through waters.Jesus was in the boat when a great windstorm arose and the waves began to beat into the boat, Mark 4:35-41. When Jesus is in your boat, there could be storms but be rest assured that the boat will never sink. Jesus was at the wedding in Cana of Galilee and when the wine finished, John 2:1-11. When Jesus is at your wedding or function, the wine may finish but be rest assured that He will provide a better wine in excess. The fact that you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior does not exempt you from trials of faith. Several years ago I was about to close from work when the manager called three of us into his office. He told us the department was overstaffed and our services were no longer required. Our contracts were terminated right on the spot ; no notice period was given. Since we were temporary staffs, there was nothing we could do except leave. Today in that same place of work I have been made permanent, received recognitions, been promoted, participated in several recruitment e.t.c. The wine finished on that day but the Lord provided a better wine at the same place work. Whilst serving the Lord in spirit and truth, the enemies may attack and your wine finishes. I want to tell you the God you serve will provide a better wine. In that endeavor of yours, things might go wrong unexpectedly, I want to tell you there is God on the throne and you will not suffer disgrace. Anytime I am facing any challenges, i will tell people please do not pity me because Christ in me is the Hope of glory, Colossians 1:27. The wine may finish one hundred times but I very confident that Jesus will produce a better wine one hundred and one times.

KEYWORD: Challenges are part and parcel of life. When going through any challenges remember Christ in you is the hope of glory not of shame.

Among the dead?

Saturday 26 August                     Bible in one year: Amos 7-9

Memorise: The man  that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. Proverbs 21:16

Read: Ephesians 2:1-3

Knowing your spiritual standing is very important at any point in time. But one challenge is how to judge where you are,whether you are dead, sleeping, sitting, standing, running or flying.Who is a dead fellow? A dead man is one that has no feelings. If your conscience is hardened,you are spiritually dead. There are some pastors who are dead. No matter what they hear like: stop stealing,falsifying church records,committing adultery, etc they will say, Amen; but when they return to their parishes, they will continue with their evil deeds. This they do because they are dead spiritually . Ephesians 2:1-3 speaks of those who are dead in sins and trespasses.  The dead are those who sin and take pleasure in it. They enjoy living in sin which makes no different from unbelievers.

It is a sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. Proverbs 10:23

The pastor who verbally runs down his senior pastor and sees nothing wrong with it is dead.It is a dead fellow who will witch-hunt other believers with the motive of replacing them.There is a growing congregation of dead people in the church today. If you want to stay alive, you must avoid them  like a plague.Avoid any group in your church that promotes rebellion, gossiping, backbiting,segregation and any other evil. The day God’s wrath will fall on them, if you are with them, you will not be excluded.

If you have no feeling for your brother or sister ,your conscience is dead. if you sin or do anything wrong and you do not feel anything,you are probably not only dead but buried in sin.If you oppress others,particularly your brethren that you were asked to do good to ,it is because your conscience is dead or seared with a hot iron. Jesus says let the dead bury their dead. if you are dead,it is people like yourself that will finally nail your spiritual coffin-that is they will ensure you never rise again spiritually. This means if you  are part of the congregation of the dead,in order not to be buried by them,run back to Jesus today. Cry out to God to change your heart. Ask for a heart of flesh and make all necessary restitution. Are you dead? The Lord says to you arise and He will heal your backsliding(Jeremiah 3:22)

PRAYER POINT:  Father in any way i have become insentitive to your pricks,cause me to arise today.

Excerpts from open heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Victim of lies

Monday 20 August                                   Bible in one year: 2 Kings 23-25

Memorise: Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto hananiah the prophet,Hear now,Hananiah; The Lord hath sent thee;but thou makest this people trust in a lie. Jeremiah 28:15

Read: Jeremiah 28:15-17

 Although some people love to believe in a lie,yet God's standard remains . If you enjoy being flattered, you are a lover of lies. Your self-deception will soon land you into trouble ( Proverbs 29:5). Beyond lying to on another, lying has assumed another frightening dimension. How? Lying is now a common feature in the house of God. In fact, lying has become a big money spinner in the house of God. Since people love to hear lies, they flock around those who will tell it to them. If instead of hearing the undiluted Word of God you prefer to run from one prophet to the other;you are a lover of lies and you may soon be a willing victim of deception. Lying in the name of the Lord is a grievous offence. Worse still is giving a pack of lies which you brand prophetic declarations from the Lord. We all know that genuine men of God are revered, so satanic agents and merchandising prophets are also seriously engaged in the business of deception in order to get reverence from people.

If you a lover of visions, beware or else you will become a victim of lies. Any prophetic declarations that has raised your hope, coming from merchandising prophets and pastors will surely disappoint you (Jeremiah 28:15). In some places, when a  lady wants a particular man as husband, all she needs do is "settle" the prophet or prophetess and later in the service  the leader will go into acrobatics. At some point, he will say, "thus says the Lord, Brother so and so , Sister so and so is your wife". Thereafter , the sister will pretend to refuse it or even feign tears asking :" How could God be so unfair to me? Why this particular brother?" Meanwhile , the men at the centre of it all does not know that he is an unwilling actor in a script written be the church leader and the lady. Those of you who go to your pastor to pray for you  and tell you who to marry, if care is not taken , you will become a victim of lies. You are simple lazy. No pastor or prophet should tell you who to marry. They are to pray along with you  , counsel and guide you using the Word of God. If you fail to pay the price to hear from God on that matter, you may be deceived. God can use your pastor or a genuine prophet of God to confirm what He had already told you. Many homes have been established on falsehood and that is why things are falling apart and the centre can no longer hold.

KEY POINT: Some pastors are seriously into match-making. They have taken over from the Holy Spirit. Match-Making remains God's prerogative and He has not delegated it to any any pastor.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

LEAVE YOUR PAST

 

Tuesday 24 July                                       Bible in one year: John 18-21

Memorise: Brethren , I count not myself to have apprehended : but this one thing i do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3:13

Read : Proverbs 37:23-25

When God uses one of His servants to bless you, you can appreciate that servant of God but appreciate God much more. Why? God is the source of the blessing while His servant is only a vessel. Never turn a vessel into your source. If you do , both you and the vessel may get into trouble with God. It was in light of this Knowledge that Elisha, despite his devotion to Elijah did not forget the God of Elijah. He called for the God of Elijah and not for Elijah or his anointing at the River Jordan (2 Kings 2:13-14). Elisha faced a new reality after the departure of Elijah. It was a new phase for him. You need to walk in understanding that life is in phases. When one phases ends, another begins. Psalm 37:25 says:
I have been young, and now am old; yet have i not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

According to this scripture, there is the phase of being a youth and another phase of being old. A new phase had just began in the life of Elisha. The phase of Elisha the servant, who went everywhere with his master had just ended and another phase of Elisha the national prophet with several attendants had just begun. When the time for his next phase came, he refused to continue in the old phase.
You must be ready to move forward. Stop living in the past. In 1 Samuel 25:1 , after mourning the death of Samuel, David continued with his journey. Life continue irrespective of the challenges of each day, and so must you. Paul had to adopt a strategy of forgetting his past so that he could face his future ( Philippians 3:12-14). Some people have lost their future to their past because somehow, there were never able to put the past behind them. Have you lost someone you love so much? Move on from that spot! Have you lost someone who promised to help sponsor your education or help set you up in business? Move on from that spot and another helper will surface. You could also receive direct help from above.Never allow past failures hinder your success. Also, never allow past victories and successes hinder future ones. Stop dwelling in your past! As long as your remain at the bust stop of life, no new thing will come to you. Move forward! take a step into your future today!

KEY POINT:
If you don’s leave your past, it will continue to hunt you.
Open Heaves by Pastor E.A Adeboye