LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?

MEMORY VERSE: and he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do, Acts 9:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 14, Acts 18, Jer 27, Mark 13

BIBLE STUDIES: Acts 9:1-6

Paul (formerly Saul) persecuted the church out of Ignorance. He was a party to the group who stoned Stephen to death. Any where the name of Jesus was been mentioned, he would go there and commit them to prison for torturing. He had this passionate hatred for the gospel and he took it upon himself to stop the gospel at all cost. One day on his way to Damascus to arrest some believers, he met Jesus and everything changed. Paul had a brain wave; he realized that all this while he had been fighting his creator. Not only that, he was on a first class to ticket to hell. Upon this realization he asked Christ, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ In other words he was asking Christ, what can I do to make up for the times I had wasted before I met you? Not only that, he was telling Christ ‘thank you for saving me, but I am indebted to you forever. I do not care about what you can do for me , all I care about is what can I do for you to show I appreciate the salvation of my soul?’

One of the greatest speeches that revolutionized USA in the sixties was the inaugural speech of John F Kennedy in 1961. He said ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do your country’. I have always shared the story of how I was taken before the judgment Seat of Christ. Before the doors were opened, I was giving an opportunity to go through my heavenly file. When I saw the contents I broke down in tears and began to ask for a second chance. I knew what I saw there and I knew what the decision was going to be. Romans 6:23 clearly states that the wages of sin is death. I knew the decision looking at my past.To cut the long story short I got a second chance. I am very grateful to and I am eternally grateful for the second chance to put things right.

Brethren, when i woke I noticed a passionate hatred for sin especially the sin of adultery and fornication inside me. Not only that I felt indebted to the One who saved my soul and gave me a second chance. I felt I owed God who delivered from the power of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of his dear son (Colossians 1:13). From that day I began to think of what I can do for the one who rescued me from hell. I am always sad when we go to share fliers for evangelism and people share more fliers than me. When it is time to clean the church, I always love to take the lion portion the work. I always love to do extra work and go extra length. When everyone wants to do 50 per cent, I try to do 80 per cent. Why? Because I want to show my savior i appreciate my salvation. Once you are really saved, you forget about what Christ can do for you and you begin to concentrate on what you can do for the One who saved your soul. You suddenly realized that you should have been on that cross, but He took your place and died on the cross of Calvary?

PRAYER POINT: Father ,please reveal to me what I can do to show I appreciate your death on the cross of Calvary.

IT DOES NOT PAY TO BE WICKED

MEMORY VERSE: with the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright, Psalm 18:25.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 25, Ps 116, Isa 52, Rev 22

What is wickedness? Wickedness is a spirit. So also Goodness is a spirit. Psalm 23:6a says goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. ‘Goodness’ and ‘Mercy’ referred to are angels of the Lord. Anywhere you are in the world reading this message, I want to inform you that these two angels are standing right behind you. They will be there as far as you do not rebel against God. The difference between these two is that wickedness is of devil and goodness is of God. This is why we call the devil a wicked devil and God – a good God.

Luke 6:31 says as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Wickedness is simply doing things you would not want others to do to you. It is wickedness to delay the salary of your staff on purpose. How would you feel if an employer refuses to pay your son or daughter for no good reason? It is wickedness to give what belongs to A to B. An employment opportunity comes along, you know Mr A has the necessary qualification and experience but you give it to Mr B because he is the same color as you or because he is your friend or family member. Please put yourself in the shoe of Mr A, would you be happy if someone does that to you? You borrow money from a friend or a colleague, instead of appealing for more time to pay back you begin to hide or ignore their calls. The question is would you like someone to do that to you?

It is wickedness not to forgive. The person may have hurt you and all that, but haven’t you done worse to God? Psalm 130:3 says if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? If the Lord were to mark iniquities, the world would not exist again.Do not abuse that brother or sister because he or she is vulnerable. There was a particular abusive senior in High School. This senior hated a particular junior with a passion. He made life hell for him; at times he would beat mercilessly for either petty things or no good reason. The boy graduated and joined a martial arts club. He later became a professional. On his way home one evening, he noticed a figure that looked just like his old senior approaching. When he got close, lo and behold it was the old wicked senior. The senior recognized him and didn’t know what to do. Since it was in a lonely park, he began to shake because there was no one around. The senior forgot that there will be a tomorrow.

ACTION POINT: Remember there is always a tomorrow so don’t be wicked.

DANGERS OF REBELLION

MEMORY VERSE: for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king, 1 Samuel 15:23.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 16, Ps 103, Isa 43, Rev 13

BIBLE STUDIES: Jonah 1:1-7

What is rebellion? Rebellion is simply resisting authority or any kind of control. God does not condone rebellion of any kind. He frowns at rebellion to parents (spiritual or physical); rebellion to authority (government, work, church) e.t.c. When a fellow rebels against an authority, the fellow is rebelling against God who is the author of that authority. As hard as it is to believe, do you know that none of the world leaders today or in the past got into power without God’s consent? John 3:27 says a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. No one in the world today got into power without God’s knowledge; this is why instead of complaining about a leader you report him to God.

People rarely get away with rebellion against human authority but the One you cannot afford to rebel against is the Most High. Hebrew 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God. When a fellow rebel against God, everything God created begins to work against such fellow. In Jonah 1:1-7, God told Jonah to go and witness to the people of Nineveh. Jonah refused and boarded a ship to Tarshish. On his way everything God created began to work against him. First it was the great wind on the sea; this wind almost broke the ship into two. When the men on-board found that Jonah was the source of the problem, they bundled him and threw him into the sea. As if that was enough, a big fish swallowed him and tried to digest Jonah. It was while this fish was trying to digest Jonah that he came back to his senses; he repented and asked for mercy.

It does not pay to rebel against God. A popular type of rebellion is refusal to evangelize. Matthew 12:30 says he who is not with is against me. If Jesus says go into the world and preach the good news (Mark 16:15) and you refuse, you are rebelling against God. I feel pity for young boys and girls who rebel against their parents, what they do not know is that they are not rebelling against their parents but God who gave them to their parents. I strongly believe there is someone the Lord wants to show mercy too. Ezekiel 18:23 says He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather that they should return from their ways and live. If you have been rebellious against authority or Jesus please go to Him now and ask for the forgiveness of sin.

TO PONDER: Has the Lord given you an instruction that you are yet to carry out?

KEYS TO UNBELIEVABLE BREAKTHROUGH

MEMORY VERSE: I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me, Proverbs 8:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 7, Ps 90, Isa 35, Rev 5

One of the keys to unbelievable breakthrough is giving. Giving gives you influence. Proverbs 18:16 says a man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. There are some doors hard work cannot open, gifts will open them within minutes. I once shared the story of a brother in church who bought his boss men's shaving accessories. Few weeks later he left the contract for a bigger contract. Everything was going on well until something happened and his contract was terminated. During Christmas period, this brother called his old boss just to say hi and wish him a Merry Christmas. As they talked , the boss asked him about the contract and he narrated what happened. Right on the spot the boss gave him his old job back ; his gift opened door for him.

Giving to God gives you great influence. It is important to note that different gifts produce different results. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says sow sparingly reap sparingly, sow generously reap generously. There are three basic types of gift. There are normal gifts, this is giving out of the abundance you have. No matter how small a gift is, God always say thank you. When you give Him a normal gift, He gives back to you in many folds. He ensures it is pressed down, shaken together and running over, Luke 6:38. The second types are the gift that hurts. These gifts cost something. An example is found in Matthew 14:13-21 where a young boy gave his lunch to Jesus. This boy gave Jesus a gift that cost something i.e. lunch. Before the end of that the boy got back twelve baskets of fish and bread from Jesus. When you go out of your way or give a God a gift that costs you something, the Lord extends His hands of generosity to you.

The third type of gift is called widow’s mites. A widow’s mite is when a widow gives all she has or when a fellow gives all he has not knowing where his next supply would come from. This is an offering of faith. When you give God such offerings, he turns a situation around. I had a major challenge not too long ago and it was obvious I was going to be sacked especially due to the no of evidences they had. After the first hearing the union representative advised me to resign because I was fighting a lost battle. Instead of resigning I decided to pay my widow’s mite. Since it was obvious that I was going to be sacked, I decided to give the last salary I was paid before the final hearing to Jesus. At the final hearing, the case turned in my favor and I was re-instated.

KEY WORD: When you give Jesus your last, He turns it into the first of many good things.

PRAYING WITH YOUR CHILDREN

MEMORY VERSE: and God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of the God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, what aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath the voice of the lad where he is, Genesis 21:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 6, Ps 89, Isa 34, Rev 4

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 21:14-22

When it comes to spiritual activities like praying and fasting, many parents don’t engage their children because they believe they are too small. As parents and adults, please do not despise little children especially when it comes to spiritual matters. They may be very little but Jesus does not play with their prayer requests. Matthew 18:10 says take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. If you are thinking a child is too small to hear from God, you are making a big mistake. This is why I weep for parents whose children miss Sunday school, they doing those children a great disfavor.

There are several reasons why you need to start engaging your little children in spiritual activities. There are several reasons why it pays to ask them to agree with you when you are seeking the face of God on an issue. Matthew 5:8 says blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. In other words to see God in action in your situation, you must possess a pure heart. To always get a quick response every time you pray to God, you need to be pure in heart. To improve your spiritual signal so you that you can hear God every time He speaks, you need a clean heart or a pure heart. What is a pure heart? A pure heart is a heart that is devoid of bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, negative thoughts e.t.c. Most children are in possession of such heart because they are innocent. They don’t keep grudges, they are not jealous, they hate no one, they judge no one, their heart is empty of malice e.t.c. Because they are in possession of such heart, their spiritual signals are very good and every time they call on God He listens.

We see in our bible studies that it was the cry of Ishmael (the young son of Hagar) that caught the attention of God. God could not stand the cry of this young boy; He had to urgently send an angel to sort Hagar out. Another reason why your children needs to be your prayer partner is that once in a while, worries of life and other emotions make it difficult to hear when God is speaking. During this period when your faith is weak, God speaks through the mouth of these little children. If you do not make them your prayer partners, God speaking through them to you might be difficult.

ACTION POINTS: Give your children the opportunity to lead prayer during devotions. Ask for their inputs during bible studies.

WHAT TO DO AFTER THE SNARE HAS BEEN BROKEN

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 28, Ps 72, Isa 19- 20, 1 Pet 5

MEMORY VERSE: Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the
Snare is broken, and we are escaped, Psalm 124:7.

What is a snare, a snare is a form of trap for catching birds. There are two main purposes of a snare, 1) to catch a bird and 2) to keep it in the same position for as long as possible. An example of a snare is lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Knowledge is power, what you know can save your life and what you don’t know can destroy you. Fizzy drinks or soft drinks are responsible for at least 200,000 deaths a year worldwide. Many destinies have been cut short as a result of fizzy drink consumption; I pray you that fizzy drink will not cut your life short in Jesus name, Amen. The main cause of most headaches and high body temperature is lack of water. There are many who have replace water with soft drinks, even after eating they take soft drinks. The way to good health is drink water more. Every system in your body depends on water.

We also have spiritual snares. An example of a spiritual snare is sin. According to Jeremiah 5:25 sin withholds good things from an individual. Isaiah 59:1-2 says the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that He will not hear. Another example of a spiritual snare is tormentors. Tormentors like fear, bitterness e.t.c. are functions of unforgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35). Failure to forgive leads to a season with tormentors. Our tongue can also be a snare if we refuse to use them properly. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

A snare is broken through the Holy word of God. The word of God can be likened to a fire that consumes and a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces (Jeremiah 23:29).
The snare of sin is broken by meditating on God’s word. Psalm 119:11 says thy word I have hid in mine hear, that I may not sin against you. For that snare in your life to be broken you need to dedicate time to studying the Holy word of God. Psalm 124:7 says our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler: the Snare is broken, and we are escaped. After the snare has been broken, what do you do next? You escape. To escape means to run away from the snare. The reason why many are still in bondage today is not because the Lord has not broken the snare; it is because they remain in the snare after the Lord has broken the snare through His holy word. The Lord has broken the snare of tormentors in many lives by asking them to forgive, instead of escaping i.e. forgive those who have wronged them they refuse and remain in the snare.

PRAYER POINT: Father, as you break the snares in my life through your Holy word please help me to escape too.

PRICE OF LATENESS

MEMORY VERSE: redeeming the time, because the days are evil, Ephesians 5:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 26, Ps 69, Isa 16, 1 Pet 4

BIBLE STUDIES: John 5:1-9

It pays to do things early. It pays to always get to appointments early. I know a fellow who once got a job for coming early to an interview. Although he could not provide the correct answers for virtually all the interview questions, he still got the job because of his commitment and dedication. The interviewer was impressed by his time keeping ; this fellow arrived an hour early despite the fact that he came from a far distance. He found favor as a result of arriving this. Because of his good time keeping and attitude to work, within six months he was made a supervisor. 

There are people who are habitually late to everything. They are never on time and this is not too good. What this people don’t know is that, no one takes a late comer serious. It does not matter how hard working a fellow is if he has problem with time keeping, getting a promotion at work would be difficult. Just as arriving early for appointments brings you in favor with the people you are meeting, arriving late at times brings disfavor. Such was the case of the man at the pool of Bethesda. Every time the angel of the Lord came to trouble/stir the water, he would get to the pool late. This man did not record any progress (i.e. remained at the same position) for thirty eight years because he kept arriving at the pool late. Thank God for mercy. Jesus attended the pool and healed him.

Ephesians 5:16 says redeeming the time, because the days are evil. The only way to redeem time is by working against time; it is by doing things early. There are a lot of people who dare not go to work late; but when it comes to church services they go at any time they want. This is not too good. If you do not leave work at any time you want, why leave the church during the service?  Not too long ago, I told you of how the Holy Spirit led me to go and bless a church with food stuffs on a Palm Sunday. The time of service at this church coincides with the time of service at my church, so I had to get to this church early to deliver the item and make my way to my church. When I got to the church, the pastor was already there. If the pastor had come late to church that Sunday, the whole church would have missed the blessings God sent to them and the children would have gone home without their Easter eggs.

KEY WORD: Arriving at appointments early brings favor. Arriving at appointments late reveals lack of commitment.

SEEKING THE LORD EARLY

MEMORY VERSE: I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Proverbs 8:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 24, Ps 31, Eccl 7, 2 Tim 3

Proverbs 8:17b says those that seek Me early shall find Me. From studying this verse, we come to the conclusion that it is possible to seek God and not find Him. Not only that , it is also possible to seek Him late. If you seek Him late, He may be gone. It is good to always get to church on time. If service start by 10am , God would have been there by 9.30am to bless His people. If you come by 11am , well God help you. The question is this, what does it mean to seek God early? When you careful study the bible, you will notice that the Lord’s Day starts in the evening and ends in the morning. This is why you see the bible saying ‘so the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5); so the evening and the morning were the second day (Genesis 1:8) e.t.c. Seeking God early could mean seeking God in the early hours of the morning. I feel sorry for Christians who are too lazy to wake up at night to pray. As a Christian you should not be playing with night vigils at all.

Seeking the Lord early could also mean serving the Lord from a tender age. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Don’t spend your youthful age chasing after women or following after men. Don’t spend your youthful age partying and clubbing. Joel 2:28 says And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. Only the youths have vision. They are strong and are able to chase after things unlike the old men who tired and weak.The youths are like battle-ax in the hands of God and with them , He brings down kingdoms of darkness.

Seeking the Lord early could also mean serving God before problem arises. There are many who only remember God when they have challenges. God is out of the question when everything is running smoothly. God is not someone who you turn to only when you have challenges, He is God and He is to be worship whether you are going through a challenge or not. Do not wait for the enemies to attack before you run to God. Do not wait to encounter challenges before you begin to fast and pray.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please as i seek you early help me to find You.

WAITING ON THE LORD

Memory Verse: and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me, Isaiah 49:23C.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 40, John 19, Prov 16, Phil 3

 

It pays to wait on the Lord. Isaiah 40:31 says but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Asides all these, those that wait on God will not be ashamed, Isaiah 49:23c. The problem with most believers today is that instead of waiting on the Lord, they take short cuts and the sad thing about short cut is that it cuts one’s life short. Many instead of waiting on the Lord take on social networks to look for life partners. They use dating sites, match makers and all these. There is only one match maker and that is God. He knows you more than you know yourself, He will pick a partner you need not a partner you want.  

 

Don’t because of pressure result to going to Egypt for help i.e. strange places. Don’t go and take strange baths or drink strange portions because you are looking for a child. Anything you get outside God is from the devil. If the devil gives you an apple, be rest assured it is filled with worms. James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes from God. Proverbs 10:22 says the blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Don’t because of success sell your soul to cheap to the devil. It may seem that everyone is ahead of you, just wait on the Lord because when your time comes you will be their mentors.

 

To wait on the Lord could also mean to serve in the vineyard of God. Waiters in restaurants are people who serve. When you serve God in truth and spirit, you will never be ashamed. This is guaranteed! This has been tested and tried! When you sincerely serve God with all you have, shame will be far from you. I remember the case of particular sister in church. When she started fellowshipping in our church, she joined virtually all the groups in church – choir, sanctuary cleaners, evangelism just name it. This lady just loved to serve in God’s vineyard. Do you know that she was the first sister to get married in the church? Because she made herself readily available for Christ; Jesus made Himself readily available for her. Because she didn’t let Jesus down; Christ did not let her down. We had better looking, more qualified sisters but the Lord settled her matter first. Others saved up to buy nice shoes and bags; she saved up to pay for her building funds. Today she is married with children. They said she spent too much time in church, those that said that are still single! The God who she served wholeheartedly brought her own husband.

 

ACTION POINTS: If you have not been serving God the way you should, please take Him more serious. If you have been serving God with all your strength, I can assure you joy is on your way.

WHAT TO DO AFTER PRAYING.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 36, John 15, Prov 12, Eph 5

 

BIBLE STUDIES: Psalm141:1-4

 

Instead of complaining or grumbling to God, take that matter or challenge to God in prayer. Instead of worrying and asking ‘why me’, pray to God. Matthew 21:22 says and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. 

 

Many prayers are unanswered today as a result of the activities that takes place after prayer. Whether you believe it or not, what you do after praying can either cause the heaven’s to honor your request or ignore your request. Don’t expect a response from God if you walk straight into adultery or fornication after praying. Don’t expect God to rebuke devourers for your sake if after a praying you refuse to pay your tithes. Actually the most delicate time is moments after praying, that is when the enemy attacks most. This is why you have to guide your heart against evil thoughts or avoid quarrels after praying because the enemy uses that a lot to rob many of their blessing. Exercise patience and avoid getting angry after praying, I pray the enemy will not rob you of your breakthrough. There are certain things you have to do after praying; failure to them may result in heavens not granting your petition. Remember, the enemy waits after prayers to rob many of their blessings. What did David do after crying to God in our bible studies? Firstly, he surrendered his life to God. After praying to God, surrender the matter to God. Secondly, he began to watch the words of his mouth. Many after asking God for a job will start to confess that the economy is hard and there are no jobs. It is what God hears you say that He will do, Numbers 14:28. It is unwise to go to God for a life partner, and after praying you begin to confess that it is hard to get a good woman or man. Many even do worse by confessing that there are no good men or woman around. After praying, begin to confess what you want. Thirdly and the most important thing he did was he did not allow evil thoughts in his heart. Philippians 4:8 says whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Not only, that David separated himself from ungodly friends and kept himself pure. Psalm 1:1 says blessed in the man who goes not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. After David did all these, heaven granted his petition and his joy was full. By the time we get to Psalm 145, we see David singing a psalm of praise. He sang a psalms of praise for the rest of the book of Psalm.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please purge me of every thoughts that does not glorify you.

PROFITTING FROM WISDOM

Proverbs 11:17 the merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 12, Luke 15, Job 30, 1 Cor 16 

What is wisdom? Wisdom is simply the application of knowledge. It is founded on the fear of the Lord. Psalms 111: 10 says the fear of the Lord is beginning of Lord. One thing with the wise people is that they are always reflecting. They reflect on the consequences of their actions and words. Before they reply an email or text messages in anger they sit and think. It is very unwise to reply or send e-mails or text messages in anger or engage in a heated conversation with your spouse in the kitchen.  The bible admonishes us to pray and watch, Matthew 26:41. Many pray day and night but do not watch. Applying wisdom is a form of keeping watch. God has answered many prayer requests but the lack of wisdom has delayed the manifestation. There are many today who have lost their advantage in Christ by not applying wisdom. 

 The question is how does one profit from wisdom? I will share a story which will shed light on the importance of wisdom. Some police men went to arrest a young man. Whilst trying to arrest this man, there was a bit of misunderstanding. The senior brother of this man heard people shouting and ran out. When he came out, he saw around four police men with his brother and instead of asking what the problem was, he ran and grabbed an iron rod and broke the windscreen on the police car. The police men shot him right on the spot and he died. The case was taking to court and the police defended their action by saying they shot him in self defence. Looking at the damage done to the police vehicle, they were freed. The disappointing thing was the brother of the diseased was later found innocent. Although they paid him compensation, the senior brother lost his life because of few moments of anger .If only he had asked what the problem was; he could still be alive now. Proverbs 11:17 says the merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubelth his own flesh. Some years ago myself and a member of staff engaged in a heated argument. She stormed out and joined her colleague. Ten minutes later, I called her colleague to check something with him and i overheard her in the background threatening to slap me .I was angry and the fact that it was coming from a junior member of staff in public did not help matters. I had the option of conducting a 1-2-1 and that would have led to her dismissal because she was threatening a management staff but I reflected on the consequences and decided to address the issue later. I tried to discuss the matter with her but she gave me a terrible attitude. God so good I knew a brother who attended the same church with her so I contacted her pastor. After a brief a chat with the pastor, the sister apologised and we moved on. Two years later, I heard a major challenge at work and I was suspended. During this period the only person who called me to give me inside information of what the management were planning against me was this lady. It was not because others did not care, they cared but this lady was the only one who could get me this information. God mightily used her during this period. The question is if I had reacted in anger and orchestrated her sack, who would helped me get during the challenge?

PRAYER POINT: Father as from now on help to profit from wisdom.

PRAISE AND WORSHIP LEADS TO EXPANSION

Psalm 22:3 says but You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.

One way to get the attention of God is through praise and worship. In Mark 5:1-17 is the story of the mad man of Gadara. For one reason or the other demons just took interest in this man and made his body their abode. The demons inside him invited other demons and before you know it, he was loaded with a legion of demons (over 6000 demons). This man lost control of his life to these wicked demons .A demon is enough to destroy one’s life talk less of legion of demons. One day this man saw Jesus from afar, he ran and began to worship. By the time he finished worshiping; Jesus was already standing by him. The demons were forced out; he got his deliverance and life back. If nothing works try praise and worship. When everything failed in Acts 16:25 -26, Paul and Silas resulted to singing Hymns to glorify the name of the Lord. There was an earthquake and before you know it all their chains were loosed and all the doors in the prison were opened.

When you praise God, He takes His position in your life. Psalm 22:3 says but You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. To enthrone means to occupy a throne or take up a seat. When we praise the Lord, He occupies His throne in our life or He takes up His seat in our life. Once the Lord occupies His throne, the first thing He does is to establish His kingdom. Once He establishes His kingdom in our life, favor, mercy, protection, promotion, victory, abundance, fruitfulness, good health e.t.c will become a daily occurrence in our life. In His kingdom there is no defeat or loss. There is no purposelessness, stagnancy or bareness. Everything in His kingdom function to His will. The will of God for you is to have life and have it in abundance, John 10:10. When the mad man of Gadara began to worship, Jesus enthroned Himself in His life and all the six thousand demons had to run. Immediately Paul and Silas began to sing hymns, God enthroned Himself in their challenges and the chains that stood as bondages fell off. Once God enthrones Himself in your life, your battle becomes His battles. Why do you think the children of Israel marched around Jericho once for six days blowing the trumpet to praise God (Joshua 6:1-21)? They were preparing God’s throne. On the seventh day, they marched around Jericho seven times and lifted up their voices and began to make joyful noise to God. Immediately God took His throne in their lives, the wall came down.

ACTION POINT: Enthrone him today in your life by spending quality time to sing praise and worship to Him, before you know it everything hindering your expansion will begin to give way.

JESUS IS LORD

Romans 10:9 - 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.

Lord is a differential appellation for a deity or person who has authority, control or power over others. When we say Jesus is Lord, what we are saying is that He has authority, control and power over everything. By authority we mean influence or command. According to Matthew 28:18, all authority in heaven and on earth is His. He has authority over non living things, He told a storm 'be still' and it stood still, Mark 4:36-41. He has authority over all living things, which is why at the mention of His name all knees bow, Philippians 2:10. He has or is in control. He has control over all the demons and witches in the world. That is why He Is called the Lord of Host. He presides over the entire host in heaven ,earth and hell, which is why He was able to tell the legion demons who had possessed the man in Gadara to leave and they left without grumbling, Mark 5:1-20. Lastly Jesus has power. Psalm 33:8-9 says let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him, for He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast. According to Isaiah 13:13 , He is able to shake the heavens and the earth will move out of its place .Nahum 1:4 says mountain quake before Him, the hills melt, and earth heaves at His presence. Because He has power, He is able to bring back to life a corpse that began to decay, John 11:33-45.Every time you say “Jesus is Lord”, what you are doing is you are putting everything that pertains to you under His authority, control and power. By admitting Jesus Lord, what you are doing is you are submitting your challenges and everything bothering you at His feet. The challenges are no longer yours; He is free to do whatever He pleases with them.

A Lord is also someone to be obeyed. When a Lord speaks over an issue, you do not have opinions, you do not question it, all you do is just obey. When it comes to judgment, the Lord can overrule a verdict or a ruling out of mercy. The woman caught in adultery was guilty no questions about it but Jesus out of mercy overruled the verdict to stone her to death. When He said go into the world and preach, it is not negotiable. Whether you like or not you have to do just that because the Lord has spoken. When He says forgive, that is final. So before you put your challenges before Him as the Lord, you must be ready to carry out all His instructions. When He says ‘jump’, you do not ask why? What you say is ‘how high Lord’. When He says ‘go into the world and preach’, your response will be ‘yes Lord’ and off you go. As you carry out His instructions, you will see that He will begin to exercise His authority, control and power over all the issues of your life.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I am ready to carry out your instructions, please exercise Your authority, control and power over the challenges of my life.

JEHOVAH JIREH – THE LORD WHO PROVIDES

Genesis 22:8 - Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

Bible study: Genesis 22:1-9

The type of resources at your disposal will determine the type of needs you can meet. Money can buy a lot, it can buy the best medical service in the world but it cannot buy good health; it
can buy a nice comfortable bed but it cannot buy sleep; it can afford the services of the best chef in the world but it cannot buy appetite. God is unlimited in resources. He possesses heaven and earth, Genesis 14:19; all power belongs to Him, Psalm 62:11. Because He is unlimited in resources, there are no needs He cannot meet. Hence with Him, nothing is impossible, Luke 1:37.

God is able to meet all needs and wants. It is a thing to be able to meet needs; it is another thing to want to meet needs. The Most High God is not only able to provide for all your needs, He derives pleasure in providing for your needs. He is generous and enjoys giving His children a taste of His generosity. After Solomon’s thousand burnt offerings, God visited him and told him to ask for whatever for he wanted. The Lord did not only give Solomon all he asked for, he gave him what he did not ask for too. This is what I call generosity! My prayer for you is that God will give you a taste of His generosity, in Jesus name, Amen. Few years ago, the Lord laid it on my mind to bless a particular church with refreshments for their Palm Sunday service. Although I attended a different church, I obeyed and arranged for these refreshments. On Sunday i went to the church very early to hand the gifts to the pastor. When he saw the gifts, the man was speechless. Anyway the pastor prayed and I left. Out of curiosity I asked the Lord why he sent me to the church. Later I got to know that the Lord was just reminding me that He does not take the issue of providing for His children lightly. He makes provision before the need for that provision arises. He provides solution before the problem arises. Before Palm Sunday, the Lord had already prepared refreshments. Can I inform you that long before that challenge, the Lord had prepared a solution. Another lesson I learnt was that, when it comes to the subject of help, God can send help through anyone. He can use a complete stranger, someone you have neither spoken to nor met before to meet your needs. The last thing on the mind of the pastor that day was a total stranger turning up with refreshments for the members. Please stop worrying about how God will deal with that challenge? As the heavens are higher than the earth so are His ways higher than our ways, Isaiah 55:9. God has enough resources to meet your needs. He has enough children; He can send anyone of them to you to help you. The church members expected the same usual Sunday service but on this particular Sunday the Lord visited them with His generosity. This is why it is not advisable to miss church services. You never know when the Lord will visit.

ACTION POINT: during this festive period whilst we are enjoying ourselves let’s remember the needy, poor, homeless and orphans around us. This is the time to excel in good works towards these people.

WHEN IT SEEMS GOD IS SILENT

Psalm 91:15 – he shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him

There are many of us who have been seeking the face of God over one issue or another. We have prayed, fasted, giving tithes & offerings, sown seeds and nothing seems to happen. I want to tell you that God answers prayers and He is still in the business of answering prayers. He will answer you today and you shall rejoice.

There are several reasons why  God seems to be quiet or we do not see the manifestation of what we have asked for. One of the reasons could be God has a bigger and better plan than ours. Despite how hard Jesus prayed before his crucifixion, God did not say a word. Why? Because while Jesus was asking that the cup should pass over Him, God had a bigger plan to exalt Him to the highest place possible and give Him a name that is above every other name, Philippians 2:9. The reason why it seems God is silent over that challenge could be He has a better plan than yours. You might be asking Him for a job but He is planning to make you a business mogul. Another reason could be God has already prepared a solution or way out but it is yet to manifest. Before Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den, God had already shut the mouth of the Lion, Daniel 6:1-28. While Daniel must have been praying for deliverance from the hands of those who wanted to put him in the lion's den, God kept quiet. A sister had serious financial challenge. One morning things got so worse that she cried and cried to God but God did not say a word. Unknowing to her, God had already instructed us to bless her financially two weeks prior. We made every effort to contact her but it was impossible. Anyway that evening we were able to get to her and bless her and her joy was full. Another reason why God keeps silent at times could be due to incomplete obedience to His word. In Genesis 12:1-3, God gave Abram 7 promises subject to obedience to 3 commandments. He told Abram to leave his country, family and his father’s house. Abram left his country, family but did not leave his father’s house because he took Lot with him. Because Abram’s obedience was incomplete, when he began to run into challenges –challenges of famine , challenges in his marriage which resulted to a king taking his wife, challenges in relationships where Lot turned to a thorn in his side , God kept quiet. Immediately he parted ways with Lot, God began to speak and the promises of God came to fruition in his life. Lastly another reason why God is silent at times could be  the presence of sin. Isaiah 59:1-2 says behold , the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy , that it cannot hear but your iniquities have separated you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you , that He will not hear. God is not interested in any of His child suffering .Micah 3:4 says then they shall cry unto the Lord, but He will not hear them: He will even hide His face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. Sin hides the face of God from His children. Repent today !

KEY POINT: if there is any area where your obedience has been incomplete please deal with it and if it is sin repent today.

GREATER TOMORROW

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

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

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

LOVE OF CHRIST

Romans 8:35 – Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution , or famine , or nakedness, or peril , or sword ?

God is love – 1 John 4:8. Out of His love, He gave His only begotten son – Jesus as a sin offering to die on the cross. Out of the same love, Jesus decided to offer His life on the cross – John 10:18. No one can love you the way Christ loved you. Not even your children, husbands or wives, not your friends or families .John 15:13 says greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Jesus did not love us because we were perfect or saints. He loved us because He is love just as the father is. Romans 5:8 says God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Out of love, Jesus allowed Himself to be beaten and hung on a cross like a criminal so that by the stripes sustained from the beating, we will be healed in all areas of our lives. Today He is calling drug addicts , the forgotten ,the cast away and forgotten , the helpless and downtrodden to come to Him so that He might give them life and life in abundance. Out of this same love, He said “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son -John 14:13.”

1 John 4:19 says we love Him because He first loved us. Because of Christ's  love to us, we are expected to reciprocate this love back to Him. We should not be a summer friends to Him – friends when everything is rosy, jolly and nice. We are expected to love Him when we are under pressure, in great anxiety and distress of mind, in danger, when we are persecuted even when our lives are in danger. What happens when we love Jesus during challenges and trials  is that He loves us more. In Daniel 3:1-30, the love of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego for God were tested .Nebuchadnezzar gave them the option of bowing down to an idol and living or refusing and be thrown in a burning furnace. These three men remembered how God out of love had promoted them from slaves to become administrators in a foreign land. They decided to reciprocate their love to Him by choosing not bow to any idol and be thrown into the burning furnace. God was so moved by their love for Him that He left His throne in heaven  to come and fellowship with these boys in the furnace. By the end of that day, God had so much glorified Himself in their lives , Nebuchadnezzar had no other option than to promote them. Whatever it is you are going through, please do not forsake God. Do not seize serving him. In that present challenge, do not seize to give him praises and show your love to Him. As you proof your love to Him in difficult situations, He will come through and glorify Himself in your life.

PRAYER POINT – Father, help me to love you regardless of what i may be going through.

WHEN THE LORD VISITS

Genesis 18:3 – and said “My Lord, if I have now found favour in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.

In Genesis 18:1-33 is a story we all know quite well. The Most High God with two angels visited family of Abraham. This visit marked the dawn of a new beginning in that family. On the day God visited the family of Abraham, five things happened. Firstly, He dealt with their enemy which was fruitlessness. Every time they tried at having children they met with frustration. Secondly, He dealt with their shame. Out of desperation, Sarah with Abraham arranged to have a child through Hagar (Sarah‘s maidservant). Immediately Hagar conceived, she began to despise Sarah because she was barren. By despising Sarah she was indirectly despising Abraham the husband. God took away the shame by giving Sarah a son. Thirdly, He fulfilled the promise of a son He had made to Abraham fourteen years earlier in Genesis 15:4. Fourthly, He gave Abraham an opportunity to make a request. Abraham’s request was that Sodom and Gomorrah be spared if ten good men were found in them and the Lord said done! Lastly, by the time God left, their joy was full.

When Jesus visited the world over 2000 years ago, He dealt with the enemy – sickness, fruitless efforts, death to mention a few. Secondly, He took away shame. All righteousness according to Isaiah 64:6 was as filthy rags before God, but when Jesus came He brought the garment of righteousness – Romans 13:14. Thirdly, He fulfilled the promise that was made in Isaiah 53:5 which says He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Fourthly, He gave an opportunity for everyone to make a request. Matthew 7:7 says ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Lastly, by the time He left the joy of all those who received Him were full because they could now be addressed as sons and daughter of God. John 1:12 says but as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Jesus is still willing to visit us individually. He wants to deal with our enemies, take away our shame and reproach, fulfill His promises for our lives, give us an opportunity to make a request and by the time He leaves ensure that our joy is full. A point to note is Jesus is a gentleman; He does not gatecrash into people’s life or homes except when invited. When He is invited He only honours invitation of His friends. His friends are those who obey Him – John 15:14. You will never see His friends participating in internet fraud. His friends are pure, they never swear or curse. His friends are like Job, they have made covenant with their eyes not to lustfully look at any woman or man (Job 31:1).

KEY POINT: Before inviting Him, settle everything that could stand between you and Him or else He will not honour the invitation.

ARISE AND SHINE

Isaiah 60:1 – Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

God is not a civilian but  military. Exodus 15:3 calls Him a man of war or a warrior. Psalm 24:8 describes Him as the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. When a military personnel speaks, it is either a command or an order. A command to mean a decree and an order to mean a request.

Arise, shine could be a command. The Lord issued a command in Genesis 1:3, He said “let there be light” and there was light. In Mark 2:1-12, Jesus told the man sick of palsy to Arise, take his bed and immediately the man took his bed and began to walk. In John 5:1-16, Jesus told the man at the pool of Bethesda to Arise, take his bed and walk. Immediately the man who had been sick for 38 years arose and began to walk. Arise; shine could also be an order or a request. In Acts 10:10 – 13, Peter received an order to rise, kill and eat. In Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus gave an order to His disciples to come, join Him to walk on water. The One who is going to issue the order or the command to arise, shine must be higher than you. Psalm 91:1 calls Him the Most High. According to Ecclesiastes 5:8, He is higher than the highest. In military terms, He holds the rank of the Lord of Host – the One in charge over all the angels, demons and military personnel in the world. The One who said arise, shine is the Lord of Host. By Lord of Host, we mean the One in charge of all the angels, demons and military personnel in the world. The One issuing the order or command has power in case you want to rise, shine and you cannot do it by your strength. Psalms 62:11 says all power belong to Him. He must also have the power to deal with forces tying you down. Psalm 66:7 says He rules by His might. Luke 1:37 says for with God nothing shall be impossible. To arise and shine, we must be willing and obedient – Isaiah 1:19. We must also have faith in God. Hebrew 11:9 says by faith Abraham arose and dwelt in the land of promise. Mark 11:23 says whoever says to this mountain and will not doubt in his heart but believe those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. The one who will arise and shine must also make necessary efforts. Today, God is issuing you a command to us to arise and shine. He is also issuing orders to us  saying  arise from not having faith to having faith. To arise from not evangelising to evangelising. To arise from not producing fruits of the spirits to producing fruits of the spirits.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to arise and shine.

DWELLING IN THE LORD

John 15:7 if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done.

What does it mean to dwell in Jesus? The best way to explain this is using the analogy of an unborn baby and the pregnant woman. The unborn baby dwells in the womb of the mother. People who dwell in Jesus are like an unborn baby in the womb of the mother. The unborn baby has little or no worry. The unborn baby does not worry about food, security or protection. To touch him one needs to touch the mother first. To harm him one needs to harm the mother first. The same thing applies to us when we dwell in Jesus. Our safety, protection, food or other necessities of life becomes the responsibility of Jesus because we are in the womb of Jesus. To starve the baby in the womb, one needs to starve the mother. To starve anyone who dwells in Jesus of anything good thing , one needs to first starve Jesus of good things and we know that  is impossible because everything have been given to Jesus - Matthew 11:27. To stop anyone dwelling in Jesus, one need to stop Jesus first and we know from studying Isaiah 25:8 that Jesus is able to swallow anything that wants to stop Him, e.g. death. For problems to overcome anyone dwelling in Jesus, that problem needs to first overcome Jesus and we know from studying John 16:33 that Jesus has overcome the world! Whatever cannot conquer Jesus cannot conquer anyone dwelling in Jesus because Romans 8:37 says nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

The unborn baby is invisible to the world. The same applies to those that dwell in Jesus. When you look at them instead of seeing men and women, you will see Jesus. In Acts 11:26, when the citizens of Antioch looked at the disciples of Jesus, instead of seeing men they saw Jesus. Instead of calling them by their names they began to call them Christians meaning Christ-like. When you see a Christian, you do not see a man or woman but Jesus Christ. No matter what anyone dwelling in Jesus has achieved in life, no matter the wealth, no matter how beautiful or handsome, no matter how spiritually gifted they maybe, once you look at them all their life achievements become invisible, the only visible thing you can see is Jesus. When they open their mouth all you hear is Jesus talking. When something happen their reactions is the same as that of Jesus. This brings us to the question, when people see us what do they see? Is it our achievement or Jesus? When we talk, do people hear Jesus or us? Can unbelievers who have never seen Jesus look at us and get an idea of what Jesus was like. I once heard a story of a young boy who ran to his mum claiming to have seen Jesus. The mum asked what did Jesus do to you when he saw you, He said Jesus came and tied my shoe lace that was loose. The mother was baffled so she asked the young boy to describe how Jesus looked. By the time the young boy finished describing Jesus, the mother knew it was the visiting pastor that tied the loosed shoe lace. The young boy had never seen Jesus but he has heard of the good works Jesus did. After the pastor tied this shoe lace, the young boy decided that it could only be Jesus who would take interest in his shoe lace while everyone else is too busy to notice such.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to fully dwell in you.