BLESSED MEMORY

MEMORY VERSE : the memory of the just is blessed: the name of the wicked shall rot, Proverbs 10:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 Sam 1, Rom 1, Jer 39, Luke 8

BIBLE STUDIES : Acts 9:36 – 42

If the Lord tarries, a day is coming when we will all sleep and not wake up. If the Lord delays His second coming, a day is coming when the alarm clock will go off at 5am as usual and we will not hear not because we overslept but because we slept in the Lord. Brethren a day is coming when the bold will not be able to utter a single word again , when the strong and mighty will not be able to defend himself no more. In that day the king’s subjects will say long live the king and he will not be able to respond with his usual smile. In that day they will call Mr President , and Mr President will not able to respond. In that day the husband will say dear and the wife will not be able to answer, the wife will say honey and the husband will not be able to answer. In that day the word ‘late ‘ will now be added to our names i.e. late Mr A.

In Acts 9 : 36 – 42 Dorcas slept like everyone in Joppa but did not wake up the next morning ; her race on earth had ended. They laid her in the upper chamber and by her was memories of how she spent her time on earth – the widows she had fed ; the people she had helped; the families she had paid for their children’s tuition ; the naked she had clothe; the hungry she had fed ; the homeless she had given accommodation to e.t.c.

In that day when my body and your body will be laid down, what will be the memory beside it? Proverbs 10:7 says the memory of the just is blessed. Sister will it be all the abortion and sugar daddies you had? Bro will it be all the ladies you impregnated and denied it or those you slept with behind your wife ? Manager will it be all the staff you refused to pay their salary in time or those you sacked because they did not play the game ? Supervisor will it be the staffs you victimised? Mr Politician will it be all the money you embezzled – money meant for the community you used for yourself and family? Born again will it be all your neighbors you don’t greet? Anointed man of God will it be the truth you refused to preach because you don’t want offend some sets of members? Mr Police will it be cases of perverted justices? Believers will it be those that backslided because of you.

TO PONDER : Will my memory be a blessed one?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus

LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD

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

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

BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 8:21-22

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

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

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

BURNING THE BRIDGES

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

BIBLE STUDY: 1 Kings 19:19-21

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

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

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

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