SET IN SLIPPERY PLACES

Memory verse: surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. Psalm 　73:18　

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 　Jeremiah 29-30　

BIBLE STUDIES: Psalm 73: 3-22　

At one point or the other, you must have wondered, how come the wicked is prospering and the righteous have nothing to show for their righteousness.You are single , you have kept yourself pure by not defiling yourself with the opposite sex before marriage, you attend service regularly, you pray and fast, you sow seeds - time, energy, money, etc and nothing is happening in your life, no brother has come to say hi. 　Meanwhile, your friends or colleagues who are living a wayward lifestyle – drinking, smoking, partying, etc are getting married. You are diligent at work, you do your work well, never done fraud or forge any records and yet for over five years, you have not been promoted but your friends who participate in dodgey dealings, are the ones getting all the recommendation and promotion. In ministry, you preach the truth, keep God's standard , work very hard and yet ,the church is scanty. Meanwhile, others who are playing games and wasting the destinies of their members by not preaching the truth to them keep expanding. One may be tempted to wonder if righteousness really pays. 　

You are not the only one who has entertained such thoughts; the psalmists in his time observed that, only the wicked made progress, the righteous despite working really hard was stagnant. This man saw the righteous going from one challenge to another, as he is leaving one problem he is entering into another problem but the wicked enjoyed peace. He saw the wicked, leaving in affluence, their children doing well in school; he said "I envy the wicked". Psalm 73:3 says for I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 　Later, when the Lord opened his eyes, his confession changed. Instead of envying them, he began to pity them. 　Psalm 73:18 says surely thou didst set them in slippery places; thou castedst them down into destruction. 　A slippery place is a place full of danger. Because they have been marked for destruction, the Lord permitted them to prosper temporarily 　to aid their destruction. They were like cows fed for slaughter. The Lord permitted challenges on the path of the righteous to prune him. He refines him in fire so that by the time he comes out of it; he will be shining like gold. After He must have worked on him, taught him patience, endurance and humility, He will now elevate him.　

NOTE: 　What you are facing at the moment, is your desert experience. Moses went through it, Abram passed through it, Jesus while on earth went through it too, you and I must go through it before we can become great.　

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

LAYING UP TREASURES IN HEAVEN

Memory verse: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:19

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 13-18

BIBLE IN STUDIES: Matthew 6:19-21

A treasure is something you place great value on; it could be a painting, gold, jewelry, person (s) who you love dearly. Today, the treasure we are focusing on is wealth or riches. From our bible studies, there are only two places, one can store his or her treasures (wealth or riches) - heaven or earth. Storing one’s treasures on earth is full of disadvantages, on earth there are thieves who break in and steal, moth and rust may destroy it, kidnappers may kill one and take possession of it, etc. 

The safest place is heaven. Matthew 6:19 says ` But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. This brings us to the question, how do I store my treasures in heaven. One way to store your treasure in heaven is by giving to the poor and needy. Luke 12:33 says sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. Giving to the poor and needy is not negotiable for any heaven minded believer. Proverbs 19:17 says he that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again. When we give to the poor and needy, it should not be to show off or else we will lose the rewards (Matthew 6:1-4). Jesus even said, when you do your charitable deeds, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that the Father who sees in the secret will reward in the public. As a married couple, there should not be secrets ,this applies to your giving too. You are no longer two but one, you can discuss with your husband or wife what you are giving. 

Many after giving will tell everyone in church what they gave; oh, that shirt bro A is wearing, we bought it for him ; oh, that shoe sister B is wearing, I bought it actually; my family have been buying food stuffs for the pastor for a over year; my husband and I bought the big keyboard in the church. No one in church should know what you have given to another person. The whole church does not need to know that you are the one who bought the big keyboard. They are not the one who will reward you anyway. Some will only give when they know that they will announce the names of donors. Many give to be recognized, such will not attract any reward from heaven. Some give to make a statement; such also will not attract any reward. Many do charitable deeds so that they can have something to boast about, such too will not attract any reward. 

NOTE: Those who give to the poor are lending to the Lord.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SLOW IN TURNING

And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Ruth 1:3-5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 61-63

Ruth 1:3-5 says and Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband. Yesterday, we discussed about Elimelech’s move to Moab – a pagan nation. The move was against God’s will for his life. How can a man leave God’s care for a pagan nation and call it the will of God? Anyway, he moved his family out of God’s care and all sorts began to happen to his family. Firstly, he died. This was the perfect opportunity to set things right by relocating back to Israel. One would have thought that they will return to Israel to bury Elimelech and stay there but they did not. Instead, they buried him in Moab and married wives in the land. At times God uses painful instances to speak to us but the reason many of us cannot hear is that we are set in our hearts to do that thing.

Mahlon died in Moab, they buried him there and still stayed put in this land. Chilion also died, it was at this point, Naomi’s eye opened and she decided to return to Israel. This was all avoidable, at the time Elimelech died, they would have returned home but they did not. Naomi waited until all her sons died leaving her with two daughter in laws before going back to Israel. Each of those deaths was a strong message and signal to return to God and to the land even if it meant pain and hunger. What kept Naomi in Moab until she lost all is unknown to anyone, we may never be able to answer this question but those who are insensitive to the voice of the Spirit of God and who are unrepentant or slow in turning from a wrong thing, wrong place, wrong steps, wrong decision, etc, usually pay heavily for it.

Is God speaking to you, through your present situation and you are refusing to change? Some of the excuse people give is i have invested so much in it – relationship, investment, business, etc, and i have no other option than to remain. It does not matter how much you have spent, if God is speaking to you to change, do not be slow in turning. Have you left the assembly where God has placed you because of scarcity of husbands or some other thing? I beg you in the name of the Lord, move back.

NOTE: Please do not procrastinate any further, act fast and decisively, repent and move away from all that represent Moab and move back to the will of God for your life.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

YET HONOUR ME NOW, I PRAY THEE, BEFORE THE ELDERS OF MY PEOPLE

Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, i pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. 1 Samuel 15:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 44-46

God’s plans are always better than our plans. According to Isaiah 46:10, He declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. Therefore, it is better for us to leave Him with the planning. The Lord had a good plan for the children of Israel; no human king would rule over them, He would be their king. The children of Israel rejected His plan and requested for a human king like the neighbouring nations.1 Samuel 8:5 says and said unto him, behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. Since they requested for a human king, God gave them a human king. The first king (Saul) tore a prophet’s garment ( 1 Samuel 15:27) ; the second king (David) killed Uriah and took his wife although, he later repented ( 2 Samuel 11:5-27) ; the third one (Solomon) married so many strange women ( 1 Kings 11:1-2) , in other to cater for them , he increased the taxes and the people groaned ; the fourth one ( Rehoboam) swore from the first day that he would increase taxes even more (1 Kings 12:11-13). If only they had allowed God to be their king, they would have enjoyed peace.

Saul had one big problem; he was a people pleaser. God told him to destroy everything in Amalek, when he got Amalek, he left the fat cows, and Agag because the people persuaded him to do that. Because he did not want to offend man, he ended up offending God and that cost him his throne. When he got back home, he invited Samuel to a sacrifice and that one refused to go with him. Samuel’s presence at the sacrifice would have validated him before the people. Because Samuel refused, he began to beg. 1 Samuel 15:30 says Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, i pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God. Instead of begging God for forgiveness, he was begging Samuel to honour him.

Saul was only concerned about receiving honour before men not before God. He cared about people’s opinion of him not God’s opinion of him. In what ways are we acting like Saul? We know what is right; because we want to please people, we do what is not right. As a Christian, you know you should not go to nightclubs, because you do not want to offend your friends, you went to the birthday they threw in a nightclub. Is one not honouring his friends and dishonouring God? As a Christian, you know it is wrong to dress provocatively, because of your fans; you dress provocatively to entertain them. Because you want to sell albums or want to be accepted by the media, you lower your standard. May God have mercy! Humans may accept us but they cannot take us to heaven. We cannot disobey God because we want to be accepted. We cannot lower God’s standard just because we want to be recognized
.
PONDER: In what ways are you and i lowering God’s standard just to be accepted in our places of work, family, and church?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

FOR MAN LOOKETH ON THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.1 Samuel 16:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 17 - 23

One of the most MISUNDERSTOOD portions of the bible is 1 Samuel 16:7a, it says for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. A lot of us have read this and interpreted it as, all that matters is the HEART not the OUTWARD appearance. Firstly, the bible did not say that God ignores the OUTWARD appearance and focuses on the HEART.  He looks at both the HEART (1 Samuel 16:7) and the OUTWARD appearance.  1 Samuel 2:3 says talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. Secondly, what is inside will show outside. A lunatic is mad on the inside but it shows on the outside. How about demonic possession? The mad man of Gadara was mad on the inside, he had a legion demon residing in him and it showed on the outside (Mark 5:1-19). This man refused to live with humans; he chose the burial ground as his abode. He was so mad, no one could bind him. His problems were an internal one but it manifested on the outside.  

Likewise when one is filled with the Spirit of God, it will show on the outside. Saul was an aggressive Pharisee; he hated Christ with a passion, he committed a lot of his followers to prison for doing nothing but the moment he received the Holy Spirit, the whole world knew, by what they saw on the outside. Paul (former Saul) became an incurable soul winner; he went out and told everyone who cared to listen about Christ.  1 Samuel 19:7 says But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. When the Lord said for man looketh on the outward appearance, what He was saying is that, man (man and woman) judges by what they can see. The reason is that, they can’t see the heart so they look for the things they can see.  The only way, people around you will know whether you are lying or telling the truth about your salvation is by your OUTWARD appearance or what they can see e.g. the companies you keep, the way you talk, how you conduct yourself, your mode of dressing, etc.  An unsaved fellow knows he is not saved but he expects to see proofs that you have really given your life to Christ. If he is not convinced that you are saved, maybe because of the way you dress or your conduct, that means the Lord cannot use you to witness to him. What are we contributing to Christ if our lives can’t bring people to Jesus?

NOTE: If you claim that you are saved and the world cannot see the change in you, then you have work on your hands.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

RIGHTEOUS PAYS

MEMORY VERSE: little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous, 1 John 3:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 3, Eph 1, Ezek 34, Ps 22

We live in a world that promotes ungodliness. The systems in place are so crooked that it is either you bribe your way out or you are denied what rightly belongs to you. In a world that rewards dishonesty; many wonder is it really worth it to be righteous? Friends, a life of righteousness is not an option but compulsory. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. As sides from the obvious that Christ demands a life of righteousness from every believer, sin on the other hand withholds good from us. According to Jeremiah 5:25, iniquities have the ability to turn away God's blessings from a fellow. Not only that, regarding iniquity in our heart can cause God to turn a deaf ear to our prayers ( Psalm 66:18).

When you go through the scriptures you will observe that the Lord discusses His plans with His righteous friends. Psalm 25:14 says the secret of the Lord are with those that fear Him. Before the Lord destroyed the earth with water, He told Noah, Genesis 6:11- 22. Before He destroyed Sodom with fire, He told Abraham (Genesis 18:19-33). Before returning the second time, He told us He is coming with His rewards for every man according to His works ( Revelation 22:12). What kind of reward do you think your work will attract?

What is righteousness? A man once defined righteousness as the nature of God imparted into the human spirit that gives him the ability to stand before God without any sense of guilt or inferiority complex. In other words, if a righteous man sins he still remains righteous because righteousness is a gift of God. He further explained that the nature of goat does not change because he swam in an overwhelming ocean. THE ABOVE EXPLANATION IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE BIBLE! Righteousness has its basis in actions. 1John 3:7 says little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. To act right is to be righteous. Would you call a believer who fornicates, a righteous person? I doubt not! A goat swimming in the ocean is not a righteous goat because goats are not meant to be swimming in the ocean just like a fish that chews grass is not a righteous fish either because it is not right for fish to chew grass. It is not right for a believer to live in sin.

REMEMBER: We are in the world but not part of the world.
Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

LOVE.. A DEFENSE MECHANISM

MEMORY VERSE: doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, 1 Corinthians 13:5

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 19, 2 Cor 12, Ezek 26, Ps 10 

 

Love is the first fruit of the regenerated human spirit, Galatians 5:22. When you truly walk in love, sinning against God becomes impossible. Romans 13:10 says love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. When you love your neighbor, you won’t gossip about them. When you truly love your neighbor, you won’t cheat him or take advantage of him. When you are truly walking in love, you will live at peace with your neighbors.

 

Anytime the enemy wants to destroy a fellow, he plays on his lack of love. It does not matter the level of anointing on a brother or sister, if he or she does not abide in love within a short period of time that bro or sister will fall. When the enemy wanted to destroy Judas Iscariot, he played on his lack of love. A fellow who abides in love will never betray his neighbor. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil- talking of love. It wasn’t that Judas was not anointed. As a matter of fact, Judas was one of the twelve disciples Jesus gave power to in Matthew 10:1. He had a healing ministry and was also an evangelist. Judas was part of the twelve Jesus told not to rejoice because spirits are subject unto them but to rejoice because their names were written in heaven in Luke 10:20. It will shock you to know that the name of Judas Iscariot was written in the book of life until he betrayed Jesus and the heavens blotted it out. 

 

The majority of the nightmares and bad dreams people have are as a result of not walking in love.1 John 2:11 says but he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not wither he goest, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. God made darkness i.e. night for the beasts of the forest to move around, Psalm 104:20 -25. If you see yourself been chased by a dog or leopard or other beasts in your dreams, it may be a sign that you are walking in darkness (not in love). If you are not in talking terms with your neighbor, don’t be surprised if you find them chasing you in the dream. When you wake up, you do not need to rebuke any demon because it is not a demon matter. All you need to do is ask God to forgive you for not living in peace with your neighbor. After that go and settle with your neighbor.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please let your love be shared abroad in my heart.

 

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

AND THE OIL STAYED

MEMORY VERSE: and it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, there is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 2 Kings 4:6

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 17, 2 Cor 10, Ezek 24, Ps 7-8

 BIBLE STUDIES: 2 Kings 4:1-7

 A particular widow in the bible owed some money. As she was unable to pay, the creditors decided to take her two sons as slaves. She ran to the prophet of God who then gave her three instructions. He told her to go and borrow as many empty vessels as possible, shut the door and pour the little oil she had at home into the empty vessels. She and her son got some vessels, shut the door and poured the oil in the vessels. After they had filled all the available vessels and there was none left, the oil stopped following. 

 The oil in the passage represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the borrowing of vessels represents God given task. As long as they kept borrowing empty vessels, the oil kept on flowing. The moment the empty vessels ceased, the oil stayed. As long as you keep making yourself available for God to use, He will continue to release His anointing on upon you. The moment one stops, the pouring of anointing too stops.

 The anointing of the Holy Spirit can turn a debt-ridden man to a debt free man (2 Kings 4:1-7). The anointing of the Holy Spirit on a fellow can turn him into an agent of joy. Jesus was able to impact many lives because of the anointing on Him (Acts 10:38). That widow could not take advantage of the flowing oil because of lack of vessels. She had the opportunity to borrow all the vessels in the neighborhood, but she brought only a few. The task of borrowing vessels was not an easy one as it involves a lot. For example it involves leaving one’s comfort zone (home). It involves carrying of heavy empty vessels around. If care is not taken it  may lead to embarrassment from rude and unwelcoming neighbors. These boys didn't want to go through all that so they brought the few they could lay their hands on thereby missing the opportunity to keep the oil flowing. Working for God or serving in the vineyard of God may be boring and tedious but guess what,  the reward is trans- generational.  As the Lord begins to pour His oil on you, you will begin to experience turn around in all spheres of your life. There is enough anointing of the Holy Spirit to make you outstanding in that endeavor, are you ready to undertake God’s tasks?

 PRAYER POINT: Father, as I begin to make myself available for your use, pour your anointing upon me.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus 

MY DEFENSE IS OF GOD

MEMORY VERSE: My defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart, Psalm 7:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 13, 2 Cor 6, Ezek 20, John 21 

The importance of defense cannot be overestimated. In Football we have different playing positions, we have the goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forward. The defenders play behind the midfielders and their primary responsibility is to provide support to the team and to prevent the opposition from scoring a goal. They also stop opposing players particularly the strikers from scoring, and bring the ball out from their penalty area. The defense is supposed to be an impenetrable wall that provides a team with the security it needs. How effective the defender is will help in determining whether the team that he plays for will win or lose. There are two physical qualities one looks for in a defender, height and strength. High ball is one of the most common attacking strategies in soccer, especially if the opponent has the advantage of a tall striker. A tall defender will be able to deal with high balls easily. The role of the defender is an active role throughout the game hence the need for a defender with strong stamina.

When your defense is of God, you can be rest assured that you will not concede any goal in the game of life. When you talk of height, our God is taller than the tallest. According to Isaiah 66:1, heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. He is not only very tall, He is massively big. According to 1 Kings 8:27, the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. When you talk of strength, our God is stronger than the strongest. According to Isaiah 62:11, all power belongs to Him. Not only that, He is able to break the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder, Psalm 107:16.

When your defense is of God, you can be rest assured that you will not die before your time. When He is your defense you can boast and say no weapon fashion against me shall prosper. The enemies can attack but the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against them, Isaiah 59:19. For God to be your defense, you must be upright in heart. Psalm 7:10 says my defense is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. Theologians have said that the Hebrew word for upright has two significations. It signifies plainness of heart. The tongue and the heart of an upright man go together. In other words, he says what he mean and means what he says. It also signifies a man approved by God. An upright man is one whom God thinks highly of. An upright man works by an upright rule, works from on upright principle and also works to an upright end. Not only that, he endeavors to make others upright.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me an upright heart today.

 

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

BE CAREFUL HOW CHOOSE A HELPER

MEMORY VERSE: and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him, Genesis 2:18

BIBLE VERSE: Josh 10, Ps 142-143, Jer 4, Matt 18

Genesis 2:15 says and the Lord God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress and to keep it. When the Lord created man, He assigned some tasks to him i.e. to dress and keep the garden. It was compulsory for this man to undertake the task according God’s specification and complete it within God’s time. The man started the task but God noticed that this man was running behind schedule. Not only that, the Lord observed that at the rate this man was going, he is not even going make it to the end talk less of completing the task so He made him a help meet. Genesis 2:18 says and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. A careful study of this verse reveals that the Lord did not create the woman to undertake the task for the man. The responsibility of completing the task lies on the man but the woman was provided as a helper. Just as the man will receive a reward for completing the task in God’s time, the woman too will get a reward for helping the man.

Brothers, God created you for a reason and a purpose. He created you with a task in mind. To complete the task you need a help meet. The type of helper or help meet you get will determine whether you will complete the task or not. The type of helper will determine if God will take the task from you and assign it someone else or not. I pray that this will not be your portion in Jesus name. 

When choosing a helper there are certain requirements your helper must meet if you are to complete the task and get a reward. First of all there must be agreement. Amos 3:3 says can two walk together except they agree? You cannot love holiness and your helper does not love holiness. Secondly your helper must be a prayer warrior. According to Deuteronomy 32:30 the most one can chase is a thousand but two has the ability to chase ten thousand. Thirdly your helper must be a tither. Before you take her to the altar ask her if she pays her tithe. If she begins to tell you that tithe is in the Old testaments not in the New Testament you better go back to your prayer room and pray again.God has vowed to curse anyone who robs Him of tithes,Malachi 3:9-12. How do you expect to complete the task if the One who assigned the task to you curses your help meet. Fourthly you helper must also be hardworking too. It is also important that your helper knows how to cook! God did not visit Abraham because He was hungry, Genesis 18:1-15. But thank God Sarah knew how to cook. The food was so sweet the Lord asked where is Sarah (lady who cooked this food), Genesis 18:8-9. On account of Sarah’s performance the Lord decided Abraham was going to be a Daddy the next year.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please guide me in the choice of a help meet.

WONDERS OF HIS TOUCH

MEMORY VERSE: and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel, 1 Kings 18:46

BIBLE VERSE: Josh 5, Ps 132-134, Is 65, Matt 13

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Kings 18:41-46

A wonder is anything that makes you to wonder. According to Isaiah 9:6 one of the names of the Most High is wonderful i.e. full of wonders. There are hands and there are hands. I want to tell you that not all hands are the same. The bible says and it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed, Exodus 17:10-13. The reason why Moses let down his hands was because his hands were aching; he was well over 80 years when this happened. The question is this since Aaron and Hur were standing by him, why didn’t they hold up their own hands when Moses let down his hand? Aaron was a priest and Hur was an elder so any of the two could have held their hands up and expect victory. These two elderly men knew that the hands of Moses were not ordinary hands or common hands. There is a hand far more powerful than the hands of Moses and that is the hands of the Almighty. Psalm 136:12 describes God’s hand has a strong hand.

When the Lord touches a life , that life becomes a wonder. In John 9:1-10 Jesus anointed the eyes of a blind man with clay and told him to go and wash it off. The man came back and everyone opened their mouths and could not close it. Bible scholars told us that the man was not only born blind; the man was born without eyes. This was why the disciples asked Jesus ‘whose sin it was for this man to born this way?’ Since Jesus was the creator, He made clay out of mud and anointed where the eye was meant to be. The man went to wash and came back with two pair of eyes. The whole neighborhood began to argue that it was not the man who was born without eyes. Just by virtue of His touch of Jesus, this man became a wonder within an hour.

When the Lord touches a fellow, the fellow begins to do wondrous things. In 1 Kings 18:41-46 the Lord touched Elijah and he outran the best chariot in Israel. Bible scholars said the distance between Mount Carmel and Jezreel was 17 miles. Elijah was not dressed in athletic gears neither did he have trainers on. He had never had athletic training and neither had he competed in such before. He was not a young boy but an old prophet of God. Now imagine such a man outrunning a chariot pulled by the best horse in Israel over 17 miles? That is a wonder!

PRAYER POINT: Father, please touch my life, business, relationship, finance, spiritual life with your mighty hand.

GOD DOES CHANGE HIS MIND

MEMORY VERSE: wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before for me ever: but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honor; and they that despise shall be lightly esteemed, 1 Samuel 2:30.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 33-34, Ps 119:145-176, Isa 60, Matt 8

 

Malachi 3:6 says for I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. When God said I change not, what did He mean by that? It simply means He is the same i.e. His character remains the same. According to Hebrews 13:8, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Character of God is love. His character is not informed by circumstances or events.This is why He gives rain to the just and the unjust. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Once God speaks it is as good as done. Psalms 33:9 says for he spake, and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.

 

When you study the scriptures carefully you will find out that God changes His mind. Psalm 115:3 says but our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. The same God, who said no, can change His mind and say yes. In Isaiah 38:1-5 God sent a prophet to tell King Hezekiah to put his house in order because he was going to die. When Hezekiah got the message, he went before the Lord. He said in heaven there are over a million angels praising You, on earth the numbers of those that praise You daily are few do you want to reduce the numbers by one ? The Lord told the prophet to return and tell the king that He has added an extra fifteen years to His days.Who says God does not change His mind?  Isaiah 48:22 says there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord. The same God says in Ezekiel 18:27 if the wicked repents and changes his way, he will live. God changes his mind. He is sovereign; He can decide to show mercy.

 

God is sovereign.  He can change His mind and this is where we all need to be very careful. 1 Samuel 2:30 says wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house , and the house of thy father, should walk before for me ever: but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honor; and they that despise shall be lightly esteemed. The same God who said Eli and his children will serve before Him forever changed His mind and said they will be beggars in His house. I pray this will not be our portion in Jesus name. It does not matter what promises God has made to you if you dishonour Him in any way, He can decide to put those promises on hold until you change. At times He can even withdraw His promises; I pray this will not be your portion in Jesus name.

 

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please bring those mighty promises of yours to pass in my life.

WHEN HE CALLS

MEMORY VERSE: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Matthew 11:28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 30, Ps 119:73-96, Isa 57, Matt 5

BIBLE STUDIES: Mark 10:46-52

The essence of God’s call is to make your life better not to make it worse or boring. The Lord called Aaron to the office of the priest to beautify him. Exodus 28:2 says and thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and beauty. The proposed garment clearly reveals God’s plan for Aaron. He did not call him to the office of a priest to make his life miserable or poor. He called him simply to beautify him and take glory over his life. The next time the Lord calls you to do something whether to serve or give something, do not hesitate because His intentions are noble and they are to beautify you. Remember the name of the Lord will not be glorified when you fail, so He will ensure at all cost that you succeed.

Jesus was passing by Jericho when He heard a man screaming at the top of his voice, ‘Jesus , thou son of David , have mercy on me’, Mark 10:46-52.Jesus knew from the way the man was screaming that this man was tired of his current situation and the bible says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Romans 10:13. Jesus stood still and commanded them to bring the man. When the man heard that Jesus was calling him, he immediately threw his garment away and ran to Jesus. Although Bartimaeus was blind he was very wise, he knew that you do not go to the presence of kings with tattered rags talk less of going to meet the King of kings so he quickly threw his old garments away.

The Lord has called many and He is still calling. Matthew 11:28 says come unto me; all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The reason why you cannot see any visible changes in the situation or life of many who had heed the call is because they refuse to cast away their old garments i.e. the life of sin. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. Once you give your life to Christ, you need to live a life of holiness. The clubbing every Friday and Saturday night must stop; the little white lies must to stop; the deals in the office that your manager must not know about must stop; even that sexual relationship with that sugar daddy or sugar mummy or boy friend or girl friends must stop; whatever is not befitting for a child of God has to stop once you give your life to Christ.

QUESTION: Are you still wearing your old garments or you have cast them away?

KEEP THE ROAD CLEAR PT2

MEMORY VERSE: 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 between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear, Isaiah 59:1-2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 8, Ps 91, Isa 36, Rev 6

One thing I have learnt in the few years I have spent on earth is that challenges don’t give notice. They come at unexpected times, this minute all is well the next minute it is not. A prime example is found in 2 kings 4:18-2, the son of the Shunem woman was in high spirit in the morning, running all around the house. By noon he began to complain of headache and before you know it the boy passed away. I pray this will never be your portion in Jesus name. Many a times God reveal things to us before it happens but once in a while he might decide to not reveal them. The reason been that He is sovereign, not only that so that we don’t get too complacent. When the son of the Shunem woman died, the Lord decided not to tell Elisha anything. That was why Elisha said the Lord had hid these things from me, 2 Kings 4:27. The Lord is not a talkative, He is God and He is not obliged to reveal anything to anyone but when He does please don’t take it for granted.

When you look at fire stations, they do not permit cars around their offices because emergency might occur. The last thing they want is cars blocking the entrances when called to an emergency. The same thing applies to us. The path between us and God needs to be clear at all times. Psalm 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. We need to keep ourselves pure at all times. The only thing that can hinder God from hearing us when we cry to him is 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 between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Just a week ago a sister called her dad only to be told that her dad was lying on unconscious on the floor. Immediately she asked the lady that picked up the phone to put the phone in the dad’s ear and began to pray for him. Within 5 minutes this man regained consciousness. The question is what if this sister had been gossiping with her friends before she called that day what would have happened? What if there someone she was not greeting, do you think the Lord will have heard cry? On Monday I was on my way to church when I met an elderly man and he began to share the bible with me. From nowhere a man came and started shouting at us. The next minute he took a pen knife and tried to stab me on the neck. I don’t how I did it but I somehow dodged and this man ran into the railing behind me. He tried again and he fell, later he left and walked back to the car. I have never met this man before in my life, I didn’t say a word to me yet he attacked me. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. The question is what if I was on my back from where I went to commit fornication? By now I would be history.

KEY POINT: Keep the road between you and God clear because you don’t know what is going to happen in the next minute.

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.

FRIENDS OF GOD

MEMORY VERSE: And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, ad it was imputed unto for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God, James 2:23.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 3, Ps 85, Isa 31, Rev 1

God works in extremes. It is either He loves a fellow or He hates him. According to Psalm 11:5, the Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. God is love but He hates those who love violence. It is men that do casual friends and close friends. With God, it is either you are His friends or you are not. The Most High God is the best friend any man can have and the worst enemy any man can have. Anyway, who in his right senses would want to be an enemy to the Consuming fire (Hebrew 12:29)?

There is a lot to benefit from been His friend. For example, He shares His secrets with His friends. You may be wondering, does the Lord have secrets? Oh yes, He has secrets and He shares it with them that fear him, Psalm 25:14. In Genesis 15:13-16, we see the Lord sharing secrets of what was going to happen in six hundred years with his friend – Abraham. Asides sharing his plans with His friends, He protects His friends. In Genesis 20:1-14, God personally visited Abimelech and told him he was dead a man for taking the wife of his friend- Abraham. Abimelech was wise, he immediately returned Sarah to Abraham. If need be, He goes out of His way to fulfill the heart desire of His friends. In Exodus 33-34 Moses made a very difficult request to God; he requested to see God. Because they were friends, the Lord arranged it in such a way that Moses saw Him and did not die.

To be friends with God, you need to have strong faith in His timing, His choice, His plans for your life, His decisions, His word e.t.c. Hebrew 11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God. In Exodus 4:2-4 the Lord told Moses to pick a snake by its tail (the most dangerous part) and he did without asking any question. To be friends with God, you need to carry out his instruction or assignment with speed. When you study Abraham, He carries out God’s instruction within hours, at the latest 24 hours. There are one or two who are yet to carry out the instruction the Lord gave to them years ago. God is not a friend to those who waste time carrying out his instruction.

KEY WORD: God’s friends have faith in His timing, His choice, His plans for their life e.t.c.

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.

CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION PART 2

MEMORY VERSE: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, Exodus 19:5 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 15, Ps 51, Isa 5, Heb 12 

What is promotion? Promotion is simply a movement from a level to a higher level. What are the sources of promotion? They are humans, the devil and God. Humans most of the time promote for their own agenda or selfish gains. As far as there is something in it for them, they will promote you. The day they find out that you are no longer useful they bring you down and promote someone else. Thank God for real children of God - they never engage in this type of practices. A man can only lift you as high as his human hands can reach in other words when humans promote you, your promotion is limited. Humans can only offer you temporary promotion, the day your promoter goes down you go down. The devil can also offer what seems like a promotion but it is a regression in disguise. He gives promotion and steals your peace or gives an apple but inside that apple are deadly worms. The only true source of promotion is God. While the devil’s promotion comes with sorrow, God’s promotion comes with no sorrow added. Proverbs 10:22 says the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. 

Men don’t need any criteria to promote you because at the end of the day, they are the one to benefit from your promotion. For a fellow to be considered for promotion by God, that fellow needs to meet certain criteria. Firstly, he needs to be willing. Isaiah 1:19 says if ye be willing and obedience, ye shall eat the good of the land.  Secondly, he needs to be diligent and hardworking. God considers a lazy fellow as a waster of resources. Proverbs 18:9 says he also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Proverbs 12:27 says slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. There is a slang that lazy people use, they say let us waste time. How can you waste time? You can’t waste time because time waits for nobody! 

The third criterion for promotion is Holiness which is also obedience to God. Obedience reveals love. John 14:15 says if ye love me, keep my commandments. Every form of promotion from God requires holiness. All the promises the Lord made to the children of Israel (and we are spiritual Israelite), came with a condition which is ‘if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments’ which also means obedience to God. In Deuteronomy 28:1 He says obey Me and I will set you high above all nations of the earth; Exodus 19:5 – obey Me and you will be my special treasure; Exodus 15:26- obey Me and I will heal you; Exodus 23:22 – obey Me and I will be an enemy to your enemies; Isaiah 1:19 – obey Me and you will eat the good of the Land e.t.c. All His blessings come with this condition. A fellow, who is not obeying God, is just undoing himself. You can bring all the sacrifice in the world , even an offering of a billion dollars, without obedience the Lord will tell you to take away your money.1 Samuel 15:22 says to obedience is better than sacrifice. Half obedience is no obedience. He demands full obedience. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, the grace to obey you fully please give to me.

CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION

MEMORY VERSE: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, Exodus 19:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 14, Ps 50, Isa 3-4, Heb 11

John 3:27 says a man receives nothing except it be given from heaven. If the Lord has not given you a thing, and you lobby to get it or use your contacts and connections to get that thing, at the end you will regret that you had that thing. If the Lord has not given you a brother or sister or you have not gotten a go ahead from God and you try to woo the sister or brother with gifts or favors, you might end up marrying the brother or sister but at the end you would wish you never met the brother or sister. That is why it is important to wait on God on all things. There are different types of promotion, we have spiritual promotion where the Lord adds to your spiritual gifts or give you assignments. We also have promotion in marriage where a single brother or sisters get married. We have promotion in business, at work, health e.t.c. whatever it is, as far as you are moving from a level to a higher lever it is promotion. So when a fellow who used to use public transport buys a car it is promotion. When an individual who use to rent builds or buys his own house, it is promotion. When a fellow gets a degree it is also promotion e.t.c. Even when you join the group of workers in the church it is a form of promotion.

Psalm 75:5-6 says for promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from west, nor from the south but God is the judge: he putteth down one, and sitteth up another. Human beings can try to promote you but the day you offend them they will bring you down. The media can write good things about you as far as you play their games, the day you refuse to play their game they bring out a story and before you know it the fellow is down. Whatever it is that is promoting you, the day that thing goes down you will go down but thank God we have a God who can never and will never ever go down. There are certain basic criteria a fellow needs to meet before the Lord considers him for any type of promotion. The first criterion is willingness. Isaiah 1:19 says if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. For the Lord to do anything in a fellow’s life, He needs the cooperation of that fellow. God will never go against people’s will. Whether you believe it or not, not everyone wants to be promoted. Some of the reasons why many don’t like to be promoted are the responsibilities that comes with promotion which are more time required to spend in praying, fasting and studying the word of God.

Another reason why people don’t like to be promoted is because of the pity they get. There are a lot of people who love been sick because of the attention they get. I have heard the story of woman who love been sick because every time she was sick the husband would come home early. Once she gets well, the man will return to his former ways and come home late at night. Many love been sick because of the attention they get from people. They just love it when everyone is telling them sorry. Another reason why people don’t like promotion is because they love to be invisible. Promotion puts you in the lime light because people will see what the Lord is doing in your life. They love to operate in the background where nobody knows them. Isaiah 60:1 says arise and shine for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Light is not invisible but visible. One of the biggest deceptions from the pit of hell is that to be humble, you need to be invisible. Some don’t want promotion because they won’t have reasons to complain. They love it when they have someone to blame for things that are not going well. Lastly one of the biggest reasons why people don’t want promotion is because of what people will say. They believe if they buy a new car people will complain or if they buy a new house or if something good happens to them people will talk about them. Whether you are making progress or not people will talk about you.

PRAYER POINT; Father please rid of every mentality that is closing the door of promotion on me.

FED FOR SLAUGHTER

MEMORY VERSE: but thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried my heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of the slaughter, Jeremiah 12:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 8, Ps 44, Sng 6, Heb 6 

God wants you to prosper. It will be a disaster for the father to be rich and the son is poor. If the Lord owns the whole world according to Psalm 24:1 and Haggai 2:8 says silver and gold belong to Him ( gold to stand for economy), why then should His children be poor? If for one reason or the other you are struggling, it may be because you need Jesus. If you already have Jesus, and you are living a life of holiness and still struggling, I want to tell you that that struggle is temporary. It is temporary because Psalms 30:5 says weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning so friends’ joy is coming. Not only that the Lord says in Isaiah 3:10, say ye to the righteous, that it shall be with him. So regardless of what struggles you are going through all will be well, amen.

Our physical prosperity is hinged on our spiritual prosperity or our soul. The Lord loves you too much to prosper you above your spiritual prosperity. Solomon was a prime example of a man who prospered above his soul, what did he do with the prosperity? He just collected woman and concubines. This man had 700 wives and 300 concubines. God pegs our physical prosperity on our spiritual prosperity because He does not want His gifts to take us to hell. 3 John 2 says I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth. If you are really serious about prospering, one of the things you need to do is read your bible more. Not only that you need to pay attention to living a life of holiness. Joshua 1:8 says this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

When you see a fellow prospering above his soul or prospering whilst living in disobedience to the law of God you need to watch out. Back in Africa we use traps to catch birds. Since chickens love corns, we would strategically arrange corns to lead to a small hut. The chickens start picking the corns from where they have been strategically positioned and before they know it they are in the small hut where it is too late to run. The reason why we feed this chicken with corn is because we want to catch them, kill and cook them. We feed them not because we like them but because we want to slaughter them. This is the exact thing the devil does. He prospers people whilst living in disobedience to God’s word or prospers them above their soul so he can destroy them later; he feeds them for slaughter. He uses these things to lure them to himself so he can destroy them. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please let me never have what you have not giving to me.