“FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS”

MEMORY VERSE: Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:13-14 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nahum

Haman, a wicked man with an evil heart, wanted Mordecai dead because he refused to bow to him (Esther 3). What did he do? He hatched a plan to exterminate all the Jews in the land. He went to King Ahasuerus, told him that the Jews were working against him and asked for permission to conduct an ethnic cleansing. He even volunteered to personally foot the bill. Which king wouldn’t want to see the end of those working against him? None. So, the king gave him his blessings ; Haman spoke with the law makers and they passed a bill that says all the Jews must be exterminated on a certain date. Mordecai heard this news and passed it on to Queen Esther, his adopted daughter. At first, Esther began to give excuses but the tough old man said to her “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

There several lessons we can learn from the old man’s response. Firstly, “whatever” position you find yourself in life you are there for a reason. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Jewish man who secretly followed Jesus, was a member of the Sanhedrin for a reason. God deliberately put him in the Sanhedrin– a position that gave him access to Herod - so that He would use his contact, connection and position to collect the body of Jesus Christ from Herod after His crucifixion (Mark 15:42-64). That young slave girl was in the house of Naaman, waiting on Naaman’s wife, for a reason (2 Kings 5:1-19). God deliberately had her there so as to use her to bring healing to Naaman, one of the high ranking officers in the Syrian army, which will in turn mend the relationship between the Syrians and the Israelites- God wanted to use an Israelite prophet to heal a top brass in the Syrian army. Sadly, Gehazi’s conduct hindered it as he took money from Naaman for his healing. 

Secondly, “whatever” position you find yourself as a child of God, you are there for a "particular time". This translates that you will not be there forever. Also, you are there for a particular purpose. As such, “whatever” position you find yourself as a child of God, you must behave yourself in a way that will not jeopardize the fulfillment of your purpose there. Thank God that young slave girl behaved well whilst waiting on Naaman’s wife. Had it been she was a lazy girl or a thief, Naaman’s wife would not have listened when she spoke to her about the prophet in Israel. Thank God Joseph of Arimathea was a responsible man. Had it been he was irresponsible, Herod would not have granted him audience talkless of release the body of Christ, a treasure of inestimable value, to him. We thank the Lord for the life of Queen Esther. She was a humble woman who never took the king for granted. Had it been that she behaved like her predecessor Vashti, she would not have been able to save her people. Please note that all we have been talking about only applies to children of God. As a child of God, if you find yourself in a position you don’t like i want you to know that your Father in heaven knows about it, and He will work things for your own good (Romans 8:28). However, if you are yet to give your life to Christ or you are living in sin and you find yourself in a situation you don’t like, it could be the devil punishing you for fun since you are in his camp. Today, you can change camp by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

QUESTION: How are you behaving in that position God has put you? Are you behaving in a way that will jeopardize the fulfillment of God's purpose for having you there? 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

GETTING BIG?

MEMORY VERSE: And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 1 Samuel15:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 7-8

It is not a good thing to be reminded, by a colleague or a friend, of how one used to behave or carry his or herself before promotion. I will be cautious if a friend reminds me of how i used to be humble. If it comes from someone older or higher, then i will be concerned. If it is coming from my spiritual parents, i will be worried. If it comes from God, Creator of heavens and the earth, i would cry out for mercy. I know you will do the same too. This is similar to what happened when Saul returned from partially disobeying God i.e. disobeying God. In 1 Samuel 15:1-3, God sent him to destroy the Amalekites because of their wickedness. Several years prior, without being provoked or anything, the Amalekites attacked the children of Israel killing several of them. When he got to Amalek, he destroyed the worthless things and kept the good and valuable things for himself and his men. When he returned, the Lord sent Samuel with a message to him. 1 Samuel 15:17 says, “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” On hearing this, I thought Saul would bow his head and cry for mercy. I expected him to immediately put things right because it was obvious that the Most High was really displeased with him. Saul did not do any of this. Instead he gave excuses. At the end, he was replaced.

Are you like Saul? He never used to challenge his father in the Lord, Samuel, until he became king. Not only that, he used to obey God until he became king. You used to be small in your own eyes before you went to bible school. You never used to argue with your spiritual leaders i.e. pastors and bishops. You never used to challenge your pastors in public? Now that you have returned from bible school, you now see faults in virtually everything. You see faults in how the pastor preaches, you see fault in how he pronounces Greek names. Not only that, you are now beginning to challenge him in the open. Saul became familiar with the prophet when he became king - something that never happened before his ordination. He became so familiar with the man of God that he could tear his clothes. Have you now become familiar with your spiritual leaders that you now treat them as equals? Have you now become familiar with them that you no longer give them their due honour? Have you now become familiar that you now keep malice with them? Have you now become so familiar that they are now scared to correct you because you can do and undo? There was a time in Saul’s life when he used to fear God. There was a time when he used to put God and God’s work before anything else. Now, Saul had become so big and God had become so small in his eyes that he could now displease God to please man. What ‘man’ thought of him was more important to him than what God thought of him. How 'man' perceived him was more important than how God perceived him. Do you now serve God at your convenience? When God gives you an instruction, do you carry them out immediately or at your convenience? Pride starts from the heart before it manifests out in actions. What’s your heart like as you are reading this? How do you now treat the Word of God?

ACTION: Carry out a self assessment of your life. Is God still number one in your life? Are you still willing to go out of your way to please God?

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me never to become an ex-child of God.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

IS THIS MIND IN YOU?

MEMORIZE: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:6-7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 7-8, Proverbs 18

Philippians 2:6 says this: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” The word ‘mind’ in Philippians 2:6 means mindset. What is a mindset? It is a particular way of thinking. “Let this mind (set) be in you,” implies that you currently have a mindset i.e. there is particular way you think or see life. “..., which was also in Christ Jesus,” implies that Jesus, whilst on earth had a mindset too. He had a particular way of thinking. When the Pharisees caught that woman in adultery (John 8:1-10), they saw it as another opportunity to enforce the Law of Moses. However, Jesus saw it as an opportunity to show mercy and give her a second chance- although the woman took it as her last chance. Do you know from that day, she never committed adultery again?

Your current mindset, if you are yet to exchange it with that of Jesus, will frustrate the plan and purpose of God for your life. Virtually everything Jesus achieved - success in ministry, completion of His divine assignment, can be attributed to His mindset. Let us briefly look at one of His mindsets. Philippians 2:6-7 says, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It is difficult to tell if a sister is truly humble until she gets married. Likewise, it is difficult to tell if a brother is humble until he becomes rich or gets into power. There is an adage, where i come from, which says, “you will never see the true colour of a man until he achieves something.” Humility is a thing of the heart. It is borne out of a particular mindset. Jesus knew who He was. He was God the Son i.e. God. He knew He owned everything. He knew He had the power to kill and to create. Despite all, the bible records that “He made Himself of no reputation.” He deliberately and purposely made Himself of no reputation. He owned all the gold in the world, yet He never wore a single gold ring not to talk of wearing a big chain with a massive gold cross or pendant. (I am not saying gold is a taboo for believers, if it was so, God would not have tarred the streets of heaven with gold). He was the King of kings, yet He walked around the streets of Judea on foot. He had no bodyguards or protocol officers swarming around Him. Despite all He had, He made himself like a normal man. He sat on the grass to teach people. He touched lepers. He ate with normal people. Looking at Jesus, it was difficult to tell if He was rich or not. He was the Teacher of teachers, yet He never gave Himself any title. One of His creations called Him by name, Jesus, the son of David, and He did not get angry. If you forget to put Dr before the names of some people with Doctorate degree, they will eat you raw. If you mistakenly address some men of God as brothers, you are dead!

QUESTION: Friend, do you have the mind of Christ? If Jesus, the Possessor of heaven and earth, is humble, what is our excuse for being proud? You have sworn to show that fellow who offended you. Would Christ do that?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the mind of Christ.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

TO HUMBLE THEE

MEMORY VERSE: And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Deuteronomy 8:2-3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 131-135, Proverbs 27

God is all knowing. He knows the beginning from the end. Isaiah 46:10 says this : “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” According to Psalm 139:2, He knows what you are thinking of without you uttering a word. He knows what you are going to say before you open your mouth to talk. Psalm 139:4 says this: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” He sees into the future. He knows what you are going to do in the next fifteen years. He can tell you where you are going to be at 10am on 15 November 2016 (if the Lord delays His coming). With all these information at His disposal, before something bad happens, He takes necessary steps to avert it. At times , He will humble a man so as to keep him in check. The Lord knew that the children of Israel were not broken 'enough' to receive what He wanted to give to them. He also knew that if He brought them into the promise land too early, they would turn to false gods. This was why He took them through the desert to work on them i.e. humble them. He also did that to weed out certain things out of their life. Deuteronomy 8:2-3 says this: “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.”

The Lord knows us more than anyone else even ourselves . He knows what we are going to do if He gives us certain things. He knows that many sisters, although they are of marriageable age, are not patient enough to handle marriage. He knows that many brothers are not ready for marriage even though many will argue and say no. He knows that many of us cannot manage the responsibility that comes with possessing certain spiritual gifts. He knows that if He gives us certain things today, we will become proud. What He does to keep us in check ,for our own good , is that He humbles us. He allows us to go through certain things so as to prepare us for what He is about to deposit into our lives . He intentionally allows us to go through some challenges, knowing fully well that we will not suffer any harm , so as to be able to work on us. I shared a story the other day of how my managers wanted to promote me after three months of working with them. I can tell you that if the Lord had allowed them to promote me back then , I would have turned into something else. I thank God that He did not allow it and instead, He humbled me by permitting those I trained on the job to be promoted before me. After working on me, and He is still working on me, He gave me the job permanently.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: There is a reason for everything that happens in life. You may not understand today but in the future, you will understand and thank God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the spirit of patience so that I will not rebel against You whilst you are trying to prepare me for your blessings.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

GENTLENESS IS REQUIRED

MEMORY VERSE: Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Colossians 3:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 121-125, Proverbs 25

God wants us to prosper. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Deuteronomy 28:13a says: “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath;” According to 2 Corinthians 8:9, He intentionally became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich. Asides prosperity, He wants us to have a long life too (Psalm 91:16). I have heard some people say that Christ, whilst on earth, was a ‘big man’ who had a moneybag where He kept money. A brother once joked that Jesus’ garment was so expensive that when He was crucified, the soldiers began to fight for it and at it the end; they had to divide His garments. This is not so. Besides, why did the Pharisees need someone to identify Him if He was a big man with expensive clothes? Jesus whilst on earth looked like His sheep. He looked just like His disciples; it was difficult to tell the difference between Peter – an angler and Jesus the Messiah. That parting of His garment was a fulfilment of prophecy in Psalm 22:18.

Christ wants us tell our unbelieving friends, especially those who do not believe that He was crucified, that He actually died (for our sins). Through Adam’s disobedience, all men became condemned to death, but through Christ’s obedience unto death, justification came and life for all who will accept Him as their personal Lord and Saviour (Romans 5:12-21). Although, when many of us talk about salvation, we keep silent about holiness. We pretend as if we do not know that God has called every believer to live holy.1 Thessalonians 4:7 says: “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.”

It is true that God wants us to prosper and live in good health. Do you know He also wants us to be gentle/ meek? It is the assignment of every believer to share the gospel with the world. Therefore, you are doing a good thing when you preach to your work colleague or friends in college. Do you know that whilst doing all these - as you go about your daily business , you are required to also put on gentleness? Colossians 3:12 says: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;” When i hear the way we , especially brethren in Christ, boast about how we responded in a rude way to fellow brother or sister or colleague at work, i marvel. Gentleness involves humility and thankfulness toward God, and polite, restrained behaviour toward others. A gentle person does not always flare up at slight provoke. The excuse some of us give is that we do not like to be insulted. If you do not like to be insulted, you are not fit to be Christ's follower because Christ was insulted yet He did not respond. Every man is powerful. We can speak words that influence others; we can act in ways that help or hurt. Gentleness constrains and channels that power. Gentleness is recognizing and accepting that God’s ways and thought are high above our own. Gentleness is not struggling with God. A gentle fellow readily forgives. Where gentleness abounds, competition and sectarianism will disappear. Gentleness is not justifying actions that God calls sin. It is not letting someone continue in sin without speaking the truth. Gentleness means to confront people when they err in line with scripture – be mild, loving and encouraging

QUESTION: Are you a gentle fellow?

PRAYER POINT: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.(Psalm 122:6)

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HUMBLE PEOPLE PRAY

MEMORY VERSE:  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Timothy 2 – Titus 2

One thing I have found from studying through the scriptures is God wants us to be like Him. In showing mercy, He wants us to be like Him. Luke 6:36 says:” be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” In our conversations, He wants us to be holy just as He is holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 says: “but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Just as God loves the world (John 3:16), He expects us to love everyone even our enemies. Matthew 5:44-45 says: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

God is humble. Psalm 113:6 says: “Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” Just as He, the Highest, is humble, He expects us to be humble. What is humility? Humility means submitting to the will of God even when it is inconvenient. It is also means putting one’s self in a lower position, than he or she is, for the will of God to be done. The most humble man the world ever knew was Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that He created the world, He humbled Himself to be like man and died a very shameful death so that we might have eternal life. Colossians 1:16 says: “ for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

2 Chronicles 7:14 says: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  It takes humility to pray to God. In a world where no one cares about the will of God especially for their life, humble people go on their knees and pray for the will of God to be done in their life. Jesus, whilst on earth, was always praying for the will of God to be done (Luke 22:42). Before taking any major decision, he would pray seriously. Sometimes, He would spend several hours praying to God. Before choosing His disciples, He went to a mountain and prayed throughout the night (Luke 6:12). The next morning, the bible records that:” he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles ;( Luke 6:13).” Jesus knew without God He could do nothing, that is why before doing anything, even eating, He would first pray ( Luke 9:16). Many of us are so proud we do not even bless our food before eating. Only a proud man will make a life changing decision without first consulting God. Humble people know they have no power of their own; they will not do anything unless they have prayed. Your prayer life reveals your level of humility before God. Your prayer life reveals your level of dependency on God. Jesus prayed a lot because He depended on God for everything. A lot of us trust so much in our cars that when we want to travel, we do not even commit the journey into the hands of the Lord.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: How often do you pray? How much do you depend on God?

PRAYER: Father, I come against the spirit of slumbering in the place of prayer.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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HAGGAR VS ESTHER PT 1

MEMORY VERSE : Esther had not yet shewed her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her : for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when was she brought up with him, Esther 2:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 Sam 4, Rom 4, Jer 42, Luke 11

There are a lot of similarities between the Haggar ( hand maid of Sarah) and Esther. For example both of them came from humble beginnings. Their parents were so poor, the bible did not even bother to mention about their families. Not only that, both were slaves in a foreign land. Both were young girls who did not know where they were heading in life. Both were very humble. For Sarah to have given Haggai to Abraham, she must have demonstrated humility. If Esther had been a proud girl, Mordecai would not have bothered enrolling her for the beauty contest that saw her become the queen.

In one way or the other, the story of these girls changed. Haggar became the wife of one of the richest man in the world at that time and Esther became the Queen of one the most of prosperous nation at that time. Later in life, Haggar was sent out of the house and Esther was celebrated.

In these series we will be investigating the reasons behind Haggai’s failure and Esther’s success. One of the factors that led to Haggar’s Failure was her attitude when she got to the top. The bible records that immediately Haggar saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes, Genesis 16:4. Haggar used to be very humble suddenly but the spirit pride entered into her . Haggar who was the hand maid of Sarah suddenly began to look down on her mistress. Esther on the other hand became humbler. The higher God lifted her the humbler she became. The fact that she was the queen did not affect how she related to Mordecai. According to Esther 2:20,Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when was she brought up with him. Please don’t ever allow any promotion or blessing to affect your relationship with the people who used to counsel you or people you used to look up to. Since Haggai refused to humble herself she was demoted while the king threw a feast for humble Esther. Haggar became an ex – Madam while Esther remained a queen all her life.

PRAYER POINT :Father, help me not loose my advantage .

RECOGNIZING AND RESPECTING EXPERIENCE

MEMORY VERSE: Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set, Proverbs 22:28.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 4, Ps 38, Sng 2, Heb 2

BIBLE STUDIES: Esther 2:7-17

The story of Esther is a very popular one. Queen Vashti suddenly became too big to entertain her husband- King Ahasuerus. Because of her beauty, she forgot her role as a queen and began to take the advantage she had in the kingdom for granted. Since she was not serious and ungrateful, the king decided to replace her with a serious and grateful queen. During the search for a queen, everyone brought their daughters including Mordecai. He brought her young cousin who was like a child to him. The practice was that these young virgins would be trained for a year. They would be trained on how to behave like queens, how to attend to royal dignitaries and how to please the king. They will also be looked after physically.
All the virgins were put under Hegai- the king’s eunuch. After this training, each virgin is brought before the King to examine and choose. Before been presented to the king, each virgin had the opportunity to ask for anything she desired to take along with her – maybe shoes, clothes, e.t.c to the king’s palace. So each virgin requested for whatever she wanted. When it was Esther’s turn,she requested for nothing but what Hegai advised. At the end she found favor in sight of all who saw her.

No one knows the king like Hegai. This man had been responsible for training queens for quite a long time. Other virgins ignored the experience of Hegai and requested for what they thought the king would like but Esther sought for Hegai’s advise and did as she was told. At end she found favor in front of the king. This virgins saw themselves as too important to seek the opinion of an ordinary eunuch. In life wherever you may find yourself, humble yourself and learn from those you meet there. In your place of work, the most experience person there could be the cleaner who have been there for over twenty years. Forget about all your qualifications, humble yourselves and be her friend. To you she may be a cleaner but i can guarantee you that she is a custodian of great secrets – secrets of what led to the fall of those before you. Most of the people will look down on like drivers and cooks are not to be joked with at all. They know your boss and spend time with him more than other staffs. They know how you can present your request in a way that it is nice. You might be the most qualified in your department but don’t look down on the staffs you met there. If you don’t value their experience they would frustrate you. The problems many are facing in their places of work today are as result of not recognizing and respecting the old staffs. They may be old or junior to you in positions but they know a lot of things you don’t know. The virgins looked down on Hegai the experienced queen maker and they paid for it dearly.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to humble myself before that will help me

BE HUMBLE

Proverbs 13:10 – by pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well – advised is wisdom.

God by default is love – 1 John 4:8. His actions are motivated by Love. When He gives, He gives out of love. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. And we know from studying John 3:27 that a man receives nothing except God has Ok’d it from His throne. Out of love for the poor, He takes offence when people oppress them - Proverbs 14:31, no wonder He says in Proverbs 19:17 that He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which He hath given will He pay him again. Even when He disciplines, He does it out of love. Hebrews 12:6 says for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He recieveth. If He has ever disciplined you for any reason please thank Him for that because He really loves you.

For God to move from been loving and sweet to hating a thing with a passion then we should keep distance with such a thing. One of those things is pride. Proverbs 16:5 says everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. He so much hates pride, Psalms 5:5 say the proud will not be able to stand before Him. He expects His children not to pick and choose who they will be humble to. Titus 3:2 says to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable , gentle, showing all humility to all men .When the bible says to all men , it means to all men – men and women , even to those who are proud to us. From time to time the Lord takes people from the dunghill and sits them on the throne; He expects extra humility from such men. Asides from God hating the pride, pride has nothing to offer except strife – Proverbs 13:10. The reason for many of the fights and quarrels we see today is pride. Many of the strifes in families, churches and business are as a result of pride. This party offends the other party and instead of apologising, he or she begins to justify his or her actions. It is pride to offend people and refuse to apologise. Pride has cost many their jobs. They begin to choose words with their managers or argue over petty issues. The manager in turn will keep quiet and begin to look for faults. Any little thing they do he will take it up and before you know it they are out of the job. Many problems could have been avoided if only people humbled themselves and sought for counsel. Some could have been avoided if only people humbled themselves and change after been corrected. Please let’s be humble in our dealings. When we are at fault let’s be humble and apologise, if the other party is at fault and refuses to apologise for the sake of peace lets apologise. Hebrew 12:14 says pursue peace with all men. A man shared his testimony with me recently. He incurred a huge phone bill at work and was invited for disciplinary and dismissal. When he got to the panel, the board came prepared with the HR manager present expecting to him argue and justify his actions but then he shocked them by humbly saying he was guilty and apologizing. The senior manager was so moved by his humility that he gave him a verbal warning instead of dismissing him. What if he had taken the defensive stance and begin to justify his actions, what would have happened? He would have been sacked !

PRAYER POINT: Father, please replace every ounce of pride in me with humility.