TRUE OR LIES?

MEMORY VERSE: It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 140-142

READ: 1 Kings 22

As a Christian, honesty is non-negotiable. You cannot be a follower of Christ and be a liar. No. No. No. I heard that some ladies lie about their age and all that. If you want to make heaven then you must desist from telling lies. Firstly, anyone who tells lies, as far as God is concerned, is a child of the devil. John 8:44 says: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” And as such, no child of the devil will be allowed in heaven. Revelations 31:8 says: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” You must be honest to people and most importantly, to yourself. Asides from saying the truth, you must also love to hear the truth. Many are very good at telling the truth but they are not good at hearing the truth. It is true that the truth may hurt at times. It may even cause you to reflect on your own life; however, it is better than lies. Ecclesiastes 7:5 says: "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools."

If you are going to reach the top in your career; if you are going to fulfil destiny and finish your race on this earth well; if you are going to make heaven (most importantly), you must surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth. When you go through the scriptures, you will find that majority of the great generals in the Bible surrounded themselves with men who told them the truth. Take David for instance, he had Joab around him. When he wanted to count the people of Israel Joab told him no. How about Naaman, he had servants who told him the truth in the most polite manner. When Elisha told him to dip in River Jordan, and he began to rant all over the place, the servant said to him, "my father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? (2 Kings 5:13).” Had that man kept quiet, Naaman would have died a leper. You need to surround yourselves with people will tell you the truth at all times and you must also listen to them.You may lose out on something great if you don't.

A man who surrounded himself with liars - because he hated the truth - was King Ahab. When he wanted to go to war against Ramoth Gilead, he deliberately sent for prophets who would tell him what he wanted to hear - leaving out Micaiah. They came and began to say thus saith the Lord of host. Friend, not all "thus saith the Lord of Host" is really "thus saith the Lord of Host". Some are just thus saith my flesh. Thank God for Jehoshaphat; he asked for a real prophet. The moment Micaiah's name was mentioned, Ahab’s response was “he never prophesies anything good about me”. Ahab didn't argue with the fact that he was a honest man; he just didn't like him because he never says what he wanted to hear. If you are the type who always like people to tell you what you want to hear, then be prepared to hear  a lot of lies. Also, if you are the type who always love people to tell you what you want to hear not the truth, you will end up in a place where you don't want to be.

NOTE: The truth is always bitter at first but sweet at last whilst lies are always sweet at first but bitter at the end.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

EMBRACE THE TRUTH

MEMORY VERSE: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 3-4

What is the definition of “truth”? According to John 14, Jesus Christ is the Truth. Verse 6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There are one or two things you need to know about the Truth. Whenever the Truth speaks, He speaks the truth. In other words, any word that comes out of the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth! Why? Because the Truth cannot tell lies. If the Truth says He is with you, then He is with you. 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?” It is men that tell lies, the Truth does not tell lies. The Truth says, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20)”. Friend, it does not matter what you are going through today, remember God is right by your side. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 

The truth cannot be hidden. Someone once said “three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” Even if you bury the truth because you don’t like it, it will re-surface literally after ‘three’ days. You cannot hide the truth. The Lord asked Cain, after he murdered his brother out of jealousy, “Where is Abel thy brother?” He responded and said, “I know not: Am i my brother’s keeper?” He tried to hide the truth but unknown to him, the truth cannot be hidden. Genesis 4:10 says, “And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Ananias and Sapphira also tried to hide the truth. Acts 5:3 says, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” You can neither hide the truth nor hide from the truth. No wonder the psalmist says  “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee (Psalm 139:7-12)". You can’t run from the truth no matter how fast you run. You cannot fight the Truth. Acts 26: 14 says, “And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” It is hard to kick against the truth; you will only hurt yourself by doing so. The only thing you can do is embrace it. You cannot fight the truth and win. Whenever someone tells you the truth about your character or your behavior, instead of getting angry humbly accept it and change. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Freedom comes the moment a man embraces the Truth. 

Question: How long are you going to run from the truth? 

NOTE: You cannot destroy the truth. And the truth is this, only Jesus can save. You will only be fulfilled when Jesus takes His place in your life. You will only know true peace when He becomes the Lord and Master of your life. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

GOD CAN NEVER EVER TELL LIES

MEMORY VERSE: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 114-116

God can never ever tell lies. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” There are several reasons why God can never ever tell lies. Firstly, He is not a man. Number 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?” Whilst man call blue  'black', God will say it as it is. It is man who makes promises he knows he can't keep. When the Most High makes a promise, He keeps it. Even when man makes a genuine promise,  due to circumstances beyond his control he may not be able to fulfil his promise; that's not so with the Holy One of Israel. There are no circumstances beyond His control. As such, when He says something consider it done. Psalm 33: 8-9 says, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” 

 

Another reason why God can never ever tell lies is because He is the "Truth". John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is not just that God has decided He will not lie – He cannot lie. Why? His word is truth! John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” God’s word is the ultimate reality! More real, and lasting, than anything we can presently see. So, if He says it shall be well with you then it is going to be well with you. Regardless of how many mistakes you have made; regardless of how many times you have failed; regardless of your current circumstance, it shall be well with you.  

Whatever God says in His Word is the truth! When God said the earth was sphere in His word – Isaiah 40:22 says, “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” -  many big scientist argued against it. Some at that time even said the earth was on the back of some massive elephant. Today, the whole agrees that the world is sphere. If He says something is white take it as white. It may appear as yellow today but with time, you will find that it is indeed white. Hebrews 6:18 says, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” This is what makes the foundation of our relationship with God so solid – God has given us His Word – which cannot fail. If we are ever presented with evidence contrary to what God says, we can know we are being presented with a lie. For it is impossible for God to lie.

NOTE: God cannot lie because it is not in His nature, and because whatever He speaks will happen.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

IT LIES IN HIS HANDS

MEMORY VERSE: The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Thessalonians 2- 1 Timothy 1

Proverbs 21:1 says: “the King’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Who is a king? A ‘king’ is anyone in position of authority. Ecclesiastes 8:4 says: “where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, what doest thou?” A king is someone who runs the show. When the bible says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,” it means the heart of everyone who is in position of authority is in the hand of God. Several years ago, a senior manager, in my place of work, instructed me to release a particular member of staff back to his agency because he did something wrong. This member of staff was diligent and reliable, besides this was his first time of getting into trouble so I tried to plead with this manager but she refused. Whilst explaining how to go about this release, a colleague came in to see her so she excused herself and attended to him. I began to pray in my heart that she would show mercy. All of a sudden, she just turned to me and said, “Sam, it seems you do not want us to release so and so, in that case give him a final warning”. The Lord touched her heart for me! I left her office dancing.

A ‘king’ is a judge. The children of Israel told Samuel, “give us king to Judge us” (1 Samuel 8:6). A king through judgment decides the fate of others. When the bible says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,” it simply means the heart of every Judge is in the hand of God. When the enemies of David brought him before Achish, King of Gath, Goliath’s master, he feared greatly. Many a times, fear causes people to do the unthinkable. Out of fear David pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down on his beard. The Lord touched Achish’s heart and instead of killing David, he showed him mercy (1 Samuel 21:11-15). A ‘king’ is anyone born of a woman. So when the bible says, “The heart of a king is in the hand of God,” it means the heart of anyone born of a woman is in the hand of God. The heart of your manager at work is in the hand of God. The heart of that man that is always gambling with his children’s school fees is in the hand of God. The heart of that wicked lecturer is in the hand of God. The heart of that stubborn child is in the hand of God. A brother received a particular sister some years back. When he approached the sister to tell her that God had revealed to him that she would be his wife, the sister went ballistic. She shunned him and sent him away from her house. Out of embarrassment and multiple insults, the brother left it in the hands of God. Today, that brother, now a pastor, is married to the sister, also a pastor. Along the way, God touched the sister’s heart and everything changed.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: God can touch people's heart and they will volunteer to help you without you asking for help.

PRAYER: Father, we pray for every believer having interview this week that you will touch the heart of their interviewer.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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FOR HE DOTH NOT PROPHESY GOOD CONCERNING ME, BUT EVIL.

Memory verse: And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 1 kings 22:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 11-13

One of the mistakes some of us make is, when we are given counsel, we twist the counsel and claim that we are being insulted. A man, who had just acquired a property, was speaking to his friend who was looking to acquire a property. As they conversed, the one who had just acquired a property asked his friend (who was looking to acquire a property), how much deposit do you have for the mortgage? (The man bought the property on mortgage and the friend was seeking to do the same too). The friend mentioned the figure, (it was enough to get a mortgage), the fellow who had just acquired the property counseled his friend to shelve the idea for a short while and save more. The friend who was looking to acquire a property went ballistic, oh…. what are you trying to say…. Are you calling me a poor man…. Is it because I asked you a question, that’s why you are insulting me...Bla, Bla, Bla. At the end, he stormed out angrily. All the friend said was, you do not have enough funds to secure a mortgage, he took it personal and twisted it to mean that the friend was calling him a poor man. He stopped talking to the friend, later he did something he should not have done and that landed him in jail.

Ahab was guilty of this too. Any time the prophet gave him a counsel that was not what he wanted to hear, he would twist it to mean something else. Because Micaiah had not been saying things he wanted to hear, he told Jehoshaphat that Micaiah hated him. 1 Kings 22: 8 says And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Before Micaiah arrived at the scene, Ahab had concluded in his heart that Micaiah would prophesy evil about him. Most of the counsel, Micaiah gave to Ahab was about his future. Micaiah told Ahab, go back, the Lord will not go with you. Ahab took it personal, and jailed Micaiah. At the end, he went and was defeated. Not only that, he perished. What advice, have you been given, that you have twisted and taken personal? Your pastor said, don’t marry that guy, you said your pastor hates you. You were counseled to study Economics instead of Medicine; you got angry and said, oh they are indirectly telling me that I do not have the brain to study Medicine. The pastor counseled you to submit to your husband, you said he is calling you a rebellious woman. The enemy uses this mindset to put a lot of people in bondage and get them in trouble. I remember a particular sister was denied visa, she got angry and said things are always working against her. Meanwhile, she was the one who did not fill the form correctly. Your boss advised you to smile more; you twisted it to mean that he is saying you are not friendly. Someone asked you for a receipt, you got angry and said the fellow is calling you a thief.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to accept the truths that will transform my life.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE LACK OF CHARACTER OF MICHAL

2 Samuel 6:23 – and Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

A Greek philosopher called Heraclitus once said ‘Character is destiny’. The character of a man can deny him the fulfillment of God’s plan for his life. It is good to have dreams and aspirations but without a good character one will end up disappointed. To enjoy a walk with God, good character is essential. Michal the daughter of Saul had everything money could buy. She had servants, connections, status, and fame but despite all these she lived a life of misery. She was the only woman in the bible who died without a child.

A careful study into the life of Michal shows us that she was a dishonest person. She lied to her father, her father’s messengers and virtually anyone she could find, 1 Samuel 19:13 -14. Not only was she dishonest, she was full of deception. She told lies on people to get herself out of trouble, 1 Samuel 19:17. She was the one that let David through a window .When she was asked she told Saul that David threatened to kill her. Telling a lie only cover up things, it does not take it away. It is better to say the truth and suffer the consequence or face the embarrassment and be free than lie to save face and be in bondage. There is no point telling a lie because the truth will always emerge. Luke 8:17 says for nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known or come to light. Besides that anyone who tells a lie belongs to the devil, John 8:44. Also she was vain; she attached too much importance to material things. She was only interested in people for what they are not who they are. At the surface level, one will think her attraction to David was out of love but on a deeper level it was because of what they was and his achievements. She loved David because he was handsome (1 Samuel 16:12); Popular (1 Samuel 16:18, 21, 23); Hero (1 Samuel 18:6-7); successful (1 Samuel 18:14-16, 30) and famous (1 Samuel 18:30). Immediately David went into exile she married Palti (1 Samuel 25:44). Once all the fame and looks was gone, she moved on to another man. To crown it all up she was disrespectful to everyone. Out of disrespect she deceived and disobeyed her father; she disobeyed God by worshipping an idol, 1 Samuel 19:13; she disrespected the king and her husband (2 Samuel 6:16). In the end she received judgment (2 Samuel 6:21-22). Abigail on the other hand was very respectful. She was full of wisdom. When her husband died, people thought it was the end for her but her good character earned her place in the palace as a queen. Do you know abusing people in authority depicts lack of character? James 4:11 warns us not to slander anyone, besides God expects us to respect and submit to all authority (1 Peter 2:13-14). We will never change anyone by condemning them, they will only become worse.

ACTION POINT: Let us commit those in power into the hand of God that He will touch their heart and use them for His glory.

Victim of lies

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

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

Read: Jeremiah 28:15-17

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

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

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

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Expecting from lies?

Monday 12 August                                       Bible in one year : Joshua 22-24

Memorise: Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth , and a foot out of joint. Proverbs 25:19


Read: Proverbs 25:14-19

Beauty is a blessing but it easily attracts pride which invariably turns into a curse.Before Lucifer who was created perfect in beauty could fall , his beauty deceived him (Ezekiel 28:11-17). Are you beautiful or handsome? Never use your qualities as basis for your expectations because they will surely fail you. Humble yourself before God. He gave you what you so subordinate your physical look under His control and follow the direction  He leads you, so that your beauty can work in your favor. If you are beautiful or handsome,you have no right to reject , speak against , laugh at or discriminate against those who are not as physically endowed as you because they did not create themselves nor did you. Every beautiful trait God has given to you will not undo you  in Jesus name.
Apart from basing expectations on physical qualities, another reason for failure of expectations is when they are based on lies .Jeremiah 7: says ,

Behold ,Ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.

If the person who is making a promise to you has no track record of honouring his word,you are just wasting your time. The liar has no sincere intention of making good his or her promise and may even lack the wherewithal to do so.Unfortunately , some people love lies. If you like lies, you will keep hearing lies.Some leaders do not want to hear the true state of affairs concerning those under them  thence they end up hearing lies. If you love lies, you will have bad advises. Some people cannot stand the truth so they go to places of worship where they will be told they can marry three wives, where the resident pastor is also a polygamist. Romans 1:25-26 says if you hate the truth, you will be sold into lies.Some sisters love lies of men. They love to hear a man who says he has what he has not, or he can do what he cannot. They love the men who flatter them and tell them sweet stories and make empty promises. Sometimes , these ladies know the man is lying but they continue with them because they love the fantasies. The expectations of such ladies shall be dashed. Have you put your mind on the promise of someone who lies has made ? Immediately take off your mind from it and put it on the Lord who never lies. On the other hand, if you observe people are very untruthful with you, check yourself and see if you have not been lying often yourself.

KEY POINT: The intergrity of the person whose words your expectations are built on will determine if your expectations are met or not

Daily Devotional from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.