WHAT A MAN DOES NOT VALUE, HE CAN’T HAVE

MEMORY VERSE: And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2 Kings 2:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 5-6

It is one thing for a thing to be available for grabs; it is another thing for that thing to be grabbed. It is one thing for a pastor or bishop to have the gift of working of miracles and the gift of healing; it is another thing for the people who come in contact with him or her to receive miracles or divine healing. It is one thing to have a good mentor around; it is another thing to benefit from mentoring. It is one thing for a brother to obtain favor from the Lord i.e. find a wife – help meet for him; it is another thing for that brother to enjoy all the help God has ordained for him to enjoy in his wife. Unfortunately, many of our brothers still think their mothers are the help meet for them. No! The help-meet for a man is not his parents, neither are his siblings. The help-meet for a man is not his best friend, neither are his work colleagues. The help-meet for a man in ministry is not the prayer warriors or his prayer partners. The only ordained help-meet for a man is his wife. Others are secondary helpers. Many of our brothers prefer to share the challenges they are facing at work and in ministry with fellow brothers or their parents not their wives - the help meet for them. That is not how God ordained marriage. Asides this, there is no one who wants you to succeed in ministry and in life like your wife. Whether you believe it or not, she is your number one fan. She is your number one supporter. The person who will feel it the most if you fail (God forbid) is your wife. That’s why she is the only one who can really intercede for you. You need to value and love her, so as to be able to tap into the resources God has deposited in her life for you.

Also, it is one thing for a sister to have a god-fearing, caring, loving, spirit-filled, focused, bible believing, wise husband; it is another thing for that sister to enjoy all the resources that God has put in the brother for her spiritual growth and nurturing. If you (as a sister) do not value your husband and instead of submitting to him as your head, you disrespect him and don’t honour him, you will not benefit from the grace of God upon his life. So also if you don’t value a genuine man or woman of God, you may mistreat them and inherit a curse or miss out on a blessing you would have received if you had respected them. People do everything to keep what they value. If you value your wife, you won’t wait for her hair to look unkempt before you give her money to make a new one. If you value her, you will take care of her soul and body. You will feed her with the Word to grow her spirit. So also a wife who values her husband will celebrate him in front of her friends not put him down or belittle him. A man will always commit his resources into what he values. Resources include time, energy, strength, money,etc. A brother who valued his prophet was Elisha. This brother served his master very well. The bible records that he poured water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). When Elijah was about to be taken away, he gave this young man a blank cheque. 2 Kings 2:9 says, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Because Elisha valued his master , he received the double portion of anointing on Elijah.

QUESTION: Do you value the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life? When was the last time you thanked Him for the ability to pray in tongues?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MAN’S REVIEW VS GOD’S REVIEW

MEMORY VERSE: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 16-20

I was informed, recently, by my Mobile Network Provider that i was due for an upgrade. Since i had two mobile phones in mind but i wasn't sure about which one to pick, i went online to see what experts and users of both phones had to say. I also spoke to some colleagues at work who owned both phones to get their opinions. As i considered what everyone had to say about these phones, this dropped into my spirit, “you have checked man’s reviews of both phones, how about God’s review of both phones?”

As this question sank in, i realized how little i depended on God. It dawned on me that i only run to Him when i am about to make a big decision like the choice of where to reside. For one reason or other, i just felt that God was not in interested in trivial matters like mobile phones. Is it not disturbing how technology and the internet have in one way or other reduced our dependency on the Holy Spirit? When we don’t understand a bible verse, instead of asking the author which is the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16), we check Google. There are a lot of good materials on the internet but be careful of the wrong interpretations too. We are eager to hear what people – experts, business associates, friends and families – have to say concerning a particular move we are about to make not what the Holy Spirit has to say. A fellow, who wants to relocate to an area, will first inquire from the people who have lived in that area or who live in the area not the Holy Spirit before making the move. One thing he does not know is that the Holy Spirit knows that area even more than the residents. Many have missed their ‘God-sent helpers’ simply because they made the right journey at the wrong time. A man wanted to buy a plane ticket for his junior brother who was coming from abroad. Whilst booking, he saw that the flights on 26th December where cheaper than those on the 24th December. Rationally, he would have booked the flights for 26th December but he didn't. As he prayed, the Holy Spirit told him to book the flight for 24th December and he obeyed. Unknown to him, his God-sent helper was also coming from abroad on the same flight. Whilst he was waiting at the airport, something let to another and he got talking with a man. Later they both shared contact details and left. His ministry and life changed that day forever because a lot of big things happened in his life as a result of that meeting.

Back to my story, as i pondered on the question, i remembered a major incident that happened last year. One of the biggest car companies in the world recalled 1.75 million cars in England alone due to faults in their break systems, faults in the fuel deliver pipe systems and faults suction plates. Anyone who knows about cars will tell you that a faulty fuel deliver pipe system could cause leakage which increases the risk of the car catching fire. Had it been the owners sought for God's reviews, they probably would not have bought that particular model at that time. But as usual, people always prefer what experts write in car magazines not what God has to say. A similar one occurred in Australia where a mobile phone company had to recall a particular model of phone due to technical faults. Many who were not good with phones lost contacts, pictures, files, etc. God's review on this particular brand would have saved one a lot of hassle. In these two instances, we saw the limitation of human reviews. God’s review is always better as it not only focuses on the present but on the future too.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: The length of time we are willing to wait on God determines how dependent we are on Him. Those who really depend on God are willing to wait on Him no matter how long it takes. It is those who wait that end up with a meaningful achievement (Isaiah 40:31).

QUESTION: How much do you depend of God?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

“GOD SAID, IT IS NOT GOOD THAT THE MAN SHOULD BE ALONE”

MEMORIZE: 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 IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 1- 5 

Our God is all knowing i.e. omniscient. Job 37:16 says, “Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?” God knew Adam before He created him. Jeremiah 1:5a says, “Before i formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” He knew what his needs were going to be so He made provisions for them. He knew Adam would need food so He created lots of trees in the Garden of Eden. He knew Adam would need to drink water after eating so He put a river in the midst of the Garden (Genesis 2:10). He knew Adam would not need clothes because His glory was going to be his covering so He didn’t bother to give him clothes. Whatever Adam needed, He created them either before creating him or after creating him. God in His wisdom knew that Adam was going to be alone in the Garden and would need a wife. The question is why didn’t He create a woman from the man immediately after He created the man? He obviously knew that the man He had created would be in need of a wife, why wait a while before giving him a wife? 

Adam went through several stages in his life and every man or woman reading this – especially single people- are presently in one of these stages. We find ‘stage 1’ in Genesis 2:7 – “and the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Adam – at this point – did not know where his life was going. He had no job or responsibility. God had not even showed him His purpose for his life. He was more like a floater in the Garden. At stage 1, God did not talk about giving him a wife because he was not qualified to be any woman’s husband. Then Adam moved to ‘stage 2’ in Genesis 2:15 – “and the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Adam now had a job – he was responsible for dressing and keeping the Garden. If it was today, i would have said Adam was now earning salary. Yet at this stage, God did not give him a wife. He did not even consider it. Why? Although Adam was now gainfully employed, he still cannot be a husband because he had not learnt to walk with God. The fact that a man has a job does not mean he is a marriage material. The fact that he can put food on the table does not mean he is God's will for your life. Shortly after this, Adam moved to the next level, ‘stage 3’, in Genesis 2:16-17 – “and the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Adam now had a proper relationship with God. He was able to hear the voice of God and talk back to God. God was giving him instructions and he was following it. His relationship with God was growing. It was at this point God said, it is not good for the man, Adam, to be alone. 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.” The man was already in ‘stage 3’ before God decided that it was not good for him to be alone. The time of waiting on God for a marriage partner is not a time to go from party to party hoping to meet a man. It is not a time to give your mobile number to every random guy that speaks to you on the bus. It is a time to work on your relationship with God. It is a time to develop your spirit man because you will need it in marriage. 

ADVISE: If you have a friend, a brother, a sister or child that is of marriageable age who is yet to be married, please do not put pressure on them. A lot of us indirectly put unnecessary pressure on single people and these causes them to fall into the wrong hands. The best way to help our single brothers and sisters is to pray for them not put pressure on them or remind them that they are getting old. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please provide our single brothers and sisters with the bone of their bones and flesh of their flesh. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

THE MOST CARELESS MAN THAT EVER LIVED 2

MEMORY VERSE: And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. Judges 16:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 56-60, Proverbs 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Judges 16:15-20

In our devotional titled ‘THE MOST CARELESS MAN THAT EVER LIVED 1,’we looked at how Bro Samson’s carelessness almost cost him his life. Shortly after God delivered Samson in Judges 15:10-16, he started a relationship with a strange woman. Despite all the sermons, despite all the marriage counselling, despite all he had heard in single’s meeting, Bro Samson still went ahead and started a relationship with Delilah. I believe some brothers in his fellowship must have quoted 2 Corinthians 6:14, which says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness,” to him but he did not listen. I believe the pastor must have called Bro Samson into his office and shared stories of great men like Solomon who married strange women and got into trouble. Bro Samson said to the pastor, “Delilah is different, she cannot hurt a fly.” Because God loved Bro Samson a lot, He must have spoken to one or two brothers in the dream and sent them to Samson. When those ones delivered the message to Samson, he told them that they were only jealous of him because Delilah was a beautiful young girl. Samson thought within himself, “it is my life, it is no one's business”. One morning, he packed his bag and moved in with Delilah. She accepted him into his house and they began to live as husband and wife.

After a week or two, Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great strength lieth, and wherewith thou mightest be bound to afflict thee” (Judges 16:6). Without mincing words, she asked Samson to tell her how he could be harmed. Why would anyone ask such questions if not to cause harm? She literally told him, i want to destroy you, tell me how to go about it. Brother Samson replied jokingly, “bind me with seven green withs that were never dried, then shall i be weak, and be as another man (Judges 16:7).” He said this hoping that would be the end of the conversation. Few days later, Delilah got seven green withs, bound him and shouted “the Philistines be upon thee.” Samson got up and broke the withs, thus his strength was not known. After this, i thought Bro Samson would sense danger and withdraw from Delilah. I expected him to go to God in prayer and ask for wisdom on how to end the relationship. No, Bro Samson remained in the relationship. From time to time, she would asked Samson for his secret and that one would lied to her. She would try what Samson said and fail. Yet, Samson did not see in anything wrong in his relationship with Delilah. At a point, “And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth” (Judges 16:15).  At last, Samson told her the secret and she arranged for the seven locks on his head to be shaven. After this, his enemy grabbed him and took out his eyes. Many of us are like Samson in that we see trouble and we pass on into it. You are in courtship with a sister and anytime she gets angry she turns into a beast. What do you think will happen when she gets angry after marriage? You know that sister is uncontrollable, she listens to neither God nor man. Whatever she purposes in heart is what she would do regardless of what anyone says. You know it is her way or no way. Anytime she does not have her way, trouble will start. What do you think will happen after marriage? Brother, do you not know that those little white lies she is always telling will not stop after marriage?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: If you are unable to fix it before marriage, you may never be able to fix it after marriage.  

PRAYER: Let us commit our single brothers into the hands of the Lord that they will not choose wrongly.

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THE MOST CARELESS MAN THAT EVER LIVED 1

MEMORY VERSE: A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. Proverbs 27:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 51 -55, Proverbs 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Judges 15:11-14

Proverbs 27:12 says: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” A prudent man, also known as a careful man, sees evil from afar and hides from it but a careless man will not see evil until it is too close and many at times he cannot hide from it. At times, a careless man will see evil from afar and not take decisive steps to avoid it. In Judges 15:11-14 is the story of Samson – the man who holds the record for the most careless man that ever lived. Three thousand men of Judah, his brothers, went up to the top of rock Etam to bind Samson. When they met Samson, the bible records thus: “And they said unto Him, we are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves” (Judges 15:12). These men spoke in plain language to Samson not in parable. They told Samson, we are here to hand you over to the enemy who wants you dead at all cost i.e. we are here to kill you. They literally told him that his existence was a threat to their own existence so they would rather see him die than live. Their actions implied that they neither cared about what becomes of him nor the vision of God for his life.

The men of Judah also made it abundantly clear that they are going to bind him. If all they wanted was to hand Samson over to the Philistines, let us say for the sake of peace, they could have taken him there without binding him. Better still, they could have tied his hands alone, why bind him i.e. tie his hands, legs, etc? They wanted to bind him so that he will not be able to escape from the hands of the enemy. This was how much they hated him. I expected Samson to challenge this men but to my utmost shock, his response was, “swear unto me, that ye will not fall up upon me yourselves.” What kind of response is this? I thought Brother Samson would have said to the men of Judah, there is no point binding me, just tell me where they are, i will go and personally hand myself to them. After his response, they described how they were going to bind him, “but we will bind thee fast” (Judges 15:13), they said. In other words, we will tie you in a way that it will be impossible for you to escape or break the rope. Samson agreed. Some of us are like Samson in that we see trouble from far and we pass on into it. You are in courtship with a brother, and he has slapped you twice in the last two weeks, what do you think will happen after marriage? Don’t you know that he is trouble in waiting? The brother who cannot control his temper before marriage will turn you into a punching bag after marriage. Every time you are alone with that brother, he tries to touch you in an indecent manner, what do you think will happen if you go and spend a night at his place? Don’t you know that brother is up to something? If he is bold enough to touch you in an indecent manner in the public, what do you think he will do behind closed doors? In the first place, should you even agree to go and pass a night in another man’s house? What type of message do you think you are sending to him? You have just met a brother and strange ladies are calling you, warning you to leave their husband alone and you said you are seeking the face of God to see if he is the right man. That is fire you are playing with. Sister in Christ, that brother that is always receiving strange phone calls around you and does not want you to know who is calling is not genuine.

WORD OF THE DAY: If you are unsure about any brother, do not go ahead and marry him.

PRAYER: Let us pray for our spinsters that the Lord will guide them in the choice of their marriage partner.

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SECRET OF A BLESSED MAN

MEMORY VERSE: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, not stands in the ways of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, Psalm 1:1.

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

BIBLE STUDIES: Psalm 1:1-2

Who is a blessed man? Firstly the word blessed also means happy. So a blessed man is a happy man. Secondly a blessed man is man whose life is absent of curses.
Leprosy is a curse. In Numbers 5:2, God commanded the Israelite that they should put out of the camp everyone who is leprous. Poverty is worse than a curse. Proverbs 14:20 says the poor is hated even by his neighbor, but those who love the rich are many. Proverbs 19:4 says wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them. I pray that you will never encounter poverty in the mighty name of Jesus. A blessed man is able to meet his own needs and the needs of everyone around him. Not only that, he is able to meet the needs of many nations. Deuteronomy 15:6-7 says if you obey God and do what He says, He will bless and you shall lend to many nations. 

Today I will like to discuss the secrets of a blessed man. Firstly a blessed man watches his association. Psalm 1:1 says blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. To become a blessed man your association needs to change. Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends. If you want to achieve anything in life move with achievers not people who don’t want to be responsible for anything. If you are an eagle don’t hang with chickens because chickens can’t fly. Proverbs 13:20 says he that walketh with wise men shall be wise in other words you will end up like those you walk with. You want to make it to heaven? Associate with those who are serious with their salvation. If you lie with dogs, you will rise with flies because dogs carry flies. Not only that your mentors needs to change. Your achievements will be at the level of your mentors. Hebrews 12:2 says looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the Joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Secondly, the blessed man has a relationship with the word of God.Psalm 1:2 says but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates days and night. It is impossible to prosper without a relationship with the word of God. Joshua 1:8 says this book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. What many of us do is we read the bible not meditate. There is a difference between reading and meditating. To meditate means to study, to ponder, revolve in mind, imagine, pray, reflect on, dwell on e.t.c. When you meditate you read a particular verse, pray about it, reflect on the same verse, confess it, memorize it, ponder on it until the Lord speaks to you about it. This might take you hours but it is profitable. The bible says you meditate on it day and night, which means you have to do this activity day and night. As you do this, the Lord will begin to give you insights and idea that will bring transformation in your life.

ACTION POINT: Devote time daily to meditate on the word of God.

LIMITATIONS OF MAN

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 26, Matt 25, Esth 2, Acts 25

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Man is limited in a lot of ways. There are a lot of things money cannot buy. It cannot buy good friends,a good husband or wife. It can buy good education but not wisdom. Definitely It cannot buy peace of mind.

From studying Micah 6:14 we see that the abundance of food does not guarantee satisfaction. Isaiah 9:20 says on the right they will devour, but still be hungry; on the left they will eat, but not be satisfied. It is God that satisfies hunger not the food we eat. The fact that a man sows does not mean he will reap. He can sow on the best soil and still have nothing to reap.1 Corinthians 3:7 says neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Wisdom is very important. Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. According to Proverbs 16:6 wisdom is better than gold. It is far better than strength, Ecclesiastes 9:16. Ecclesiastes 10:10 says wisdom is profitable to direct or lead. Despite all the advantages of wisdom, it does not guarantee promotion. Promotion only comes from God, Psalm 75:6. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, not yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill, Ecclesiastes 9:11. It is a good thing to be hardworking , but hard work alone cannot make a man rich. Deuteronomy 8:18 says it is God that gives power to get wealth. There is a God who is not limited.Because He is no limitation, He is able to take care of your limitations. Solomon loved the people of Israel.Although he had a good heart, he was limited because he lacked intelligence.One day He received a visit from the unlimited God and his limitation disappear. The man became so intelligent, the bible records that he became an authority in the study of animals, fishes, plants, trees e.t.c. Not only that his brain so much developed that he wrote a thousand and five songs and spoke three thousand proverbs, 1 Kings 4:32-33. Naaman was a top general, full of medals. He had the brain, the love of the king, the contact but he was very limited because he had leprosy. Despite all his potentials he could not function because of this limitation. One day he met with the servant of the Unlimited God and his leprosy was taken care off.

PRAYER POINT: Father, every limitation before me please take care of them.