GOOD PEOPLE OBTAINS FAVOR FROM THE LORD

MEMORY VERSE: A good man obtains favor of the LORD: but a man of wicked intentions will he condemn. Proverbs 12:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 87-89

The word ‘good’ is relative. For example, to the French ‘white’ means purity, cleanliness and honesty. The bride, on her wedding day, puts on a white gown which symbolizes innocence and purity of the bride. In china, ‘white’ stands for mourning. During any festival or celebration, ‘white’ is avoided. If you want to give money to a newlywed couples or children, you are expected to use red envelopes. As you can see, ‘white’ is perceived in different ways. In the west it is good but bad in China.

Man’s definition of the word ‘good’ is relative. Man’s definition of the word ‘good’ changes with region (as you saw in our example of ‘white’ in the west and in china), time, instances, etc. According to man’s law, killing is a crime but in some instances it is not a crime e.g. mercy killing or Euthanasia. (Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering). Although man’s definition of things keep changing and it will continue to change, God’s definition of things never changes. We live at a time where being good according to God’s own standard is gradually becoming a taboo. We live at a time where honesty is no longer rewarded. We live at a time where everyone is looking for short cuts and all that. We live at a time where the end justifies the means. How you get the result does not matter, just get the result. As a marketer, it does not matter how one gets customers, all that matters (to the people above) is just get customers. As a manager, it does not matter how one drives up the sales, all that matters is sales going up. As a student, it does not matter how one gets good grades, all that matters is get good grades. As a daughter or a son, it does not matter how one succeeds. All that matters is succeed and look after your family. Friend, it matters. How you get the result matters. As far as God is concerned, the end does not justify the means. As a marketer, how you get customers matters. As a manager, how you drive up sales matter. Proverbs 12:2 says, “A good man obtains favor of the LORD: but a man of wicked intentions will he condemn.” God will not favour the wicked. There are a lot of single men going to church because they are looking for a good wife. The honest truth is this; they are only wasting their time because the Lord will not give any of His daughters to men who are not ready to serve Him in spirit and truth. Many a time, such single men end up marrying someone just like them in church – a lady who is also in church to pick up a man too. God loves good boys and girls. He loves good men and women and He favors them. Wherever they turn to, they will find favor with God and with men.

QUESTION: This brings us to the question, are you a good man? Are you a good woman? Are you a good child? Are you a good student? David was a good man. Despite all Saul did to him, he never rebelled against him. Are you a good person? Do you hear both sides of the story before passing comments? Are you fair? Do you divulge confidential information people share with you when you have a misunderstanding with them?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me good heart

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

MEMORY VERSE: But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand. Isaiah 32:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 33-35

One thing you can’t do without, as far as you are alive, is relating with people. It is humans God will use to answer most of our prayer requests especially ones pertaining to material needs. You and i, can’t do without relating with people and as such, there is a need to know them. Our knowledge of people informs how we relate with them. Our knowledge of people determines who we do business with, who we employ as a nanny for our children, who we put in positions in our ministry or business, who we entrust with things, who we go to for counselling and many more. Even when we don’t know people directly, we depend on the recommendations of people we know who knows them or who have dealt with them. Knowing people, very well, before doing business with them, bringing them under our roof, putting our integrity on the line for them or relating with them at any level is crucial. A lot has lost life savings, valuables, inheritances, ministries, visions and things of eternal value because they dealt with the wrong people. Many have scars that only God can heal because they went into relationships with people they thought they knew.

When it comes to knowing people, the only One you can trust His assessment of people is God. If you really want to know a man or a woman, you have to check his or her heart. Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The only One who knows the content of every heart is God. According to 1 Samuel 16:7, He sees the heart. Not only does He know the present heart condition of a man, He knows how that fellow’s heart will be in fifty years time. Isaiah 46:10 says, “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:” One way to know a person is go to God in prayer and ask Him to reveal who the fellow is. Or you ask Him to give you the gift of discernment. With the gift of discernment, as an employer, you don’t need to ask a lot of questions before you know who the right candidate is, in an interview. Another way to know people is by checking their fruits. Matthew 7:16 says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Unfortunately, we have some wolves among the sheep. Among us, there are people who appear genuine, they look like us, they quote the bible like us, they shout and jump in the church, they talk like us but they are not part of us. How can we know them? Jesus Christ says, “By their fruit ye shall know them”. What type of fruits? Fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). How else can we know people? By their association. I can’t claim to be a child of God and my best friend enjoys sin. How can that be? According to 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Another way to know people is by what they do, not what they say. A wise man once said, ‘action speak louder than words.’ 1 John 3:7 says, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” Lastly, you can know people by what they stand for. Isaiah 32:8 says, “But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.” How can one identify a genuine child of God? Firstly, they fellowship with other children of God. Secondly, they live their life as a child of God. Thirdly, they stand for godly principles. They stand for purity. They stand for mercy and kindness. They stand for fairness and integrity. They stand for love.

NOTE: People will judge you by your association.

QUESTION: What do you stand for?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

LEARN TO ASK FOR DIRECTION FROM PEOPLE WHO KNOWS

MEMORY VERSE: where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety, Proverbs 11:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 26, Ps 117-118, Isa 53, Matt 1

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Samuel 9:5-16.

A lot of people are stranded in the journey of life because they pretend to know but they do not know. There is no man that’s knows it all. A wise man once said, ‘the day you stop learning, you start dying’. No one knows it all except the Almighty God. A young man called Saul from the tribe of Benjamin, set out one day with his servant to look for some missing asses (donkey), 1 Samuel 9:5-16. After several efforts with no recorded success, he decided to go back home. As they were about to go back, his wise servant humbly suggested that they visit a man of God who hears from God regularly to get direction. They went to the man of God and within minutes the asses were found.

There one or two lessons to learn from this passage. First of all I want you to know that God has positioned angels around you to help you and assist you. The angel could be a colleague at work or in school or someone close to you or your pastor. When you refuse to take advantage of the angels God has positioned around you, you waste resources and struggle unnecessarily. It was obvious that Saul did not know the whereabouts of these asses. Instead of Saul to go and get direction from the angel (Samuel the prophet of God); he decided to do it on his own. In the process of doing it on his own, he wasted a lot of resources. The bread that should have lasted them for days finished within hours. If not for his servant, he would have return home empty handed frustrated and unhappy. When you refuse to ask for direction or get counsel from people who know about things, you become frustrated and unhappy.

Secondly, if you learn to ask questions problems will be solved faster. Not only that, you will get to your destination quicker. Because Saul failed, to ask for direction he began to go around in circles. A lot of people give up at the edge of success because they fail to ask for direction or ask question. You may fail at the edge of success if you don’t ask questions. I pray that will not be your portion in the mighty name of Jesus. Your journey will be faster if you will ask questions or get direction from people who know. Lastly Saul left home an ordinary boy but returned a king because he asked questions. There is a king in every man. It is in humbling yourselves and asking questions or getting direction from people who know that you will become the king the Lord has made you. You will only reach your potential in the Lord when you ask questions or get counsel from the counselors.

ACTION POINT: Humble yourself and get counsel.