THE GIFT OF FAITH 2

MEMORY VERSE: To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 1-4

As we mentioned yesterday, there are three kinds of supernatural faith. The first, which we looked at yesterday, is the 'saving faith'. The second kind is faith as a 'fruit of the spirit'. Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.” This, kind of faith, comes as a result of our salvation: union of Christ. According to John 15:5, Christ is the Vine, and we ,Christians, are the branches. Anyone that abides in Him and He in them, the same will bring much fruit. From the time of our union with Him (the Vine) we have the potential of bearing fruit. Our faith (trust, belief) in Jesus is the work of God the Holy Spirit, and it is He who supplies the faith as we go along in the Christian life. Our part is to respond to Him. Faith in Jesus, both initial faith and continuing faith, is the basis for all other fruit and gifts of the Spirit. The fruit of the spirit called faith is brought about through the process of time. One doesn’t plant a tree, and the next day pick fruit, No! The tree must be cultivated, fed, and watered. This is exactly what ‘abide’ means which is to take up permanent residence. The result of abiding in Him is the fruit of a Godly Christian character.

The last kind is the gift of faith. It is a potential in the believer from the time of receiving Jesus, but like the other gifts, it becomes much more active after the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Unlike faith the fruit mentioned earlier, the gift of faith is given instantaneously. It is a sudden surge of faith, usually in a crisis, to confidently believe without a doubt that as we act or speak in Jesus’ name it shall come to pass. The gift of faith is distinct from the working of miracles though it may produce miracles. If the disciples in the storm-based boat had remained calm and assured in spite of their dangerous situation, they would have been manifesting the gift of faith. As it was, Jesus had to still the storm by a miracle. If Daniel in the lion’s den had slain the dangerous animals with but a gesture it would have been the gifts of the miracle. As it was, he rested unharmed in the presence of the fully active lions, showing an even greater amount of faith. Several years ago in Tanzania, some Christians gathered for Easter services, when suddenly an enraged lioness in a wild mood dashed out of the jungle, attacking everything in her path. She killed several domestic animals, then a woman and a child and headed directly for the assembled believers. She stopped only few yards from them, snarling ferociously. The people trembled with shock! The preacher shouted, “don’t be afraid – the God who saved Daniel from the lions is here – the risen Christ of Easter is here.” He turned to the lioness, and cried, “You lion, i curse you in the name of Jesus Christ!” From the scattered clouds, without a sign of rain, a bolt of lightning struck the lioness and she dropped dead. That day, seventeen people gave their lives to the Lord Jesus. The level of faith in which we are living may ebb and flow. Sometimes we find that we are strong in faith; the Holy Spirit in our spirit is allowed to work, and wonderful things happen in our lives. At other times the ‘hang-ups’, doubts, fears, and the ‘debris’ in our souls that the Holy Spirit is working to remove get in the way, and we are not able to function as we.

NOTE: Though the gifts of faith may be active from time to time in our lives, it should not surprise us if we also experience times of doubts. This should only serve to remind us of the scripture: “it is God who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Expect the Lord to manifest his wonderful gift of faith through you, just as you expect the other gifts.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHAT IS HOLINESS?

MEMORY VERSE: For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.1 Thessalonians 4:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 1-6

What is Holiness? We are not talking about the type of holiness we parade in public. We are not talking about how you, as a brother, carry or conduct yourself in the church or in the midst of other Christian brothers, NO! There are a lot of us, brothers, who are soft and cool as a cucumber in the church but something else at home or at work. There are many of us who are tyrants at home. We exhume so much love to people in church but at home we are terror. We curse and call our wives terrible names. Some of us even make reference to their past - something they shared with us out of love. For some of us, any time there is a misunderstanding we stop eating the food she prepared . Some of us even keep malice with our wives for weeks. Also, there are sisters who are sweet in church. They lift up holy hands in church but at home they are a totally different person. Some of them use sex to punish their husbands whenever there is a misunderstanding between them and their husbands. Some sisters even refuse to cook for their husbands whenever there is a misunderstanding at home.

When we talk of holiness, we are not talking of how we conduct ourselves on the pulpit. We are talking of how we conduct ourselves when no member is around. We are talking of how we conduct ourselves when we are in traffic and someone cuts us in. We are talking of how we conduct ourselves when a scantily dressed lady passes by and no one who knows us is around. We are talking of how we conduct ourselves when a member, who instead of dropping his or her tithes in the offering basket, gives them to us. Do we convert them to personal use or pay them into the church treasury? If we want to be sincere with ourselves, the only individual who can tell us whether a brother is holy or not, is his wife - the woman who lives with him under the same roof. Or, colleagues at work - people who work with him. The same thing with sisters, only their husbands can tell us whether they are indeed a sweet saint or not. We don’t really know if a brother is living in love or not unless we ask his wife. So also a sister, we don’t know if she is submissive or not unless we ask her husband. If we want to really know who a student is, let’s go to his or her university campus.

What is holiness? Holiness is a ‘calling’. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” This ‘calling’ is on my life, your life, and the life of everyone who has accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and savior. For us to be able to answer this ‘call’ God has made some provisions. Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Our sinful nature have been crucified with Christ. Holiness is also our pass code or passkey to God. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:” Holiness is a requirement for answered prayers. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

NOTE: The reason why many of us are struggling to live holy is because we are not taking advantage of the things God has put in place to help us live holy. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

PRAYER POINT: Father, please circumcise my heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SUFFERING IN SILENCE?

MEMORY VERSE: And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:41

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 16-20

There is a time for ‘everything’ under the heavens (Ecclesiastes 3:1). According to Ecclesiastes 3:2-8, there is a time to be born and there is a time die. There is a time to keep silent, and a time to speak and so on. This brings us to this question, ‘who controls time?’ God. Daniel 2:21 says, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:” The Most High God decides when one faces his or her trial of faith. Matthew 4:1 says, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Trails of faith have so many advantages. For instance, they are opportunity for spiritual maturity (James 1:3). Not only that, you will never know the great things that God has deposited inside you until you face some challenges. David never knew he had the potential to kill a lion and bear with his bare hands until a bear and lion tried to steal his sheep (1 Samuel 17:34). The Lord determines how long the trial of faith will last for. Genesis 15:13 says, “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.” He determines when one's waiting period comes to an end. In Genesis 18, during God’s visit to Abraham, He told Sarah that her waiting period was over. Verse 14 says, “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

One may ask, ‘how about when something evil happens, does God decide that?’ God does not do evil. Job 34:12 says, “Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.” Although God does not do evil, nothing happens except He allows it and He will not allow something He cannot use. In His infinite wisdom, He allows some things so as to bring a testimony out of it. Although God cannot be stopped, when He wants to work in our lives He expects our cooperation. God’s initial plan was that the children of Israel will spend 400 years in Egypt but they spent 430 years. Exodus 12:41 says, “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.” Why? When the children of Israel were supposed to cry to God for deliverance, they kept quiet. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be given you: for every one that asketh recieveth: and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Even when Pharaoh was killing all their male children, they just kept quiet. It is baffling that people can be suffering to the point of losing their children and still keep quiet. Not until they cried to God, their situation did not change. Are you suffering in silence? There is nothing spiritual in people taking advantage of you and you keep quiet. No! It is time to cry to God to fight your cause! It is time to cry to God to defend you! It is time to cry to God to fight your battle for you! As far as one keeps quiet, things will not change.

NOTE: Stop asking God if He can’t see what you are going through. Report the matter to Him!

PRAYER POINT: Father, fight for me today.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE BEST WAY TO RESPOND

MEMORY VERSE: And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, Acts 9:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 4-6

The best way to respond to any challenges that comes your way is to pray. The best way to respond when things go out of hands is to pray. When i was young, mum will always say, “Everything requires prayer. When things are going as planned, you pray because you want God to keep it that way. When things are not going as planned, you pray because you want God to turn it around.” Back then, i did not understand what she meant but today i know better. If you are single, you need to pray. If you are married, you need to pray. If you are yet to have kids, you need to pray. If you have kids, you need to pray. When things are going well, please pray. When preparing for exams, please pray. In the exam hall, please pray before you start. When you finish, before submitting your exam papers, please pray. After submitting your exam papers, please pray. One may ask, is there a need to pray after submitting my exam papers? Yes! You need to commit your examiners into the hands of God. You do not want your examiners to mark your exam papers after an argument with their partner or after loosing something valuable. It is a proven fact that examiners tend to be generous with marks when they are happy. Before you visit your GP/ doctors, pray for the right diagnosis. If any member of your family is going for an operation, you need to pray for the surgeons and the nurses. No man is above mistake, doctors and specialist do get it wrong. Many a times they mis-calculate, so you need to commit them into the hands of the ‘One’ who has never made a mistake or mis-calculated.

If you notice that you and your wife/husband are arguing a lot, please pray about it. Before discussing any sensitive issue in your marriage, first of all pray so that it will not escalate into a big fight or argument. Moreover, please, do not always seek to win an argument with your husband/wife, you may win all the argument and loose a godly husband/woman. If God has called you into ministry and your wife is not as supportive as she should be, pray to God about it. Ask the One who called you to call her too. When Saul ran into problems on his way to Damascus, he prayed. Acts 9:11 says: “And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.” Let us look at the last three words, “behold, he prayeth.” Not behold, he crieth or behold, he complaineth against God or worse behold, he saith there is no God. When Saul opened his eyes and found that he could no longer see, he responded by praying. When things do not go as planned, some of us respond by not paying our tithes. Some respond by staying at home instead of going to church. Some respond by quitting their post in the vineyard of God. Some respond by saying there is no God. Some respond by blaming people in their family. Responding to challenges of life in this manner will only prolong the problem not solve it. The only one who can solve that challenge is God, why not take it to Him and stop looking for people to blame. The reason why God sent Ananias to Saul is summarised in the last four words of Acts 9:11- “for, behold, he prayeth”. Saul received help because he responded to his challenges by engaging in prayers.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Remember to always start your prayers with thanksgiving.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please send help to me today.

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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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PRAYING WITH YOUR CHILDREN

MEMORY VERSE: and God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of the God called to Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, what aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath the voice of the lad where he is, Genesis 21:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 6, Ps 89, Isa 34, Rev 4

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 21:14-22

When it comes to spiritual activities like praying and fasting, many parents don’t engage their children because they believe they are too small. As parents and adults, please do not despise little children especially when it comes to spiritual matters. They may be very little but Jesus does not play with their prayer requests. Matthew 18:10 says take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. If you are thinking a child is too small to hear from God, you are making a big mistake. This is why I weep for parents whose children miss Sunday school, they doing those children a great disfavor.

There are several reasons why you need to start engaging your little children in spiritual activities. There are several reasons why it pays to ask them to agree with you when you are seeking the face of God on an issue. Matthew 5:8 says blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. In other words to see God in action in your situation, you must possess a pure heart. To always get a quick response every time you pray to God, you need to be pure in heart. To improve your spiritual signal so you that you can hear God every time He speaks, you need a clean heart or a pure heart. What is a pure heart? A pure heart is a heart that is devoid of bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, negative thoughts e.t.c. Most children are in possession of such heart because they are innocent. They don’t keep grudges, they are not jealous, they hate no one, they judge no one, their heart is empty of malice e.t.c. Because they are in possession of such heart, their spiritual signals are very good and every time they call on God He listens.

We see in our bible studies that it was the cry of Ishmael (the young son of Hagar) that caught the attention of God. God could not stand the cry of this young boy; He had to urgently send an angel to sort Hagar out. Another reason why your children needs to be your prayer partner is that once in a while, worries of life and other emotions make it difficult to hear when God is speaking. During this period when your faith is weak, God speaks through the mouth of these little children. If you do not make them your prayer partners, God speaking through them to you might be difficult.

ACTION POINTS: Give your children the opportunity to lead prayer during devotions. Ask for their inputs during bible studies.