PRICE OF LATENESS

MEMORY VERSE: redeeming the time, because the days are evil, Ephesians 5:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 26, Ps 69, Isa 16, 1 Pet 4

BIBLE STUDIES: John 5:1-9

It pays to do things early. It pays to always get to appointments early. I know a fellow who once got a job for coming early to an interview. Although he could not provide the correct answers for virtually all the interview questions, he still got the job because of his commitment and dedication. The interviewer was impressed by his time keeping ; this fellow arrived an hour early despite the fact that he came from a far distance. He found favor as a result of arriving this. Because of his good time keeping and attitude to work, within six months he was made a supervisor. 

There are people who are habitually late to everything. They are never on time and this is not too good. What this people don’t know is that, no one takes a late comer serious. It does not matter how hard working a fellow is if he has problem with time keeping, getting a promotion at work would be difficult. Just as arriving early for appointments brings you in favor with the people you are meeting, arriving late at times brings disfavor. Such was the case of the man at the pool of Bethesda. Every time the angel of the Lord came to trouble/stir the water, he would get to the pool late. This man did not record any progress (i.e. remained at the same position) for thirty eight years because he kept arriving at the pool late. Thank God for mercy. Jesus attended the pool and healed him.

Ephesians 5:16 says redeeming the time, because the days are evil. The only way to redeem time is by working against time; it is by doing things early. There are a lot of people who dare not go to work late; but when it comes to church services they go at any time they want. This is not too good. If you do not leave work at any time you want, why leave the church during the service?  Not too long ago, I told you of how the Holy Spirit led me to go and bless a church with food stuffs on a Palm Sunday. The time of service at this church coincides with the time of service at my church, so I had to get to this church early to deliver the item and make my way to my church. When I got to the church, the pastor was already there. If the pastor had come late to church that Sunday, the whole church would have missed the blessings God sent to them and the children would have gone home without their Easter eggs.

KEY WORD: Arriving at appointments early brings favor. Arriving at appointments late reveals lack of commitment.

PRICE OF ADULTERY & FORNICATION

MEMORY VERSE: But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house, Judges 16:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 15, Ps 51, Isa 5, Heb 12

BIBLE STUDIES: Judges 16: 19-21

The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word ‘adultery’ is a married man or woman engaging in extra-marital affairs. The same happens when we hear the word ‘fornication’, we immediately think of a single brother or sister engaging in sex. By God’s standard once a man looks at a woman lustfully, such man is already guilty of adultery, Matthew 5:28. You don’t have to talk to a woman to commit adultery at all, just by imagining her without her clothes on you are already an adulterer and the same applies to women too. Whether you believe or not, woman who put on materials that causes men to err or commit the sin of adultery have cases to answer before God because they are knowingly or unknowingly luring men to hell. Pornography , masturbation, phone sex , oral sex ,looking at pornographic pictures on papers or mobile phones e.t.c. are all classed as adultery and they carry the same punishment. There is another type of adultery called spiritual adultery also known as idolatry. Idolatry is when a man honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods, power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money e.t.c. 

When a man commits adultery whether physical or spiritual, such man pays a very high price for his actions. From our bible studies, we notice that six things happened when Samson committed adultery. Firstly the hedge around him was broken. Around every born again Christian is a hedge to keep the enemies away. Once a fellow commits adultery or fornication, that hedge that is meant to keep the enemies away is broken and that is disaster. Secondly, the philistine put out his eyes. Adultery plucks out an individual’s organ of vision i.e. eyes. One of the spiritual gifts people loose when they fall into fornication or adultery is the gift of dreams and visions. Proverbs 29:18 says where there is no vision; the people perish in other words inability to see spiritually leads to physical and spiritual death. Thirdly, they brought him down. Adultery reduces a fervent brother or sister to an ordinary Christian. It empties them of the fire of the Holy Ghost, praying becomes difficult, fasting becomes difficult, soul winning becomes difficult.

Fourthly, they brought him down to Gaza. Gaza signifies the head quarter of the enemy. Once a fellow falls into adultery the enemy grabs the fellow and brings down to the headquarters of the demons to spiritually torment him. Fifthly they bound him with iron. Once a man falls into adultery he loses his freedom, if he is a pastor he can no longer preach against adultery again. He will find it difficult to the look into the eyes of his wife. Not only that, he begins to live in fear of people finding out what he has done. Lastly, they made him grind in prison. Thank God for technology, while I was growing up before my parents could afford a blender I saw people grind pepper with grinding stone. Friends it is a struggle to grind things with your hands. Once a fellow falls into adultery, life becomes a struggle. One thing about struggling is that, the more effort you put, the less result you get. I pray you will never struggle in Jesus name. What do you do after falling into the sin of adultery? Go back to God and ask for forgiveness. After this I will advise you to go and speak to your pastor or a man of God about it who will counsel you. If you are married you need to confess to your partner. Proverbs 28:13 says he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsake them shall have mercy. The confession is what the enemy uses to hold people from restoration, confess and repent so that the Lord can restore you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to stand to the end.

Cost of anger

Proverbs 15:18 - A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Anger is very costly. It is able to turn a prince in to a fugitive. In Exodus 2:11-17, Moses-a prince in Egypt became a fugitive in the land of Midian courtesy of his anger. He saw an Egyptian beating up a Hebrew, instead of simply reprimanding the Egyptian or better still ask what happened and resolve the matter, he got angry and before he knew it he became a murderer. The boy who was once favored by Pharaoh suddenly became an enemy courtesy of the result of his anger. Anger can bring curses. In Genesis 4:3-11, Cain got angry because God rejected his offering .Out of anger he killed Abel and that action brought God's curse on him. Many marriages are on the rock today as a result things that were said in anger. There are so many who have destroyed their own labor due to anger. Something they labored for all their life, in anger they destroyed it. Many parents out of anger have placed a curse on their children. There was a slight misunderstanding between a sister and her fiancee and out of anger this sister took the expensive watch this brother bought for her as a gift and destroyed it in the presence of this brother. The brother simply called off the wedding .The sister who was meant to get married in few months suddenly became single again.

Worse is uncontrolled anger. The anger that led Moses to kill the Egyptian in Exodus, made him to disobey God in Numbers 20:1-3. The instruction was speak to the rock but out of the anger he refused to control, he hit the rock and the Lord decided Moses was not worthy of leading Israel into Canaan. Studying the live of Moses we will come to the conclusion that uncontrolled anger leads to untimely death - Moses who was meant to die in Canaan died in the desert before his appointed time; uncontrolled anger brings disfavor - Moses who God appointed as the leader in Israel was suddenly found unworthy of been a leader by the same God who appointed him because of the anger he refused to control ; Uncontrolled anger rubs us of our destinies - the destiny of Moses was to lead Israel to Canaan but he could not out of anger. Why is anger bad? in anger one thinks irrationally. Proverbs 14:17 says He that is quickly angry deals foolishly: and a man of wicked intentions is hated. Proverbs 16:32 says He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city.

Brethren anger can cost us heaven if we do not do something about our anger. James 1:20 says for the anger of man works not the righteousness of God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please rid me of every form anger today.

How valuable is our word

Matthew 24:35 says Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
According to Psalms 33:8-9 ,one reason why we should fear God is because of His words- once He speaks ,it is done.Jeremiah 23:29 compares His word to a hammer that breaks rocks and a fire that consumes.Hebrew 4:12 says His word is sharper than two edged sword.Psalm 107:20 says His words has the ability to heal.
One of the reason why God’s word is so powerful and efficient is because of how God takes His words. Psalm 138:2 says He has exalted His word above Himself, no wonder Isaiah 55:11 says his words will not return to Him void but it shall accomplish  what pleases Him and prosper in the thing He has send it.God will go to any length to keep His words -why?  because He values them.
The value we put on our words is the value the world,challenges,situations will put on our words.Those who value their words will go to any length to keep their word.God went out of His way to use the dry bones of Elisha to perform the 14th miracle for Him in 2 Kings 13:20-21 since he carried double portion of anointing of his predecessor.
To what extent are prepared to go to keep our words?if we want mountains to move at our commands ,we must treasure our words! If we do not value our words no one will even mountains.Another reason why we need to value our word is because only those who value their words can walk with God.Psalm 15:4 says only those who swears to their hurt and does not change can abide in the tabernacle of God.
Have you said “I DO” to anyone on the altar and you are considering changing that? or have you giving your word to God that you will serve Him all your life with all your strength or have promised to do a thing or the other if He helps you ? God expects all His children to value their words.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:if we do not value our words ,no one will even mountains.
PRAYER POINT: Father, from now onward help to keep my word at all cost.