HE DELIGHTS IN THE PROSPERITY OF HIS CHILDREN

MEMORY VERSE: Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Psalm 35:27

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 19-22

Matthew 19:24 says: “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” 1 Timothy 6:10 says: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Many read Matthew 19:24 and 1 Timothy 6:10 and concluded that riches is bad for Christians. Some actually believe that no rich man will enter heaven. As such, they hate money and do everything possible to ensure that they do not become rich. Jesus did not say riches will take you to hell neither did He say that poverty will take you to heaven. The only condition to get to heaven is be born again (John 3:3-5).

The Bible teaches that God delights in the prosperity of His servants (See Psalm 35:27).  Why would God delight in the “prosperity” of His servants if wealth/prosperity is bad – if prosperity will take them to hell? God wants you to prosper. Abraham, a man described in James 2:23 as the Friend of God, was a rich man. Abraham’s servant said, “And the LORD hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses (Genesis 24:35).” David, a man God described as a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22), gave close to a billion dollars towards the building of the temple (1 Chronicles 29:1-30). Bible scholars valued the gold and silver he gave to the tune of $867.5 million. After Job passed the test, God greatly prospered him. God wants His children to prosper and as such, He gives them the power to get wealth ( See Deuteronomy 8:18). We have established that God wants you to prosper; however, there is a caveat to it. If you want divine prosperity you must live holy. Isaiah 1:19 says: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:” You must be a giver. Proverbs 11:25 says: “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” You must be diligent. Proverbs 12:24 says: “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.” Lastly, you must not be a lover of pleasure. Proverbs 21:17 says: “He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” Many of us are not rich simply because we love pleasure – flashy things.

CONFESSION: I prophesy that this year will be my best year so far.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

SERVICE AND PROSPERITY

MEMORY VERSE: If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.Job 36:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 96-98

It pays to serve in the vineyard of God. During one of our Sunday services in church, a young beautiful girl, 'D', ministered; she did choreography to a popular gospel song. ( Name of girl withheld) After her ministration, the man of God ( who was invited from abroad ) climbed the altar to preach. As he preached, he prophesied by the Spirit of the Lord: “The (Lord says that) the young girl that had just ministered is going to be a lawyer and she is going to receive scholarship to study law in ‘X’ university”. (Name of university withheld). He gave a powerful sermon, packed his bag and left. After the service, whilst chatting with ‘D’s’ dad, a brother approached the dad to confirm the prophecy. “Do you know ‘D’ told my wife, when she was at your house a week ago that she is going to be a lawyer when she grows up” he said. Wow! What a confirmation to the prophecy of the man of God. 2 Corinthians 13:1 says, “This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” I believe the brother must have thought within himself that the parents of ‘D’ were lucky.

Neither ‘D’ nor her parents were lucky. Were they favoured? Oh Yes! But God is not arbitrary. You can’t get something for nothing. You want to be able to resist the devil? First of all submit to God (James 4:7). ‘D’s’ parent served God, especially her dad, selflessly. He is part of at least 3 groups in the church; he is a sanctuary cleaner, outreach team member, usher, etc. When we go on evangelism, he brings ‘D’ and her sister with us and they participate. Actually, 'D' shares more tracts than the adults because she is not shy. D loved the Lord and Lord reciprocated the love. It is high time you considered your service to God. Job 36:11 says, “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.“ Do you just go to church, listen to sermon, pay your tithes and offering, and go home? You are missing some serious blessings by not serving in God’s vineyard. Are you serving in God’s vineyard but not putting your best into it? You only serve when it is convenient or when you feel like? I want you to change because God is watching and He will reward each individual accordingly. Revelations 22:12 says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Have you been serving with all your heart and it seems as if you are getting nothing for it? ‘D’ parents have been serving selflessly for close to 14 years. God sees your efforts and He will reward you in due time. I Corinthians 2:8 says, “ But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Your testimony will be different and bigger.

NOTE: It is not only about activities in the church. As you serve selflessly, run away from sin. Sin causes God to distance Himself from a family or an individual (Isaiah 59:1-2). You can’t be working in God’s vineyard and be fornicating at the same time, and expect God to prosper you. The fornication has to stop before He will prosper you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world .

WHAT YOU DON’T VALUE,YOU CAN’T HAVE

MEMORY VERSE: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Genesis 39:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 7-12

Statistics show that the rate of divorce amongst believers is growing. One of the reasons for this is that husbands and wives are not cleaving. The moment a small pressure is applied to the marriage, it falls apart. For a man and woman to cleave properly, something must first happen. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Unfortunately, what is happening in our cultures, even in our churches, is that only the women are leaving their her fathers and mothers; the men are doing nothing. What happens when a man does not leave his father and mother is that his family (father, mother and siblings) will start to exercise control over his marriage. They will dictate to him how he should run his family and treat his wife. In some cases, the woman will become an errand girl of the man's family. That is not how God ordained marriage to be. We have even seen instances where the husband's siblings will be beating up the wife and the man will say nothing. If a brother is not matured enough to make decisions without his parents then he should remain single. For a man to cleave to his wife, he must also leave his friends, work, ministry, etc. A lot can not cleave because they are married to the ministry and some to their work. Please be aware that your ministry must not come before your family especially your wife.

The reason why some men cannot cleave is because they see it as a weakness to cleave to their wife. The same with some cultures, they see it as a weakness for a man to sit with his wife and make decisions together. Barking instructions at one's wife is not a sign of strength. Some women also consider it a weakness for a woman to submit to her husband. It is not a sign of weakness to submit to one's husband.

It is one thing for God to have good plans for a brother; it is another thing for those good plans to materialize. A brother who God had good plans for was Joseph. The Lord did not make this secret. At a young age, He showed him His plans; his brothers were going to be his subjects (Genesis 37). This boy cherished this plan so much that he ran away from anything that could make God change His mind. Even when the wife of his master tried to have sex with him, he refused. Genesis 39:9 says, “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” We know the end of the story. He ended up in prison and from there the Lord elevated him to become the prime minister. Jesus also had good plans for Judas Iscariot; He did not hide His plans from Him. He told him he had written his name in heaven (Luke 10:20). He told him He planned that he would reign with Him in heaven (John 14:3). He even told him that he (Judas) and other disciples would sit on the twelve thrones with him and judge the twelve tribes of Israel ( Matthew 19:28). One would have expected this brother to respond like Joseph did. Because this brother did not cherish God’s plan for his life, he began to do everything that will offend his savior. He stole from Jesus several times. At the end, he sold the Master and missed out on God’s plan for his life.

QUESTION: God has a good plan for us and He has not hidden it from us. According to Jeremiah 29:11, He plans to give us an expected end. Are you going to run from everything that could make Him change His mind?

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CONFESSION BRINGS PROSPERITY

Proverbs 28:13 he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 22, John 1, Job 40, 2 Cor 10

 

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 3:6-13

 

In Genesis 3:6-13 is a story we all know. Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying Him; they ate from the forbidden tree. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked. They began to run from the same God they use to sit and fellowship with. The Lord knew what they had done so He asked Adam if he had eaten from the tree He commanded them not to eat from. Instead of Adam answering in the affirmative, he tried to cover up his sin by telling God that it was the woman He gave to him that gave him of the tree and he ate. He tried to play a fast one on God by trying to shift the blame on God. Eve (wife of Adam) did exactly the same thing when the Lord asked ‘what is this that thou hast done?’ Instead of confessing and asking for mercy she tried to cover her sins by blaming the serpent. Because they refused to confess their sins, their relationship with God began to suffer. Instead of blessings they received curses.

 

Proverbs 28:13 says he that covereth his shall sins not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. A man cannot cover his own sin. It is only God who can cover a man’s sins and it would be an instance of His grace. It is also right in one good man to cover the sins of another, reproving him secretly and forgiving him; but it is wrong in a man to cover his own sin. What God expects is when a fellow is charged with sin, and reproved for it by his fellow Christian; such fellow should not cover it to save their honor. He expects them to own up to it. Failure to acknowledge a sin you committed when confronted is an attempt to cover the sin. Denying the sin you committed which is covering a sin with a lie is like adding sin to sin. Justifying sin as if you have done the right thing is an attempt to cover up a sin. Worse still giving excuses for a sin you committed or imputing it to others that they made you sin is an attempt to cover up sin like Adam did.Prospering in soul or body, in things spiritual or temporal is almost impossible for a fellow who covers us his sin. Such a fellow would not have peace of mind and conscience. Every covered up sin robs one of God’s mercy. How much can a man achieve without God’s mercy? If you successfully manage to cover it on earth, it will be reveal on the Day of Judgment. Luke 8:17 says for nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. On the Day of Judgment every secret will be revealed. If you have cheated on your partner or stolen from the church, you better go to your pastor and confess to Him. Not only that also confess to your partner because whether you like it or not he or she will know one day. The reason why many have not been able to walk in to their prepared prosperity is because of covered up sins.  

 

KEYWORD: Every covered up sin robs one of God’s mercy. How much can a man achieve without God’s mercy?

CONFESSION BRINGS PROSPERITY

Proverbs 28:13 he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ex 22, John 1, Job 40, 2 Cor 10

 

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 3:6-13

 

In Genesis 3:6-13 is a story we all know. Adam and Eve sinned against God by disobeying Him; they ate from the forbidden tree. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked. They began to run from the same God they use to sit and fellowship with. The Lord knew what they had done so He asked Adam if he had eaten from the tree He commanded them not to eat from. Instead of Adam answering in the affirmative, he tried to cover up his sin by telling God that it was the woman He gave to him that gave him of the tree and he ate. He tried to play a fast one on God by trying to shift the blame on God. Eve (wife of Adam) did exactly the same thing when the Lord asked ‘what is this that thou hast done?’ Instead of confessing and asking for mercy she tried to cover her sins by blaming the serpent. Because they refused to confess their sins, their relationship with God began to suffer. Instead of blessings they received curses.

 

Proverbs 28:13 says he that covereth his shall sins not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. A man cannot cover his own sin. It is only God who can cover a man’s sins and it would be an instance of His grace. It is also right in one good man to cover the sins of another, reproving him secretly and forgiving him; but it is wrong in a man to cover his own sin. What God expects is when a fellow is charged with sin, and reproved for it by his fellow Christian; such fellow should not cover it to save their honor. He expects them to own up to it. Failure to acknowledge a sin you committed when confronted is an attempt to cover the sin. Denying the sin you committed which is covering a sin with a lie is like adding sin to sin. Justifying sin as if you have done the right thing is an attempt to cover up a sin. Worse still giving excuses for a sin you committed or imputing it to others that they made you sin is an attempt to cover up sin like Adam did.Prospering in soul or body, in things spiritual or temporal is almost impossible for a fellow who covers us his sin. Such a fellow would not have peace of mind and conscience. Every covered up sin robs one of God’s mercy. How much can a man achieve without God’s mercy? If you successfully manage to cover it on earth, it will be reveal on the Day of Judgment. Luke 8:17 says for nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. On the Day of Judgment every secret will be revealed. If you have cheated on your partner or stolen from the church, you better go to your pastor and confess to Him. Not only that also confess to your partner because whether you like it or not he or she will know one day. The reason why many have not been able to walk in to their prepared prosperity is because of covered up sins.

 

KEYWORD: Every covered up sin robs one of God’s mercy. How much can a man achieve without God’s mercy?