THERE IS A SET TIME

MEMORY VERSE: For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. Genesis 21:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 137-139

God is orderly. He is highly organised. No wonder He put the world (after He created it) in the hands of time. Genesis 8:22 says: “ While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Every activity/event/happening on earth is time bound. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.”

Therefore, things have to be done in their own time. The age range for primary schools is five (5) through to eleven (11). A two (2) year old or a sixteen (16) year old in primary school will struggle. I will give another illustration to drive home this point. A friend works as an Enforcement Officer and part of his duties is ensure that businesses and establishments complying with certain regulations. One of the regulations is businesses must have a waste contract. (A waste contract is simply an agreement that a business has with a waste collector to collect his waste.) This enforcement officer would serve notices to business owners giving them fourteen (14) days - and an extra seven (7) days depending on the circumstance - to provide their waste contract. Failure to provide this notice will result in a fine or prosecution. Most business owners respond immediately they receive this notice. However, some business owners will leave it to the last minute. Many of them end up getting fined for not providing the requested documents within the time-frame game. 
Everything is time bound. If you don't do things when you should do them, you may be penalised or lose some of the benefits you are supposed to get as you saw in the example above. Your repentance, restitution, accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, making peace with your neighbours, redeeming your vows, etc., are time bound and the time is now.  2 Corinthians 6:2 says: “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” Today is the day of salvation, tomorrow maybe too late. The time to serve God is now – whilst you are still young. Ecclesiastes 12:2-4 says: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house (legs) shall tremble, and the strong men (shoulder) shall bow themselves, and the grinders (teeth) cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows (eyes) be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low.” The time to chase after the things of eternal value is now!

QUESTION: How are you spending your time?

NOTE: Your time on earth is a very brief one and as such, only focus on important things.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“FOR A TIME SUCH AS THIS”

MEMORY VERSE: Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:13-14 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nahum

Haman, a wicked man with an evil heart, wanted Mordecai dead because he refused to bow to him (Esther 3). What did he do? He hatched a plan to exterminate all the Jews in the land. He went to King Ahasuerus, told him that the Jews were working against him and asked for permission to conduct an ethnic cleansing. He even volunteered to personally foot the bill. Which king wouldn’t want to see the end of those working against him? None. So, the king gave him his blessings ; Haman spoke with the law makers and they passed a bill that says all the Jews must be exterminated on a certain date. Mordecai heard this news and passed it on to Queen Esther, his adopted daughter. At first, Esther began to give excuses but the tough old man said to her “Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

There several lessons we can learn from the old man’s response. Firstly, “whatever” position you find yourself in life you are there for a reason. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Jewish man who secretly followed Jesus, was a member of the Sanhedrin for a reason. God deliberately put him in the Sanhedrin– a position that gave him access to Herod - so that He would use his contact, connection and position to collect the body of Jesus Christ from Herod after His crucifixion (Mark 15:42-64). That young slave girl was in the house of Naaman, waiting on Naaman’s wife, for a reason (2 Kings 5:1-19). God deliberately had her there so as to use her to bring healing to Naaman, one of the high ranking officers in the Syrian army, which will in turn mend the relationship between the Syrians and the Israelites- God wanted to use an Israelite prophet to heal a top brass in the Syrian army. Sadly, Gehazi’s conduct hindered it as he took money from Naaman for his healing. 

Secondly, “whatever” position you find yourself as a child of God, you are there for a "particular time". This translates that you will not be there forever. Also, you are there for a particular purpose. As such, “whatever” position you find yourself as a child of God, you must behave yourself in a way that will not jeopardize the fulfillment of your purpose there. Thank God that young slave girl behaved well whilst waiting on Naaman’s wife. Had it been she was a lazy girl or a thief, Naaman’s wife would not have listened when she spoke to her about the prophet in Israel. Thank God Joseph of Arimathea was a responsible man. Had it been he was irresponsible, Herod would not have granted him audience talkless of release the body of Christ, a treasure of inestimable value, to him. We thank the Lord for the life of Queen Esther. She was a humble woman who never took the king for granted. Had it been that she behaved like her predecessor Vashti, she would not have been able to save her people. Please note that all we have been talking about only applies to children of God. As a child of God, if you find yourself in a position you don’t like i want you to know that your Father in heaven knows about it, and He will work things for your own good (Romans 8:28). However, if you are yet to give your life to Christ or you are living in sin and you find yourself in a situation you don’t like, it could be the devil punishing you for fun since you are in his camp. Today, you can change camp by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

QUESTION: How are you behaving in that position God has put you? Are you behaving in a way that will jeopardize the fulfillment of God's purpose for having you there? 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE TIME TO FAVOUR

MEMORY VERSE: Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. Psalm 102:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 105-107

Psalm 102:13 says, “Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.”  Someone once defined favour as when a single brother goes out in the evening and returns with a wife; i couldn’t agree more. Isaac went out one evening, as a single man, to meditate and returned with a wife ( Genesis 24:63-67). Proverbs 18:22 says, “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” Favour is simply getting what you have not worked for. There are several lessons to learn from our memory verse. For instance, there is a time for divine favour. Psalm 102:13 says, “.........for the time to favour her.....” Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” This (time of divine favour) has been set. “........yea, the set time ...” By who? God. Psalm 31:15 says, “My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.” All an individual needs to do, then is exercise patience and continue to serve the Lord in spirit and truth until his set time .

Two things usually happen when an individual's  time of favour comes. Firstly, according to Psalm 102:13, God arises on behalf of the individual. Before your time of favour, it may appear as if God has forgotten you. You may have prayed, fasted, sown seeds, served, lived a righteous life, worshiped and yet, nothing seems to happen. During this time, you may even be subjected to abuse, ridicule and all that. When God arises (from His throne) on behalf of an individual, the individual becomes unstoppable. Let the whole world gather against such an individual , they will fall flat. When God arises on behalf of a man, things will suddenly begin to work in His favour; those who have not taken notice of him will start to take notice of him. When David’s time of favour came, God commanded Samuel, a great prophet, to go and visit him at home and anoint him as king (1 Samuel 16). When Samuel told Jesse to bring his children out, he didn't bother to get David from the field where he was tending sheep.You see when your time of favour comes, men's opinion of you would not matter. Even evil schemes against you will fail. 

Secondly, also according to Psalm 102:13, God  shows mercy to the individual who is to be favoured. What is mercy? It is not getting what you deserve. David by birth didn't deserve to be a king. He was not the son of a king and he didn't come from a royal family. Asides this, according to bible scholars, David was a product of adultery. He himself even confessed and said:  “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. ( Psalm 51:5)”.  This better explains why the old man didn't bring him out when he was told to bring out his children. The law of Moses states that no bastard should be allowed in the temple (Deuteronomy 23:2). When David's time of favour came, God had mercy on him. A bastard who was not allowed anywhere near God's house was suddenly anointed king over Israel. God poured His oil on this boy and his cup ran over. When your day of favour comes, God's mercy will cancel out all the points against you. 

NOTE: Whilst you are waiting for your time of favour, you need to be patient.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHERE IS YOUR TIME?

MEMORY VERSE: My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Psalm 31:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 25-27

There are three basic types of time: natural time, human time and God’s time. Naturally, all over the world, midnight marks the beginning and ending of each day. In other words, a day starts at 12am. With the human time it’s different and it varies with individuals. For some, their day starts at 5am; others start before 5am or after 5am. However, God’s day start in the evening. Genesis 1:5 says, “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” The same thing for the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh day.

Going by nature or natural time, a child becomes an adult when he is 18 years (age of consent). From this age, he is free to make his decisions. If he commits a crime, hopefully he doesn’t, he would be sent to prison. Humans, depending on culture and religious beliefs, put the age of maturity at different times. In some cultures, it is believed that once a girl enters puberty she can now be treated as an adult; some even become brides at that age. In some cultures, not until a man is 30 he is not regarded as an adult. According to scriptures, a child becomes an adult around the age of 20 (Leviticus 27:1-7). When it comes to serving God, there is natural time to serve God and that is the age of consent. The human time to serve God is when one is old - probably around 65 years. Between the age of 17 and the age of retirement is a time to concentrate on one’s career and enjoy life. This is why when people see a young brother actively serving in church and serving God with vigour, they say he is not ambitious. This is why when they see a young woman dressed modestly, no parts of her body exposed; they say it is too early to dress in that fashion. The expectation is that one should dress hot and sexy whilst one is young. Going by God’s time, no one is too young to serve God. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”

Going by nature, the time to get married is four years after a child enters puberty and this is around the age of 18. The human time for an individual to get married varies. The general consensus is once a man has a job and a house, he can consider marriage. However, God’s time for each individual to get married is different. There are instances where God may decide not to give a brother a wife until He trains him for his future and the training may not end until he is 30 years. In a nutshell, there are things nature expects one to have at certain times. Also, there are things humans expect one to have at certain times. When one does not have those things at the expected time, one may be regarded as a failure. The expectation is after 10 years in ministry, one's congregation should have grown to a certain number. One should be doing this and that. However, God does not work like this. He may decide to give one something before the human time or after the human time. Samuel started hearing God's voice from a tender age. Moses did not start his ministry until the age of 80. I want to encourage you to put your time in God’s hands. Let Him give you what He wants to give to you in His own time.

NOTE: A lot has destroyed their lives because they received certain good things at the wrong time.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to be more patient.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THEY DID THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME

MEMORIZE: But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Numbers 14:44 

BIBLE STUDIES: Numbers 14:40-45  

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 11-15, Proverbs 20 

It is possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. For instance, that big minister - lord on whose hand the king leaned (2 Kings 7:1-19) - did the wrong thing at the wrong time. There was terrible famine in the Land and Elisha, as directed by the Holy Spirit, prophesied of abundance. Of all responses, he replied and said, “behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this things be?”  Firstly, what he said was wrong. How can a mere mortal challenge the words of the Immortal God? Secondly, the timing was not appropriate. There was chronic famine; the people were low in spirit and needed words of encouragement not words that will depress them. Because he doubted the Word from the Lord, he saw the fulfillment of the Word but did not partake in it. It is also possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the right time. An example of a fellow who did the wrong thing at the right time was King Saul in 1 Samuel 13.8-9. Samuel told the king to wait at a place for seven days, after that he would return and offer sacrifices on his behalf.  On the seventh day, Samuel did not return as promised so King Saul decided to offer the sacrifices himself. This singular act cost him his throne. Although, the timing for the sacrifice was right, it was wrong for Saul to offer sacrifice because that was the job of a priest not a king. 

It is possible for a man to do the right thing at the wrong time. This is exactly what the children of Israel did in Numbers 14:40-45. There is nothing wrong in going to posses the promise land. In other words, it was the right thing to do, after all God had promised to give them the land. The problem was the timing, which was obviously wrong. Their leader and servant of the Lord, Moses, told them not to go because God will not go with them but they refused.  Numbers 14:44 says, “But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.” They went and regretted it. Friend, if God says do not do something, please do not do it. Even if that thing is the right thing to do, please do not do it. The time you have chosen to do it may not be appropriate. We all know that entertaining visitors is good. Hebrew 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” If whilst praying, the Spirit of God warns you against allowing a particular fellow to pass the night at your place, please look for an alternative place for the fellow to pass the night. In addition, please do not take the fellow to be an evil person. The fellow may not be a witch; it could be that God wanted you to be at that hotel, where you probably would have lodged him, at 2 pm the next day and the only way to get you there was to have someone you know pass the night there. Whatever the reason maybe, if God says do not do something, please do not do it.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Whenever God says do not do something; He is either protecting you from something and that thing could be sudden death or trying to show you something. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a hearing heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus 

BLESSING TIME

MEMORY VERSE: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 16-20

Most people regard offering time as a necessary evil, at best. As usual, our ideas are much different than what the Word of God teaches. Isaiah 55:8 says: “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”Friend, offering time is a blessing time. Firstly, it is a time to bless the Lord. It is an opportunity for us to worship God and express our love to Him in a tangible way. Our gifts reflect how much we value those we are giving to. If I want to give to my parents, I make sure it is the best because of their efforts over my life. How much more if I want to give to my Creator?  David, a man after the heart of God, once said, “neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).” In other words, I will not give the LORD my God a cheap offering. Secondly, it is a time to receive blessings from the Lord. God being so good, has designed it so that when we do give to Him it also functions like planting a seed, which will produce a harvest of blessing in our life. God designed His creation to work in such a way that money and blessing will come back to us in even greater measure than we give out. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

One way the devil tries to suppress the spread of the gospel is by my making people believe that messages like this are just to get money as if preachers wrote the Bible for their own benefit. No, God planned all this, and He knows that without adequate funding, those whom He has called to teach and equip His people will be held back, unable to be as effective as they should be. Money is needed to do the great commission. We cannot take the gospel to Australia on foot neither can we take the gospel to Papua guinea on a horse or a donkey. Organizing revivals cost a lot – fasting and praying especially. Also a lot of money is needed. Money is needed to rent chairs, music instruments, plan logistics and all. Even in our local churches, we need prayers and money especially to pay the bills. So when we give to those proclaiming the Word of God on earth, God considers it giving to Him, and a seed sown. When we give towards the gospel, God considers us His partners on earth and He rewards accordingly. Mark 9:41 says: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, shall not lose his reward.” Offering and planting of seeds are very similar. No wise farmer hates planting his crops. Farmers do not murmur or complain about having to put their seed in the ground. No, they look forward with Joy to the time of harvest. They know it is coming because they understand how seeds work. This should be our attitude when give offering.  We should do it cheerfully knowing that our reward is coming.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Offering and giving to God helps combat selfishness.

PRAYER POINT: Father, bless me so that I can be a financier of your work.

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HOW FAR?

MEMORY VERSE: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12 

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Lev 25, Ps 32, Eccl 8, 2 Tim 4

 

Proverbs 29:18a says where there is no vision, the people perish. The simple interpretation of this verse is where there is no ambition, the people become a nobody. Where there is nothing to achieve, the people amount to little or nothing. Where there are no goals, the people will not plan and those who fail to plan are simply planning to fail. The question is what are your visions in  Christ? How many souls do you intend to win for Christ before He calls you home? How many missionaries do you intend to sponsor to go and preach  before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ? How many churches do you intend to build for the Lord? How many TV programmes or radio programmes do you intend to sponsor for Jesus? How many evangelism outreaches do you intend to organize? How many less privilege children or widows do you plan to assist? How many cities do you plan to take for Jesus?

 

One thing I have learnt in life is that those without vision end up serving those that have vision. It is those without goals that work for people with goals. Whilst those with goals and visions are resting, those without goals will  be working and laboring. Today get yourself a goal! Think of something major you want to do for the Lord  this year. Think of the contribution you want to make to the body of Christ before the Lord calls you home.

 

Psalm 90:12 says teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. When we all started this year, many of us had goals – personal goals, family goals, spiritual goals e.t.c. The question is this, how far with those goals? Have you started to work on them? Or you have shelved them? How many of those goals you wrote down at the beginning of the year have you achieved? We are in the fourth month of the year, how many souls have you witnessed to? How many follow ups have you done? How many people have you invited to church? How many souls have you brought to Christ? How many lives can you say the Lord has used you to bless? What efforts have you made so far to witness to that member of your family that is yet to give his or her life to Christ?

 

QUESTION : What have you achieved for Jesus this year?

HE MUST INCREASE Part 2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 32, Mark 3, Est 8, Romans 3

 

John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease

 

Yesterday we learnt that to become a new creature i.e. born again, Christ must increase in our lives and we must decrease. The desire to feed the flesh must reduce and the desire to feed our spirit must increase. Today we will look at another two areas where Christ needs to increase and we decrease. Christ must increase is in our conduct. There is a way true believers conduct themselves. Philippians 1:27 says only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I can and see you, or else be absent ,I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. Believers conduct themselves as if Christ is watching at all times. This was how the first disciples conducted themselves. They conducted themselves in such way that people in Antioch began to call them Christ-like i.e. Christian. Christ so much increased in their lives that all their achievements became invisible. When people see us, what do they see? Our degrees, business success or the signs and wonders the Lord had wrought through our hands or Jesus Himself. For a student to succeed in the medical profession he must decrease and the doctor in him must increase. The cool, calm, caring, meticulous, collected part of him must increase and the rough, untidy, un –serious, lazy part must decrease. This is what the medical school strives at. The law school ensures that the shy, timid, subservient part of the student decreases and the bold, aggressive, argumentative side of the student increases. Unless this part of the student increases, he will struggle in the legal profession. For Christ to become visible in our lives, the part of us that loves to show off must decrease.  The part of us that submits to authority both at work and church must increase; even at home. As a wife you might be the breadwinner but for Christ to increase you must submit to your husband –head. As a husband for Christ to increase you must love your wife to the extent of laying your life for her if need be, Ephesians 5:25. Not only that you must also serve as Christ did. Matthew 20:28 says Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as ransom for many.

 

Another area where Christ must increase is in how we spend our time. No serious medical student spends his or her time in the club partying. Any law student who means business will spend his or her time in the library reading. Christ will not increase in our lives if we continue to miss Sunday school or mid-week service or night vigil. When you miss Sunday school you become an uneducated Christian. Not only that you read the bible and miss a lot of informations. Many of us do not even know that Abram used to worship fire before the Lord called him in Genesis 12:1-3. I learnt this from Sunday school. It was during one of our mid week services, i learnt the factors that leads to a turning point in one’s life. Point 1- what you heard; point 2 – your response to what you heard and point 3- the outcome you experience. I will not go further into this but there are other life changing messages you are missing by not attending Sunday school or weekly services.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to become an ambassador of Christ. Also help me to stop missing services that will change my lives.

 

GUARD YOUR MOUTH

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 5, Matt 5, Ezra 5, Acts 5

Proverbs 21:23 whoever guards his mouth and tongue, keeps his soul from troubles.

Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue. With the tongue, one can either start a war or put an end to war. With the tongue, one can either ask for help or reject help. With the tongue, one gather people or scatter what has been gathered. The rightful use of the mouth can bring deliverance. In Acts 16:25-27, Paul and Silas were bound and put in prison. In the middle of the night, they began to sing praises to God and before you know it there was an earth quake which lead to their deliverance. The rightful use of the mouth can lead to healing. Joel 3:10 says let the weak say I am strong and Numbers 14:28 says whatever God hears you say is what He will do . Do you know that just by witnessing with your mouth, you can inherit glory and begin to shine like the stars? Proverbs 10:31 says he that winneth souls is wise. According to Proverbs 3:35, the wise shall inherit glory. In other words those that witness (the wise) will inherit glory. Daniel 12:3 says the wise (those that win souls) shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to many into righteousness like the stars forever and ever. There is an African proverb which says words can either bring kola from the pocket or clubs from the bag.

Proverbs 21:23 says whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble. The mouth of many has landed them in trouble. A wise man once said “we may forget blows but not words”. Proverbs 6:1 warns us that our mouth can be snare to us. As powerful as Samson was, his unguarded mouth cost him his two eyes, Judges 16:4-21. Samson who was a terror to the Philistine became a grinder in the prison because he could not keep secrets. Proverbs 18:6 says the mouth of a fool calls for strokes. To have relationship with God, one must learn to guard his mouth. There is a time to speak and there is a time to be quiet. If one speaks at the time he is meant to keep quiet he will end up facing embarrassment. Many of the quarrels and the enemies we have today could have been avoided if only we guarded our mouth. They say silence cannot be misquoted. Proverbs 14:23 says in all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty. Unguarded mouth leads to unnecessary arguments and confrontation. Also the unguarded mouths of others can put us into trouble if care is not taken. Herod was an orator. He had his way with words. Because of his eloquence, some people with unguarded mouth started comparing him with God and instead of stopping them, he enjoyed it. They shouted “the voice of a god and not of man!” Right on the spot, the angel of the Lord struck him and he was eaten by worms alive (Acts 12:21-23). David suffered the same fate. After conquering Goliath, some ladies with unguarded tongues began to compare him to the king, I Samuel 18:7-9. Instead of stopping them, he too just enjoyed it and then the King went after him. The king that took him as a son started to throw javelins at him. Thank God he survived but he spent half of his life running from Saul all because of unguarded mouth.

PRAYER POINT : Father , please help me today to guard my mouth.

Day of Reckoning

Revelations 22:12 - And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Long before Jesus was born , it was prophesied that He will return .Isaiah 62:11 says The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.‘“Whether we believe it or not He is coming back.
When He returns everyone of us has to settle our accounts with Him.Just like it happened in Matthew 25:14-30, where the three servants had to give accounts , we will also give accounts.What are we going to account about? According to Matthew 12:36 every idle words that we speak .This is does not exempt anyone even born again Christians!

Also our works,Revelations 20:30 says the sea gave up the dead who were in it,and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were judged ,each one according to his works.1 Corinthians 3:13 says each one’s work will become clear;for the Day will declare it,because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.Are you gathering with Jesus ? if you are not gathering with Jesus by evangelizing then you are scattering .Luke 11:23 says those who do  not gather with Me scatters.

Another thing we will give an account for is how we spent our time on earth,the nobleman in Luke 19:12-25 told his slaves occupy till i come or do business till i come which means busy yourselves with business until i return.We will not only give an account of how we spent our time but how we managed the resources He gave to us.

How are we preparing for that day?On earth , when a student fails there is an opportunity to repeat the class. When a project is submitted and it is not of the required quality there is a chance to redo such project in the day of reckoning there will be no second chance.That day there will be no Oops! or am sorry , ignorance is not an excuse,no excuse will be accepted. No panel to review the decision , all decisions made by God is final no appeal !

How prepared are you for that day ? will your works survive the test of fire? the resources He has given to you have you done business with it? resources like your strength maybe to help in church work , mouth to witness, money to support the missionaries,kingdom projects and the poor ? If you have not giving your life to Christ or if you have before and have backslidded why not come back to Christ.

ACTION POINT: Review your walk with Christ and begin to work on areas that you know that you are lacking.

Quality and timing of seed

Sunday 5 August                                     Bible in one year:Proverbs 4-7

Memorise: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

One foundational truth about giving is that the way seed is sown will determine the type of harvest it will bring.The costliest seed opens the greatest doors.Do not sow anyhow but let your sowing be a deliberate effort,targeted at a definite result.This should guide you in sowing your seed : Before  you sow, determine the type of harvest you want,prayerfully consider the seed that can trigger that harvest,then go ahead and sow. If you want small harvest ,sow small but if you want some  big harvest,sow big. If you want an enduring harvest, sow regularly and continuously towards it . If you want a precious harvest or a harvest of high value, sow valuable and precious seeds. If you want harvest that people have received before , sow the seed that people have given before, but if you want a harvest that nobody has received before,then sow the seed nobody has given before. If you want God’s treasury to be open to you 24/7, open your treasury to God 24/7. If you want God’s all, give your all. The harvest you get is largely depended on you.

The timing of an offering is also very important.Some seeds you will be required to give may still be relevant after six months or a year.But there are some seeds you will be required to sow at an opportune time. If you fail to sow the seed at such  a time, even if you later do so, you would have missed heavenly promo or jackpot attached to it.God is the Father of all born again Christians. It is His duty to take care of us and He has promised to do so.Supposing a particular brother is in dire need of money and the fellow is holding onto God;in response , the Lord looks around and He finds you; He tells you to go immediately to meet the brother’s needs but you refused, feigning you do not know if it is God speaking to you. That need may not have been met because of your hardness of heart, and the brother will be discourage because God would have been painted as an unfaithful God by your inaction.But if you immediately responded and tell the fellow God sent you to him, he will be very glad and God will reward you for your obedience.

KEY POINT: if every believer will obey God promptly, credibility issues that are raised concerning God or His word will be drastically reduced.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Peter's Gift

Read : Luke 5 vs 1- 8

The bible passage above is a very popular story about Peter . He had fished all night and caught nothing ,while he was washing his nets Jesus paid him a visit. Later Jesus asked him to let down his net for a catch and he obeyed. He caught so much fish his nets began to break.

When we carefully study the above passage , we will notice that before Peter received his breakthrough there was an exchange. Peter parted with something to get his blessings. Many a times,when we hear of giving and  what comes to mind is money - offering and tithes . It is not only about money , there are things God wants you to give to Him that are more of value than money and I pray that as you read along , the Holy Spirit will inspire you in Jesus name.Amen

Looking at Luke 5 vs 1-8 , Peter gave five things to Jesus in exchange for his breakthrough. The things he gave came at a cost . David says in 1 Chronicles 21 vs 24 , I will not offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing. David knew the essence of giving a costly gift to God no wonder by the time we get to 1 Chronicles 21 vs 26 we see God answering from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offerings. God was so pleased with the offering that He sent fire from heaven to consume the offering.

The first thing Peter gave was his time . Time Is one of the most valuable resources. Business moguls will tell you time is money. Time is so important God works in it . Genesis 2 vs 2 says and on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. The Lord created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. This is an example of God working in time. When we study the whole bible we see God working in time and with time. Time is so crucial, when the mother of Jesus told Him the wine had finished , He replied My hour has not yet come -John 2 vs 1-11.

When Jesus got into the boat in Luke 5 vs 3 , He began to teach the multitude from the boat.Meanwhile Peter had fished all night and he needed rest but instead of going home to rest, he stood with Jesus . While Jesus was teaching , he was awake on the boat to carry out instructions for Jesus , spending time with Jesus. The time he could have used to do a million and one things , maybe visit his family , friends, look for other means of getting money , complain about he tried all night and caught nothing or sleep but he gave it to Jesus .It was a very inconvenient time for Peter because he was tired and exhausted. Anyone who is wants a mega breakthrough must be ready to first give their time to Jesus. Brethren God needs our time for a lot of things, for evangelism, for caring for the sick,poor and widows , for interceding , for praying , for praising Him. God will always reward every second we spend for Him. A few minutes with God can solve a life long problem. God is only ready to spend time with us when we spend time with HIM.

Another thing Peter gave was his boat . We all know that the most important thing to a fisherman is his boats. Peter's boat was a prized asset to him but He had to let go off it to Jesus. The question is this if Jesus decides to borrow your house , will you lend Him? We know our Lord is rich, Haggai 2 vs 8 says silver and gold belongs to Him,Genesis 14 vs 22 calls Him the Possessor of the heavens and the earth, Psalm 24 vs 1 says the earth is the Lord's and all its fullness. To enjoy God and His abundance we must be ready to part with our prized possessions. Because Abraham was willing to part with Isaac- his only son , God swore to him , He said in blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea-shore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies- Genesis 22 vs17. You want God to bless you beyond limits , be ready to part with your prized possession. The widow of Zarapheth gave her last meal and the Lord fed her through famine – 1 Kings 17 vs 7-16.

Another thing Peter gave was strength. We all know that after fishing all night , by the next morning Peter will be left with virtually no strength.  Luke 5 vs 3 says then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the land. Peter had brought his boat to the shore because he was finished for the day but Jesus asked him to push the boat back into the lake. This was not an easy task ,to make it worse Jesus was sitted in the boat which made it heavier. Peter had to summon the last strength he had to push the boat to the sea. Many of us call ourselves christians and we can not remember the last time we spent our strength for Jesus.

A way to use your strength for Jesus is by becoming a worker in your church. Join the ushers, greeters , choirs, cleaners or other departments. The church of God needs workers. We can not expect the pastor to clean the chairs, hoover , be an usher and choir at the same time. We need to support the work of God. A true child of God will be a worker in the house of God. Jesus says in Luke 11 vs 23 , he who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Are you with Jesus by working with your pastors and church or scattering what Jesus has gathered ? It is God that fills the church but he needs workers to make the church clean and conducive for those He is bringing .

Another thing Peter gave was his freedom. He became a servant in His own boat by giving all his freedom to Jesus. The reason why many do not want to give their life to Christ is because they do not want to give up their freedom. They want to smoke , make filthy jokes , enjoy their bottle of alcohol and all . They do not want to be told how to live their life. They want to live their life the way they want. Peter served Jesus well , Jesus told him to put the boat out a little he did without question. He asked him to launch into deep , he complied ; Jesus told him to let down his net he obeyed.

Anyone who wants God to move for him must first give up his freedom to Jesus. Once you give your freedom to Jesus , He controls what you do . He tells you can not go to clubs , betting shops or womanize. Once you give your freedom to Jesus , you are not free to live a reckless life ,part of giving your freedom will include giving up your life styles . You have to give up the way you dress ,no more tight fitting skirts and blouses,no more micro mini skirts, no exposure of body parts that needs to be covered. Once He has your freedom , you will not be able to attend parties during church services. If we submit our freedom to Him , we will fulfill our destinies in no time. The secret of David's success is found in Psalm 23 v 5 , He leads me in the paths of righteousness . If the Lord leads you , it is obvious you can not go wrong.

The fifth thing he gave was his family. Anyone who is ready to have a breakthrough that the world will be  called to come and see must put Jesus first. Peter fished all night and you will expect him to go home and see his children and wife but he stayed with Jesus. We will not enjoy Jesus to the fullest until we put Him first in everything we do . A disciple of Jesus told him please let me first go and bury my father and Jesus told him “follow me let the dead bury their own dead”. Our God is a jealous God -Deuteronomy 6 vs 15 , that is why He will not take the second place in any life.

He is either the first in your life or He is not there. Is the Lord asking you to do one thing or other and you are considering what people will say ? Or what your family members will think ? Luke 17 vs 33 says whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Abraham put God first , that was why he was able to go and sacrifice Isaac before the Lord provided a substitute. The widow of Zarapheth put the prophet of God first before her son . She fed the prophet first before she thought of her son. Every time we put God first He works wonders for us. David put God first before His throne, fame, respect and honor and began to dance in the presence of the Lord. David danced to the extent Michal complained and the Lord got angry and closed the womb of Michal that she died without a child- 2 Samuel 6 vs 22-23. Put God first and you will not be last.

When an individual gives his freedom,time,strength,prized possessions and his family , what is he left with ? Nothing . What makes an individual's life is his /her freedom, time, strength, prized possession and family. To experience God in a way you have never experienced Him, you need to give your life to Christ. A life without Christ is an empty life . People take  take drugs , engage in a reckless life to fill an emptiness within them. Money can not fill the emptiness , so also is status or fame . We have seen the rich and famous die of substance abuse because they were trying to fill a void within them. The only way to fill the void is accept Jesus. Colossians 2 vs 10 says and ye are complete in Him, which is the head of principality and power . Without Him we can do nothing , Philippians 4 vs 13 says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Without Him strengthening you , you will achieve nothing no wonder Psalm 60 vs 12 says through God we will do valiantly, For It is He who shall tread down our enemies.

If you have not giving your life to Christ why not do so now because tomorrow might too late. If you have once giving your life to Christ and backslidded why not come back to Him because He is waiting to receive you.

The bible said in Romans 3 vs 23 that for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6 s 23 says For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The gift was explained in John 3 vs 16 , For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. What shall we do to be save ? The bible says in Romans 10vs 9 that if you confess with your mouth , Jesus is Lord , and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10 vs 10 – For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with our mouth that you confess and are saved.

Pray this prayer from your heart today!

Dear Jesus , I believe that You died for me and rose again on the third day. I confess I am a sinner. I need your love and forgiveness. Come into my heart . Forgive my sins. I receive Your eternal life. Confirm You love by giving me peace, joy and supernatural love for others, Amen.

Welcome to Christ brethren, Please join a bible believing church.

Samuel Oluwatoki

Please forward this newsletter to a friend, family or colleague . Remember Matthew 10 vs 32 which says whoever confesses me before me , him I will confess before my father who is heaven.