PRACTITIONERS OF THE WORD

MEMORY VERSE: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hebrew 4- 6

The world is where it is today because a lot of us are hearers of the Word not doers of the Word. Statistics show that the population of Christians in the world today is over 2 billion, which means, 31.0 % of the world population are Christians. Out of this 2 billion, over a million are born again, spirit filled, tongue speaking, Christians. They, the million, have been Christians for over twenty years. They go to church at least ten times a month – two to three times week. In the last twenty years, each of them have listened to nothing less than 2080 sermons. They have heard sermons on Forgiveness, Evangelism, Repentance, Justification, Heaven and Hell, Crowns and Heavenly Rewards, Sowing and Reaping, Holy Spirit, Baptism, etc. If this group of people had done 15 % of what they have heard in sermons, the world would have been a better place. In fact, if this million were committed to winning a soul to Christ each month, within 10 years, more than 75 % per cent of the world would have given their lives to Christ.

Friend, the point i am trying to make is this, most of us only go to church, listen to sermons and make notes, but we do not put to use what we have heard or read. Many of us have heard sermons about praying. We sing Choruses about praying. For example, Prayer is the key x 2, Prayer is the master key, Jesus started with prayer, and ended with prayer, Prayer is the master key. Many of us can preach a full sermon on prayer, yet we do not pray. An average Christian spends only 5 minutes praying to God daily. Most of us only pray on Sundays. Even when we pray, all we ask God to do is kill our enemies – people we are not in talking terms with. If we are not praying to God to kill our enemies, we are asking Him to do A or B. We rarely ask for His will to be done in our lives. Many of us have heard sermons on forgiveness, and yet, some of us are yet to forgive. Some wives are yet to forgive their husband because of a comment he made during their honeymoon in 1982. Some pastors are yet to forgive their workers. They claim to have forgiven the brother, but they are hostile to him. The moment he raises his hands to contribute, the pastor will shut him up and yet the brother has been forgiven. We all know the importance of love, why are some of us still keeping malice. Why is that you cannot stand that sister? Friend, are you a practitioner of the Word? Are you practicing what you are preaching? As the wife of a pastor, you teach women to submit to their husbands, are you submissive? As a marriage counselor, you advise men to “dwell with their wife according to knowledge, giving honour unto their wife” but you give your wife physical counseling. At any slight provocation, you give her a dirty slap. If Christ should slap you, will you live to tell the story? Despite the fact that the Lord says, “Do not be afraid” 365 times in the bible, many of us still live in fear. Some of us are expert worriers. We worry for the sake of worrying. When there is nothing to worry about, we look for something to worry about. Friend, be a practitioner of the Word. Unless we practice what we have heard and read, our situations will not change.

TO DO: Practice casting your ‘cares’ on Jesus.

PRAYER: Father, please help me to be a hearer and doer of the Word.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

IT WOULD MAKE SENSE IN THE END

MEMORY VERSE: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto Good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Galatians 5- Ephesians 1

Several thousands of years ago, a young man had two dreams. In his first dream, he and his eleven brothers were binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly, his sheaf arose and stood upright, his brother’s sheaves stood around his sheaf and bowed to it. In his second dream, the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed to him. It was obvious to this young man that God had a great plan for his life. It was clear to him that he was destined for greatness. It was apparent that he was going to be a man of uncommon achievements. Shortly after that, his world turned upside down. His brothers grabbed him, gave him the beating of his life, and sold him into slavery. As he walked through Sahara desert, in chains with other slaves, tired and thirsty, he must have wondered, “Is this unbearable pain part of His plan? Is this betrayal from my blood brothers, part of the divine plan?”

The slave traders sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard. Whilst serving in Potiphar’s house, he was wrongly accused of rape and sent to prison. Whilst in prison, Pharaoh had a dream no man could interpret. One of Pharaoh’s officers, who this young man had interpreted his dream, told Pharaoh about this gifted young man. After interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, he made him a prime minister in Egypt. One day his eleven brothers came to buy food in Egypt and he recognized them. Being a merciful man, he forgave them, made provisions for his brothers and his father to come and live with him. After his father’s death, his brothers came and bowed before him, willingly requesting to be his servant. At this point, he remembered his dream.

Everything he had passed through now made sense to him. His life, the challenges he faced, the disappointments, the hatred and betrayal, now made sense. Genesis 50:20 says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto Good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Friend, are you going through hell in your marriage? Is your world collapsing and you do not know what to do? Have you been wrongly accused of something you do not know anything about? Are you of a marriageable age and no man has come to propose to you? Are you going through untold pains and you do not why God has allowed it? Friend, everything would make sense in the end. Those challenges you are facing would make sense in the end. That failed relationship would make sense at the end. That disappointment and betrayal of trust would make sense in the end. That delay would make perfect sense in the end.

WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT: God has a plan for your life, as far as you continue in Christ, it will come to pass.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

AND THINE EARS SHALL HEAR A WORD BEHIND THEE

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 3- 7

Recently I wrote a devotional about ‘lies’ and ‘shedding innocent blood’. After writing, I proofread it and corrected all the grammatical and spelling errors. I proofread it the second time and found no errors. As I proceeded to proofread for the third time before posting, I heard a voice in my spirit, which said, “go and shower and proofread again.” Meanwhile this was very early in the morning, I had just finished praying, and I wanted to get the writing out of the way before taking my shower. I obeyed and went to shower. When I returned to proofread again, I saw that I had put down ‘sharing innocent blood’ instead of ‘shedding innocent blood’. I changed it and posted the message. If I had disobeyed the Holy Spirit and proofread the third time before bathing, I would not have seen that error and this would have resulted in a big embarrassment. The Holy Spirit is our Guide. John 16:13 says howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. Obeying the voice of the spirit saves one from of embarrassment. I cannot count the number of times I have burnt my food whilst preparing it because I delayed when prompted by the Holy Spirit to go and check what I was I was cooking. Thank God, I am wiser now.

A lot of mishaps, road accidents, problems, etc, could have been avoided, if only we obeyed the voice of the spirit. I heard how the Lord saved a brother during the September 11 (9/11) terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Whilst working on his computer, he heard “run”. He did not question the Holy Spirit; he just started making his way down the building. As he stepped out of the Twin Tower, the first jet struck. Another brother was with his daughter in the Twin Tower. The daughter requested for McDonalds snack, as he was about to tell his daughter to wait a bit, he heard the Holy Spirit telling me to take the girl to McDonald. He left what he was doing and quickly proceeded to the McDonalds nearby. Whilst there, He had that there was an attack on the Twin Tower. If the Spirit of God is leading you to do something or make a move, please do it as soon as possible because you do not know what might happen next. If He says stand, please stand up first before asking why. If He says sit, sit first before asking why. If He says, make a call; do not ask why before making the call. Two things that could hinder one from hearing the audible of voice of God are bitterness and disobedience. At times out of anger, you may want to say something, the moment you spirit says do not say it, just keep quiet. If you disobey and say it, the Holy Spirit will be grieved. If He continues to tell you not to do something and you keep doing it, He will stop speaking and that is not dangerous.

PRAYER POINT: Father, Your word says I will a hear voice behind me guiding me; please heal me of spiritual deafness so I can hear your audible voice.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

GUARD YOUR HEART PT 1

MEMORY VERSE: keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life, Proverbs 4:23

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 3, 1 Cor 14, Ezek 12, John 13

 No one guards a valueless item. No one put measures in place to secure a worthless item. The only part of our body the bible encourages us to guard with all diligence is our heart not our eyes or ears or tongue. Proverbs 4:23 says keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Why do we need to guard our hearts with all diligence? We need to guard our hearts with all diligence because of its importance. Why is the heart so important? It is important because thoughts are formed in our hearts and our thought defines us. Proverbs 23:7 says as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Sickly thoughts will express themselves through a sickly body.

 Our heart reveals our identity. No wonder the bible says the Lord looks at the heart not the outward appearance, 1 Samuel 16:7. Our heart is where we keep our dreams, goals, passion, vision and so on. It is our heart that God connects to not our brain. When Jesus wants to come into a life, He comes through the heart. This is why He knocks at the door of every heart, seeking entry, Revelations 3:20. Our heart is also where people connect to.

 Another reason why one needs to guard his heart is because it is the source of everything we do. Our heart controls our speech and determines our confession. Matthew 12:34 says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Our heart informs our action. A wise man once said the ancestor of every action is thought. 

Before a man gives to God, he must have first thought about it. Our heart informs our decision. The process of sanctification takes place in the heart. The Lord takes away the heart of stone (the unrepentant heart, heart full of evil devises and schemes) and replaces it with a heart of flesh, Ezekiel 36:26. The main reason why we need to guard our heart is because it is always under attack. The enemy is always attacking it to take possession of it and control it. The enemy knows that once you have the heart of an individual, you have the individual. He knows that once you take possession of a fellow’s heart you can determine the end of such fellow. This is why he attacks the heart and the way he does it is through evil thoughts and suggestion.

 PONDER: We need to guard our heart because the enemy wants to take possession of it though evil thoughts and suggestion.

VOICE OF DISCOURAGEMENT PART 4

MEMORY VERSE: and he spake that saying openly. And peter took him, and began to rebuke him, Mark 8:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Sam 29-30, 1 Cor 10, Ezek 8, John 9

As discussed, the voice of discouragement is inevitable. The voice of discouragement is from the enemy whose sole aim is to steal, kill and to destroy, John 10:10. The voice of discouragement can come at any time.

It can come from a total stranger. It can come in form of a thought going through our minds. It can also come from confidants, family and friends and from people who we hold their opinions in high regard. It is easy to dismiss the voice of discouragement coming through our thoughts. It is very easy to turn deaf ears to the voice of discouragement coming from a total stranger but it is almost impossible not to give second thought to the voice of discouragement coming from close friends. In the case of Jesus, it was Peter – one of His disciples, Mark 8:31-33.

What are the voices of discouragement? Whatever destroys your faith is the voice of discouragement. Whatever causes fear is the voice of discouragement. Whatever causes you to look down on yourself is the voice of discouragement. Whatever encourages you to give up on your dream or vision is the voice of discouragement. What do I do with the voice of discouragement? The only way to deal with the voice of discouragement is rebuke it right on the spot. What we tend to do is keep quiet when the voice of discouragement comes. Plato once said your silence gives consent. If the voice of discouragement is trying to discourage a fellow or destroys his faith and he keeps quiet. It means such fellow is in agreement with the voice of discouragement. When the voice of discouragement came through Peter, Jesus didn’t keep quiet. He did not smile and say stop it because I don’t like it. Immediately Peter tried to discourage Him from pleasing God, He rebuked him right on the spot. The next time someone says there are no jobs; right on the spot tell him or her there are jobs for you. If they say it is impossible, right on the spot tell them for you it is possible.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please make all impossibilities become possibilities in my life.
Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

THE DEVIL IS A LIAR PT 1

MEMORY VERSE: ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it, John 8:44.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Sam 23, 1 Cor 4, Ezek 2, John 3

John 10:10 says the devil steals, kills and destroys. He employs deception when he wants to carry out his evil works. Take for instance what he did to Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:1-6. He approached her and said ‘so God told you not to eat of every tree in the garden?’ That one replied and said we may eat of every tree in the garden except the one in the middle of the garden. God has warned us not to touch it, lest we die. The devil said it is a lie, once you eat it you will be like God. Eve ate the fruit and gave some to her husband. When Adam noticed that Eve had eaten the fruit and was still alive, he too ate the fruit hoping that nothing will happen but something terrible happened. Meanwhile the devil lied to Eve. Firstly God never warned them not to eat of every tree in the garden. Secondly after eating of the fruit they died spiritually on the spot and died physically later. Thirdly after eating of the fruit they never became like God i.e. become Omnipresent, Omnipotent or Omniscience. Before Adam and Eve knew what was happening, the enemy had robbed them of their dominion, destroyed their relationship with God and brought death upon them.

The devil has a way of setting a man up for failure. At times through deception he would turn a man against his helpers or destroy his destiny. Take for instance the case of Judas who betrayed Jesus. The devil must have encouraged him to steal from the purse that no one would notice. Judas fell for it; unfortunately John caught him but kept quiet. John 12:6 says this he (Judas) said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. The devil even encouraged him to sell Jesus to the Pharisee for some cool money. He did and regretted it. As the Pharisees were leading Jesus away to kill him, his eyes opened. When he could not bear the shame he committed suicide. Judas lost his destiny and his seat in heaven. Brethren the devil comes mostly through our thoughts. He brings evil suggestions, if care is not taken the fellow may fall victim. This is why the bible encourages us to meditate on things that are true, worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, just, pure, lovely and lovable, kind, winsome and gracious, things of virtue and excellence, things worthy of praise,Philippians 4:8. This is why we must check every thought that comes to our mind.

TO PONDER: The enemy employs deception (lies) to steal, kill and destroy.

REGRET, REMORSE & REPENTANCE

MEMORY VERSE: and rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil, Joel 2:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Sam 17, Rom 15, Lam 2, Luke 22

Why do people in the bible ‘rent their clothes’ or tear their shirts when something happens? They do that as a way of showing extreme anger for example after interviewing Jesus, the High Priest tore his garment and shouted blasphemy to show he was angry with the response of Jesus (Matthew 26:59-66). People also rent their clothes as a way of showing deep sorrow for example Reuben rent his clothes when he found out that Joseph had been taken from the pit and sold (Genesis 37:29). The third reason why people rent their clothes is to show regret and remorse like we read in Joel 2:13-and rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

God is not interested in regret that does not lead to a change of heart. Actually we have learnt that regret profits nothing anyway. Regrets only leads to emotional pain. It can lead to rash decision. It can also hinder one’s progress, cause stagnancy and if care is not taken it can lead to death as we saw in the case of Judas Iscariot. God is not interested in the death of any sinner so regret is not what God is looking for. Remorse is been sorry about ones action but never putting measures in place to stop it from happening again. Saul did everything in his power to kill David. Every time David had the opportunity to kill Saul and he didn’t, Saul will start to cry. He would say I am terrible person, you are a good man. The next minute you find the same Saul chasing after David to kill him. This is remorse. 

Repentance is not only about feeling sorry but putting measures in place to ensure that you don’t fall again. For example as an individual, you know that too much talking gets you into trouble – you say things you should not say. What you do is minimize the way you talk. You know there are one or two things you do not like doing, but you find yourself doing them. Instead of crying for forgiveness every night, investigate the cause or what circumstance leads to them. Take for instance masturbation and pornography, 99 per cent of the time people masturbate when they are idle. What you do is avoid idleness and keep yourself busy. Not only that, distance yourself from nude pictures, music where they talk of sex or movies where they have sex. How about fornication? It is impossible to fornicate when people are watching, what you do is avoid going to visit the opposite sex alone. If you find yourself alone with the opposite sex at your place or any where make sure the doors are open and the windows are all open with the curtains up so that everyone can see what is going in the room. If it is at night, don’t sleep in the same room with the opposite sex alone. If internet pornography is the problem always use the internet when people are around. If it is gossiping, avoid the company of those that gossip and if you find yourself in their midst whatever they say just tell them nobody is perfect. Lastly, you also need to take your bible studies very seriously and fast for mercy.

FACTS: Identify what causes you to sin or the circumstances that leads to them and deal with it.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus

ACT AFTER PRAYING

MEMORY VERSE: nevertheless we made our prayers unto God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them, Nehemiah 4:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Sam 16, Rom 14, Lam 1, Luke 21

Christianity does not exempt you from life challenges. The fact that you serve God in spirit and truth does not exempt you from facing challenging situations. The fact that you are a faithful tither does not mean you will not have challenges. If anyone tells you that once you give your life to Christ, you will stop facing challenges they are telling you a big lie. According to Psalm 30:5, the righteous will face many unusual challenges but the Lord will deliver him out of it all. John 16:33 says these things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. In our lives we will experience storms but we have nothing to worry about because we have the Prince of peace in our ship. Nehemiah and co were rebuilding the house of God yet the enemies planned an attack.

The first thing to do when you face challenges is to pray not cry or ask questions e.g. why me or panic. The news that the children of Israel were rebuilding the house of God angered Sanballat and Tobiah so they decided to attack them. Immediately Nehemiah and co heard the plans of Sanballat and Tobiah,  they prayed not run to herbalist as some do. Many of us are quick to run to people not God when we face challenges. Instead of abandoning the rebuilding works in the temple or giving up on the entire project, they prayed. By reporting a matter to God, you have won 80% of the battle.

After praying they took action. The reason why many of us pray and don’t get results is that we pray and don’t take action. Some of us pray for provision but we never sow after praying. Without sowing there will not be a harvest. There maybe one or two who nurse the ambition of lending to nation like me, we would need to give our first fruits after praying. Do you want expansion? Pay your first fruit increase. Proverbs 3:9-10 says honor the Lord with thy substances and with the first fruit of thy increase so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Many of us have been praying that the Lord should open the windows of heaven, do you know it is tithing that opens the windows of heaven, Malachi 3:9? According to James 2:14-26, faith without work is dead. After we must have prayed for promotion, let us take action by working on our character, integrity and punctuality at work. After we must have fasted and prayed that the Lord should empower us, lets us take action by living a life of holiness. Not only that, let us begin to study our bible daily , pray in tongue daily , give to the poor .

ACTION: Take action.

THE LIVING HAS A HOPE

MEMORY VERSE: For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 10, Ps 46-47, Sng 8, Heb 8

In elementary school we learnt about living things and non living things. The difference between living things and non living things is that living things make decision. Plants and trees make decisions, one of the decisions they make is that they grow towards sunlight. Animals also make decisions; they purposely decide to move away from burning fire. There are three seasons in the life of a man – the past, present and future. Out of these three seasons we have control over the present, the past and future are out of our control. The most important of these three seasons is the present because we make decisions in the present i.e. we are alive in the present. After that, is the future because the decisions we make today affects our future. This is why Proverbs 22:29 says those who decide to be diligent today will sit before kings tomorrow (the future). Those who decide to be idle today will suffer hunger tomorrow (the future), Proverbs 19:15. To avoid a future of hunger, please get busy with your work or studies today.

The least important of these three seasons is the past. There is no one alive today who does not have a past. We all have past experiences – some of which are good and some of which are bad. We have all been let down and disappointed in the past. Many of us have been taken advantage of, and deeply hurt from events of the past. Some have made terrible mistakes in the past maybe in relationship or business or in career. Many have been abused in the past and molested by those who are meant to protect them. Friends I want you to know that we all have a past and we all have reasons to look back into the past. 

The past is considered dead. It is dead because we have no control over it. We cannot make decisions in the past and no matter what we do today, we cannot change the past. When you look to the past or think about it, you are just grasping the wind or chasing after shadows. Ecclesiastes 9:4 says for to him that is joined to all the living there is hope .Anyone that focuses on the past is joining his or herself to the dead. The dead has no hope of a better tomorrow, only the living has hope. Dwelling in the past is a step in retrogression. Looking back keeps you on the same spot for a long time. When you keep your focus on the past, it discourages you and stifles your initiatives. The reason for many depressions today is as a result of people failing to let go of the past. Do you know looking back prevents you from moving into the glorious future the Lord has for you? The only way out is for you to focus on the future and that is a function of the present. Change in circumstances is a possibility for those who focus on the future. Focusing on the future propels you to get into your future. Join yourself to the living today by dropping your past!

PRAYER POINT: Father I drop my past at your feet, and pick your future for my life.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

THE LACK OF VISION PT1

MEMORY VERSE: where there is no vision, the people perish, Proverbs 29:18a 

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Sam 12, Rom 10, Jer 49, Luke 17

 

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 21:17-19

 

What is vision?  Vision is seeing things as God sees them or seeing things through the eyes of God. Hagar was stranded, perplexed, exhausted, confused, perturbed and disturbed because of her lack of vision. She was sitting by well yet she was thirsty and her son also. It wasn’t because she was blind; it was because of her lack of vision. From our bible study we observed that the solution to the problem of Hagar was right beside her but yet she suffered. Until the Lord opened her eyes to see the well , she sat by it crying. The solution to the problem of many is right beside them. All some of us need is make a telephone call and that challenge will be over. A man of God had been looking to buy a church building for several years. The number of the agent to call was stored on his mobile but he never called the agent. One day while eating he heard the voice of God saying make the call and his eyes opened. He remembered a fellow pastor colleague gave him an agent’s number; he stopped what he was doing and made the call. Around six weeks later they were worshiping in their own auditorium.

 

Water represents life. How unfortunate for Hagar, she was sitting by a well of life yet she had no life – she and her son were about to die of thirst. The husband and wife of some singles are in the same church they have been attending for years, but because they cannot see they keep going from singles gathering to another. I pray that if you are in that shoe the Lord will open your eyes in Jesus name, Amen.

 

There are several lessons to learn from our bible study. Firstly when a fellow has no vision or is spiritually blind, he suffers unnecessarily. Hagar shouldn’t have experienced thirst in the first place because right beside her was a well. This woman cried and cried because she could not see the well. If care is not taken the people around a fellow who has no vision or who is spiritually blind i.e. his family and those that depend on him may suffer. If the husband is suffering, it will affect the wife and the children. Ishmael was thirsty because her mother could not see. Secondly, Hagar was originally on a journey but had to cancel it when Ishmael began to cry for water. The time she should have used to cover some of distance was spent crying by the well. If one is not careful, the lack of vision can cause a fellow to remain at the same position for a while. If Hagar had seen the well in time, she would have drawn water out of it and continued her journey but because she could not she had to remain at the same position of a while.

 

PRAYER POINT: Father please open my eyes today.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

ARMOUR OF GOD PT 2

MEMORY VERSE: But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goest, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes, 1 John 2:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1, Acts 26, Jer 36, Luke 5

Ephesians 6:11 says put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. In part one of these series we defined what an armor is and the uses of an armor. An armor is used to defend one’s self, attack the enemy or plunder the enemy. When we win souls for Christ, we are plundering the kingdom of darkness and bringing out souls that have been condemned to hell back to God. The armor of God is God’s own armor. It is efficient and useful in all kinds of battle – financial , marital , spiritual, physical, emotional e.t.c.

Before we discuss about the parts and components of this armor, we need to know about tools and methods the enemy employs when they want to attack. The enemy has three main objectives – to kill, to steal and to destroy. John 10:10 says the thief does not come except to steal, kill and to destroy. The enemy uses doubts, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, hatred, adultery, fornication, laziness, masturbation, fear e.t.c. to accomplish these three objectives. When the enemy wants to destroy, kill or steal from a fellow they shoot fiery darts or arrows at the fellow (Ephesians 6:16). If the fellow is not putting on the armor of God or there is a missing part in the armor maybe the fellow is saved but still tells lie, the dart or arrow will hit the fellow and poison is released into the blood stream. For example if the enemy wants to plunge a brother of his spiritual gifts or his destiny or his ability to see and hear spiritually, they shoot the darts of adultery and fornication at the fellow. God help the brother if he is not putting on the whole armor of God. Once poison is released in to the blood, the passion for adultery or fornication starts burning. Once the brother commits adultery or fornicates that’s it. The enemy can now come in to take anything he wants, at what time he wants. Not only that, he can now permit demons to live in the fellow or put the fellow in bondage. I pray that this will never be your portion in Jesus name.

Recently we treated a topic titled ‘You and Your location’. One’s location is very important because been at the wrong place at the wrong time could lead to death. Your location could increase or decrease spiritual attacks. The safest location in the world is found in the secret place of the most High. Psalm 91:1 says he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The question is this where is the secret place of the Most High or what does it mean to abide under the shadow of the Almighty? 1 John 4:8 says God is love. To abide under the shadow of the Almighty means to abide or live in love. Love God with your Spirit, soul and body. Love your neighbors as you love yourself. 1 John 2:11 says but he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knowest not whither he goest, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. A fellow who does not love walks in darkness. Darkness is the territory of the devil while light is the territory of God. When a fellow walks in the territory of the enemy, he is prone to more attacks.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please fill my heart with love.

ARMOUR OF GOD PT 1

MEMORY VERSE: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, Ephesians 6:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 20, Acts 24, Jer 34, Luke 3

An armour is a protective covering worn to prevent injury to the body in battle. Battles could be financial, legal, spiritual, physical, emotional (battle of the mind) e.t.c. An armour is mainly for defense. Anyone who has fought battles or any war veteran will tell you that the best form of defense is attack so an armour would include items to defend oneself, items to attack the enemy, items to disarm the enemy e.t.c. The reason for battle could be for freedom, to recover back what the enemy has stolen, to claim back lost grounds or to kill the enemy at infancy thereby preventing it from growing and causing problem in later life e.t.c. Some of the enemies that needs to be destroyed at infancy are anger, jealousy and all. 

The type of battle you are fighting will determine the type of armour you need. If you are fighting a legal battle in court, you need a good lawyer. It will be absurd to turn up at court with an AK17 and missile launcher to defend yourself in court. The type of enemy you are fighting will also determine the type of armour you require. If you are fighting spiritual enemies, you need prayers not a lawyer or statutes or technical know-how.

You may be wondering i am not fighting with any one; I am a peaceful person, why do I need an armour? I have not offended anyone, why should anyone want to attack me? I am honest and I have never taken what does not belong to me so why should anyone be after me? Matthew 11:12 says from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. The violence referred to here is not physical but spiritual. Ephesians 6:12 says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We are talking of the devil and his hosts of fallen angels. The bible calls them spiritual wickedness which means they do not need a reason to attack you. This is why you cannot adopt a soft nature when dealing with spiritual forces. When dealing with humans the bible admonishes us to be gentle, slow to speak, quick to hear e.t.c but when you are dealing with spiritual forces take the most aggressive stance. Because we are at spiritual war we need spiritual armour. Because we are fighting forces invisible to physical eyes, we need an armour that is invisible to physical eyes. To cater for such enemies, the Lord gave us His own personal armour called the armour of God.This armour is guaranteed to give you victory over bitterness, addiction, masturbation, failure, anger, hatred, unforgiveness and all. Because it is God’s own armour it is guaranteed never to fail. Because it is God’s own armour it is guaranteed to work 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The armour of God has never failed and will never fail.

KEY WORD: The armour of God is God’s own armour.

UNTIL LOT LEAVES

MEMORY VERSE: For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all , James 2:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 19, Acts 23, Jer 33, Luke 2

In Genesis 12:1-4, God gave Abram seven promises subject to obedience to three simple instructions. He told him to get out of his country; get out from his family and get out from his father’s house to a land He will show him. In return He promised to make him  a great nation; bless him; make his name great; make him a blessing; bless those who bless him; curse those who curse him and through him all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Abram obeyed all the instructions except the last one - he got out of his country, his family but not fully from his father’s house because he took little Lot (young son of his late brother –Haran) with him. When he arrived at where God told him to go, he was greeted by famine instead of abundance. He ran out of there and went to Egypt with little Lot. In Egypt, Pharaoh took his wife from him but God intervened. He left Egypt for south of Bethel still with Lot (by this time Lot was now a big man). One day fight broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. That day Abram decided that enough was enough. He told Lot to pick a portion of the land and leave. Immediately Lot left the presence of Abram, God spoke after several years.

Despite the fact that Abram obeyed two out of the three instructions, God did not fulfill the seven promises. God is not looking for those who will obey most of His commandments. He is not satisfied with people who are ready to obey ninety per cent or people who obey nine percent. To the Most High God, obedience to ninety percent of God’s commandments is still classified as incomplete obedience. No wonder the book of Matthew 5:48 says be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

From time to time, many of us wonder if the words written in the bible are actually true. James 4:7 says Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Many of us have been resisting the devil and instead of the devil to flee, the devil is actually pursuing us in the dreams, why? Malachi 3:9 says bring all the tithes into the storeroom that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Host, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Many of us have been faithful in the payment of tithes and instead of lending to nations; our financial situation is getting worse by the day, why? The reason for this is incomplete obedience. James 2:10 says for whoever keeps the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. As far as you are still fornicating, you can pay tithe from today till tomorrow the Lord will not open the window of heaven to any fornicator or adulterer. You can join all the groups in the church; as far as you are not merciful forget about mercy. You can be the Sunday school teacher, as far as you are not fully submissive to your husband or authority, you can rebuke the devil all you want instead of fleeing he might even chase you.

POINT: Lot represents incomplete obedience

PURITY IN SPEECH

MEMORY VERSE: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Peter 1:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 16, Acts 20, Jer 29, Mark 15

What is the meaning of the word pure? It has two major meaning. 1) Purity means of a single content e.g. pure wool or pure cotton. When we say a material is pure cotton, it means the only thing you will find there is cotton. When we say a material is pure wool, it means you won’t find a single trace of nylon or cotton in it. The word purity inclines singleness of purpose; singleness of mind. It means reliability. It means trustworthiness. When we say a fellow is pure, it means the fellow is trustworthy. When we say a brother is pure in speech it means you can trust whatever comes out of the brother’s mouth. When a sister who is pure in speech says yes, she means yes. There is no question of that is it to say. Pure in speech means you mean what you say and say you what mean. Matthew 5:37 says let your yes be yes, and your no be no. When a brother who is pure in speech says I am coming, you can go to sleep because you know he is going to come. When a sister who is pure in speech says I am not going to do, she is not going to do it no matter what. 

Purity also means no contamination. If we put a little bit of wool in cotton, it is no more pure wool. It has been contaminated by cotton. If we put a little silk in cotton, it is no more pure cotton; it has been contaminated by silk. Every contamination is dangerous. Imagine a big bowl of clean water is set aside for people to drink. One way or the other a nursing mother whilst cleaning her child mistakenly allows a small tiny bit of feces to fall inside the water; will you drink the water? I bet No. Why? Because the water is no longer pure, it has been contaminated by feces. Imagine the same tiny feces in a big tank of clean pure water; would you still drink the water? I bet No. Why because the water is no longer pure. Regardless of the mass of the water, just a tiny bit of feces contaminates it. A little contamination destroys purity. When we say a fellow is pure in speech, you will never hear a word that should not be uttered by a Christian from his mouth. Ephesians 4:29 says let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Not even one by mistake. Colossians 4:6 says let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Ephesians 5:4 says neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving thanks. You will never hear a fellow who is pure in speech use slang phrases or idle words. You will never hear them use a simple swear word e.g., f**k, s****t, mothef******r e.t.c

1 Peter 1:15 says but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. In all your conversation, you need to be pure in speech. Anger is not excuse not be pure in speech. Luke 6:45 says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. You need a pure heart , to be pure in speech.

PRAYER POINT: Father , please purify my heart.

DEMONSTRATING LOVE

MEMORY VERSE: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me, John 12:32.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 14, Acts 18, Jer 27, Mark 17

Jesus said and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32). In other words I will do everything possible to help everyone I know get to heaven or I will use everything in my power to bring people to where I am going ( heaven) or I will spend and be spent for the sole purpose of evangelism. A careful study of this verse exposes the determination of Jesus to save humanity. Not only that, it reveals the willingness of Jesus to go all the way just to make His Father (God) happy. The Most High built heaven for fellowship with His children on earth. He wants to see all His children at the end in heaven. The sum total of it all is Jesus loves us and He is prepared to go to any length to get us to heaven.

Many of us say that we love our children, family, work colleagues, business partners, neighbor e.t.c in actual sense we don’t. The only way to show that you love a fellow is by pointing him or her to Christ in other words witness about Christ to them. How can you say you love a brother, and you see him treading on the path to hell and you keep quiet or do nothing about it?

One the Day of Judgment many friends will look at their Christians friends and say you are the reason I am going to hell. They will say you knew about hell and never bothered to tell me about Christ. Many children will look at their parents with tears and say Dad or Mum; you know my lifestyle did not reflect Christ and you kept quiet. Many would look at their colleagues at work and say ‘I sat opposite you for ten years and you never bothered to introduce Christ to me’. Some colleagues will say we ate lunch together at work every day and you never talked about Jesus once. Others will say I gave you lift to work every day and you never bothered to tell me about Christ. Many husbands would look at their wives and say ‘you knew that I was heading for this place (hell) and you could not even fast for my salvation ’. Many land lords will look at their tenants with the look of so you knew about Christ and you never told me about Him. Many will say bro I sat by you in the bus from Location A to B and throughout the journey you did not even bother to tell me about salvation. A lot of family and friends will say i came to your child dedication, christening, birthday’s e.t.c and you never cared to ask if i have accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. The only way to demonstrate love is to witness. The best gift you can give anyone is Jesus. You don’t really love those children until your number one priority becomes where they spend eternity. You don’t really love that bro or sister until your number one priority becomes where he or she will spend eternity.

TO PONDER ON: How can you say you love a brother, and you do not care about his salvation?

LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?

MEMORY VERSE: and he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do, Acts 9:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 14, Acts 18, Jer 27, Mark 13

BIBLE STUDIES: Acts 9:1-6

Paul (formerly Saul) persecuted the church out of Ignorance. He was a party to the group who stoned Stephen to death. Any where the name of Jesus was been mentioned, he would go there and commit them to prison for torturing. He had this passionate hatred for the gospel and he took it upon himself to stop the gospel at all cost. One day on his way to Damascus to arrest some believers, he met Jesus and everything changed. Paul had a brain wave; he realized that all this while he had been fighting his creator. Not only that, he was on a first class to ticket to hell. Upon this realization he asked Christ, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ In other words he was asking Christ, what can I do to make up for the times I had wasted before I met you? Not only that, he was telling Christ ‘thank you for saving me, but I am indebted to you forever. I do not care about what you can do for me , all I care about is what can I do for you to show I appreciate the salvation of my soul?’

One of the greatest speeches that revolutionized USA in the sixties was the inaugural speech of John F Kennedy in 1961. He said ‘ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do your country’. I have always shared the story of how I was taken before the judgment Seat of Christ. Before the doors were opened, I was giving an opportunity to go through my heavenly file. When I saw the contents I broke down in tears and began to ask for a second chance. I knew what I saw there and I knew what the decision was going to be. Romans 6:23 clearly states that the wages of sin is death. I knew the decision looking at my past.To cut the long story short I got a second chance. I am very grateful to and I am eternally grateful for the second chance to put things right.

Brethren, when i woke I noticed a passionate hatred for sin especially the sin of adultery and fornication inside me. Not only that I felt indebted to the One who saved my soul and gave me a second chance. I felt I owed God who delivered from the power of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of his dear son (Colossians 1:13). From that day I began to think of what I can do for the one who rescued me from hell. I am always sad when we go to share fliers for evangelism and people share more fliers than me. When it is time to clean the church, I always love to take the lion portion the work. I always love to do extra work and go extra length. When everyone wants to do 50 per cent, I try to do 80 per cent. Why? Because I want to show my savior i appreciate my salvation. Once you are really saved, you forget about what Christ can do for you and you begin to concentrate on what you can do for the One who saved your soul. You suddenly realized that you should have been on that cross, but He took your place and died on the cross of Calvary?

PRAYER POINT: Father ,please reveal to me what I can do to show I appreciate your death on the cross of Calvary.

BECOMING YOUR OWN PROPHET

MEMORY VERSE: and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions ( Joel 2:28)

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 12, Acts 16, Jer 25, Mark 11

Back in Old Testament times, only those who are anointed to operate in the office of a prophet can prophesy. In those days if a nation or an individual is facing a challenge they will run to a prophet of God, once he or she prophesy everything will return to normal. When the women in the house of Abimelech could not conceive including his female servants, he went to a prophet who prayed and they all conceived (Genesis 20:1-17). When the king of Syria found out that one of his general had a disease medical science could not cure, he sent him to a prophet in Israel (2 Kings 5:1-17). Elisha told the general to go and dip himself in river Jordan seven times, that one did as he was told and he was cleansed. In Judges 4:1-22, Deborah the prophetess prophesied to Barak that the Lord had delivered Jabin( king of Canaan) into his hands. That one went to war against Jabin; the king of Canaan ran away on foot.

Once a sincere and God fearing prophet get involve in a situation, whatever the mountain is it will give way. If a prophet of God blesses a fellow, Heaven has no choice than to honor the request but if a prophet of God curses a fellow God have mercy. Back in the Old Testament times, you require a fellow anointed to operate in the office of a prophet to prophesy to you, God help you if the prophet of God is far away or is not your friend. Today you do not need a man anointed to operate in the office of a prophet to prophesy to you, you can now prophesy to yourself. Joel 2:28 says and it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. When you study this verse very well, it did not say your sons and daughters shall become prophets and they will prophesy. It says they shall prophesy.

The sons and daughters referred to in Joel 2:28 are me and you. Once the Holy Spirit is inside you, you can now prophesy and expect results. Numbers 14:28 says as truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears so will I do to you. Someone might ask that how come when I prophesy nothing happens. Firstly only the righteous can prophesy and expect a result. Proverbs 12:6b says the mouth of the righteous shall deliver them. Proverbs 15:29b says but He heareth the prayer of the righteous. Secondly if you do not respect your words, the heaven will not respect your words. The way you treat your words, is the way the heavens will treat your word. If you do not regard your words, heaven will not regard it. No wonder the bible says let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37). In other words say what you mean and mean what you say.

ACTION: Repent of all unrighteous ways of life. Begin to study your bible and do everything possible to keep your words.

SACRIFICIAL OFFERING

MEMORY VERSE: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies, Genesis 22:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 11, Acts 15, Jer 24, Mark 10

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 22:1-18

Everything we have is giving to us by God. According to John 3:27, a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. It is important to know that God is not a beggar, Haggai 2:8 says silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. Gold represents wealth and silver represents health. By taking a little out of the much He has giving to you to give an offering, you are simply saying God I appreciate you. One of the things that happen when you give God an offering is that, He reverses curses into blessing in your life. After the fall of Adam, God cursed the ground for his sake. A cursed ground cannot produce any result that was why God told Adam that he will sweat before he can eat(Genesis 3:19). This curse was very active until Noah offered a burnt offering and God said I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, as from today there will now be seedtime and harvest (Genesis 8:20-22). The next time you hear offering time, know it is a blessing time.

There are different types of offering. There is the regular one we give during services and there is a sacrificial offering. Sacrificial offerings are not ordinary offerings; actually you need a strong faith in God to give one because it will cost you something. Such offerings will hurt your pocket or finance. They are not for everyone; they are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source that even though they give God all, they will never be hungry or lack anything good. There are many who confess that God is their source, but when it comes to sacrificial offering they begin to ask for grace. I pray the Lord will give you the grace.

The first thing I want you to know is that sacrificial offering reveals humility. What is humility? Humility is submitting to the will of God when you don’t feel like it or when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. An offering that will cost you something is not a comfortable offering at all. At times before you give such offering, you will be wondering if you are doing the right thing because if people hear they might wonder if all is well with you. I am yet to meet a fellow who has regretted giving God a sacrificial offering. From our bible studies, we deduce that sacrificial offering provokes a response from God. After Solomon gave a thousand offering, God responded by asking him to ask for anything he wanted. When push comes to shuffle in my life and I need God to act, while praying and fasting I give a sacrificial offering, sir it has never failed me! Sacrificial offering provokes a divine response to your circumstances. As far as God was concerned, Abraham offered Isaac. God said by myself have I sworn for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-17). The sacrificial offering of Abraham provoked such a response from the Almighty. When you give a sacrificial offering, you become a blessing and also receive a trans-generational blessing.

KEY WORD: Sacrificial offerings are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source

SOURCE OF PRIDE

MEMORY VERSE: And Samuel said when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? (1 Samuel 15:17)

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 7, Acts 11, Jer 20, Mark 6

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Samuel 15:1-23

What is pride? Pride is the opposite of humility. What is humility? Humility is seeing yourself as little in your own eyes. When you see yourself as little in your own eyes, submitting to the will of God becomes easy. When you consider yourself as little before the Most High, letting the will of God to take precedence in your life becomes easy. Since pride is the opposite of humility, pride can defined as seeing yourself as a big man or big woman in your eyes. One of the reasons why the proud always amount to nothing at the end of the day is that they become so big that no one can advise them. They become big to the extent that no one can correct them. One of the things to watch out for in courtship is does that brother or sister listens to correction? Another thing to check is there anyone the brother or sister respects and listens to? Make sure you know at least one person who can speak to that bro or sister and he or she will listen to. Never get married to a brother or sister who no one can correct!

The Lord through the mouth of Prophet Samuel gave an instruction to King Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites. When Saul got to Amalek, he destroyed all except the sheep, oxen and Agag the king. Not only that, his soldiers took spoils from Amalek. When the man of God came to see King Saul, he found out that Saul did not destroy all as instructed by God. King Saul had become a big man; he could now decide which of God’s instruction to obey and not to obey. King Saul wasn’t a proud fellow when the Lord anointed him king over Israel. He was so humble that he even listens to his servant. No wonder the man of God reminded him that when he was little in his own sight, God made him the head of the tribes of Israel. Because of pride, God dethroned him and anointed David as king.

Pride entered into King Saul when he began to see himself as a big man. This man saw himself as a big man because he was measuring himself by the people around. Matthew 5:48 says be ye perfect as God is perfect. Every time you measure your life by the life of people around you, you may be tempted to see yourself as a big man especially if the Lord has blessed you. The elders have a saying, in the town of the blind; a one eyed man is the King. When you measure your prayer life by the prayer life of those who pray for only 30 minutes you might be tempted to see yourself as a big prayer warrior especially if you are the type that prays for two hours. To avoid these, always measure yourself by God. If you measure your prayer life by the prayer life of Jesus who fasted for forty days and night, you will always see yourself as little in your own eyes.

KEYWORD: When you measure yourself by people around you, you may be tempted to see yourself as a big man but wh

HUMILITY AND PROMOTION

MEMORY VERSE: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Light, and he shall lift you up, James 4:10 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 6, Acts 10, Jer 19, Mark 5 

What is humility? Humility is not using ‘sir’ or ‘ma’ for everyone that comes your way. A lot of ‘hello sir’ and ‘hello ma’ are not from the heart.  The fact that a fellow is gentle does not mean he is humble. Eighty –five percent of those we think are gentle are only shy. Once they get into the midst of their friends, you know they are not gentle at all or if you mistakenly offend them you will see their true color. The fact that a fellow is quiet in the church does not mean he is humble. There are a lot of brothers who are quiet in the church but not the in the place of work. 

What is then humility? The first thing I want you to know is that humility is not an act but a thing of the heart. Humility is simply submitting to the will of God when you don’t feel like it. When you submit to the will of God in your mind, emotion, your body because you love God, then you are humble. Humility is submitting to the will of God regardless of the pain, inconvenience and so on. One the meekest man that ever lived was Moses. The Most High even testified of his humility. What did Moses do to earn such recognition? God sent him to Egypt to deliver a message to Pharaoh and he obeyed. Moses wasn’t a friend of the Egyptians at all; an average Egyptian wanted him dead for killing their brethren (Exodus 2:11-12). Not only that, the reason why he left Egypt in the first place was because Pharaoh was after him. He left because there was a price on his head. He left because he was number one on the most wanted list of criminals in Egypt. You will agree with me that everything in Moses did not want to return to Egypt but despite all he submitted to the will of God. At the end God promoted him, by the time we get to Exodus 7:1, the Lord had already made him a god over Pharaoh.

Another definition of humility is putting yourself in a lower position than you are for the will of God to be done. Humility is forgetting all your achievements, connections, money you have in the bank, your degrees and becoming nothing just for the will of God to be done. The most humble man the world ever knew was Jesus.  Despite the fact that He owned the whole world, He humbled himself to become like man and die a very shameful death just to give us eternal life. Colossians 1:16 said for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be throngs, or dominion, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Brethren, Jesus knew who He was when the soldiers stripped Him naked and began to beat Him with rods but he did not retaliate because of the will of His father. Jesus knew all things were created by him, and for him yet because of your salvation and mine, Jesus died the most disgraceful and shameful death on the cross of Calvary. He suffered the humiliation for three days but after that He was given a name that is higher than any other name that at the mention of the name of Jesus all knees must bow. 

PRAYER POINT- Father, please give me the grace to humble.