Victory Devourer

Sunday 22 July                             Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 25-28

Memorise: whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.Romans 13:2

Read : Judges 14:1-3

It is one thing to be victorious and it is another thing to retain victory. Victory not retained turns the victor into a victim. In order to keep your victory and walk in it,it is very crucial to learn from those who lost their victory, the reasons why their victory was lost. May your retain your victory in Jesus name.

One bible character who got victory over his enemies was Samson. He knew what it meant to be victorious because of the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit upon him,yet he died in the prison of his enemies.What rubbished his victory? In judges 14:1-3 , Samson failed to listen to his parents. He felt they were old fashioned in their views. He could not be under the control or authority of anyone.The elders may not be as educated as you are , but there is something they know that has kept them victorious which you may not know with all your education. Anyone who cannot submit to authority will most likely lose the victory he or she has received. There are some wives who cannot submit to the authority of their husbands because they have a better job or earn better income than them. Sorry, you may not be able to retain your victory! When the Lord says you should submit, He did not exclude your position or income. A minister who cannot be controlled, instructed or corrected by his or her pastor will surely lose his or her victory.

Another reason why Samson lose his victory was because he was unequally yoked together with a philistine in marriage. Brother , of all the sisters in the Kingdom, you could not find one to marry except a lady of another faith? By that marriage , you have automatically become a loser, a big time loser. Are you unequally yoked with an unbeliever in business? Separate today! Are you heading for the altar to wed an unbeliever? Break that relationship now before you end up in your enemy’s prison. In addition, Samson was not circumspect enough to know who to tell what. He opened his mouth and revealed his secrets to his enemy and they enslaved him. What are you telling people about yourself? Do you know who your enemies are? Samson was impatient and self-willed , not caring about God’s will and he was very unthankful. In whatever form any of these is seen in your life,prayerfully expunge them today so that your victory will not be eaten up.

PRAYER POINT: Father , today by your mercy , uproot every victory devourer in my life.

Open Heavens By Pastor E.A Adeboye

HANDLE WEALTH WITH CAUTION

Saturday 21 July Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 21-24.

Memorise: And Lord was angry with Solomon,because his heart turned from the Lord,God of Israel ,which hap appeared unto him twice, 1 Kings 11:9

Our God is a generous God who delights in the prosperity of His servants.He grants to them the power to get wealth. However this wealth has eroded the faith of some while some others have turned their trust to the wealth they have.God so loved Solomon that He blessed him to a point where silver was like ordinary stones during his reign.Since he had so much material things, he began to acquire women contrary to the law of kings. He married 700 wives; as if that was not enough, he added 300 concubines. One man to 1,000 woman!There are some he will sleep with once in three years! Most of his wives were non-isrealites ;they were princess from various kingdoms. Not many kings or presidents in our time can beat solomon’s evil record. 1 Kings 11:4 says

for it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of Davis his father.

Wealth brings power and wealth is a very dangerous thing. Solomon married these strange wives because he could afford to. This is one area where poverty acts as a safeguard for the poor. There are some evil things that some poor people could have acquired if they were rich. But because they are poor, their minds are completely away from such things. The poor hardly argue with God’s Word but the rich do that often because what they have beclouds their mind. Solomon got so intoxicated by his wealth that he multiplied wives to himself, who then influenced him to build shrines to their gods and goddess near Jerusalem. They further influenced him to join them in worshipping their idols until his heart was totally turned away from God. God became angry with the one He loved so much . If Solomon was poor, would he have been able to amass those wives? I doubt it. The wealth that takes you away from God’s will and Word is a curse not a blessing. Handle your wealth with lots of care,prayer and fear of God.

PRAYER POINT:

The wealth that is not brought under God’s control will end up controlling its owner. Pray that the wealth that will lead you astray will never come to you.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

NEGLECTING THIS DOOR?

Friday 20 July                           Bible in one year: 1Samuel 17-20

Memorise: And all things,whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ,ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22
Read : Matthew 21:18-22

In Corinthians 16:8-9 , Paul said God opened a door for him.God still open doors for His children. God open doors to missionary opportunities.Also,there is a door of prayers.This door is open to everyone. You do not need the permission of anyone to pray.You are free to pray anytime and anywhere.Even when a government outlaws prayers like it happened in the time of Daniel, those like Daniel will still pray. Any government that passes such an obnoxious decree must be prepared to stay awake 24/7 because some of us may choose to start our prayers at 3am. How effectively have you been using your open door in prayer? Your success in Christian faith depends on how you utilize this door. You cannot be anything of repute in God’s kingdom if you neglect this door. One thing that is common to those who rise and fall from the faith so often is that they fail to utilize their open door in prayer. A prayer-less Christian is not only powerless but also a misrepresentation of the Christian faith. Such a Christian will end up a victim and will struggle in his walk with God.Power is released in the place of prayer. You need power to live as a Christian(John 1:14). Without such power, Heaven will be a mirage. If you are neglecting effective prayer life, it means you do not want to go to Heaven.

You are neglecting this door when you see the need to pray but procrastinate,saying :”i will pray about it tomorrow”. That tomorrow may never come. Or when you have a negative dream but only mutter some positive confessions and push it aside or leave it to fate by saying:”if God delights in me, He will do something about that dream so I leave it to Him’. You also neglect this door when you see a sharp or major character flaw in your  spouse , or leader but rather than intercede, you make  it a subject of discussion or gossip. Do you know that about 70% of what happens to most believers could have been averted if only they have effectively utilized the open door in prayer? There is gross prayerlessness in Christendom today. Repent and never take anything for granted. Monitor your dreams and revelations and make the most of them by the door of prayer.

KEY POINT: For the prayerful, prayer is a sieve which determines what they will go through and what they will not, while the prayer-less goes through everything projected their way by the enemy.

THE GENEROUS GOD

Thursday 19 July                              Bible in one year : 1 Samuel 14-16

Memorise: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?Romans 8:32

Read : Romans 8 :31-32

Our God can do anything. He has all the resources He needs. Unlike men, He is not limited in anyway. Genesis 17:1 says He is the All Sufficient God.The earth with all its fullness belongs to Him(Psalm 24:1). All the silver and gold are also His (Haggai 2:8). In 1 Kings 17:2-6 , God asked birds to serve breakfast and dinner to one of His prophets on daily basis. Somebody once asked where the birds got the bread and meat from ? Where did God get the bread and fish to feed the 4,000 and the 5,000? Where did God get the oil that the widow kept pouring into empty vessels until they filled from one bottle of oil? Asking any of these questions simply means that you have not known the All Sufficient God. He has been baking bread before any bakery existed and has been raining meat before any abattoir existed.Matthew 17:24-27 talks of a gold coin in the mouth of a fish. Are you asking where the fish got the money from ? God knows how to get whatever He wants because He created everything and He knows exactly where He kept them. Human beings only know about what they have discovered but the greater parts of God’s resources are yet to be discovered by man, but God knows where he kept them.

God is unlimited in love. The love of men is very limited. Usually , men may love you when they can get something in return from you. An African proverbs says: “if fire burns you and your child, you will attend to yourself first”. This implies your love for your child is limited. However with our God, it is not so. Even when a mother forgets her sucking child, God cannot forget his own, even if they look neglected ,wretched or haggard. God will not forget you. He loves you without reservation. His love made him to die for us while we were yet in our sins (Romans 5:8). Our God who has unlimited love and unlimited resources also has unlimited generosity. Blessed be His holy name! Romans 8:32 says if God could give His only begotten son, what else can He not give us ? God can give you beyond what you can ever ask or think because He is unlimited in generosity. This season, you shall be a recipient of His generosity in Jesus name.

KEY POINT:If God can give you His best, expect all other blessings that do not measure up to this Gift.

FULLNESS OF JOY

Wednesday 18 July Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 11-13

Memorise: And they departed from the presence of the council,rejoicing that they they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name . Acts 5:41

Read : Acts 5:33-42

God is the giver of joy for in His presence is fullness of joy ( Psalms 16:11) , Romans 15:13 says:

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing ,that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

It is possible to be filled with all Joy. That will be your portion this season. God also wants your joy to be full, not half or quarter ,hence in John 16:24 , He says: Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive that your may be full.

If some very important requests are not granted, your joy will definitely not be full.

But you may ask: Why is my joy not yet full? it could just because you are yet to meet with all the requirements. 1 Peter 4:13 says;

But rejoice,inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that , when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

If you are not prepared to suffer with Christ, then be prepared to forego the benefit of exceeding joy. There are some believers who are still hiding their faith in Christ in their workplace. They do not want their bosses or colleagues to know that they are born again Christians for fear of being persecuted.There are sisters who cannot tell their husbands that they are now saved and so can no longer continue things they did together that did not please God. There are people attending white garment churches or non-Pentecostal churches who along the line contacted believers who preached to them and they received Christ as their Lord. Yet, they are afraid of declaring to their unsaved leaders and fellow church members that they are now born again for fear of being branding rebels. In anyway you are hiding your status as a believer, you are denying Christ.If you find it difficult to preach Jesus to others, you are denying Him. If you deny Him, He also will deny you. No one who denies Jesus will be able to have the fullness of Joy that He promised.Are you prepared to suffer for His name? The early church counted it a privilege to suffer for Christ. No wonder their joy knew no bounds.

PRAYER POINT: Father, let there be a manifestation of the answer to all my prayers that i may experience the fullness of joy that you promised

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

DOUBLE PORTION: WHERE FROM ?

Tuesday 17 July                                 Bible in one year : Judges 19-21

Memorise: Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights , with whom is no variableness,neither shadow of turning . James 1:17

Read : James 1:16-18

In the story about Elijah’s rapture recorded in 2 Kings 2;11-14 , you will notice the repetition of the phrase: “The mantle of Elijah that fell from him”. This tells us that even when Elisha had paid the price in serving him for some years and in accompanying him on his last assignments, and had even crossed the Jordan with him, Elijah still took his mantle with him until the cry of Elisha’s was heard. This shows the need for patience in God’s kingdom , particularly when you are trusting God for something very precious. If you are not ready to persist until you get it, you may be denied at the very point when you should have had it. Similarly, we learn that every good gift comes from above (James 1:17). When Elijah was taken , he went into heaven then the mantle was sent down with a double portion of the anointing on Elijah. Many people think it was Elijah who delivered Elisha’s request to him. No! There was no way he could give what he did not have which was why he told Elisha he asked a hard thing. He simply took the mantle with him and God released the double portion of the anointing on Elijah upon it for Elisha. Even when the anointing oil is poured on you, the power is released from above.

Also, when the Holy Spirit descended in Acts 2:1-4 , He sat on the heads of the disciples as cloven tongues of fire. This shows the importance of your head. This is why when it is time to ordain people, we go for their heads. The implication of this is that whatever you are , you owe to God. You have no reason to be proud. No wonder David acknowledged his help as being from God (Psalms 121:1-2). When God uses a vessel of His to bless you and you thank the fellow, do not forget that he or she is only a vessel;let your greater thanksgiving go to God who is the giver of the blessing. It is wrong to thank the vessel but forget the One who used the vessel to channel your blessings to you. This season, the Lord will bless you abundantly. How patient are you ?How much do you give God thanks ? Have you paid the price for a higher lever of God’s anointing on you?

KEY POINT: If you want any definite blessing from Heaven, look up to God.

BLESSED HOPE RENEWED

Monday 16 July Bible in one year: Judges 16-18

Memorise : wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:18

Read :1 Corinthians 15:51-58

The Holy Communion is a special meal. It is a celebratory meal. As you take of it , you celebrate your victory over worry and anxiety. John 14:1-3 says you should not let your heart be troubled because He is returning to us. Jesus partook of this meal before His departure and He promised to return for us. Even if you have different issues troubling you, the remembrance of the fact that He will return and that your tomorrow will be alright, should bring glorious peace upon you.

1 Corinthians 15:49-57 tells that because He died and resurrected after His body was broken and His blood was shed, we no longer have any cause to fear death. Sometime in 1980,my father in the Lord was sick and his friend was also sick. He sent a message to his friend that he would soon be going. His friend replied, “i will give be gone before you”. They were talking about dying like taking an ordinary journey. When you partake of the Holy Communion , you celebrate your victory over death. Fear of death is completely nullified. Also ,taking the Holy Communion helps you celebrate that blessed hope that one day , your Savior will come. In Matthew 26:29 , the Lord says

But i say unto you , I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,until that day when I drink it with you in my Father’s Kingdom.

Yes, one day, the Lord will come for us and take us to His Father’s kingdom and there we will wine and dine with Him. What a blessed Hope! This hope is a wonderful source of comfort for all believers in Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). Partaking of the Communion therefore reminds you that you have another home ahead-in the perfect land of blessedness where you won’t have to suffer as you did on earth. As you take the Holy Communion ,you are reminded of His promise in John 14:1-3 that one day, He will take you to be with Him and you will forever be in His presence. We shall forever live with your Savior in Heaven. This is why you must not miss communion service. The power of this meal is normally experienced at our monthly Holy Communion Service, If you can ,don’t miss it. How prepared are you for Heaven ?

PRAYER POINT:

Thanks God that Jesus is returning for you. Pray that you will not miss His return.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye