Heeding traffic lights?

Saturday 4 August                               Bible in one year : Deuteronomy 29-31

Memorise: The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord;and He delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23
Read: Matthew 2:19-23

The things we see in the empirical world ought to give us a better understanding of our God. This truth is expressed in Romans 1:20

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,being understood by the things that are made,even His eternal power and Godhead; so they are without excuse:

We can learn some truths about God by studying traffic lights.This creation of man consist of colours Red,Yellow and Green, the combination of these colours is used in exercising control. We find the combination of these colours also present in rainbow and when white light is dispersed by a prism .We have been looking at the essence of God from the context of these colours as our God is described as lights in 1 John 1:5, Psalm 37:23 says
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord : he delighteth in his way.

When God loves a man, He will control his movement the same way traffic lights control the movements of vehicles and pedestrians.Take for example Elijah in 1 Kings 17:1-6, God told Elijah, “go to the brooks” and he went . Later, He told him, “Go to the widow of Zaraphath” and he did.Wherever God sent him, he was ready to go and his needs were ever met. Similarly, Isaac was another very obedient servant.If you do a study of him,you will find out that through his life,there was no where God was angry with him.This is because he lived in obedience.A famine came upon the land and Isaac wanted to leave but God asked him to stay and he obeyed (Genesis 26:1-4).In the same vein, the Lord instructed Joseph to run to Egypt with the child Jesus and he obeyed (Matthew 2:13-23).

Control covers every aspect of life. Sometimes the red light will come on and God will say stop or wait. Many people do not want to see this as they walk with God but it is only for their own good.When you continue to move when God says stop, you will get into trouble.At other times , God may show you yellow sign, meaning that a particular blessings you are asking for will soon be released, so get ready. If you are not ready at that time you may miss it.Then there are times God will show you green light to go on. It could concerning who to marry, where to further your education,etc. Once you get the green light , go ahead. When you pray to God , He uses these colours to speak to you.Have you been sensitive to these colours? Or do you jump the gun? The one who sees red but gives himself green will have tales of disappointment to share.

KEY POINT:if you faithfully obey spiritual traffic signs,your progress will be rapid, you will remain in God’s will and you will be spared unnecessary headaches.

Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

maximise your spiritual nationality

Friday 3 August                                  Bible in one year : Proverbs 29-31

Memorise: and they also, if they abide not not still in unbelief,shall be gaffed in :for God is able to graft them in again. Romans 11:23

Read: Romans 11:15-24

All the fantastic promises God made to the nation of Israel were transferred to the new Israel of God birthed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 2:28-29 reveals that a displacement of natural Jews has occurred in the spirit;hence we spiritual Jews, right now have a central place in God's heart and occupy a major place in God's agenda for the last days. From this switch, we learn that nobody is indispensable and no nation or people are indispensable.Whatever the Lord has assigned to you,for which the grace to do it as being released, accept it and handle with all humility, thankfulness ,faithfulness, and dedication because if otherwise handled,you can be replaced.God has no plan to replace anyone who is faithfully occupying the position given to him or her; rather he wants to add more responsibility to the fellow.You shall not be replaced in Jesus name.If you are doing something in a wrong way and you are being corrected, but you think you know better, and so you refuse to change course, you are calling for the hammer. When it falls, blame nobody but yourself.

Another lesson here is that God is never moved by outward appearance or empty promises but by action and performance. If you want to move God, perform .Put an end to empty promises or boasts!He is not also not moved by outward shows but by the content of the heart.If you are a spiritual Jew- a Jew by the reason of your new birth experience in Christ Jesus , you qualify to claim all the promises God made to Abraham. So what happens to the nation of Israel? To be relevant, they have to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and become part of His body - the Church. Such people will be spiritual Jews as well as Jews in the flesh. However, Paul by the Spirit warns spiritual Jews not to show pride or any form of boasting because the same God who broke off the natural branches (nation of Israel) and grafted us into the olive tree, is able to brake us off too. What will determine whether you will remain or not are your works of faith , obedience, service and humility. Eventually , after the rapture of the church,God will resume His plan for the nation of Israel. Maximise your spiritual nationality while you have the opportunity.

ACTION POINT: List out 20 covenants blessings of a spiritual Jew. How many of these have you benefited from? Ask God to manifest pending promises in your life.

Love

Thursday 2 August                             Bible in one year: Proverbs 25-28

Memorise: let brotherly love continue . Hebrews 13:1

Read: 2 Samuel 1:25-26

Your reason for seeking God will determine whether you love Him or lust after His works.Ask any Christian in God’s service ,”Why are you committed to God’s work?” The reply most likely will be , “Because of Heaven, crowns and other rewards i will receive”. Although rewards has its place in service, this only goes to show us that many of us are in God’s service because of what we can get from it, not  because we love God. If you fall under this category, you should reorder your priorities and make your love for God the reason for all Kingdom exploits.There is a brother stands out in this area. It was said of him that when he died, he was taken to Heaven. He was given a befitting welcome in Heaven. Afterwords , they took him to his mansion and rewards but he told the angels that he was not there for the crown and mansion, but that he just wanted to see the Lord. What love! May you love the Lord to the point that everything else-be it on earth and in Heaven will be secondary.

The word “love” is used casually at most times and this ought not to be so. It is pretty difficult to define love because love is a person. It is declared in 1 John 4:8 what God is love. To accurately define love, you must be able to define God correctly. After several years of walking with God ,Paul said: ” I still don’t know Him. I want to know Him” (Philippians 3:10). The word “love” is applied to different things and there are different kinds of love. For instance , Isaac asked for the food his soul loves in Genesis 27:1-4. Different people love different things;some may love vegetable soup while another may love sleep, play ,dance, etc. Some love are detrimental example of this is the love of sleep which leads to poverty ( Proverbs 20:13). There is a kind of love that patriotic citizens have for their country hence Psalms 122:6 says if you love Jerusalem, you will prosper. Another kind of love exist between a man and his wife, this can be seen in Genesis 29:18 where Jacob is said to love Rachel. Looking at the relationship between David and Jonathan, we are introduced to brotherly love which 2 Samuel 1:26 says is stronger than erotic love. Hebrews 13:1 says we should continue in brother love.Is the love you show to your fellow brethren as strong as the one you show to your spouse ? Ask for God’s grace to love members of God’s Kingdom with brotherly love. How do you love today ?

KEY POINT :Greater love has no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

change

CHANGE

Wednesday 1 August                 Read the bible in one year : Proverbs 22-24

Memorise: And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail . Hebrew 1:12

The only constant thing in life is change. God’s covenant moved from the Old testament to the New.That was a profound change that shaped the whole world. When Jesus came, the Old Testament was in force. He introduced the New Testament during His ministry on earth , giving men a glimpse of the change to come and reorienting their understanding. After His death,burial and resurrection , the New Testament in His blood was established. Those who fail to go with the change end up blaming themselves. They will be cut off from so many benefits. For instance, during the days of the early church, when Paul travelled to Ephesus , he met some disciples who were baptised by John the Baptist. Based on what they knew, they were still expecting the Messiah who John had come to usher in . Unknown to these, the Messiah had come, affected their world and gone. One would wonder where these disciples were when great multitudes thronged the meeting organised by the Lord.  However , they were receptive to change based on the new information they heard, so they were baptised again as commanded by the Lord, and they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

We need to recognise that God is at the centre of several changes all over the world because He rules the affairs of men.Daniel 2:21 says He changes times and seasons to suit His purposes.But while He effects change, He does not change.He is the same ( Hebrews 1:10-22). He introduces changes so as to make room for a difference. When a piece of cloth is dyed and turns grey, it is said that it has changed colour.Change can also mean replacement, for instance when you change the tyres of your car. Change give room for variety, yet not all changes are desirable. When you change from good to bad, that is a negative change and undesirable. Equally bad is moving from success to failure. God expects positive change from you. Change from being a bench warmer in church to an active worker or minister. There are certain areas in your life that require change. Some things need to be dropped. You would also need to acquire healthy habits and behavioural patterns.Change now!

KEY POINT:  Life is all about change. If you do not adapt to change , you might be rendered irrelevant.

Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

ANY DIVIDEND OF MENTORING

Tuesday 31 July                                     Bible in one year :1 Kings 20-21

Memorise: Be ye followers of me, even as i also am of Christ.1 Corinthians 1:1

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

After Elijah’s rapture to Heaven , Elisha moved on to the next phase of his life. Anyone who lives in the past will definitely experience a bleak future. One way to recognize those living in their past is that they will not have fresh testimonies. If all you can do is testify how God used you to win several souls some years ago, or how you were used in the area of healing in time past, you are still in your past. If you nothing to show today as an evidence of your present walk with God, you are becoming history. Move forward today!
When Elisha got to the River Jordan, he smote the waters with his mantle like his father Elijah did ( 2KIngs 2:14). From this we see that anyone who will be great must have someone he follows- a mentor. Mentoring is not only relevant in business but also in ministry. God has provided in the Christian faith for His children to be mentored by the leaders He has given to them, so that they can know what their leaders know and even be greater than them. Elijah was great but his protege Elisha was greater. Moses was great but could not take God’s children into the land of promise but his protege Joshua did. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul Said:
Be ye followers of me, even also i also am of Christ.

A good mentor would always follows Christ and at the same time bring up his or her proteges to follow Christ by a lifestyle that mirrors Christ. Do you have a mentor? Do you have a pastor you can virtually pattern your life after? However, in every mentor-protege relationship, there is a always a limit. From the words of Paul, the student(learner) must stop copying his mentor(teacher ) at any point the latter stops following the Lord. Today, there are some leaders who started on a good slate but they have gone into error. Anyone following such a leader will go deeper into the error of his or her mentor. Are there still Christian apprentices ? Too many people want to become their own boss- start up a church or becoming the General Overseer of a church without necessarily undergoing tutelage. No wonder they bring shame and disgrace to the name of the Lord all too often. But if you follow a bona fide spiritual head and humble yourself to study, observe, ask questions, carry out practicals , and be properly taught under him, you will be better prepared for the assignment God has for you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, open my eyes to see the mentor you have given me and grant me the grace to faithfully follow him.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

PRESUMPTOUS?

Monday 30 July                                Bible in one year: 1 Kings 17-19

Memorise: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily , as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23

Read : Deuteronomy 1:42-44

God promised in Proverbs 23:18 that the expectations of the righteous shall be met,but many expectations are not granted today and people are wondering why. Why do expectations of believers fail? Expectations based on presumption will most likely fail. In other words,what you base your expectations on will determine whether it will be granted or not. When expectations are based on assumptions ,disappointment is inevitable. Great expectations are founded on God’s promises which are forever settled in Heaven . Deuteronomy 1:42-44 documents an account by Moses, where he warned the Israelites not to go and fight the Amorites because God was not with them. They paid deaf ears to his warning and went into the battle and got the disgrace of their lives. God has a strategy for every battle. There are some battles He will not want you to fight, some He will want you to ignore and others He will fight Himself. Never fight any battle when God is not on your side. It is presumptuous to assume that because God gave you victory yesterday when you were in obedience, God will give you victory now that you are in disobedience ; you will be disappointed!

When God says don’t go ,you have no business going except you want to go and make a fool of yourself; that is if you even live to tell the story. Those Israelites assumed that since they had all the soldiers , war know-how backed up by their zeal, they can still manage to win the battle, but the lost out a nation which normally would not be able to face them. Any expectation based on assumption is nothing but foolishness. When God disapproves of you doing something, it means He will not back you up. If you go ahead, you are on your own. Never blame God for what you suffer thereafter. Many people are entering marriages God told them not to. By the time they start facing the music of their self guidance, they call on God but He may chose not attend to them. Presuming that a particular business will give you lots of profit because it is doing so for others, without God’s permission or direction may lead to disappointment. Are you entering ministry or starting a church based on presumption? You will be disappointed! Go back to the Lord today!

KEY POINT:

God is not committed to what He has not commanded.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

Avoid this trap

AVOID THIS TRAP

Sunday 29 July Bible in one year:1 Kings 14-16

Memorise: A man that flaterreth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet. Proverbs 29:5

Read: 1 Samuel 18:6-11

David had victory over challenges he faced. His problems started not long after God gave him victory over Goliath; some devil-inspired and highly immodest women began to sing his praise

…..Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 1 Samuel 18:7

Immediately King Saul heard the song, he was very angry and began to see David as a threat. He saw him as someone who was out to take over his throne form him; no wonder he fought this young boy with all the military might of Israel! but how was their relationship before then?

And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he love him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. 1 Samuel 16:21

King Saul had a mental challenge and David was brought to play harp to get him relieved.When he first saw this boy, it was love at first sight. The bible says he loved David greatly to the extent that he specifically asked Jesse his father to allow him to stay in the palace. He even put him over the soldiers (1 Samuel 18:5). Even when David offered to go and fight Goliath, King Saul tried to prevent him. However,after hearing David’s testimonies and seeing his faith in the God of Israel, he reluctantly released him, transferring his personal armour to him and praying for him( 1 Samuel 17:31-38)

After David defeated Goliath, what should have given David a higher leverage in favour before his boss was suddenly reversed to disfavour because of unguided praise singers. It was not David’s fault but when he heard the song exalting his achievements above the king’s , he could have asked the ladies to stop that song, but he didn’t. I don’t think he enjoyed the persecution that followed.Beware of praise singing and praise singers! One thing that is causing supposed good leaders to miss the mark is the sycophants that surround them. Beware of those who come to you to say that you are the best thing that ever happened to the church, community or organisation. Many of them have hidden agendas. If you are easily carried away by such flattering lips, you will fall into their net and regret it for a long to come. Surround yourself with those who can tell you the truth and correct or check your excesses. They may appear unfriendly but at the end of the day, they may be the only true friends you have.

ACTION POINT: Pray that every tongue that will sing your praise to your detriment will shut up in Jesus name.

Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye