Victim of lies

Monday 20 August                                   Bible in one year: 2 Kings 23-25

Memorise: Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto hananiah the prophet,Hear now,Hananiah; The Lord hath sent thee;but thou makest this people trust in a lie. Jeremiah 28:15

Read: Jeremiah 28:15-17

 Although some people love to believe in a lie,yet God's standard remains . If you enjoy being flattered, you are a lover of lies. Your self-deception will soon land you into trouble ( Proverbs 29:5). Beyond lying to on another, lying has assumed another frightening dimension. How? Lying is now a common feature in the house of God. In fact, lying has become a big money spinner in the house of God. Since people love to hear lies, they flock around those who will tell it to them. If instead of hearing the undiluted Word of God you prefer to run from one prophet to the other;you are a lover of lies and you may soon be a willing victim of deception. Lying in the name of the Lord is a grievous offence. Worse still is giving a pack of lies which you brand prophetic declarations from the Lord. We all know that genuine men of God are revered, so satanic agents and merchandising prophets are also seriously engaged in the business of deception in order to get reverence from people.

If you a lover of visions, beware or else you will become a victim of lies. Any prophetic declarations that has raised your hope, coming from merchandising prophets and pastors will surely disappoint you (Jeremiah 28:15). In some places, when a  lady wants a particular man as husband, all she needs do is "settle" the prophet or prophetess and later in the service  the leader will go into acrobatics. At some point, he will say, "thus says the Lord, Brother so and so , Sister so and so is your wife". Thereafter , the sister will pretend to refuse it or even feign tears asking :" How could God be so unfair to me? Why this particular brother?" Meanwhile , the men at the centre of it all does not know that he is an unwilling actor in a script written be the church leader and the lady. Those of you who go to your pastor to pray for you  and tell you who to marry, if care is not taken , you will become a victim of lies. You are simple lazy. No pastor or prophet should tell you who to marry. They are to pray along with you  , counsel and guide you using the Word of God. If you fail to pay the price to hear from God on that matter, you may be deceived. God can use your pastor or a genuine prophet of God to confirm what He had already told you. Many homes have been established on falsehood and that is why things are falling apart and the centre can no longer hold.

KEY POINT: Some pastors are seriously into match-making. They have taken over from the Holy Spirit. Match-Making remains God's prerogative and He has not delegated it to any any pastor.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye.

Arise

Sunday 19 August                              Bible in one year: 2 Kings 18-21

Memorise: Arise, Shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1

Isaiah 60:1 says Arise. Arise is a command. God is not begging,pleading or advising you to arise. This is an order coming form the Commander-in-chief of the heavenly hosts.The command to arise can mean different things to different people depending on their present spiritual location or situation. If you are already dead, arise could mean come back to life.That was the kind of order Jesus gave to Jairus’s dead child (Mark5:35-42).In any way you are spiritually dead, today hear your Master’s command, Arise! On the other hand, to the sleeping arise could mean wake up. When the Lord took Peter,James and John with Him to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14:40-42, they were sleeping because their eyes were heavy. So the Lord told them to wake up. Are you sleeping spiritually? In the name of Jesus , arise today!

If you were not dead or asleep but sitting , arise could mean stand up and begin to move. In John 14:30-31, the disciples were sitting as Jesus talked with them. If you are sitting, it means there is work to be done but you are yet to do them. Are you procrastinating over the souls you should win to the kingdom? Arise. Are there pending jobs for you to do? Arise! But if you already on your feet,what does arise mean? it could mean to jump into action. For instance, when Samuel came to the house of Jesse in 1 Samuel 16:11-13 , and could not find God’s choice there , he said nobody should sit down until David was brought from the backside of the desert. By his orders to arise; he was saying move into action now. Are you already on your feet in certain areas? God is saying put in more effort ,more life, and more time to get a better results. What if you are not just standing but already walking? To you , arise means start running like David did towards Goliath(1 Samuel17:48). But if you are already running, to arise means grab some wings and do some flying.A woman delivered a baby in Revelation 12:13-16 and was being chased by the dragon so she arose by getting wings and soaring high above its reach. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says you should move from glory to glory. Wherever you are , God is saying to you ,arise!

PRAYER POINT:  Father,wherever i am presently located, help me to arise and make a difference in your kingdom.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

JUBILEE RELOCATES

Saturday 18 August                                              Bible in one year: 2 Kings 15-17
Memorise: so we say that they could no enter in because of unbelief. Hebrew 3:19
Read:11:39-45
God can restore your lost dreams and destiny when your Jubilee comes. Jubilee is also a time of relocation.The one in bondage is free to go back to his family,another location,a new position , etc. When the day of Jubilee came for Moses ,God moved him from the backside of the desert and placed him at the centre of history.He went from where nothing was happening to where history was being made.Are you where nothing is happening presently? The Lord will soon relocate you to where your contributions would be most valued. Another person who was relocated during Jubilee was Joseph. He was in prison for doing nothing wrong and seem to have forgotten by those he thought could help him. Yet, in Genesis 41:37-46 , when his day of jubilee dawned , God relocated him from prison to throne. Before you were born God had a place you will fit into like a jigsaw puzzle. That place is designed with you in mind. On the day of your Jubilee the Lord will move you form where you are into that position of His entire plan. He has promised that you shall be the head and the tail. That will be your portion this season in Jesus name. What of Lazarus? people ,including his sisters protested that the stench  from his body would drive everyone away. This meant , it was better Lazarus was left dead and buried. But because his day of Jubilee had dawned unknown to his sisters, the Lord relocated him from the grace and turned him into a celebrity. Have people, including your family members written you off? Have they said nothing good can come out of you? Have your teachers told you that you are so daft that you cannot graduate? Have you become a laughing stock to those around you?Have people been looking down on you  and treading on you all your life? Wait a minute! Something good is about to happen.All those people are about to receive the greatest shock of their lives. God is relocating you right to the top. You are moving to the other side of sorrow.

PRAYER POINT: Father , because my jubilee has come , cause me to walk upon my high places.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E. A Adeboye

Dangerous desires

Friday 17 August                                Bible in on year : 2 Kings 11-14

Memorise: And he gave them their request ;but sent leanness into their soul. Psalms 106:15

Read: Numbers 11:31-35

Some believers are so much in a hurry that they cannot wait on God for anything. If God expects you to wait, then you have nothing else to do but wait. In fulfilling His promises, God expects you to wait on Him.The Christian race is a marathon where patience is a key component.God rewards the patient. He also rewards the impatient. When you are impatient with God concerning a blessing,by the time He gives you the blessing prematurely , it will either cause you shame for the rest of your life or may even kill you. Psalms 106:15 says God gave Israelite their requests but added leanness to their souls. Why? While in the wilderness, God gave them a mono-food product- manna but they soon got tired of it and began to lust for meat. At some point , in virtually all the families, after complaining so bitterly,they sat by the front door weeping because they did not have meat to eat. In a wilderness situation, you are under trial and therefore you are not the one to dictate what you will go through but God.In Matthew 4:1-11, our Lord Jesus Christ also went through a wilderness situation. In His case , He fasted throughout. But because the Isrealites wanted to dictate to God how they should undergo their trial, God gave them flesh. As they put it in their mouths , the Lord sent a plague which destroyed many of them.

Self-will is a destroyer. Many people have severely hurt themselves as a result of their personal desires. If you find it difficult to submit your tastes, desires and habits to God, you will continue to hurt yourself. Some sisters so pressed the Lord for a particular brother as a husband to the point that the same God who had said "No" eventually said "Yes". How such sisters would have rejoiced and bragged about their accomplishment , not knowing that they had just signed up for their own unhappiness. Sometimes when God gives you your heart desires contrary to His will, everything may appear right but your soul will be plagued with leanness. A lean soul is on its way to destruction. The voice of God is cut off from the fellow and he or she will walk about as one who does not know where he or she is going.Check your desires!

PRAYER POINT: Father, every request I make or desire i have ,that can bring your judgment up on me,please do not grant such request and take such desires away from my heart.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye

LOVE IS SACRIFICIAL

Thursday 16 August                          Bible in one year:2 Kings 7-10

Memorise: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish , but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Read: Genesis 29:18-28

When you are genuinely in love, making sacrifices for the one you love will be a thing of pleasure and not a burden. Jacob was in love with Rachel and asked what he must do to marry her. He told him to serve for seven years and he willingly did so. Because of his love, seven years were like seven days to him. When he was deceived,he yet agreed to serve another serve another seven years for his heartthrob (Genesis 29:18-28). No price is too much to pay for the one you love.If you truly love your wife,you will the pay the price of faithfulness in the midst of pressure to be unfaithful to her in your workplace or even in the ministry. Some husbands are yet to demonstrate their love for their wives by sacrificially giving to her like God gave us His one out of one (John 3:16). If your relationship with your wife is all about convenience - you do things for her only when it is convenient, but nothing for her when sacrifice is required, then you own your wife big time. Wives of such husbands should demand of their husbands the debt of sacrifice.

Sacrifice helps to gauge your love for God. We can say God loves us exceedingly because He was
prepared to part with His only begotten Son on the cross of Calvary.What have you given in return to Him? If you say you love Him, you will sacrifice for Him. You will be ready like Paul to spend and be spent for Him. Some ministers of God cannot take up certain kingdom assignments because they fear they will be totally exhausted.This shows they still want to reserve some energy or resources to themselves. What a mistake! It is when you are spent that you will need to be replenished. As long as you retain your strength or resources they will be no vacancy for God to fill. Stop holding back ! Empty yourself in to God and His kingdom. There is no better place of fulfillment or reward than this. Do it, not necessarily for the returns, although you cannot avoid it, but for love .Can you serve the Lord for 14 years without pay? Can you serve the Lord in the rural areas when you have been used to the comfort of life? Can you serve under an uneducated person when you are a Master's or Ph.D holder? Where is sacrifice in your love for the Lord?

ACTION POINT: There is a level of sacrifice God expects from us at every phase of our lives. Ask God for grace to make that sacrifice.

Excerpts from Open Heaven by Pastor E.A Adeboye

WORD COMPLIANCE

Wednesday 15 August                                    Bible in one year: 2 Kings 4-6

Memorise : To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20

Read: Isaiah 8:16-20

After the wonderful sight that Moses experienced, the Personality behind the experience introduced Himself to Moses as the God of the Abram, Isaac and Jacob.
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses his hid face: for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:6
This is the sovereign Lord, the covenant-keeping God who called Abraham from idolatry into holiness and charted a path of greatness for him. When He called Moses, He immediately began to talk about holiness (Exodus 3:5). It is amusing to hear people talk about their supernatural encounters which they claim is from God when they are anything but holy. A check here is that any divine encounter with God draws you closer to God and further from sin, else that encounter is not of God. A religion whose leader is uncertain of where he would end after death when asked by his followers, cannot be the same as the faith whose leaders says, “I am going back to Heaven to prepare you a place and will return for you someday, and you will be with me in Heaven throughout eternity” (John 14:3). The difference is clear!
When Paul saw supernatural light that outshone the sun, he fell down and became blind. Yet, the one behind the encounter  introduced Himself  to him  as Jesus , whom Saul was persecuting ( Acts 9:1-5). When you encounter the God I serve, He will not keep you in the dark or in suspense regarding who He is. In addition, if it is the Almighty God, after such a supernatural encounter , He will give you  a message to people or commission for you for specific assignment . Moses was given a message of deliverance to a people in bondage. Paul was given a message of salvation to the Gentiles. Peter also received a message of salvation for Jews. If you claim to have had a supernatural encounter with God, what is your message from God? What is the commission the Lord gave to you? Does it totally agree with the written Word of God – the Bible or does it contradict the Bible in certain areas? If it is from God, the message and commission must be in total agreement with the scripture. If it contradicts the Bible in any way ,it is not from God. It means the light of God is not in it. If you claim to have had an encounter with God and your message compromises God’s word, waters it down or makes people to violate it , the that message is from the pit of hell.
KEY POINT: The Bible is God’s unchangeable standard. Any prophecy , revelation , dream or ‘divine’ commission that negates it , is from Satan not God.
Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E . A  Adeboye.

WATCH OVER YOUR HEAD

 

Tuesday 14 August                                              Bible in one year: 2 Kings 1-3

Memorise: Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. Hebrews 13:18

Read: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

In 2 Kings 2:14, Elisha smote the River Jordan and asked for the God of Elijah. This is indicative of the fact that even thought his master had left the scene, his master’s God was still around since He does not change. On the other hand, the same call was another way of saying: “thou God of my Daddy, I need  you now”. For you to call on the God of your spiritual father, it is expected that your spiritual father must have been a man with a link to God. If there is no evidence of a working relationship between God and the man of God, be very careful. Be wary of who you call you father in the Lord because whatever happens to the father will likely happen to the son. Be mindful of who ordains you or lays hands on your head, including your hairdresser or barber. Some chant incantations while handling hair of customers. Some of such who became converted have testified of the evil they do with people’s hair.

The head of a human being is a very important part of the body. Never toy with it! The governments of the world recognize its importance hence they ask you to take passport photograph as a sure mark of identification, since they know that through a surgical transplant, you could change your heart, liver, kidney, etc…, but not your head. This is also why you need to intercede for your head-your husband, father, or pastor because if it is well with the head, it will be well with other parts of the body. But if the head is taken off, other parts of the body will be paralysed. If you pray for your head, you are indirectly praying for yourself. Pray for your leader and it will be well with you. In addition, by his outcry, Elisha was asking God to show Himself now. Although Psalms 46:1 says God is a present help, yet sometimes you may need to cry out to provoke His intervention. This is why I always ask people when they want their miracle. It could be now or later, they are free to decide. By his cry, Elisha also meant that, since he was to do the work of his ministry on the other side of Jordan, what was the essence of the double portion anointing if he could not go over the Jordan. When do you need your miracle? Tell God now.

KEY POINT: A wise wife intercedes for her husband daily but a foolish woman leaves her husband at the mercy of enemies and circumstances.

Excerpts from Open Heavens by Pastor E.A Adeboye