GIVER OF GOLD OR THE GOLDEN CALF

   Gen 18, Matt 17, Neh 7, Acts 17

Luke 12:48 but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

God is not just giver of gifts, according to James 1:17 He is a giver of good and perfect gifts. One of the things that give God pleasure is blessings His children. Proverbs 35:27 says let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. One of the good gifts He gives is life. 1 Timothy 6:13 records that He quickeneth all things i.e. give life to everything. Something He gives daily to all His children is His blessings. Psalm 68:19 says blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. He is the giver of strength, opportunities, chances e.t.c John 3:27 says a man receives nothing, except it be given him from heaven. The most important gift He gave over two –thousand years is salvation through death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God has been in the business of giving since He created the world.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, the Lord handed the possession of the Egyptians, their riches, their gold e.t.c to them courtesy of His generosity. That day the Lord handed the economy of the greatest nation in the world at that time to little Israel. Israel moved from been a slave to become a wealthy nation in a single day. One will expect this little nation to serve God with all their strength but what did they do? They used all the possessions to make a golden calf, Exodus 32:1-6. Out of the resources God gave to them, they made an idol and began to worship this idol. What the Israelite did back then could be compared to what many are doing today. Many have created an idol out of the resources God has giving to them. Many now miss services because of the jobs gave God gave to them. Many now miss worship or fellowship with the Lord because of the business, the marriage, the opportunities, the connections God has given to them .They worship the golden calf instead of the Giver of the gold. The result of their action was God got angry with them. The Lord’s anger is something no one should wish to see. Hebrews 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The question is what are you serving, the golden calf or the Giver of gold. The resources He has committed into your hands, are you using them for His glory or to create an idol to replace Him with. There is no one living the Lord has not giving something to. The fact that you can talk is a gift, use it to witness for Jesus. That strength, use it to serve God in one capacity or the other. A day is coming we will all give accounts to Him. The more resources at our disposal, the more we have to give accounts for. Luke 12:48 says to whom much is given, much will be required.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please forgive me for all your resources I have wasted and as from now onward give me the grace never to waste any more of your resources again.

WATCH YOUR EXPECTATIONS

 Gen 17, Matt 16, Neh 6, Acts 16

Proverbs 23:18 for surely there is a future hope; and your expectation shall not be cut off.

Mark 9:23 says everything is possible to them that believe. Belief is a very strong force. With your belief, you can attract anything. The difference between faith and fear is that faith is a strong belief that something positive will happen whilst fear is a strong belief that something negative will happen. When you entertain fear, you are indirectly pulling the negative results towards yourself. This is why fear is bad. Fearful people always proof themselves right; their greatest fear always comes to pass.

There is no one presently alive who has no expectations. You are either expecting something good in life or the opposite. Fear is a negative expectation and faith is positive expectation. This is why the righteous needs to stop fear in its track because whatever they fear, they indirectly expect and the bible assures us that their expectations shall not be cut off. Despite all the measures God put in place to protect Job, he still managed to put himself into trouble because of his fears. Job himself said the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, Job 3:25. Jonathan on the other hand expected victory and he got it. Jonathan and his armourbearer believed that nothing restraints the Lord from saving by many or by few, 1 Samuel 14:4-16. The two went into the camp of the Philistine expecting victory and the bible records that there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. Peter and John asked the lame man at the beautiful to look at them, Acts 3:1-8. This man did not just look at them, the bible records that he looked at them expecting to receive something from them. He looked at them with a positive expectation, guess what? His expectation was not cut off. He left that scene walking on his two legs. What you expect is what you will get. When David faced Goliath, what do you think He expected? I can assure you he was not expecting defeat, 1 Samuel 17:26- 51. From his confession we can deduce that he was expecting to severe the head of Goliath from his body despite the fact that he did not have a sword on him. At the end he severed the head of Goliath from his body with Goliath's sword.Ignore the resources at your disposal and begin to expect things to walk in your favor. Begin to expect good things to come your way in life. Remember your expectation will not be cut off. With your expectation you can make your dreams become a reality.

ACTION POINT: Begin to expect good things to happen to this year.

WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED

 Gen 16, Matt 15, Neh 5, Acts 15

Luke 13:12 and when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.

BIBLE STUDIES: Luke 13:11-13

God does not make people sick or put them in bondage to test them. James 1:13 says for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. God does not use trials and tribulations to tempt His children. It is the devil that brings sickness or challenges. He is responsible for every theft, death and destruction, John 10:10. In our bible studies, we read the story of the woman who was bent over and could not fully straighten herself for eighteen years. To bend over for just an hour is very painful talk less of been bent over for twenty- four hours. She was in that position for eighteen years. Many of us do not appreciate the fact that we can stand upright, instead of been thankful we keep complaining to God. The last thing on the mind of this lady was marriage, promotion or financial breakthrough because she was in great pain. Standing was an issue for her, sitting was unbearable, lying down was worse. Asides the constant pain she was in, joy was a strange thing to her. Not only that, she knew unhappiness like the back of her hand. Many look forward to a great future, but this lady look forward to a future of pain because the pain increased with her age. While Jesus was preaching, He saw the lady and out of compassion He called and said “woman thou art loosed”; that marked the beginning of her healing.

There are certain questions we need to answer. Firstly, who said woman thou hath loosed from thine infirmity? It was Jesus. We receive salvation through Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 says for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Acts 4:12 says neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Not only that, all power in heaven and in earth has been giving to Jesus, Matthew 28:18. Philippians 2:10 says that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth , and those under the earth. The only One who can lose what the enemy has tied is Jesus. Luke 11:22-23 says a strong man guards his house and his goods are in peace but when a stronger man than he comes, he overpowers him , takes from him all his armor and divide his spoils. It takes a stronger man to overpower a strong man. Only Jesus can deliver those under the bondage of addictions, sickness e.t.c Secondly, who was the statement directed at? It was directed at a woman facing some challenges. The name of the woman was not mentioned which meant that it could have been anyone. Jesus could have been speaking to either you or me. Thirdly, what was the name of the infirmity or sickness or challenges? The bible did not specify it, which meant that it could have been any form of challenges- challenges in career, in finance , relationship , in business to mention a few. When we replace the word ‘woman’ with our name and ‘thine infirmity with our challenge, it becomes e.g. Jesus said unto him, Olusamuel thou hath loosed from every challenges in 2013. Go ahead and replace the word woman with your name and add whatever challenges you are going through. When you look at it from another angle, it becomes a prophesy “olusamuel thou hath loosed from every challenges”. Remember it is what God hears you say that He will do, Numbers 14:28.

CONFESSION: Your name (Olusamuel) thou hath loosed from every challenges in 2013.

GETTING THE ATTENTION OF GOD

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 15, Matt 14, Neh 4, Acts 14

1 Kings 18:38 then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 kings 18:31-39

There are several ways to get God's attention. One of it is by living a life of righteousness. Psalm 11:7 says for the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. Psalm 4:3 says but know that the Lord has set part for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him. Another way to get the attention of God is through giving - giving to the poor and the needy. Proverbs 19:17 says he who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given. Also supporting kingdom projects. Luke 6:38 says give it will come back to you, for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Another way is through prayers. James 5:16 says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

In 1 Kings 18:31-39, we see an effective way of attracting God's attention. After the whole nation had gathered, Elijah stepped forward, repaired the altar and began to Eulogize God. He began to call Him names like Lord God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Israel and before you know it, fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering. If you study the passage carefully, you will notice that Elijah did not even request for fire. According to Numbers 14:28, it is what God hears you say that He will do. If you call Him the great Physician, He will heal you. If you call Him the Help of the helpless, He will help you. Elijah knew this, so he started by calling God “Lord God of Abraham". According to Genesis 18:1-15, with the God of Abraham nothing shall impossible. The impossible happened because fire came from heaven and consumed the offering. He went further to call God "God of Isaac". According to Genesis 26:12-14, the God of Isaac is the God of steady greatness. The family of Elijah was nothing to reckon with in Israel. The bible did not even make mention of his family but from the moment fire fell; the whole nation began to look up to him. He now ended by calling God “God of Israel". According to Genesis 30:41-43 , the God of Israel is the God of exceeding greatness. Elijah ended up as the only man in history who rode on the chariots of fire. When you worship God, He gives to you what you did not even ask for. All Hannah asked for was a son, 1 Samuel 1:9-17. After she got the son, she praised God to the extent that God gave her another three boys and two girls, 1 Samuel 3:21.

ACTION POINT: The more time you spend worshiping God, the less time you will need to make your request known to Him.

TAKE NOW THY SON

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 13, Matt 12, Neh 2, Acts 12

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 22:1-19 The way God expresses His love is different from the way we express love. He does not like, He loves.

John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. He does not dislike, He hates. Proverbs 6:16-17 says these six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to Him; A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood. There are two levels of God’s love; there is the general love and special love. Under general love, He loves everyone – the good and the bad. According to Matthew 5:45, He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. This love costs nothing; all that is required is for you to take it. He gives light to everyone. He gives the rain even to farmers to who publicly confess that there is no God.

There is a higher level of love called special love. Those He specially loves enjoy special benefits. In 2 Kings 2:10-11, we see God sending a chariot from heaven to bring Elijah-His prophet home. God loved this man so much he did not want him to see death. When He wants to bless this group of people, He blesses them until their barns can no longer take the blessings. Take for instance the case of David in 1 Samuel 16:1, God told Samuel to fill his horn with oil and go and anoint him. The question is why fill a horn with oil just to anoint a man? Is that not wastage? The oil could have been used to anoint at least a thousand men. That is God for you. When He loves, He cannot stop giving. He anointed David with the Holy Ghost until his cup run over. Also this group of people enjoys special favors from Him. In Genesis 18:1-16, God Himself left heaven to come and eat in the house of His friend – Abraham. What is required of me to enjoy God’s special love? You need to love God. Proverbs 8:17 says I love those who me. John 14:21 says he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love, and will manifest myself to him. This special love cost something. It might cost you your time, resources or things special to you. That is why it is special. You will be required from time to time to demonstrate that you really love God. In Genesis 22:1-19, Abraham was required to demonstrate His love for God. God told him to go and sacrifice his son and he obeyed. Because he loved God, God loved him back and mightily blessed Him. Peter also demonstrated his love by leaving his fishing career and following Jesus and in return, God filled him mightily with the Holy Ghost to the extent that his shadow was healing the sick, Acts 5:15. I have always nursed the ambition of studying abroad but for one reason or the other it never materialized. During that period, our church was preparing for its annual convention and there was a lot of brick laying works been carried at the convention ground. I joined the brick layers and worked for free for Jesus. Few months after the convention, I found myself on the plane to abroad to go and study. I loved Him and He reciprocated the love back!

ACTION POINT: Demonstrate your love for Him today, by working for Him and watch Him deal with your channges.

HEARING FROM GOD

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 14, Matt 13, Neh 3, Acts 13

Amos 3:7 surely the Lord God will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.

BIBLE STUDIES: Jeremiah 42:1-22

God is still in the business of speaking to His children. He speaks through dreams, vision, prophesy, the bible. He speaks to our heart; He speaks in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13); He speaks in an audible voice and you hear him clearly as if you are speaking to a friend. He speaks concerning all issues. In Genesis 21:12, He spoke to Abraham about his marriage. In 1 kings 17:2-9, He spoke to Elijah about his sustenance in the midst of famine. He spoke to Isaac about where to live in Genesis 26:1-6. He told Gideon of his assignment to deliver his nation, Judges 6:11-40 e.t.c. If you want His input in that choice or decision you are about to make, why not go to Him today.

For God to speak concerning a matter or issue, there are one or two things that needs to be in place. First of all, if you want His input on any matter you need to go to Him. James 4:8 says draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Every time you go to God in prayers, He comes close to listen. Before we go to Him, we must make sure that we have dealt with whatever can hinder Him from speaking to us. The reason why we don’t actually hear from Him when we call on Him is sin. Psalm 66:18 says if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. How can God answer when He cannot hear us calling on Him? John 9:31 says we know that God heareth not sinners: but he does listen to anyone who worships Him and does His will. This is why if you are yet to give your life to Christ, please do so today and if you have giving your life and you are still living in secret sin, ask Him to forgive you and wash you in the blood of Jesus. Another thing that must be in place to hear from God is the readiness to do whatever He says whether it is pleasing or displeasing. If you are expecting him to always say what you want to hear, am afraid you are wasting your time. Long after Abraham had separated himself from Lot, he was expecting God to commend him or say something he wanted to hear. God told him “walk before me and be perfect “, Genesis 17:1 . That was the last thing Abraham expected but he listened and God visited him. Lastly be ready to wait on Him. God is no one’s servant and He is not obliged to answer you immediately. If you petition the president of your country or your boss in the office, he will reply at his convenience and you have no option but to wait. If you can wait for mere men, how much more the King of glory, King of kings and the Lord of Lords. The Most High is not a talkative; anyone who wants to hear from God must learn patience. In our bible studies, Jeremiah heard from God after ten days of praying and fasting. If you come to God in fasting and prayers and you do not hear from Him, do not get tired, come back to Him again. Been patient with God is profitable because once He speaks concerning any matter, success is guaranteed.

ACTION POINT: Put measures in place to deal with anything that might hinder God from hearing you this season.

KEYS TO UNLIMITED GREATNESS

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Gen 11-12, Matt 11, Neh 1, Acts 11

Jeremiah 29:11 for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

One of the questions we ask from time to time is what is God’s plan for our life? When the bible talks of an expected end, what is the meaning of an expected end? According to Joshua 1:8, the end God has promised for us is good success; to be successful in all endeavors. Good success to mean sustained success. To be the head always and never be the tail. The expected end according to 3 John 1:2 is for us to prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. I am not talking of prospering at the expense of our soul. I am talking of prosperity that comes as a result of living a life of holiness, a life sold out to God completely. Also the expected end is unlimited greatness.

Three of the most essential things that you must have so that you can have unlimited greatness are vision, health and power. Let’s look at them briefly. Firstly vision, Proverbs 29:18 says where there is no vision the people perish. Which means where there is no vision, nobody becomes great. The bible makes it abundantly clear that when we talk about vision, it is whatever you see that you can have. In Genesis 13:14-17, God said to Abraham ‘lift up your eyes and look from where you are –northward, southward, westward, and eastward’. He said ‘whatsoever you see I will give it to you’. He then said ‘let me help you further, I want you to get up and walk in the breadth of the land because the more you walk the more you see’. Vision is very crucial to unlimited greatness. Secondly health, even if you have great vision, without health you cannot achieve much. You can have vision of greatness but if you are sick, it will be just a dream. 3 John 1:2 talks about prospering and been in health. Because without health, prospering becomes difficult. Moses was able to successfully lead the children of Israel out of Egypt all because of good health. According to Deuteronomy 34:7, Moses at the age of one twenty was still strong and healthy. The bible records that even his eyes were not dim. Only the healthy can dream of becoming a mighty evangelist that will win a million souls for Christ. Only the healthy can dream of becoming the president of a nation or inventing things. Thirdly power, I am referring to the power that only God can supply. Unlimited greatness comes with a lot of responsibilities and challenges. Isaiah 40:30-31 says even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall. No matter how strong you are, you will get tired one day but the bible further goes on to say that those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Unlimited greatness will challenge your human ability; you need divine strength to cope. We need power to be witness for Jesus in the world. Acts 1:8 says you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Jesus in all areas of the world. Brethren to win a single soul for Jesus requires power talk less of winning a hundred or thousand or if you are greedy like me a million. According to Deuteronomy 8:18, we need power to get wealth.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I want to be great for you , please give me new vision, divine health and power.