CHRIST’S DOVES

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 22, Matt 21, Neh 11, Acts 21

Song of Solomon 6:9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, they praised her.

Songs of Solomon is a love song that allegorically pictures the church as the bride of Christ. The Shullamite is the church and the Beloved is Christ. As brides of Christ, we are His doves. We are expected to exhibit the characteristics of doves. What are the characteristics of doves? Doves are docile birds i.e. very submissive. As His doves, we are expected to be submissive to Him.James 4:7 says submit yourself to God. Not only to Him but to authorities also. 1 Peter 2:13 says submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme. According to Matthew 10:16 doves are harmless. As His doves we are expected to be harmless. Philippians 2:15 says that ye may be blameless and harmless, sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as light in the world. Another characteristic of doves is that they are humble. Been gentle is not humility. There are many gentle people with proud heart. Humility is a thing of the heart. As Christ's doves, He expects us to be humble. Psalm 138:6 says though the Lord is high, yet He respects the humble: the proud He knows from far. Doves by behavior are monogamous. While every other birds mate with any bird they see, doves sticks to only a partner all the days of their lives. According to Proverbs 6:32 anyone committing adultery or fornication lacks understanding , he may think he is having fun but he is actually destroying his soul . While dogs go around pleasing everyone, His doves are interested in pleasing Him alone. According to Jeremiah 48:28 doves make their nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth .For fear of birds of prey, she makes her nest in the side of a hole or cleft of a rock , that she and her young may be safe from them. His doves make their nest way from danger– pride, haughtiness, arrogance, self exaltation, fury and futility. Proverbs 16:18 says pride goeth before destruction, and haughty spirit before a fall.

The dove is a symbol of peace. Brides of Christ are expected to be symbols of peace not contentions or discord. 1 Corinthians 7:15 says God has called us to live in peace. Romans 14:19 says follow after the things which make for peace. We are expected to not to only seek peace but to pursue it, Psalm 34:14. The dove is also a symbol of purity. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness but holiness. Whiles pigs dwell in uncleanness - dirty environment, doves stay far away from anything that can stain their white feathers. His doves are expected not to only run from sin but everything that appears as sin, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 . When you look at the fruit of the spirit , love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness e.t.c you will notice that this are all character traits of the dove. His doves are expected to bear the fruit of the Spirit

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

THE KEYS OF DAVID

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 21, Matt 20, Neh 10, Acts 20

Revelations 3:7 and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; these things saith he that is holy, he that is true , he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

Keys are used to lock and unlock doors. When a door is locked, those that are in are prevented from coming out and those that are out are prevented from going in. Specific keys open specific doors. One of the biggest mistake we make today is we try the wrong keys on the right door expecting it work. You cannot try your car keys on the door to your house and expect it to work. The key to receiving a thing is asking for it. Matthew 7:8 says for everyone that asketh recieveth. The key to success is diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says the diligent shall stand before kings. Proverbs 12:24 says the hands of the diligent shall bear rule. The key to seeing God in action in our life is Holiness. Hebrews 12:14 says follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Also specific keys shut specific doors. The key to shutting the door on devourers is tithing, Malachi 3:9-11. The key to shutting the door on Satanic activities in our life is submitting to God and then resisting the devil,James 4:7. From studying Revelations 3:7, we see the possibility of a door been shut or opened regardless of what we do. Jabez was a diligent man but the curse on his life shut the door of success on him regardless, 1 Chronicles 4:9-11. The reason for the poverty in the life of the woman with the issue of blood was not because she loved sleep, Mark 5:25-34. This woman started life as a wealthy lady, but she spent all trying to get a cure for her illness. The mad man of Gadara was not sick as a result of sin, Mark 5:1-16. The reason for his mental illness was because he was possessed by wicked demons.

There is a key that opens all doors and shuts all doors. Not only that, when this key is used to open any door, the door remains permanently opened and when it is used to lock any door, the door remains permanently locked.This key is called the keys of David. The keys of David symbolizes power and authority. The possessor of the keys of David is Jesus Christ. Jabez ran to Him and the door of success was opened unto him. The woman with the issue of blood touched the carrier of the keys of David and received her healing. As mad as the demonic man of Gadara was, he recognized the carrier of the keys of David and worshiped him. I remembered when I was writing my final year project. Despite every effort I missed the dead line as my project authenticator was not around to sign off my project.The project deadline was Friday at 5pm. I got it signed off few minutes past five which meant i had to wait till the next semester. I ran to the One who possessed the keys of David and He opened the door of mercy to me.The next Monday morning I went to the submissions office and told them i wanted to submit my project. Without asking any question , the lady took it off me and gave me a receipt. If there is any door before you today, run to the Jesus and He will open it.

PRAYER POINT: Father , please open every door before me .

BY ASSOCIATION

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 20, Matt 19, Neh 9, Acts 19

Proverbs 13:20 he that walked with wise man shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Those we associate with can either move us closer to God or farther from God. They can either help our faith or the destroy our faith. Romans 10:17 says faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If we surround ourselves with people who have faith, our faith will definitely grow. To make a mark in life, one needs to associate with people who want to make a mark in life not time wasters or people without goals. Our association informs our perspective of life.It influences our confession, how we react to issues, even our commitment to God. Through association one can either become wise or foolish. There are two types of wisdom. There is the earthly wisdom and divine wisdom. It is the earthly wisdom that advocates sex before marriage or ensuring that the lady gets pregnant before taking her to the altar. The end of such wisdom is confusion and every evil thing, James 3:16. There is also divine wisdom. Divine wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord, Psalm 111:10. Divine wisdom is to fear God, Job 28:28. If you come across any professor or philosopher or genius who says there is no God, know for sure that such fellow is totally void of wisdom –earthly or divine. Psalm 53:1 says the fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’. Proverbs 8:13 says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil .According to Proverbs 16:6; it is by the fear of the Lord that men depart from evil. Those that are in possession of this divine wisdom do not play with evangelism. Proverbs 11:30 says he who wins souls is wise. Soul winning is not a choice. It is not negotiable. Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom i.e. soul winning is the principal thing. The question is why do I need to win souls for Jesus? Proverbs 3:35 says soul winners i.e. the wise shall Inherit glory. Not only that, they shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness e.g. those who invite people to church , like the stars forever and ever. This form of wisdom brings peace, James 3:17.

I want to become wise, what can I do? I am struggling in the area of soul winning what do you advise? I know it is right to fear God but for some reason I struggle when it comes to fearing God, please what can I do? The first step is to ask God who is the giver of wisdom. James 1:5 says if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not; and it shall be given him. The second step is to change one’s association. Proverbs 27:17 says it is only Iron that can sharpen Iron. Proverbs 13:20 admonishes that anyone who wants wisdom should associate with the wise. It is possible for a wise man to become foolish. How? By associating with fools. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says be not deceived, ‘evil communications corrupt good manners’. The greatest deception in the world today is the belief that we can change people. It is the Holy Spirit that changes people not men. If you are keeping unwise friends with an intention to change them later or you are in a relationship with an unwise person hoping to change them after marriage you are only deceiving yourself. People can change and people do change but it is advisable to go into marriage with the brother or sister who God has changed not who He is in the process of changing or planning to change.

ACTION POINT: Examine your present associations and check their effect on your walk with Christ. If they are taking you away from Christ , it is a sign that those association are not the best for you.

THE POWER OF DIALOGUE

 Gen 19, Matt 18, Neh 8, Acts 18

Isaiah 1:18 come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 13:6-10

Dialogue is the most effective way of solving or dealing with human relationship problems. The absence of dialogue breeds many problems. When you study the relationship between Lot and Abram , one thing you will notice is the absence of dialogue .From the moment Abram decided to take Lot with him in Genesis 12:5 to Genesis 13:7 where fight broke out between their herdsmen , the bible did not record any dialogue between them. The absence of dialogue between Abram and Lot led to strife between their herdsmen. Both parties were aware that the land was not able to support them because of their possessions, instead of talking about it they kept quiet. Because they kept quiet the relationship between the two began to suffer. One of the causes of problems in relationship is that people shy away from issues; before you know it the relationship begins to suffer. The absence of dialogue hinders the realization of the potentials in a relationship. The relationship between Abram and his cousin – Lot had a lot of potentials. In Genesis 14:1-6, we see one of the potentials when Lot got into trouble and Abram mobilized kings to come to the rescue of his cousin. Both parties would not have been able to realize this potential if they had not dialogued when there was strife between the herdsmen. The absence of dialogue also gives room to unhealthy assumption. Before any strife, there would always be give away signs that all is not well. Before fight broke out between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, there must have been give way signs that all is not well. Because there was no dialogue, they just assumed all was well between the herdsmen. The fact that people are quiet in a relationship does not mean they are happy in the relationship. Lastly, dialogue creates an atmosphere for providing lasting solutions to the problems at hand. The dialogue between Abram and Lot provided solutions to the problems between the herdsmen. Not only that, it also birthed a way forward. During the dialogue, a suggestion came up that the land should be divided into two: Lot will pick a portion and Abram will pick the other.

Humans are in existence today as a result of the dialogue between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:26. In Isaiah 1:18, we see the Almighty God encouraging a dialogue between Himself and man. He said ‘come now, and let us reason together’. Why would God want to dialogue with man? Because He understood the power of dialogue. From the day Abram and Lot sat down to dialogue, their relationship took a positive turn. From that moment onward, there was no record of any contention between them again; the bond between them grew stronger. In that relationship with your spouse encourage dialogue so as to ensure that everyone is happy. In that relationship with your children, encourage dialogue so as to know what they are going through and provide the necessary assistance. In that business relationship encourage dialogues to avoid assumptions.

ACTION POINT: In relationships, encourage dialogue.

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.