CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION PART 2

MEMORY VERSE: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, Exodus 19:5 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 15, Ps 51, Isa 5, Heb 12 

What is promotion? Promotion is simply a movement from a level to a higher level. What are the sources of promotion? They are humans, the devil and God. Humans most of the time promote for their own agenda or selfish gains. As far as there is something in it for them, they will promote you. The day they find out that you are no longer useful they bring you down and promote someone else. Thank God for real children of God - they never engage in this type of practices. A man can only lift you as high as his human hands can reach in other words when humans promote you, your promotion is limited. Humans can only offer you temporary promotion, the day your promoter goes down you go down. The devil can also offer what seems like a promotion but it is a regression in disguise. He gives promotion and steals your peace or gives an apple but inside that apple are deadly worms. The only true source of promotion is God. While the devil’s promotion comes with sorrow, God’s promotion comes with no sorrow added. Proverbs 10:22 says the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. 

Men don’t need any criteria to promote you because at the end of the day, they are the one to benefit from your promotion. For a fellow to be considered for promotion by God, that fellow needs to meet certain criteria. Firstly, he needs to be willing. Isaiah 1:19 says if ye be willing and obedience, ye shall eat the good of the land.  Secondly, he needs to be diligent and hardworking. God considers a lazy fellow as a waster of resources. Proverbs 18:9 says he also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Proverbs 12:27 says slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting. There is a slang that lazy people use, they say let us waste time. How can you waste time? You can’t waste time because time waits for nobody! 

The third criterion for promotion is Holiness which is also obedience to God. Obedience reveals love. John 14:15 says if ye love me, keep my commandments. Every form of promotion from God requires holiness. All the promises the Lord made to the children of Israel (and we are spiritual Israelite), came with a condition which is ‘if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments’ which also means obedience to God. In Deuteronomy 28:1 He says obey Me and I will set you high above all nations of the earth; Exodus 19:5 – obey Me and you will be my special treasure; Exodus 15:26- obey Me and I will heal you; Exodus 23:22 – obey Me and I will be an enemy to your enemies; Isaiah 1:19 – obey Me and you will eat the good of the Land e.t.c. All His blessings come with this condition. A fellow, who is not obeying God, is just undoing himself. You can bring all the sacrifice in the world , even an offering of a billion dollars, without obedience the Lord will tell you to take away your money.1 Samuel 15:22 says to obedience is better than sacrifice. Half obedience is no obedience. He demands full obedience. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, the grace to obey you fully please give to me.

CRITERIA FOR PROMOTION

MEMORY VERSE: Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine, Exodus 19:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 14, Ps 50, Isa 3-4, Heb 11

John 3:27 says a man receives nothing except it be given from heaven. If the Lord has not given you a thing, and you lobby to get it or use your contacts and connections to get that thing, at the end you will regret that you had that thing. If the Lord has not given you a brother or sister or you have not gotten a go ahead from God and you try to woo the sister or brother with gifts or favors, you might end up marrying the brother or sister but at the end you would wish you never met the brother or sister. That is why it is important to wait on God on all things. There are different types of promotion, we have spiritual promotion where the Lord adds to your spiritual gifts or give you assignments. We also have promotion in marriage where a single brother or sisters get married. We have promotion in business, at work, health e.t.c. whatever it is, as far as you are moving from a level to a higher lever it is promotion. So when a fellow who used to use public transport buys a car it is promotion. When an individual who use to rent builds or buys his own house, it is promotion. When a fellow gets a degree it is also promotion e.t.c. Even when you join the group of workers in the church it is a form of promotion.

Psalm 75:5-6 says for promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from west, nor from the south but God is the judge: he putteth down one, and sitteth up another. Human beings can try to promote you but the day you offend them they will bring you down. The media can write good things about you as far as you play their games, the day you refuse to play their game they bring out a story and before you know it the fellow is down. Whatever it is that is promoting you, the day that thing goes down you will go down but thank God we have a God who can never and will never ever go down. There are certain basic criteria a fellow needs to meet before the Lord considers him for any type of promotion. The first criterion is willingness. Isaiah 1:19 says if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. For the Lord to do anything in a fellow’s life, He needs the cooperation of that fellow. God will never go against people’s will. Whether you believe it or not, not everyone wants to be promoted. Some of the reasons why many don’t like to be promoted are the responsibilities that comes with promotion which are more time required to spend in praying, fasting and studying the word of God.

Another reason why people don’t like to be promoted is because of the pity they get. There are a lot of people who love been sick because of the attention they get. I have heard the story of woman who love been sick because every time she was sick the husband would come home early. Once she gets well, the man will return to his former ways and come home late at night. Many love been sick because of the attention they get from people. They just love it when everyone is telling them sorry. Another reason why people don’t like promotion is because they love to be invisible. Promotion puts you in the lime light because people will see what the Lord is doing in your life. They love to operate in the background where nobody knows them. Isaiah 60:1 says arise and shine for the light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. Light is not invisible but visible. One of the biggest deceptions from the pit of hell is that to be humble, you need to be invisible. Some don’t want promotion because they won’t have reasons to complain. They love it when they have someone to blame for things that are not going well. Lastly one of the biggest reasons why people don’t want promotion is because of what people will say. They believe if they buy a new car people will complain or if they buy a new house or if something good happens to them people will talk about them. Whether you are making progress or not people will talk about you.

PRAYER POINT; Father please rid of every mentality that is closing the door of promotion on me.

PRICE OF ADULTERY & FORNICATION

MEMORY VERSE: But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house, Judges 16:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 15, Ps 51, Isa 5, Heb 12

BIBLE STUDIES: Judges 16: 19-21

The first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word ‘adultery’ is a married man or woman engaging in extra-marital affairs. The same happens when we hear the word ‘fornication’, we immediately think of a single brother or sister engaging in sex. By God’s standard once a man looks at a woman lustfully, such man is already guilty of adultery, Matthew 5:28. You don’t have to talk to a woman to commit adultery at all, just by imagining her without her clothes on you are already an adulterer and the same applies to women too. Whether you believe or not, woman who put on materials that causes men to err or commit the sin of adultery have cases to answer before God because they are knowingly or unknowingly luring men to hell. Pornography , masturbation, phone sex , oral sex ,looking at pornographic pictures on papers or mobile phones e.t.c. are all classed as adultery and they carry the same punishment. There is another type of adultery called spiritual adultery also known as idolatry. Idolatry is when a man honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods, power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money e.t.c. 

When a man commits adultery whether physical or spiritual, such man pays a very high price for his actions. From our bible studies, we notice that six things happened when Samson committed adultery. Firstly the hedge around him was broken. Around every born again Christian is a hedge to keep the enemies away. Once a fellow commits adultery or fornication, that hedge that is meant to keep the enemies away is broken and that is disaster. Secondly, the philistine put out his eyes. Adultery plucks out an individual’s organ of vision i.e. eyes. One of the spiritual gifts people loose when they fall into fornication or adultery is the gift of dreams and visions. Proverbs 29:18 says where there is no vision; the people perish in other words inability to see spiritually leads to physical and spiritual death. Thirdly, they brought him down. Adultery reduces a fervent brother or sister to an ordinary Christian. It empties them of the fire of the Holy Ghost, praying becomes difficult, fasting becomes difficult, soul winning becomes difficult.

Fourthly, they brought him down to Gaza. Gaza signifies the head quarter of the enemy. Once a fellow falls into adultery the enemy grabs the fellow and brings down to the headquarters of the demons to spiritually torment him. Fifthly they bound him with iron. Once a man falls into adultery he loses his freedom, if he is a pastor he can no longer preach against adultery again. He will find it difficult to the look into the eyes of his wife. Not only that, he begins to live in fear of people finding out what he has done. Lastly, they made him grind in prison. Thank God for technology, while I was growing up before my parents could afford a blender I saw people grind pepper with grinding stone. Friends it is a struggle to grind things with your hands. Once a fellow falls into adultery, life becomes a struggle. One thing about struggling is that, the more effort you put, the less result you get. I pray you will never struggle in Jesus name. What do you do after falling into the sin of adultery? Go back to God and ask for forgiveness. After this I will advise you to go and speak to your pastor or a man of God about it who will counsel you. If you are married you need to confess to your partner. Proverbs 28:13 says he that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsake them shall have mercy. The confession is what the enemy uses to hold people from restoration, confess and repent so that the Lord can restore you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to stand to the end.

SECRET OF A BLESSED MAN

MEMORY VERSE: Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, not stands in the ways of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful, Psalm 1:1.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 14, Ps 50, Isa 3-4, Heb 11

BIBLE STUDIES: Psalm 1:1-2

Who is a blessed man? Firstly the word blessed also means happy. So a blessed man is a happy man. Secondly a blessed man is man whose life is absent of curses.
Leprosy is a curse. In Numbers 5:2, God commanded the Israelite that they should put out of the camp everyone who is leprous. Poverty is worse than a curse. Proverbs 14:20 says the poor is hated even by his neighbor, but those who love the rich are many. Proverbs 19:4 says wealth attracts many friends, but even the closest friend of the poor person deserts them. I pray that you will never encounter poverty in the mighty name of Jesus. A blessed man is able to meet his own needs and the needs of everyone around him. Not only that, he is able to meet the needs of many nations. Deuteronomy 15:6-7 says if you obey God and do what He says, He will bless and you shall lend to many nations. 

Today I will like to discuss the secrets of a blessed man. Firstly a blessed man watches his association. Psalm 1:1 says blessed in the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. To become a blessed man your association needs to change. Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friends. If you want to achieve anything in life move with achievers not people who don’t want to be responsible for anything. If you are an eagle don’t hang with chickens because chickens can’t fly. Proverbs 13:20 says he that walketh with wise men shall be wise in other words you will end up like those you walk with. You want to make it to heaven? Associate with those who are serious with their salvation. If you lie with dogs, you will rise with flies because dogs carry flies. Not only that your mentors needs to change. Your achievements will be at the level of your mentors. Hebrews 12:2 says looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the Joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Secondly, the blessed man has a relationship with the word of God.Psalm 1:2 says but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates days and night. It is impossible to prosper without a relationship with the word of God. Joshua 1:8 says this book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. What many of us do is we read the bible not meditate. There is a difference between reading and meditating. To meditate means to study, to ponder, revolve in mind, imagine, pray, reflect on, dwell on e.t.c. When you meditate you read a particular verse, pray about it, reflect on the same verse, confess it, memorize it, ponder on it until the Lord speaks to you about it. This might take you hours but it is profitable. The bible says you meditate on it day and night, which means you have to do this activity day and night. As you do this, the Lord will begin to give you insights and idea that will bring transformation in your life.

ACTION POINT: Devote time daily to meditate on the word of God.

RETURN TO YOUR DUTY POST

 MEMORY VERSE: Remember therefore from when whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent, Revelation 2:5.

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 12-13, Ps 49, Isa 2, Heb 10

 What are duty posts? They are the areas God has called you to function in the vineyard of God or your ministry. If you are or use to be an usher in the church, that is your duty post. Duty post could be ushering department, choristers, sanctuary keeping, prayer warriors, evangelism, counseling, e.t.c. Every true child of God has a duty post. No true child of God is a bench warmer; he or she must be doing something in the vineyard of God or functioning in one capacity or the other. When you study Isaiah 60:1 (arise and shine; for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee) carefully, God was giving an order to all of His children. The word ‘arise’ and ‘shine’ are verbs (doing words) meaning get up from rest and do something or get up and begin to shine in a department. What most people don’t know is that bench warmers are visitors in the eyes of God not sons and daughter. Visitors do not really business if the house is clean or not; they don’t care if there is food or not; they don’t care about the condition of the house; they don’t business about the progress of the house only sons and daughters worry about these things and get into action by becoming a worker in the vineyard of God.
 It is God that chooses people to take duty posts. John 15:16 says ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, he made give it you. You did not just get up one morning and become a worker; it is God that encouraged you to work for Him. Been a wise son or daughter, immediately He encouraged you, you became a worker in the vineyard of God. The reason why He encouraged you to be a worker is because He wants to bless you. He was just looking for an avenue to bless you that was why He pushed you. He also touched the heart of the man of God so that he won’t turn you down. If you are a worker, be grateful for the opportunity because there are countless numbers of people In the grave who would give an arm just to come back to life and work in the vineyard of God.

 Today the heart of God bleeds and He is highly disappointed with some of His children because they have abandoned their duty post. Because of work, have you abandoned your duty post? Because of business or marriage, have you abandoned your duty post as choir, usher, evangelist e.t.c? I besiege you repent today and run back to your duty post. Revelations 2:5 says remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly , and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Because of extra shift at work are you beginning to abandon your duty post once in a while? Are you considering quitting your duty post because of what your pastor said to you? Is it because of a disagreement with your group leader you are contemplating quitting? Or have you actually quit because of a reason or the other? As harsh as it may sound, you quit your loss! I know you are too wise and humble to abandon your duty post (God’s assignment) because of what someone said or did. I know that you love the Lord and He loves you, I know because of your love for Him you will go back to your duty post. Don’t worry the Lord is your strength.

 PRAYER POINT: Father, please continue to strengthen me to I can continually mine duty post.

THE UNCHANGEABLE GOD

MEMORY VERSE: For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 11, Ps 48, Isa 1, Heb 9


Heraclitus (Greek philosopher) once said nothing endures but change i.e. the only thing that is constant is change. Someone once said change alone is unchanging and that’s true. Everything in life is subject to change. Even the bible says to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, Ecclesiastes 3:1. Seasons change from spring to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter or raining season to dry season depending on the part of the world you are from. People change for example in Matthew 26:33-34, we see Peter boasting that he will never deny Jesus. By the time we get to Matthew 26:69-74, we see the same Peter swearing that he had never met Jesus. Circumstances also change, I have seen a man on death row become the president of the same country. I have read the story of Joseph who went from a prisoner to become a prime minister in a single day, Genesis 41:1—end. I have also read the story of a barren woman who became a mother of six, 1 Samuel 1:1-21.I want to assure that as far as you remain in Christ, things could and will walk in your favor.


The only One who does not change is God. Hebrew 13:8 says He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. He does not say ‘yes’ today and ‘no’ tomorrow like men. James 1:17 says He does not change like shifting shadows. If He promises to do something, He will do it; nothing can stop Him. According to Psalm 138:2, He exalts His words above Himself. If He promises to bless a fellow and that fellows goes into sin, He will still keep His part of the promise which is to bless the fellow but you can be rest assured that the sin the fellow committed will rob him of the blessing and he will end up with nothing. This is why we all need to run from sin because it hijacks and withholds good things from us, Jeremiah 5:25. If the Lord promises to do something for an individual and that individual doubts, God will still do what He has promised to do because He is faithful to His word but the enemy will block it and the individual will get nothing. The enemy will petition God and remind Him of 2 Chronicles 20:20 which says believe in the Lord your God, so ye shall be established. The enemy will then say this fellow cannot be blessed because he does not believe and has doubted God. In cases like this, God has no other option than to be faithful to His word.

The reason why a fellow living in sin can still manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit is because the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, Romans 11:29. Once He gives something to you, He does not take it away. What most people don’t know is that when you sin against God, you become naked like Adam and Eve which means you are exposed to any attack from the enemy. You might still be able to see vision and prophesy, but you are at the mercy of the enemy because that covering of God has left because of sin. Malachi 3:6 says for I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Do you know that the Lord does not change with time? It is man that gets civilized, God remains the same. His expectations during the bible days still remain the same. According to 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 , God expects every woman to cover their head when they are praying and prophesying, what makes you think it is suddenly okay today to pray with your head uncovered or walk into the church with your head uncovered? When a wife prays with her head uncovered don’t you know that such woman is embarrassing her husband in front of the angels? People might be doing it but is it biblical? Please read your bible and see God’s stand on jewelry, make up and trousers.


PRAYER POINT: Father, help me stop following the multitude to do evil.

THE LIVING HAS A HOPE

  MEMORY VERSE: For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. Ecclesiastes 9:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 10, Ps 46-47, Sng 8, Heb 8

In elementary school we learnt about living things and non living things. The difference between living things and non living things is that living things make decision. Plants and trees make decisions, one of the decisions they make is that they grow towards sunlight. Animals also make decisions; they purposely decide to move away from burning fire. There are three seasons in the life of a man – the past, present and future. Out of these three seasons we have control over the present, the past and future are out of our control. The most important of these three seasons is the present because we make decisions in the present i.e. we are alive in the present. After that, is the future because the decisions we make today affects our future. This is why Proverbs 22:29 says those who decide to be diligent today will sit before kings tomorrow (the future). Those who decide to be idle today will suffer hunger tomorrow (the future), Proverbs 19:15. To avoid a future of hunger, please get busy with your work or studies today.

The least important of these three seasons is the past. There is no one alive today who does not have a past. We all have past experiences – some of which are good and some of which are bad. We have all been let down and disappointed in the past. Many of us have been taken advantage of, and deeply hurt from events of the past. Some have made terrible mistakes in the past maybe in relationship or business or in career. Many have been abused in the past and molested by those who are meant to protect them. Friends I want you to know that we all have a past and we all have reasons to look back into the past. 

The past is considered dead. It is dead because we have no control over it. We cannot make decisions in the past and no matter what we do today, we cannot change the past. When you look to the past or think about it, you are just grasping the wind or chasing after shadows. Ecclesiastes 9:4 says for to him that is joined to all the living there is hope .Anyone that focuses on the past is joining his or herself to the dead. The dead has no hope of a better tomorrow, only the living has hope. Dwelling in the past is a step in retrogression. Looking back keeps you on the same spot for a long time. When you keep your focus on the past, it discourages you and stifles your initiatives. The reason for many depressions today is as a result of people failing to let go of the past. Do you know looking back prevents you from moving into the glorious future the Lord has for you? The only way out is for you to focus on the future and that is a function of the present. Change in circumstances is a possibility for those who focus on the future. Focusing on the future propels you to get into your future. Join yourself to the living today by dropping your past!

PRAYER POINT: Father I drop my past at your feet, and pick your future for my life.