SOW THE SEED

MEMORY VERSE: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit, John 12:24.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 2, Ps 83-84, Isa 29, Jude 1

It is compulsory for every born again Christians to evangelize. A believer who does not evangelize is simply not a friend of Christ. Matthew 12:30 says He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. A believer that is not evangelizing on a regular basis is not fulfilling the terms and conditions of his salvation. John 15:16 says ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Seed sowing and evangelism are very similar. There are one or two things you need to understand about evangelism. Firstly, just as it is God that makes things grow, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts and saves a fellow. Our role as believers is to witness and do follow up, it is the role of the Holy Spirit to perfect the work of Salvation. Souls are not won by spiritual gymnastics or what you say, they are simply won by the Holy Spirit. Souls are not won by multitude of words or social skills; they are won by the Holy Spirit. You do not need any skill to win souls for Christ; all you need is the Holy Spirit and your willingness to be used by God.

Secondly, just as seeds don’t grow in a day don’t expect people to give their lives to Christ the same day you preach to them. It takes a bit of time and continuous watering for a seed to grow. It takes prayers and follow -ups for a fellow to be saved. All Christ expects from you is to witness, leave the rest to Him. A brother was taking drugs in a lonely place on top of a hill, when the seeds of evangelism that had been sown into his life began to grow. From nowhere the thought about whether Christ was really alive or not came into his heart. Immediately he felt the mighty presence of the Jesus and began to cry. That same day that brother gave his life to Christ and stopped taking drugs. There is no one who the Lord cannot saved, if the Lord can save that drug addict on that hill He can save any soul. Don’t lose hope over that family member or colleague or friend who despite all efforts has refused to give his or her life to Christ. There was a brother who virtually all of us had preached to (talking of people around him) but refused to give his life. This brother wasn’t really interested in the church because of his past experience with a fake pastor. At a point we all lost hope but one day something happened and I witnessed to him again and within 2 minutes this brother gave his life to Christ. Today he now attends church after a 15 year break from church. The seeds we had all sown into his heart germinated.

ACTION POINT: Nobody is too lost to be saved , just witness to them and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY

MEMORY VERSE: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, Exodus 20:8.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 1, Ps 81-82, Isa 30. 3 Jn 1

BIBLE STUDIES: Exodus 20:8-11

One of the questions people ask is when is the right day of worship – Saturday or Sunday? Saturday is the 7th day of the week and it is obviously the Sabbath day, why worship on Sunday? There are one or two things you need to know about the Sabbath day. Firstly, Sabbath means rest. Remember the Sabbath day simply means don’t forget to take a day off. The reason why God rested on the seventh day was not because He was tired. According Isaiah 40:28, He never grows tired or weary. He rested to emphasize to us the need for rest. Working seven days a week will not necessarily make you rich. Proverbs 10:22 says it is the blessings of the Lord that brings wealth. According to 1 Corinthians 3:7, it is the Lord who gives increase. It is important to rest to avoid burn out or fatigue.

Secondly, you are to keep the Sabbath day holy. Keep it holy simply means to set it aside from all other days as special. The rest is not to be aimless rest, but God-centered rests i.e. focus on the holy God. Thirdly, the holy rest day should be one out of every seven. Exodus 20:9 says six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. There is nowhere in the bible where it says that the Sabbath (‘rest day’) has to be the last day of the week or the first day of the week. The concept of weeks is not even mentioned. The command is simply work six, rest one. Every seventh day should be a Sabbath.

Why do Christians now worship on Sunday? Sunday worship started with the early church. The reason why the church came to count the first day of the week as her day of rest and worship is that the Lord of the Sabbath(Jesus) rose from the dead on the first day of the week (John 20:1). Just like the work of the first creation was finished on the seventh day of the week, the work of the new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:10) was finished on the first day of the week by the resurrection of Jesus. So from the very earliest days Christians have set aside the first day of the week as their usual day of rest and worship. The disciples of Jesus and even Paul worshiped on Sunday. Acts 20:7 says and upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight. Another instance of Sunday worship is also recorded in 1 Corinthians 16:2.

NOTE: Colossians 2:16-17 says let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holy-day or of the new moon, or the Sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. A shadow is a representation cast by light of an object that has substance. The shadow is not the real thing. Jesus Christ was the substance of what these shadows represent. Jesus is the real thing, He is the key to salvation not Sabbath days or new moon.

BEFORE THE MOUNTAINS WERE BROUGHT FORTH

MEMORY VERSE: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God, Psalm 90:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 36, Ps 80, Isa 28, 2 Jn 1

Mountains refer to challenges or problems. Mark 11:23 says for verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. The mountain referred to in this verse is a rock physically and challenges spiritually. Who is God? According to Revelations 11:17, He is the Lord. Not only that He is the Almighty i.e. All powerful, He was in the past and He is today; He will continue to be (Hebrews 11:8). Who is God? The One who with nothing is impossible, Luke 1:37.Isaiah 9:6 says He is mighty i.e. full of power. 

Psalm 90:2 says before the mountains were brought forth, or thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Long before you were born, long before you knew your left from right; long before that situation that seems impossible came about the One who with nothing is impossible has been on the throne. This is why you need not to entertain fear when you face challenges because long before those challenges, the One whose word is like a hammer that breaks rocks into pieces has been. Because He has been existence long before that challenge, He knows the root or foundation of that challenge. All He needs to do is go to the root and uproot it so that another will not grow again.

When you face challenges all you need to do is pray to God and have faith, I guarantee you that challenges will disappear. Mark 11:24 says therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Do not allow the enemy to rob you of your sleep! The only thing God expects from you during challenges is you send Him a knee-mail i.e. go on your knees and thank Him for the things He has done in the past; tell Him about what you are going through and round it off by telling Him what you want Him to do about it. As far as there are no hidden sins, as far as you are not bearing animosity against anyone I give you this assurance that God responds rapidly to knee-mails. If there are hidden sins just repent of them and ask Him to forgive you. If there is a brother or sister you have a thing or two against, call them and settle whatever it is between you. After this go on and send your knee-mail.

ACTIONS POINTS: The time of challenges is not the time to ask questions. It is the time to send a Knee-mail.

GLORIFYING GOD

MEMORY VERSE: Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God, Psalm 50:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 35, Ps 79, Isa 27, 1 Jn 5

Anyone can praise God. Anyone can decide to sing a special song when God has just done something big in their life. Anyone can decide to give God a special offering especially when God does the unimaginable in their life. I read on a Facebook page called Testimony board, the mighty thing the Lord did in the life of a sister. The sister was employed as a cover for a month. One way or the other the Lord turn this one month contract into a two years contract and this two years contract turned to a permanent contract. If the Lord does such thing in your life or in the life of someone close to you, you will definitely praise God.

Psalm 50:23 says whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God. When you study this verse very well, you will notice that the Lord was not actually referring to those that praise Him when something good happens to them or when all is well. He is referring to those that praise Him in difficult situations or when things are not going as planned. An example of this is found in Acts 16:25-34. Paul and Silas found themselves chained inside prison. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves they began to offer praise to God. Although these men were in bondage they sang like free men. While they were singing the Lord sent an earthquake that shook the prison and the chains fell off.

When you ignore your problem and praise God, you are glorifying Him. When you glorify God, He will take on those things that are troubling you. Two mighty nations - Ammonites and Moabites came to trouble a small city called Judah, 2 Chronicles 20:1-24. Jehoshaphat led a team of choirs and some instrumentalist to war against them. As they were praising God, the Ammonites and Moabites began to fight each other. Before you know it, the whole place was littered with the dead bodies of the enemies of Jehoshaphat. Two hours to a very tough exam, the Holy Spirit led me to praise God. The songs did not flow but I tried to sing as many songs as i could. Ten minutes into the exam, the hall was empty because the questions came from a past paper none of us had studied. I did the best i could with the help of the Holy Spirit and at the end i passed.

KEYWORD:  During challenges praise God more.

REACT NOT IN ANGER

MEMORY VERSE: he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city, Proverbs 16:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 34, Ps 78:39-72, Isa 26, 1 Jn 4

The wise rarely react in anger because wrath is cruel and anger is outrageous, Proverbs 27:4. Not only that, anger resides in the lap of fools, Ecclesiastes 7:9. Reacting in anger increases your chances of making a bad decision. In 1 Samuel 14:25-45 Saul out of anger sentenced his son (Jonathan) to death because he licked honey. Thank God for the people who rescued Jonathan from his hands. Making a bad decision as a result of anger can be very fatal. I heard the sad story of a man who paid the ultimate price for the wrong decision he made out of anger. He saw his brother surrounded by four police men. Instead of approaching the policemen to ask questions, he got very angry, grabbed a club and ran towards the police men. One of the policemen saw him running towards them with a big club and shot him in self defense. Sadly this man did not survive the shot.

Reacting in anger can cause you to lose valuable things. In Exodus 2:11-15 Moses saw an Egyptian beating up a Jew. Of all things to do in the world, Moses killed this Egyptian and buried him. This single act turned Prince Moses into a vagabond in the desert. Also reacting in anger only complicates a matter not settle it. Because Saul disobeyed God, Samuel decided to path ways with him, 1 Samuel 15:24-28. As Samuel turned to leave Saul out of anger grabbed his garment and it rent. Because Saul rent the garment of prophet of God, the Lord rent the kingdom of Israel from his hands. Reacting in anger can also cost an individual God’s plan and purpose for his life. God’s plan was to take Moses to the promise land. Moses could not because he reacted in anger, instead of speaking to the rock he struck it twice and the Lord decided to replace him.

An important reason why you should not react in anger today is because your reaction could be used against you tomorrow. Because Moses reacted in anger and killed the Egyptian, at the end he became a murderer .After the death of Moses; Satan used the death of the Egyptian against Moses but thank God he did not succeed, Jude 1:9. Proverbs 16:32 says he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city .This is the main reason why you must run from people that are advising you to react in anger. Rebuke that spirit that is asking you to care less about the consequences and react in anger.

PRAYER POINT : Father, help me to rule my spirit.

WATCH WHAT YOU CALL THAT CHILD

MEMORY VERSE: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold, Proverbs 23:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 33, Ps 78:1-38, Isa 25, 1 Jn 3

Names are very important. When you give a name to something, you are indirectly prophesying into the future of that thing. At birth Solomon was giving the name Jedidiah (which means the Lord’s beloved), 2 Samuel 12:25. The name was a form of prophesy into his life. The life of Solomon was synonymous with God’s love courtesy of his name. He asked for wisdom, and the Lord gave him wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Not only that, the Lord prospered him in all that he laid his hands on. The mother of a young man gave him the name Jabez at birth, 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.Jabez means pain. This name was also a form of prophesy into the life and future of this man. The life of Jabez was synonymous with pain courtesy of his name. No matter how hard he tried, wherever he finds himself something sorrowful or painful must happen there.

Sarah lived in sorrow virtually all her life because she had no child. She tried to have children through Hagar-her slave, it back fired and she suffered humiliation in the hands of Hagar. One day she and her husband hosted the Most High God and everything changed. A year later she gave birth to a boy and gave him the name Isaac which means laughter. Do you know from the day Sarah called her son Isaac till she died, she never wept over him ? Even when the Lord told Abraham to offer Isaac as sacrifice, the Lord had to provide a ram in the place of Isaac because Sarah had prophesied into the life of her son that she will always bring him joy and laughter not pain.

As parents you need to be careful of the names you give to your children because those names are a form of prophesy into their future. The names are not only prophesies into their future but your future too because your children are your future. You need to watch what you say into their lives or what you call them when you are angry. Whatever you say into their life in anger or call them in anger are all prophesies. According to Numbers 14:28, whatever God hears you say is what He will do. As a good parent out of anger don’t call your child a good-for-nothing boy or a useless girl or a worthless child or any other bad name. As teachers in school or nannies please watch the names you call your wards. Don’t out of anger call them names that will destroy their future.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please cancel the effect of every negative names in my life.

THE CALLED AND THE CHOSEN

MEMORY VERSE: For many are called, but few are chosen, Matthew 22:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Num 32, Ps 77, Isa 24, 1 Jn 2

Matthew 22:14 says for many are called, but few are chosen. Who does the calling? Jesus Christ. Who is He calling? Everyone. What is the purpose of the call? The purpose of the call is to invite you to a dinner with the Almighty. Revelation 3:20 says behold I stand at the door , and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me. Why do you need to dine with the Almighty? Well in the presence of God is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore, Psalm 16:11. Those that have received the invite to come and dine with Him are THE CALLED.
I have always wondered why God will call so many and chose only a few. The number one reason why He chooses a few is because He is God and He decides who He wants to dine with. The number two reason why few are chosen is because there are certain criteria that must be met before an individual is chosen to dine with the Almighty. Sadly not many are ready to meet these criteria; the few that meet these criteria are those He chooses to dine with.

To dine with the Almighty you must be a true child of God. There is a big difference between professing to be a child of God and been a child of God. Romans 8:14 says as many as are led by the Spirit of God; they are the sons of God. A child of God is led by the Spirit of God because He is born of the Spirit (of God). The Holy Spirit will not lead anyone to disobey the word of God. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to dress in a sensual way. He will rather lead you to dress in decent and appropriate clothing not in clothes that attract attention (especially from the opposite sex). The Holy Spirit will never lead you to call blue, black or call A, B. He will always lead you in a path of righteousness. The children of God are THE CHOSEN. The following are true of THE CHOSEN: (A) they love God, 1 John 5:1. To love God means to keep His commandments, John 14:15; (B) secondly they love their neighbors, 1 John 4:7 i.e. they live in love; (C) their affection is towards the things of God not things of the world,1 John 5:4 and (D) they live a life of holiness,1John 3:9.

PRAYER POINT: Father please baptize me with Holy Spirit and Fire.