NEVERTHELESS NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE, BE DONE

MEMORY VERSE: saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done, Luke 22:42.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Josh 1, Ps 120-122, Isa 61, Matt 9

God has a will for every of His child. The Lord is a good God, He wants the best for every of His child. Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. God has a will for every aspect of your life. There is a place He wants you live. There is a job He wants you to do. There is a course He wants you to study at the University or vocation He wants you to learn. There is a particular person He wants you to marry. It is important to know His will for your life. If He wants a fellow to do catering and the fellow decides to go and study law, if care is not taking that fellow may struggle in the legal profession. I pray you will not struggle for life Jesus name, amen.

Before embarking on that project or business or course, know His will for your life. Don’t do things because everyone is doing it, it could be His will for them but not His will for you. Many a time His will differs from our will. The will of Isaac was to go to Egypt because there was great famine in the land but the will of God for Him was to stay in the land ravaged with famine, Genesis 26:1-3. Isaac stayed in the land and was mightily blessed by God. Whether you believe or not, seeking greener pastures is not always the solution to hardship. The solution is knowing the will of God for your life. At times the will of God may not appeal to our human sense of reasoning or logic. The logical thing to do was to go to Egypt where there was plenty of food but Isaac remained in the will of God, he became mightily blessed to the extent that a whole nation envied him.

When you allow His will to override your will, you will have reasons to thank God. Luke 22:42 says saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Jesus permitted the will of the Father, to override His will. Today He sits at the right hand of the Father. Not only that at the mention of His name, all knees in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth bows, Philippians 2:9-10. It is not advisable that you let your will override His will because the end result of such practices is not always palatable. The will of God for Jacob was Leah, but he preferred Rachel the younger and more beautiful sister. God did it in away where he ended up with Leah, but he tried to override that and ended up marrying both. Before you know it, Rachel started stealing and they began to call him a thief, Genesis 31:19-36. If not for God, Laban almost killed him for what Rachel stole. Jacob learnt the hard way but I pray this will not be yours in Jesus name.

PRAYER POINT: Father ,let your will be done in my life.

GOD DOES CHANGE HIS MIND

MEMORY VERSE: wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before for me ever: but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honor; and they that despise shall be lightly esteemed, 1 Samuel 2:30.

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 33-34, Ps 119:145-176, Isa 60, Matt 8

 

Malachi 3:6 says for I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. When God said I change not, what did He mean by that? It simply means He is the same i.e. His character remains the same. According to Hebrews 13:8, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The Character of God is love. His character is not informed by circumstances or events.This is why He gives rain to the just and the unjust. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Once God speaks it is as good as done. Psalms 33:9 says for he spake, and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast.

 

When you study the scriptures carefully you will find out that God changes His mind. Psalm 115:3 says but our God is in the heavens; He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. The same God, who said no, can change His mind and say yes. In Isaiah 38:1-5 God sent a prophet to tell King Hezekiah to put his house in order because he was going to die. When Hezekiah got the message, he went before the Lord. He said in heaven there are over a million angels praising You, on earth the numbers of those that praise You daily are few do you want to reduce the numbers by one ? The Lord told the prophet to return and tell the king that He has added an extra fifteen years to His days.Who says God does not change His mind?  Isaiah 48:22 says there is no peace for the wicked, says the Lord. The same God says in Ezekiel 18:27 if the wicked repents and changes his way, he will live. God changes his mind. He is sovereign; He can decide to show mercy.

 

God is sovereign.  He can change His mind and this is where we all need to be very careful. 1 Samuel 2:30 says wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house , and the house of thy father, should walk before for me ever: but now the Lord saith, be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honor; and they that despise shall be lightly esteemed. The same God who said Eli and his children will serve before Him forever changed His mind and said they will be beggars in His house. I pray this will not be our portion in Jesus name. It does not matter what promises God has made to you if you dishonour Him in any way, He can decide to put those promises on hold until you change. At times He can even withdraw His promises; I pray this will not be your portion in Jesus name.

 

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please bring those mighty promises of yours to pass in my life.

GODLINESS IS PROFITABLE

MEMORY VERSE: for bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, 1 Timothy 4:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 32, Ps 119:121-144, Isa 59, Matt 9

Many have read and misunderstood the part a of 1 Timothy 4:8 which says for bodily exercise profiteth little. The bible does not say exercise is bad. Exercise is good because it helps controls weight; combats health conditions and diseases (stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and depression, certain types of cancers, arthritis and falls); improves mood; boosts energy; promotes better sleep e.t.c. Exercise is also good for pregnant women. It helps reduce pregnancy discomfort, prepare for childbirth, helps them sleep better, reduces stress and lifts their spirits. Exercise does help you sleep better and it improves your mood. 

1 Timothy 4:8 says for bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. Godliness is profitable now and in time to come. If you want your life to become profitable become like God. What is godliness? Godliness is becoming like God in nature, character and ability. When you give your life to Christ, God’s nature is put inside you. All born again Christians have God’s nature. Few have God’s character and fewer still have God’s ability. To become like God you need to have God’s character and ability. God’s character is love. 1 John 4:8 says God is love. 1 Corinthians 13 expands on love (God’s character) and this is a function of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). As the character of God begins to dominate your will, emotion and thought God will begin to entrust you with His ability.

God cannot entrust His ability to anyone who is yet develop His character. Having God’s ability without God’s character is like a baby with a sub machine gun; that’s disaster! Godliness is simply becoming like Jesus. John 10:30 says I and the Father are one. When Jesus was on the earth, He operated as a man not God. God is Omni-present and Jesus was not Omni- present when He was here. Jesus grew in wisdom and nature (Luke 2:52), but God does not grow. While He was on earth, He was stripped of His divine nature. The different between Jesus then and us now is that Jesus had the spirit without measure but we have the spirit with measure. This was why Jesus was able to do many things like work on water. Everyone has the potential to have the spirit without measure, even Jesus said we would greater works than He did, John 14:12. God will only entrust you with spirit without measure when you develop His character.

PONDER ON: The more like Jesus you become, the more profitable your life will become.

WHAT MOTIVE?

MEMORY VERSE: But the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart, 1 Samuel 16:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 31, Ps 119:97-120, Isa 58, Matt 6

One of the most abused bible verses in the scripture is 1 Samuel 16:7c -for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. Many a times when I tell brothers that it is not good for a Christian to fly the collar of his polo shirt because such is not befitting for kings which we are before the Lord (Revelation 5:10); 9 out of 10 the response is always God looks at the heart not the dressing. It is very true that the Lord looks at the heart but the bible also says that by Him actions are weighed, 1 Samuel 2:3. In other words just as He looks at the heart, He weighs the action too.

A woman was shopping in a mall when she noticed that her purse was missing. She looked around and could not find it. She checked everywhere, all to no avail. She began to panic, while walking up and down a young boy walked up to her and handed her purse to her. She was delighted and decided to check if anything was missing in the purse. On checking she exclaimed, before my purse was missing I had a 10 dollar bill but I now have ten 1 dollar bills! The boy said it is because the last time I found a purse, the lady told me she had no change.

Many today are like that boy who found the purse. The boy returned the purse because of the reward not because he cared. If the purse had been empty of dollar bills, he would have thrown the purse in the bin. He knew if he returned the purse with the ten dollar bill, the lady would only thank him and say sorry I have no change so he decided to exchange the ten dollar bill to ten 1 dollar bills .There are a lot of noble activities we do which are for the reward not because we care. Many give their life to Christ not because they want to serve God but because they want eternal life. The question I want to ask you is that in that place of work or school, are you working hard because you love the job or because of the reward which could be in form of promotion or other things. Why do you put so much effort into that ministry? Is it to bring souls to Christ or the reward? Is it because you love it when they call you sir or ma or because you are passionate for your maker? God only acknowledges those who serve Him because they care not individuals who serve Him because of the reward.

QUESTION: Are you doing that thing for the reward or because you are care.

WHEN HE CALLS

MEMORY VERSE: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, Matthew 11:28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 30, Ps 119:73-96, Isa 57, Matt 5

BIBLE STUDIES: Mark 10:46-52

The essence of God’s call is to make your life better not to make it worse or boring. The Lord called Aaron to the office of the priest to beautify him. Exodus 28:2 says and thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and beauty. The proposed garment clearly reveals God’s plan for Aaron. He did not call him to the office of a priest to make his life miserable or poor. He called him simply to beautify him and take glory over his life. The next time the Lord calls you to do something whether to serve or give something, do not hesitate because His intentions are noble and they are to beautify you. Remember the name of the Lord will not be glorified when you fail, so He will ensure at all cost that you succeed.

Jesus was passing by Jericho when He heard a man screaming at the top of his voice, ‘Jesus , thou son of David , have mercy on me’, Mark 10:46-52.Jesus knew from the way the man was screaming that this man was tired of his current situation and the bible says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Romans 10:13. Jesus stood still and commanded them to bring the man. When the man heard that Jesus was calling him, he immediately threw his garment away and ran to Jesus. Although Bartimaeus was blind he was very wise, he knew that you do not go to the presence of kings with tattered rags talk less of going to meet the King of kings so he quickly threw his old garments away.

The Lord has called many and He is still calling. Matthew 11:28 says come unto me; all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The reason why you cannot see any visible changes in the situation or life of many who had heed the call is because they refuse to cast away their old garments i.e. the life of sin. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. Once you give your life to Christ, you need to live a life of holiness. The clubbing every Friday and Saturday night must stop; the little white lies must to stop; the deals in the office that your manager must not know about must stop; even that sexual relationship with that sugar daddy or sugar mummy or boy friend or girl friends must stop; whatever is not befitting for a child of God has to stop once you give your life to Christ.

QUESTION: Are you still wearing your old garments or you have cast them away?

WONDERS OF HIS VISIT

MEMORY VERSE: and when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him, Exodus 34:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 28, Ps 119:25-48, Isa 55, Matt 3

What is a wonder? A wonder is someone or something that amaze people. A simpler definition of a wonder is anything that makes you wonder. One of the names of our Lord is Wonderful, Isaiah 9:6. Wonderful means full of wonders. Our God is full of wonders. Everything about Him is a wonder. He created the heavens and the earth. The heaven is a wonder and the earth is wonder too. It is cold in one part of the world and at the same time hot in another part of the world. It is morning in one part of the world, afternoon in another part and midnight in another part of the world all at the same time. God is indeed wonderful.
Everything the Lord does is a wonder. When He visits a fellow or a family, that fellow or family becomes a wonder. If you don’t believe check the story of Sarah, Genesis 18. It would be an understatement to say Sarah was barren because at the age of ninety her womb was stone dead. After the Lord visited her, Sarah became a wonder. For a ninety year old woman to nurse a child, that is a wonder! Everyone who saw Sarah knew the Lord had paid her a visit. If you see anyone boasting that He has received visitation from the Lord, they are probably prophesying. You don’t have to open your mouth before people will know that you have encountered the Most High God.

This was the case of Moses. Immediately He returned from the presence of God the whole nation knew that Moses had seen something no eye had ever seen. Exodus 34:30 says and when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. Moses did not tell anyone what he saw, when people saw the skin on his face shining like the Sun, they put two and two together and came to the conclusion that Moses was in receipt of a visitation from the Bright and Morning Star. Only a visitation from God is needed to transform you and your situation around. How did Saul a sworn enemy of Jesus become a disciple of Christ? A divine visitation .The man who was going from synagogue to synagogue to arrest believers suddenly became an evangelist because the Jesus Christ visited him on his way to Damascus. Paul later became a wonder; demons saw aprons that had touched the skin of Paul and they began to run, Acts 19:12.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please visit me today so that I will become a wonder in these generation.

SONGS OF FOOLS OR REBUKE OF THE WISE

MEMORY VERSE: it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools, Ecclesiastes 7:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 27, Ps 119:1-24, Isa 54, Matt 2

The friends of the wise are always wise. Proverbs 13:20 says he that walketh with the wise shall be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Not only that, a wise fellow circles himself with people that will tell him the hard truth not people that will tell him what he wants to hear. A wise fellow is always wary of people who flatter him. First of all, the wise don’t use flattery. Job 32:21-22 says I will not show partiality to any man or use flattery toward any person. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away. If I were you I will stay far away from people who use flattery. Proverbs 29:5 says a man who flatters his neighbors spreads a net for his feet. Wise sisters will watch out for brothers who use flattery.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 says it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the songs of fools. The problem with many is that they do not want to be told off, they prefer sweet lies to bitter truth. The rebuke of the wise will save you a lot of embarrassment and shame. It will help you fulfill God’s plan for your life. Naaman received his healing because of the rebuke of his wise servant, 2 Kings 5:2-15. At first he became furious because the man of God told him to go and dip himself in river Jordan 7 times. As he was about to leave, his servants told him that if the prophet had asked him to do something harder he would have done it, so why not just obey the simple instruction of the man of God. He listened to his servant and he was healed.

Uzziah on the hand surrounded himself with fools, 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. He walked in to the temple to burn incenses – something which was abomination for anyone who was not from the descendant of Aaron. Instead of his servants to warn him, they kept on saying long live the king. They kept on reminding him that he was the king of the land and whatever he says was final. When the priest were warning him , the followers kept on reminding him that he was the king and kings do not take orders from anyone. Since he would not listen, the Lord disciplined him and he became a leper. I pray that you will not end up like Uzziah in Jesus name. The psalmist says let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head, Psalm 141:5. The rebuke of the wise may be harsh and unpleasant but there is a safety in it.

PRAYER: Father, please give me the grace to turn at the rebuke of the wise.