WONDERS OF HIS TOUCH

MEMORY VERSE: and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel, 1 Kings 18:46

BIBLE VERSE: Josh 5, Ps 132-134, Is 65, Matt 13

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Kings 18:41-46

A wonder is anything that makes you to wonder. According to Isaiah 9:6 one of the names of the Most High is wonderful i.e. full of wonders. There are hands and there are hands. I want to tell you that not all hands are the same. The bible says and it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed, Exodus 17:10-13. The reason why Moses let down his hands was because his hands were aching; he was well over 80 years when this happened. The question is this since Aaron and Hur were standing by him, why didn’t they hold up their own hands when Moses let down his hand? Aaron was a priest and Hur was an elder so any of the two could have held their hands up and expect victory. These two elderly men knew that the hands of Moses were not ordinary hands or common hands. There is a hand far more powerful than the hands of Moses and that is the hands of the Almighty. Psalm 136:12 describes God’s hand has a strong hand.

When the Lord touches a life , that life becomes a wonder. In John 9:1-10 Jesus anointed the eyes of a blind man with clay and told him to go and wash it off. The man came back and everyone opened their mouths and could not close it. Bible scholars told us that the man was not only born blind; the man was born without eyes. This was why the disciples asked Jesus ‘whose sin it was for this man to born this way?’ Since Jesus was the creator, He made clay out of mud and anointed where the eye was meant to be. The man went to wash and came back with two pair of eyes. The whole neighborhood began to argue that it was not the man who was born without eyes. Just by virtue of His touch of Jesus, this man became a wonder within an hour.

When the Lord touches a fellow, the fellow begins to do wondrous things. In 1 Kings 18:41-46 the Lord touched Elijah and he outran the best chariot in Israel. Bible scholars said the distance between Mount Carmel and Jezreel was 17 miles. Elijah was not dressed in athletic gears neither did he have trainers on. He had never had athletic training and neither had he competed in such before. He was not a young boy but an old prophet of God. Now imagine such a man outrunning a chariot pulled by the best horse in Israel over 17 miles? That is a wonder!

PRAYER POINT: Father, please touch my life, business, relationship, finance, spiritual life with your mighty hand.

ACTIVATING THE POWER OF GOD

MEMORY VERSE: and it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them, Luke 5:17.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Josh 2, Ps 123-125, Isa 62, Matt 10

BIBLE STUDIES: Luke 5:17-26

In our bible studies is a story we all know. Jesus was teaching in a particular house and everyone came to hear him teach. The power of God was present to heal every sick man and woman in the gathering. While He was preaching some men with stubborn faith brought their paralyzed friend, they tried to come through the door but could not because of the crowd so they decided to use the roof. When they finally got their friends to Jesus, He told the paralyzed man to stand up and walk. The paralyzed men stood up and began to walk.

Anywhere Jesus is; the power of God is also there. This is because all power in heaven and on earth has been given to Him by the Father, Matthew 28:18. Anywhere the name of Jesus is mentioned, the power of God is present. This is why at the mention of the name of Jesus knees bow, Philippians 2:10. Every time we gather to pray, the power of God is present. Matthew 18:20 says where two or more gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them. 

On that day the power of God was present to heal everyone in attendance, Luke 5:17. The question is how come only the paralyzed man received his healing? The answer is only the friends of the paralyzed man activated the power of God through their faith. A generator has the potential to produce power for your appliances. For power to be generated you need to turn on the generator. The generator could be there for twenty years, if you do not turn it on it will not generate power for your appliances. You can pray for as long as you want,to activate the power of God in your life you need faith. Not too long ago I had a big challenge at work. I was suspended and invited for a final hearing. I had only 5 per cent chance of coming back. I remember the Friday before the Monday of my final hearing, I met one of my colleagues at work and he said ‘how far’? I told him I will back on Tuesday the day after my hearing. That is faith .Anyone in my shoes will be looking for jobs but I didn’t because I knew I will be going back.Even though defeat was guaranteed I told everyone I will be back and to God be glory I came back. 

TO PONDER ON: It is your faith that activates the power of God.

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?