SACRIFICIAL OFFERING

MEMORY VERSE: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies, Genesis 22:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 11, Acts 15, Jer 24, Mark 10

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 22:1-18

Everything we have is giving to us by God. According to John 3:27, a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. It is important to know that God is not a beggar, Haggai 2:8 says silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts. Gold represents wealth and silver represents health. By taking a little out of the much He has giving to you to give an offering, you are simply saying God I appreciate you. One of the things that happen when you give God an offering is that, He reverses curses into blessing in your life. After the fall of Adam, God cursed the ground for his sake. A cursed ground cannot produce any result that was why God told Adam that he will sweat before he can eat(Genesis 3:19). This curse was very active until Noah offered a burnt offering and God said I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake, as from today there will now be seedtime and harvest (Genesis 8:20-22). The next time you hear offering time, know it is a blessing time.

There are different types of offering. There is the regular one we give during services and there is a sacrificial offering. Sacrificial offerings are not ordinary offerings; actually you need a strong faith in God to give one because it will cost you something. Such offerings will hurt your pocket or finance. They are not for everyone; they are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source that even though they give God all, they will never be hungry or lack anything good. There are many who confess that God is their source, but when it comes to sacrificial offering they begin to ask for grace. I pray the Lord will give you the grace.

The first thing I want you to know is that sacrificial offering reveals humility. What is humility? Humility is submitting to the will of God when you don’t feel like it or when it is uncomfortable or inconvenient. An offering that will cost you something is not a comfortable offering at all. At times before you give such offering, you will be wondering if you are doing the right thing because if people hear they might wonder if all is well with you. I am yet to meet a fellow who has regretted giving God a sacrificial offering. From our bible studies, we deduce that sacrificial offering provokes a response from God. After Solomon gave a thousand offering, God responded by asking him to ask for anything he wanted. When push comes to shuffle in my life and I need God to act, while praying and fasting I give a sacrificial offering, sir it has never failed me! Sacrificial offering provokes a divine response to your circumstances. As far as God was concerned, Abraham offered Isaac. God said by myself have I sworn for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall posses the gate of his enemies (Genesis 22:16-17). The sacrificial offering of Abraham provoked such a response from the Almighty. When you give a sacrificial offering, you become a blessing and also receive a trans-generational blessing.

KEY WORD: Sacrificial offerings are for those who are ready for a deep walk with God. They are for those who know deep within them that God is their source

AND THEY SHALL BE ONE FLESH

MEMORY VERSE: therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh, Genesis 3:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 10, Acts 14, Jer 23, Mark 9

How can two individuals from different academic background, family background, different cultures become one? How can two people with different mentalities, different life experiences, different perspective to life, different ambition, e.t.c become one? It takes more than flowers for them to become one. It definitely takes more than the chemical reaction in the brain or physical attraction for them to become one. It takes a lot of things like determination, patience, endurance and most importantly God.

When God created Adam, Eve was not there and when God created Eve, Adam was fast asleep so both of them had little or no knowledge of each other. When Adam met Eve, he had challenges understanding her and when Eve met Adam, she had a challenges understanding him also. The reason for this was that they were not created together or they were created differently. Yet Adam and Eve came together and became one despite these challenges. How did they do it? Despite the fact that there were challenges understanding each other and meeting the needs of each other, there was no record of God coming down to earth to settle fight between them, how did they manage to live in peace and harmony?

For two people to become one there are few things that need to be in place. For a brother and sister to become one there must be agreement between the two. Amos 3:3 says can two walk together except they agree? Many agree to come together but they do not agree to become one. When two people become one, my money becomes our money; my vision becomes our vision ; my resources becomes our resources, e.t.c. No one owns anything, everyone owns everything. Secondly, both of them must be humble. It takes humility for a woman to submit to her husband and it also takes humility for a man to love his wife (Ephesians 5:22-33). Thirdly, there must be communication. Communication is very essential because the only way to let the other party know how you are feeling is by talking about it. In a relationship don’t ever expect the other party to know how you are feeling, if you are not happy say I am not happy at least the other party knows and he can do something about it. Fourthly, there must be forgiveness. Disagreements are inevitable in relationships, people close to you will offend you but you must forgive or else bitterness will set in. Fifthly, praying and studying the bible together. The devil finds it very difficult to penetrate into a marriage where the husband and the wife are always praying together, studying the bible together, praying in tongues together e.t.c. sixthly, there should be no secrets. Openness and transparency in marriage helps unite couple together and build trust. Lastly, avoid third parties. One of the great dis-services you can do to your marriage is allowing a third party opinion in your marriage. The third party could be your friends or in-laws. Whatever happens in the relationship, settle it between yourselves. Once you allow third parties in your relationship, it becomes a union of three not two .Remember two is a company but three becomes a crowd.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the wisdom to run my marriage in a way that is pleasing to you.

QUICK TEMPER FRUSTRATES GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR LIVES

MEMORY VERSE: he that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of 
wicked devices is hated, Proverbs 14:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 9, Acts 13, Jer 22, Mark 8

As far as you are alive, people will annoy you. As far as you are living amongst men, people will irritate you. As far as you have dealings with people, they will offend you. The only way to avoid been irritated by humans is by living with animals in the thick forest. Even at that animals will irritate you for example, whilst you are enjoying your early morning nap birds will start singing and that can be irritating especially when you are tired. The shocking thing is you don’t have to offend people before they offend you. Not too long ago i heard a loud bang behind me so i looked back to check what was happening. When i looked back i saw a woman and a man by a car, the man looked at me and started running towards me. When he got to where i was standing , he began threaten to do me i.e. attack me. I have never set my eyes on this man before, never spoke a word to him in my life yet he wanted to do me. The devil is a liar.

If i was the type that get angry easily or get angry at every giving opportunity, i would have done something stupid and probably end up in jail. When you get angry easily or at every opportunity you may lose your destiny if care is not taken. Disagreement is inevitable especially with those you are close with. Many have landed themselves in hot water as a result of what they said or did in anger. I beg you in the name of God, never reply an email or text in anger because you may live to regret it for the rest of your life. I heard the story of a fellow who threatened his colleague in a text message. One thing led to another and the matter ended in court. The text message was used as evidence in court.

People who get angry easily end up destroying their future in advance. Proverbs 14:17a says he that is soon angry dealeth foolishly in other words a quick tempered fellow will behave in a foolish way. A host pastor invited two guest pastors to come and minister at their annual convention. He printed fliers and paid for radio jingles. Out of the blue one of the guest Pastor - Pastor A called and demanded that his name be removed from the flier and radio jingles. The disappointing thing was Pastor A gave no reason for not coming. The host pastor had to pay for another 5000 fliers and radio jingle. Anyone in the host pastor's shoes will be very disappointed. After the convention, the host pastor continued to be friends with Pastor A. Today that host pastor now owns a church building worth over a million courtesy of Pastor A. It was Pastor A who connected the host pastor with the estate agent who sold the church building. The question is what if the host pastor had called Pastor A after the convention and began to abuse him or swear never to greet him again for the rest of his life; would Pastor A have connected him with the estate agent?

PRAYER POINT: Father every spirit of anger in me; please drive them away by force.

THE DANGERS OF NOT BEEN ABLE TO SAY NO

MEMORY VERSE: submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you, James 4:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 8, Acts 12, Jer 21, Mark 7

As far as you are on planet earth, you will be required to say no from time to time. James 4:7b says resist the devil and he will flee from you. When you resist the devil you are saying no to the devil. You will be required say to no your children; you will be required to say no to your friends and family; you will be required to say no to your loved ones; you will be required to say no to your colleagues at work or school; you will be required to say no your business partners; you will be required to say no in the house of God; you will be required to say no to sleep or food. You will be required to say no temporarily or permanently. You will be required to say no to some pleasures of life if you want to grow spiritually. Many of the movies, soap operas, play stations games e.t.c, add nothing to our spiritual life.

In 1 Kings 13:8-28 is the tale of a man of God who had problems saying no. The Lord sent him to Bethel to deliver a message. He also warned him not to eat or drink. After delivering the message, the king invited the man of God to dinner. Instead of politely telling the king no, he began to tell stories – oh king, the Lord has warned me not eat or drink. The question is who asked him what the Lord told him? As soon as he began tell stories, the king said thank you and good bye. On his way back, a strange prophet met him and invited him for food. Instead of politely telling the prophet no, he went into stories again. The strange prophet noticed that this man of God had problem saying no so he told him that the angel of the Lord had sent him. One of the reasons why people don’t like to say no is because they don’t want to offend people. It is better to offend people and please God than offend God and please people. Anyway the man of God didn’t want to offend the prophet so instead of going back to God to check the story of the prophet he went in to eat and drink. After eating and drinking, on his way a lion met and kill him.

If you have problem saying no to people, you will end up offending God if care is not taking. If there is anyone you can’t say no to please God, friend you are in trouble because the devil may use that person to make you sin against God. The man of God decided to please the prophet instead of God because of his inability to say no. A woman of God once shared her story with us. She was invited to a function. As she normally does, she prayed about it and the Lord told her not to go. Because she could not say no to the host, she decided to go and spend only ten minutes. Immediately she stepped into the hall, she lost virtually all her spiritual gifts – gifts that she fasted and prayed for years for. 

KEYWORD – If you have problems saying no, pleasing God will be impossible

SOURCE OF PRIDE

MEMORY VERSE: And Samuel said when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? (1 Samuel 15:17)

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 7, Acts 11, Jer 20, Mark 6

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Samuel 15:1-23

What is pride? Pride is the opposite of humility. What is humility? Humility is seeing yourself as little in your own eyes. When you see yourself as little in your own eyes, submitting to the will of God becomes easy. When you consider yourself as little before the Most High, letting the will of God to take precedence in your life becomes easy. Since pride is the opposite of humility, pride can defined as seeing yourself as a big man or big woman in your eyes. One of the reasons why the proud always amount to nothing at the end of the day is that they become so big that no one can advise them. They become big to the extent that no one can correct them. One of the things to watch out for in courtship is does that brother or sister listens to correction? Another thing to check is there anyone the brother or sister respects and listens to? Make sure you know at least one person who can speak to that bro or sister and he or she will listen to. Never get married to a brother or sister who no one can correct!

The Lord through the mouth of Prophet Samuel gave an instruction to King Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites. When Saul got to Amalek, he destroyed all except the sheep, oxen and Agag the king. Not only that, his soldiers took spoils from Amalek. When the man of God came to see King Saul, he found out that Saul did not destroy all as instructed by God. King Saul had become a big man; he could now decide which of God’s instruction to obey and not to obey. King Saul wasn’t a proud fellow when the Lord anointed him king over Israel. He was so humble that he even listens to his servant. No wonder the man of God reminded him that when he was little in his own sight, God made him the head of the tribes of Israel. Because of pride, God dethroned him and anointed David as king.

Pride entered into King Saul when he began to see himself as a big man. This man saw himself as a big man because he was measuring himself by the people around. Matthew 5:48 says be ye perfect as God is perfect. Every time you measure your life by the life of people around you, you may be tempted to see yourself as a big man especially if the Lord has blessed you. The elders have a saying, in the town of the blind; a one eyed man is the King. When you measure your prayer life by the prayer life of those who pray for only 30 minutes you might be tempted to see yourself as a big prayer warrior especially if you are the type that prays for two hours. To avoid these, always measure yourself by God. If you measure your prayer life by the prayer life of Jesus who fasted for forty days and night, you will always see yourself as little in your own eyes.

KEYWORD: When you measure yourself by people around you, you may be tempted to see yourself as a big man but wh

HUMILITY AND PROMOTION

MEMORY VERSE: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Light, and he shall lift you up, James 4:10 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 6, Acts 10, Jer 19, Mark 5 

What is humility? Humility is not using ‘sir’ or ‘ma’ for everyone that comes your way. A lot of ‘hello sir’ and ‘hello ma’ are not from the heart.  The fact that a fellow is gentle does not mean he is humble. Eighty –five percent of those we think are gentle are only shy. Once they get into the midst of their friends, you know they are not gentle at all or if you mistakenly offend them you will see their true color. The fact that a fellow is quiet in the church does not mean he is humble. There are a lot of brothers who are quiet in the church but not the in the place of work. 

What is then humility? The first thing I want you to know is that humility is not an act but a thing of the heart. Humility is simply submitting to the will of God when you don’t feel like it. When you submit to the will of God in your mind, emotion, your body because you love God, then you are humble. Humility is submitting to the will of God regardless of the pain, inconvenience and so on. One the meekest man that ever lived was Moses. The Most High even testified of his humility. What did Moses do to earn such recognition? God sent him to Egypt to deliver a message to Pharaoh and he obeyed. Moses wasn’t a friend of the Egyptians at all; an average Egyptian wanted him dead for killing their brethren (Exodus 2:11-12). Not only that, the reason why he left Egypt in the first place was because Pharaoh was after him. He left because there was a price on his head. He left because he was number one on the most wanted list of criminals in Egypt. You will agree with me that everything in Moses did not want to return to Egypt but despite all he submitted to the will of God. At the end God promoted him, by the time we get to Exodus 7:1, the Lord had already made him a god over Pharaoh.

Another definition of humility is putting yourself in a lower position than you are for the will of God to be done. Humility is forgetting all your achievements, connections, money you have in the bank, your degrees and becoming nothing just for the will of God to be done. The most humble man the world ever knew was Jesus.  Despite the fact that He owned the whole world, He humbled himself to become like man and die a very shameful death just to give us eternal life. Colossians 1:16 said for by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be throngs, or dominion, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. Brethren, Jesus knew who He was when the soldiers stripped Him naked and began to beat Him with rods but he did not retaliate because of the will of His father. Jesus knew all things were created by him, and for him yet because of your salvation and mine, Jesus died the most disgraceful and shameful death on the cross of Calvary. He suffered the humiliation for three days but after that He was given a name that is higher than any other name that at the mention of the name of Jesus all knees must bow. 

PRAYER POINT- Father, please give me the grace to humble.

IDENTIFYING THE WICKED

MEMORY VERSE: little children, let no man deceived you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous ,1 John 3:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Judg 5, Acts 9, Jer 18, Mark 4

1 John 3:7 says little children, let no man deceived you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. Also beloved, a fellow that does wicked things is wicked, even as he is wicked. How do you identify the wicked? The wicked does wicked things. According to Leviticus 20:17, it is a wicked thing for a man to see the nakedness of his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter and vice versa. There are many young ones who peep through the key hole to see the nakedness of adults when they are in the bathroom bathing or in the bedroom changing. There are even some adults who are involved in such practices too. They go and peep through the key hole when the wife of the neighbor is taking her bath. Such adults need deliverance from the spirit of lust! Any child caught doing this should be seriously disciplined because before God it is a wicked act. And this goes to the Parents who dress in the front of their children. This is very bad! Don’t say they are young and you permit them into your bed room when changing. This is unacceptable!

It is also a wicked thing to take advantage of the poor. Psalm 10:2 says the wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor. You are married woman, every time there is a misunderstanding between you and your husband you refuse to cook at home to teach him a lesson. This is a wicked act! You call yourself a spirit filled Christian and every time there is a misunderstanding at home you refuse to fulfill the duties of a wife to her husband. Sister that is wickedness! You are an evangelist, every time there is a misunderstanding at home just to punish your wife you begin to fast so as not to eat her food or fulfill the duties of a husband to his wife. Bro that is wickedness! There is nothing wrong in fasting but don’t embark on fasting to punish your partner.

One way to identify the wicked is they borrow and never pay back. Psalms 37:21 says the wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. The wicked borrow and never put measures into place to pay back what they have borrowed. If the lender calls them on the phone they ignore the call. They will not call back and when the lender calls at their home to check if all is well, they tell their children to tell the lender they are not home! Brethren no loving parents will ever teach his or her child to lie. If one way or the other the lender meets them and ask for the money or the item they borrowed, they get angry and begin to insinuate that the lender was rude to them. Some even go to the point of reporting the lender that he or she is disrespectful. It is wicked thing to dodge those you have borrowed things from.

ACTION: Repent from wicked acts and ask for mercy.