APPEARANCE MATTERS

MEMORY VERSE: then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh, Genesis 41:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 12, Phil 3, Ezek 42, Ps 33

Pharaoh had two dreams, when he woke up his heart was troubled. He told the dreams to his wise men, but none of them could interpret them. The chief butler remembered how Joseph had interpreted his dream in the king’s prison so he recommended Joseph. The king asked for him, within minutes Joseph was standing before Pharaoh. After interpreting the dreams , the King made him a prime minister. Before appearing before the king, Joseph did two things. Genesis 41:14 says then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

The first thing Joseph did was he shaved himself. A young man was sharing with us how his beards worked against him at interviews. His barber suggested he shaved it but he didn't pay any attention to it. Out of curiosity, he decided to check the pictures of all the successful men in the world and he found out that most of them had a clean shave. He attended his next job interview clean shaven and got the job. Have you ever seen a president or king with a goatee? Clean shave makes you look younger, neater, kingly and respectable. Joseph stood before Pharaoh clean shaved and Pharaoh saw the prime minister in him.

The second thing Joseph did was he changed his raiment which tells you different clothes have different purposes. There is a way to dress when you are in the bedroom with your husband or wife, there is a way to dress when you have visitors, and there is a way to dress  when you are going for interviews. For example avoid too many bright colors and please don’t wear a green suit or yellow suit or purple suit to a job interview. There is a way to dress when you are going for evangelism. When you are coming before God you put on your best because you are coming to meet the King of kings. When you are going for evangelism, you dress well. The changed raiment also signifies a changed mentality. When Joseph stood before Pharaoh, he spoke with authority like a prime minister not a prisoner. Joseph’s physical appearance played a major role in Pharaoh’s decision to make him a prime minister.

ACTION POINT: Always comb your hair and women should keep their hair neat.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE ROLE OF THE BRIDE

MEMORY VERSE: and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him, Genesis 2:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 4-5, Eph 2, Ezek 35, Ps 23-24

When we hear the word ‘bride’, what comes to mind is marriage. After creating Adam, the Lord observed that this man was lonely. To solve his problem of loneliness, He created Eve. Adam and Eve got married and this problem was solved. Loneliness was the problem marriage came to solve not the lack of sex so please do not get married because of sex or because it will be good for your ministry or because you feel you are getting old. Do not rush into marriage because your parents are mounting pressure on you or because you want to be respected .Please and please do not get married because you want to put on a wedding ring and marriage doesn’t always solve financial problems. It has been proving that marriage does not really solve the problem of lack of sex or any of the above points mentioned. 

Genesis 2:18 says and the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. The number one duty of a wife is to be a companion to his husband in other words solve his problem of loneliness, all others are secondary. As a godly wife, your husband must come first not the ministry, business or children. The moment your husband comes second, the purpose of marriage is defeated. Children cannot solve the problem of loneliness and God did not give them to you to solve the problem of loneliness. As a godly man, it is deemed ungrateful not to appreciate or to frustrate the help or companion God has given to you. Your companion is a good thing and favor from the Lord (Proverbs 18:22). Because she is your companion and your best friend, there must not be any secrets. As your companion, she is meant to be the closest person to you on earth.

God created Eve to meet the needs of Adam. God created brides to meet the needs of the grooms. As brides of Christ, our relationship with Him should not be to solve our problems but to meet the needs of Jesus. Our number one duty is to minister to Christ i.e. be His companion. We are to spend time with Him in prayer and praises. Other activities are secondary. Time with Jesus must always come first, the ministry, evangelism, work in the church e.t.c are all secondary. Many of us are now putting ministry before Jesus. Many of us labor day in day out at the church, but we never spend quality time with Jesus and that should not be so. Just as putting anything before the husband can have a detrimental effect on the marriage, putting anything before Jesus has detrimental effect on our relationship with Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to spend more time ministering to you.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

RIGHTEOUS PAYS

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

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 3, Eph 1, Ezek 34, Ps 22

We live in a world that promotes ungodliness. The systems in place are so crooked that it is either you bribe your way out or you are denied what rightly belongs to you. In a world that rewards dishonesty; many wonder is it really worth it to be righteous? Friends, a life of righteousness is not an option but compulsory. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. As sides from the obvious that Christ demands a life of righteousness from every believer, sin on the other hand withholds good from us. According to Jeremiah 5:25, iniquities have the ability to turn away God's blessings from a fellow. Not only that, regarding iniquity in our heart can cause God to turn a deaf ear to our prayers ( Psalm 66:18).

When you go through the scriptures you will observe that the Lord discusses His plans with His righteous friends. Psalm 25:14 says the secret of the Lord are with those that fear Him. Before the Lord destroyed the earth with water, He told Noah, Genesis 6:11- 22. Before He destroyed Sodom with fire, He told Abraham (Genesis 18:19-33). Before returning the second time, He told us He is coming with His rewards for every man according to His works ( Revelation 22:12). What kind of reward do you think your work will attract?

What is righteousness? A man once defined righteousness as the nature of God imparted into the human spirit that gives him the ability to stand before God without any sense of guilt or inferiority complex. In other words, if a righteous man sins he still remains righteous because righteousness is a gift of God. He further explained that the nature of goat does not change because he swam in an overwhelming ocean. THE ABOVE EXPLANATION IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE BIBLE! Righteousness has its basis in actions. 1John 3:7 says little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. To act right is to be righteous. Would you call a believer who fornicates, a righteous person? I doubt not! A goat swimming in the ocean is not a righteous goat because goats are not meant to be swimming in the ocean just like a fish that chews grass is not a righteous fish either because it is not right for fish to chew grass. It is not right for a believer to live in sin.

REMEMBER: We are in the world but not part of the world.
Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

HEAT AND EXPANSION

MEMORY VERSE: and the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth, Genesis 7:17.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 2, Gal 6, Ezek 33, Ps 20-21

Anyone who did physics in secondary school must have heard of the word thermal expansion. It is the tendency of matter to CHANGE IN VOLUME IN RESPONSE TO A CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE. In other words, getting HOTTER equals getting BIGGER. A classical example is a thermometer. The liquid in a thermometer (mercury or alcohol) is constructed to flow in one direction (along the tube) due to changes in volume brought about by changes in temperature. As the room temperature INCREASES, the liquid in the thermometer begins to EXPAND and GROW LONGER towards to the red line. The liquid CONTRACTS and becomes SMALLER when the room temperature DROPS. THINGS EXPAND WITH THE ADDITION OF HEAT AND CONTRACT WHEN HEAT IS REMOVED.

The story of Noah is a very popular one. The Lord told him to build an ark and gather all the animals in the ark because He wanted to destroy the world with water. Noah built the ark and informed everyone about the rain but they laughed him to scorn. Noah got into the ark with animals and it began to rain.The bible records that and the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift above the earth (Genesis 7:17). Many of us know the end of the story.

Water signifies big challenges spiritually. Isaiah 43:2 says when you go through waters I will be with you. The water referred to is challenges and problem. From our memory verse we see that it was the water that bare the ark up. As the water INCREASED, the ark went up HIGHER. Brethren, CHALLENGES are very good because they cause us to GROW. During challenges we pray more and fast more. THE HARDER THE EXAM, THE BIGGER THE REWARD. How does an ordinary student end up as a lawyer, doctor, accountant etc? It is through HEAT and PRESSURE. When a student goes to school, he studies hard. He subjects himself to a lot of pressure; he reads during day and at night when others are sleeping. It is this HEAT and PRESSURE that transforms this student into a GRADUATE. Spiritually the more assignments you are willing to take in Christ, the more you will expand in Him. Spiritual growth involves a lot of work. It involves a lot of fasting, praying, deep bible studies, praying in tongues etc. The reason why God allows us to face challenges at time is to expand us. The moment one refuses to be STRETCHED, that fellow will start to SHRINK. Heat represents inconvenience, stress, challenges, disappointments etc. It is HEAT that turns an ordinary STONE to into GOLD! Without heat there will be no expansion. 

WISE SAYING: It is the stress in the catapult that drives the stone forward.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

KNOW YOUR LOCATION

MEMORY VERSE: and Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took break, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting in on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba and the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot; for she said, let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept, Genesis 21:14-16.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 1, Gal 5, Ezek 32, Ps 19

The PLAN and PURPOSE of God for our lives is tied to certain LOCATIONS. Because of the FAMINE in the land, Isaac tried to RELOCATE to EGYPT but the Lord WARNED him against the move (Genesis 26:1-3). He remained at GERAR and the Lord PROSPERED him there. Joseph on the other hand wanted to remain in CANAAN with his father, but the Lord MOVED HIM to EGYPT (Genesis 37:28-36). By the time we get to Genesis 41:37-43, the Lord had made him a PRIME MINISTER in EGYPT. The PROMISES of God for your life is tied to a certain LOCATION, until you GET to that LOCATION  those PROMISES might not MATERIALIZE.

God divinely placed Hagar to be Sarah’s handmaid. John 3:27 says a man receives nothing except it be giving by God. It was not a stroke of luck that Hagar got pregnant for Abraham. This young woman did not APPRECIATE where God had put her ( her location) and began to cause problems. She began to teach her son to act rudely towards Sarah and Isaac. The matter got to Abraham and that one sent them packing. Hagar’s LACK OF CHARACTER caused her to be ejected from her location and she paid dearly for it.

There are one or two reasons why you need to KNOW YOUR LOCATION AND REMAIN AT YOUR LOCATION. When your LOCATION changes ; your CHALLENGES changes. When Hagar was with Abraham, she never experienced thirst but the moment she was sent away, she began to experience thirst. When your LOCATION changes the following also changes: your SUPPORT NETWORK changes; your SUPPLY changes; your RATE OF PROGRESS changes; your ACCESS TO RESOURCES  changes; your PROTECTION changes. Because her LOCATION changed, her FRIENDS  changed – the wild animals in the wilderness became her friends. Hagar who used to ride on donkeys and horses began to walk on foot because she did not APPRECIATE WHERE GOD HAD PUT HER.  David said there is but a step between ME and DEATH (1 Samuel 20:3). In other words there is but a step between LIFE and DEATH, and that step could be moving from ONE’S location or REMAINING AT THE WRONG location. There is a PLACE where God has created for you and that is your location. If you are where God wants you to be i.e. your location, you can be rest assured that HE will be there with you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please show me my location?

 

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus. 

ATTENTION SEEKING

MEMORY VERSE: ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God, James 4:4. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 24, Gal 4, Ezek 31, Ps 18 

 Have you ever wondered, why some people turn their car stereo so loud on a busy street and turn it down on the motor way? Although it is an immature thing to do, the motive behind it is to get the attention of passersby. Why does a young lady go out of the house in a dress that exposes part of the body that is meant to be covered or in tight clothes? If some of these ladies want to be sincere, they will tell you that they feel uncomfortable wearing them. The motive behind it, is to get the attention of un-serious men like them. The number one reason why students join cults in the university is not because they want protection; all they want is just attention. They want the whole school to know they are bad, that’s all. 

One thing with attention seeking is that people seek the attention of individuals that are dear to them or individuals whose opinion they hold in high esteem. 

The bible describes Job as a perfect and upright man, who feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Why be so perfect? Job understood that one of the ways to get God’s attention is by being perfect just as God is (Matthew 5:48). Aside from the obvious fact that you can get God’s attention by loving righteousness and hating evil, by becoming the enemy of the world you attract God’s attention. James 4:4 says ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. To get God’s attention, start doing what likes. Obey Him to the letter (John 15:14). Don’t join the world to draw tattoos or get your body pierced (Leviticus 19:28); Stop attending late night parties ( Romans 13:13); Start reading your bible regularly (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-3); Pay your tithes (Malachi 3:8); Start witnessing (Matthew 12:30); start bearing spiritual fruits (Galatians 5:22-23) ; regularly sing praise to God ( Psalm 34:1); start functioning in one department or the other at church ( Hebrew 11:6, Rev 22:12); give sacrificially (Luke 6:38, Proverbs 11:25). 

PRAYER POINT: Father, as I seek your attention please turn your face towards me. 

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

AROUND THE WELL AND STILL THIRSTY

MEMORY VERSE: and God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottled with water, and gave the lad the drink, Genesis 21:19.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Sam 23, Gal 3, Ezek 30, Ps 17

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 21:15-20

 Water they say is the source of life. Medical science thought us that the human body is made up of over 70 percent water. Geography thought us that about 70 percent of the planet is covered in ocean, and the average depth of the ocean is several thousand feet (about 1,000 meters). Hence the value of water cannot be overstated. A well is a reservoir of water.

Whilst going through Genesis 21:15-20, the Holy Spirit brought my attention to one or two things. Firstly, a fellow can be beside a well and still thirst. In Genesis 21:15 -16, Hagar and her son were beside a well and yet they were thirsty. One could be surrounded by opportunities and still complain of lack of opportunities. Because Hagar could not see, she and her son thirst around the well. There are many of us surrounded by opportunities but we can’t see them, we need to pray for vision. Prayer Point: Father, please open my eyes to see opportunities around me.

Secondly, the fact that you can see the well is not a guarantee that you will be able to draw from it. In Genesis 24:11-15 the servant of Abraham saw a well but had to wait for Rebekah because he had nothing to draw with. You need a drawing bucket to draw water from the well. You need means or provisions to take advantage of an opportunity. A brilliant business idea with no provision to start it is as good as no business idea.  Prayer Point: Father, please provide for me so that I can take advantage of the opportunities around me.

Thirdly, a fellow who wants to draw water from the well must be ready for work. To avail one’s self of the content of the well, one must throw the drawing bucket into the well and draw water. God has presented you with a business idea and you have some money with you, start little. You are around people who can counsel you about business go and meet them for counsel. God is laying it on your mind to start a ministry and you have friends in that ministry, approach them for counsel. You have found a sister or brother you want to spend your life with, meet your pastors and ask them to pray with you. Prayer Point: Father, please give me the grace to take positive steps towards the accomplishment of your goals for my life.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.