THE STRONG MAN

MEMORY VERSE: Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house, Matthew 12:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kgs 1, 2 Thes 1, Dan 5, Ps 46-47

In Matthew 12: 22 -29 they brought a demon possessed man who was blind and unable to speak to Jesus; a force stronger than him had possessed him and prevented him from making progress. Jesus healed him so that he could see and talk. Whilst everyone rejoiced with the family of the man who was healed, the Pharisee began to condemn Jesus. They said He performed miracles with the power of Beelzebub. When Jesus realized what they were thinking, He said to them, “every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed.” He then explained to them that it takes a strong man to put a fellow in bondage. It takes a stronger man to deliver the fellow from the strong man and it takes a stronger man to bind the strong man and spoil his house. Mark 12: 29 says or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house.

Who is the strong man? The strong man referred to in this passage is the demon that possessed the man. Strong men are demons. The first thing you need to know about strong men is that they are invisible to our physical eyes. Although they are invisible, the havoc they wreck is visible. We see from our passage that although the demon responsible for the man’s challenge is invisible, the blindness and dumbness he caused are visible. Ephesians 6: 12 says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. The second thing you need to know about the strong men is that they are wicked and stubborn. They will not move unless they are moved with force. They have no emotion and the only language they understand is violence. Matthew 11:12 says from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

It is important that you know that the strong men are strong and only bow to the power of God. The strong men are everywhere and they operate at different levels. One needs the spirit of discernment to recognize their operation. They operate in our places of work, in our communities, our schools, just to name a few. This is why we all need to take our spiritual lives serious. This is the main reason why we cannot joke with bible studies, fasting and praying, living a life of holiness and so on. This is why we cannot continue to live in sin. This is why family altar in every family is mandatory. Any parent not taking his or her ward to Sunday school is depriving that ward of the opportunity to grow spiritually. Lastly to stop the activities of the strong men we need the power of God. To put an end to their activities in our homes, families etc, we need to be endued with power from on high. To stop the activities of the strong men on our roads, we need power! To recover what the enemies have stolen from us, we need power.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please endue me with power from on high.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

UNDERSTANDING TERRITORIES

MEMORY VERSE: and Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him, Mark 12:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 22, 1 Thes 5, Dan 4, Ps 45

Mark 12:17 says and Jesus answering said unto them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him. From this verse we deduce that there are things that belong to Caesar and there are things that belong to God. Taxes belong to Caesar and tithes belong to God. A true believer is faithful in the payment of his taxes to the government. A believer should not defraud the government in taxes or employ schemes to evade tax payment.

In the animal kingdom, knowing one’s territory is an important key for survival. God help any goat that wanders into the territory of hyenas or wolves. The lion is the king of the jungle. He is very strong and bold. As strong and bold as lions are, they never hunt in the river. Firstly, a lion that hunts in the river will die hungry. Operating in an unknown territory leads to suffering and fruitless efforts. Secondly if care is not taken, a lion that hunts in the river may end up becoming lunch for a crocodile. Knowing and understanding your territory is key to your survival in the ministry or business. The whale is the biggest mammal in the world. The whale is so big it can swallow any animal. How come the whale only swims in deep waters? Due to its enormous size, swimming in shallow waters will pose unnecessary challenges for the whale. A fellow who operates in the wrong territory will be exposed to unnecessary challenges.

In the sky birds fly at different altitudes. Small winged birds don’t fly too high because of the wind currents at high altitudes. Operating in an unknown territory is dangerous and it could lead to physical harm. While eagles fly close to the sun, hawks dare not try it; any hawk that flies too close to the sun will be roasted by the heat from the sun. Operating in the wrong territory could cost one his life. This is why it is important to know one’s territory and remain in it. If the Lord has called you to into the teaching ministry, don’t venture into deliverance ministry except you are also called into the ministry too. If your territory is tailoring and fashion design, don’t venture into brick laying or plumbing. Stay where God has established you. That’s where He will use you to touch the world.

ACTION POINT: Pray that the Lord will reveal your territory to you.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE THINGS THAT BELONG TO GOD

MEMORY VERSE: and Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. And they marveled at him, Mark 12:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 21, 1 Thes 4, Dan 3, Ps 44

The Pharisees hated Jesus with a passion. Some of them loved him but the greater majority would do anything to kill Him. On a particular occasion, they sought to trap in words so they asked Him if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus requested for a penny and they gave it to him. He then asked whose picture and title are stamped on this penny. ‘Caesar’s’, they replied. He told them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s, Mark 12:17.

There are things that belong to God and there are things that belong to Caesar, in other words there are things that belong to God and there are things that belong to men. This begs the question, what are the things that belong to God? Heaven and earth belongs to God, Genesis 14:19. Psalms 24:1 says the earth is the Lord and the fullness there in. Haggai 2:8 says silver and gold belongs to God. According Psalm 75:6-7, no one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man. It is only God who judges, He brings one down, and He exalts another. There are many more things that belong to God for example your tithes belongs to God. Nonpayment of tithes is seen as robbing God, Malachi 3:8-12. Not only that, our body belongs to God. According to 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 our body is the temple of the living God; therefore we must glorify God in our body.

John 3:27 says a man can receive nothing, except it be given from God. Despite the fact that virtually everything belongs to God, there are one or two things that belongs to us. One of it is our decision. God told the children of Israelite ‘today I am setting before you life and death, choose life so that you may live’, Deuteronomy 30:19. God can guide you towards a decision but He will never make the decision for you. It is true that promotion comes from God, but the decision to work hard is yours. Our words and confession also belongs to us. According to Numbers 14:28, whatever God hears you say is what He will do for you but whatever you say is your prerogative. What you confess is what you will possess. The moment your confession changes, your possession also changes.

ACTION POINT: Decide to succeed and begin to confess success.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU ANSWER IT

MEMORY VERSE: shall we give, or shall we not give? But he knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, why ye tempt me? Bring me a penny that I may see it, Mark 12:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 20, 1 Thes 3, Dan 2, Ps 42-43

The Pharisees sought to trap Jesus in words , so they asked Him a tricky question in public. Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? Jesus knew the reason for the question , He understood the motive of the inquiry so He requested for a penny. When they brought it, He asked them; "whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar’s", they replied. He said in that case, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s, Mark 12:17. 

It is essential that before you answer a question, you understand the question. The reason why many students don’t do well in exams is because they do not understand the examiner’s question. When you don’t understand the examiner’s question, you end up answering your own question instead of the examiner’s question and this inevitably leads to poor grades.

It is also very important that you know the intent behind the question. The reason why many don’t do well at interviews is because they do not know intention behind the questions. A classical interview question is what is your greatest weakness? The answer many give is ‘I haven’t any’. Firstly, that answer sounds arrogant and it shows a lack of self-awareness. To answer such a question, you need to understand the question. Not only that, you need to know the intention behind the question. The interviewer has noble intentions, he or she simply wants you to discuss about the skills that are not critical for the job and weakness that you have improved on. Answering a question you do not understand can lead to embarrassment. Answering a question you do not understand can lead to poor grade and if care is not taken, it can lead to failure. Understanding a question before answering it, can save one’s life. The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus in words, because he perfectly understood the question and their intentions, he was able to give them an answer that saved His life.

SUMMARY: It is better to keep quiet than answer a question you do not understand. 

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE GOOD IN CHALLENGES

MEMORY VERSE: say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings, Isaiah 3:10 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 19, 1 Thes 2, Dan 1, Ps 40-41 

Pain has its advantages. Although we all dread it, the ability to feel pain or experience pain is crucial to our survival. I never knew the ability to feel pain was a favor from God until I heard the story of a sister. Her mum had challenges in the area of her health and her feet went numb. Mama lived in the country side and preferred to walk barefooted. Since most of the roads were not tarred, there were sharp stones and objects everywhere.  If she dashed her feet on a rock, she wouldn't feel anything. It was so terrible that one of mama’s toes had to be cut off because of a deep cut. No one could really explain how she sustained the cut, but she had a cut and mama did not know until people saw mama’s leg bleeding. By the time they rushed her to the hospital it was too late. Because of her condition, they had to hire a nurse to inspect her feet for any cuts or wound from time to time. Pain informs you that you are in a territory you should not be in or you are doing something you should not do. Pain at times informs our decision. The pain of failure is what motivates some to work hard and succeed. 

Do you know that challenges have its advantages? Only the living face challenges. God already knows that the challenges you are going through will not kill you or mark your end. Isaiah 3:10 says say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.  It shall be well with you. One of the reasons why God permits challenges is because He knows that those challenges will cause us to fast and pray which will in turn develop us spiritually. Years ago, I used to see dogs chasing me in my dreams. During that period I faced a major challenge which caused me to really pray and fast. The Lord dealt with the challenge and I had my peace. I noticed that after the rigorous fasting and praying, I stopped seeing dogs chasing me in my dream. By the special grace of God, when I now see leopards in my dream I chase them and they run, praise God. The Lord knew that the challenge was not going to mark my end, He permitted it to that so that I would fast and pray which helped me to develop my spiritual muscles. Challenges also help in developing one’s faith. Every time God takes care of challenges in your life, your faith in Him grows. The next time you see a man of faith, remember you are looking at man who has faced many challenges. 

SUMMARY: Without test there will not be a promotion. Without trials there will not be a testimony. You are facing that challenge because God is setting you up for a mega testimony.

Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus

WHAT IS IN THINE HAND

MEMORY VERSE: and the Lord said unto him, what is in thine hand? And he said, a rod, Exodus 4:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 17, Col 4, Ezek 47, Ps 38

BIBLE STUDY: Exodus 4:1-4

The Lord saw how the Egyptians treated the children of Israel; he picked Moses to lead them out. For a reason or two, Moses felt he was not up to the task so he began to give God excuses. He asked for a sign to show to the children of Israel. Exodus 4:2 says and the Lord said unto him, what is in thine hand? And he said, a rod. The Lord told him to drop the rod .He did and the rod turned into a snake. The Lord told him to pick up the snake by its tail, Moses did and the snake turned into a rod.

Firstly, you will never realize the potential in what is in your hand until you release it to God. The rod of Moses in Exodus 4:2 became the rod of God in Exodus 4:20. In Exodus 14:14-22, Moses lifted the rod and the sea parted into two. The rod became a tool for dividing waters (taking care of challenges). If Moses had not obeyed God and released the rod, he would not have realized the potential in his rod. To realize the potential in that connection you have, use it for God and for the gospel. There are many who think their life is useless, friends your life is not useless. If you want to realize the potential in you, release yourself to God and you will be amazed. That seed (money) in your hand has the potential of yielding hundred fold returns. You will never realize that potential until you release it God. Paul realized the potential in him when he gave himself to the gospel. By the time we get to Acts 19:11, we see aprons from the body of Paul casting out demons.

The rod of Moses had the potential to kill i.e. become a snake (an angel of death). That rod had potential to destroy Moses but he did not know until he obeyed the voice of God and dropped it. The rod became a snake and Moses fled. There are things in our hands that have the potential to destroy us. For instance anger has the potential to destroy a blossoming relationship or growing ministry and many do not know. That is why God is saying drop it. Ecclesiastes 7:9 says anger rest in the bosom of fools. Bitterness and unforgiveness have the potential to put a fellow into spiritual bondage. The spirit of bitterness and unforgiveness hand people over to tormentors. Until you drop them at the feet of Jesus, you will not know true peace. Sin has the potential of turning a son into a slave and God is saying flee away from all appearances of evil, 1 Thessalonians 5:22.

NOTE: The only way to realize the potential in a thing is by giving it to God.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

REWARDED BY REACTION

MEMORY VERSE: and he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come, Luke 19:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1Kgs 15, Col 2, Ezek 45, Ps 36

BIBLE STUDY: Luke 19:12-24

A certain noble man had ten servants. Because these servants had served him well over the years, he decided to set them up in business. He gave each servant a capital of one pound to trade with. When he came back, one of the servants had turned the pound into ten pounds. The impressed nobleman rewarded him with ten cities. Another brought a return of five pounds and the nobleman gave him five cities. There was an unwise one who did not bother at all. You know the end of the story.

Ten servants were giving the same capital to trade with i.e. opportunities but their returns varied. The reason for this was because they reacted to the opportunity to trade differently. One grabbed it with his two hands, another didn’t even bother. How come a man is singled out of many for promotion? They do the same job; they probably started at the same time; they face the same challenges at work daily; they were given the same opportunities to prove themselves, how come? Their reaction to the opportunity to serve or work at that company varied. While some were complaining about the management, he minded his business and did his work. While others were arguing with the managers, he listened and ran with the instruction he was given .While others do only what they are paid for, he does extra. Before you know it, the manager will start singing his praise before senior managers and in no time he will be recommended for promotion.

The servants of the noble man were rewarded based on how they reacted to the opportunity to trade. How do you react to the opportunity to come and worship in the house of God? On Sundays, do you only attend family service and miss Sunday school? Do you only attend revivals and skip bible studies? How do you react to medical advices? You have been advised to stay away from certain food, whilst praying for divine healing are you still taking the food the doctors have warned you against? As believers, we are instructed to produce fruits and our fruits must abide, John 15:16.There are two types of fruit here 1) fruit of the spirit – love, patience, kindness etc. Are those fruits visible in your life? 2) Soul winning. How many souls have you won to Christ this year? How many follow up have you done?

NOTE: The noble man in the parable is God and He rewards based on our reactions to the opportunity He has given to us.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus