Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. Matthew 17:27
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 14-16
When Jesus arrived at Capernaum with His disciples, those in charge of temple tax collection approached Peter and demanded for temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27). He reported the matter to Jesus, who then instructed Him to go and fish. Matthew 17:27 says notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Anyone who knows about fishing will tell you, an EMPTY hook will catch NOTHING. To catch a fish, one needs to BAIT his or her HOOK. A BAIT is not an ordinary fish food; it is food that LOOKS, SMELLS and TASTES as attractive as possible in order for the fish to want to eat in the first place. The fish have a lot of choice out there – somehow you have to make that choice easy for them. Today, your PRAYER REQUEST is a hook, to get an ANSWER from the heavens; you need to BAIT YOUR HOOK in other words you need to make your prayer requests as attractive as possible. How do I make my prayer request attractive to the heavens? Firstly, live a life of PURITY and HOLINESS. Isaiah 59:1-2 says behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. You can’t be disobeying God and expect Him to answer your prayers. If He does that, that will mean He is encouraging sin. Secondly, be HUMBLE and MEEK. Psalm 147:6 says the Lord lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground. Many find it hard to apologize when they are wrong. One of the ways to identify a proud man is that he has DIFFICULTLY SAYING SORRY even he makes mistakes.
Thirdly, PAY your VOWS. Psalm 50:14 -15 says offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. There are many reading this devotional that are yet to pay the vows they made two years ago, there are some who are yet to redeem their pledges of 2010. Lastly, FORGIVE. Before you come to God with your prayer requests, ensure you have made peace with everyone. Matthew 5:7 says blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Psalm 18:25a sayswilt the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful. That brother has begged you, he has even invited people to beg you on his behalf, it is high time you showed mercy and forgive. That sister has apologized, it is high you forgave her!
NOTE: Unredeemed pledges hinder prayers; redeem your pledges as soon as possible.
Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.
Friday, 13 June 2014
Thursday, 12 June 2014
THE HARVEST SEASON OF MORDECAI
On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. And the king said what honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him. Esther 6:1-3
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 11-13
The story is told about an old man who uncovered the plot to assassinate a king. In Esther 2:21-23, Mordecai EXPOSED a plot by Bigthana and Teresh (two eunuchs) against the king. The traitors were hanged as they deserved, the name of Mordecai was recorded in the king’s secret book with a particular remark that Mordecai was the man who discovered the treason. One would have expected the king to reward Mordecai immediately but he didn’t. The king did not even recognize what he did at all; instead he promoted Haman (a wicked man) who hated Mordecai with passion.
There are many like Mordecai today, they have done a lot of good things, instead recognition they are faced with persecution. I want you to know that the God who kept Mordecai is still very much alive and He will protect you from your persecutors. Amen. They are a lot of ‘Mordecais’ in the body of Christ today, they have done and are still doing good things - they obeyed God, they evangelized, fasted, prayed, gave offerings, sow seeds , etc , who are yet to be rewarded for their good deeds. There a lot of brothers and sisters who have kept their bodies, they do not fornicate or indulge in any form of sexual immoralities, who are still single and the ones that are messing up themselves are getting married left, right and center. It can be depressing at times.
Mordecai’s efforts were forgotten and his labor seemed to have been in vain, but when his harvest season came, it took God just one night to change Mordecai’s story. Yes! You have prayed and fasted in your past years; you have served God in holiness and you have been faithful, I want to announce to you that your harvest hour has come and it will come as lightening (quick and sudden) this year. I pray in the name that is above every other name that your celebration will show up faster than your past years of delay!
PRAYER: Oh GOD who made the heaven and the earth, the One who can do all things, I pray that as this reader says amen, let his or her harvest season begin in Jesus name!
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 11-13
The story is told about an old man who uncovered the plot to assassinate a king. In Esther 2:21-23, Mordecai EXPOSED a plot by Bigthana and Teresh (two eunuchs) against the king. The traitors were hanged as they deserved, the name of Mordecai was recorded in the king’s secret book with a particular remark that Mordecai was the man who discovered the treason. One would have expected the king to reward Mordecai immediately but he didn’t. The king did not even recognize what he did at all; instead he promoted Haman (a wicked man) who hated Mordecai with passion.
There are many like Mordecai today, they have done a lot of good things, instead recognition they are faced with persecution. I want you to know that the God who kept Mordecai is still very much alive and He will protect you from your persecutors. Amen. They are a lot of ‘Mordecais’ in the body of Christ today, they have done and are still doing good things - they obeyed God, they evangelized, fasted, prayed, gave offerings, sow seeds , etc , who are yet to be rewarded for their good deeds. There a lot of brothers and sisters who have kept their bodies, they do not fornicate or indulge in any form of sexual immoralities, who are still single and the ones that are messing up themselves are getting married left, right and center. It can be depressing at times.
Mordecai’s efforts were forgotten and his labor seemed to have been in vain, but when his harvest season came, it took God just one night to change Mordecai’s story. Yes! You have prayed and fasted in your past years; you have served God in holiness and you have been faithful, I want to announce to you that your harvest hour has come and it will come as lightening (quick and sudden) this year. I pray in the name that is above every other name that your celebration will show up faster than your past years of delay!
PRAYER: Oh GOD who made the heaven and the earth, the One who can do all things, I pray that as this reader says amen, let his or her harvest season begin in Jesus name!
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
WATCH OUT FOR THIRD PARTIES
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. Genesis 3: 1-2
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 7-10
God loves family. He loves children dearly. The bible records that when the disciples forbade parents from bringing their children to Jesus, He told them; “suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14)”. He loves mothers so much that He compared the way He comforts to the way mothers comfort their children. Isaiah 66:13 says as one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. He loves fathers to the extent that He associates Himself with them. Psalm 68:5 says a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
Because He loves marriage – the union of two people (man and woman) in holy matrimony, the the first institution He created was marriage. Adam and Eve had a perfect marriage. They were open to each other. They kept no secrets from each other. Genesis 2:25 says and they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. To Eve, Adam was perfect. To Adam, Eve was the most beautiful woman he had ever set his eyes on. They enjoyed the Garden of Eden (blessing of the Lord ) together. There was peace in their marriage, the bible did not record any account of Adam beating up Eve or Eve cursing Adam until Eve (the wife) started listening to the voice of a third party (serpent). Genesis 3:1-2 says now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.
Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and offered some to her husband which he ate. From that day, they began to have problems in their marriage. First of all, they realized that they were both naked , Adam no longer felt comfortable around his wife, Eve on the other hand started keeping things from her husband. That was how they both started keeping secrets from each other. Not only that, Adam began to see faults in Eve, before they knew it , the blame game started. When the Lord asked Adam if he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, instead answering yes or no, he blamed his wife. At the end, they were both banished from the Garden of Eden. In your marriage, watch out for third party influence. If your marriage is going to succeed, you need to cut out as much as third party influence as possible. As brides of Christ, if our relationship with Him is going to blossom and grow, we need to cut out third party influence i.e. voice of the devil. Any one encouraging you to compromise or do anything outside the bible is a third party and you need to cut them out or else it will cause you your relationship with Him.
ACTION: Let us remember those that are experiencing challenges in their marriages that the Prince of peace will declare peace in their marriages.
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
CHOSEN FOR COMPANIONSHIP
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Mark 3:14
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 4-6
The Lord initiated marriage to solve one problem and that is the problem of loneliness. 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. Adam was lonely in the garden not alone. There is a big difference between being lonely and being alone. One can be in a crowd of people at a football match and still feel lonely. The primary reason why Jesus called His twelve disciples was for companionship. Mark 3:14 says and he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Their number one assignment was to be His companion, His friend, His brethren, His close associate, His confidant, etc. Their secondary assignment was to witness about Him.
The Lord initiated marriage to solve one problem and that is the problem of loneliness. 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. Adam was lonely in the garden not alone. There is a big difference between being lonely and being alone. One can be in a crowd of people at a football match and still feel lonely. The primary reason why Jesus called His twelve disciples was for companionship. Mark 3:14 says and he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach. Their number one assignment was to be His companion, His friend, His brethren, His close associate, His confidant, etc. Their secondary assignment was to witness about Him.
There is a lot to benefit from being His companion. Firstly, in His presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11 says thou with shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Secondly, in His presence is 24 hours protection. Psalm 91:1 says he that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Someone once said peace is not the absence of conflict but the present of God. Thirdly, in His presence is provision. According to Psalms 23:1, when the Lord is your shepherd, all your needs and want will be taken care of.
The reasons why the Lord saved our souls can be summarized under two main heading – Companionship and Ministry. He saved you and I, so that we might be His companions and minister to Him. The disciples were sent out to preach after they had been His companion. Our personal relationship with God is more important than our ministries, this is what some of us seems to forget. A lot are busy impacting the world, doing a lot of good things, but they have neglected the prayer alter. The power to do exploit comes when you spend quality time on your knees with the Lord. Anyone who will succeed in ministry must always have time to praise and worship God. He must also dedicate time to study his bible and pray. The time many spend with God has reduced as a result of the promotion He gave to them. Many no longer fast as they used to fast before promotion, some barely have time to even study the bible because they have gained employment, a lot now come late to church because they are married, and so on.
NOTE: The bigger the promotion, the more time you will need in prayer to keep that promotion.
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
Monday, 9 June 2014
AND WALK IN LOVE
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. Ephesians 5:12
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 155-157
What is the definition of love? According to 1 John 4:8, God is love. The bible goes further to tell us about the characteristics of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 , love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy , is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not arrogant; it is not rude, does not act unbecomingly. Love is not self – seeking; it takes not account of the evil done to it. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when righteousness and truth prevail and so on and so forth.
The bible then goes further again to tell us that love is showing mercy. One of the names of our Lord is Merciful and Gracious God (Exodus 34:6). A loving person shows mercy. If God is merciful, then love is showing mercy because God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is giving. John 3:16 says For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. A loving person is not stingy. Love is obedience to the word of God. John 14:15 says if you love me, keep my commandments. Many children claim they love their parents but they disobey them. Do you love your parents (spiritual and physical)? Many say honey I love you but they are not submissive to their heads (husbands). Love is sacrifice. John 15:13 says greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You claim to love your wife, what have you giving up for her? You claim to love your family, what you have sacrificed for them? You claim to love Christ, what are others holding on to that you have given up because of Christ?
Love is an internal thing. It is a thing of the heart. Love is a fruit of the regenerated human spirit. Galatians 5:22 saysBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,etc. Romans 5:5 says And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.You cannot truly love except you give your life to Christ. It is impossible to love without been born again because love is a fruit of the spirit and one cannot exhibit the fruit of the spirit without being genuinely saved. Love is soul winning. A loving person will be uncomfortable when he sees people going to hell. The love of Christ will compel him or her to share Christ with them.
QUESTION: The year is running to an end, how many souls have you led to Christ? When was the last time you invited someone to church? When was the last time you prayed and fasted for the unsaved people in your community? Many of us are asking to God to do this and do that, the Lord is asking us this morning, how many people have you shared Christ with?
Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.
Sunday, 8 June 2014
AVOIDING EVICTION
MEMORY VERSE: That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you, Leviticus 18:28
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kgs 2 , 2 Thes 2, Dan 6, Ps 48
BIBLE STUDY: Lev 18:24-30
The land of Canaan was once given to a group of nations. I believe the Lord gave the land to them out of mercy and love. When they defiled themselves and defiled the land, the Lord evicted them. In Jesus no position is guaranteed or secured. That is why we need to run away from sin. As far as we do not defile ourselves, our positions in the Lord are secured, our blessings are secured. Not only that, our advantage in Christ is secured.
From our bible study, the first thing we come to realize is that the land of Canaan evicted its previous occupants. I pray in the name that is above every other name that you will not be evicted from your land of Canaan in Jesus name, amen. It is disheartening, disappointing and shameful for a fellow to work very hard, engage in many battles before entering his promise land only to be evicted almost immediately. I pray that this shall not be your portion in Jesus name,amen. Friend, it is possible for a fellow to be evicted from his land of Canaan, that is why you and I need to be very careful. It is far harder to receive a blessing than to lose it. It can take years of fasting and fervent praying to get a blessing or particular gift of the spirit, if care is not taken one can lose the blessing or gift of the spirit through fornication. It takes only a few minutes to lose the blessing or the gift of the spirit if care is not taken. I pray for anyone who has lost a particular gift of the spirit or the other that the Lord will restore those gifts in the mighty name of Jesus name, amen.
In every blessing God gives to us, there is something inside it that is capable of ejecting us if we sin. The blessings God has given a fellow can turn against him if he offends the owner or the giver of the blessing. There is nothing as sad as been evicted. What makes it so sad is that the fellow might not get a second chance. It was God who appointed Saul as the king of Israel. When he defiled himself through disobedient, God replaced him with David; King Saul was evicted from the throne. You may not have been the first person to occupy that position or political office or post in the church of God. If you are not ready to meet God’s terms of residence, that post, political office will spit you out. I know you will do everything to meet God’s terms of residence so that senatorial seat will not spit you out.
ACTION POINT: To avoid eviction, investigate what led to the eviction of your predecessor or the people who have occupied that post before you and run from it. Some of the things that defile a man are bribery and corruption, favoritism and tribalism, fornication and adultery, pride and stubbornness etc.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2Kgs 2 , 2 Thes 2, Dan 6, Ps 48
BIBLE STUDY: Lev 18:24-30
The land of Canaan was once given to a group of nations. I believe the Lord gave the land to them out of mercy and love. When they defiled themselves and defiled the land, the Lord evicted them. In Jesus no position is guaranteed or secured. That is why we need to run away from sin. As far as we do not defile ourselves, our positions in the Lord are secured, our blessings are secured. Not only that, our advantage in Christ is secured.
From our bible study, the first thing we come to realize is that the land of Canaan evicted its previous occupants. I pray in the name that is above every other name that you will not be evicted from your land of Canaan in Jesus name, amen. It is disheartening, disappointing and shameful for a fellow to work very hard, engage in many battles before entering his promise land only to be evicted almost immediately. I pray that this shall not be your portion in Jesus name,amen. Friend, it is possible for a fellow to be evicted from his land of Canaan, that is why you and I need to be very careful. It is far harder to receive a blessing than to lose it. It can take years of fasting and fervent praying to get a blessing or particular gift of the spirit, if care is not taken one can lose the blessing or gift of the spirit through fornication. It takes only a few minutes to lose the blessing or the gift of the spirit if care is not taken. I pray for anyone who has lost a particular gift of the spirit or the other that the Lord will restore those gifts in the mighty name of Jesus name, amen.
In every blessing God gives to us, there is something inside it that is capable of ejecting us if we sin. The blessings God has given a fellow can turn against him if he offends the owner or the giver of the blessing. There is nothing as sad as been evicted. What makes it so sad is that the fellow might not get a second chance. It was God who appointed Saul as the king of Israel. When he defiled himself through disobedient, God replaced him with David; King Saul was evicted from the throne. You may not have been the first person to occupy that position or political office or post in the church of God. If you are not ready to meet God’s terms of residence, that post, political office will spit you out. I know you will do everything to meet God’s terms of residence so that senatorial seat will not spit you out.
ACTION POINT: To avoid eviction, investigate what led to the eviction of your predecessor or the people who have occupied that post before you and run from it. Some of the things that defile a man are bribery and corruption, favoritism and tribalism, fornication and adultery, pride and stubbornness etc.
Bro Samuel - Reaching the world for Jesus.
Saturday, 7 June 2014
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.
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
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