JONAH

MEMORY VERSE:  Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. Jonah 1:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah 4-6

Christ did not save you, to live your life as you please. He does not save for the fun of saving. He saved us, so that you and i, can live a life pleasing to Him. After He saved the woman caught in adultery, He gave her an instruction. John 8:11 says she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. That instruction, ‘go, and sin no more,’ is for all of us. Go, and fight no more, quarrel no more, curse no more, disobey your parents no more, accept bribe no more, participate in exam malpractices no more,  commit adultery/ fornication no more , steal no more , beat your wife no more. Christ is saying, ‘I have saved you, go, and do those things i saved you from no more.’

Yesterday, we saw what happens when a fellow boards a ship with a ‘Jonah’. At first, everything will be fine, after a while, a storm will arise. If the fellow is not prayerful, he may lose his wares and other valuable possessions. Today, we will look at the character of Jonah .The first thing, i want you to know is, anyone can exhibit these characters even Christians. God sent Jonah to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, to a people despised by the Jews. Jonah would rather that Nineveh be destroyed than that city have an opportunity to repent and be spared. The Assyrians were a cruel people who showed no mercy to their enemies, and Jonah wanted them out of the way. This man, Jonah, thought he had a choice or say in the will of God for the people of Nineveh. He forgot that the will of God is not an option: it is an obligation and an opportunity. Anyone who thinks (s) he has a choice in the will of God for his or her life or the life of others is a ‘Jonah.’ When we run from God’s will, we always go down. We may end up sacrificing safety for danger and peace for storm. Jonah is also a sleeping Christian. Whilst everyone prayed, Prophet Jonah snored. Jonah 1:5 says then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. Are you awake? Do you observe the growing darkness on earth? Things that used to be an abomination 30 years ago are now what we celebrate today.  Twenty years ago, if a brother should fornicate, maybe he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, he will start to cry. Today, the same brother will pat himself on the back and gist his friends. The goal of every believer used to be heaven, but today, it is blackberry phones and the latest Range Rover. Can you tell the season we are in? Do you know we are at the end of the world? Do you still fast? Do you still have your quiet time? Do you still witness? Do you still give to the poor? Does your heart still prick you when you tell little white lies?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please wake your church up from her slumber.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

IN SHIP WITH ‘JONAH’

MEMORY VERSE:  And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. Jonah 1:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah 1-3

One subject, the word of God lays emphasis on is association. Proverbs 13:20 says he that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Who you walk, talk, live, invest, partner or travel with, can either make you or break you. Psalm 1:1 says blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. There are people you should not walk with, if you do not want problems. One of them is people that do evil. Psalm 34:16 says the face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. 

Another one is ‘Jonah’. In Jonah 1:1-3, God sent Jonah to Nineveh, a wicked city, to preach to them. Instead of going to Nineveh, he went to Joppa and boarded a ship going to Tarshish. As they travelled, the Lord sent a mighty storm that almost broke the ship (they were travelling in) into two. Panic broke out in the ship; everyone began to run helter skelter. To lighten the ship, people started throwing their wares into the sea. You see, lightening a ship stabilizes it in rough seas. When that did not work, they cried to God. It is funny how people only remember God when they face challenges. Whilst crying to God, the Lord opened the eyes of one of the mariners. Jonah 1:7 says And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. They took Jonah and threw him into the sea. Immediately, the storm seized. Sadly, they could not recover the wares they had lost. There are many suffering today because they are in ship with ‘Jonah’. There are many, who are going through pains because they are in ship with someone, who is not supposed to be on that ship. (By God’s grace, tomorrow, we will talk about the man Jonah). As singles, pray very well so that you do not get married to ‘Jonah’. Before going into business with anyone, pray so that you will not be a business partner with ‘Jonah’. Not until the people prayed, the Lord did not reveal ‘Jonah’ and as long as ‘Jonah’ was in the ship, they will never know peace. The following, indicate the presence of ‘Jonah’ in a ship:  Presence of storms; loss of peace of heart; loss of properties; lives at risk; etc.Right from the day, that fellow moved into your house, you started having problems at work. From the day you employed that staff, your customers started complaining.  From the moment that customer started doing business with you, your business started going down. From the moment, that brother proposed to you or that sister came into your life, you have been going from one challenge to another. These are all indicators that you are in ship with ‘Jonah’.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please open my eyes, so that i can see all the ‘Jonahs’ in my life. Also, give me the wisdom needed to path ways with them.

QUESTION: Are you still keeping records of your life?

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

NINEVEH OR TARSHISH?

MEMORY VERSE:  Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. Jonah 1:2-3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jonah 2-4

God is merciful. According to Psalm 103:8, He is plenteous in mercy. Psalm 103:11 says for as heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. Many of us are alive today, courtesy of God’s mercy. If God were to mark iniquity, the sins we committed before we gave our lives to Christ – the lies, fornication, adultery, abortion, etc, none of us will be able to stand. The town of Nineveh was known for wickedness, Heaven even testifies to this. Before destroying this city, the Lord gave them a chance to repent. What have you done with all the opportunities, God gave to you to repent from that secret sin? Repent from stealing from the offering basket. Repent from cheating on your spouse. Your husband may not know, your wife may not know, your pastor may not know but God knows. The Lord called Jonah and sent him to Nineveh. Jonah 1:2-3 says Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. 

Nineveh represents God’s will for Jonah. It represents God’s will for your life and my life. It stands for God’s will for our family, ministry, work, business etc. Tarshish on the other hand, represents Jonah’s will. God wanted him to go to Nineveh, but he went towards Tarshish. It also represents ‘your’ will. Which one of these two, takes precedence in your life - Nineveh or Tarshish, God’s will or ‘your’ will? Nineveh represents God’s heart desire while Tarshish represents Jonah’s heart desire. Brother in Christ, are you working in God’s will for your family and business or your own will? Nineveh represents a step in the right direction while Tarshish represents a step in the wrong direction. Are you moving towards God’s or away from God? Tarshish is in a direction opposite to the will of God for your life. It leads down and away from the presence of God. If you study the whole chapter, Jonah 1, you will observe that as Jonah moved in the direction of Tarshish, a storm arose. Storms are inevitable when one moves away from God’s presence. Challenges after challenges are inevitable when one is operating in his own will instead of God’s will. It is impossible for one to travel to Tarshish and prosper. Some of the indicators that one is travelling on the wrong path are lack of peace of heart. Another is frustration and fear. Sometimes a calamity or misfortune indicates a wrong direction. Are you considering Nineveh or Tarshish? I besiege you in the name of the Lord, stay in God’s will for your life. Have you started making your way to Tarshish? Worse still, are you already in Tarshish? Before you are stuck, why not repent today and return to Nineveh.

NOTE: The absence of peace of heart is a strong indicator that something is wrong. If you are unsure about the route you are on, go to God in prayer, and ask Him to reveal His will to you.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

DON’T FEED THE PIGEONS

MEMORY VERSE: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of　our　faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 9- Jonah 1

Not too long ago, I saw an inscription on a wall that caught my attention. It says, ‘Don’t feed the pigeons’. I looked around and saw pigeons everywhere. There were children having fun, chasing after the pigeons and screaming for joy. ‘Why on earth will anyone have problems with feeding these harmless pigeons,’ I thought to myself. As I looked closely, I saw pigeon droppings all round – on walls, railings, windows, etc. It dawned on me that these pigeons were a problem. The cost of maintaining the properties alone, getting people to clean the droppings from time to time, is something. Not only that, who would want to live or set up a business in an area with pigeon problems? No one. The only way to solve this pigeon problem is, stop people from feeding the pigeons. As the food reduced, these pigeons began to migrate to another area.　

This principle applies to every area of our life. Fear, faith, anger, resentment, envy, strife, etc, are living ‘organisms’. If you feed them, they will grow; if you starve them of their food, they will die. If you feed your fears, it will grow big. If all you listen to is what the specialists have to say about your condition, you will become scared. Stop listening to what the experts have to say about the economy. If you feed your faith too, it will grow big. If you spend quality time, listening to messages by anointed men and women of God, studying the word of God and exercising your faith, your faith will grow big. Feed your faith today by looking to Jesus, not the challenges. Hebrews 12:2 says Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of　our　faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. A lot of us struggle with our flesh, we have fed it and it has become so big, now we are struggling to keep it under control. Fasting is now a problem, prayer is gradually becoming a burden, spiritual activities are now boring to us. What you are doing when you listen to secular songs – songs about sex, crime, drugs, etc, is, you are feeding your flesh. You are also feeding the flesh, when you read all sorts of novels; watch ungodly programs on TV – pornography, soap operas celebrating unruly children and so on. If you continue to feed your flesh, it will grow so big and begin to control you. Instead of feeding your flesh, why not feed your spirit by praying in tongues, singing in tongues, fasting, reading the Word, etc. Stop feeding that anger. Stop feeding that resentment. Feed peace by saying sorry. Feed your marriage by investing time and resources in it. Do you know, it is also possible for you to feed the fear of others? Instead of feeding the fear of others, feed their faith by encouraging them in the Lord. When someone wrongs you and you keep going over it repeatedly, you are feeding your anger. In that marriage, do not feed strife by arguing with your husband. Do not feed bitterness, by refusing to forgive that sister. I want you to know this, every time you feed your fear, your faith dies. Every time you feed your flesh, your spiritual life suffers. Every time you feed strife, peace disappears.

TO PONDER: what are you feeding　- love or hatred?

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.　

AND SHE CONSTRAINED HIM

MEMORY VERSE: And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.2 Kings 4:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 4-8

In 2 Kings 4:8-37, the bible talks about a great woman in Shunem. The Amplified bible describes her as a rich and influential woman. The NIV (New International Version) describes her as a well-to-do woman. Some translations of the bible, describes her as a wealthy and prominent woman. All these, point to one fact, she was a very successful woman. The bible deliberately described this woman has been great, rich and influential, wealth and prominent, (depending on the version of the bible you are reading from) for a reason. Otherwise, the bible would have described her as a woman of Shunem. As a woman, you can be great. You have the potential to be successful. As a Christian, you can be rich and influential. You can write books that will change the world. Through your character, you can put your town on the map. The great woman of Shunem, through her deed, put Shunem on the map. If not for this woman, we probably would not have heard about Shunem today. If Christ does not return in 100 hundred years, people will continue to talk about Shunem because of what this woman did. As a woman, you can make a difference. You can invent something, solve a problem, start a business and so on.

2 Kings 4:8 says And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. As great as this woman was, she was humble. She saw a prophet of God passing by, she left everything she was doing, went to him, and invited him for lunch. The prophet rejected the offer; one would have thought that, this woman would turn back and say, ‘how can an ordinary prophet reject my offer?’ She did not, the bible records that she constrained him. In other words, she did not take 'no' for an answer. I can imagine her telling the prophet, ‘sir, you must eat at our place .... i know you are not hungry but at least come in, sit down and i will wash your feet.’ This woman was stubbornly good. Are you the type that takes 'no' for an answer? When you go to God for something, if you do not get an answer after a week, do you stop asking and sort it out yourself? At times, people invite you for a meal or offer to help, hoping that you will say no. With this woman, it was not so, she really wanted to host the man of God. When was the last time you hosted a man of God? Whether you do it or not, the Lord will feed his prophets. Matthew 10:41 says He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. How you treat people will determine what you will get. If someone comes to stay at your place, treat them well because you do not know what that person will become tomorrow.

NOTE: When you offer to help, people may turn it down to see if you really want to help or pretending.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RECORD KEEPING

MEMORY VERSE: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Revelations 20:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 4-8

In heaven, there are books. The Psalmist referred to some of those books in his psalms. Psalm 56:8 says thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? These books contain records. Revelations 20:12 says and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. In Genesis 12:4-5, we read, what Heaven recorded against Abram’s name at a particular period of his life. His age was mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of when he was born); Sarai and Lot were mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of his family); Haran was mentioned (as a proof that Heaven had a record of his location) and so on. Just as Heaven kept records of Abram’s life, Heaven keeps a record of your life and my life. I encourage you not to relent in doing good. Do not get tired of serving in the vineyard of God, Heaven has a record of your labour of love, man may not appreciate you but God, THE REWARDER, has it all recorded and He will reward you.

Just as Heaven keep records, you and I need to keep a proper record of our life in every department of it. Retail stores keep various records – records of items sold, profit made each month, expenditures, etc. These records are used for decision-making and financial projections. Not only that, these records are used to measure performance and so on. The same thing applies to us, keeping records of events in our life is essential for success. Records highlight milestones or landmarks on our journey to  become who God created us to be. It is important that you know, the day you gave your life to Christ, when you began to speak in tongues, how many souls you have won for Christ, etc. Not only that, you also need to be able to say , this and that happened, when I gave that special offering; on this particular date , this is the dream I had ; on that particular date, this was the vision God showed to me ; in that year , this iswhat God said to me and so on and so forth. If you do not keep records, measuring how you are performing in Christ will be difficult. Your records will tell you, the last time you won a soul for Jesus; the last time you worshipped and felt the mighty presence of God all over you; the last time you heard from God and so on. When you keep records of God’s dealings with your life, monitoring your direction and progress in life becomes easy. In addition, your records will show you, how you spend your time, how often you pray, study the Word, and other important spiritual activities. A good record will open your eyes to see some of the unnecessary activities you waste your time on. Managing your life and time becomes easier when you keep records.

ACTION: Get a book and start recording your dreams. 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SAUL DIED

MEMORY VERSE: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joel 2- Amos 3

BIBLE STUDIES: 1 Samuel 16: 14-17

There are two types of death – physical death and spiritual death. Physical death is inevitable. One day, we will all die (If rapture does not take place). Death is a debt, you and I owe, one day we will pay it back. After the physical death, the next thing is judgement. Hebrews 9:27 says and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement. If anyone tells you that he or she speaks to the dead, please do not pay attention to the individual. What that person speaks to, is a demon not the spirit of the dead. Do not waste your time online, looking for where to buy an Ouija board. You cannot contact your dead relative with an Ouija board. If you have one, in the interest of your family well being, throw it away or else, your house will become an abode of demons i.e. haunted. The word of God says, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:15).

There is another death called spiritual death. Genesis 2:17 says But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. When the Lord said to Adam, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die, God was talking of a spiritual death, separation from God, not a physical death. Spiritual death comes through deliberate, willful, intentional, planned, disobedience to God. The moment Adam ate the fruit; he did not fall and die. Actually, after that, he still spoke and walked around like a living person. After his disobedience, He lost his innocence and the presence of God began to terrify him. He lost fellowship and God stopped visiting him in the garden.
As far as heaven was concerned, Saul died the day he disobeyed God by sparing Agag and the fat cows. The moment Samuel questioned him, instead of repenting, he started to give excuses, God cut him off from Himself. Since there is no vacuum in nature, the moment the Spirit of God left him, another spirit took over. 1 Samuels 16:14 says but the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. Are you beginning to die spiritually? Does your heart still prick you when you tell little white lies? When was the last time, God visited you in your dream? Is prayer becoming a burden? Spiritual death is worse than physical death because it is gradual. One can be dead for months and not know. Search yourself carefully this morning; ever since you did that thing, despite your heart pricking you, you know you have not had peace. You know your prayer life is no longer the same. You know you no longer feel His presence like you used to when you worship Him. Deep within you, you know something is not right. Why not go to Him this morning and ask Him to have mercy.

ACTION: Repent today and ask Him to give you a second chance.

Bro Samuel |Reaching the world for Jesus.