“FOR IT IS WRITTEN”

MEMORY VERSE: Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. Matthew 26:31

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ephesians 5 – Philippians 3

Whilst keeping Passover, what we now call the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion, with His twelve disciples, Jesus shared some things with His disciples that caused them to seriously consider their commitments to Him. Many of us claim that we love Christ, but when you hear testimonies of what some brethren did for Christ, you will be challenged. Your love for Christ will cost you something. What has your love for Christ cost you? Your love for Christ will cost you your tight dress and short skirts. You see, when you give your life to Christ, ‘dressing to kill’ will no longer appeal to you because you want people to see Christ when they see you. Your love for Christ will cost you your social life. No more clubbing or late night parties. It will cost you your freedom. Christ will put His yoke on you and you become His forever. You used to be your own master, but now that you have given your life to Christ, He becomes your new master.

Whilst eating Passover, Jesus told His disciples: “All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad” (Matthew 26:31). Jesus while on earth spent time with the scriptures. He studied it, meditated on it, memorized it, and applied it correctly. Bible studies was not a ‘Sunday Sunday’ affair to Jesus, it was a regular affair. Jesus was able to speak about His future confidently because He knew what the scripture said about Him. Friend, do you know what the scriptures says about your future? Whether the enemy likes it or not, you will not die before your time. Not only that, you will not die single or childless for it is written: “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil (Exodus 23:26).” Jesus was able to say, “For it is written” because He had studied the scriptures. I remember when I had challenges at work and was suspended for investigation, I told some brothers, “I will not lose my Job because Christ in me the Holy of glory (Colossians 1:27).”

Daniel was able to deliver his nation from bondage because he studied the scriptures. He said in Daniel 9:2:” I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” Daniel discovered something that saved a whole nation from his personal study of the scriptures. Friend, what you have discovered in your personal bible study? Unless you spend time with your bible, there are some promises you will never discover. Have you discovered what God said in the scriptures concerning that re-occurring challenges? Nahum 1:9 says, “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.”  Take this word to Him in prayer and watch that affliction rise no more.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: When you search the scriptures, you find spiritual nuggets

PRAYER: Father, as I study your Word, open my eyes to behold wondrous things out of it.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

“TAKE HEED WHAT YE HEAR”

MEMORY VERSE: And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. Mark 4:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ephesians 2-4

Mark 4:24 says, “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.” ‘And he said unto them’ implies that a man spoke to a group of people. Who was the man? According to John 3:2, He is the teacher of teachers. He was a teacher, who Nicodemus, a greater teacher in Israel, John 3:10, called a great teacher. The One who spoke is Jesus Christ, the question is, who was he addressing? The bible says, “Them”. The ‘them’ refers to the disciples of Jesus and every other believer in the world today. What is Jesus saying to us today: “Take heed he what ye hear”.

In other words, watch what you listen to. Friend, not all the songs on the radio are good for you. Most of these songs fill your mind with junks. Majority of these artists are high on hard drugs. What do you expect to hear from the mouth of a fellow who has just finished smoking cannabis? Some of them have written their names in blood and sold their souls to the devil for fame, their lyrics are demonic, they promote lawlessness, living undisciplined life, they encourage sex outside marriage, etc. Friend, be careful what you are hearing because what you hear can increase your faith or kill your faith. I used to believe it is ok to be sick once or twice a year. I used to believe it is impossible to go through a year without taking any drugs until I heard the testimony of man of God who celebrated his 34th year of divine health. That changed my perspective, by the special grace of God, in the last three years I have not taken any drug!

Friend, what you hear today will affect your future. Friend, what are you listening to? Are you listening to people who say all men are the same? Are you listening to people who say there are no good men left; all the good men are married? I hope you are not listening to people who say sisters from a particular area of town do not make good wives? Do you know where your future partner, the bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh, will come from? Friend, I do not want you to have problems. What is important to you is the will of God not where he or she comes from. I hope you are not listening to people who say one cannot serve God properly when one is married. Abraham was married yet he was a friend of God. David was married, yet he was the man after the heart of God. I hope you are not listening to people who say you need to be poor to make heaven. Was Abraham poor? Was David poor? Friend, take heed what you hear. You can be prosperous and still make heaven. You can be prosperous and still live a life of holiness. That illness is curable. There is nothing beyond the power of God.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: What you hear will decide what heights you will reach in life.

PRAYER: Please help me take heed to what i hear.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

IT WOULD MAKE SENSE IN THE END

MEMORY VERSE: But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto Good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Genesis 50:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Galatians 5- Ephesians 1

Several thousands of years ago, a young man had two dreams. In his first dream, he and his eleven brothers were binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly, his sheaf arose and stood upright, his brother’s sheaves stood around his sheaf and bowed to it. In his second dream, the sun, the moon and eleven stars bowed to him. It was obvious to this young man that God had a great plan for his life. It was clear to him that he was destined for greatness. It was apparent that he was going to be a man of uncommon achievements. Shortly after that, his world turned upside down. His brothers grabbed him, gave him the beating of his life, and sold him into slavery. As he walked through Sahara desert, in chains with other slaves, tired and thirsty, he must have wondered, “Is this unbearable pain part of His plan? Is this betrayal from my blood brothers, part of the divine plan?”

The slave traders sold him to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard. Whilst serving in Potiphar’s house, he was wrongly accused of rape and sent to prison. Whilst in prison, Pharaoh had a dream no man could interpret. One of Pharaoh’s officers, who this young man had interpreted his dream, told Pharaoh about this gifted young man. After interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, he made him a prime minister in Egypt. One day his eleven brothers came to buy food in Egypt and he recognized them. Being a merciful man, he forgave them, made provisions for his brothers and his father to come and live with him. After his father’s death, his brothers came and bowed before him, willingly requesting to be his servant. At this point, he remembered his dream.

Everything he had passed through now made sense to him. His life, the challenges he faced, the disappointments, the hatred and betrayal, now made sense. Genesis 50:20 says, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto Good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Friend, are you going through hell in your marriage? Is your world collapsing and you do not know what to do? Have you been wrongly accused of something you do not know anything about? Are you of a marriageable age and no man has come to propose to you? Are you going through untold pains and you do not why God has allowed it? Friend, everything would make sense in the end. Those challenges you are facing would make sense in the end. That failed relationship would make sense at the end. That disappointment and betrayal of trust would make sense in the end. That delay would make perfect sense in the end.

WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT: God has a plan for your life, as far as you continue in Christ, it will come to pass.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

SIBLING RIVALRY: CAUSES AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES.

MEMORY VERSE: and when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. Genesis 37:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Galatians 2-4

Friend, no man is born a giant. The majority of the people you are using as ‘point of contact’ today, started very little. Do not use your beginning as a yardstick to measure your end. Do not use your present situation as a yardstick to measure your tomorrow. Do not be discouraged; continue making efforts, one day it will yield results. Someone once said, “Consistent effort brings luck.”

Where there is sibling rivalry, everyone suffers – the siblings involved, their children, their parents, etc. Not only that, if sibling rivalry is left unchecked, it may affect the work of God. In Numbers 12, Miriam, the first prophetess in Israel, became a leper as a result of sibling rivalry. Also, Moses’ wife, an Ethiopian woman, saw hell in the hands of her sister and brother in law as a result of the rivalry between Moses, Aaron and Miriam. Friend, God is not happy that you are not in talking terms with your siblings. They may have wronged you, please find a place in your heart to forgive them. One of the biggest hindrances to prayer is unforgiveness. Forgive them, not because they deserve it but because Christ forgave your sins and washed you in His blood.

How can we avoid or stem the tide of sibling rivalry in our families? Firstly, treat your children the same. Even If you love one particular one more than the others, do not show it. Due to one reason or the other, you may love one child above others probably because he or she is the child of old age. The bible records: “now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors” (Genesis 37:3). Sibling rivalry did not start amongst the 12 sons of Jacob because he loved Joseph more than the rest. Loving your last born more than your first or second child will not breed sibling rivalry. The rivalry between the twelve sons of Israel started when they began to see that their Father loved Joseph more than them. Genesis 37:4 says,” and when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” The old man loved Joseph and he did not hide it. He made him a coat of many colors in other words he got him a very expensive jacket and got the brothers nothing. Anytime they wanted to go out, Joseph would put on his expensive jacket, others would put on their old tattered jacket. Friend, are you treating your children the same or you buy a brand new coat for John and ignore the rest? When Beatrice speaks, you give her audience but when others speak you shun them. I want you to know that by doing this, you are dividing your family into two.

ACTION: Treat your children the same. Give them equal attention. It will save you a lot of stress when you grow old. Let us remember to pray for parents that God will give them the wisdom to raise their children in a way that will promote love.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

DANGERS OF SIBLING RIVALRY

MEMORY VERSE: And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Genesis 4:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Second Corinthians 12- Galatians 1

The agenda of the enemy, the thief, can be summarized as follows: to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). When he wants to steal from, kill or destroy a family/a family member, one of the tools he employs is sibling rivalry. Friend, sibling rivalry is not a small thing, if left unchecked; it has the potential to truncate destinies as we will see shortly. The first thing I want you to know is, when there is rivalry between siblings, everyone suffers. The siblings involved suffers, their parents – father and mother suffers, in some extreme cases, the children of the siblings involved in rivalry suffers.

In Genesis 4:1-15, we find the first instance of sibling rivalry in the world. Two brothers, Cain and Abel, brought an offering to God. God accepted Abel’s offering and rejected Cain’s offering. The bible records that: “And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:5). Friend, why are you wroth and why has your countenance fallen? Is it because a sister is getting married soon and you are still single? Is it because God bought that family a house and He is yet to buy you a house? Because Abel’s offering was accepted and Cain’s offering was not, Cain got angry at Abel. The question is this, is it the fault of Abel that God accepted his offering and rejected his brother’s offering? Friend, do not get angry at that fellow because God is blessing him or her, instead ask the Lord to bless you too. Besides, God has not forgotten you. You will testify soon. Cain became angry and he killed Abel. Genesis 4:8 says, “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” Because of Cain’s action, he was cursed and banished from the presence of the Lord.

The rivalry between Cain and Abel led to the death of Abel. If sibling rivalry is left unchecked, it can lead to loss of lives. The destiny of Abel was truncated courtesy of the rivalry between him and his brother. Not only that, their rivalry brought untold pains and sorrow to their parents. Adam and Eve lost Abel forever. Cain too suffered because he received a curse. Cain’s children also suffered from the curse that was placed on their father. If the ground fails to yield her strength to Cain, how will Cain feed his wife and children? As you can see, everyone – father, mother, siblings, sibling’s children, etc, suffers when there is sibling rivalry. Do you know ministry also suffers and at times truncated as a result of sibling rivalry? By God’s grace we will look into that soon but in the mean time, it is obvious there is a need to raise prayers for families. Families are the fabric of our nation, if sibling rivalry continues to thrive in them; our nations will continue to suffer.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please put an end to sibling rivalry in our families.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.         

SIBLING RIVALRY

MEMORY VERSE: And the children struggled together within her, and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. Genesis 25:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Second Corinthians 9-11

Sibling rivalry can be defined as competition or animosity between siblings. It often starts even before the second child is born, and continues as the kids grow and compete for everything from toys to attention. Every one of us, except if you are the only child, can relate to this. Am sure you will be able to remember a time in your life when you and your brothers or sisters fought, argued, or tried to outsmart each other. Sibling rivalry has brought division in some families today.  You see brothers and sisters not talking to each other, working against each other, blaming each other for their problems, and so on. Let us look at some instances of sibling rivalry in the bible. In Genesis 4:1-8, is an instance of sibling rivalry between two brothers of the same parents, Cain and Abel. Also in Genesis 27 is another account of sibling rivalry between two brothers of the same parents, Jacob and Esau. The rivalry between Jacob and Esau started when they were in their mother’s womb. Both of them fought morning, afternoon and night. Rebekah, their mother, had no peace, when the jostling became unbearable, she ran to God. Genesis 25:22 says, “And the children struggled together within her, and she said, if it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord.”   In Genesis 21:8-9, an account of sibling rivalry between two step brothers, Ishmael and Isaac, is recorded. Sibling rivalry is also common in ladies. In Genesis 30 is a record of sibling rivalry between two sisters of the same parents, Rachel and Leah. The case of Joseph and his eleven brothers is another instance of sibling rivalry. Sibling rivalry is also present in extended families. For instance, in Numbers 16, an account of sibling rivalry is recorded between some sons of Levi, certain Reubenites, 250 Israelite community leaders, Moses and Aaron. In Numbers 12:1 -10, we see an instance of sibling rivalry between aged prophet and prophetess of God - Moses, Aaron and Miriam.

Sibling rivalry is a tool the enemy uses to breakup families. When he wants to rob a family of something good, kill or destroy them, he employs sibling rivalry. As we will see later in these series, he uses it to inflict pains on siblings and their parents. Friend, is there a rivalry between you and your siblings? Hebrew 12:14 says, “Follow peace with all men…” Unless you do something about that rivalry between you and your siblings, you may miss heaven. Is there a brother or sister you are not in talking terms with? Brethren, make peace with him or her. Parents, has sibling rivalry begun to grow between your children? Pray that the Lord will give you the wisdom to quench it. Also, pray for the spirit of love between your children. That sibling rivalry, if left unchecked could break up your family.

PRAYER POINT: Father, let love grow in our families.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

HIDDEN FOR A PERIOD

MEMORY VERSE: And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.( Matthew 2:13).

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Second Corinthians 4-8

The Lord protects His children in different ways. He can destroy their enemies. In Second Kings 18, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, plotted to take the children of Judah captive. To protect the children of Judah, His children, the Lord sent an angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian army (Second Kings 19:35). When Sennacherib woke up the next morning and saw the dead bodies of his men, he abandoned his plans and returned home with the remaining soldiers. Asides sending an angel, He can cause the enemies of His children to fight each other and destroy themselves. In Second Chronicles 20, the enemies of Judah, the Ammonites, the Moabites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, fought each other and killed themselves. To protect His children, He can put their dread/fear in the heart of their (potential) enemies. He told Moses: “This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee. (Deuteronomy 2:25)”. To protect His children, He can cause their enemies to live at peace with them. Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Better still, He can hide His children from their enemies. For instance, after Elijah, the Tishbite, prophesied against the land of Israel because of their idol worship, the Lord hid him, from the wicked King Ahab, by brook Cherith (First Kings 17:3). When Esau wanted to kill Jacob, his brother, the Lord hid Jacob at Laban's place (Genesis 27). When Herod sought to kill baby Jesus, God hid Him in Egypt. Matthew 2:13 says, “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” Friend, is God trying to hide you? If the One who will protect you asks you to hide, you had better hide as commanded. Do not play James Bond with your life. Except God hides you, you will be putting your life at risk trying to hide yourself. Urijah, a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, tried to hide himself (Jeremiah 26:20-24). His enemy, Jehoiakim the king, sent men to Egypt to fetch him out and kill him. The reason why you keep running from place to place, to hide from household enemy, and yet, they keep getting you is because you are using your wisdom to hide yourself. Friend, why not run to Jesus today. As you sit for those exams, ask the Lord to hide your exam papers from wicked examiners. As you apply for that visa or permit, ask the Lord to hide your application form from racist immigration officers. As you put in your application, maybe for a job or mortgage, ask the Lord to hide your application forms from wicked HR officers and assessment officers. Daily, ask the Lord to hide you from wicked men, bag snatchers, thieves, kidnappers, reckless drivers, people looking for whom to stab or shoot, etc.

NOTE: Except He hides you, no one can hide you.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.