BLESSING TIME

MEMORY VERSE: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 16-20

Most people regard offering time as a necessary evil, at best. As usual, our ideas are much different than what the Word of God teaches. Isaiah 55:8 says: “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”Friend, offering time is a blessing time. Firstly, it is a time to bless the Lord. It is an opportunity for us to worship God and express our love to Him in a tangible way. Our gifts reflect how much we value those we are giving to. If I want to give to my parents, I make sure it is the best because of their efforts over my life. How much more if I want to give to my Creator?  David, a man after the heart of God, once said, “neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing (2 Samuel 24:24).” In other words, I will not give the LORD my God a cheap offering. Secondly, it is a time to receive blessings from the Lord. God being so good, has designed it so that when we do give to Him it also functions like planting a seed, which will produce a harvest of blessing in our life. God designed His creation to work in such a way that money and blessing will come back to us in even greater measure than we give out. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

One way the devil tries to suppress the spread of the gospel is by my making people believe that messages like this are just to get money as if preachers wrote the Bible for their own benefit. No, God planned all this, and He knows that without adequate funding, those whom He has called to teach and equip His people will be held back, unable to be as effective as they should be. Money is needed to do the great commission. We cannot take the gospel to Australia on foot neither can we take the gospel to Papua guinea on a horse or a donkey. Organizing revivals cost a lot – fasting and praying especially. Also a lot of money is needed. Money is needed to rent chairs, music instruments, plan logistics and all. Even in our local churches, we need prayers and money especially to pay the bills. So when we give to those proclaiming the Word of God on earth, God considers it giving to Him, and a seed sown. When we give towards the gospel, God considers us His partners on earth and He rewards accordingly. Mark 9:41 says: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, shall not lose his reward.” Offering and planting of seeds are very similar. No wise farmer hates planting his crops. Farmers do not murmur or complain about having to put their seed in the ground. No, they look forward with Joy to the time of harvest. They know it is coming because they understand how seeds work. This should be our attitude when give offering.  We should do it cheerfully knowing that our reward is coming.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Offering and giving to God helps combat selfishness.

PRAYER POINT: Father, bless me so that I can be a financier of your work.

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PUT A PREMIUM ON THE WORD

MEMORY VERSE: And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 11-15 

BIBLE STUDIES: Luke 10:38-42 

Jesus entered into a certain village, with His disciples, and a woman by the name Martha invited Him to her house. Within minutes, rumour began to spread that Jesus, the great teacher, a miracle worker, was around. Before you know it, Martha’s house was filled with people – men, women, single, married, young, old - who came to listen to the powerful teaching of Jesus Christ. Mary, Martha’s sister, was part of the crowd. She sat very close to Jesus. As Jesus taught, the people listened with rapt attention. The whole area was quiet. Suddenly, someone began to open and close the drawers in the kitchen. Who could this be? Sister Martha. She was getting the pots and pans out to prepare food for Jesus. Imagine, Jesus was teaching people things of eternally value; Sister Martha was busy in the kitchen frying meat and cooking stew. (If it were to be in Jamaica, i would have said she stayed in the kitchen to make some saltfish and ackee with fried dumplings. If it were to be in India, i would have said, she was in the kitchen making chicken biryani.) People were in the sitting room crying, confessing and repenting of their sins; this sister was in the kitchen making snacks. The Spirit of God was moving mightily in the sitting room, healing was taking place, broken marriages were being repaired; Sister Martha was in the kitchen adding salt to the soup.

Whatever it is she was doing, she did not put premium on the Word of God. Many of us are like Sister Martha in that we do not put premium on the Word of God. While service is going on in the church, we busy ourselves with unprofitable activities. Because of a La- Liga match, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, many of us, especially young men, miss mid-week service. Because of a cricket match, Sri Lanka vs. India, many miss Friday night vigil. Some miss Sunday Service all because they want to prepare food for a family friend that is coming from outside town. All these point to the fact that we do not put premium on the Word of God. It simply means we do not regard God. Will you stay at home to watch a football watch, Manchester United vs. Manchester City or Arsenal vs. Chelsea, when you should be at work? No. While service is going on in the church, some are busy shopping for food items. Friend, if you are shopping for food items when you should be in church, it simply means you do not put premium on the Word of God. Sister, how can you miss church service because you went to do your hair? 

 Within minutes, the noise from the kitchen drowned the voice of Jesus. The reason being that, she made a lot of noise as she moved around in the kitchen. In addition, the aroma of the soup she was making filled the whole house. Her business in the kitchen became a hindrance to the work of God. To cap it all up, after cooking, she came to the sitting room to ask Jesus to release Mary to come and help her serve. It was at this point Jesus literally told her she was unserious. Luke 10:41 – 42 says: “And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”  

WORD OF THE DAY:  Do not put your pedicure and manicure before Choir practice (if you are a Choir member). Do not put ‘washing’ of your car before Sunday school. If you are a worker in the church, your service in the vineyard of God must come before your manicure. You do not barb your hair when you are supposed to be at work so do not barb your hair when you are supposed to be cleaning the church.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we pray for seriousness in the body of Christ.

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HE CHALLENGES GOD’S WORDS

MEMORY VERSE: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. Genesis 3:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 7-10

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 3:2-4

Do not be fooled by bible quotations. The devil knows the bible by heart and he quotes it. The fact that a counsel is backed up with a bible verse does not mean it is from God. Asides the fact that the devil twists God’s words to confuse people; he gives it his own interpretation to cause people to err. One bible verse he has given his own personal interpretation is, “for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  (Romans 11:29).” Here is his interpretation of this verse – “once God gives you a gift, He will not take it back even if you disobey Him. You can live in sin and still be used by the Holy Spirit because His gifts are irrevocable.”  Friend, this interpretation is from the pit of hell! Recently, a brother told me of a prophet who after committing adultery would climb on the altar and signs and wonders will begin to happen. His excuse was the gifts of God are irrevocable; God had given, the prophet, the gift of working miracles and will not take it back even though the ‘prophet’ was living in sin. Friend, I want you to know this, the fact that a man is performing miracle does not mean he is a man of God. Simon the Sorcerer also performed miracles (Acts 8:9-14). Actually, some people who lacked the gift of discernment called him a man of God. Acts 8:10 says: “To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the great power of God.”

The gifts Paul referred to ,in Romans 11:29, are not the gifts of nature and providence, as life, health, strength, riches, and honour, which God sometimes gives, and repents of, and takes away. A good example is Saul King of Israel. God gave him riches, honour and the throne of Israel. When he disobeyed God’s instruction, God replaced him with David. The gifts referred to are not the external gifts of grace or gifts of the Spirit e.g. gift of prophecy, working of miracles, healings, etc,  which qualify men for ministerial work, for public service in the church; for these may be taken away as the “parable” of the “talents” shows ( Matthew 25:29).  According to 1 Corinthians 13:8, the gifts of the Spirit may pass away. His calling into ministry can also be revoked. He told Eli in 1 Samuel 2:30, “…I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever; but now I (the Lord) say, Be it far from me…. ”. The gifts Paul was referring to are the special and spiritual gifts of God’s grace, which relate to the spiritual and eternal welfare of the souls of men, even that, grace which was given to God’s elect in Christ before the world was, and all those spiritual blessings wherewith they were then blessed in Him: these are without repentance i.e. they are unalterable. God never revokes them in again. Asides these, gifts of the Holy Spirit can be revoked especially when the fellow who is in possession of them fornicates or commits adultery.

The devil also challenges God’s word.  When Eve told him (the devil) what God had said -“ ye shall not eat of it, of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die (Genesis 3:3)”- he challenged it. He said, “It is a lie, don’t mind God.” Genesis 3:4 say: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.”  In 2 Kings 6:25 – 2 Kings 7:2, the king of Syria besieged Samaria and a terrible famine broke out. The famine was so severe that the rich began to eat bird droppings and the poor who could not afford it ate their children. In the midst of this, God spoke by His servant Elisha, “tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.” As Elisha was speaking, the devil challenged it. One of the experts at that time said, it is impossible. The expert did not live to tell the story. Every time God speaks, the enemy will try to challenge it. If you are in doubt of God’s prophecy, do not challenge it. Just keep quiet. Today, the devil is still challenging God’s words. God has said, “no sex before marriage (1 Corinthians 6:9-11),” and I hear people say, you cannot really know a woman until you sleep with her. This is the devil challenging God’s word. I even hear some unserious people say, you need to test the brother/sister to see if you are sexually compatible. This is the devil challenging God’s word.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: God’s commandments are for your own good. When God says do not fornicate, He is trying to protect you from STDs.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please rid your church of demonic doctrines.

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THE BEST WAY TO RESPOND

MEMORY VERSE: And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, Acts 9:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 4-6

The best way to respond to any challenges that comes your way is to pray. The best way to respond when things go out of hands is to pray. When i was young, mum will always say, “Everything requires prayer. When things are going as planned, you pray because you want God to keep it that way. When things are not going as planned, you pray because you want God to turn it around.” Back then, i did not understand what she meant but today i know better. If you are single, you need to pray. If you are married, you need to pray. If you are yet to have kids, you need to pray. If you have kids, you need to pray. When things are going well, please pray. When preparing for exams, please pray. In the exam hall, please pray before you start. When you finish, before submitting your exam papers, please pray. After submitting your exam papers, please pray. One may ask, is there a need to pray after submitting my exam papers? Yes! You need to commit your examiners into the hands of God. You do not want your examiners to mark your exam papers after an argument with their partner or after loosing something valuable. It is a proven fact that examiners tend to be generous with marks when they are happy. Before you visit your GP/ doctors, pray for the right diagnosis. If any member of your family is going for an operation, you need to pray for the surgeons and the nurses. No man is above mistake, doctors and specialist do get it wrong. Many a times they mis-calculate, so you need to commit them into the hands of the ‘One’ who has never made a mistake or mis-calculated.

If you notice that you and your wife/husband are arguing a lot, please pray about it. Before discussing any sensitive issue in your marriage, first of all pray so that it will not escalate into a big fight or argument. Moreover, please, do not always seek to win an argument with your husband/wife, you may win all the argument and loose a godly husband/woman. If God has called you into ministry and your wife is not as supportive as she should be, pray to God about it. Ask the One who called you to call her too. When Saul ran into problems on his way to Damascus, he prayed. Acts 9:11 says: “And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.” Let us look at the last three words, “behold, he prayeth.” Not behold, he crieth or behold, he complaineth against God or worse behold, he saith there is no God. When Saul opened his eyes and found that he could no longer see, he responded by praying. When things do not go as planned, some of us respond by not paying our tithes. Some respond by staying at home instead of going to church. Some respond by quitting their post in the vineyard of God. Some respond by saying there is no God. Some respond by blaming people in their family. Responding to challenges of life in this manner will only prolong the problem not solve it. The only one who can solve that challenge is God, why not take it to Him and stop looking for people to blame. The reason why God sent Ananias to Saul is summarised in the last four words of Acts 9:11- “for, behold, he prayeth”. Saul received help because he responded to his challenges by engaging in prayers.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Remember to always start your prayers with thanksgiving.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please send help to me today.

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HE TWISTS GOD’S WORDS

MEMORY VERSE: 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? Genesis 3:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelation 1-3

Genesis 3:1 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?”There were many serpents in the Garden of Eden; there must have been Cobras, Pythons, Rattlesnakes, Mambas, etc – all harmless. In Genesis 3:1, the bible talks about a particular serpent, ‘the serpent,’ which devil entered into and deceived Eve. The bible records that this particular “serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field.” One of the things you need to know about the devil is that he is subtle. The devil rarely approaches man in the form of a man-like figure with two horns and a tail. He is too wise for that. He knows people will run if they see such figure so he comes disguised. At times, he disguises himself like an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). He comes talking about A when he means B. He appears as if he is caring when he is actually the opposite.

“And he said unto the woman,” implies that the devil spoke through the serpent. Another attribute of the devil is that he speaks through things. In the case of Eve, he spoke through a snake but in the case of Jesus, he spoke through Peter. Matthew 16:23 says: “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Contrary to popular belief that Jesus called Peter - Satan, no He did not. Jesus was referring to the devil, who took the advantage of Peter’s weakness and ignorance; and put him upon dissuading Christ from suffering, for the salvation of His people.

“Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Here we see the devil twisting God’s words. Firstly, at no point did the Lord tell them not to eat of any tree in the Garden. What God said was, “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die (Genesis 2:16-17).” Do not be fooled into thinking that the devil does not know the scripture. He knows it by heart. He knows God’s words but he twists it to confuse people. The fact that someone counsels you and backs it up with the scripture does not mean it is from God. Sometimes last year, someone approached me and told me that smoking marijuana or cannabis is biblical. He said God gave us every seed-bearing plant and tree that has fruit with seed in it has food (Genesis 1:29). According to him, cannabis or marijuana has seeds hence no problem consuming them. I said no problem that means castor bean - poisonous plant with seed – must be edible then, he said no. The devil twisted Genesis 1:29 to mean that cannabis smoking is a godly thing since cannabis or marijuana has seeds. Why will God permit His beloved children to smoke cannabis when it affects their mental health? Christians must not smoke cannabis! Someone also told me that God forbids intermarriage – marriage between two races or tribes. He backed it up with “to your tent o Israel (1 Kings 12:16)” meaning everyone should go back to their tribes and marry from there. Another instance of God’s words being twisted by the devil. God is not against intermarriage – marriage between two races or tribe because there is neither Jew nor Greek in Christ for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:28).

ACTION: Take time to meditate on scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit for its application.

PRAYER: Father, please rid your church of wrong doctrines.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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DO NOT YOUR ALMS BEFORE MEN

MEMORY VERSE: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Matthew 6:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 John - Jude

BIBLE STUDIES:  Matthew 6:1-4

Alms are money or goods given to those in need as an act of charity. The concept of alms-giving is so important that God incorporated it into the Mosaic Law. In Leviticus 19:9-10, God ordered land- owners to leave to the poor the corner of the fields, and every seventh year, to leave the entire field (Exodus 23:10-11). In Churches today, ‘alms’ often go by the name love offering or benevolence fund. You can give money, food items, clothes, shoes and other items as alms. When Jesus was on the earth, He and His disciples gave alms. John 13:29 says: “For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.” We are also expected to give love, respect and kindness too. Alms-giving has many advantages. Alms-giving honours God. Proverbs 14:31 says: “He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.” Alms-giving attracts God’s attention. In Acts 10, the Gentile Cornelius’ faithful alms-giving brought him to the attention of God who sent Peter to share the gospel with him. Alms-giving attracts God’s blessing (Proverbs 22:9). Alms-giving attracts a quick response from God when we cry to Him (Proverbs 21:13).

Alms-giving is important but more important is how we give it. Firstly, do not give goods or materials that are meant for the bin as alms. You know that shirt is worn out, why give it to your fellow brother? You know the sole of that shoe is condemned, why give it your fellow sister in the Lord? If something is not good enough for you, do not give out to people. You know those cans of baked beans are expired; please do not give them to the homeless. You know that juice is expired, do not give it to the hungry. Secondly, when you give, do not do it before men, to be seen of them. Do not give so that people can applaud you. Do not give because you want people to sing your praise. Do not give because you want the pastor to know that you are a giver. Do not give to belittle the fellow you are giving to. If you want to assist that struggling family with food items, do it in secret. Make sure you wrap the food items properly so that no one knows what is inside the bag. Call the fellow to the side of the church and give it to him/her or better still take it to their house. Thirdly, when you give alms do not boast about it to people. Matthew 6:2 says: “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Do not go about telling people what you have done for the church. Fourthly, the alms you have given must be between you, your husband/wife (if you are married) and God. When all these conditions are met, the God who sees in secret has promised to reward you openly.  

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: We will be rewarded openly for what we do in the secret. What are you doing in the secret? What are you doing when the pastor is not there?

PRAYER: Father, please bless me so that I can be a blessing to the world.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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HELP, LORD;

MEMORY VERSE: Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Psalm 12:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 John 3-5

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, wrote these: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.( 2 Timothy 3:1-7)” What Paul wrote is now happening today. There is a high level of moral decadence especially among the teens and youths. In some parts of the world, children as young as twelve are now becoming mothers. A few days back, i saw this young girl, between the age of twelve and fourteen, with two children – one was in the buggy and the other one by her. What some of these teens, especially those in the west, get up to these days is unbelievable. You hear of websites were teens go to share their nude pictures with other teens. Friend, i hope you regularly check your children’s computers and phones to see what they have on it. I pray you will not cry over them in Jesus name. Amen

Amongst the adults, it is worse. Many now love money to the extent that they can do anything to get it even if it involves killing. They are ready to do anything to anyone that stand in their way of getting money. The fear of the Lord is no longer preached in many of our churches. A life of holiness is gradually becoming a taboo. Every attempt to live holy will be met by an attack. Sex before marriage is now acceptable. It is openly practiced; i mean you see people joining a man and a pregnant woman in holy matrimony. How can we join a man and a pregnant woman in holy matrimony? The wedding bed is already defiled, so where is the holiness in such matrimony? Godliness is now a strange word. Godly men and women are fast becoming extinct. Even in our churches, those who put God first are very few. Yes, the church is packed on Sundays but how many are there to serve God? A fellow that is coming to serve God will not arrive in church at11am when the service finishes at 12pm. How many of us go to our place of work an hour to the close of the day? None of us. Just as it was in the days of the old, so it is now. Fornication and adultery are now normal. You hear stories of ‘men of God’ impregnating members of their church. Bribery and corruption is now ok. To raise godly children in this generation requires a lot of prayer. When things get to this level, there is nothing anyone can do except cry to God for help. Psalm 12:1 says: “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” I am of the opinion that believers are also to be blamed because we have failed to carry out the great commission. If we were winning souls, as we should, things will be a lot different. Unfortunately, we have left the great commission to pursue our selfish goals.

THOUGHT: When was the last time you told someone about Jesus? When was the last time you won a soul for Christ?

PRAYER: Father, please help the body of Christ to unite and pursue the great commission.

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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