FAITH PERFECT FOR SALVATION

MEMORY VERSE: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 96-100, Proverbs 20

BIBLE STUDY: Romans 12:1-2

What is faith? Hebrew 11:1 says: “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, faith is a confident assurance, a well-grounded assurance that something we want and hope for is going to happen. It is a conviction of the reality of things hoped for, which we cannot yet see. To have faith in God means to completely trust in God. It means being absolutely convinced that God would do what He has promised to do. Faith must have a basis of which it must be firmly rooted and grounded. Our faith is grounded in the Gospel, we believe that the Gospel being preached to us is true, and the bible on which the Gospel was written must be true. We are absolutely convinced that Jesus died and rose again. His resurrection from the dead becomes a guarantee to us that we who put our faith and trust in Him will one day rise from the dead to ever live with Him.

There are things you need to know about faith. Firstly, faith becomes useless when it is without deeds (James 2:20). Secondly, faith alone is dead without works (James 2:17). Thirdly, faith can be perfected. James 2:22 says: “seest thou how faith wrought with works, and by works was faith made perfect?” A perfect faith is one, which results in a transformed life. For one’s faith to be perfect for salvation , one must do the will of God. Matthew 7:21 says: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

To do the will of God, one must first discover God’s will. To discover God’s will, one must first present his body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). A sacrifice is something that is totally and absolutely given with nothing held back. To present your body as a living sacrifice means to put your body on God’s altar as a living sacrifice. From now on, you do not own your body. God owns it. You do not decide where you are going to go or what you are going to wear. They are now God’s decision. Your body becomes God’s personal property. The good news is that God accepts maintenance responsibility of what He owns. Secondly, one must not be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2). The phrase “conformed to this word” refers to anything pertaining to the habit, manner, dress, style of living, music, of this sinful world. Christians are to dress modestly which means not drawing attention to themselves. Modesty is rule of the Christian’s apparel and dress that does not draw attention to one sexually. Thirdly, one must be transformed. To transform something means to change it. We are to be transformed from living a life of seeking worldly pleasures and self-goals and desire to one of living for the Lord. For transformation to take place, our minds must be renewed. The old carnal mind is replaced with one that seeks the Lord and is able to understand God’s truth and apply it one’s life.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: God’s will is that we live today for Him, giving our lives sacrificially to Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to live my life daily for you.

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SEVEN THOUSAND PREPARED REPLACEMENTS

MEMORY VERSE: Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.1 Kings 19:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 91-95, Proverbs 19

We do not know much about Elijah’s background except that he was a Tishbite who resided in Gilead (1 Kings 17:1). One thing we know is that he came from a humble background. The Jews are very proud of their heritage so when they want to write about a great figure e.g. Jesus Christ, they will start with the family genealogy. This is why you see a lot of ‘A’ begat ‘B’, 'B' begat 'C' and 'C' begat 'D', 'E', etc in the bible. If the person is a prophet/prophetess, a king, or some important personality, they will start by mentioning the person’s name followed by the father’s name for men and husband’s name for women. For instance, the bible introduced Elisha the prophet as Elisha the son of Shaphat (1 Kings 19:19) and Deborah the prophetess as Deborah, the prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth (Judges 4:4). Elijah’s father was poor and so insignificant in their community that the author of 1 Kings did not even bother to mention his father’s name. Despite his humble background, he became a man who even the king could not ignore. Despite his not-so-fortunate background, he became a man who God used to start a national revival. At the end of his ministry, God sent a chariot from heaven to bring him home. He was one of two men- the other one is Enoch – who did not die. Friend your background means nothing when God is with you.

Through Elijah’s ministry, we saw the impossible become possible. In 1 Kings 17:11-16, he told a woman who was about to prepare her last meal that her jar of flour shall not spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty and it happened as he said. For many months, without any source of income, the woman fed herself, her son and the prophet without borrowing because her jar of flour was not spent. In 1 Kings 17:17-22, he prayed for a dead boy and he woke up. He was so anointed that he could shut the heaven and there will be no rain for many years (1 Kings 17:1-2). In addition, he could open a shut heaven on his knees (1 Kings 18:46). At the height of his ministry, this prophet began to see himself as indispensable. He began to have an exaggerated view of himself. One day something happened and he told God, “and I, even i only, am left(1 Kings 19:14).” In other words, You (God) are stranded without me (Elijah). The Lord replied and said: “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.(1 Kings 19:18)” In other words, I have seven thousand people who i could pick one from to replace you. God had prepared an excess of seven thousand people who He could pick to replace one of the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. If God had seven thousand men who He could pick from to replace Elijah, how many do you think He could pick from today to replace you and i, if we allow pride in our hearts or become too big for Him to carry? Friend, you are not indispensable. You are what you are, where you are because of Him. If the Lord is using you in any capacity, please take it as a very big privilege. I want you to know that He had many people to pick from before giving you an opportunity.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: When we talk of giving to God, many of us think that we are doing God a favor when we give to Him. God can touch the heart of any billionaire to give to Him if He needs money. Besides, He owns the whole world – the gold mines, oil wells, etc. He asks us to give so that He can multiply whatever we give to Him and return it to us.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me never to become too big for you to carry.

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DON’T STRAY AWAY FROM GOD

MEMORY VERSE: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 86-90, Proverbs 18

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 34:1-2

The way God protects us, His children, can be compared to how animals protect their babies. I will never forget my experience with a dog that had just given birth. My mum sent me on an errand one early Saturday morning. When i got to her friend’s house, unknown to me her dog had just given birth, i opened the gate and walked in. Immediately her dog saw me, she started to bark and run towards me. (She probably thought i came to steal her puppies). I knew something was not right so i ran for my dear my life and the dog chased me. From that experience, i knew that animals, especially dogs, passionately protect their babies. Matthew 23:37 says: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” Jesus compared the way He would have loved to protect Jerusalem to the way a hen protects her chickens under her wings. The mother hen keeps her chickens close to her because she knows that danger menaces them. She is aware that a cold night is a threat to their lives so she keeps them underneath her wings. She provides food, protection, warmth, and nurture.

How Mother hen protects her chickens is similar to how God protects His children. Actually, God does a far better job! The chickens respond to Mother hen’s love by staying close to her. Friend, the only way to respond to God’s love is by staying in His presence. Dinah’s parent did everything any parent could do to protect their daughter. She had everything a young girl could dream of. One day she decided to go out and have fun with the daughters of the land. She left her house, her refuge, God’s presence and strayed into strange territory. Shechem, an unbeliever, a wicked man, caught her and raped her. She had kept her flower to give it to the love of her life – her husband. Shechem, a man without a soul, forcefully took this flower from her. Dinah lost it because she strayed away from where God placed her. Many are beginning to stray away from God and His counsels. Many young men and women are straying away by watching pornography on the internet. Many sisters are beginning to stray away by taking marriage counsel from unbelievers. What do you expect to hear from them? Divorce your husband is all you will hear. Many brothers are beginning to stray away by asking their ungodly friends to show them how to make fast money maybe through fraud or something. Some have already strayed away like Dinah. I believe Dinah must have been straying out of the house to see the daughters of the land for a long time. She must have had one or two friends amongst the Hivites women. You may have strayed away too by committing fornication and adultery. You had better repent before Shechem grabs you. One of the Shechem of our time is STD.

WORD OF THE DAY: What is now sustaining you, out of the presence of God, is the mercy of God and that mercy will not last forever if you seize to return to where God placed you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please keep me from falling.

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DANGERS OF RESTING BEFORE THE FINISH LINE

MEMORY VERSE: And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 81-85, Proverbs 17

One of the biggest concerns in the body of Christ today is that majority of us are beginning to take our foot off the gas. We no longer pray as we used to. We no longer fast as we used to. We longer witness about Christ to people, especially our colleagues at work and neighbours at home, as we used to. We no longer give as we used to. We now count many spiritual activities as a waste of time. The fervency with which some of us used to serve the Lord is no longer there. Many never used to joke with their quiet time. No matter how tired they are, they will read at least a chapter of the bible daily. Today, many of us cannot remember the last time we read a complete chapter of the bible. When i was younger, i remember that everyone’s New Year goals used to be to read the whole bible in a year. During that time, a man of God read the bible nine times in a year. Today, people no longer set such targets for themselves. It used to be a thing of pride to suffer for Christ or for the gospel. Today, being a child of God is no longer cool. No one wants to be like Jesus anymore. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” In other words, saying the sinner’s prayer is not enough. Being born into a Christian family is not enough. You must be upright to the very end. You must not practice sin. If you fall into sin, you repent right away, ask for forgiveness, and move on. You must run from sin until you go to be with the Lord.

Asides this, there is danger is resting before the finish line. 2 Samuel 11:1 says: “And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.” When David was meant to be at the battlefront - leading the armies of Israel to war, defending the nation and conquering new territories - he stayed at home to rest. While he was resting, the enemy caught up with him and set a trap for him. King David woke up from bed and decided to take a stroll around his palace. Whilst strolling, he saw Bathsheba bathing. He saw what he was not meant to see and got into trouble. Before he knew what was happening, he had already fallen into the sin of adultery. This mistake cost him all he had ever worked for even the throne. The man who used to reside in the palace now began live in pits. Friend, the enemy is making more effort than ever to get us to fall into sin. He is doing everything possible for us to make a costly mistake and lose the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is not the time to take your foot off the gas. This is not the time to play with your salvation. This is not the time to stop witnessing. This is not the time to joke with your prayer life. This is not the time to lose your zeal for the things of God. This is not the time to relax. This is not the time to joke with your quiet time.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please revive your church.

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IT IS NOT GOOD THAT ‘THE’ MAN SHOULD BE ALONE

MEMORY VERSE: And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 76-80, Proverbs 16

I hear a lot of people, especially brothers, say it is not good for a man to be alone. Please, where is that written in the bible? 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.” It is not good for ‘the’ man, not ‘a’ man, to be alone. ‘The’ man referred to in Genesis 2:18, was a particular man previously spoken about in the preceding verses. This man, which we now know as Adam, had met some criteria before the Lord said it is not good for him to be alone. Except you, single brother, meet those criteria, I think it is good for you to be alone. Sisters in Christ, the fact that a brother has beards does not mean he is ready for marriage.

There are few things you need to know about ‘the’ man who God was referring to when He said it is not good for the man to be alone. Firstly, God had formed the man. Genesis 2:7 says: “and the Lord God formed man…..” The man was a new creature i.e. a born again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” Sisters, it is not wise to marry a brother who has not given his life to Christ. The bible even says, “ be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14).” The same applies to brothers too. Also do not marry a baby Christian or a fellow who has just given his or her life to Christ. When Simon the Sorcerer accepted Jesus, as his personal Lord and Saviour, the church rejoiced. On the day of his baptism, everyone danced for joy. Bro Philip, his father in the Lord, beamed with smiles throughout that day. Within few weeks , he became personal assistant to Bro Philip. The bible said, “he continued with Philip (Acts 8:13).” Unknown to everyone, Simon had a hidden agenda – he was after something. He wanted the power of God so he that could do business with it. When he observed that through laying of hands people received the Holy Ghost, he offered money to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24). All these while, the church thought Simon was genuine but he was not. So sister, let us watch that brother who has just given his life to Christ to see if he is genuine. The same applies to brothers too. Secondly, the man was in Eden. Eden stands for God’s presence or a place where God comes to fellowship with man. It is good for a man who does not have an altar – a place where he talks to God in prayer, study the word of Word - to be alone. Thirdly, God gave him a work – to cultivate and keep the garden. Genesis 2:15 says: “and the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.” It is good for a man who does not have a job to be alone. Without a job, how can he provide for his family? Besides, God first gave Adam a job before He gave him a wife. To cultivate means to grow something. God told Adam to grow or develop the garden i.e. everything around him. To cultivate the garden, Adam needed to first cultivate himself i.e. develop a skill. It is good for a man who has not developed any skills or who is not working on himself to be better to be alone. To keep means to protect or preserve. If a man cannot keep something e.g. a job; If he is always changing jobs every two weeks, it is good for him to be alone. A man who can not keep a job most likely cannot keep a marriage.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: I see the bibles some brothers carry , it is all torn. Some of it do not even have a cover. If one cannot keep a bible – the word of God – I wonder if they will be able to keep a relationship.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please make our brothers, especially those who are yet to marry, real men. Please make them men who will love Your word, study Your word, practice Your word and keep Your word in their hearts.

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WHO WAS CALLED BARREN

MEMORY VERSE: And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. Luke 1:36

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 71-75, Proverbs 15

Men love to give names to people. They may call one by his unfortunate background e.g. Jephtah the son of a harlot ( Judges 11:1-3).The knew Gilead was the father of Jephtah, yet they called him the son of a harlot simply because his mother was a harlot. They may call one by his problem or predicament e.g. blind Bartimeaus. The bible recorded his name as Bartimeaus Timaeus i.e. Bartimeaus the son of Timeaus ( Mark 10:46). Thousands of years after his healing, people are still calling him blind Bartimeaus. There was a woman called Elisabeth Zacharias, she was the cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Because she had no child and had gone past child bearing, men began to call her barren. Luke 1:46 says: “And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.” Thank God it was people who called her barren not God. It does not matter what names people call you. How the experts described your medical condition is irrelevant. What matters is God’s report. What matters is what God calls you. Men may call you ‘barren’ but God has not called you barren. The Lord said in Exodus 23:26: “there shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.” What men say about you or circumstance is irrelevant. What is relevant is what God says about you. Search the scriptures to see what God says about you or your circumstances. Job 8:7 says: “though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” Men said Walt Disney lacked creativity, some even said he lacked good ideas. God had something different to say about Walt Disney. Experts may have written your case off, God has not written your case off. It is never over until God says so.

Friend, what men say about your spiritual life is irrelevant. There are many who are humble inside the four walls of the church but ‘a tiger’ outsides the four walls of the church. Some only pray in the church, they do not pray at home. What men say about your relationship with God does not matter. To be frank only God can accurately describe your relationship with Him. Only God alone can accurately described our spiritually lives. What men say about your prayer life does not matter. What men say about your giving does not matter. Sadly, what we say about ourselves does not really matter too. 2 Corinthians 10:18 says: “for not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.” Men may call you a meek brother, but what does God call you? Men may call you a humble sister, but what does God call you? Samuel called Eliab the Lord’s anointed but the Lord called him a ‘cast away’ (1 Samuel 16:5- 7). Friend, what men say about your attendance does not matter. Many only attend service because they have nothing else to do at home and Champion’s league is not on until the next couple of weeks. What men say about your commitment to the things of God does not matter. You may be doing what you are doing in the vineyard of God because it is convenient. Friend, your service to God must cost you something. Whilst men look at the outward appearance, God looks at the heart. Are you an ordinary giver or a cheerful giver?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Men changes. Those who shouted ‘Hosanna’ to Jesus were the same person who shouted ‘crucify Him.’ God is constant. He does not change.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please open my eyes to see myself as You see me.

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LEARN SIMPLE OBEDIENCE

              

MEMORY VERSE: Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.1 Samuel 15:3

                                          

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 66-70, Proverbs 14

The people of Israel practiced the law of retaliation, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, in Old Testament times. This law was in place to restrict compensation to the value of the loss. Although this law provided one or two advantages, its disadvantages outweigh its advantages. For instance, this old law leaves everyone blind and toothless. The law of retaliation shuts the door of God’s mercy on us. 2 Samuel 22:26 says: “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.” The law of retaliation shuts the door of divine forgiveness on us. Matthew 6:14 says: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:” The law of retaliation also puts one in spiritual bondage. According to Matthew 18:21-35, the fellow who fails to forgive will be handed over to tormentors i.e. the devil and demons. To cancel out the law of retaliation, Jesus introduced the law of love. Love your neighbour as yourself. He also introduced forgiveness.

In Exodus 17:8, without being provoked in any way, shape or form, the Amalekites attacked the children of Israel and killed many of them – young, old, pregnant, nursing mothers, lame, weak, etc. As the law of retaliation demands, the Amalekites had to be paid back in their own coin. (Remember it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth in those days). The Lord sent Saul, through Samuel, to destroy the Amalekites i.e. child killers, nursing mother killers, etc. 1 Samuel 15:3 says: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” The instruction that Saul received was quite simple. It was unambiguous, easy to understand and simple. God told him, “go and destroy all.” When he got to Amalek, he kept Agag (the king of Amalek), the people with him kept the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs and all that was good and destroyed the rest. When he returned to Israel, he received the shock of his life. 1 Samuel 15:23 says: “………..because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” Anyone God rejects is doomed for life. When we say God has rejected a fellow, what we are saying is God has banished the fellow from His presence. In the presence of God is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11), outside of His presence is sadness. We run into problems when we disobey God. Doing God’s work does not exempt us from the rewards of disobedience. Majority of the problems we find ourselves in today has its root in our disobedience to God’s words. Some years back whilst sharing tracts from house to house, the Lord drew my attention to some groups of young boys who were walking towards me. The Lord told me to greet them nicely but I did not. Since I was older, I expected them to greet me first not the other way round. I walked past them, they did not say a word to me, and I did not say a word to them. I thought that was it. As I walked into a street, I saw these boys standing outside a property I wanted to drop some tracts into their letter box. As I opened the gate, I greeted them nicely and they started to swear at me. They even threatened to attack me. God foresaw this, that was why He instructed me to greet to them earlier. Thank God they did not attack me.

QUESTION: Friend, has God asked you to do something?  Has He told you to go and make up with a sister you are not in talking terms with? Has He told you to apologize to your wife? Has He was warned you to stop walking with some group of people? Repent today and do what He has asked you to do.

PRAYER POINTS: Father I repent today, please forgive me and give me a second chance to put things right.

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