ESTABLISHED BY UNDERSTANDING

MEMORIZE: Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established. Proverbs 24:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 2, Proverbs 31:13 – 14

What is required to build a house/ life/ family/ business is quite different from what is required to establish a house/life/family/business. Proverbs 24:3 says this: “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established.” To build a thing requires wisdom. What is wisdom? It is the correct application of knowledge. However, to establish a thing i.e. to ensure that the thing you have built remains standing as long as possible, it requires understanding. One of the biggest causes of problems in human relationships is misunderstanding. Yesterday afternoon I saw how a little mis-understanding, between two people in a relationship, could lead to unhappiness, disappointment, feelings of guilt and many other negative emotions. I went to a fruit and vegetable stall to get some lemons. Whilst standing in the queue, a woman waiting to be served observed that, her son, a boy of around 4 years old, was not by her. She called out his name and there was no response. Her face changed, she called the name again and there was no response. (The fruit and vegetable stall was right next to a busy road and there were people all round.) She started to shake and yell out her son’s name. By this time, everyone had literally begun to look for this boy. Suddenly, this boy crept out of where he was hiding. He had a big bright smile on his face – he had successfully hid himself and mum could not find him. Out of anger, the mum gave him a dirty smack on the bum. “Where have you been”, she screamed at him – almost bursting into tears. The boy began to cry. Immediately, she realized that the boy did not mean to cause her grief. She tried to pull him to herself but the boy refused.

What happened between this young boy and his mum was a case of simple mis-understanding. All he was trying to do was play ‘hide and seek’ with mum but she did not get it. Unfortunately, he did the right thing at the wrong time and at the wrong place. Had it been that the mum knew the young boy was trying to play ‘hide and seek’ initially, she would not have smacked him that hard. I think she probably would have dealt with the issue differently. By the time mum realized that he was only trying to play ‘hide and seek’-doing what any child of his age would do, it was too late. This is what happens when we mis-understand each other. Mr A does something or says something; Mr B mis-interprets it and reacts negatively. By the time Mr B realizes that Mr A meant no harm, it is too late. Before you know it, their relationship becomes strained. If care is not taken, that relationship may break. To establish something already built, you need understanding. You need to understand that people are different. They think differently, behave differently, respond differently to the same issue, and have different perspective on the same issue. You need to understand that people work at different pace. You need to understand that some of what you consider as good ideas, to some people they are bad ideas. You need to remember that we come from different backgrounds and we express ourselves in different ways. Having all these at the back on one’s mind always help when working with people. One of the few things you can do to avoid mis-understanding people or things is seek to understand things or people. Why did he say what he said? Was he provoked? Was it intentional? Was he responding to what was said to him? It is always good to see things from other people’s perspective. Also if you are not sure, ask question instead of jumping into conclusion.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: There are no permanent enemies. That fellow that is wicked to you today may become your lifesaver tomorrow.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please increase my understanding so that I will not pull down the things you have built in my life.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

WHEN DIVINE GUIDANCE IS IGNORED

MEMORIZE: and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:153 - 176, Proverbs 31:13, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

Recently I wanted to go somewhere, I had the address of where I was going to but I was not sure about the route so I decided to use a satellite navigator. (A satellite navigator guides an individual from his present location to his destination.) I put the address in the SatNav (Satellite Navigator); it calculated how long the journey would take, which was 8 minutes, and then proceeded to guide me to the destination. “Drive straight, at the end of the road turn left,” was the first instruction I received. I ignored it and took the first left. (Remember, I had an idea of the route.) I decided to use my knowledge until I got to where I was not sure. Immediately I turned left, the SatNav re-calculated the route and informed me that the journey would now take 7 minutes. I smiled to myself. It continued to give route instructions and I obeyed until I got to another area where I thought I knew the route better than the SatNav. Instead of driving straight as instructed, I took a right turn to avoid traffic and cut down the journey time. After I turned, it re-calculated the route and instructed me to make a ‘U’ turn at any available opportunity but I ignored the instruction. I continued to drive hoping it will re-calculate the route and give me a new instruction but it kept on instructing me to make U-turn. After a short while, I decided to comply and let the SatNav do its job. I made a ‘U’ turn and followed all the instructions from that moment to the letter. When I arrived at my destination, I checked to see how long the journey took and to my shock, I did an 8 minutes journey in 14 minutes!

As I pondered about the whole thing, it dropped in my spirit that my attitude towards the instructions from the SatNav is exactly the attitude of many of us towards divine instructions. God has told many of us to go straight but we turned either to avoid traffic i.e. problems or take a short cut. My disobedience to the SatNav seemed like a good idea at first- I was even encouraged to ignore it more - but at the end, I wished I had followed the instructions to the letter. Because of the rewards many received from initial disobedience to divine instruction, they are encouraged to ignore divine instruction once a while. Friend, if God tells you to go right and you go left, it may seem like a good idea at first but at the end, you will wish you had gone right as He instructed. Has God instructed you to make a U-turn i.e. turn completely from a particular path or way of doing things but you ignored it hoping to get a new instruction, friend you will not get a new instruction until you turn. God’s counsel is always the same regardless of where you go. If God spoke through a man of God that you should not divorce, you can go to all the men and women of God in the world, the counsel would come back the same.

POINTS TO NOTE: God’s route takes you to God’s destination for your life while your route will ultimately land you in no destination. Every time you follow your route, you waste resources. Every time I took my route, I wasted resources – car fuel, time, energy, etc. Every time you follow your route, the time it should take for you to reach your destination increases. There is a reason for every instruction, that left turn or stay at home and pray could save your life.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to stop working against myself.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

KEEP YOUR HEART WITH ALL DILLIGENCE

 MEMORISE: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are all the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:145 - 152, Proverbs 31:12, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

BIBLE STUDIES: Matthew 13:18-23

Why do we keep our bin bags outside our homes – without the fear of it been stolen or anything – and our mobile phones, laptops, Ipads – inside our homes? Why do people pay a lot of money to keep documents in bank vaults and cast their broken TV outside their homes? Why do we insure our cars and do not insure our wastes? It is simple. We keep our mobile phones/laptops/Ipads with all diligence because they valuable to us and throw our bin bags outside because they are of no value.  People keep documents in bank vaults because the information in those documents is worth something but they throw their broken TV outside – for the bin collectors to pick them – because they are worth nothing. Friend, we insure our cars and properties because they are useful to us and as such, we want to be able to replace them in case they are damaged or destroyed but no one insures his or her waste because it is useless.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are all the issues of life.” The moment we hear the word ‘keep,’ words like - ‘valuables,’ ‘useful,’ ‘important’ and their synonyms, comes to mind. The heart of man can be compared to a soil (Matthew 13:18-23). Whatever you plant in it –good thoughts or bad thoughts, hatred or love - will germinate and bear fruits. If you leave it unattended to, weeds –destructive thoughts - will start to grow in it. Why do you need to keep your heart with all diligence? There are a lot of reasons why you need to keep your heart with all diligence but we will look at two. Firstly, you need to keep your heart with all diligence because according to Proverbs 4:23, out of it flows the issues of life. Proverbs 23:7 says,” for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” I read this from somewhere and I will like to share it with you. “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become your habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for they become your destiny.” In a nutshell, you are the sum total of your thoughts. Your thoughts inform your speech. Your thought dictates your action. Your thoughts determine your mood. Your thought will define the direction of your life. Secondly, you need to keep your heart because there is someone who desperately wants to take possession of it. The person is Satan. He wants access to your heart because he knows that once he gets it, you are finished. He wants to sell some lies to you. He wants you to believe that you are a failure. He wants you to believe that there is no God. He wants to put fear inside you so that your faith will disappear and you displease God. As such, you need to keep it with all diligence so that he does not gain access into it. The moment he gains access into it, he will start to direct your life. The enemy is always looking for access and he gains access mostly when we are down or facing challenges. This is why you must never stop meditating on the word of God. This is why you must be careful who you discuss things with.

CONFESSION: I reject every evil thought in the name of Jesus.

PRAYER POINT:  I purge my heart of every destructive thought in the name of Jesus.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

WHY GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME?

MEMORY VERSE: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:121-144, Proverbs 31:11, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Philippians 2:12 says, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” There are many reasons why you and I need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but the most important one is that you and I are going to stand before the judgment seat once. Hebrews 9:27 says this: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” There will be no second chance. The moment judgment is passed, that is it. You can repeat a class if you fail. You will be permitted to re-take a paper or an exam if you do not meet the cut off mark. If you lose an election, there will be another opportunity in four or five years, depending on the country, to campaign and give it another shot. In heaven, judgment will hold once and after that is reward or punishment. (After judgement, it is either “depart from Me for i know you not” or “welcome good and faithful servant.”) There will be no chance to return to earth, after judgement, to give your life to Christ, make amendments, or live holy. This is why you and I must obey God’s words to the letter. Brethren, if you are not sure of anything maybe a doctrine or a practice, do not follow it. Many people ask me if it is right for a Christian woman to put on trousers, pray with their hair uncovered and other things. My answer is this, it is better not to do any of those, get to heaven and be told that it does not matter than do them, get to heaven only to find out that God disapproves of it. Be on the safe side.

Also in marriage, my single brothers and sisters, make sure you get it right the first time. Just as there will be no second chance after judgment, there will be no second chance after marriage. You only have one short at it. You may say, “If i get it wrong the first time, i can divorce and re-marry again.” The only condition for divorce is adultery – God does not accept irreconcilable difference as an excuse for divorce. Anyone who has gone through divorce before will tell you it is not a good idea. Divorce will leave you with a deep emotionally scar that may never heal up. Divorce means a part of you will have to die. Once a part of you dies, a form of death has entered into the equation of your life. If care is not taken, death – financially, emotionally, martially - will spread to other areas of your life. This is why, dear sisters and brothers, if you are not sure about a brother or sister - it does not matter how far you have gone in the relationship - stop it and go back to the prayer room. Do not marry anyone out of pity. It is true that breaking a relationship or courtship is very painful, but the pains cannot be compared to that of a failed marriage or worse still divorce. The only way to get it right the first time is to do things the right way - now that you are still single or in a relationship. Do not allow a man to introduce you to his friends as his fiancée when you have not heard from God. Do not go to parties with him or social functions with him when you have not heard from God. Until you are joined together in holy matrimony, you are not his wife and he is not your husband. Do not behave like his wife or give him the ‘green light’ until you have heard from God. Many do this to keep a man whilst waiting to hear from God. If you have not heard from God concerning him, sister, there is no point talking with him every night on the phone except you want to get married without hearing from God and that is not advisable. Part of getting it right in your relationship is avoid discussing intimate things like sexual positions, weak points, how you sleep at night, etc. Many under the disguise of getting to know a lady ask these questions. If you want a man to appreciate you in marriage, sister, avoid those topics before marriage. If you want God’s presence in that relationship, you must do it right. Once God leaves, you can be rest assured that Satan will come in with full force and cause problems after problems.

TO DO: Make amendments immediately where required.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me so that i will not end up in hell.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THY WILL BE DONE

MEMORY VERSE: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:105-120, Proverbs 31:10, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

The Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6: 9-13, is not something to be parroted or repeated after praying. Jesus said, “After this manner therefore pray ye” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus did not ask His disciples to repeat the Lord’s Prayer –words for words – every time they prayed. The Lord’s Prayer is just a pattern of prayer - a pattern to follow when praying. You will never find a place in the scripture where the disciples of Jesus recited the Lord’s Prayer – words for words, but we see them employing the pattern.

In our daily devotional titled: ‘How to ask according to God’s will,’ I spoke about the importance of asking according to God’s will. Today, i want to encourage you to pray for the will of God to be done in your life, in that marriage, business, relationship, place of work, ministry, election , your son’s marriage, your daughter’s marriage, over that illness, court case, challenges you are facing, etc. Matthew 6:10 says this: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” You see, after the fall of man, man became selfish. The root cause of hunger, war, election rigging, murder, crimes and other bad things happening all-round can be traced to man’s selfishness. The will of some sisters in marriage is to marry a tall handsome black man who works in Oil Company. Others want to marry a readymade man- rich, successful and extremely handsome. The will of some brothers in marriage is to marry the daughter of a billionaire or someone famous. All these are selfish wills. When all we think of is ourselves not the will of God, we run into trouble, chaos, unhappiness and disappointment. Anytime you say, “Your will be done,” you are saying, “any time my will conflicts with Your will, let Your will take charge.” Friend, i want you to know that God’s will is the best. Most of us have let the devil make us afraid of God’s will. The devil has lied to us that the will of God means suffering. It means denial. It means i am going to have to give up things up. It means a boring life that will be full of challenges. Friend, God’s will is not dull. Look at the bright stars, the moon, the sun, the beautiful landscapes, the hills, mountains, seas, nature in generally, it all came about as a result of God’s will. Do you know these flowers – Rose, Bird of paradise, Calla Lily, Magnolia, Water lilies, Tulips , to mention a few, all came about as a result of God’s will? God’s will is bright! There are few truths i want you to bear in mind as you pray for His will to be done in your life. Firstly, God loves you more than you love yourself. Secondly, God understands you better than you understand yourself. Thirdly, God wants only the best for you. Even when God’s will takes you through fire, know for sure that it is the best route for you. ‘God’s will’ will give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: In my whole life, i have never met a single person who allowed the will of God in his or her life, especially in the area marriage and career, who regretted it. Also, i am yet to meet anyone who rejected the will of God for his or her life, especially in the area of marriage, who did not regret it.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please let Your will be done in my life today.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

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HOW TO ASK ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL

MEMORY VERSE: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 1 John 5:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:89-104, Proverbs 31:9, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 

If you want God to answer your prayers, there are certain conditions you must meet. One of them is you must ask according to His will. 1 John 5:14 says this: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” One of the reasons why God does not respond to some of the prayers offered today is because it is not according to His will. Sister, it is not in God’s will that your mother-in-law should die. God is not a murderer! Therefore, if you are praying that God should kill her, i can assure you that God will not answer that prayer. The will of God for her is to accept Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savoir - if she is yet to do so and you two live in peace. Ezekiel 18:32 says this: “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” It is also not in God’s will that something terrible should happen to that traffic warden who gave you a parking ticket. The traffic warden was doing his job. If you had parked properly, you would not have been served with a parking fine. Moreover, God will not kill him or her for you because He is not a traffic warden killer! 

How does one ask according to God’s will? Firstly, pray in tongues. Paul said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14). You see, when it comes to prayer, everyone one of us has an infirmity. The infirmity/weakness is “we know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Romans 8:26-27). How does the Spirit of God help us to overcome this infirmity? He takes over and makes intercession through us, praying according to the will of God. Therefore, when you pray in tongues, it is not you praying but the spirit of God making intercession through you. The next time you wake up in the middle of the night with a burden to pray and you do not know what to pray for, just start praying in tongues. One of the advantages of praying in tongues is that you can do it anywhere - whilst driving your children home, whilst having picnic with your friend, whilst waiting in a queue, in a courtroom, exam room, bathroom, just name it. You do not even need to close your eyes when praying in tongues. Another advantage of praying in tongues is that no one knows what you are praying about; even the demons do not know it. 

Secondly, pray in accordance with God’s word. The only place where you will find God’s will is inside His word i.e. the bible. The great revelation of the will of God is the Word of God. Moreover, the Word of God is packed from the beginning to end with divine promises. These promises of God are the will of God. This is how to pray in accordance with the word of God. When you find a promise that relates to your situation and meets your need, that promise is God’s will for you.  God never promised anything that was not His will; anything else would be inconsistent. Suppose a particular challenge keeps re-occurring. Nahum 1:9 says this: “What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.” You go to God and say, “Father, Your word says 'affliction shall not rise up the second time,' please let this challenge never re-occurred again.” As you pray earnestly and in tongues, God will see to it that the challenge never re-occurs again.   

HINT: What you are doing when you pray in accordance with the scripture is you are saying to God “do as You have said” 

NOTE: One of the greatest hindrances to prayer is unforgiveness. Forgive first before going to God with your requests.  

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE

MEMORY VERSE: For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrew 12:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:73-88, Proverbs 31:8, 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

BIBLE STUDIES: Leviticus 10:1-2

Our God is mysterious. According to Revelation 5:5, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Yet, He is also the Lamb upon the throne (Revelation 5:13). The question is this, how can one be both the ‘Lion’ and the ‘Lamb’ at the same time? According to 1 John 4:8, God is love. The bible says, “in this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). He so loves us that He gave His only begotten son to die for our sins. Yet, when we read the book of Hebrews, we find out that the same God who is love is also a consuming fire. Hebrew 12:29 says this: “For our God is a consuming fire.”

That our God is a consuming fire is a very good thing. It is a good thing because He can consume whatever has bound you. In the book of Judges 15, the enemies within bound Samson and handed him over to the enemies withal. The Consuming fire came down and consumed the ropes that were used to tie him (Judges 15:14). Samson grabbed the fresh jawbone of an ass, strategically positioned in the area, and the enemy began to fall one after the other. In Luke 13:11–13, a woman who had been bound, by sickness for 18 years, encountered the Consuming fire. She came before Him bound and left loosed. The Consuming fire can also consume whatever wants to bind you. In the book of 2 Kings 1, a captain and an army of fifty were sent to bind Elijah and bring him to the king. When they got to where he was sitting, the Consuming fire consumed them right on the spot. Another batch came and the same thing happened. When the third captain with the army of fifty arrived, he saw piles of ashes. He counted it; it was 102 – two captains and an army of hundred – he knelt down and begged for mercy.

The fact that our God is a consuming fire is something to rejoice about because whatever wants to bind us or has bound us will go off in smoke. It is also a thing that should cause any wise child of God to tremble. Hebrews 10:31 says this: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The picture some of us have God is somewhat wrong. We have this notion that Christianity is a milk-and-water religion; God is too kind to judge sin. Friend, please do not toy with sin. Aaron’s son- Abihu and Nahab – tested God and did not live to tell the story. Despite the fact that they were ministers, the Consuming fire consumed them. They offered strange fire and God roasted them. Regardless of your position in the body of Christ, no one is too big to be disciplined by God. This is why we must stop offering strange fire before God. You cannot be fornicating with a brother in the choir and you take up the microphone to lead praise and worship. That is playing with fire. You cannot commit adultery and climb the altar of God to preach. That is suicide. The bible did not tell us how long Abihu and Nahab had been offering this strange fire before God. They probably have been doing it for a while and were getting away with it until that faithful day.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: If God did not spare Ananias and Sapphira who told a small lie, how much more an usher who steals from the offering basket or a fellow who forges invoice to claim money from the church.

ACTION: Repent and confess every unfaithfulness to God and ask for mercy.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.