HE MADE IT AGAIN ANOTHER VESSEL

MEMORIZE: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:5-6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 1-2, Proverbs 22

BIBLE STUDIES: Jeremiah 18:3-6

Prophet Jeremiah, as instructed by the Lord, went to a potter’s house. When he got there, he saw the potter making a vessel and he sat down to watch the whole process. The potter sat by his potter’s wheel, working away, labouring hard with his hand, trying to create a useful and durable vessel. Unfortunately, the vessel did not turn out as he had hoped. I thought the potter was going to discard that vessel, get new clay, knead it properly and make another vessel from the new clay but he did not. The bible says, “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:4). Instead of discarding the vessel, the potter worked again on the clay and made a new vessel. Just as the prophet was admiring the patience of this potter, the Lord spoke. Jeremiah 18:5-6 says this: “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

The potter in this story is Jesus and we, you and i, are the clay. The Lord is working tirelessly, pouring His resources – time, energy, love, etc - on us to make us vessel unto honour but in the process, some have become marred in His hand. I do not know how you have become marred in the hands of the Lord. Maybe you used to be fervent, you loved the Lord and things of God, you used to evangelize but when you got into the university, you fell into the sin of fornication and everything died in you. Maybe you used to be a youth leader, God was using you mightily in the ministry, anytime you preached people will become convicted and begin to cry, but you got pregnant out of wedlock and it all ended. Maybe you have made a mistake in marriage and it has not only affected your music ministry, it is gradually destroying your spiritual life to the extent you cannot even pray. Maybe when you were in the university, you had the gifts of dreams, God used to show you things before they happen. You used to see visions and hear the voice of God regularly but ever since, you went for work placement all that stopped partly because you have now started to drink and smoke. Maybe before you lost your virginity, whenever you lead praise and worship, healing takes place. Back then praying was something you loved because you always felt His presence but ever since you lost it, it is as if there is a gap between you and God. It is true that you have repented, but you know deep within yourself that you are not where you used to be. You became marred when you committed adultery or when the pressures of life made you to run to a herbalist. Whatever it is that has made you marred in the hands of Christ, He is saying to you today, “cannot I do with you as this potter?” Just as the potter did not cast away the clay, Christ has not cast you away. It is true that you are marred in His hands but He wants to build you into another vessel. You have suffered enough. It is not over for you. Christ is not finished with you yet, regardless of whatever you ever done, even if you have had an abortion, He will forgive if you return to Him today. Regardless of your situation, God can still make something glorious out of your life.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Abram became marred in His hands when he had Ishmael. Yet, the Lord did not cast him away but he restored him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we ask for restoration.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SPREAD IT BEFORE THE LORD

MEMORIZE: And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. Isaiah 37:14 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 16-22, Proverbs 21 

BIBLE STUDIES: Isaiah 37:10-14 

King Hezekiah received a letter that troubled him greatly, one morning.  I do not know what letter you have received. You may have received a letter from your lawyer; your wife of over fifteen years is filing for divorce. You may have received an email informing you that you were unsuccessful at a job interview. It could be that your exam results arrived and you performed poorly. Maybe you received a letter from your son’s school; they want to have a meeting with you to discuss something terrible your son did. You may have received a letter from your bank informing you that your loan application was refused. Yours could be a letter informing you that your permit application, to go and live with your husband abroad, has been rejected. Probably your letter has nothing to do with visa application or loan application; what happened was you received a notice of foreclosure on your mortgage. You may have received a letter from your doctor inviting you for a meeting; from the tone of the letter, you know all is not well. I remember a time in my life when i dreaded letters. I was out of job for few months so i could not keep up with my direct debits. Every letter i received reminded me of missed direct debits, failed standing orders, charges, bailiff, etc. I knew i was in debt and that really made me sad but the tone of the letters i was receiving, especially court orders, was as if someone was hitting the face of a wound. 

On reading the letter, heaviness of heart fell on the king. It was as if someone zapped life out of him. He must have looked up to heaven and tears began to flow down his cheeks - utterly confused, not knowing whether to cry or scream or keep quiet. The contents of the letter made it look as if the Lord had forgotten him. King Hezekiah was a righteous man. He loved the Lord just like many of us and yet he received such a letter. After reading the letter, he did something wise. Isaiah 37:14 says, “And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” The ‘spreading of letter before the Lord’ means utter surrender. The king was saying, "Lord, i know what Your word says. The content of this letter are not in consonance with Your Word. Please oh Lord; turn things around. This letter was meant to bring me sadness but Oh Lord, arise and give me joy.” He spread the letter before God in faith and prayed. Before he finished praying, the Lord spoke and fought for Hezekiah. Friend, spread that letter, you received, before the Lord in faith and pray to Him. Start by praising Him, (the devil wants to make you sad but disappoint him by praising Jesus – the Helper of the helpless). Thank Him for the things He has done for you in the past and pour out your heart to Him. Every time i received a letter of this sort, as i have received them in times past, i spread them before God and cry to Him. One way or the other, He would move people, situation, circumstances, and laws of the land, in my favour. The same God who did it for Hezekiah is still alive. He is still in the business of helping people and He will help you. 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Someone out there has gone through what you are going through now or gone through something worse and the Lord delivered him. If He has done it before He will do it again. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, as many as are down, please lift up their heads. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

THEY DID THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME

MEMORIZE: But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Numbers 14:44 

BIBLE STUDIES: Numbers 14:40-45  

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 11-15, Proverbs 20 

It is possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. For instance, that big minister - lord on whose hand the king leaned (2 Kings 7:1-19) - did the wrong thing at the wrong time. There was terrible famine in the Land and Elisha, as directed by the Holy Spirit, prophesied of abundance. Of all responses, he replied and said, “behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this things be?”  Firstly, what he said was wrong. How can a mere mortal challenge the words of the Immortal God? Secondly, the timing was not appropriate. There was chronic famine; the people were low in spirit and needed words of encouragement not words that will depress them. Because he doubted the Word from the Lord, he saw the fulfillment of the Word but did not partake in it. It is also possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the right time. An example of a fellow who did the wrong thing at the right time was King Saul in 1 Samuel 13.8-9. Samuel told the king to wait at a place for seven days, after that he would return and offer sacrifices on his behalf.  On the seventh day, Samuel did not return as promised so King Saul decided to offer the sacrifices himself. This singular act cost him his throne. Although, the timing for the sacrifice was right, it was wrong for Saul to offer sacrifice because that was the job of a priest not a king. 

It is possible for a man to do the right thing at the wrong time. This is exactly what the children of Israel did in Numbers 14:40-45. There is nothing wrong in going to posses the promise land. In other words, it was the right thing to do, after all God had promised to give them the land. The problem was the timing, which was obviously wrong. Their leader and servant of the Lord, Moses, told them not to go because God will not go with them but they refused.  Numbers 14:44 says, “But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.” They went and regretted it. Friend, if God says do not do something, please do not do it. Even if that thing is the right thing to do, please do not do it. The time you have chosen to do it may not be appropriate. We all know that entertaining visitors is good. Hebrew 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” If whilst praying, the Spirit of God warns you against allowing a particular fellow to pass the night at your place, please look for an alternative place for the fellow to pass the night. In addition, please do not take the fellow to be an evil person. The fellow may not be a witch; it could be that God wanted you to be at that hotel, where you probably would have lodged him, at 2 pm the next day and the only way to get you there was to have someone you know pass the night there. Whatever the reason maybe, if God says do not do something, please do not do it.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Whenever God says do not do something; He is either protecting you from something and that thing could be sudden death or trying to show you something. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a hearing heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus 

EXPECT SOMETHING GOOD

MEMORIZE: And he gave heed to unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Acts 3:5

BIBLE STUDIES: Acts 3:1-10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 9-10, Proverbs 19

One day, Peter and John were going to church when a lame man asked for alms. The bible did not tell us if that was the first time of him asking alms from them or not, but on that day he asked as he would normally do - expecting something. Peter said to him, “look on us”. Acts 3:5 says, “And he gave heed to unto them, expecting to receive something of them.” As he was looking, expecting to receive something, a word of the Lord came through the mouth of Peter and that was it. While he was still trying to process what he had just heard, Peter grabbed him by the hand , lifted him up and he began to walk. When you search through the scriptures, you will find that everyone who received a miracle from Jesus came to Him expecting a miracle. None of them got it by chance. Even, the mad man of Gadara approached Jesus expecting deliverance. This man, although a lunatic, knew within himself that he needed deliverance. He knew that no one – herbalist, voodoo man, false prophets, could deliver him from the forces that had possessed him. The moment he saw Jesus, Lord of Hosts, he ran to Him expecting something good i.e. deliverance. Mark 5:6 says, “but when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him.” After worshipping Jesus, he received his expectation. Also, everyone who was healed during the ministry of Paul, Peter and other apostles came expecting a miracle. Acts 5:15 says this: “Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” Those that laid their sick on the street when Peter was passing by did it expecting something good to happen. Guess what, they received what they expected. Lastly, those that were bitten by snakes in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9), looked at the bronze snake on the pole with an expectation to be healed –as instructed by Moses - and they received their expectation.

Proverbs 23:18 says, “for surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut short.” Friend, what are your expectations in life ? Are you expecting things , situations and circumstances, to work in your favour? I always expect the best in life. I do not expect sickness. The reason why many come to God’s presence and leave without any thing is because they come expecting nothing. Expect that storm affecting your marriage to stop. Expect that things should work for your good. Stop expecting to fail every time you write that exam. Stop expecting untimely death. The Lord has promised that you shall be the head not the tail. As such , expect to be the head. As a single lady, expect to meet a God fearing man. As a single brother, expect to meet a virtuous woman. As parents, expect to give birth to healthy children. Expect peace to reign in your land. Stop expecting bad things to happen to people or to you. Stop expecting your husband to elope with another woman. Stop expecting your doctor to get the diagnosis wrong. Expect God to fight for you. Expect God to give you victory. As we go into the new year, expect expansion, expect great things in the next year. Expect to end this year in good health. Remember the word of the Lord which says, “your expectation shall not be cut short.”

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: One of the things that worked against Job was his expectation. This old man expected something terrible to happen to him. Job 3:25 says, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” Stop expecting negative things to happen to you. Stop expecting those that have promised to help you to disappoint you. Stop expecting to receive sad news. Stop expecting to fail that exam. Stop expecting your project supervisor to fail your project. If you expect evil , you will not be disappointed. So also, if you expect something good.

CONFESSION: I expect things to work in my favour. I expect to prosper beyond human comprehension.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

IS THIS MIND IN YOU?

MEMORIZE: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Philippians 2:6-7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 7-8, Proverbs 18

Philippians 2:6 says this: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” The word ‘mind’ in Philippians 2:6 means mindset. What is a mindset? It is a particular way of thinking. “Let this mind (set) be in you,” implies that you currently have a mindset i.e. there is particular way you think or see life. “..., which was also in Christ Jesus,” implies that Jesus, whilst on earth had a mindset too. He had a particular way of thinking. When the Pharisees caught that woman in adultery (John 8:1-10), they saw it as another opportunity to enforce the Law of Moses. However, Jesus saw it as an opportunity to show mercy and give her a second chance- although the woman took it as her last chance. Do you know from that day, she never committed adultery again?

Your current mindset, if you are yet to exchange it with that of Jesus, will frustrate the plan and purpose of God for your life. Virtually everything Jesus achieved - success in ministry, completion of His divine assignment, can be attributed to His mindset. Let us briefly look at one of His mindsets. Philippians 2:6-7 says, “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It is difficult to tell if a sister is truly humble until she gets married. Likewise, it is difficult to tell if a brother is humble until he becomes rich or gets into power. There is an adage, where i come from, which says, “you will never see the true colour of a man until he achieves something.” Humility is a thing of the heart. It is borne out of a particular mindset. Jesus knew who He was. He was God the Son i.e. God. He knew He owned everything. He knew He had the power to kill and to create. Despite all, the bible records that “He made Himself of no reputation.” He deliberately and purposely made Himself of no reputation. He owned all the gold in the world, yet He never wore a single gold ring not to talk of wearing a big chain with a massive gold cross or pendant. (I am not saying gold is a taboo for believers, if it was so, God would not have tarred the streets of heaven with gold). He was the King of kings, yet He walked around the streets of Judea on foot. He had no bodyguards or protocol officers swarming around Him. Despite all He had, He made himself like a normal man. He sat on the grass to teach people. He touched lepers. He ate with normal people. Looking at Jesus, it was difficult to tell if He was rich or not. He was the Teacher of teachers, yet He never gave Himself any title. One of His creations called Him by name, Jesus, the son of David, and He did not get angry. If you forget to put Dr before the names of some people with Doctorate degree, they will eat you raw. If you mistakenly address some men of God as brothers, you are dead!

QUESTION: Friend, do you have the mind of Christ? If Jesus, the Possessor of heaven and earth, is humble, what is our excuse for being proud? You have sworn to show that fellow who offended you. Would Christ do that?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the mind of Christ.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

YOU MINISTER TO THE LORD; HE MINISTERS TO YOUR PROBLEMS

MEMORIZE: Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 1:3　

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 5-6, Proverbs 17　

There are many lessons to learn from the story in 2 Chronicles 20:1-37. Three mighty nations came together to exterminate the inhabitants of Judah. When Judah heard the news, the Ammonites, Moabites and people of Mount of Seir were on their way, they turned to the Lord in fasting, praying and praises. As they praised God, singing and dancing, the enemy began to kill themselves. Without lifting a finger, the Lord gave them victory over their enemies. It does not matter how big, connected, resourceful, influential your opponent is, once you have God on your side, victory becomes inevitable. Judah was outnumbered. Their enemy had all the military apparatus one could think of; they had all the man power one could wish for, despite all these, Judah still emerged victorious. Also, God never fails those that truly depend on Him. Many claim they depend on God but they have plan B and C just in case. From Jehoshaphat’s prayer, we can deduce that he fully depended on God. 2 Chronicles 20:12 says, "O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes　are　upon thee." Take note of this statement: "but our eyes are upon thee." In other words, we have no plan B or Plan C.　

If you forget everything we have shared so far, do not forget this : if you minister to God, He will minister to your problems. When we talk of ministering to God, eye service is not ministering to God. Neither is serving for recognition seen as ministering to God. When we talk of ministering to God, we are talking of serving in spirit and in truth; service that comes from the heart not out of compulsion; spend and ‘be spent’ kind of service. The inhabitants of Judah ministered to God, in prayer, praises and worship, and God ministered to their problems. Verse 19 says, "stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high." I will share a story that will give - I hope - an idea of what ministering to the Lord means. A single sister, around the age of 23 at that time, joined a ministry. From the first day she joined, she made up her mind to serve God and minister to Him in every way possible. She joined virtually all the groups in the church. She was part of the choir, outreach team, prayer warrior, sanctuary keeper, women drama group, church drama group, etc. On Saturdays, her friends, brothers and sisters in the church, would go to parties hoping to meet someone but she would go out with the outreach team to share flyers and tell people about Jesus. To people, she was wasting her life. "Why would a young beautiful girl spend the whole day in church when she should be going out to increase her chance of meeting a man," people thought. Not long after that, a brother joined the choir. Today, they are married with a child. She ministered to God and God ministered to her problem which was loneliness. Zechariah 1:3 says: "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the LORD of hosts." Friend, no one turns to God and regrets it because, the moment you turn to Him in repentance or to serve Him, He will turn to you. No one has ever served God genuinely and regretted it.　

QUESTION OF THE DAY: If you were the pastor of your church, will you because of tiredness not attend church service? If you were the pastor of your church, will you because of a misunderstanding between you and your partner refuse to go to church on Sunday? If you were the pastor of your church, will you because of a football match miss church service?　

PRAYER POINT: Father, remember my labor of love.　

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

BUT THE PRINCE OF THE KINGDOM OF PERSIA….

MEMORIZE: But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Daniel 10:13

Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. Daniel 10:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 3-4, Proverbs 16

In Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, he said, “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority….”(2 Timothy 2:1-2). The first group of people Paul admonishes us to pray for, in our closets and in public gatherings, are kings/rulers and those in authorities. One may ask, why should I pray for the kings and those in authority first, even before I pray for my daily needs? Why should the prayer for rulers and those in authorities, come before the prayer for the church building we are believing God for? Why should the prayer for kings and those in authorities come before the prayer for a life partner? Why should the prayer for kings and those in authorities come before the prayer for revival? As written in the bible –the Word of God, why should the kings and those in authority come first in our prayers? Well, there are many reasons for that. For instance, we can only achieve all of the above i.e. buy church building, have a revival, get a job or start a business, when the country is enjoying the peace of God. I remember when London came under terrorist attack on Thursday July 5 2005; the first thing the prime minister said was no movement! That Thursday, all church services, mosque services and other public engagement, all around London were cancelled. Why? The city was under attack. Now imagine what would happen if the country was in war – I pray that will never happen in Jesus name. No one thinks of marriage, buying a church building or revival during war. If our kings i.e. presidents or heads of states, and those in authority get it right, we will live in peace and harmony. If they do not get it right or make the wrong decision, war will break out and everyone will suffer. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, “for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

Asides this, Satan and his dark angels knows that the easiest way to put the people of God under bondage is to use their leaders and those in authority against them. In Exodus, he used Pharaoh to put the children of Israel in bondage for a long while (Exodus 1-5). Daniel 10:13 says, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” The Persian Empire was ruling God’s people and behind the Persian Empire were the princes of Persia, wicked demons, who were in charge of things. These dark angels use the leaders of the Persian Empire to victimize God’s people. When the Persian Empire was defeated, the Empire of Greece followed. Behind the empire of Greece was another satanic angel called the Prince of Grecia or Greece. Daniel 10:20 says, “Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.” As you can see, Satan seeks to control the empires of the earth through its rulers in order to make its leaders and government instruments of his will. As such, we must pray for our governments in order to frustrate Satan and to bring our government under heaven’s control. If we do not pray, these dark angels will crowd in over the buildings where vital decisions are made that affect not only us but also the whole kingdom of God; we must not tolerate that invasion of Satan.

POINTS TO NOTE: There are many forces – visible and invisible - working against those in authorities. Blaming them will never solve the problem. The only way we can support them is to pray for them.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please let peace reign in the world. Also, every tree You have not planted, please uproot.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.