THINK LONG TERM

MEMORIZE: Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Romans 1-2

Hebrew 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Why is Apostle Paul, author of the book of Hebrews, encouraging us to look unto Jesus? Only a free man can set others free. If a twelve years old boy promises you a brand new car, you know the young man is only prophesying. Where on earth will he get a brand new car from? Jesus is the author of all meaningful achievements. This Apostle is encouraging us to look unto Jesus because only Jesus can give a man meaningful achievements. He, Apostle Paul, is encouraging us to look unto Jesus because He alone knows the way. Only the fellow who knows the ‘way’ can point you to the ‘way’. Jesus said, “....And if the blind lead the blind, both shall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). Not only does He know the way, He is the way (John 14:6).

When we look unto Jesus, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see some of the secrets behind His meaningful achievements. For instance, Jesus tarried in the place of prayers. He would wake up very early in the morning and talk with His Father in heaven (Mark 1:35). Asides His prayer life, Jesus thought in long terms. You see, there are short term thinking or myopic thinking and long term thinking. A fellow with short term thinking only considers his present circumstances. He is motivated by events currently happening. The ‘present’ is what informs his decision. But, a fellow with long term thinking considers the future. Although he is aware of the present, the ‘future’ informs his decisions. He is motivated majorly by events that are going to take place in the future. A fellow with short term thinking sees only his problems, disappointments, how people around are behaving towards him, and so on. But, a man with long term thinking sees the future. He sees the end result of his efforts. He sees the finish line. He sees the rest that comes after labour. He sees the rewards of not giving up. This is exactly how Jesus thought – in long terms. Hebrew 12:2 says, “................................ Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.......” Jesus set His heart on the joy that was set before Him i.e. the future glory. He was able to endure the present pains i.e. cross of Calvary, because His mind was set on the joy that awaited Him. Had it been He set His mind on the cross i.e. the present not the future, He probably would have been discouraged. It is very tasking to work full time and prepare for professional exams. Where i get my strength to read and prepare from, after i must have prayed, is that i set my heart on the opportunities that will open up to me when i pass the exam and strength automatically comes. Thinking long terms also help build relationships. Jesus was able to accommodate the weaknesses of His disciples – Thomas’ doubts, Peter’s denial, John and James’ violence and many others, because He thought in long terms. At that time, the spiritual lives of His disciples were nothing to write home about but Jesus did not look at that. Instead, He focused on their future – Peter’s sermon leading to 3000 souls saved, John and James book on love, Thomas’ ministry in India, and so on. This was why after Peter denied Him thrice He still forgave him. The reason why God is giving many second chances is because of the future He has for them. However, His ‘second chances’ are not to be abused.

 WISDOM NUGGETS: Those who think short term always want quick fixes while those who think long term goes after spiritual development.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the strength needed to finish the race set before me.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

COUNT THE COST

MEMORIZE: for which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Luke 14:28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 1-6

One common tradition at this time of the year is New Year’s resolution. People make promises to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice. One of the most common New Year’s resolutions, if not the most common one, is to lose weight. Asides New Year’s resolution, another thing people do is set goals for the year. Some set spiritual goals like reading the whole bible in a year, praying and fasting more, witnessing more, not missing mid week services, joining the group of ‘workers’ in the vineyard of God, etc. Today, i stumbled upon a survey which noted that only 10% of Christians have read the entire bible, i mean cover to cover. Are you part of the 10%? Some set financial goals, marital goals, personal goals, academic goals, health goals and so on.

Whether you will realize your goals this year or not will be determined by God - first, and you - second. Jesus Christ said this: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Paul, an apostle of Jesus, said this: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Without the help of the Lord, one will never achieve his goals. According to Psalm 127:1, except God builds a house those building it are only wasting their time. The good news is we have God behind us. Yesterday, we heard what the Lord said about this year – 2015: YEAR OF MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENT. With our Father in heaven behind us, this year we will leap over any mountain or hindrance the enemy may set up. Psalm 18:29 says, “For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have i leaped over a wall.” The rest now depends on you. The man who will reach his goal or realize his potential this year must first count the cost. Jesus said, “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”(Luke 14:28). Take for instance you want to buy a tambourine you will use in praising the Lord this year. The first thing you do is identify the type of tambourine you want. Secondly, you check the price before going to a Christian book shop or musical store to buy it. When you get to the shop, you pay the price and they in turn give you the tambourine. If you give the shop assistant 4 dollars when the tambourine cost 6 dollars, he or she will return your money to you. Unless you have the right amount, you will not be able to purchase the tambourine. This is similar to your goals. The first thing you do is identify the cost or count the cost. A fellow who wants to save more this year must first curb his spending. Proverbs 21:17 says, “he that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.” Success in all ramifications will cost you your associations. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” You want to be able to drive away demons this year? It will cost you total submission to Christ (James 4:7). You want speedy answers to your prayers this year? You will have to evangelize (John 15:16). You want more of God’s presence around your home, work, business, etc; it will cost you prayers and worshipping God. (John 4:23).

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: The most important goal a man can set for himself is to reign with Christ in heaven.

QUESTION: Have you given your life to Christ? Are you genuinely born again? What has changed since you gave your life Christ?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MEANINGFUL ACHIEVEMENT

MEMORY VERSE: a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time. Isaiah 60:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 1-2

As I waited on the Lord to seek His face on what He intends to do, this year, in the life of His children, the word ‘meaningful achievement’ dropped in my spirit. Isaiah 60:22 says, “a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.”This year God will remember many. This year many will succeed where they failed last year. This year many will become married. This year our testimony will be many. Many that were irrelevant will become relevant. Many struggling businesses will begin to record unbelievable profits. A lot of projects will be completed. A lot will pass their exams. Many on medication for one illness or the other will come off their medication. Many who have been struggling to feed their family will have more than enough. I am really excited about what God is doing to do in our lives. As far as God is concerned, this year is our year.

There are one or two things I think you need to know. Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” Firstly, you need to be willing. God will not bless a man against his wishes. One may ask, “Are there people who don’t want God’s blessings?” Oh yes! I have met people who don’t want children. They want to be married, but children are a ‘no no’ for them. (Who am I to question their decision?) I even heard the story of a brother who was prayed for and refused to say amen. The pastor said, “This time next year, you will be a car owner,” he just looked away. When the pastor asked why, he said “those with cars are always thinking of where to park their cars, how to maintain their cars and all that.” Maybe I need to add this; the brother in question was a spirit filled believer. He preferred boarding the bus and walking on foot. As you can see, not everyone wants God’s blessing and as such you must be willing. Not only that, you must be tired of your past or current achievements. Also, you must be willing to work hard this year. You must reduce your hours of sleep. One cannot sleep for 4 months in a year i.e. 8 hours every night, and expect to end up with a meaningful achievement.

Secondly, you must be obedient. Our breakthrough is tied to our obedience. The more we obey God’s words, the more breakthroughs we will have. For a little one among us to become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation (Isaiah 60:22), we must first arise and shine for the Lord. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Friend ,do you want a meaningful achievement? You must arise and shine for Jesus in that place of work. You must shine for Jesus in that business. You must shine for Jesus in that university. You must shine in your service to the Lord. You must shine in your ‘giving’ to God this year. You must shine in your praise and worship this year. A man who shone in praise and worship was David. According to 2 Samuel 6:14, he danced with all his might. You must shine in evangelism. Many of us did not win a single soul for Christ last year. Friend, you want a meaningful achievement? Soul winning must become your priority. You must shine in bible studies. You must shine in the things of God. That is the key to receiving something tangible from the Lord this year.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: You obedience is tied to your breakthrough.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a meaningful achievement this year.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

“AND THE EYES OF THEM BOTH WERE OPENED” (TO OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN COURTSHIP)

MEMORIZE: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 7-9, Proverbs 31

When God created Adam, He put him in charge of all He had created and also gave him a commandment. Genesis 2:16 says, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” When God provided Eve for Adam, he told her about God’s commandment and both happily kept the commandment. Although they were both physically naked, they didn't notice it because they were covered in God's glory. The glory of God functions like a light that lightens a thing. Revelations 21:23 says this: “and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Eve looked beautiful to her husband because she was covered head to toe in God’s glory. Adam looked radiant to his wife because he was covered in God’s glory too.

One day Satan tricked Eve and she ate the forbidden fruit. She then gave it to her husband who also took a bite and something happened. Genesis 3:7 says, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Almost immediately after they broke the commandment and ate of the tree, God’s glory that covered them like a garment departed. Adam looked at himself and suddenly found that he was naked. He looked at Eve and saw her naked too. He began to see all the imperfections in her. The same thing happened to Eve, she suddenly realized that Adam wasn't that great. To hide their shame i.e. nakedness, they both got leaves and covered themselves. Within a short while, the blame game began (Genesis 3:11-14). Adam, who was now very much aware of the imperfections in his wife, began to blame her for his problems. After the blame game began, hatred, envy, jealousy, and other negative emotions entered into the equation.

This is exactly what happens when two people in courtship fall into fornication. Before falling into sin, the sister would look like an angel to the brother. The brother would look like a diamond to the sister. The moment they both fall into sin, each of them would begin to see the faults, weakness, in the other person. Why? Because, God’s glory has departed. Shame comes into the equation and the blame game starts. The courtship turns into a burden and both no longer feels comfortable again. After repenting, confessing to the elders of the church, serving punishments, it will still take the mercies of God for the departed glory to return. Even if God restores His glory and the courtship continues, it will never be as it was before the 'fornication.' This is why i want to appeal to you, in courtship or as a single person, to keep yourself and ensure you don’t fall into sin. The moment you begin to allow that brother, you are ‘courting,’ to touch you in inappropriate places, the glory of the Lord will begin to fade away and your nakedness i.e. imperfections will start to show.

NOTE: if you keep yourself before marriage your partner will respect you after marriage.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please keep our brothers and sisters in courtship from falling.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE SCULPTOR AND THE ABANDONED LOG OF WOOD

MEMORIZE: And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. Judges 6:12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 4-6, Proverbs 30

One day, a sculptor, whilst taking a stroll in the forest, found a log of wood. The wood was dry and very heavy. From his observation, the wood had been there for a while.  “An abandoned log of wood,” he thought to himself. As he stood observing the wood, he saw some potential in the wood. “A beautiful lion could be carved out of this abandoned wood!” he said joyfully. He went home, got his chisel, hammer, file, and other sculpturing tools and returned to carve out the beautiful piece he had seen. Whilst working on the wood to bring out the beautiful piece, which is a lion, he strikes a blow and suddenly a large chunk of the wood falls away. Frustrated and disappointed, he decided to abandon the project and return home. Before leaving, he took one last glance at what was left and he saw another potential in it. A beautiful eagle, although small, could be carved out of what is left, so he started work again. He strikes another blow and half of the wood falls off. “There is nothing left in this wood,” he thought to himself. Determined to create something out of the tiny wood left, he created a rat out of what was left.

In my story, the ‘sculptor’ is the almighty God. He is the master sculptor. You see when a sculptor wants to carve out something; he looks at a piece of wood and begins to see what nobody else can see in it. Each time God looks at a man or a woman, regardless of his or her current condition, He sees something beautiful that could come out of the individual by the time He is done. He looked at Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho, and He saw a good housewife in her. He worked on her and she became the great grandmother of Kind David (Matthew 1:5). He looked at Gideon, a man who had lost confidence in himself, and saw a mighty man of valour. Judges 6:12 says, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” He worked on him and Gideon became a leader. We, you and i, are the abandoned log of wood the Sculptor found. The Lord has begun work on us to bring out a beautiful piece – the best we can be in Him. The blows, in the form of pressures, challenges, etc, are ‘coming’ to deal with things that are hindering us from realizing our potential in Christ. The blows are not always pleasant but they are necessary to help us realize our potential. As God is working on you, don’t fall part. Don’t allow the challenges and pressure push you to sin. Someone asked, “Why can’t God restore all that an individual has lost through sexual sins?” If God restores all that is lost through sexual sins including one’s dignity, and honour, how would others learn? Besides, there are things God don’t give, you have to earn them. God will not give you people’s trust or respect. You have to earn them. God may restore the spiritual gifts you have lost but your dignity, people’s trust in you, the respect they have for you, especially as a minister in the vineyard of God, is gone forever. No matter how much God uses you after that, people will always refer to the past and that kills one's morale. Therefore, do everything not to fall. The wood, which a large chunk of it fell off as a result of challenges in the form of blows, represents backsliders or believers who slide back into the world as a result of life challenges. If they return to Christ, God will still continue to work on them but they may never become God's best .Nevertheless, they will still become something. I will rather become God's best than become something ordinary. This is why you must not joke with your salvation. To backslide once is enough to set a man back in his spiritual walk.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  A man does not know what he has until he has lost it. Life outside Christ is full of heartache

PRAYER POINT: Father, please keep me till the end.

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“JUDGE NOT ACCORDING TO THE APPEARANCE”

MEMORIZE: Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 1- 3, Proverbs 29

What does it mean to judge? According to Merriam- Webster dictionary, to judge means to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought or to regard (someone) as either good or bad. John 7:24 says this: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Don’t base your opinion about someone on appearance only. Why? There are people who are pure outwardly but inwardly they are rotten. For instance, the daughters of Lot. They came across as good, well mannered girls with decent upbringing. The bible even records in Genesis 19:8 that they were yet to know a man. For a lady to keep herself in a city like Sodom and Gomorrah, you would think that they are angels. By the time we get to Genesis 19:30-38, we see these girls arranging to make their father drunk so as to lie with him and make babies. Their excuse was “our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth” (Genesis 19:31). Do you know these innocent looking girls made their father drunk and lay with him to have babies? Although they were virgins - pure outwardly, inwardly they were rotten and wicked. Another reason why you can’t judge by appearance alone is that, there are people who only clean the outside and live the inside dirty. A typical example of these set of people are the Pharisees. All they talk about is the outward appearance whilst neglecting the inward parts. They walk like saints but deep inside they are wicked. This is what Jesus had to say about them, “woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones , and of all uncleanness” ( Matthew 23:27). Another reason why you must not judge by appearance is because there a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus said, “beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

This brings us to the question, what and what are we to base our opinion about someone on? Or how can we judge righteously? Firstly, base your opinion about people on the fruits they are producing. Matthew 7:16 says this: “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” You can only tell a tree by fruits not its branches or leaves. If someone calls himself a Christian and he is inviting you to late night parties, you know that one is not a genuine Christian. If someone calls himself a prophet and he is committing adultery, you know that one is an adulterer not a prophet of God. Might I ask, what type of fruit are you producing? Is it bitterness? Resentment? Hatred? Envy? Jealousy? Back biting? Or the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? Secondly, base your opinion about people on their words. Thank God for the Spirit of God inside us. The moment a fellow says something and it is not right, you sense it in your spirit that something is not right. Luke 6:45 says this: “ a good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Many say things that are not befitting for a believer and claim that they were only joking. Proverbs 4:23 says, “keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” The content of the heart flows out through the mouth. No matter how much people pretend one way or the other their words always give them away. This is why you must listen carefully to people when they talk.

ACTION: Watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing. Remember, only the spirit of God can help you detect them.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the gift of discernment.

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WHAT YOU LOOSE WHEN YOU FORNICATE OR COMMIT ADULTERY

MEMORIZE: And he said, what pledge shall i give thee? And she said, Thy Signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. Genesis 38:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Thessalonians 5 – 2 Thessalonians 3, Proverbs 28

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 38:14-23

In our message titled: “price of adultery and fornication,” I shared six things that happens when a man or woman falls into the sin of adultery or fornication. The first thing that happens when a believer falls into the sin of adultery or fornication is that the hedge around him or her i.e. God's protection is broken. Secondly, he or she loses his organ of vision – am talking of spiritual eyes now. Dreaming dreams and seeing vision becomes almost impossible. Thirdly, the fellow goes down spiritually. Praying becomes difficult, fasting becomes difficult, bible studies become boring, winning souls becomes a hard task, etc. Fourthly, the enemy grabs the fellow and takes him or her to the headquarters of demons to torture him or her spiritually. Fifthly, the fellow loses his freedom. Finally, life becomes a struggle.

From studying Genesis 38:14-23, we observed that Judah parted away with three ‘valuable’ things when he fornicated with that prostitute. The prostitute took his Signet, his bracelets and his staff. Each of these items stood for something and we will briefly look at that. Firstly, she took his Signet. Ancient kings use signet rings to designate authority or honour. A signet contained an emblem unique to the king. Official documents or sensitive documents are sealed with a dollop of soft wax impressed with the king’s signet, usually kept on a ring of his finger. Such a seal certified the document as genuine, much like a notary public’s stamp today. Signets stands for a man’s honour and integrity. The first thing you lose when you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery is your honour, integrity, dignity and respect. The fellow you sinned with may still treat you with respect because of other things they want to get from you but deep within them, they see you as a fellow who cannot be trusted. What many ladies especially the youths do not know is that, the moment a man knows you carnally, he will tell his friends and all the respect you have earned disappears. You will become a subject of discussion when he is with his friends. Secondly, she took his bracelets. The bracelets stood for his jewels or priced possessions. The second thing you lose when you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery is your priced possessions - tangible and intangible. One loses spiritually gifts, anointing, glorious future, to mention a few. Lastly, she took his staff. Staffs represent authority or power. The third thing you lose when you fall into this terrible sin is your authority – authority over demons, circumstances, people, and so on. Matthew 8:18 says, “verily i say unto you, whatever you bound on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth shall be lose in heaven.” The moment you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery, you lose your authority to bind and lose. Some brothers went to deliver a particular sister who was possessed by a demon. Whilst trying to cast the demon out, the demon spoke through the lady and said, pointing at a particular brother, “you are not fit to bind me because you are a fornicator.” The brother was disgraced in public by a demoniac. Judah entered the prostitute’s house full and left empty. When you study the chapter closely, you will observe that he lost these things permanently not temporarily. Because, by the time his friend, Hirah, returned to redeem his pledge and take back what he had given to the prostitute, she was gone. Even when Tamar, the prostitute, presented his signet, bracelets and staff as the belongings of the man who got her pregnant, he could not reclaim it. All he did was acknowledge that they were his and kept quiet.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Have you wondered why that wicked girl did not ask for his signet alone or his staff alone? She asked for those three items to finish him. She did that to empty him of whatever is good in his life.

NOTE: God is able to restore anyone who has fallen into the fornication and adultery. You may have lost your respect, dignity, possession, authority but at least, you will not end up in hell if you repent. God is merciful, if you really repent and cry to Him you may get your authority over demons back. He may even restore some of your spiritual gifts but your respect and dignity is gone. The stain will always be there. This is the main reason why you should run from anything that appears as sin.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me never to fall into the sin of adultery or fornication.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.