TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

MEMORIZE: And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Genesis 3:10-11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 6-8

As we heard at the beginning of this year, 2015 is going to be a year of meaningful achievement. Every genuine child of God will have cause to rejoice because of what God is going to do in their family, marriage, career, ministry, business and work. However, there are conditions attached to the fulfilment of this promise. One of them is taking responsibility. Anyone who will have a meaningful achievement this year must take responsibility. One of the things people do when they don’t want to take responsibility for their actions or their life is they look for people to blame. Friend, you do not need your parents to succeed. The fact that your father practiced polygamy is not the reason why you are not where you are meant to be. There are a lot of people who their father practiced polygamy who are doing fine. The fact that your parents did not send you to school is not an excuse. There are people who did not have that opportunity but worked hard, saved some money and enrolled themselves on a part time course. Today they are graduates. The fact that your parents were not there for you when you were growing up is not an excuse because we have seen orphans who became employers of labour. Stop blaming your mother who left your father when you were a kid or your father who left your mother when you a kid for your current problems. There are people who went through worst things and still made something out of life.

This year, you want meaningful achievement? Take responsibility. Accept that you are where you are because of the decisions you took in the past. I found in counselling that one of the most difficult people to help are people who do not want to take responsibility. They are always looking for people to blame. Maybe they entered into courtship with the wrong man; instead of taking responsibility, they blame their aunt who introduced the man to them. Some brothers fall into fornication and blame the sister they are in courtship with. “I fornicated with her because that sister is too weak” they will say. What an irresponsible brother! I have seen parents who instead of taking responsibility for their child’s terrible behaviour, they blame the school. “Junior became a bad boy when he joined that school,” they will say. Is Junior the only child in that school? How come other children in the same school - and in the same class with junior - are behaving well? Oh sherry failed that exam because of her teacher. Really? How come other class mates of sherry passed the exam? Is Sherry the only student that teacher taught? Some blame the internet? How come other children who use the internet don’t do the terrible things your children are doing? Some blame the society; how come in the same society we have youths – male and females – who are still virgins? They don’t have two heads. I have met some adults who blame their current lack of self discipline and character on their upbringing. If you believe your parents are at fault for that, why not re-train yourself now that you are an adult? Adam’s problems started when - instead of taking responsibility for his actions - he began to blame his wife. Genesis 3:10-11 says, “And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” God asked Adam “have you eaten from the tree you should not eat from?” All he needed to say was either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. But he didn’t, he was looking for who to blame for his nakedness so he blamed God- first, and then his wife.

ACTION: Start taking responsibility. People will only waste your time if you give them your time to waste. Take responsibility for how you spend your time.

CONFESSION: As from today, i refuse to allow people to waste my time and my life.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.     

DON’T GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

MEMORISE: And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 29-32

After a man gives his life to Christ, God puts His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, inside him. First Corinthians 12:13 says this: “for by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit acts like a conscience in that, He warns us when we are about to do something wrong and convicts us when we sin against God. He also assures us that we belong to God. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” He leads and guides us - believers. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The Holy Spirit does not lead a man to disobey God. The Psalmist says, “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3b). The Holy Spirit leads a man into God’s will for his life.

The Holy Spirit does far more than I have mentioned. Some years back, a colleague at work misplaced his bunch of keys which contained his car keys, home keys and locker keys – I think. He searched everywhere and didn’t find it, so he came downstairs to inform us. As he spoke, the Holy Spirit told me where the key was and I told him. He doubted me, so I went to where the Holy Spirit told me it was, and he followed me. When I got there, I lifted a particular chair up, lo and behold; the key was underneath the chair. Sometimes last year, I, a pastor, and another colleague of mine were looking for a particular document. We literally turned the office upside down and didn’t find it, so I told them that the Holy Spirit will find the document and they said amen. We checked the office again and we found the document where we had checked 4 times! The value of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer cannot be measured.

Ephesians 4:30 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” The first thing I want you to know is that the Holy Spirit can be grieved. Secondly, if a fellow continually grieves Him, He will take His leave. Can the Holy Spirit leave a man? Oh Yes! After Saul repeatedly disobeyed God, the Holy Spirit left him. First Samuel 16:14 says, “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.” This brings us to the question, how does one grieve the Holy Spirit? We grieve the Spirit by living like pagans (Ephesians 4:17-19), by lying (Ephesians 4:25), by being angry (Ephesians 4:26-27), by stealing (Ephesians 4:28), by cursing (Ephesians 4:29), by being bitter (Ephesians 4:31), by being unforgiving (Ephesians 4:32), and by being sexually immoral (Ephesians 5:3-5). The moment He, the Holy Spirit, warns one not to do something, and the fellow goes ahead and does it, He becomes grieved. When a man continually grieves Him, He will leave.

QUESTION: Are you grieving the Holy Spirit by the way you live your life? Does your conscience still convict you when you tell little white lies?

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me never to grieve you again.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

“GOD SAID, IT IS NOT GOOD THAT THE MAN SHOULD BE ALONE”

MEMORIZE: 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: Psalm 1- 5 

Our God is all knowing i.e. omniscient. Job 37:16 says, “Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?” God knew Adam before He created him. Jeremiah 1:5a says, “Before i formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” He knew what his needs were going to be so He made provisions for them. He knew Adam would need food so He created lots of trees in the Garden of Eden. He knew Adam would need to drink water after eating so He put a river in the midst of the Garden (Genesis 2:10). He knew Adam would not need clothes because His glory was going to be his covering so He didn’t bother to give him clothes. Whatever Adam needed, He created them either before creating him or after creating him. God in His wisdom knew that Adam was going to be alone in the Garden and would need a wife. The question is why didn’t He create a woman from the man immediately after He created the man? He obviously knew that the man He had created would be in need of a wife, why wait a while before giving him a wife? 

Adam went through several stages in his life and every man or woman reading this – especially single people- are presently in one of these stages. We find ‘stage 1’ in Genesis 2:7 – “and the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Adam – at this point – did not know where his life was going. He had no job or responsibility. God had not even showed him His purpose for his life. He was more like a floater in the Garden. At stage 1, God did not talk about giving him a wife because he was not qualified to be any woman’s husband. Then Adam moved to ‘stage 2’ in Genesis 2:15 – “and the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Adam now had a job – he was responsible for dressing and keeping the Garden. If it was today, i would have said Adam was now earning salary. Yet at this stage, God did not give him a wife. He did not even consider it. Why? Although Adam was now gainfully employed, he still cannot be a husband because he had not learnt to walk with God. The fact that a man has a job does not mean he is a marriage material. The fact that he can put food on the table does not mean he is God's will for your life. Shortly after this, Adam moved to the next level, ‘stage 3’, in Genesis 2:16-17 – “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.” Adam now had a proper relationship with God. He was able to hear the voice of God and talk back to God. God was giving him instructions and he was following it. His relationship with God was growing. It was at this point God said, it is not good for the man, Adam, to be alone. 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.” The man was already in ‘stage 3’ before God decided that it was not good for him to be alone. The time of waiting on God for a marriage partner is not a time to go from party to party hoping to meet a man. It is not a time to give your mobile number to every random guy that speaks to you on the bus. It is a time to work on your relationship with God. It is a time to develop your spirit man because you will need it in marriage. 

ADVISE: If you have a friend, a brother, a sister or child that is of marriageable age who is yet to be married, please do not put pressure on them. A lot of us indirectly put unnecessary pressure on single people and these causes them to fall into the wrong hands. The best way to help our single brothers and sisters is to pray for them not put pressure on them or remind them that they are getting old. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please provide our single brothers and sisters with the bone of their bones and flesh of their flesh. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

“GOD SAID, IT IS NOT GOOD THAT THE MAN SHOULD BE ALONE”

MEMORIZE: 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: Psalm 1- 5 

Our God is all knowing i.e. omniscient. Job 37:16 says, “Dost thou know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?” God knew Adam before He created him. Jeremiah 1:5a says, “Before i formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” He knew what his needs were going to be so He made provisions for them. He knew Adam would need food so He created lots of trees in the Garden of Eden. He knew Adam would need to drink water after eating so He put a river in the midst of the Garden (Genesis 2:10). He knew Adam would not need clothes because His glory was going to be his covering so He didn’t bother to give him clothes. Whatever Adam needed, He created them either before creating him or after creating him. God in His wisdom knew that Adam was going to be alone in the Garden and would need a wife. The question is why didn’t He create a woman from the man immediately after He created the man? He obviously knew that the man He had created would be in need of a wife, why wait a while before giving him a wife? 

Adam went through several stages in his life and every man or woman reading this – especially single people- are presently in one of these stages. We find ‘stage 1’ in Genesis 2:7 – “and the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Adam – at this point – did not know where his life was going. He had no job or responsibility. God had not even showed him His purpose for his life. He was more like a floater in the Garden. At stage 1, God did not talk about giving him a wife because he was not qualified to be any woman’s husband. Then Adam moved to ‘stage 2’ in Genesis 2:15 – “and the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Adam now had a job – he was responsible for dressing and keeping the Garden. If it was today, i would have said Adam was now earning salary. Yet at this stage, God did not give him a wife. He did not even consider it. Why? Although Adam was now gainfully employed, he still cannot be a husband because he had not learnt to walk with God. The fact that a man has a job does not mean he is a marriage material. The fact that he can put food on the table does not mean he is God's will for your life. Shortly after this, Adam moved to the next level, ‘stage 3’, in Genesis 2:16-17 – “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.” Adam now had a proper relationship with God. He was able to hear the voice of God and talk back to God. God was giving him instructions and he was following it. His relationship with God was growing. It was at this point God said, it is not good for the man, Adam, to be alone. 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.” The man was already in ‘stage 3’ before God decided that it was not good for him to be alone. The time of waiting on God for a marriage partner is not a time to go from party to party hoping to meet a man. It is not a time to give your mobile number to every random guy that speaks to you on the bus. It is a time to work on your relationship with God. It is a time to develop your spirit man because you will need it in marriage. 

ADVISE: If you have a friend, a brother, a sister or child that is of marriageable age who is yet to be married, please do not put pressure on them. A lot of us indirectly put unnecessary pressure on single people and these causes them to fall into the wrong hands. The best way to help our single brothers and sisters is to pray for them not put pressure on them or remind them that they are getting old. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please provide our single brothers and sisters with the bone of their bones and flesh of their flesh. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

THINK LONG TERM PART 2

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: Matthew 1-4 

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.” We look up to people we aspire to be like. We look up to our role models. We look up to people who have already achieved what we are trying to achieve. We look up to people who are better than us. We look up to people we know have a proven track record of success. We look up to people who know something we do not know. We look up to people who we know in our heart of hearts can help us and want to help us. We look up to people who have not stained their garments. We look up to honest and intelligent teachers. We look up to people who have raised leaders and are still raising leaders. The only One who is all of the above is Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”  John 1:16 says this: “And of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” 

We look unto Jesus to learn from Him. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29a: “take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” We look unto Him to observe and do what He did while He was on earth, deal with issues as He dealt with issues, walk as He walked and to also imbibe His mentality. As i mentioned yesterday, Jesus thought long term not short term.  People who think short term only look at their current situation or circumstances but people who think long term look at what God has to say about their future. People who think short term only put their present situation into perspective when taking decisions but those who think long term put their future into perspective when taking decisions. The short term thinking is full of many disadvantages with little or no advantages. For example, people who think short term i.e. always looking at their present circumstances, become easily frustrated. The reason is that they are always seeing facts and evidences that encourage them to give up or quit on themselves or whatever good they have started. A man or woman who is always looking at his current circumstances will always see reasons to give up. Such fellow will always see reasons why he or she cannot succeed. They see reasons why it is impossible to achieve a thing. Whilst people with short term thinking rarely have the energy to carry on, and many a times they end up giving up on life, people with long term thinking are always having their strength renewed. The reason is that they are always seeing their future not their present circumstances. Whilst a medical student with short term thinking sees all the exams he has to sit for, before qualifying as a medical doctor and becomes depressed, another student with long term thinking sees limitless opportunities awaiting him after graduation and his strength is renewed. It is this type of students that pass in colours. They see what lies behind the mountains and are encouraged not the mountain. People with short term thinking don’t make plans because they cannot see beyond their nose but with long term thinking make plans so as not to miss their glorious future. 

WISDOM NUGGETS: People with short term thinking, especially the youths – married and unmarried, only focus on their outward appearance but people with long term thinking focus on their inward appearance. They spend time developing their spirit man through regular study of the word and praying in tongues. They also devote time to reading. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to realize my potential this year. 

twitter@BroOluwatoki 

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

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.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

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.