THE 'THREE' WHO MUST RUN FROM ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

MEMORY VERSE: Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Proverbs 31:6-7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 11-15

There are three groups of people who must stay away from alcoholic beverages. An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits (or distilled beverage). The first group are leaders, ‘heads’, kings or princes. Proverbs 31:4 says this: “It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:” When you go through the scriptures, you will see the level of havoc and embarrassment that can come one’s way if one consumes alcohol. According to Genesis 6:9, Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation. In other words, he was blameless before God. One day Noah became drunk and passed out in his tent. This righteous man lay stark-naked in his tent embarrassing himself. His children saw what they should not have seen. This is what happens when one gets drunk, people around will begin to see what they should not see. Lot, a disciplinarian, who raised two virgins in a corrupt nation,Sodom, got drunk and slept with his two daughters (Genesis 19:30-38). He was so drunk, when he woke the next morning, he could not remember what happened the night before. This man did what he should not have done as a result of wine. One may rightly argue that all this happened to these people because they got drunk. That’s true, but do you know that it is only when you drink that you will become drunk? Those who don’t drink don’t get drunk.

The second group are spiritual heads e.g. bishops, pastors, elders, etc. 1 Timothy 3:2-3 says, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;” Our God is sovereign. He can choose to speak at any time. He can choose speak to you whilst you are in the bathroom. He can choose to wake one up at 2am and speak to the fellow, probably to expound the scripture to the person. He can choose to speak whilst you are in conversation with people. And when He speaks, most times, it is in still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). If He decides to speak whilst one is sitted with a bottle of bear or a glass of wine, one may miss it. Or if one drinks a glass of wine and falls asleep and He decides to wake one up that night to intercede because a member is going through a spiritual attack, the fellow may not wake up. According to Isaiah 28:7, wine causes one to err in vision. God maybe saying ‘child don’t enter that blue car.’ Because of alcohol in the system, one may hear ‘child enter that blue car’. People may point to Paul's admonition to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23 as a reason to drink wine. That wine was for health not pleasure, just as an antibiotics is for health not for pleasure. The third group are those who want to stay alive and be strong and healthy. Proverbs 31:6-7 says, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.” Studies have shown that alcohol kills more teenagers than all other drugs combined. Also, 39 per cent of all traffic deaths involved alcohol. In addition, 40 percent of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol. One may argue that taking alcohol once in a while is not harmful. Well, according to Proverbs 23:32, wine bites like a snake and stings like a viper. Only one encounter with a snake is enough to get a snake bite. A glass is enough to increase one's chances of having liver cirrhosis.

NOTE: You may know a lot of people who have been drinking for donkey years who are still healthy. Remember we are not all the same. Some are allergic to certain things while others are not. Some people's liver are made of 'iron' while others are made of tissue. Unfortunately, you don’t know what type of liver you have.

FACT: According to 1 Corinthians 6:9, no drunkards will be allowed through the pearly gates!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

IT WILL SURELY COME TO PASS

MEMORY VERSE: For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk2:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 48-50

There are a lot of agitations and palpitations all around us. The moment our single sisters enter into any social gathering or a church, unconsciously, they begin to glance around to see if there are any eligible bachelors there. Not that they intend to approach them or something, and most of them are very decent, they won’t stoop so low to do anything that is not befitting for a daughter of God. It is just an unconscious thing. They want to be settled as soon as possible. I know that most single brothers will pretend and say they don’t do this or they have never done this before, but many a time, the moment they see a sister, the first thing they do is check her finger to see if she is wearing a wedding ring. Also, it is an unconscious thing.These reveals the deep desire for the will of God, concerning their marital life , to come to pass.

There are a lot of inner cries to God. Oh Lord i am getting old, when will i meet that man? Oh Lord, my younger cousins have children, when will i meet that woman? Lord, when will those things you said about me come to pass? Oh Lord, when will the doctor take me off these medications? Father, when will i become a citizen of this land? Lord, when will those doors open unto me? Oh Lord, when will this business grow? Father, you called me to start this work, when will this ministry grow? When will our congregation grow? Father, i saw myself preaching to a multitude of people, healing the sick and raising the dead in a dream, when will this dream come to pass? I dreamt that i owned a business, when will that materialize in my life? Lord, i am getting old as a parent, when will my daughters and sons meet their partners? When will my son-in laws give birth? When will i become a grandparent? When will my son-in-law get a job? When will my daughter-in-law get promoted? When will my situation change? When will i get a job? When will i start to work with my degree? When will my abusive husband give his life to Christ? When will my husband begin to see my sacrifices and appreciate me? When will my children love me? When will my children begin to respect me and reciprocate my love to them? When will this siege be over in my life? These and many more are the cries of many hearts to God.What is the Lord saying this morning, in response to our cries to our Father in heaven? IT WILL SURELY COME TO PASS. Habakkuk2:3 says this: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

To those questions of ‘when will this be’ or ‘when will that be’? The Lord is saying to us this day, "wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Sir, you will surely become a grandfather. Ma, you will surely become a grandmother. Friend, you will surely become a father. You will surely become a mother. God’s will for you in marriage will surely come to pass. Beloved sister in Christ, that brother will surely come. Beloved brother in Christ, you will surely meet that sister. That ministry will surely grow. You will surely work with your degree. You will surely be a citizen of that country. That siege will surely be over. God is working things out for you. You will surely be celebrated. You will surely give a testimony. The doctors will surely take you off that medication and declare you fit. You will surely pay off that debt. And to those saying, 'God, if only You will do this for me, this and that is what i will do for you' . God is saying, 'I will surely do that thing you have asked for ,for you'. God is the controller of seasons. Your season has surely arrived! You may have made a mistake and gotten pregnant, don’t abort that pregnancy. God will surely look after that child. That fellow will surely remember you. Those God has sent to help you will surely remember you and render the help. Those who are owing you money will surely pay.

NOTE: God has not forgotten you. Don’t compromise your faith because God will surely do that thing for you.

TO DO: Father, thank You for Your Word

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE CALLER, THE CALLED AND THE CALLING

MEMORY VERSE: Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. John15:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 23-24, Isaiah 62-66

Merriam Webster dictionary defines a ‘calling’ as a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work (such as religious work). I love to read autobiographies, especially autobiographies of those who, despite all odds, achieved something meaningful. Although, i have not read as much as i would like to, i can tell you that by reading autobiographies, you learn the secrets of great achievers. One thing i have found with all great achievers is they are hard working. They wake up at odd hours of the morning, to either train or work. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, wrote about how he wakes up at 2am in the morning, to train. Also, these great achievers knew their calling from a young age and they pursued it. Your ‘calling’ maybe to make shoes or to paint. It maybe to start a NGO that catches people who traffic young girls for sex trade. I thank God for what He is doing through Tiny Hands, bringing wicked men who sell young girls to face judgment. It maybe to design godly clothes and make them. Don't be shy of that ‘calling’, pursue it with all you have inside you. The people around you may not fancy your ‘calling’; they don't have to fancy it anyway. You just pursue it, one day they will fancy it. Your ‘calling’ doesn't have to make sense to the society where you find yourself. It is your ‘calling’, and in most cases, it will only make sense to you at particular point in time. Your ‘calling’ could even be to make ladies' hair. The fact that no one you know as ever succeeded in pursuing their calling does not mean you will not succeed in pursuing yours. Your ‘calling’ doesn't have to have a big name or a fanciful name.

We cannot talk about ‘calling’ without making references to the ‘caller’- the one who calls, and the ‘called’- the one who receives the call. The ‘caller’ is always higher than the ‘called’. The ‘caller’ exercises authority over the ‘called’. In other words, the ‘caller’ is able to reward or punish the ‘called’. John 15:16 ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” In this verse, we have the ‘caller’ who is Jesus Christ; the ‘called’ which is you and i; the ‘calling’ which is not only to bear fruits but to ensure that our fruits remain. Also, in Matthew 11:28: “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, we have the ‘caller’ again which is Christ; the 'called' which is you and I; the ‘calling’ which is a call to salvation. As you search through the scriptures, you will find examples of the ‘Caller’ i.e. God, calling the ‘called’, you and i, to take on assignments and tasks. If we heed to His ‘callings’, we will be greatly rewarded. If you bear fruits and they remain, you can go to God for anything and He will give it to you. If you come to Him, eternal rest will be yours. Most of these great achievers, sport personalities, inventors, entrepreneurs, etc, all heeded to their ‘calling’ and they were greatly rewarded for it. Michael Phelps could have decided not to heed to his calling to become a swimmer. Had he done that, he would have lost his rewards. There is a reward for heeding to your ‘calling’. It is not too late to heed to your calling. You maybe a celebrated doctor now, but deep inside, you know you are called to be an engineer. If i were you, i will quit medicine and pursue engineering. As loving parents, let your children pursue their calling. You may not approve of what they want to study in the university, but leave them alone. The divine Caller as called them to pursue that discipline. Just pray along with them and at the end, you will be happy that they heeded to their calling. Although, many of us know this in our head, it is worth repeating so that we can know it in our heart. There is a powerful calling on our life, more important than any ‘calling’ one maybe currently pursuing and that is the 'call to serve'. This is the most rewarding 'call' any man can receive. The rewards for serving Christ are eternal. You will be rewarded on earth and you will reign with Him in His kingdom in heaven.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: One of the most unwise things to do is to put your earthly calling before your divine calling.

NOTE: You are called to finish that course you have started. You are called to finish that project. You are called to pass that exam.

QUESTION: Have you heeded the call to worship God in spirit and in truth?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MY TESTIMONY

My name is Samuel Oluwatoki but people call me Sam. I will like to share My TESTIMONY with you.

Late one evening, I way lying on the bed and the thought of what death felt like began to go through my mind. For some un-explainable reason, i was really curious and wanted to know what happens after death. Suddenly, something like a spirit left my body and i could see my lifeless body on the bed. I tried to touch it but i couldn't. It was as if i was trying to grab vapor. At this point, i knew something was seriously wrong. I began to panic. Am i dead?....does it mean that i will never see my beloved mum again? ... how will i get back into my lifeless body? All these thoughts began to pass through my mind. All of a sudden, i found myself in a small room. There was light in that room but i could not see any bulb. Somehow, i knew that small room was some sort of a waiting room. Two angels were on there way to pick me for judgement. In that small room, there was no concept of time. It was in that small room i understood the word 'eternity'. It was as if time froze.Psalm 90:4 says: " For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." I began to feel cold and lonely. I can't find words to describe the quietness. It was frightening! I could hear my heartbeats. No friends, family, no one except myself and the records of how i spent my life.

As i stood there, feeling lonely, i began to think about my life. I remembered everything. I remembered the times i missed church services. I remembered how people witnessed to me about Christ and i didn't listen. I remembered the times i fornicated, told lies, fought with people, stole as a kid, etc. I remembered all the terrible things i had done and became scared. My heart began to beat fast. It was as if i was waiting for the result of an exam or a driving test. It was as if someone opened a file before me and was reading all my sins to me, one after the other. I tried to remember the good deeds i did but it was nothing compared to the terrible things i had done. Daniel 5:27 says,"TEKEL means that you have been weighed in the balance and found deficient." I was found wanting and i began to cry. It was in that small room i understood how big God was. I felt like an ant in the presence of a million foot tall man. I knew where i was heading to. With deep regrets, i knelt down and i began to cry and ask for another opportunity. All i wanted at that point was another chance to return to earth to put things right. Whilst i was crying like a baby, pleading for another chance, i woke up in sweat. That night gave my life to Jesus!

On Tuesday 13 August 2011, I had another dream. I was in a small town. We were all expecting something. Terror was written all over our faces. All of a sudden, people started running helter and skelter. Some climbed on tall trees, others a dug a huge tunnel and hid there. Few boarded trains going to the next city. I have never seen commotion of this magnitude before in my life. Parents ran off leaving their children behind. Husbands ran to the left and the wife to the right. There were a lot of screaming children in the streets. The chaos was too much. As this was going on, i walked into a small house where some soldiers held some people captive. They had every one - those that hid in tunnels, those that climbed on trees, those that boarded trains, etc. They caught everyone. There was something else in the room but i didn't see it. I immediately ran to the next town to warn them. They began to made fun of me. They laughed me to scorn. Out of anger i screamed "death is coming" and i woke up. When i slept back, i saw the beginning of something. There were groups of people working in a small office. Some of them were working very hard whilst others played around. Since no one was watching, everyone did what they liked. After a while , some took the hard working ones to a palace to meet a very rich king. I was taken to where the king sat and i saw a group people around him rejoicing. They gave the hardworking ones a tour around the palace. As they went round , i woke up.

The Master is coming soon. Isaiah 1:3 says, "the ox knows its owner, the donkey its master's crib but Israel does not know, my people do not consider." Revelations 22:12 says, "behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to his work."
It was in that small room, waiting to be taken for judgement, that i understood that everything in this present world is vanity. Ecclesiastes 1:2 says, "vanity of vanities, says the preacher; vanity of vanities all is vanity." If you have not given your life to Christ, repent today and give your life to Him today. Repent whilst there is still time. Make restitution whilst you can now. Once Christ returns that will be it.

John 3:16 says,"for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believe him will not die but have everlasting life." John 14:6 says, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." The only way to heaven is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior. Romans 10 :9, "says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. "

If you are ready to give your life to Christ, please pray this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I give myself to you, for you to be my only Lord and Savior. I renounce and repudiate all other loyalties, and I desire no other Lord but You. Please come into me and take control of my life. Mold me to your will and to your use.I ask that you drive out all other spirits which conflict with you in anyway. I want to belong only to you, to be subject only to you. I make this prayer to you,in your name, the name of Jesus. Amen.

Brethren please forward this to all your friends and family.

GETTING TO KNOW PEOPLE

MEMORY VERSE: But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand. Isaiah 32:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 33-35

One thing you can’t do without, as far as you are alive, is relating with people. It is humans God will use to answer most of our prayer requests especially ones pertaining to material needs. You and i, can’t do without relating with people and as such, there is a need to know them. Our knowledge of people informs how we relate with them. Our knowledge of people determines who we do business with, who we employ as a nanny for our children, who we put in positions in our ministry or business, who we entrust with things, who we go to for counselling and many more. Even when we don’t know people directly, we depend on the recommendations of people we know who knows them or who have dealt with them. Knowing people, very well, before doing business with them, bringing them under our roof, putting our integrity on the line for them or relating with them at any level is crucial. A lot has lost life savings, valuables, inheritances, ministries, visions and things of eternal value because they dealt with the wrong people. Many have scars that only God can heal because they went into relationships with people they thought they knew.

When it comes to knowing people, the only One you can trust His assessment of people is God. If you really want to know a man or a woman, you have to check his or her heart. Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” The only One who knows the content of every heart is God. According to 1 Samuel 16:7, He sees the heart. Not only does He know the present heart condition of a man, He knows how that fellow’s heart will be in fifty years time. Isaiah 46:10 says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” One way to know a person is go to God in prayer and ask Him to reveal who the fellow is. Or you ask Him to give you the gift of discernment. With the gift of discernment, as an employer, you don’t need to ask a lot of questions before you know who the right candidate is, in an interview. Another way to know people is by checking their fruits. Matthew 7:16 says, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Unfortunately, we have some wolves among the sheep. Among us, there are people who appear genuine, they look like us, they quote the bible like us, they shout and jump in the church, they talk like us but they are not part of us. How can we know them? Jesus Christ says, “By their fruit ye shall know them”. What type of fruits? Fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22). How else can we know people? By their association. I can’t claim to be a child of God and my best friend enjoys sin. How can that be? According to 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” Another way to know people is by what they do, not what they say. A wise man once said, ‘action speak louder than words.’ 1 John 3:7 says, “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” Lastly, you can know people by what they stand for. Isaiah 32:8 says, “But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand.” How can one identify a genuine child of God? Firstly, they fellowship with other children of God. Secondly, they live their life as a child of God. Thirdly, they stand for godly principles. They stand for purity. They stand for mercy and kindness. They stand for fairness and integrity. They stand for love.

NOTE: People will judge you by your association.

QUESTION: What do you stand for?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

BELIEVING: A KEY TO RECEIVING

MEMORY VERSE: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 6-10

Don’t give up! Jesus is still in the business of answering prayers. He has answered a lot of prayers in times past. He is still answering prayers today and He will continue to answer prayers as far as we call on Him. That same Jesus we read about in the bible is still alive meeting needs, touching lives, opening doors, wiping away tears, restoring broken homes, doing wonders, etc. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Not too long ago, a sister and I were discussing about one of her young sisters who had just undergone a major operation and they needed large sums of money to pay for her rehabilitation. This kind-hearted sister was the bread winner of her family and she had spent ‘all’ she had on the operation. In addition, she had exhausted all the avenues she could get money from and all to no avail. I would have loved to give her the money but I didn’t have a penny too. Thank God, we, I and the sister, both knew a God who owns the entire bank in the world. As she shared this problem with us, this dropped in my spirit: “if everything fails, try praise”. I told her what I heard and encouraged her to start praising God. I must confess, convincing her to praise God, at that point, wasn’t easy but the Holy Spirit convinced her and she did. Last night, I was told that a doctor, a man with a large heart, from the hospital had volunteered to foot the bill. God literally paid the bill without her going into debt. What a wonderful God we serve. What a powerful God we serve. What a caring savior we have. The fact that you don’t have money does not mean you can’t do that project.

One key to receiving that thing you have asked for in prayers is ‘believing’. Jesus said, ”And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22). When Jarius received the news about his daughter’s death, Jesus told him, “Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole” (Luke 8:50). He believed and his daughter was raised back to life. Before Peter received his miracle of abundant fishes, he first believed. Luke 5:5 says, “And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” Before that generous widow of Zarapheth received her divine provision, she first believed that the God of Elijah was able to do those things He had promised through His servant (1 Kings 17:7-16). All we need to receive our blessings is ‘believe’. Believe what the word of God says about you and your circumstances. The moment one begins to doubt, that's it. James 1:6-7 says: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” Believe that all will be well with you. You don’t need to have a doctorate degree in theology to believe. You don’t have to be a powerful man of God to believe. You don’t need to be a deacon to believe. Fortunately, I and that sister are ordinary people. We believed that praising God will release financial breakthrough and it did. Even if you have problems believing, probably because this is the first time of hearing this and it seems too simple to your educated mind, you can still ask the Lord to help your unbelief and He will do that for you.

NOTE: Romans 6:14a says, ” For sin shall not have dominion over you”. Believe that Word and begin to walk in the liberty that Christ has given to you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help my unbelief.

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HEARING FROM GOD: A KEY TO LIVING A VICTORIOUS LIFE

MEMORY VERSE: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Revelations 2:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 44-47

One of the key conditions that must be met before a man can enjoy a walk with God is the ability to hear from God. The Lord told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28 that if they would listened to His voice, great blessings will be theirs. He also warned them saying: “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:”(Deuteronomy 28:15). Hearing from God is crucial to our existence on the face of the earth. We can give several examples of people who have escaped death because they could hear from God. A particular brother was dressing up one morning to go and watch car racing. He and some other brethren in the church had arranged to meet up at a particular spot where they could get a very good view of the racing track. Whilst he was shaving, the spirit of the Lord told him to remain indoors and study his bible. Being a brother with integrity, having given his word to his friends that he would attend, he didn't want to go back on his word. Nevertheless, he obeyed and remained in doors. By 8am the car race started, and he could hear their powerful engines from his apartment. After a short while, he had a deafening bang and he rushed out. He instinctively knew that the bang came from the racing track. When he got to the spot where he was supposed to meet his friends and watch the race from, he saw dead bodies, some with severed hands lying all around. As God will have it, when his friends got there around 8am and he was not there, they left to watch the race at another spot thereby escaping death too.

Hearing from God is a precursor to getting it right in the choice of a marriage partner and having a blissful marriage. Joseph, earthly father of Jesus, heard from God in a dream that he should take Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20). The servant of Abraham who was sent to get a wife for Isaac heard from God before speaking to Rebecca’s parents (Genesis 24:13-21). The ability to hear from God is necessary if a man does not want to make costly mistakes in life or take a wrong step. The revered man of God, Samuel, almost anointed the wrong candidate as king over Israel. He was about to anoint Eliab as king when the Lord, who sees the heart of every man, told him to stop. Hearing from God puts one's mind at rest whilst others are panicking. Whilst everyone on onboard with Paul were screaming, panicking, some saying their last prayers - most likely asking for forgiveness of all their sins - Paul was unmoved by tempestuous wind, Euroclydon, that was blowing ferociously at the ship. The man of God had heard from God that, although the ship will be totally destroyed, there will be no loss of lives (Acts 27:1-44). I am not an author when it comes to hearing from God. I am still learning to hear from God and asking Him to help me to hear more. But, i can share an experience or two, in my life, that will help you appreciate the importance of hearing from God. Several years ago, i had a challenge at work and it was obvious that i was gone especially when someone was brought to replace me. I was favoured to have a lot of caring people around me (God bless their darling hearts) and they began to worry that i was going to lose my job. In the midst of all this, i was at peace because God had said to me through His Word, ‘Christ in you the hope of glory ‘(Colossians 1:27). Anytime people called, i would tell them "all will be well” and to the glory of God all went well. Had i not heard from God, i would have looked for another job, leaving where God wanted me to be at that time. When the Pharisees told Jesus to run for His life as Herod was making plans to kill Him, He told them "Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected"( Luke 13:31-32). Hearing from God puts you in charge of the situations in your life. Jesus was always in control of circumstances because He hears from God.

NOTE: To hear from God, one must spend time in the place of prayer. If one is not regularly talking to God, He will not talk back to the fellow. Also, meditating on the scripture, obeying the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and living a life of holiness and purity are a must for anyone who wants to hear from God.

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

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