FEAR THOU NOT; FOR I AM WITH THEE

MEMORY VERSE: Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 11-12

Isaiah 6:3 says, "and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." What does it mean to say the Lord is holy? (Permit me to quote from a wonderful Sunday school manual I read). "The basic idea of the word ‘holy’ is that of being separate or set apart. When God is declared to be holy, the word expresses all that sets him apart and makes him different from his creatures. The threefold ‘holy, holy, holy’ in Isaiah 6:3 is a Hebraic way of emphasizing that God is very holy." In addition, when we say the Lord is holy, it means He is morally upright, just, transparent, pure, sinless, etc. Asides His purity, He has integrity. He says what He means and means what He says. If He makes a promise, He will do everything possible to fulfill the promise.

Because of His holiness, once He says ‘I will do something’, be rest assured that He will do what He has promised to do. Isaiah 41:10 says, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness". If the Lord says He is with you, be rest assured that He is with you. The fact that you don’t feel it does not mean He is not with you. The fact that the hair at the back of your neck don’t stand does not mean He is not with you. Actually, He is closer to you than the cloth on your neck. If He says in His holy bible that He is with you, then He is with you. That fact that God is with you does not mean you will not face challenges. No! In Mark 4:36-39, Jesus was in a ship with His disciples when a mighty storm arose and threatened to destroy the ship. The fact that the Lord is with you does not mean the enemy will not come after you. The pillar of fire and cloud that hovered above the children of Israel everywhere they went was visible for everyone to see and know that God was with them, yet the Egyptians chased after them ( Exodus 14). The fact God is with you does not mean you will not experience lack. No! No! No! In Mark 6:30-44, five thousand men not counting women and children were with Jesus and they experienced lack. The fact that the Lord is with you does not mean you will not face challenges. No! The good news is storm may arise, but Jesus will ‘still’ the storm. The enemy may come after you to harm you but they will not be able to do you any harm. Jeremiah 15:20c says, "for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord." In your walk with God, you may experience lack but it will be a temporary thing. The five thousand men not counting women and children ate and there were left- over. Although the journey may be rough, the Lord will see you through. It does not matter how tough the battle is, He will see to it that you come out victorious.

NOTE: If He is grieved, He may leave. If one continues to live in sin and refuses to repent, He will leave.

ACTION: Thank the Lord for being with you and pray that He will never leave you.

GOD’S WORD IS A SEED.

MEMORY VERSE: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 12-16

READ: Luke 8:4-8

To help us appreciate the word of God, its potential and what we stand to benefit when we spend quality time reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on it, Jesus likens the word of God to a (viable) seed. Luke 8:11says, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” (Viable simply means that the seeds can germinate and sprout i.e. they are ‘live’ seeds that will grow.) The word of God is alive. Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63)”. Just as (viable) seeds have potentials, the word of God has potentials. Because of the life in the seed, it has the potential to grow into a tree that can serve as a ‘wind-breaker’; a tree that can bear fruit for food; a tree that can serve as shelter or shade from heat; a tree that can produce other fruits that can be planted; a tree whose wood can be sold or used to build houses and so on. Also, because of the life in the word of God, it has the potential to grow and bear fruits in our lives. One of the fruits it bears is good success (Joshua 1:8).

However, a seed does nothing until planted. The word of God will not do us any good if we don’t open our bibles and study, read, memorize or meditate on what is written in there. Not until we plant the Word in our heart and mind, it will not produce any results in our lives. Putting our bibles underneath our pillows or beds and sleeping on them will not benefit us in anyway. Actually doing so will only destroy the bible cover. Not until we speak the Word to our situations, the changes we are praying for may not come. Not until we learn to use the Word as a sword, we will not be able to confront the enemy. Jesus used the Word as a sword to finish the devil in Matthew 4:1-11. Just as a seed is powerful, the word of God is also powerful. Hebrew 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful...” As a seed begins to grow, it will push up dirty, rocks, etc. So also, whatever the obstacles are, God’s Word planted in our heart will push them out of the way. A seed needs a good soil to germinate and produce fruits. A seed planted in the Sahara desert will be a waste. The word of God will not germinate and produce result unless planted on a good soil. The soil where the word of God is planted is our hearts. It will not grow on hard ground i.e. heart hardened by sin. It will not grow on stony ground i.e. the heart of a fellow who professes delight in the Word but whose heart is not changed. Neither will it grow on a thorny ground i.e. heart that is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts.

A seed takes time to grow and bear fruit, so also the word of God. You will not reap results the day you plant it in your heart. It will take time. The growth of the seed is in the secret (underground). When the Word starts to grow in one’s heart, it is not immediately obvious but with time the results will show. Also, the seed grows from within and shoots out. The Word grows from your heart and manifests outside. A seed is small than what is produces. The problem you face may seem huge. In comparison, a scripture may seem very small. But when planted, that Word will grow in you and overcome that problem. A seed will stop growing without nourishment. The same with the Word of God, quote it, speak it to your situation, pray on what you have read, etc. The seed thrives on heat underneath the soil to grow. So also, challenges are part of the heat required to hasten the growth of the Word you have stored in your heart. A seed produces after its kind. Whatever you need, or desire, find scriptures relating to that. Then plant those scriptures inside you in abundance. Those seeds will grow up and produce a harvest of what you need or desire. A seed is not affected by other seeds. The more seeds you plant, the larger your harvest will be. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”

QUESTION: How much time do you dedicate to the study of the word of God?

ACTION: Get a bible reading plan and add the Word of God to your daily diet.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION?

MEMORY VERSE: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 29-30

What individuals experience after giving their lives to Christ or after rededicating their lives to Christ vary greatly. Pastor Willie Mullan in his book ‘Tramp after God’ said he felt a tremendous urge to tell someone what had just happened to him – how the Lord had just saved a tramp like him. He was very excited and could not keep still. Another fellow said he was so full of love that he felt like hugging everyone. I remember when I gave my life to Christ, all I felt like doing was praying. The urge to pray was so great. Some immediately know a difference in their life. For others it is more gradual. I want you to know that what matters is not so much the initial experience but the start of a new relationship with God. The fact that you didn't feel anything, probably a tingling sensation in your tummy after saying the sinner’s prayers or after confessing your sins and asking the Lord to come into your life, does not mean you are not saved. No! If we were to rely on our feelings we could never be sure about anything. Our feelings go up and down depending on all sorts of factors, such as the weather or what we have had for breakfast. They are changeable and deceptive. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

The assurance of our relationship stands on these three things: the word of God, the work of Jesus and the witness of the Holy Spirit. Firstly, the word of God. The promises in the Bible, which is the word of God, do not change and are totally reliable unlike our feelings. There are many great promises in the bible that assures us that once we open the door of our hearts to Jesus, He will come in and dine with us (Revelation 3:20). In addition, He has promised to be with us until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). He went on further to promise us eternal life (John 10:28), which is a quality of life that comes from living in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ (John 17:3). Secondly, the work of Jesus. What Jesus did on the cross enables Him to give us eternal life as a gift (John 10:28). We do not earn a gift. We accept it with gratitude. On the cross, He took all our wrong-doings upon Himself. This had been clearly prophesied in the Old Testament in the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” What the prophet was saying is that we have all done something wrong and those wrong-doings have caused a separation between us and God (Isaiah 59:1-2). This is why at times God can seem remote. On the other hand, Jesus never did anything wrong. There was no barrier between Him and His Father. On the cross, God transferred our wrong-doings onto Jesus. That is why He cried out on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' ( Mark 15:34). At that moment He was cut off from God – not because of His own wrong-doings but because of ours. This made it possible for the barrier between us and God to be removed. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Lastly, the witness of the Spirit. When someone becomes a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them. When the Holy Spirit comes in, He transforms from within. He produces the character of Jesus in our lives which are also known as the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We become more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, etc. Also there will be changes in our relationships- both with God and with other people.Asides these changes which can be noticed in our lives, the Holy Spirit also brings an inner experience of God. He creates a deep, personal conviction that we are children of God. ( Romans 8:15-16). This is the third way in which we are assured of our relationship with God, and that we are forgiven and have eternal life.

NOTE: It is one of the privileges of being a child of God: to be able to be absolutely confident about our relationship with our Father, to be sure of the fact that we are forgiven; to be sure that we are Christians , and to know we have eternal life.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MAN’S GREATEST PROBLEM

MEMORY VERSE: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 42-44

Man’s greatest problem is not the global water crisis neither is it species extinction. One may ask, ‘how does species extinction concern us’? Well, certain species that human beings depend upon for our food supply are going extinct; if their numbers fall too low (may the Lord have mercy because) human race will face extinction. Man’s greatest problem is not the economic collapse neither is it the rapid climate change. Man’s greatest problem is not the resistance of diseases to antibiotics – making it difficult to cure some of the diseases we had previously treated easily, neither is it poverty, hunger and lack of clean water in some countries. Man’s greatest problem is not the need to find new energy sources before fossil fuels run out neither is it terrorism and conflict. Man’s biggest problem is sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Sin is a problem because of its consequences in our lives. The ‘number one’ consequence of sin is that it pollutes one’s life. According to Mark 7:20-23, what comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, envy, slander, arrogance, etc. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’. These things pollute our lives. You may say, ‘I do not do most of these things’. Only one of them is enough to make our lives unclean. The ‘number two’ consequence of sin is that it enslaves a man. The things we do wrong have an addictive power. Just like any hard drug like heroin, sin can become addictive. One can become addicted to bad temper, arrogance, pride, selfishness, slander or sexual immorality. We can even become addicted to patterns of thoughts or behavior which, on our own, we cannot break. This is the slavery which Jesus spoke about and which has a destructive power in our lives. The ‘number three’ consequence of sin is death. There is something within human nature which cries out for justice. When we see children molested, old people attacked in their homes and so on, we long for the people who have done these things to be caught and punished. It is not just other’s people’s sin that deserve punishment. It is our own as well. One day we will all be subject to the judgment of God. Romans 6:23 says, “for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The ‘number four’ consequence of sin is it causes a barrier between us and God. Isaiah 59:1-2 says, “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” The wrong things we do cause this barrier.

We have the need to deal with the problem of sin in our lives or else. The good news of Christianity is that God loves us and He did not leave us in the mess that we make of our own lives. He came to earth, in the person of his Son Jesus to die instead of us (Galatians 3:13). During World War II, there were a group of Prisoners of Wars (POWs) who worked on the Burma Railway. At the end of each day the tools were collected from the work party. On one occasion a Japanese guard shouted that a shovel was missing and demanded to know which man had taken it. He began to rant and rave, working himself up into a paranoid of fury and ordered whoever was guilty to step forward. No one moved. ‘All die! All die!’ he shrieked, cocking and aiming his rifle at the prisoners. At that moment one man stepped forward and the guard clubbed him to death with his rifle while he stood silently to attention. When they returned to the camp, the tools were counted again and no shovel was missing. That one man had gone forward as a substitute to save others. In the same way Jesus came as our substitute. He endured crucifixion for us.

QUESTION: We have been judged by the righteous Judge, God, and found guilty. We have been fined the correct penalty which is death. Christ has written a cheque, for this penalty, and says we have a choice: do we want Him to pay for us or are we going to face the judgment of God for own wrong-doing?

NOTE: If you want accept His cheque, accept Him as your personal Lord and savior today.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

IS JESUS GOD?

MEMORY VERSE: But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:61-62

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 21-25

Most people believe the story of Jesus. They believe that He was a good man. According to Acts 10:38, He went about doing good. Not only that, He was caring and compassionate. They also believed that He was a great teacher. Actually His teaching is the foundation of the entire civilization in the West. Many of the laws in UK, USA, etc, were originally based on His teachings. Many believe He had the power to ‘change the unchangeable’ and ‘reverse the irreversible’ like we saw in the case of Lazarus. When it comes to the subject of whether He is God or not, some disagree calling Him an ordinary prophet, some honestly confess that they don’t know, some even say, ‘Jesus never claimed to be God,’ and so on. It is true that Jesus did not go around saying the words, ‘I am God.’ Yet, when one looks at all He taught and claimed, there is little doubt that He was conscious of being a man whose identity was God.

One of the fascinating things about Jesus is that so much of His teaching was centered on Himself. For instance He said ‘if you want to have a relationship with God, come to Me’ (John 14:6). In John 6:35, He said ‘if you are hungry come to Me, the bread of life.' To those walking in darkness, depression, despair, He said ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12). To those burdened by worries, anxieties, fears, and guilt, He said, ‘come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will you give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28). He said to receive Him was to receive God (Matthew 10:40), to welcome Him was to welcome God (Mark 9:37) and to have seen Him was to have seen God (John 14:9). Asides His teachings, He also said a number of things which, although not direct claims to be God, show that He regarded Himself as being in the same position as God. Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sins is one of them. For instance, on one occasion He said to a man who was paralyzed, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’ (Mark 2:5). The reaction of the religious leaders was, ‘why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ Jesus went on to prove that He did have the authority to forgive sins by healing the paralyzed man. We can all understand how a man forgives offences against himself. You tread on my toe and I forgive you, you steal my money and I forgive you. The sin that led to that man’s paralysis was a sin against God and only ‘God’ would have been able to forgive that sin. There are also other indirect claims for example He claimed that He would one day judge the world (Matthew 25:31-32). Asides His teachings and His indirect claims that He is God, let us look at one of His direct claims. When the question was put to Him, ‘ Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ Jesus said, “I am..” Mark 14:61-62 says,“But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes on hearing this. ‘Why do we need any more witnesses?’ he asked. As a result of the assertion Jesus made about Himself, He was condemned to death. A claim tantamount to a claim to be God was blasphemy in Jews eyes, worthy of death.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: There are three logical possibilities to His claims to be the unique Son of God; God made flesh. If the claims were untrue, either He knew they were untrue – in which case He was an imposter, and evil one at that. That is the first possibility. Or He did not know- in which case He was deluded. This is the second possibility. The third possibility is that the claims were true. When one looks at the teachings of Jesus Christ, His works, His character, His fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy and His resurrection, One will appreciate the fact that He was neither a con man nor a deluded fellow. He is God!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE KING

MEMORY VERSE: Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 6:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Exodus 5-8

Why do we measure? We measure for various purposes. We measure to keep track of things. For instance we measure time to keep track of it. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” We gauge our health based upon all sorts of measurements. Some common examples include height, weight, pulse, and blood pressure. These measurements can tell a doctor a lot about one’s general health. We measure to know the size or the amount of something. We measure so that we can have a point of reference that allows us to compare things. The tallest man living, by Guinness, is Sultan Kosen from Turkey who measured 251 cm (8ft 3in). How did Guinness book of records reach that conclusion that Mr Sultan Kosen is the tallest living man? By measuring tall people.

If we could not or did not measure and measure to a standard consistently and to a high degree of accuracy our modern world would ‘not’ exist. To get accurate results, there is a need to measure using the right yardstick. Imagine a person measuring room temperature with a barometer or measuring wind pressure with stethoscope. The results will never be accurate because barometers are built to measure atmospheric pressure not room temperature. Using the wrong yardstick to measure will always generate inaccurate results. This is exactly what happened to prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-6. Prior to the death of king Uzziah and his vision of heaven, he had always seen himself as a righteous man because he was using the people around him, individuals who practiced sexual immoralities, rich men who oppressed the poor, workers who stole from their masters, judges who pervert judgement, as a yardstick to measure his walk with God.

He was always quick to castigate and reprimand people. He literally went about saying 'woe to this fellow for this , woe to that fellow for doing that.' Isaiah 6:11 says, “woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with them, for what their hands have done shall be done to them”. One day the Lord showed him a vision of heaven and he saw himself. Isaiah 6:5 says, “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” For the first time, his unclean lips became obvious to him. When one uses the people around him or her, probably brothers and sisters who come to church late or are not punctual, as a yardstick to measure one's walk with the Lord, it will appear as if one has reached perfection. If care is not taking, one may even go round boasting about one's righteousness. The moment Prophet Isaiah saw himself before the Lord, he became sober. He suddenly realized that there were issues in his own life that he needed to work on. The good thing is immediately Isaiah saw his unclean lips and became sober, the Lord sent an angel who used hot coals to burn his lips thereby cleansing his lips. Not until we see ourselves and ask the Lord for grace to make amendments, we will not become who the Lord wants us to be. Not until we hold our lives against the living Word of God, we will not see our true state. Not until we use Christ as our yardstick, we may not truly appreciate the work required to become rapturable. Not until God opens our eyes to see our current state and helps us too, as He helped Isaiah, we may do all the hard work here on earth and miss heaven. I pray that will not be our portion in Jesus name.

NOTE: Christ is our yardstick to measure our life with.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please open my eyes see my state and give me the grace to make amendments.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE BEST MEAL

MEMORY VERSE: But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.1 Corinthians 11:28

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Mark 9-10

The best food in the world is not the Massaman curry of Thailand, neither is it the Neapolitian pizza of Italy. It is not the Japanese Sushi, neither is it the Peking duck of China. It is not the Shepherd’s pie or Fish ‘n’ chips of England, neither is it the Chicken biryani of India. It is not the Jollof rice common with Nigerians, neither is it rice and peas with stew chicken and fried dumplings of the Afro-Caribbeans. The best food is not the Singapore fried rice, the Gabonese Chicken muamba, the American Donuts or the Iranian Kebabs. It is none of these foods. The best meal in the world is the Holy Communion. It is a meal of bread which symbolizes the broken body of Christ and wine which symbolizes His shed blood. Luke 22:19-20 says, “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”

The best that would happen if anyone tries any of the dish listed above, no matter how palatable, sweet, delicious and yummy it may be, is feel good. None of these dishes can cure any disease - curable and incurable. If one is under a yoke and he eats of any of these delicious meals, nothing will happen. If one has been stagnant for years and he eats any of those delicious meals, his stagnancy will still continue. The Holy Communion, on the other hand, is a symbolic meal. It is not only symbolic but powerful. If eaten worthily, one’s spiritual eyes will open. Luke 24:31 says, “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.” Not only that, one will receive divine health and sickness will disappear. After the children of Israel ate Passover (which is what we now call Holy Communion (Exodus 12)), all their sickness vamoosed. They left Egypt with a clean bill of health. Psalm 105:37 says, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there wasnot one feeble person among their tribes.” And if eaten unworthily, one may fall sick. 1 Corinthians 11:29 -30 says, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” Before eating such a powerful meal, one must carry out a thorough examination on one's life. Are you still on the 'narrow' path that leads to heaven or the 'broad' path that leads to destruction? 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” Before approaching the Lord's Table to partake in Holy Communion, one must ask himself or herself , ‘am i still a child of God?’ Are there any un-confessed sins in my life? Are there any brothers, sisters or family members i am not in talking terms with ? Are there any restitution am yet to carry out? Is my heart pure? Are my hands clean? The reason is that one cannot approach the Lord’s Table with an unclean hand or an impure heart or whilst bearing grudges. One cannot come to the Lord’s Table whilst living a life of immorality. One cannot come to the Lord’s Table whilst living a double life, no. One must first examine himself and make amendments where necessary before coming to the Lord’s Table.

NOTE: The Holy Communion is not a church ritual. It is an invitation to dine with the Lord.

WARNING: Don’t come to the Lord's Table with an unforgiving heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.