FORMED BY GOD

MEMORY VERSE: 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. Genesis 2:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 1-2

Everything God created, He did by calling them into existence. Genesis 1:3 says, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:20 says, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” He called everything (the skies, trees, plants, fishes, rivers, waterfalls, oceans, animals, etc,) into existence. When He wanted to create man He settled down, got some clay, mixed it with water, and formed man with it. Genesis 2:7 says, “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.” God formed everyone one of us. He told Jeremiah “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). No wonder the Psalmist says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well” (Psalm 139:14).

The man whom God formed, in Genesis 2:7, was a perfect man. God did not only form his frame i.e. his physical body, He formed his mind, his character, his intellect, etc. This man was all-round perfect. He was the perfect husband, perfect friend, perfect dad, etc. He was holy, pure, and godly, just name it. After the Lord had formed him, he started to operate as god on earth. He had dominion over everything God had created. He operated in his full potential. To operate at the level this man was operating before sin entered into his life, we must submit to God, the Holy Spirit, so that He can re-form us. We need to be reformed because some part of us have been formed by our experiences, pasts, experiences, association, etc. There are brothers who have sworn never to trust any woman again because of what a lady did to them before they gave their lives to Christ or because of a story they heard. Because these brothers won't trust their wives, they are unable to enjoy the good things the Lord had deposited in their wives for them. Also, there are women who belief all men are the same because of their past experiences or stories they have heard. Some are very bitter, as we speak, and they resent certain people because of their experiences with these people in the past. A lot of us were formed by our environment. A lot never used to womanize until they travelled abroad. Sodom formed the daughters of Lot. These girls hatched a terrible plan to make babies by sleeping with their father. Some were formed by their association. Proverbs 13:20says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

NOTE: The clay was absolutely surrendered in the hands of the Lord before He made man with it. We must be absolutely surrendered in the hands of God before He can re-form us and make a man out of us.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a teachable spirit.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHO IS A WISE WOMAN 2 ?

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. John 15:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 13-18

Who is a wise person? A wise person is someone who wins souls for Christ. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” A wise woman is a woman who wins souls for Christ. Whenever we talk about soul winning many think it is for brothers only. My dear sister in the Lord, the work of evangelism is for everyone – brothers and sisters. Christ categorically said that whoever is not winning souls with Him is working against Him. Luke 11:23 says, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.” We are either gathering with Christ or scattering what He is trying to gather. Many of us find it easy to invite our friends to our birthday parties, marriage ceremonies, wedding anniversaries, etc, but we find it hard to invite our friends to church. A wise person not only wins souls for Christ, they also do follow up. John 15:16 says, “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.” A wise woman bears fruits for Christ. After winning souls for Christ, we must ensure that those we have won for Christ remain in Christ – our fruit must remain. Have you checked on that brother who was not in church last Sunday? How about that sister who has been missing for two weeks? How about that family that has stopped coming to church, have you gone to look for them?

Who is a wise person? A wise person is a builder not a destroyer. A wise woman builds her house. Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” The house being referred to here is her household – her husband, children and other members of the family. A wise woman acknowledges the fact that her husband comes before the kids. One of the ways a wise woman builds her house is by laboring in the place of prayer for them. There is nothing wrong in working to bring home some income as a woman, but this should not be an excuse for not praying. Wise women don't compete with their husbands. They support their husband's vision and stand by him. A wise man also appreciates a praying wife. Asides praying for her household, she trains her children to respect and honour their dad. A wise woman does not report her husband to her children. A wise woman works with her husband not against her husband. She knows that if her husband succeeds, then she too has succeeded. There is a popular saying: ‘Behind every successful man, there is a strong, wise and hardworking woman’. A wise woman pays attention to the diet of her family. Sugar kills !

QUESTION: When was the last time you prayed for your husband?

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHO IS A WISE WOMAN?

MEMORY VERSE: Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. Proverbs 14:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 13-18

Proverbs 14:1 says, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” Who is a wise person? A wise person is someone who fears the Lord. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” What does it mean to fear the Lord? Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.” A God-fearing sister will not sleep with a man she is not married to. The bible clearly states that fornication and adultery are sins. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” If you are having sex and you are not married, you are not God-fearing. Even if you are in courtship, you must not sleep with each other. It does not matter whether you can speak in tongues or not, if you are married and you are sleeping with a woman who is not your wife, you are not God-fearing. A wise woman is a woman who is at first 'God-fearing'. A wise woman will encourage her husband to have nothing to do with bribes.

Who is a wise person? A wise person is someone who properly applies his or her knowledge. A wise woman is a woman who properly and practically applies what she knows, especially things written in the Holy Scripture. A wise woman recognizes these two things: a man is not superior to a woman and God expects the man and the woman to play certain roles in marriage. The role of the man is to lead as the head of the family and the role of the wife is to submit to the head. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” As a woman, even if you are more educated than your husband, earn more salary than your husband, or older than your husband, you are to submit to your husband as unto the Lord. There are a lot of women who submit to the pastor but not their husband. Those women, according to the Ephesians 5:22, cannot be regarded as wise women. There are some sisters whose husbands are afraid of; i want you to know that those sisters are not God-fearing at all. If your husband is afraid of you that means you have not submitted to him. There are some sisters who the husband cannot correct talk less of rebuke, they are not wise at all. They are not also God-fearing. It does not matter what post a woman is holding in the church, if she is not submitting to her husband she is not God-fearing. As a man of God, it is important that you get permission from a woman’s husband before ordaining her into positions. That is her head - the man who God has put her under. If the man says no – it does not matter how spirit filled the woman is- please don’t put her into any position.

NOTE: A woman who is not ready to submit to her husband will not submit to church authority. We should not even permit a sister who is not ready to submit to her husband or a sister that is rude to her parents to lead us in praise and worship.

QUESTION: Are you a wise woman?

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BLESSINGS AND CURSES

MEMORY VERSE: As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come. Proverbs 26:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 7

What is a blessing? A blessing is a summons to all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth to work in favor of a man. A curse, on the other hand, is a summons to all the forces in heaven, on earth, and underneath the earth to work against a man. When a man is under a curse everything God created will work against him. When a man is under a curse people will hate him for no reason – even people who don’t know him from Adam. Look at what Cain said after he was cursed. Genesis 4:14 says, “... and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.”

Blessings and curses don’t have an expiry date. They, especially curses, travel from generation to generation. In Joshua 6, Joshua put a curse on Jericho. Verse 26 says, “And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.” Hundreds of years later, one man by the name of Hiel tried to rebuild the wall of Jericho and the curse came on him. 1 Kings 16:34 says, “In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.” Curses are real and powerful, so also are blessings. Do everything possible to get the latter.

There are two sets of people who can change the course of one’s life through blessings and curses. The first is one’s parents especially one’s father. All your father needs to say is "God bless you" and you are made. Even if he is an unbeliever; his blessings can put an end to struggling in your life. His curses, which i pray you don’t get, can change the course of your life. Reuben is an example of a son who was cursed. Although, he had everything going on for him, he was the firstborn and all that. Because he slept with his father's concubine, the father cursed him and that cancelled out the blessing of the first born upon his life. The second is one’s spiritual parents i.e. your pastors. Your pastor may not be as educated as you are, he may not even be able to speak the Queen’s English but i want you to know that his blessings can turn your life around for good and his curse can do the opposite. Blessings and curses are not free; they are provoked. Proverbs 26:2 says, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” Although, Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, he still had to provoke his father’s blessing. Genesis 27:4-3 says, “Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die.”

NOTE: If your father or spiritual father blesses you, you are made and if they curse you, God have mercy!

ACTION: Do everything possible to get their blessings not their curse. One way to provoke their blessings is by making them happy.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHAT YOU DON’T VALUE,YOU CAN’T HAVE

MEMORY VERSE: There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? Genesis 39:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 7-12

Statistics show that the rate of divorce amongst believers is growing. One of the reasons for this is that husbands and wives are not cleaving. The moment a small pressure is applied to the marriage, it falls apart. For a man and woman to cleave properly, something must first happen. Genesis 2:24 says, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Unfortunately, what is happening in our cultures, even in our churches, is that only the women are leaving their her fathers and mothers; the men are doing nothing. What happens when a man does not leave his father and mother is that his family (father, mother and siblings) will start to exercise control over his marriage. They will dictate to him how he should run his family and treat his wife. In some cases, the woman will become an errand girl of the man's family. That is not how God ordained marriage to be. We have even seen instances where the husband's siblings will be beating up the wife and the man will say nothing. If a brother is not matured enough to make decisions without his parents then he should remain single. For a man to cleave to his wife, he must also leave his friends, work, ministry, etc. A lot can not cleave because they are married to the ministry and some to their work. Please be aware that your ministry must not come before your family especially your wife.

The reason why some men cannot cleave is because they see it as a weakness to cleave to their wife. The same with some cultures, they see it as a weakness for a man to sit with his wife and make decisions together. Barking instructions at one's wife is not a sign of strength. Some women also consider it a weakness for a woman to submit to her husband. It is not a sign of weakness to submit to one's husband.

It is one thing for God to have good plans for a brother; it is another thing for those good plans to materialize. A brother who God had good plans for was Joseph. The Lord did not make this secret. At a young age, He showed him His plans; his brothers were going to be his subjects (Genesis 37). This boy cherished this plan so much that he ran away from anything that could make God change His mind. Even when the wife of his master tried to have sex with him, he refused. Genesis 39:9 says, “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” We know the end of the story. He ended up in prison and from there the Lord elevated him to become the prime minister. Jesus also had good plans for Judas Iscariot; He did not hide His plans from Him. He told him he had written his name in heaven (Luke 10:20). He told him He planned that he would reign with Him in heaven (John 14:3). He even told him that he (Judas) and other disciples would sit on the twelve thrones with him and judge the twelve tribes of Israel ( Matthew 19:28). One would have expected this brother to respond like Joseph did. Because this brother did not cherish God’s plan for his life, he began to do everything that will offend his savior. He stole from Jesus several times. At the end, he sold the Master and missed out on God’s plan for his life.

QUESTION: God has a good plan for us and He has not hidden it from us. According to Jeremiah 29:11, He plans to give us an expected end. Are you going to run from everything that could make Him change His mind?

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WHAT PROFIT SHALL THIS BIRTHRIGHT DO TO ME?

MEMORY VERSE: And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? Genesis 25:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 72-74

If a man has something and does not value it, if care is not taken he may lose it. So also a woman, if she has something and does not value it, she may lose it if care is not taken. If an organisation or establishment has something probably dedicated staffs or an advantage and they do not value it, they will lose the staffs or the advantage if care is not taken. An example of a fellow who lost something he did not value was Esau. In ancient times, the birthright was a very important and sacred thing. It belonged to the firstborn. The family name and titles were to pass along to the eldest son. He would also receive a chief portion of the inheritance. But it was more than just a title to the physical assets of a family. It was also a spiritual position, and in the case of the people of God, God would lead the family through patriarchs, or fathers (Hebrews 1:1-2). Additionally, in the special case of Esau and Jacob, that meant the one to whom belonged the birthright was the one through who the covenant promise made to their grandfather, Abraham, would be realized. Ultimately, the Messiah would come through the holder of the birthright and bless the nations of the earth. Esau was the firstborn, and the birthright was his. Unfortunately, he didn’t think much of his birthright. Genesis 25:32 says, “And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?” He so belittled his birthright that he traded it for a pot of red porridge. Hebrew 12:16 says, “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.” Although the birthright was his by default, he lost it because he didn't value it.

Had he valued his birthright, he would have protected it and kept it. Had he cherished it, he would have rather chosen to die of hunger than trade it for food. Another person who did not value what she had was Queen Vashti. Her husband, King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), was the supreme ruler of the Persian Empire. Her husband ruled over a kingdom which had 127 provinces. As such, she was the number one woman in the Persian Empire. Because she didn’t value her husband, the king, she disobeyed him when he called for her (Esther 1). Before she knew it , she was replaced with an orphan girl who valued the king. I pray that you will never lose something valuable in the name of Jesus. This bring us to the question, do you value what you have? Do you value your God-fearing wife who submits to you? A lot take advantage of their God-fearing wives who submit to them. Instead of loving her with the love of Christ, they beat her up at any provocation. Do you value your God-fearing husband who loves you? Instead of submitting to him, do you nag him? Instead of submitting to him, do you abuse him? As a church pastor, do you value the workers in the vineyard of God? As a member, do you value the pastor and his wife? Do you know that many of them stay awake to intercede for you and your family whilst you are asleep? One way you can show that you value them is by supporting the good work they are doing.

QUESTION: Do you value that connection? Do you value that opportunity to grow your spiritual gifts? Do you value that neighbour who watches after your kids when you are at work? Do you value that neighbour who collects your parcels for you when you are not at home? Do you value your business associates? Do you value the grace of God on your life? Do you value the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

WHEN RESOLVING ISSUES

MEMORY VERSE: Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 14-18

Misunderstandings are inevitable in human relationships. When they occur, those involved should seek to resolve it as soon as possible. When the people involved sit to resolve the issue, they must be solution-focused. They must seek to save and strengthen the relationship not bring the other party down or make them feel guilty. The conversation should be geared not at apportioning blames. Only words that will build each other up according to their needs should be used. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” Also, those involved should try to understand what the other person needs.The parties involved must resist the temptation to bring up previously confessed offences; drag up other people in; use wisecracks about people’s weight, height, colour, IQ, physical, mental and emotional limitations; or bring up totally unrelated things that could cloud the issue. All these keep one from finding a solution. Shouting or raising one’s voice in order to intimidate and manipulate other party is a no no.

Whilst trying to resolve a misunderstanding, the individuals involved must seek a solution not a ‘victory’. Calling each other names and ‘diagnosing’ others only make things worse. The focus should not be on what the other person did or what the other person did not do, but on what you can do together to resolve it. The individuals involved should admit their own flaws- where they went wrong, and ask forgiveness immediately. It takes two to tango , acknowledging our own imperfections makes it easier for someone else to acknowledge theirs. Every time you take a “swing” at someone, offer them a positive “stroke”. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” For each of the difficulties addressed, a compliment must be given. A good one could be, “I am sure this wasn’t easy for to you hear. Thanks for listening to me so graciously.” Being solution-focused gives people something to live up to, not down to!

NOTE: Trying to score points off each other does not help resolve issues. Allowing each other to make their points without being interrupted is very good.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.