AND THE LORD OPENED THE EYES OF THE YOUNG MAN

MEMORY VERSE: And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 1-2

It is one thing to have a pair of eyes; it is another thing to be able to see. A fellow who had eyes but could not see was Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). He met the Jesus one day and his story changed. As you read this devotional today, in the name that is above every other name your story will change, Amen. It is one thing to be able to see; it is another thing to be able to 'really' see. An example of a brother who could see but could not really see was the servant of Elisha. In 2 Kings 6:11-17, the king of Syria sent a great host to arrest Elisha, the man of God. When the servant of Elisha saw them, he ran back home - shaking like a jelly fish. He was confused when he told his master about the great host that were on their way to arrest them, and the master began to smile. Elisha told the young man, “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them”. What informed Elisha's calmness? He saw beyond the physical world into the spiritual world. He saw the host of heaven all round them. 2 Kings 6:17 says, “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

When God opens a man’s eyes and he begins to really see, his confession will change. Whilst others are shaking, he will be calm and collected. When God opens your eyes and you begin to really see, your high blood pressure will come down because you will worry less. Such a man will see that the secret behind his success is not hard work but Jesus. Such a woman will see that the secret behind her happy home is Christ not her ability to cook delicious meals. When the Lord opens a man’s eyes, although there are problems all round, he will see Jesus sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. King Uzziah had just died and there was a black cloud over the nation. In the midst of this national mourning, the Lord opened the eyes of Isaiah and He saw Jesus sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1). Another thing that happens when the Lord opens a man’s eyes is that he will see how mighty God is and how insignificant he is and becomes humble. In Isaiah’s vision, Isaiah 6, he saw God and he saw himself. He contrasted himself with the majesty of God and became aware of his insignificance. The man who had been saying "woe to this, woe to that", started saying “woe is me! For am undone.” I used to think that going to church regularly on Sundays and having a christian name was enough to get me into heaven until God gave me a dream. I saw myself, in the dream, waiting behind a big door that leads to God’s judgement throne. Just before the door opened, my life was played back to me. From what i saw, i didn't need anyone to tell me where i was heading to. Thank God for mercy.

ACTION: Ask the Lord to open your eyes so that you can really see yourself and make amendments where necessary.

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WHAT A MAN DOES NOT VALUE, HE CAN’T HAVE

MEMORY VERSE: And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 2 Kings 2:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 5-6

It is one thing for a thing to be available for grabs; it is another thing for that thing to be grabbed. It is one thing for a pastor or bishop to have the gift of working of miracles and the gift of healing; it is another thing for the people who come in contact with him or her to receive miracles or divine healing. It is one thing to have a good mentor around; it is another thing to benefit from mentoring. It is one thing for a brother to obtain favor from the Lord i.e. find a wife – help meet for him; it is another thing for that brother to enjoy all the help God has ordained for him to enjoy in his wife. Unfortunately, many of our brothers still think their mothers are the help meet for them. No! The help-meet for a man is not his parents, neither are his siblings. The help-meet for a man is not his best friend, neither are his work colleagues. The help-meet for a man in ministry is not the prayer warriors or his prayer partners. The only ordained help-meet for a man is his wife. Others are secondary helpers. Many of our brothers prefer to share the challenges they are facing at work and in ministry with fellow brothers or their parents not their wives - the help meet for them. That is not how God ordained marriage. Asides this, there is no one who wants you to succeed in ministry and in life like your wife. Whether you believe it or not, she is your number one fan. She is your number one supporter. The person who will feel it the most if you fail (God forbid) is your wife. That’s why she is the only one who can really intercede for you. You need to value and love her, so as to be able to tap into the resources God has deposited in her life for you.

Also, it is one thing for a sister to have a god-fearing, caring, loving, spirit-filled, focused, bible believing, wise husband; it is another thing for that sister to enjoy all the resources that God has put in the brother for her spiritual growth and nurturing. If you (as a sister) do not value your husband and instead of submitting to him as your head, you disrespect him and don’t honour him, you will not benefit from the grace of God upon his life. So also if you don’t value a genuine man or woman of God, you may mistreat them and inherit a curse or miss out on a blessing you would have received if you had respected them. People do everything to keep what they value. If you value your wife, you won’t wait for her hair to look unkempt before you give her money to make a new one. If you value her, you will take care of her soul and body. You will feed her with the Word to grow her spirit. So also a wife who values her husband will celebrate him in front of her friends not put him down or belittle him. A man will always commit his resources into what he values. Resources include time, energy, strength, money,etc. A brother who valued his prophet was Elisha. This brother served his master very well. The bible records that he poured water on the hands of Elijah (2 Kings 3:11). When Elijah was about to be taken away, he gave this young man a blank cheque. 2 Kings 2:9 says, “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Because Elisha valued his master , he received the double portion of anointing on Elijah.

QUESTION: Do you value the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life? When was the last time you thanked Him for the ability to pray in tongues?

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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.

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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?

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