THE GOD OF LAST MINUTE

MEMORY VERSE: Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 16-20

God answers prayers. Matthew 7:7-8 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” He has answered prayers in the past, and He is still answering prayers. There are times you will receive answers to your prayers whilst praying - before you finish praying. A typical example can be found in 1 Samuel 7:7-10. The Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together and they came up against them. When Samuel heard this, he ran to God. Whilst he was praying, reporting the matter to God, the Lord responded. Verse 10 says, “And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.” Another example can be found in 1 Kings 18. Elijah had not finishing praying before He received an answer to his prayer; fire came down from heaven and consumed his sacrifice.

There are times you will receive answers to your prayer after praying - maybe an hour later or a day later or month later. For example, after Solomon had finished praying during the dedication of the temple, fire came from heaven and consumed the sacrifice (2 Chronicles 7:1). The early church was under threat and the disciples gathered one day to pray for boldness. After praying, they received an answer from God. Acts 4:31 says, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

However, there are times the answer will not come until the very last minute. This was what at happened in the case of the three Hebrew boys. Nebuchadnezzar threatened that if they don't bow to his image of gold, they will be thrown into the fiery furnace. Because they refused, they were thrown into the fiery furnace. I believe whilst they were heating up the furnace, these boys must have been crying to God for deliverance but nothing happened. When they were being tied up about to be thrown into the fire, i believe, they must have intensified their prayers at this point and still nothing happened. The Lord waited until they were thrown into the burning furnace, before sending deliverance to them. At times, God will deliberately allow situations to get worse before intervening. He does this so that man will not be able to take glory over what He will do. Whenever God uses a life to demonstrate His awesomeness and power, He compensates the fellow. After God used the three Hebrew boys to demonstrate that He has control over fire, He compensated them by promoting them. I want to encourage you not to give up because you don't know what God is up to. Don’t backslide or lose hope because God has not forgotten you.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please use my life to demonstrate your awesomeness.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 7: AUTHORITY CAN BE WITHDRAWN

MEMORY VERSE: Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.1 Samuel 2:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 19-21

As we conclude these series, “Understanding Authority”, I will like to remind you that authority is not force. It is not shouting at people or intimidating people. It is not harassing people or bullying people. It is not issuing threats. Authority is not tangible i.e. it is not something you can hold, touch or feel. There is a difference between authority and power. Authority has tenure. Whatever you do during your tenure is what you will be remembered for. You will not be the vice chancellor of that university forever. You will not be the chief executive of that organization forever. You will not be a manager in that office forever. You will not be the area pastor forever. Even as a parent, one day you are going to return to God. Authority must be exercised. The One who delegated authority to you expects you to exercise it on His behalf.

Authority can be withdrawn temporarily. King Nebuchadnezzar’s authority was temporarily withdrawn because instead of giving glory to God, he attributed all God had done for him to his might. By my might I have achieved this, by my power I have achieved that…. God didn’t argue with him, He just took the kingdom from him. Daniel 4:31 says, “While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.” Within minutes, King Nebuchadnezzar turned into an animal and was driven out of the palace with sticks to live in the forest. The same people who were bowing down to him, drove him out of the palace because his authority had been withdrawn. After several years, Nebuchadnezzar repented. Sir/ ma, when do you intend to repent? After he repented the Lord restored him and he returned to the palace as king again. If your authority has been withdrawn as a result of pride, repent and ask for mercy and the Lord will restore it. Authority can also be withdrawn permanently. For example Eli’s authority was withdrawn permanently. His sons were terrible. These boys slept with women inside the temple. They did not regard God at all. Despite the warnings from God, Eli left his children to carry on with their terrible works. After a while, the Lord withdrew Eli's priestly authority. 1 Samuel 2:30 says, “Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” I pray that your authority will not be withdrawn in Jesus name, amen. If you don’t want God to withdraw your authority, honour Him and teach your children or people under you to honour Him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, as long as i live, help me to honour You daily.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 6: ONE’S AUTHORITY CAN BECOME ERODED

MEMORY VERSE: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Luke 23:34

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 23-24

As I mentioned yesterday, real authority comes when one practices what one preaches. When Jesus taught (according to Matthew 7:9), He taught with authority. Why? He practiced what He preached. In Matthew 5:44, He taught people to love their neighbors, bless those who curse them and pray for those who despite-fully use them and persecute them. A year or two later when He hung on the cross of Calvary, what did He do? Luke 23:24 says, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” Jesus will never ask any man to do something He (Himself) doesn't do. Sir /Ma, if you are teaching people to forgive please make sure you forgive too. Just as authority comes when one practices what one preaches, authority becomes eroded when one does immoral things, disobeys human authority or God. A man whose authority became eroded was King David. The whole nation including his mighty men respected him until he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife. Shortly after that, one of his sons dethroned him. To cover his evil act, he ordered Joab (one of his top soldiers) to place Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw so that he might be smitten (2 Samuel 11:14-15). Joab did not argue but from that day, David lost all the respect Joab had for him. From that day, Joab began to publicly disrespect the king and there was nothing the king could do.

The authority of some senior managers has now become eroded because they tried to sleep with one of their female staffs. Authority becomes eroded in different ways. If you borrow maybe from your young ones and you refuse to pay, your authority will become eroded. The next time you speak, they won’t pay attention to you. One’s authority also becomes eroded when one is dishonest. Another way one’s authority becomes eroded is by promising so much and delivering little.It is better to promise little and deliver much than promise much and deliver little. Authority becomes eroded when one does not uphold godly standard especially in the presence of one’s subordinates. As a mother, if you are taking your daughters for abortion or buying contraceptive pills for them, your authority over them will erode away. If you are encouraging them to dress hot and expose their bodies, your authority over them will become eroded. As a father, if you are paying people to sit for exams for your son, your authority over that boy will become eroded. Authority also becomes eroded when one lives a careless and carefree life. A Father's authority becomes eroded when he refuses to look after his children. One way to keep one’s authority as parents is to live a godly life. As a leader, if you accept bribe or you are corrupt, your authority will become eroded. Also, if you are a tribalist, your authority will become eroded.

NOTE: Regardless, one must respect people in authority .

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 4: YOU CAN GROW IN AUTHORITY

MEMORY VERSE: So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. 2 Samuel 5:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 31-36

Although at the beginning of these series we defined authority, we would like to define it again. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines authority as a “legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised by a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court.” Authority is not shouting. Have you noticed that when Judges pass judgement they don’t shout or scream at the top of their voice? Authority is not bullying or making threats. A man or woman who has authority doesn’t need to do all that. There are several categories of authority. We have authority at home, church, place of work, school, state, nation, etc. In the class room, the teacher has a delegated authority from Christ over his or her students. Parents, Christians and non- Christians, have a delegated authority over their children. Even if your parents are unbelievers, they have a delegated authority from Christ over you. As a wife, whether your husband is a believer or not, he has a delegated authority from Christ over you. This is not negotiable ma. As the head, he can ask you to break your fast because he wants to make love to you and you cannot say no! This is why i encourage our single sisters to pray seriously before accepting any proposal from a man. Pray about the brother, and ask your leaders in church to pray along with you. Whoever you accept his marriage proposal will be the one who will receive the delegated authority from Christ over you. Also, this need to be mentioned: every man or woman with delegated authority from Christ will give account to Christ one day.

As you already know by now (from these series), authority belongs to Jesus. Matthew 28:18 says, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Christ has delegated some of His authority to us – fathers, mothers, leaders, teachers, etc. Proverbs 8:15 says, “By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.” Another point i will like to make concerning authority is that one can grow in authority. An example of a man who grew in authority is David. He started as a shepherd boy who had authority over sheep. Because He was a man after God’s own heart, God increased his authority and he became Saul’s armour bearer. 1 Samuel 16:21 says, “And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour bearer.” The Lord increased his authority again and he became a captain over a thousand.1 Samuel 18:13 says, “Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.” The Lord continued to increase his authority until he became the king over Judah and then over Israel. 2 Samuel 5:3 says, “So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.” As long as David obeyed the Lord and behaved wisely, the Lord kept on increasing his authority. The bible is filled with several examples of young men like Daniel and Joseph; young women like Esther and Ruth; ordinary men like Peter, Stephen, Philip, etc, who the Lord increased their authority. To increase in authority one must obey God and live holy. If you obey God's commandments , everything God created will obey you even demons.

NOTE: There are two basic conditions for growing in authority: obey God and obey people in authority. Anyone who is fond of disobeying people in authority will not grow in authority.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 5: ONE CAN LOSE HIS AUTHORITY

MEMORY VERSE: The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws. Daniel 4:33

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Colossians 3-4

We have looked at few categories of authorities. We have talked about authority in a Christian home, church, school, etc. At times, authority comes with experience and knowledge. Lawyers, Dentists, Pharmacists, IT guys, and other professionals all have authority although it is only in their respective fields. Pending when your faith grows to the point of living above drugs and enjoying divine health, follow your doctor’s prescription. If you are asked to take two tablets daily, don’t take four. Don’t abuse drugs. Asides obeying God and obeying human authorities, one way to increase your authority is by getting a skill or a degree.

Just as one’s authority can grow, one’s authority can also erode away. Genuine authority comes when one practices what one preaches. Paul, in his epistle to the church in Rome, asked some interesting questions. Romans 2:20 -23 says, “An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” It does not matter what position one is holding, if one is not practising what he or she is preaching, one’s authority would become eroded. As a youth leader, if you are telling the youths not to fornicate and you are fornicating, your authority will become eroded. If you are telling people to give 100 percent and you are giving only 50 percent, your authority will become eroded. No one will listen to you. Matthew 7:9 says, “For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Jesus taught with authority because He practiced what He preached. He taught about fasting with authority because He fasted almost every day. He taught about praying with authority because prayer was His hobby. At a point He prayed until His sweat were like drops of blood. He could teach on giving with authority because He gave His life. He could teach on mercy because He showed mercy. He could teach on forgiveness because He forgave. As a result, whenever He opened His mouth, people held unto every word He uttered. It was not so with the teachers of law because their authority had become eroded. Matthew 23:4 says, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their hands.” A Pharisee will teach other women to submit to their husband, but she won’t submit to hers . If her husband says one word, she will respond with two. A Pharisee will declare 7 days fasting and will not fast.

NOTE: The fact that a person in authority is not doing what he or she preaches is not a reason to disobey him or her. They will answer to God but one must still obey them and respect them. See what Christ had to say to the people about the Pharisees: "all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." ( Matthew 23:3).

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 3

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 around about Elisha. 1 Samuel 16:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 11-12

There are different categories of authority. We briefly looked at authority at home yesterday. Let’s look at authority in the church of God. It is important that you and I remember this at all times: all authority belongs to Christ. Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and earth". Whatever authority one has is a delegated authority from Christ. The head of the church is Christ. Colossians 1:18 says, "and he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the pre-eminence". Although He (Jesus) owns all authority over the church, He has delegated some of the authority to some people. The founders, GOs, GSs, Senior Pastors, etc all have a delegated authority from Christ over their congregation or ministry. Their congregation includes pastors, workers, deacons, deaconess, etc. This delegated authority is a spiritual one. As a church leader – senior pastor, founder, GOs, GSs, etc – invested with so much authority from Christ, they can pronounce blessings upon their congregations including the pastors under them, and the Lord will grant it. They can literally ‘move the hand of God’ on your behalf or over your matter if you serve them well. Elisha cried to God on behalf of his servant and the Lord granted his request.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.” A man or woman, who has the authority to open the windows of heaven, also has the authority to shut it. As such, you must flee things that could cause your church leader to be unhappy with you.

Pastors have a delegated authority from Christ over their deacons, deaconess, assistant pastors, workers, etc – the whole congregation. However, their authority is under the authority of the founder, GO, GSs, Senior Pastors. Pastors too can ask God for things on your behalf and God will grant it- provided you serve them well .The deacons and deaconess, youth leaders, cell group leaders have a delegated authority from Christ over the workers under them. One thing with spiritual authority is that, it is more potent than all other forms of authorities. Whether one has been to bible school or not, the pastor has a delegated authority from Christ over one. One may be more educated than his or her pastor, the pastor still has a delegated authority from Christ over one. One may even be older than his or her pastor, the pastor has a delegated authority from Christ over one. This is why you must not argue or exchange harsh words with your spiritual leader even your youth leader. Whatever you do to them, it is not them that you have done it to, but to God who gave them the authority. Also, when one’s wife speak rudely to the pastor’s wife, it is not the pastor’s wife one has spoken rudely to but the pastor (because they are one). And, it is not the pastor really that one has spoken rudely to but God. This is why as a child of God, you must not threaten your pastor or shout at them. When you walk out on your pastor, it is not your pastor that you have walked out on but God. When people join your church, as a pastor, interview them to know why they left their church. If they left because of a quarrel with their pastor, please send them back to go and make peace and get the blessing of their pastors. It does not matter how gifted a sister is, she must not join the choir until she has made peace with her former pastors. This is discipline in the house of God.

ACTION: If you have ever been rude, openly or in secret, to any man or woman of God, please go and apologize to them and ask God to have mercy.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we come against the spirit of rebellion in the body of Christ.

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UNDERSTANDING AUTHORITY 2

MEMORY VERSE: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 84-86

There are different categories of authority. For example, let us look at authority in the family or in the home of a believer. The father is the head of the family. He has a delegated authority from Christ over his household. Matthew 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth". He has a delegated authority over his wife. According to Numbers 30:6-9, if a woman makes a vow to God and her husband says “i cancel it”, it is automatically cancelled. If the woman stubbornly pays the vow to God after the husband has cancelled it, it is a waste because the Lord will not accept it. Before putting any sister into a position in the church, we must seek the consent of her husband. The man has a delegated authority over his children. According to Numbers 30: 3-5, if a child makes a vow to God and the father says, “I cancel it”, it is automatically cancelled. As a father, invested with so much authority from Christ, you can pronounce blessings upon members of your household including your wife, and the Lord will grant it. A man who has the authority to bless also has the authority to curse. So as a child of God, don't do things that will make your husband or father to put a curse on you. However, as a man who has a delegated authority from Christ, you are to love your wife even as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).

The woman or the wife has a delegated authority from Christ over her children. Although, her authority is under the authority of her husband – her head. Even if she is the founder of a ministry and the husband is just a member, at home, her authority is still under the authority of her husband. Ephesians 5:22 says, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” The father and mother have a delegated authority from Christ over their children. Exodus20:12 says, “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” The first child, boy or girl, has a delegated authority from Christ over his or her siblings. Parents should recognize this and understand that the first child and the last child are not the same. The junior must respect the senior. Do you know the moment a believer gives his or her life to Jesus, He delegates some of His authority to him or her to rule over the kingdom of darkness? Luke 10:19 says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” As a believer, you have a delegated authority over demons, witches, wizards and all. A girl who won’t submit to her mother is not rebelling against the mother but to God (who delegated authority to her) . So also, a boy who won’t submit to dad or mum. As a child, don't talk to your parents anyhow or shout at them. When you do this, it is not your parents you are disrespecting but God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we come against the spirit of rebellion in our homes.

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