HIS BURDEN IS LIGHT

MEMORY VERSE: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 25-28

Ezekiel 44:17-18 says, “And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen bonnets upon their heads, and shall have linen breeches upon their loins; they shall not gird themselves with any thing that causeth sweat.” One thing is very clear from studying this verse; God does not want His laborers (1 Corinthians 3: 9) i.e. ministers, to sweat whilst carrying His work. As such, whenever He calls people into service, He anoints them for the task ahead. Not only that, He makes their burden light so they can bear it without sweating. Matthew 11:30 says, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” What a caring Master we have.

Sadly, His light burden i.e. work, has become so heavy that many are now struggling. Actually, many now have high blood pressure as a result of His burden. Why is this so? Why is it that many who were very zealous for the Lord at the beginning now secretly wish they hadn't sign for so much. They are now envious of many who do less. Many ministers want their children to be professionals not ministers as a result of their experience. One of the reasons why the burden has become so heavy is because we are the one bearing the burden instead of Christ. We don't trust Him enough to truly cast all our cares on Him, and leave it there. How sad that many of us bring our burdens to His feet, and instead of leaving it at His feet, we take it back with us after praying. The burden becomes lighter the moment we throw up our hands up and say "let thy will be done." Stop worrying about how God’s work will be done. It is His work not your work. Ever since I stopped worrying about what to write daily,  preparing the daily devotional has become so easy. All i need to do is listen to what He has to say. Stop worrying for Him. Stop doing His job for Him. You are not built to do it.

Many worry if they are the right person for the job. The Master-workman surely has a right to use any tool He pleases for His own work, and it is plainly not the business of the tool to decide whether it is the right one to be used or not. He knows; and if He chooses to use you, of course you must be fit. And in truth, our chief fitness is in our utter helplessness. Remember, His strength is made perfect not in our strength, but in our weakness. Our strength is only a hindrance. Many worry about results. The work is His, so is the responsibility. Commit everything to Him and ask Him to guide you from moment to moment. Trust Him completely for each moment's needed supplies of wisdom and of strength. Remember, you are not responsible for all the work in the world but a small share. Also, not every act of service is a perpetual obligation. Let the Lord guide you to do the things He wants you to do. Because it was right for you to give tract to one person on the bus, for instance, does not mean you have to always give tracts to everybody. There are times the Lord may want you to speak to people. Besides it is an impossible task to give tracts to everyone you meet. This applies to every other work. The fact that the Spirit of the Lord laid something on your mind does not make it a perpetual obligation. Put yourself under the Lord’s personal guidance as to your work, and trust Him to point out to you from time to time what He wants you to do.

PRAYER POINT: Father, I cast all my cares at your feet by faith.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

LORD, HELP!

MEMORY VERSE: To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. Psalm 12:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 1-2

Psalm 12:1 says, “To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.” What is drastically reducing in the world today is not the number of Christians. There are a lot of Christians who are pornographers. Oh Yes! A lot of them watch pornographic films. The sad thing is we now find this trend amongst Christian couples. Just yesterday, i was reading about a youth minister who needed to look at magazines of naked women before he can have sex with his wife. There are a lot of Christians who gamble. They go to church every Sunday, even minister but they buy lottery tickets and participate in raffle draws. Some of them bet on horse races or premier league teams. There are a lot of Christians who smoke and drink. There are a lot of Christians who are celebrities. It is their life that is celebrated not Christ. Also, we have Christians who are deceptive. Not to forget Christians who beat their wives or husbands. Or, Christians who steal from their parents. Personally, these people are only church goers to me not Christians. Christian means someone who is like Christ and a man who is always beating his wife is not like Christ in any way, shape or form. 

What is lacking today is not people who go to church, or people who pay offerings. It is not people who scream “amen... preach it pastor... common now...” when the pastor is preaching.  It is not people who have several versions of the bible on their Ipads or people with big bibles; the moment you see them you say here comes the man of God. What is lacking today is godly men and women. Men like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who would rather displease Nebuchadnezzar to please God. Men who will say to Nebuchadnezzar, “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:18). Men like Peter who will say to people who want to buy the gifts of God with money “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money” (Acts 8:20). Men whose response will be “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20), when rebuked for talking about Jesus. Men who will tell Araunah “but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). Fathers like Joshua who will say “but as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord “(Judges 24:15). Women like Esther who will fast for the will of God to be done in their lands. Mothers like Hannah who will say to God "if you give me a child i will give him back to you". Brothers like Joseph who will say to Potiphar’s wife “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9). Brothers like Daniel who will purpose in their heart not to defile themselves with the king’s meat (Daniel 1:8). Honest men like Zacchaeus who will stand before the Lord and say, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8). Men like the four lepers who would say “We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household (2 Kings 7:9)”. Men who will tell the king’s household i.e. their supervisors, managers about Jesus. Men and women like this are lacking in the land. The godly man ceaseth! There is nothing anyone can do except cry to heaven and say Lord, Help! 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give each and every one of us a new heart.

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WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC?

MEMORY VERSE: Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. 1 Samuel 16:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philemon

READ: 1 Samuel 16:14 -23

There is power in music. The right kind of music or song can bring down the Spirit of God. It can bring down the healing power of God. I have heard testimonies of dead people being raised back to life during powerful music ministrations.  Psalm 22:3 says, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel." The praise includes songs of praises, worship, thanksgiving. Some kings were stranded in the middle of nowhere so they invited the man of God, Elisha, to bring them a word from God (2 Kings 3:13-19). May you hear a word from God today in Jesus name. When Elisha arrived he couldn't do much because some demonic boys had earlier provoked him by calling him all sort of names (2 Kings 2:23-25). Out of anger the man of God put a curse on them and two she bear came out of the wood and ripped up forty-two of them. This outburst of anger affected Elisha's spiritual life. He was down spiritually and could not prophesy. As a man of God watch out for anger because it causes anointing leakage. What did the man of God do to lift his spirit again? He requested for a minstrel who played his harp and the hand of the Lord came down mightily on Elisha. Within minutes, Elisha began prophesy again. May you have restoration today in Jesus name. I remember during one of our long fast several years ago, i entered the church very weak and tired so i sat down all through . The moment the choir began ministering in songs, the hand of the Lord came down mightily on the church and i found myself standing, dancing and clapping my hands.

However, the right kind of music can drive demons away. An evil spirit began to torment Saul after the Spirit of the Lord left him. 1 Samuel 16:23 says, “Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” Just as the right kind of music can drive demons away, the wrong kind of music can open one to demonic attacks or attract demons. God created Satan and gave him a lot of musical gifts to produce melodious songs and praise Him with it. Bible scholars even told us that he was actually a choir master in heaven. Due to pride, he was cast out of heaven and his musical gifts became corrupted. Ever since then, he has been using his musical gifts to lure people into hell. Most of the secular songs people listen to today are from satan. This is why you see some secular artist comparing themselves to Jesus. Music is very important in the spiritual life of a child of God and the wrong music can spiritually destroy the child of God. Before Christ apprehended most of us, we know the kind of music we used to play whenever we want to fornicate or commit adultery. I mean we know those soft songs with sexual lyrics. Unknown to many, those songs invoke the spirit of lust whenever it is played. There are certain ungodly behaviors associated with some kind of songs. Take for instance rap music. Gun crimes, drugs, alcohol, are associated with it. Heavy tattoos, body piercing, lust, weird clothes, are all associated with rock n roll.There are certain spirits invoked in rock music secular or Christian – and it is NOT the Holy Spirit. Not all gospel albums are inspired by God. Recently i  read about a gospel album with over 2,000 words and the name of Jesus was not mentioned even once! Watch out for songs that promote sensuality.

NOTE: Hymns are very good. Sing them from time to time as they are good for the soul and spirit.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TYPES OF LOSSES

MEMORY VERSE: For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. Hebrews 12:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Amos 5-9

One of the plans of God for your life is to increase you. Psalm 115:14 says, “The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children”. God wants you to have the good things of life. There is no earthly father who does not want his children to prosper or increase. If earthly fathers, being sinful, wants their children to increase or prosper, how much more our Father who hath in heaven? 3 John 2 says,” Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”. It is one thing for God to want to increase you, it is another thing to be in receipt of that increase. One of the reasons why many of us are experiencing the opposite of increase, despite all what God is doing in our lives is because we are robbing God. Malachi 3:8 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.” One cannot rob God and expect to prosper. That’s impossible.

Another reason why many are experiencing the opposite of increase is because they are careless with the things He has given to them. Many of us are not managing the resources God has put under our care well. Friend, how are you managing the resources that God has put under your care? How are you managing your time? How are you managing your own personal finance? Are you an impulse shopper? Are you a spendthrift? The fact that you have money does not mean you have to spend it. If you don’t manage what God has given to you very well, you will lose them. There are two basic types of losses. They are retrievable losses and irretrievable losses. If you misplace your wallet, you can find it. If you lose money in a business venture, you can make it back. Most material things are retrievable if you lose them. Although many a time, the effort required to get them back are so much that it is better that one did not lose them in the first place. Some things are irretrievable e.g. one’s birthright. Isaac exchanged his for food. Hebrew 12:17 says, “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Although he repented, cried and all that, he did not get it back. There are some mistakes that your repentance cannot correct. It is just like a lady who losses her virginity before marriage. If she confesses her sin and ask for forgiveness, the Lord will forgive her, but what is lost is lost. As such, young woman be careful. Had Joseph fornicated with Potiphar’s wife, he would never have become a prime minister in Egypt. Samson’s hair grew back but his eyes didn’t. That was an irretrievable loss. One of the reasons why we lose things is because we don’t value them. Sir, hope you value your spouse. Ma, hope you value your spouse. Bro and Sister, hope you value your pastor. Pastor, hope you value your members. Anyone who does not value what he or she has is in danger of loosing them. Some of our sisters have lost good men because they were proving hard to get to men. Those men are gone forever but you can ask for mercy today and the Lord will bring another good man.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please have mercy.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE GIFT OF CHRIST”

MEMORY VERSE: But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 25

I will like to share something a brother sent to me. “If you leave a man with a vision and follow a man with a television you will soon be watching a man with a vision on your man's television.” Dear single sister, don’t marry a man because of what you can see now. Don’t marry a man because of his bank balance or what he owns today. Do you know the source of his wealth? Remember, wealth gotten by vanity or by fraud will dwindle away (Proverbs 13:11). Even if you know the source of his wealth, do you know tomorrow? According to Proverbs 23:5, riches do develop wings and fly away. If you marry a brother because of the big car he drives today or because of his wealth, and his wealth disappears what will you do? The fact that a brother is struggling today does not mean he will struggle forever especially if he is a genuine child of God. Let God guide you when it comes to the choice of who to marry and also listen to godly counsels. It will be well with you.

Ephesians 4:7 says, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Firstly, every one of us, Christians, is in receipt of grace (God’s unmerited favour). I have been given God’s grace, and you have been given God’s grace. This grace is defined as “the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit.” Secondly, this grace is given to every one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ. In other words, we were not given equal amount of grace. Or, some were given more grace than the others. The grace given to me is different from the grace that was given to you. The level of grace i carry is different from the level of grace you carry. Who decides the level of grace each man receives? Jesus Christ. This decision was made even before the world began. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.” We were given this grace in a measure suited to His good purposes for us and for the body of Christ.

Although we were all given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, none of us knows the amount of grace we received from Christ. I don’t know the amount of grace i received, you also don’t know the amount of grace you received. As such, you and i must never compare ourselves to anyone. The fellow you are comparing yourself with may carry a lesser grace than you. Maybe you have the grace to release twenty gospel albums and you are comparing yourself with someone who has the grace for only three albums. This is also why you must run your Christian race individually. This is why you must never serve God the way your friends are serving God or the way people around you are serving God. This is why you must never give to God the way your friends are giving to God. The grace we carry varies. As such, always strive to give your best to God. Recently, a brother stepped out and began to witness for Jesus. In 24 hours, he led two souls to Christ. Encouraged with the results, he began to witness to more people. Had this brother decided to keep quiet like most do, he would not have discovered that he was called to be an evangelist.

PRAYER: Father, please help me to maximize Your grace upon my life.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“I REGRET THAT I HAVE MADE SAUL KING”

MEMORY VERSE: Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 1 Samuel 15:10-11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 111 - 113

God in His infinite mercy can make the last to become the first. In 1 Samuel 16, He anointed David, the last born, to be king over Israel thereby making him the first, not only in his family but, in the nation of Israel. He can turn a prisoner into a prime minister (Genesis 24). 1 Samuel 2:8 says, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.” In 1 Samuel 9:21 the Lord chose Saul, a young boy from the least family in Benjamin (smallest tribe in Israel) to be king. Several months later, the Lord sent him to destroy the Amalekites. When Saul got there, he spared Agag, king of the Amalekites, and killed others. He destroyed the worthless things and kept the good things for himself. 1 Samuel 15:10-11 says, “Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”

Just as God regretted that He made Saul king, God is regretting over some of His children. Many of them were close to Him when they were looking for visa to travel abroad.They rarely missed church service; they ran from sin especially fornication. The moment they got their visa and traveled abroad, they became a totally different person. They stopped going to church. They began to live in sin – they now smoke, drink, party late night, fornicate and so on. Many used to win souls before they traveled out of the country, but today , they no longer have time for bible studies. Before God provided jobs for some of us, we were punctual in mid-week service. Before God provided jobs for some of us, we used to evangelize and do outreaches. Now, we no longer have time to do those things we used to do. Before many of our single sisters got married, they used to attend workers meeting. Several years into marriage, they no longer go to church. The Lord is regretting over some in ministry. Before the Lord called them into ministry, they used to have time for Him. In the beginning, the ministry was all about Jesus. Today, it is no longer so. The Holy Spirit no longer has a say in the ministry. His ways are now counted as old fashioned. The Lord is saying i regret calling 'so and so' into ministry. God is regretting over some of us because the same gift He gave to us to populate His kingdom is what we are using to populate the kingdom of hell. Friend, have you changed like Saul? For those who are yet to change like Saul i.e. still standing, ask the Lord to give you the grace to remain standing. If you sense in your spirit that God is regretting over your life, you better repent and ask for mercy.

NOTE: Man has a history of disappointing God. Are you going to add to the list of those who will disappoint God in this generation or you will be one of the very few He will say thus concerning, "I am happy I created ‘so and so’"

PRAYER: Father, help me never to disappoint you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“BUT BY PRAYER AND FASTING”

MEMORY VERSE: And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 1-5

BIBLE READING: Mark 9:20-29

One caring father brought his sick child to the disciples of Jesus (Mark 9:14-29). The boy was possessed with a foul spirit. The disciples prayed and prayed nothing happened. They bound and loosed still nothing. In the midst of all these Jesus came around. “What is the problem”, He asked. The father of the boy explained to Him. Jesus rebuked the foul spirit in the boy and he was delivered. When Jesus and His disciples returned home, they asked Him “why could we not cast him out?” These disciples had casted out several demons in the past so they wondered why they could not cast out that particular demon. Mark 9:29 says, “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” There are several truths we can glean from this verse but we will look at two. Firstly, in the spiritual world, there are degrees in the satanic hierarchy. Some demons are more malignant than others and have greater power over the souls of man.

Secondly, any Christian who does not fast and pray regularly is limited. There are some enemies that one cannot conquer except by fasting and praying. There are some battles that one cannot win except by fasting and praying. A Christian who does not regularly pray and fast cannot enjoy total victory. There are some heights especially in spiritual things that one cannot reach except by fasting and praying. Some problems cannot be solved except by fasting and praying. Some impacts cannot be made in this generation except by fasting and praying. Whether you believe or not, some things will not leave your life except by fasting and praying. That foul spirit did not leave until a man who fasted and prayed regularly commanded it out. Let me say this, fasting and praying must be backed with a life of holiness. Certain things cannot come into your life except by fasting and praying. The enemy had shut away peace from the life of the father of that young boy. When the man who regularly fasted and prayed got to the scene, He casted out the foul spirit and peace came into his life. Dear single sister, what you need is not more tight clothes or revealing clothes. What you need is not more make –up. It is a life of fasting and praying. Tight clothes and revealing clothes only attract strange men. Dear unemployed brother, what you need in order to get a job is not a second degree. It is not even connection. It is fasting and praying. Where marriage counselling has failed, praying and fasting will not fail. Many of us want God to use us like Paul and Peter but we don’t want to fast and pray. Many of us covet supernatural encounters but we don’t want to pray. It will not happen without a life of praying and fasting.

NOTE: As a Christian, you must fast at least once a week if you are serious about your Christian walk.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world