“AND LOT LIFTED UP HIS EYES”

MEMORY VERSE: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Genesis 13:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 11-16

BIBLE READING: Genesis 13:9-12

There was an old man who had three sons. The firstborn married a young woman, so did the second and the third born. One day the third born passed away, and since the firstborn had no child of his own, he decided to adopt his younger’s brother son. He took him home and showered him with all the love in the world. He treated him as his own son, and helped him get into business. The young man began to raise animals like his adopted father. Within a short period of time, the young man began to prosper. He began to acquire staffs, and business began to grow at a rapid rate. Before you know it, his business had become so big that the small town they both (he and his uncle) resided could no longer contain them. Soon, his staffs and his uncle’s staffs began to quarrel. To avoid quarrels and ensure peace between them both, Abram sent for his cousin, Lot. When he arrived, Abram suggested that they split the land between themselves. If Lot choose the eastern part of the land, he would choose the western part. Or better still, if he choose the northern part of the land, he would choose the southern part of the land. The bible records that “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that itwas well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar” (Genesis 13:10). The agreement was that Lot should choose a part of the land but he chose the best part of the land – the plains of Jordan. Shortly after he moved into the land, it was raided; Lot and his household were taken captive.

There are several lessons to learn from this story. Firstly, not everything that appears or looks good is actually good. In addition, not everything that appears or looks good is good for you. Oh the plains of Jordan looked like the “garden of the Lord” but it was not good for Lot. Not every promotion is from God. Possessing the plains of Jordan may seem like a promotion to Lot but it was not a good promotion. Also, not all promotions are promotion. Some of them are demotion in disguise; death traps, etc, and as such be wise. Any promotion that makes it impossible for one to serve God is a demotion which can lead to death. Secondly, not everything that appears good or looks good is from God. Thirdly, not everything that appears good or looks good is God’s will for your life. Fourthly, don’t choose things by their outward appearance or outward presentations. Why? Fifthly, not all that glitters is gold. There are a lot of gold plated items that appear as real gold. Sixthly, only God knows what is good. There are many like Lot today who instead of praying before making a choice have gone ahead and “lifted up their eyes” and chose. I pray they will not end up like Lot. When it comes to choosing between offers, pray and ask God to guide you. Asides from the obvious mistake that Lot choose with his eyes, Lot chose the plains of Jordan based on what he could see from afar. He had not been to the land, he had not seen the people, he had not learnt their ways, he chose based on what he could see from afar. A point to note: not all things that appear pretty at a distance are actually pretty. When you get close to some things that appear beautiful from a distance, you will be disappointed. The closer you get to a person, the more you will know the person. In Lot’s scale of preference, greener pasture came before the will of God. Lot preferred a greener pasture than the presence of God.

NOTE: The fact that a pasture is green does not mean God is there. Greener pasture also does not necessarily mean more money or promotion. Lot went to Sodom full but came out empty.

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ON EAGLE’S WING

MEMORY VERSE: As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. Deuteronomy 32:11-12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Numbers 29-32

Many things have been used as symbolic expressions to give us a picture of God or characteristics of His attributes. For instance, the psalmist describe God as a mountain. Psalm 125:2 says, “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” In Revelations, God is described as a Lion. Revelations 5:5 says, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Many things have been employed as pictures of either God’s strength or God’s power or God’s love or God’s mercy. Deuteronomy 32:11-12 says, “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” Here, the eagle is used as a symbol of God. There is something about an eagle that is a fit symbol of things about God. For instance, the eagle is the king of fowls. God is not merely a king but He is the king. No wonder Paul describes Him as the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:15). Also, the eagle is very strong. The eagle can fly down and just with the strength of his claws, pick up a young lamb and fly away to yonder’s cleft and devour it – that’s how a strong an eagle is. Our God is stronger than the strongest. In His anger, He can shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place (Isaiah 13:13).

The eagle builds her nest in an unusual way. The eagle selects rough materials for the construction of her nest. As the nests graduates toward a close or a finish, the material becomes finer and softer right at the end. Then she goes about to set up residence in that nest. When the little eaglets are born, she goes and brings in food to feed them. But when they get to the point where they are old enough to be out of their own, the eagle will begin to pull out some of that down and let some of those thorns come through so that the nest won’t be so comfortable. So when they get to lounging around and rolling around, the thorns prick them here and there. She does this to teach them to fly. She makes the nest so uncomfortable that they are forced to leave and commit themselves to the unknown world of air outside. And just so does our God to us. He stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edges of them, and we are forced to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling. We are put into positions were we have no other choice than to depend on Him or fly to Him. Things are going so well and we are so satisfied that we just lounge around and forget to pray. We walk around all day and enjoy God’s life, God’s health and God’s strength, and go climb into bed without saying, “thank you, Lord, for another day’s journey.” God has to pull out a little of the plush around us, a little of the comfort around us, and let a few thorns of trial and tribulation stick through the nest to make us pray sometime.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please shake me loose from every spiritual slumber.

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EMBRACE THE TRUTH

MEMORY VERSE: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 3-4

What is the definition of “truth”? According to John 14, Jesus Christ is the Truth. Verse 6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” There are one or two things you need to know about the Truth. Whenever the Truth speaks, He speaks the truth. In other words, any word that comes out of the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth! Why? Because the Truth cannot tell lies. If the Truth says He is with you, then He is with you. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” It is men that tell lies, the Truth does not tell lies. The Truth says, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20)”. Friend, it does not matter what you are going through today, remember God is right by your side. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 

The truth cannot be hidden. Someone once said “three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” Even if you bury the truth because you don’t like it, it will re-surface literally after ‘three’ days. You cannot hide the truth. The Lord asked Cain, after he murdered his brother out of jealousy, “Where is Abel thy brother?” He responded and said, “I know not: Am i my brother’s keeper?” He tried to hide the truth but unknown to him, the truth cannot be hidden. Genesis 4:10 says, “And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.” Ananias and Sapphira also tried to hide the truth. Acts 5:3 says, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” You can neither hide the truth nor hide from the truth. No wonder the psalmist says  “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee (Psalm 139:7-12)". You can’t run from the truth no matter how fast you run. You cannot fight the Truth. Acts 26: 14 says, “And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” It is hard to kick against the truth; you will only hurt yourself by doing so. The only thing you can do is embrace it. You cannot fight the truth and win. Whenever someone tells you the truth about your character or your behavior, instead of getting angry humbly accept it and change. John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Freedom comes the moment a man embraces the Truth. 

Question: How long are you going to run from the truth? 

NOTE: You cannot destroy the truth. And the truth is this, only Jesus can save. You will only be fulfilled when Jesus takes His place in your life. You will only know true peace when He becomes the Lord and Master of your life. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. Exodus 14:15-16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Hebrew 1-4

Matthew 18:18 says: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” There are several lessons to learn from this verse. Firstly, the power to bind and lose have been given to you. Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Sadly, man lost this dominion when he fell. However, when Jesus redeemed mankind He restored to us dominion through His name. 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.” Friend, you are not weak. You are not powerless. Jesus says, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven”. In other words, if you take the step of faith and bind something on earth today, heaven will back you up. According to Matthew 17:20 you don’t need big faith to do this. Matthew 17:20 says, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

Secondly, you are responsible  for binding and losing. In other words, whatever you permit is what God will  permit. Whatever you allow in your life is what He will allow in your life.  All you need to do is speak the word in faith and leave the fulfilment of the word to Him.  God will not bind or lose for you.  When Moses cried to God at the Red Sea asking Him to please part the Red Sea, the Lord responded and said “Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea”( Exodus 14:15-16). Friend, why are you asking God to chase away demons He has given you authority over?It is your job to do that. You are to ask them to leave in the name of Jesus not ask Jesus to drive them away. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”  Thirdly, only a genuine child of God can bind and lose. Matthew 12:30 says,” He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” You either for Him or against Him. You are either working for Him or working against Him. Not until you give your life to Christ, you are not for Him. And if you claim to have given your life to Christ and you are living with a man that you are not married to, then someone must be fooling himself or herself. Why not do the right thing and go to the altar and be joined in holy matrimony. Or if you claim to have given your life to Christ and you are fiddling with meter readings so that you don’t pay for electricity, i want you to know that Christ does not approve of that; no one who is for Him will do that. 

PRAYER POINT: I bind every spirit working contrary to the fulfillment of my destiny in the name of Jesus, under the blood of Jesus pack your bag and never return!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“ONLY BE THOU STRONG”

MEMORY VERSE: Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Joshua 1:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Obadiah

BIBLE READING: Joshua 1:1-9

In Joshua 1:1-9, the bible presents to us one of the most difficult periods in the life of Joshua. During this period, he was faced with two major issues. The first one was the loss of one of the most important figures in his life.  Moses was more than a master to him; he was a father. The death of Moses left him emotionally drained. He was weak and confused. Whilst mourning the loss of his father-in-the-Lord/ discipler/ teacher/ mentor the Lord spoke and said "be thou strong". What a caring God we serve! To those who have lost important figures or things in their lives. Maybe you have just lost one of your parents, or your partner. Maybe you have just had a miscarriage. It could be that you have just lost an opportunity of a life time. Maybe you were in a relationship and the other party called it off. It could even be that days before your wedding, your husband-to-be called the marriage off. And you are drained and confused, this is the Word of the Lord to you "be thou strong". Friend, be strong! What has happened to you is not the end of the world. The Lord is also saying "do according to the law", in other words, continue serving the Lord. Don't backslide. Don't turn to alcohol, or stop going to church. Don't go back into the world. This is what the enemy wants but Jesus is saying don't because all will be well.  

The second issue he faced was life after the death of Moses and leading the children of Israel to the promise land. This was even more difficult for Joshua, knowing the kind of people the children of Israel was. They were a difficult bunch to lead. He knew what Aaron went through in their hands when Moses went to receive the Ten Commandments. They put so much pressure on Aaron that he gave in and created a god for them from their earrings. Even Moses with his military background, mental toughness, anointing of the Holy Ghost, and all that still cracked under pressure. He knew their attitude,complaints,murmuring caused Moses, a man God testified to be the meekest man on the earth, to 'blow his top' and sinned against God. Not to forget how they almost killed him and Caleb for encouraging them to go and possess the promise land. If Moses with all his qualifications struggled, how much he - his servant. Joshua didn't own a 'rod of God' like Moses. He didn't bring plagues on the Egyptians. He had never parted any sea like Moses ( Exodus 14:21-31). He could not bring Manna from heaven like Moses did ( Exodus 16:14-35). He was yet to bring out water from the rock like Moses ( Exodus 17:5-7). There was nothing in his CV except he was Moses' servant and yet, God wants him to lead the children of Israel to the promise land. The word of the Lord to him was "only be thou strong and very courageous." To you who have just been promoted at work, or in church. To you who the Lord has called into ministry or asked to go and head a parish. To you who have just been asked to lead a project or about to get married. To you who have just found himself in a totally different place, the Lord is saying to you all "Be strong and of a good courage". He is also saying as i was with Moses (or those who had come before you ) so i will be with thee. I will not fail thee, not forsake thee (Joshua 1:5). 

NOTE: Be strong not because you feel like it but because the God of heaven says so. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“AND THE SERVANT OF THE LORD MUST NOT STRIVE”

MEMORY VERSE: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. 2 Timothy 2:24-25

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 26-27

2 Timothy 2:24 says, “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.” According to Noah Webster’s dictionary, to strive means “To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.” The man of God must not strive. He must not be found throwing punches or threatening to break people’s head. He must not be found fighting, whether in public or in private. 2 Timothy 2:24 says, “And the servant of the Lord MUST not strive....” Take note of the word “must”. This does not mean he will not be offended; oh, he will be. The enemy may use people, especially those around him, to provoke him  but he must not fight. It is not befitting for a man of God to be throwing chairs or threatening to beat people up in traffic. Even when he is provoked, and he will surely be provoked, he MUST not strive. The NIV says, “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful” (2 Timothy 2:24). According to Noah Webster’s dictionary, to be quarrelsome means “ Apt to quarrel; given to brawls and contention; inclined to petty fighting; easily irritated or provoked to contest; irascible; choleric; petulant.” The man of God must not be easily irritated. He must not be someone that people can easily push his buttons. He must not be someone that people will be settling quarrel for every time.

Why is God telling men of God not to strive? Because, He wants to personally discipline those who will strive with them. No wonder He says, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm” (Psalm 105:15). The Lord does not joke with His servants. If you don’t believe me read Acts 12:20-23. God killed a king because of one of His servants. One big man strove with a man of God some years back. This man was very rich; he had over 100 houses. One day he organised a big party and invited this man of God. The man of God was meant to attend the function but due to circumstances beyond his control he couldn't attend. This big man got angry and was offended. All he said, not in the presence of the man of God, was "when i see him (the man of God) he will explain himself to me". God heard and got angry with this big man. Not too long after that, he lost all his houses and was chased out of the country. You don’t even have to say something against a man of God in his presence before God will act on his behalf. This is why i want to warn those who are in the habit of provoking God’s servant to desist from doing so. If you have ever abused a man of God to his face and he didn’t say a word, you are in trouble. If i were you, i will go and apologise. When it comes to disciplining those who strive with His servants, their assistants are not exempted. You don’t believe me ask Aaron and Miriam (Numbers 12). Even their wives are not exempted. If you think i am talking gibberish read 2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23. All Michal did was abuse her husband, the Lord shut her womb.

NOTE: Psalm 130:4 says, “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” There is forgiveness with God. You may have, out of anger, said something you should not say to a servant of God. Ask the Lord to forgive you. Also, go and apologize to them.

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GOD CAN NEVER EVER TELL LIES

MEMORY VERSE: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 114-116

God can never ever tell lies. Titus 1:2 says, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” There are several reasons why God can never ever tell lies. Firstly, He is not a man. Number 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Whilst man call blue  'black', God will say it as it is. It is man who makes promises he knows he can't keep. When the Most High makes a promise, He keeps it. Even when man makes a genuine promise,  due to circumstances beyond his control he may not be able to fulfil his promise; that's not so with the Holy One of Israel. There are no circumstances beyond His control. As such, when He says something consider it done. Psalm 33: 8-9 says, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” 

 

Another reason why God can never ever tell lies is because He is the "Truth". John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is not just that God has decided He will not lie – He cannot lie. Why? His word is truth! John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” God’s word is the ultimate reality! More real, and lasting, than anything we can presently see. So, if He says it shall be well with you then it is going to be well with you. Regardless of how many mistakes you have made; regardless of how many times you have failed; regardless of your current circumstance, it shall be well with you.  

Whatever God says in His Word is the truth! When God said the earth was sphere in His word – Isaiah 40:22 says, “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” -  many big scientist argued against it. Some at that time even said the earth was on the back of some massive elephant. Today, the whole agrees that the world is sphere. If He says something is white take it as white. It may appear as yellow today but with time, you will find that it is indeed white. Hebrews 6:18 says, “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.” This is what makes the foundation of our relationship with God so solid – God has given us His Word – which cannot fail. If we are ever presented with evidence contrary to what God says, we can know we are being presented with a lie. For it is impossible for God to lie.

NOTE: God cannot lie because it is not in His nature, and because whatever He speaks will happen.

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