THE STRIFE MUST CEASE

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward. Genesis 13:14

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 4:1-25

In Genesis 12:1-3, God gave Abram three instructions: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee”. The instructions were simple and basic. Obedience to these three instructions will bring about seven blessings: “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Abram left his country, his relatives but did not leave his father’s house because he took Lot with him. He partially obeyed the Lord's instruction. Partial obedience is disobedience. God actually prefers disobedience to partial obedience. Revelations 3:15 -16 says: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” You are either a believer or an unbeliever. Don't try to be in the middle because God hates that. If you want to fornicate, go ahead and fornicate. If you want to abstain from sex, go ahead and abstain from sex. Don't kiss and touch the opposite sex in a way you shouldn't and say, " I am keeping the marriage bed undefiled." No ! The marriage bed is already defiled. If you want to be a polygamist, go ahead and be a polygamist. If you want to be a monogamist, go ahead and be one. Don't commit adultery.

Later Abram began to reap the reward of his partial obedience. Genesis 13:7 says: “And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.” Lot became a thorn in Abram’s side. What did you do when you were told to fast and pray before you embark on that journey?  You prayed for two minutes and hopped on the bus; that's partial obedience. Maybe that's why you misplaced your wallet on your way back. Before the strife got out of hands, Abram called a meeting. Friend, you need to do something about that misunderstanding that keeps occurring between your wife and the neighbor's wife. Problems don't just go. Someone has to take responsibility and resolve the misunderstanding once and for all. Genesis 13:14 says: “And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward.” God stopped speaking to Abram when Lot's herdsmen and Abram's began to quarrel.  Anyone who regularly hears from God knows what it is to stop hearing from God; It is very frustrating. Not until the strife was resolved, God did not speak a word. Sir, God will not speak to you as long as you keep malice with your wife. Actually, there is no point praying because God will not answer. Make peace first and He will turn to you. Our God is a God of unity not a God of conflict. He takes His leave the moment strife begins. Once He leaves, the devil takes over and torment the people involved. He is a gentle Spirit. Sister, there is no point going to minister in songs when you have not resolved that conflict with your husband. Bro Prayer warrior, there is no point going to prayer warrior meetings when you have just beaten  your wife. Make peace. Ask God to forgive and she must forgive you too. If you and the brother/sister you are courting are always striving and quarreling, you better end the courtship and pray again.

NOTE: Strife will destroy your spiritual life. It will leave you deeply hurt and at times, it may leave you with an emotional scar. As such, it is better to avoid strife. You may even need to separate yourself from certain people. It could be your blood brother or sister. It could even be your big uncle or big aunt. If the strife is with your husband or wife, you know you can't divorce but you can seek counseling.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BEFORE HE CONQUERED GOLIATH

MEMORY VERSE: And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 1 Samuel 17:28

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: II Chronicles 29-32

In our post of Friday 16th October 2015, we mentioned that Goliath represents different things to different people. To the armies of Israel, he represented the angel of death. All they heard was Goliath's voice and they began to shake (1 Samuel 17:11). The moment they saw him, they fled (1 Samuel 17:24). To Saul, Goliath represented his end of reign as the king of Israel because Goliath had demanded for a combat between himself and an army of Israel; if the fellow loses, which was inevitable, he would be dethroned and the Philistine king will take over. Since there was no man who could fight Goliath, he considered his tenure ,as king, officially over. However to young David, Goliath was an opportunity – an opportunity to become the king’s in-law and his family exempted from the payment of tax since that was the price for killing Goliath. To David, Goliath also represented a big mountain on his way to becoming king. The Lord had rejected Saul as king, and had commanded Prophet Samuel to anoint  David as king (1 Samuel 16). Whilst waiting for Saul to die and take over as king, Goliath appeared on scene threatening to take over Israel.

Before David killed -his - Goliath, several things happened. On Friday, we discussed about one of the things that happened to him – the armies of Israel tried to put fear in him. They said a lot of things to weaken his faith in God but thank God he was not moved by what they said. Another thing that happened to him was Eliab (his senior brother) told him he didn’t belong to the group of people who could defeat Goliath. When he saw David he asked him “what are you doing here”? 1 Samuel 17:28 says, “And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.” At a point, he called him a proud boy for dreaming to conquer Goliath. Friend, people may attribute your vision of greatness for pride. Just as David’s own brothers were against him, your own brothers may turn against you. At times, they may even get angry at you for attempting to do something they couldn’t do. Thank God David did not allow his brothers to bully him off fighting with Goliath. 

Also on that day, Saul (the king and one of the most trusted figures in Israel) told him he will not make it. 1 Samuel 17:33 says, “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” Saul literally told him he stood no chance of conquering Goliath. He told him he was too young, inexperienced, not strong enough, etc. People who have failed will always tell you, “you can’t”. Everyone he encountered on that day tried to break his spirit. I don’t know what people have said to you regarding that project that God has laid on your mind or concerning that professional exam you want to sit for, just hold on to God’s word. Those who said David couldn’t do it watched him do it because God was with him. Those who said David wasn’t good enough or too weak or too inexperienced watched him cut off Goliath’s head because God was with him. David could have believed what everyone was saying but he didn’t. He believed in God and acted in line with the leading of the Holy Spirit and at the end, he became a wonder. 

COUNSEL: Stop listening to those who say you can’t. You can because the God who helped David is with you. You can take on that project and finish it. You can sit for that exam and pass it. You can start that business and succeed in it. You can make a difference. You can be a change agent. You can be a liberator. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

ON ROUTE TO CONQUER GOLIATH

ON ROUTE TO CONQUER GOLIATH

MEMORY VERSE: And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 1 Samuel 17:33

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 7-12

Goliath represents different things to different people. For example to the armies of Israel, Goliath represents a roaring lion. All they heard was his voice and everyone began to shake. 1 Samuel 17:11 says, “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.” When they saw him, all hell broke loose. Everyone including the king ran for cover. 1 Samuel 17:24 says, “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.” To king Saul, Goliath represents an unbeatable champion. When David sought his consent to take on Goliath, he told him “he a man of war from his youth.” In other words, he is an unbeatable and undefeated champion. However, to David, Goliath represents an opportunity. This was why he asked that question – “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel (1 Samuel 17:25)?” He saw Goliath as an opportunity to move closer to God’s plan for his life. He also saw him as an opportunity to become the king’s in-law and his father’s house exempted from payment of tax for life (1 Samuel 17:25). Actually, it was the coming of Goliath to Israel that suddenly propelled David to limelight. Prior to this, no one knew David! If not for Goliath, David would have remained a shepherd boy despite the anointing of God upon his life. That challenge you are currently facing could be God’s own way of bringing you to limelight. 

Today, we will look at Goliath as a big mountain standing on David’s path to the fulfillment of God’s plan for his life. In 1 Samuel 16, David was anointed as the king of Israel. Out of nowhere in 1 Samuel 17, Goliath turned up and demanded a man to fight him. If he kills the man, the kingdom of Israel (David’s throne) will go to the Philistines, but if the man kills him - which is impossible - the Philistines will become slaves to Israel. On route to conquering Goliath, David encountered a lot of things. On your route to conquering Goliath (the big mountain standing on your path to fulfilling destiny), you can expect some of what David encountered. The armies of Israel tried to weaken David’s faith. They knew David was a civilian because he was dressed as a civilian, yet they deliberately began to speak about how difficult it was to conquer Goliath. Even before David could think of taking on Goliath, they had already given him enough reasons why he wouldn’t be able to conquer Goliath. On your route to fulfilling destiny, you can expect people to tell you about how difficult it will be to become who God created you to be. You can expect them to tell you about how impossible it is to do something that no one has ever done before and succeed. Whilst planning to sit for a professional exam, the enemy will bring people who will speak about how difficult it is to pass that particular professional exam you want to sit for. They will remind you of people who have tried and failed. They will talk about the high failure rate and low pass rate. They will say all sorts of things. They will speak about those who passed the exam but couldn't get a job. The enemy will throw everything at you just to weaken your faith, just to make you turn back. He will throw everything at you to ensure that you don’t even think of going forward.

NOTE: David did not listen to what people had to say about Goliath. He only listened to what God had to say about Goliath. He sensed in his spirit that God was leading him to take on Goliath and he obeyed. Is God leading you on a project? Don’t look back. Don’t look at the failure rate. Don’t look at the number of people who had done it and failed. You are different. If He is leading you to take on Goliath, it means He has already conquered Goliath. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

MAKE THE TREE GOOD

MEMORY VERSE: Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 1 Corinthians 15:33

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 11-12

Jesus said, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit” (Matthew 12:33). There are several lessons to learn from this verse. One of them is you know a tree by its fruit not by its leaves or appearance. You know a man (tree) by his works (fruits) not by his words. Actions, they say, speak louder than words. Another lesson we can learn from this verse is that "the tree" has the potential to be good. Unfortunately, it also has the potential to be bad. No wonder Christ says “either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt.” Every man has the potential to misbehave. Every man has the potential to be proud. Every man has the potential to be rebellious. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” However, every man also has the potential to behave well. Every man has the potential to be humble. Every man has the potential to be law abiding. Proverbs 23:26 says, “My Son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe me ways.” If you give your life to Christ, He will come into your heart and dwell there. He will take away the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh and you become a totally different person (2 Corinthians 5:17). The moment Christ comes into a man’s heart and becomes his personal Lord and Savior, the man realizes his potential to be good. There was a sister who used to argue and fight with her husband all the time. One day she gave her life to Christ and everything change. She changed so much that the husband followed her to church and also gave his life to Christ.

Another lesson we can learn from this verse is that a bad tree can be made into a good tree. Sadly, a good tree can also be made into a bad tree. One of the ways this happens is through association. Proverbs says, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Association changes people. If a foolish man makes friends with wise men and learns from them, within a short period of time he will become wise too. Just as association can change people from bad to good, it can also change people from good to bad. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” One way to bring about good fruit is sow good seeds which in turn grow into good trees that bear good fruits. Everything you listen to or watch is a seed that goes into your spirit and soul. Unfortunately, whatever goes into your spirit and soul will come out under pressure. Remember, fruits are the physical manifestation of the seeds that have been sown in your heart. If you sow seeds of faith, you will produce a tree that bears the fruit of faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” If you read and meditate on the scripture regularly, your faith will grow and you will begin to make confessions of faith. However, if you feast on newspapers, doctor's report on your medical condition, and other articles that causes fear and depression, fear will grow in you and you will begin to make fearful confessions. 

NOTE: Your association will determine your fruit. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

KNOWN BY ITS FRUITS

MEMORY VERSE: Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. Matthew 12:33

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: James 1-3

BIBLE READING: Matthew 12:33-37

Some people brought a man who was possessed with a devil to Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:22-29). The demon in the man made him blind and dumb. Jesus healed him; he regained his sight and began to speak. Everyone rejoiced with the man and praised the name of the Lord. Within a short space of time, the news of his healing traveled around the city. When the Pharisees heard it, they belittled the great work Jesus had done in the man’s life. Matthew 12:24 says, “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.” Jesus knew what they were thinking so He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand” (Matthew 12:25-26)? He said many other things to them to prove that He healed the man by the power of Holy Spirit. 

Today, we will look at something He said in Matthew 12:33, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” There are several lessons we can learn from this verse. Firstly, you know a tree by its fruit. On a mango tree, you will find mangoes and on an orange tree you find oranges. You will never find an orange growing on a mango tree. A tree is known by the fruit it produces not by its leaves or branches. The tree here is the man and the fruits are his works. You know a man by his works (fruits) not by his appearance (leaves or branches). Sometimes back, four young girls between the ages of twelve and fifteen sat opposite me on a bus, and they began to talk. As they talked – and they talked so loud that everyone around them could hear them – i wept inside. They were talking about contraceptive injections -  one of them had just had it and was showing others the mark on her hand. They were talking about sex – the things they had tried - at a point i had to change my seat as these girls were raw. I couldn’t imagine these young girls, at that age,  being exposed to such. When you look at them, they looked innocent but they are not. Looks can be deceptive. You know a man by his deeds (actions) not by his confessions. Recently, one of my sisters was telling me a story about a lady who met a brother online . The brother came across as a Christian-  always talking about church, always encouraging her to read her bible and all that. Fully convinced that he was a child of God they started to court. It was then she realized that the brother wasn't a Christian brother at all. At times he will video- call her and ask her to do unthinkable things. Friend,  a man is known by his conduct not by what he claims to be. Single sisters be aware, not every brother who quotes the bible is a child of God. Remember, Satan can also quote the bible. A tree is known by its fruit not be its location. Regardless of where you plant an orange tree it will produce oranges. Also a mango tree will produce mango regardless of where it is planted. 

NOTE: The only way to identify a tree is by its fruits. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

IS THE WORLD STILL INSIDE OF YOU?

MEMORY VERSE: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Habakkuk

The first thing you do when an individual drowns in water is you get the individual out of water. If he is unconscious you resuscitate him. You do CPR and press hard on the chest several times to get him breathing again. In the process of doing this, the individual may spit out of a gob of water and then wake up. In a nutshell, to save a drowning person, you have to get the person out of water first and then get the (excess) water that may have entered into the individual’s system out. The Lord, by the hand of Moses, delivered the children of Israel out of the hands of the Egyptians. The children of Israel were taken out of Egypt but Egypt was not taken out of them. Although they were finally out of Egypt – not under the influence of the Egyptians anymore – they still reasoned like Egyptians, spoke like Egyptians, dressed like Egyptians, saw life the way an Egyptian would see life and so on and so forth. When Moses went up into the Mount to collect the Ten Commandments, they reverted back to Egyptian ways. They got Aaron to mold a golden calf with their earrings and began to worship it. The question is where did they get the idea of the molten calf from? Egypt. They learnt the art of worshiping idols in Egypt and now in the desert, far away from Egypt, they still worshiped a golden calf like the Egyptians (Exodus 32). 

The first thing the Lord does when a man gives his life to Christ is that He takes the man out of the world. Colossians 1:13 says, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” He then proceeds to take the “world” out of the man with the man’s cooperation. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Although we have been taken out of the world, the “world” needs to be taken out of us. For many of us, we have given our lives to Christ but our dressings and mannerisms are still very much of the world. Our brothers wear earrings which is a worldly thing. Our sisters dress bearing their cleavage, wearing transparent dresses like the women of the world. Someone once said our dressing does not matter. Really? Friend, it matters. Moses was a Hebrew man but the children of Reuel described him as an Egyptian because of the way he dressed. Exodus 2:19 says, “And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.” Many are out of the world but they still listen to worldly music and do worldly dance moves even during praise and worship. Someone said he wants to praise the Lord in “Shoki” way. (Shoki is a dance step from a worldly music that glories fornication and adultery). How can you praise God with such dance steps and expect the Lord to accept such dance offerings? We can’t praise a holy God in a worldly way. He won’t accept it. I see many young people doing Azonto dances in church; do you even know the origin of Azonto dance? You can’t do a worldly dance to a Christian music, No. My heart bleeds when i see Christian gospel artist even doing Azonto dance.

NOTE: The more of the world you have in you, the less of Christ you will have in you. 

PRAYER: Father, please purge me of every worldly appetite. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL”

MEMORY VERSE: Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 1-2

There is a connection between ‘asking’ and ‘receiving’. The Lord Jesus said (in Matthew 7:7a), “Ask, and it shall be given you;” He went further, “For every one that asketh recieveth (Matthew 7:8a).” The reason why you don’t have could be because you have not asked. James 4:2b says, “ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” You may not be believe it but there are people who don’t like asking questions, asking people for help, asking for direction, asking for counselling, etc. One of the reasons why they don’t ask questions or ask for direction is because they don’t want people to know that they don’ know. In other words, they don’t ask to hide their ignorance. It is deception to pretend to know something you don’t know. Anyone doing this is only fooling himself and very soon, the truth will come out. No one knows it all. Even Paul – a learned man – confessed that there were areas he didn’t know as much as he should know. No wonder he said, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10). The fact that you don’t know something is nothing to be ashamed of. Another reason why many of us don’t like asking for direction, guidance, etc, is because we don’t want to disturb people. Many erroneously think it is impolite to ask for direction from strangers. Friend, it is not impolite to ask questions from people as far as you are not rude about it. Actually, a lot of people are willing to help. They don’t mind when you ask them questions. Some of them will go out their way to get you the answers you need. If you are around me and you know something i don’t know, God help you. Because I will ask you – oh yes, and you won’t go until i get my answers.  

People don’t ask for help because they don’t want anyone to take credit for helping them. What is more important, to you, getting an answer to your question or people taking credit that they helped you? All i need is answers, if people want to take credit they should go ahead. It is very common especially in lecture rooms to find students who don’t want to appear stupid so they don’t ask questions. Friend, it is better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake. Firstly, a stupid mistake costs more than a stupid question. Secondly, the embarrassment of making a stupid mistake is bigger than that of asking a stupid question. Thirdly, some stupid mistakes could leave a permanent mark on your life. Fourthly, some errors are irreversible. Once you make them, you have no other option than to live with the consequences for life. Some don’t ask questions because they don’t want people to think they doubt them. The fact that you are asking questions or challenging a report does not mean you don’t trust the person. It simply means you are seeking greater understanding. There are several advantages of asking questions for instances, the more you ask the more you know. The more you know the lesser time it will take you to make progress. Also, the more questions you ask, the fewer the mistakes you will make in life. John 16:24 says, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” The best time to start asking is the moment you discover that your joy is not full over a matter. And, you stop only when your joy is full or when you are satisfied that God has answered you. One thing many of us do is we stop asking too early. We erroneously believe that when we ask God for a thing twice or thrice and we don’t get the answer, it means that thing is not God’s will for us. That’s not true.  

NOTE: Persistence is one of the keys to receiving answers to prayers. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world