BEWARE OF ENVY 2

MEMORY VERSE: Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalm 24:3-4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 1-4

The presence of the Lord is the place to be. It is the safest place in the whole world. Recently, I read a report about the top 10 safest countries in the world and the safest country, according to that report, is New Zealand. Due to their tough and strict criminal justice system, the loss of lives in crimes is almost zero and the rate of crimes is also the least. You are safer in the God's presence than in New Zealand. You are safer in God's presence than in the White House in America, Buckingham Palace in Great Britain and other presidential villas and palaces of this world put together. Satan and his co-demons can enter any of those places to wreck havoc; one place they dare not enter is the presence of the Lord. In 1 Kings 18, some soldiers came to arrest a man of God in the presence of the Lord. Fire came from heaven and consumed them. The only place you can find real joy is in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 says: “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Many of us see the church as the presence of God. I want you to know that not everyone in church is in the presence of the Lord. Oh yes, there are many who are physically in church but there mind is somewhere else. Many are physically in church but truthfully speaking, they are not in church but on Facebook. They are busy on checking photos on Facebook whilst the pastor is preaching. Some are on BBM and instagram not in the church. In the presence of the Lord is deliverance. Obadiah 1:17 says: “But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” The mad man of Gadara – the maddest man ever – got into the presence of God and was delivered (Mark 5:1-28). In the presence of God is breakthrough as seen in the case of Peter (Luke 5). In the presence of God is solution to challenges and problems that are beyond medical science.

To get into the presence of the Lord certain conditions must be met. One of the conditions is you must have a pure heart. Psalm 24:3-4 says: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” You must have a clear conscience towards all. Envy will destroy you. It will destroy your relationships with people. It will cloud how you see things. Rachel saw her blood sister’s sons as her rival’s sons instead of her own sons. Envy will cause you to behave in a bad way to people. And as a result, you begin to beg for what should be yours. Had Rachel not misbehaved to her sister out of envy, Reuben would have given her some mandrake when he returned home. But because of her behavior towards his mum,Leah, Reuben only brought mandrake for his mum; Rachel had to beg to have some of this mandrake (Genesis 30:14 -15). Envy leads to unhappiness. It leads to sadness. Envy will cause you to start reading meaning to everything – even things you should not read meanings to. Envy will cause you to see your friends as your rivals. It could lead to hate. As i said the last time, envy will inform evil and ungodly ideas in you. The idea to give her slave to Jacob came as a result of Rachel’s envy. Envy makes one desperate. Aside all these, it will prevent you from being allowed into the presence of God. A man who has a pure heart does not envy people. He rejoices with people when they rejoice.

NOTE: Envy causes one to say what he should not say and the bible says for by your words you will be justified, and by your words will be condemned.

PRAYER POINT: Any harm I may have done to my destiny and my life as a result of envy, Father please reverse them and free me of envy.

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BEWARE OF ENVY 1

MEMORY VERSE: For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 20-22

Genesis 30:1 says: “And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.” “And when Rachel saw .....” implies that Rachel had been looking. What was she looking at or in this particular verse who was she looking at? Her sister Leah. Rachel and her sister, Leah, got married the same week. In less than 5 years, Leah had given birth to four boys and Rachel, none. Rachel, just like many do today, began to compare her life with her sister’s life. She began compare what God was doing in Leah’s life with what God was doing in her own life. This led her to envy her senior sister. What really informed her envy was that she felt that Leah was in a better position than her. She felt that Leah was better off because she had four boys and she (Rachel) had none. Many today are doing exactly what Rachel did. They are busy comparing their lives with the lives of their friends or the people around them. Brother A has bought a car and i am yet to buy a car. Sister A is married with children and i am yet to be married talk less of have children. Let me share what i read somewhere: “My mates are getting married. My mates are getting good jobs. My mates are succeeding. My mates are living overseas. My mates are buying cars. My mates are building houses. My mates are this... My mates are that..... It’s a pity that you literally forgot about your mates in the mortuary; your mates in the psychiatric homes; your mates roaming on the streets; your mates that are jobless, hungry, blind, dear..... You might not be where you want to be but you have obviously transcended where you were yesterday.” Instead of getting yourself all worked up because of what is happening in the lives of the people around you, thank God for the little you have. Besides, what you are calling little is massive in the eyes of others.

Why is envy dangerous? Envy destroys a relationship. When envy is activated within a friendship, the friendship can experience significant tension and conflict. The word of God tells us that where envy is, every evil thing you can think of you will find there. James 3:16: “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” Envy can destroy a family, a long-term relationship, an organisation, etc. Rachel’s envy almost destroyed her family. Her envy literally drove her family apart. Because of envy, her relationship with her senior sister was strained. Not only that, it affected her behaviour towards Leah’s children. It even affected her behaviour towards her husband. Rachel’s envy affected her decisions also. Envy gives birth to evil desires. It makes people to think and act irrationally. How can a woman stoop so low as to give her maid to her husband? Naturally, no woman wants to share her husband with any woman talk less of stooping that low to give her maid to her husband. Envy divides a family. Jacob’s family was broken into two – Leah, her children, her maid and her children & Rachel, her child, her maid and her children. Envy leads to confusion.

NOTE: Envy left unchecked can destroy anything.

PRAYER POINT: Spirit of envy I. bind you in the name of Jesus , under the blood of Jesus, leave my life and return no more.

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WITH GOD, SILENCE IS NOT APPROVAL

MEMORY VERSE: And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bares him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. 2 Samuel 11:27

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 19 -20

READ: 2 Samuel 11

The way cases are judged in heaven is similar to the way cases are judged on earth. The principles adopted by the Chief Judge, the Judge of judges, in heaven, are similar to the principles adopted by human judges on earth. Human judges (when presiding over any case) look at the intent. This is why we have voluntary homicide and involuntary homicide. The Most High God (when presiding over any case) looks at the heart i.e. the intent.  1 Samuel 16:7 says: “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Ignorance is not an excuse in the human court. Ignorance is not an excuse in the heavenly court too. Jesus said, “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:48).” There is a big penalty for animal cruelty in the court of law.  No man guilty of animal cruelty will go unpunished in the court of heaven. Proverbs 12:10 says: “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” Just as the law holds animal owners accountable for the actions of their animals or animals under their care; for instance, it is a criminal offence to walk in the public with your dog unleashed, God also hold animal owners accountable for the actions of their animals or animals under their care.  Exodus 22:5 says: “If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.”

The heavenly court and earthly court differ in one or two ways. For instance, you are permitted to divorce your husband or wife in the earthly court. Once the other party is happy with the divorce, the earthly court will grant you a divorce. It is not so in the heavenly court. God is against divorce! Silence implies consent in the earthly court. Before God, silence does not imply consent. God’s silence does not imply consent. David committed adultery with a woman, killed her husband and God did not say a word for nine (9) months (2 Samuel 11)! 2 Samuel 11:27 says: “And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD”. You will be deluding yourself to think God’s silence implies consent. God’s silence is actually dangerous because He chastises those He loves (Hebrews 12). I will be worried if I do something bad deliberately and God keeps quiet.  

NOTE: If something is wrong, it is wrong regardless of how you put it, explain it or how many people are doing it.

ACTION: Repent today and make restitutions where necessary.

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AND THERE WAS FAMINE

MEMORY VERSE: And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land. Genesis 12:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Peter

Genesis 12:10 says: “And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.” Famine implies scarcity. You will experience famine whether you are a Christian or not. It could be famine of joy in your marriage, famine of job, famine of money, and as we are beginning to see famine of the Word (unadulterated word of God). These days, there is less emphasis on holiness and great emphasis on prosperity. Luke 12:15 says: “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

There is always a reason for famine. Proverbs 26:2 says: “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” One of the things that inform famine of money is the lack of payment of tithes. Malachi 3:9-11 says: “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.” Famine of breakthrough, at times, could be traced back to lack of soul winning. John 15:16 says: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” However, some famines are God ordained to train a man. For instance, the famine of job or unemployment which translates into lack of resources could be to train a man on how to manage his resources. Whenever you experience famine look inward. A famine of the Word or revelation is as a result of lack of altars – especially personal altars or quiet times.

Famine elicits a reaction. For instance, the famine of marriage has led some sisters, who were once convinced that the Lord did not want them to use make-up, to start to use make-up in order to attract brothers. A brother you attract with make-up will leave once the make-up fades away. Some who were convinced that fornication is a sin now fornicate due to famine of marriage. Your reaction to a famine situation matters. The bible records that Abram, as a result of famine, went DOWN into Egypt. Sister in Christ, as a result of famine of brothers, have you now lowered your standard that you are now willing to marry any brother even one that drinks and smokes? Is it because of famine of brothers that you have resulted to wearing revealing clothes and tight gowns? Has the famine of brothers now led you to go on social media to look for a brother? Is it because of famine of marriage that you are now allowing men to touch parts of your body that only your husband should touch? Brother, is it because of famine of sisters that you have now resulted to going to clubs and late night raves to meet women? You don't even pray anymore, the moment you get a number the next thing is you start thinking of how to take them out for a dinner. I pray you will not take a witch on a dinner in Jesus name. Brother, is it because of famine of resources that you have now began to forge invoices ? Man of God, has the famine of resources let you to start raising strange offerings?

NOTE: Whenever there is famine, look inward. Remember, your response to famine matters. You shall not go down in Jesus name.

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WHAT IS THE STATE OF YOUR ALTAR?

MEMORY VERSE: And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 1 Kings 18:30

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 134-136

What is an altar? An altar is any structure upon which offerings; such as, sacrifices are made for religious purposes. For instance, Noah built an altar (a structure upon which offerings are made for religious purposes ) after the flood unto the Lord, and took of every beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on it (Genesis 8:20). An altar is also a place of consecration. Whenever God visits His people or does something tangible in their lives, they respond by building an altar unto Him. This altar represents a desire to consecrate one's self fully unto the Lord. For instance, Abram, after the Lord appeared unto him, built an altar (Genesis 12:7).

In summary, an altar is merely a designated place, a meeting point, where man meets with God regularly to talk to Him, hear from Him, pray to Him, study His words, and so on. It is a place where we come to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1). 1 Kings 18:30 says: “And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.” Elijah's restoration of the altar was significant, given the rampant paganism of his day. For the altar to be repaired, it must have been broken. For the altar to be broken, then, it must have been standing. For the altar to be standing, it must have been built.
There are four types of altars. Firstly, “No- Altar”. In Exodus 1, 2&3, the children of Isreal struggled before erected altars unto the Lord - when they worshipped the gods of the Egyptians. This period was a period of bondage. This was not only a tough time, it was a difficult time. Their children were cast into River Nile. A man who has not given his life to Christ is at this stage. He will always be at the mercy of the enemy. There is the “Standing-Altar”. After God delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians, they built altars unto the Lord. This period was marked with signs and wonders. It was marked with an abundance of resources. It was a period of peace because they had a relationship with God. After a man gives his life to Christ, he is expected to enter into this stage. He is expected to have an altar where he meets God regularly. He is expected to have a quiet time. There is the “Cold-Altar”. This was the period where the children of Israel began to relax in their worship. This is a time when a man begins to miss his quiet time. Lastly, there is the “Broken-Altar”. This period was marked by hardship and struggle. It was a period of stagnancy in their lives as they abandoned God and worshipped Baal and as a result, the altar of the Lord fell into disrepair. During this period, God shut the heavens and it didn’t rain for three years. When a man begins to miss his quiet time, if care is not taken he may backslide into the world and his altar before God becomes “broken”.

QUESTION: What is the state of your altar? Do you have an altar at all? Do you have a quiet time? If you have, what happens during your quiet time? Does God still speak? The state of your altar will determine the state of your life.

ACTION: Carefully assess your altar before the Lord and take necessary action.

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YARDSTICK FOR SUCCESS

MEMORY VERSE: And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. Luke 12:15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Zechariah 8-14

One of the yardsticks we use to measure success in the world today is material wealth. If a brother who hops from bus to bus suddenly buys a very big jeep or a brother who is renting suddenly builds/buys a big mansion, we say he is successful. We Christians will say he has enjoyed divine favor and some will begin to use his life as a point of contact for their breakthroughs. God wants all His children to prosper (3 John 2). He actually delights when His children do well which includes financial prosperity (Psalm 35:27). When Peter said to Jesus, "Look, we have left everything and followed You. So what will there be for us?" Jesus responded saying:” Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:28-29). In other words, all you have lost for the sake of Christ are not lost, they are only being kept for you. One day it will be multiplied and given back to you.Although, material wealth is ONE of the ways of measuring success, it is NOT the absolute way to measure success. A brother can appear to be doing well physically when he is actually going down spiritually. A typical example is Lot. The moment he moved into Sodom and Gomorrah, he began to go down spiritually. On the surface, he was doing well. He was acquiring cattles, sheep, servants and all that. He even became a judge in Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, he was going down. Friend, not all wealth is God’s favour.

Sister in Christ, you have entered into a relationship with a brother who is an unbeliever. On the surface, people may be congratulating you. He may even buy gifts and make you feel loved and appreciated. It may appear as if you are moving in the right direction because at the end of the day, you are no longer single. However, remember that marrying an unbeliever means you will be having the devil as an in-law. As a matter of fact, the moment you begin to date an unbeliever, you begin to go down. To everyone, Brother Lot was enjoying divine favour until he lost all and began to live in caves (Genesis 19). If you are robbing people or cheating people and you are buying houses, you are not going up – you are actually going down. Also, success in ministry, at times, is measured by the size of the congregation and size of the tithes every Sunday. Well, increase in tithes don’t always mean God is blessing His church. Someone who stole from government coffers may decide to share some of his bounty and give a big offering. Besides, there was a time when Korah’s ministry grew. He had virtually all the princes in the land with him -although they were all rebels. Yet, by man's standard he was doing well. The only way to measure success is by checking how one is performing against God’s standard for one's life. If by God’s standard –considering the fact that you have been a Christian for several years – you should have won at least one soul to Christ and you have not then you are failing.

ACTION: Pray to God and ask Him to help you in areas you are failing.

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HIS DISCIPLE OR THE MULTITUDES?

MEMORY VERSE: And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him. Matthew 5:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 9-10

Two categories of people followed Jesus: His disciples and the multitudes. His disciples were His followers; viz, the apostles (Matthew 10:2-4), the seventy- two (72) whom He sent in pairs to towns and places He planned to visit (Luke 10:1), Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42), Mary called Magdalene, Joanna wife of Chuza (Luke 8:2-3), etc. The multitudes, on the other hand, were the nameless, faceless people who followed Jesus. They came to Him because they were in need of one thing or the other. They took their leave the moment He answered their prayers.The multitudes were always 'coming and going’; the disciples were with Him because they loved Him. The multitudes only wanted to receive; they never gave back in return. The disciples received and gave back to Him. Whilst the disciples were at His feet learning, the multitudes were busy chasing after things - things they would leave behind when they die. The disciples were always available - always available to run errands for Him. The multitudes, as you rightly guessed, were never available for work. The disciples shared the passion of Christ. They were with Jesus through thick and thin; the multitudes weren’t. Matthew 5:1 says:” And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him.”

Jesus dealt (and still deals) with these two groups - His disciples and the multitudes - differently. For instance, He spoke to the multitude in parables but He spoke to the disciples in plain words. Mark 4:11 says: “And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.” The multitudes only saw Him when He wanted them to see Him. Luke 5:15-16 says: “But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” His disciples saw Him when they wanted. Jesus shared His secrets with His disciples. Luke 18:31 says: “Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.” Several months back, I walked past a man around our office and the Lord said to me, “that’s your new manager.” We had no manager at the time and I didn’t know the senior managers were recruiting for the position.  I told my colleagues when I returned to the office but they doubted me. Four hours later, the man was introduced to us as our new manager. Jesus rarely hid things from His disciples. He told them that one of them was going to betray Him.

QUESTION: Which of these two groups do you belong? Are you one of His disciples or multitudes?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world