ASK, AND YE SHALL RECEIVE

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: Songs of Solomon 1-2
Jesus, in John 16:24, said: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” When it comes to asking and receiving, there are certain things we have to consider. For instance, receiving is dependent on who you ask. Man is very limited but God is not.Psalm 108:12 says: “give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.” According to Jeremiah 17:5, anyone who puts his trust in man and makes human flesh his strength is doomed. Thank God there is a God who can do all things. According to Luke 1:37, with God nothing shall be impossible. Receiving is dependent on how you ask. Jesus whilst teaching His disciples how to pray taught them to start with praise and thanksgiving (Matthew 6:5-13). Verse 9 says: “in this manner, therefore pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name”. One of the synonyms for the word 'hallow' is praise. The first thing that mad man of Gadara did when he got to Jesus was he worshiped Him (Mark 5:1-19). Verse 6 says: “when he saw Jesus from far, he ran and worshiped Him”. Worshiping is one of the keys to receiving from God. Also, receiving is dependent on the time of asking. If you ask at the wrong time, you may not receive anything. Isaiah 55:6 says: “seek ye the Lord whilst He may be found, call ye upon him while he is near”. Proverbs 8:17 says: “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me”.

There are several reasons why people don’t like to ask. For instance, people don't like to ask questions to hide their ignorance. It is better to ask a stupid question than to make a stupid mistake. Many of the challenges people are facing today could have been avoided if only they asked questions or sought counseling. Proverbs 15:22 says: “without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” Another reason why many don’t ask is because they don’t want to disturb people. Some even feel by asking God for a thing over and over again they are disturbing God. The bible says ask until your joy is full. Some believe since God knows what they want there is no point asking Him again. God knows what you want but He still expects you to ask Him for it. Matthew 7:7 says: “ask, and it will be given to you....” Some of us expect people to know what we want and give them to us. Friend, people cannot read your mind. Besides, they have a lot of things going on in their mind so it is better you ask. One major reason why people don’t ask for help especially from their friends is because they don’t want people to take glory over their lives. What is most important thing to me is i get the help i need. Whether you take glory or not is not an issue to me; help is all i need. After rendering the help you can tell the whole world you helped bro Samuel no problem. At one point or the other in your life, someone will have to take glory for something they did for you anyway.

NOTE: Before asking, start by thanking God for all He has done for you in the times past. Don’t just go to Him and say I want this; I want that. Start by worshiping Him.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

TRUE OR LIES?

MEMORY VERSE: It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 140-142

READ: 1 Kings 22

As a Christian, honesty is non-negotiable. You cannot be a follower of Christ and be a liar. No. No. No. I heard that some ladies lie about their age and all that. If you want to make heaven then you must desist from telling lies. Firstly, anyone who tells lies, as far as God is concerned, is a child of the devil. John 8:44 says: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” And as such, no child of the devil will be allowed in heaven. Revelations 31:8 says: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” You must be honest to people and most importantly, to yourself. Asides from saying the truth, you must also love to hear the truth. Many are very good at telling the truth but they are not good at hearing the truth. It is true that the truth may hurt at times. It may even cause you to reflect on your own life; however, it is better than lies. Ecclesiastes 7:5 says: "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools."

If you are going to reach the top in your career; if you are going to fulfil destiny and finish your race on this earth well; if you are going to make heaven (most importantly), you must surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth. When you go through the scriptures, you will find that majority of the great generals in the Bible surrounded themselves with men who told them the truth. Take David for instance, he had Joab around him. When he wanted to count the people of Israel Joab told him no. How about Naaman, he had servants who told him the truth in the most polite manner. When Elisha told him to dip in River Jordan, and he began to rant all over the place, the servant said to him, "my father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? (2 Kings 5:13).” Had that man kept quiet, Naaman would have died a leper. You need to surround yourselves with people will tell you the truth at all times and you must also listen to them.You may lose out on something great if you don't.

A man who surrounded himself with liars - because he hated the truth - was King Ahab. When he wanted to go to war against Ramoth Gilead, he deliberately sent for prophets who would tell him what he wanted to hear - leaving out Micaiah. They came and began to say thus saith the Lord of host. Friend, not all "thus saith the Lord of Host" is really "thus saith the Lord of Host". Some are just thus saith my flesh. Thank God for Jehoshaphat; he asked for a real prophet. The moment Micaiah's name was mentioned, Ahab’s response was “he never prophesies anything good about me”. Ahab didn't argue with the fact that he was a honest man; he just didn't like him because he never says what he wanted to hear. If you are the type who always like people to tell you what you want to hear, then be prepared to hear  a lot of lies. Also, if you are the type who always love people to tell you what you want to hear not the truth, you will end up in a place where you don't want to be.

NOTE: The truth is always bitter at first but sweet at last whilst lies are always sweet at first but bitter at the end.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

IN SEARCH OF WORMS

 MEMORY VERSE: Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. Isaiah 41:14-15

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ecclesiastes 7-8

READ: Isaiah 41:13-16

The Most-High God is always in search of worms - weakest of the weak – to showcase what He can do. No wonder, Hannah in her praise said: "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 (1 Samuel 2:8).” The Most-High God is not interested in the likes of Absalom. Absalom is an epitome of a complete man. 2 Samuel 14:25 says, “But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.” As such, he was full of himself. The good Lord prefers the likes of Solomon. The circumstance surrounding Solomon’s birth was not something to be proud of. He was a product of adultery – David, his father, killed an innocent man and took his wife. To make matters worse, he was so foolish that he, himself, acknowledge that he was foolish (1 Kings 3:1-9). God picked that worm, that mentally weak boy, and made him the wisest man that ever lived after Jesus Christ. That weak worm spoke 3000 proverbs in his lifetime (1 Kings 4:32).

Your low IQ is not a hindrance to God. The fact that you don’t have a degree is not a hindrance to God. Your small stature is neither a hindrance nor your humble beginnings. Actually, the good Lord is interested in people like you with a dodgy past. Jesus made it abundantly clear, whilst He was on the earth, that He came for the weak. Mark 2:17 says, “When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” He came for those struggling with sin. He came for those who the world has written off. Sometimes back, a brother from India shared his conversion story with us. (Thanks to those who have shared their conversion story with us; we are expecting yours. We will be sharing them. Don’t underestimate the power of testimonies.) This brother went into a forest - as he usually does whenever he wants to smoke marijuana - to smoke. As he smoked, the thought of Jesus, the Man everyone had been preaching to him about , came to his mind. The next thing was he felt a powerful presence around him. Before he knew what was happening, he was on the ground, weeping and asking Jesus to come into his heart. Jesus travelled into that forest to give him an encounter that changed his life forever.

What makes you a good candidate for Jesus to use is your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” What has been hindering the Lord from using many of us, despite our cry to Him to use us for His glory in this generation, is our strength. We are too strong for Him. We know too much. We are too independent. We rely on our tiny brains too much. For many of us, it is our razor-sharp minds. We are too advanced for Him. We are always trying to reason everything out. The Most-High is after worms – weakest of the weak- to turn them into sharp threshing instruments having teeth. Isaiah 41:14-15 says, “Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.”

PRAYER POINT: Father, i surrender to you (raising up my hands), please use me for your glory.

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A GOOD SOLDIER?

MEMORY VERSE: Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Nehemiah 5-9

One of the names of our Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of hosts (Revelations 19:11-20). The word "host" is a translation of the Hebrew word "sabaoth meaning “armies” – a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. Lord of hosts simply means the Commander in Chief of all the hosts in heaven. The moment a man gives his life to Christ, he is enlisted in the Lord’s army. As a believer, you are part of the Lord’s armies here on earth and you are already in a war. Ephesians 6:12 says: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” As a Christian, soldier of Jesus Christ, certain things are expected of you. Firstly, you must be loyal to your master Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:38 says: “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.” Secondly, you must be ready at all times or be instant in season. 2 Timothy 4:2 says: “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” You must be prepared at all times to be called upon by our Lord to lead a soul out of the camp of the enemy into His camp. Also, you must be dressed for battle at all times. Ephesians 6:13-16 says: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

Thirdly and very importantly, endure hardness. 2 Timothy 2:3 says: “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Hardness simply means hardship or suffering. One or two things are implied in the phrase “endure hardness”. One of it is, expect hardship. This is non-negotiable for any believer. Isaiah 43:2 says: “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” The bible says “when thou passest through the waters” not “if thou passest through the waters”. Jesus Christ, Lord of hosts, said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” I was sharing with a brother, sometimes back, a time where things were so bad that I had nothing to eat. The Lord was merciful to me and someone gave me a bag of rice and oil. For a whole month, all I ate was plain rice – no salt, no stew, no meat or fish. Thank God things have changed now. I have a good news for you, Jesus will never leave you in the time of hardship. According to Isaiah 43:2, when you pass through waters (challenges), God is with you. Lastly, you are expected to be a good soldier. The question is what type of soldier are you? Are you a soldier who denies Christ when the going gets though? As a soldier what is your priority – the Master’s business or your business? Are you using your weapons to fight for the Lord or fight against the Lord? Are you always prepared?

NOTE: 2 Timothy 3:1 says: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” These are perilous (risky) times and as such, you have to have your armour on at all times.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in this perilous time please keep me safe.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

STIRRING UP THE GIFT OF GOD

MEMORY VERSE: Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.2 Timothy 1:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 23-25

Paul, in his second epistle to his son-in-the-Lord, Timothy, said, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.” There are several lessons we can learn from this verse. Firstly, the gifts of God can be transferred through the laying of hands. Acts 8:17 says: “Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” Acts 19:6 says: “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” The laying of hands involves the senior laying hands on the junior or someone higher in the spirit laying hands on his son-in-the-Lord or daughter-in-the-Lord or younger in the Lord. For instance, a senior pastor can lay hands on a worker or a junior pastor. However, there is a caveat associated with this. Just as one can transfer the gift of God through the laying of hands, one can also transfer evil spirits through the laying of hands. Just as laying-of-hands can change your life drastically for good; if the wrong person or an evil person lays hands on you, it may turn your life upside down. Not only that, just as something good can be taken out of your life through the laying of hands, something good can also be removed from your life through the laying of hands. Make sure you know who is laying hands on your head or your children’s head. The reason is that they will transfer whatever spirit inside them into you or your child.

Secondly, the gift of God, in you, needs to be stirred up if you want to realise its full potential. 2 Timothy 1:6 says: “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God ...” To stir up something simply means to fan something. If there is a need to stir / fan the gift of God, it automatically means that the gift of God can lie dormant in a man. It means one’s fire can grow dim due to certain reasons. It means the potency of the gift of God lies in its stirring up. For the gift of God to grow, it has to be fanned or stirred up. Thirdly, it is your responsibility to stir up the gift of God inside you. Each of us started with the same level of faith at salvation or we all received a measure of faith. The question is this, how come some have the faith to move mountains and others don’t? This brings us to the question: how can I stir up the gift of God in my life? Firstly, by reading – reading the Bible, reading books written by anointed men and women of God. The moment I gave my life, i began to yearn to hear the audible voice of God. I prayed and prayed and prayed until I heard a man of God talk about reading the bible and hearing the voice of God; that message changed my life. One way to stir up the gift of God in your life is by studying your Bible. One of the major reasons why we are seeing less and less of the demonstration of God in our midst is because most of us don’t read our Bibles. There is a blessing attached to bible studies. Revelations 1:3 says: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” As you feed your spirit with the word of God, your faith automatically grows. By reading books written by anointing men of God, you understand how some gifts of the Holy Spirit operate in a man’s life. Reading books written by anointed men of God will help your spiritual growth but it should not replace your Bible. You can stir up the gift of God by regular prayers. Lastly, you can stir up the gift of God through frequent exercise of them.

ACTION: Draw out a Bible reading plan and follow it. Also, seek for opportunities to exercise your spiritual gift.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

EVEN THE LAWFUL CAPTIVE SHALL BE DELIVERED

MEMORY VERSE: Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children. Isaiah 49:24-25

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 21-22

Certain important decisions were made for you and me before we were born. For instance, we didn’t choose our parents, the year we were born, our gender, our genotype or our complexion. God made those decisions for us for His pleasure. Revelations 4:11 says; “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” He is a God of purpose and He has a good reason why you were born in Zimbabwe not in Switzerland or in Pakistan not in New Zealand. You may not have had control of how you started life but you do have a control of how it will end. You may not have had an input in how you began; you do have an input in how it will end. Many would have loved to start their marriage in grand style – fairy tale wedding followed by honeymoon in the best resort in the world – but due to lack of resources, they started in a little box room. The fact that they started in a little box room does not mean the marriage will not end well.

It is a fact that how one starts matters. The bible even encourages us to start with the Lord. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” However, it is not always the case that if you start badly you will end badly. The way one starts doesn’t always determine how one will finish.The bible is littered with several examples of people who started badly not as a result of their own doing and ending up very well. Esther is an example that comes to mind. She started as a slave girl and ended up as a queen. How you began will not determine how you will end. Job 8:7 says: “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.” How you started may have informed your current position but it will not determine your end. There is a God who is able to turn lives around. According to 1 Samuel 2:8, He can raise up the poor out of the dust, and lift up the beggar from the dunghill and set them among princes. I don’t know where you are but where you are today will not determine your tomorrow. Even if your mistakes of the past or carelessness have informed your current position, the merciful God will help you and turn your life around. Isaiah 49:24-25 says; “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.” As far as you have Jesus in your boat and you make up your mind to be diligent in all that you do, you will end well.

CONFESSION: My future is determined by Christ, not by my current situation. Because I have Christ in me, I will inherit glory.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE ATTIRE OF A HARLOT

MEMORY VERSE: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. Proverbs 7:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalms 119:19-24, Proverbs 31:4, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The words in the Bible are not the words of drunken men or someone hallucinating. 2 Peter 1:21 says this: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (One of these days, if the Lord permits, we will discuss about how the Bible was written and you will see the process involved. God told the prophets when to start writing, when to stop writing, what they should write, etc. However, for the purpose of our studies today, I want you to know that “all scriptures is given by the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16),” even the book of Songs of Solomon. Every single word was given by God’s inspiration. There is a reason for every illustration, example, parable, etc, used in the Scriptures. Because it was given by the inspiration of God, it “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

In Proverbs 7: 6-23 is the story of a young boy who lost his life on his way to fornicate with a woman. Today, I want us to focus on a thing or two about this woman. Proverbs 7:10 says this: “And, behold, there met him a woman.............”There met him a woman implies that she was not a girl but an adult. The author did not tell us her name which meant that she could have been anyone - someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s wife, someone’s aunt, etc. The author was silent about her background, which meant that she could have come from any background. The author also did not talk about her race or the church that she attends, which meant that she could have come from any part of the world.The Bible says, "a woman" which meant that she could be single or married. It is safe to assume at this point that the bible could have been talking about any woman.

The bible then proceeded to tell us that she had the attire of a harlot. Proverbs 7:10 says, “And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot....” I believe this woman was not a harlot. If she were a harlot, the Bible would have said so. Although she was not a harlot, she wore the attire of a harlot. This implies that clothes do not make a person but they speak for the person or they ascribe an identity to the person. I thought the next thing after “there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot” would be a detailed description of what she wore. Although the bible did not tell us what she wore, we were told of the condition of her heart – “and subtle of heart” I.e. crafty heart. What she wore was a reflection of what was inside of her. She put on the "attire of a harlot" to get the attention of the opposite sex. She presented herself in a way that recommended her for sex. Am I advocating that women should wear drab clothes? NO! Actually, the virtuous women in Proverbs dressed nicely and dressed their family well too (Proverbs 31:21-22). Despite the fact that this woman was married (Proverbs 7:19-20), her clothes revealed her heart. Outward beauty does not always equate inward beauty.

QUESTION: What does your attire say about you?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.