Thursday, 8 September 2016
ENROUTE TO JERUSALEM
MEMORY VERSE: Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Ecclesiastes 9:8
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 31-40
READ: Luke 19:1-9
A large crowd followed Jesus as He walked through the streets of Jericho. There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector. He was a wealthy man. He heard that Jesus was in town and he made up his mind to see Him. There was one little problem; he was a man of small stature. However, he vowed in his heart to do everything humanly possible to see the Lord. Whilst contemplating on what to do, an idea dropped into his heart. “Why not climb up a tree”, he thought to himself. God will inspire you today in the name of Jesus. An idea, a great one, a life transforming one, will drop into your heart in the name of Jesus. He ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree. The bible did not tell us how long he waited on that tree before Jesus arrived at the location. That's immaterial. What matters is he waited until Jesus arrived. People must have made fun of him as he tried to climb the tree. "Look at that short man trying to climb a tree", they must have said cheekily. Does it really matter what people say? No, it doesn't! Zacchaeus probably didn’t take notice of the people who were making fun of him; he knew what he wanted and focused on his goal of seeing Jesus. Focus on your goal this year. Finally, Jesus arrived at the location. He stopped under the tree Zacchaeus was on and looked up. Jesus, no matter how busy, always has time for people for like Zacchaeus - people who are desperate to see Him. Luke 19:5 says: “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.” I can’t imagine the look on the face of Zacchaeus when the Lord looked up and smiled at him.
The bible records, in John 2:24, that Jesus knew the heart of all men. He knew the heart desire of Zacchaeus. He knew this poor man wanted to serve Him. One would have thought that Jesus would have allowed Zacchaeus to join His train to Jerusalem just like that but He didn’t. You see, our God is a God of order. He does not do things anyhow. There are certain issues that must be dealt with, first, before He will allow any man to follow Him. You cannot follow the Lord when there are unsettled matters at home. Jesus went home with Zacchaeus. Whilst in Zacchaeus' living room, the Holy Spirit began to convict Zacchaeus of the "wrongs" that needed to be made right. The Holy Spirit convicted him of restitutions that needed to be made. The same thing with you and me, no matter how passionate we are about the things of God, Jesus will not allow us to join His "train to Jerusalem" until He literally goes home with us to settle the matters at home. Those pornographic movies have to be destroyed first before Jesus will allow you to join Him. Those books you borrowed years back needs to be returned. Those immoral acts you are involved in such as; masturbation, phone sex, fornication, kerb crawling, visiting brothels, dating married men and women, must stop. Abortion must stop. Ecclesiastes 9:8 says; “Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.” Bleaching of your skin must stop if you want to follow Jesus. Gossiping and speaking evil of brethren must stop if you want to follow Jesus.
QUESTION: Is your garment still white? Or, it has been stained by sin.
ACTION: Ask the Lord to wash you in His blood and promise Him never to return to your old ways.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Wednesday, 7 September 2016
WILL HE FIND YOU? PART TWO
MEMORY VERSE: And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 21-30
There are several types of prayers; today, by the special grace of God, we will be looking at intercessory prayers. To intercede means literally to “come in between God.” The intercessor is one who comes in between God and those for whom he is praying. Intercession is one of the highest arts of a Christian life. Sadly, many of us rarely pray intercessory prayers and when we do, we spend little or no time doing it. We spend quality time bombarding heaven with our personal prayer requests – things we want God to do, household enemies we want Him to destroy, etc. – but we rarely pray for others. Many of us who claim to intercede for others only intercede for our close friends. Ezekiel 22:30 says: “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” The Bible is littered with examples of men and women who made a difference through their intercessory prayers. Abraham, in Genesis 18, stood in between God and a city. Verse 22 says: “And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.” This is the position of an intercessor. Abraham stood in front of the Lord and said, “Lord, hold on a moment. Don’t go just yet. I have something to say to You.” In a sense, he held the Lord back. And then began a time of bargaining.
Intercessory prayer is a must for all believers. One group of people the Bible enjoins us to pray for are leaders. We have a responsibility as believers to pray for Presidents, State Governors, Principals, Vice Chancellors, Police Chiefs, Head of Departments, Pastors, just name it. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says; “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour. therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.” Someone asked, I want to intercede but I don’t know who to intercede for. You can intercede for judges all over the world. Pray that God will give them boldness and wisdom to judge cases correctly. Many innocent people are being committed to prisons whilst the guilty roam around the street. You can also intercede for men especially fathers. Pray that God will fill them with wisdom and give them the wherewithal to look after their families. You can pray for marriages all over the world. Pray that the Lord will still every storm affecting marriages. Pray for the police and security agencies. They need our prayers to do their jobs. There are a lot of wicked people out there and except God helps them, they will not be able to do their jobs effectively. Pray for missionaries. Many of us forget to pray for missionaries. Remember, some of them left families to do God's work. Pray for the family they left behind. Pray for those on the sick bed that God will miraculously heal them. Pray for those who have lost loved ones that the Lord will comfort them. A lot of accidents could have been prevented if only believers prayed when the Holy Spirit nudged them to pray.
NOTE: God is looking for people who will stand in the gap for the barren, singles, pastors, wives, etc. Will He find you? Your prayer in Congo can prevent a car accident in Nepal.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Tuesday, 6 September 2016
WILL HE FIND YOU? PART ONE
MEMORY VERSE: And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Ezekiel 22:30
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 11-20
What is prayer? According to Noah Webster’s dictionary 1828 edition, it is a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. There are several types of prayer. There is the prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Praise is offered to God for who He is and what He does in general. A popular form of praise is a eulogy. “You are the Biggest… You are the Greatest….. You are the Wisest….. You are the Strongest….. You are the Best….”, are forms of eulogies. God loves it when we eulogise Him. Unfortunately, many don’t eulogise Him and some of us who do spend a little time doing it. Going through the Scriptures, I discovered that whenever people eulogise God, He does wonders. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is offered to God for what He has done for us in particular. You thank Him specifically for what He did. You slept last night and He woke you up this morning, thank Him for that. Why? Not everyone who slept last night woke up this morning. Thank Him for your vision. Why? Many lost their vision last week. Now, granted, if you are having an emergency – you are about to slide into another car ahead of you – you do not have time to do a lot of talking. But apart from that, it is a good principle to start prayers with praise and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving gives you access into His court and praise gives you access into His presence. Psalm 100:4 says: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
Another type of prayer is worship. Worship is not singing hymns or choruses or slow songs; worship is not a declaration of God’s attributes. Vocal expression has to do with praise and thanksgiving; worship has to do with attitude. What’s your attitude in prayer? Different attitudes are represented by different words. One means to bend the head low. Another means to bend the upper part of the body forward and stretch out the hands. A third means to prostrate oneself face downward in the presence of the One whom one is worshipping. NOTE: Thanksgiving and praise are vocal, meaning they come out of our mouths; worship is the attitude or (of position of the body) in which we come. There is the prayer of petition which means asking for physical and material needs to be met. Might I remind you that praying is not just thinking of anything we want and asking for it. Praying is discovering God’s revealed purpose in Scripture, and then praying for the outworking of that purpose. Also, there is the prayer of intercession. The intercessor is one who comes between God and those for whom he is praying. There are several other types of prayers and we have treated them in the past. God willing, sometimes this year, if God delays His second coming, we will repost them. Prayer is one powerful tool believers, all round the world, have to turn things around. Another one is speaking in tongues. John Wesley wrote this in his journal: “ I am persuaded that God does everything by prayer and nothing without it”. Paul, the apostle, said in Phillipians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” You can achieve a lot through prayers. You can destroy the plans of the enemy in advance. Through the power of prayer, Jesus destroyed the plans of the enemy over Peter’s life. Luke 22:31- 32 says: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Peradventure you have been set up to fail like Jabez, if you will cry to God He will turn that around. Prayer changes things –events, people, situations ,etc. Prayer also fixes things. It fixes a bad marriage. Prayer also corrects things.
NOTE: God is only committed to answering the prayers of His children. Before you go to Him, you need to ask yourself this personal question, am I lamb or a goat. Am I His child? If you have not given your life to Christ you are not His child, period!
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Monday, 5 September 2016
IN A CLASS OF HIS OWN
MEMORY VERSE: Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? Isaiah 66:1
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 5-10
One of the names of God is “The Greatest” (Isaiah 66:1). The word “greatest” suggests a comparison between entities or things in the same class. God is so great there is nothing to compare His greatness with. In terms of greatness, He is in a class of His own. His arms, according to Deuteronomy 33:27, are everlastingly long. From His throne in heaven, He can touch you wherever you are in the world. Attached to His hands are His great palms – so big that the whole universe can fit into it (Isaiah 40:21). His eyes run through the whole earth (2 Chronicles 16:9). You will agree with me that a pair of eyes that runs to and from throughout the whole earth are not small eyes.
Another name of God is “The Highest”(Lamentations 3:35). The word “highest”, again, suggests a comparison between entities in the same class. According to Revelations 19:16, He is the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. David, one of the greatest warrior that ever lived, described Him as the Lord of hosts. The Lord of hosts means the commander in chief of all the hosts or armies in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth (1 Samuel 17:45). He is the Supreme Ruler. Our God is “The Strongest” (Isaiah 13:13). In terms of strength, He is in a class of His own. Comparing God to anything is simply comparing the incomparable. Describing Him is like describing the indescribable. Or, explaining His existence is explaining the unexplainable. He is bigger than the whole earth yet He can fit into you. He is far and close at the same time. He is in heaven, in UK, USA, Germany, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, etc, all at the same time. He is present everywhere at the same time. He is listening to the worship of the angels in heaven, listening to prayer requests in Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, etc, all at the same time. The whole world speaks to Him at the same time and He hears them all at the same time. He is speaking to me, you, to those in villages, golf courses, offices, etc, all at the same time. He is too big to measure. He is too much to count. He is too bright to look at. He is beyond human comprehension. Imagine, He created everyone –there is nothing on earth that was not created – yet no one created Him. He gave life to every living organism yet no one gave life to Him. He feeds everyone yet no one feeds Him. The whole world depends on Him and yet He depends on no one. He protects everyone and yet He needs no protection. He meets the needs of all and yet He lacks nothing. He is the only Teacher that was never taught. He is the One who can’t be made wiser. He is the rich One who cannot be made richer. He is the great One who cannot be made greater. He can change the unchangeable; reverse the irreversible; move the unmovable; break the unbreakable, etc. Indeed, He is in a class of His own!
ACTION: Meditate on the greatness of our God and praise Him.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 5-10
One of the names of God is “The Greatest” (Isaiah 66:1). The word “greatest” suggests a comparison between entities or things in the same class. God is so great there is nothing to compare His greatness with. In terms of greatness, He is in a class of His own. His arms, according to Deuteronomy 33:27, are everlastingly long. From His throne in heaven, He can touch you wherever you are in the world. Attached to His hands are His great palms – so big that the whole universe can fit into it (Isaiah 40:21). His eyes run through the whole earth (2 Chronicles 16:9). You will agree with me that a pair of eyes that runs to and from throughout the whole earth are not small eyes.
Another name of God is “The Highest”(Lamentations 3:35). The word “highest”, again, suggests a comparison between entities in the same class. According to Revelations 19:16, He is the KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. David, one of the greatest warrior that ever lived, described Him as the Lord of hosts. The Lord of hosts means the commander in chief of all the hosts or armies in heaven, on earth and underneath the earth (1 Samuel 17:45). He is the Supreme Ruler. Our God is “The Strongest” (Isaiah 13:13). In terms of strength, He is in a class of His own. Comparing God to anything is simply comparing the incomparable. Describing Him is like describing the indescribable. Or, explaining His existence is explaining the unexplainable. He is bigger than the whole earth yet He can fit into you. He is far and close at the same time. He is in heaven, in UK, USA, Germany, Nepal, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, etc, all at the same time. He is present everywhere at the same time. He is listening to the worship of the angels in heaven, listening to prayer requests in Cambodia, Vietnam, Congo, etc, all at the same time. The whole world speaks to Him at the same time and He hears them all at the same time. He is speaking to me, you, to those in villages, golf courses, offices, etc, all at the same time. He is too big to measure. He is too much to count. He is too bright to look at. He is beyond human comprehension. Imagine, He created everyone –there is nothing on earth that was not created – yet no one created Him. He gave life to every living organism yet no one gave life to Him. He feeds everyone yet no one feeds Him. The whole world depends on Him and yet He depends on no one. He protects everyone and yet He needs no protection. He meets the needs of all and yet He lacks nothing. He is the only Teacher that was never taught. He is the One who can’t be made wiser. He is the rich One who cannot be made richer. He is the great One who cannot be made greater. He can change the unchangeable; reverse the irreversible; move the unmovable; break the unbreakable, etc. Indeed, He is in a class of His own!
ACTION: Meditate on the greatness of our God and praise Him.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Wednesday, 31 August 2016
BUILT ON SAND
MEMORY VERSE: And every one that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which
built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it. Matthew 7:26-27
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 4
Jesus, in Matthew 7:24-27, likened everyone who heard Him to a builder. Verse 24 says: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”. Verse 26 says: “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.” He likened those who built their lives, marriages, ministries, homes, etc, on the Word to a man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:25). He likened those who ignored His teachings to a man who built his house on the sand.
What type of builder are you? Are you building on the rock or on the sand? Many lives / marriages / ministries / businesses / relationships / homes are built on the “sand of human wisdom and philosophy”. Apostle Paul warns against building on human wisdom / common sense and philosophy. Colossians 2:8 says: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Anything built on human wisdom or philosophy will crumble when the storm of life blows. Any marriage or relationship that is built on love-at-first-sight may crumble when the storm of life blows. Any ministry that is built on intellect, positive thinking and psychology will crumble when the forces of darkness attack. Apostle Paul built his ministry on the spirit of power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). There is also the “sand of tradition of religion”. Over the years, the church has built up traditions which people base their lives on without asking whether they are scriptural or not. The Pharisees accosted Jesus several times about His disciples violating the “tradition of the elders”. Matthew 15:2 says: “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” What are some of the traditions of the elders we still practise today? Burning of candles and incenses. Other popular “tradition of the elders” is widows wearing black cloth and shaving their hair for life. All these are not scriptural. Friends, check whether what you are practising is the “tradition of the elders” or God’s commandment. There is the “sand of fables”. Fables are stories and tales cleverly invented by the human mind. Paul, in his letter to his son-in-the-Lord Timothy, wrote: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”
QUESTION: Are you building your life on the Word or philosophy? Are you building your life on the Word or nice phrases like “heaven help those who help themselves”?
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 4
Jesus, in Matthew 7:24-27, likened everyone who heard Him to a builder. Verse 24 says: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock”. Verse 26 says: “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand.” He likened those who built their lives, marriages, ministries, homes, etc, on the Word to a man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:25). He likened those who ignored His teachings to a man who built his house on the sand.
What type of builder are you? Are you building on the rock or on the sand? Many lives / marriages / ministries / businesses / relationships / homes are built on the “sand of human wisdom and philosophy”. Apostle Paul warns against building on human wisdom / common sense and philosophy. Colossians 2:8 says: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Anything built on human wisdom or philosophy will crumble when the storm of life blows. Any marriage or relationship that is built on love-at-first-sight may crumble when the storm of life blows. Any ministry that is built on intellect, positive thinking and psychology will crumble when the forces of darkness attack. Apostle Paul built his ministry on the spirit of power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). There is also the “sand of tradition of religion”. Over the years, the church has built up traditions which people base their lives on without asking whether they are scriptural or not. The Pharisees accosted Jesus several times about His disciples violating the “tradition of the elders”. Matthew 15:2 says: “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.” What are some of the traditions of the elders we still practise today? Burning of candles and incenses. Other popular “tradition of the elders” is widows wearing black cloth and shaving their hair for life. All these are not scriptural. Friends, check whether what you are practising is the “tradition of the elders” or God’s commandment. There is the “sand of fables”. Fables are stories and tales cleverly invented by the human mind. Paul, in his letter to his son-in-the-Lord Timothy, wrote: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”
QUESTION: Are you building your life on the Word or philosophy? Are you building your life on the Word or nice phrases like “heaven help those who help themselves”?
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Monday, 29 August 2016
THE BEREAN CHRISTIANS
MEMORY VERSE: And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:10-11
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 3:1- End
The author of the book of Acts, Luke, compared two Jewish Christians in Acts 17 vs 10-11: The Christians in Berea and the Christians in Thessalonica. The Christians in Berea were nobler than those in Thessalonica. They received the word of God when it was preached to them. They listened with rapt attention. The brethren in Thessalonica, on the other hand, didn’t receive the word of God. They challenged everything. “Sir, you need to be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “What do you mean”, they’ll say, “how about those that died without hearing the gospel”. They literally challenged everything even when it was backed up with scriptures. Not only did the Berean brethren receive the Word, they did with it ALL readiness of mind. In other words, they received it with an open mind. They came to church with writing materials to took down notes. Whilst others were busy on Facebook during service, they listened and pondered on the Word. Many can’t receive the Word because although they are physically present in the church, their minds are far away. Some spend the whole service planning how to deal with their wives because of what happened on their way to church. You’ll be amazed to know that whilst the pastor is preaching on godly living and holiness, many are planning how to steal from the offering baskets in the same service.
Just as it was in the days of Luke, so it is today in our modern day churches. Many of us don’t receive the Word with readiness of mind because the brother teaching is an ordinary deacon. Ordinary deacon? Imagine calling the Lord’s anointed an ordinary deacon? Some only pay attention when the church pastor is preaching. Anyone doing that is proud. God can use anyone – big or small – to speak to you. “I gave my life to Christ before him so why should I listen to him”, some say. Brother, you are proud! The brethren in Berea went home after service and studied their notes. Also, they searched the scripture daily. There is a difference between reading and searching the scripture. You can read your bible anywhere even whilst standing in a crowd. You need to literally sit down to search the scriptures. You cannot search the scripture in two minutes. As you search the scriptures, you will begin to unearth nuggets that will transform your life and everything around you. The Berean brethren studied their bible daily whilst those at Thessalonica only read them on Sundays. The Berean brethren quote the bible whilst those at Thessalonica quote books and big men of God. We thank God for great men of God. We thank God for their lives. However, you still need to know the scripture for yourself. You need to know what the bible says on various issues. The bible is your standard for living not a ministry. Today, many are taking America to be “the” standard. Whatever we see them do there, we copy. That should not be so. If it is not scriptural please drop it.
NOTE: You need to search the scripture daily because: 1) it contains God’s standard; 2) It shows you how to get to heaven and; 3) you will be judged solely by the word of God.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 3:1- End
The author of the book of Acts, Luke, compared two Jewish Christians in Acts 17 vs 10-11: The Christians in Berea and the Christians in Thessalonica. The Christians in Berea were nobler than those in Thessalonica. They received the word of God when it was preached to them. They listened with rapt attention. The brethren in Thessalonica, on the other hand, didn’t receive the word of God. They challenged everything. “Sir, you need to be born again to enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “What do you mean”, they’ll say, “how about those that died without hearing the gospel”. They literally challenged everything even when it was backed up with scriptures. Not only did the Berean brethren receive the Word, they did with it ALL readiness of mind. In other words, they received it with an open mind. They came to church with writing materials to took down notes. Whilst others were busy on Facebook during service, they listened and pondered on the Word. Many can’t receive the Word because although they are physically present in the church, their minds are far away. Some spend the whole service planning how to deal with their wives because of what happened on their way to church. You’ll be amazed to know that whilst the pastor is preaching on godly living and holiness, many are planning how to steal from the offering baskets in the same service.
Just as it was in the days of Luke, so it is today in our modern day churches. Many of us don’t receive the Word with readiness of mind because the brother teaching is an ordinary deacon. Ordinary deacon? Imagine calling the Lord’s anointed an ordinary deacon? Some only pay attention when the church pastor is preaching. Anyone doing that is proud. God can use anyone – big or small – to speak to you. “I gave my life to Christ before him so why should I listen to him”, some say. Brother, you are proud! The brethren in Berea went home after service and studied their notes. Also, they searched the scripture daily. There is a difference between reading and searching the scripture. You can read your bible anywhere even whilst standing in a crowd. You need to literally sit down to search the scriptures. You cannot search the scripture in two minutes. As you search the scriptures, you will begin to unearth nuggets that will transform your life and everything around you. The Berean brethren studied their bible daily whilst those at Thessalonica only read them on Sundays. The Berean brethren quote the bible whilst those at Thessalonica quote books and big men of God. We thank God for great men of God. We thank God for their lives. However, you still need to know the scripture for yourself. You need to know what the bible says on various issues. The bible is your standard for living not a ministry. Today, many are taking America to be “the” standard. Whatever we see them do there, we copy. That should not be so. If it is not scriptural please drop it.
NOTE: You need to search the scripture daily because: 1) it contains God’s standard; 2) It shows you how to get to heaven and; 3) you will be judged solely by the word of God.
twitter@BroOluwatoki
Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.
Thursday, 25 August 2016
A HEART AFTER GOD II
MEMORY VERSE: ‘And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Acts 13:22
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezra 3-8
What qualified David to be king of Israel was not his military experience, his family background, his educational background, his years of service in the palace, or a special competency. What qualified him was the state and inclination of his heart. Acts 13:22 says: "And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will." There are some blessings that your academic qualifications, beauty, physical stature, money, experience, and achievements will not be enough to get for you- it will require a heart that is after God.
Before God, the state of your heart is more important that the state of your mind and hands. An educated mind and well-trained hands without a heart that desires after God, the things of God and building of character is nothing. As you educate your mind, acquire skills, build relationships with people, and spend even more time with God, desiring Him, knowing Him, and building Christ-like character. When you give God your heart, He will give you what man cannot give to you and qualify you for what man will not qualify you for. There are some things your educated mind and skilful hands will never get for you; it will take a heart that is leaned towards God, a heart of integrity, and character.
PRAYER POINT: Create in me a clean and pure heart.
Bro Samuel Oluwatoki
What qualified David to be king of Israel was not his military experience, his family background, his educational background, his years of service in the palace, or a special competency. What qualified him was the state and inclination of his heart. Acts 13:22 says: "And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will." There are some blessings that your academic qualifications, beauty, physical stature, money, experience, and achievements will not be enough to get for you- it will require a heart that is after God.
Before God, the state of your heart is more important that the state of your mind and hands. An educated mind and well-trained hands without a heart that desires after God, the things of God and building of character is nothing. As you educate your mind, acquire skills, build relationships with people, and spend even more time with God, desiring Him, knowing Him, and building Christ-like character. When you give God your heart, He will give you what man cannot give to you and qualify you for what man will not qualify you for. There are some things your educated mind and skilful hands will never get for you; it will take a heart that is leaned towards God, a heart of integrity, and character.
PRAYER POINT: Create in me a clean and pure heart.
Bro Samuel Oluwatoki
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