GETTING RID OF TORMENTORS

MEMORY VERSE: And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. Matthew 18:34

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 35-38

Who is a tormentor? A tormentor is he or that which torments; one who inflicts penal anguish or tortures. For instance, fear (groundless fear), anxiety, obsession, depression, marital discord, addictions, etc. Tormentors limit our lives and prevent us from living comfortably and effectively.

One of the things that open us to tormentors is un-forgiveness. Jesus illustrated this with a parable (Matthew 18:23-35). A servant owed his master 10, 000 talents ($10,000,000) and could not pay. The master ordered him to be sold, with his wife, children and everything that he possessed, and payment to be made. This servant fell on his knee and begged the master and the master cancelled his debt. The same servant went out, found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (about $20); he caught him by the throat and said, “Pay what you owe!” The servant begged him earnestly but he was unwilling and he put him in prison. His fellow-servants saw what was done and were very sorry and reported him to his master. His master went ballistic when he heard what this servant had done to his fellow servant. “I forgave your $10,000,000 and you could not forgive a fellow servant’s $20 debt”, he said (See Matthew 18:34 -35).   Asides from the fact that the Lord will hand us over to tormentors if we refuse to forgive, He will neither answer our prayers nor accept our offerings (Matthew 5:23-24).

Some sisters went to pray for a young girl who was maimed by rifle shots from a disgruntled neighbour. This girl had been hospitalized for many months and had undergone surgery numerous times to repair the internal damage done to nearly every organ of her body. When she was asked if she was willing to forgive her assailant, she replied very forcefully and very negatively against such action. This person had caused too much heartache to her and her family and she would go to her grave hating him. The sisters prayed for guidance from the Holy Spirit and the Lord impressed it on the heart of one of the sisters to ask her if she could pray to become willing to be willing to forgive the neighbour. This was acceptable and she quietly made such a request. The Holy Spirit touched her and she received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Not only that, her body began to heal.

NOTE: If you are finding it difficult to forgive someone who has wronged you, pray to become willing to be willing to forgive the person.

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DESTROYING DEVOURERS

MEMORY VERSE: 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. Malachi 3:11

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 31-34

What is a devourer? According to Noah Webster’s dictionary 1828 edition, a devourer is one who devours; he or that which eats, consumes or destroys; he that preys on. Devourers come in different shapes, sizes and forms. There are some in the form of insects; viz, locusts, cankerworms, caterpillars, palmerworms, etc (See Joel 2:24). These horrible creatures eat up herbages, corns, and fruits of the trees planted by farmers thereby impoverishing them year after year. These farmers ,at the end of the day, have nothing to show for their hard work. A devourer can be a car or machine that breaks down regularly. You spend money that could have been saved fixing the car or machine when it breaks down. Parking fines are a type of devourer in this part of the world. What is left of your salary when you spend £240 out of your £1000 on parking fines? A devourer could be things that go wrong whenever you save money for a project. Most illnesses, if not all, are devourers. The woman with the issue of blood spent all she had trying to get a cure for her illness ( See Mark 5:26).

One of the ways to put an end to devourers is tithing (See Malachi 3:11). A story that comes to mind is that of a brother who refused to tithe after giving his life to Christ. Whenever he took his car for repairs or servicing, his wicked mechanic would take out a working part and replace it with a faulty one. A week or two later, the car would break down and the brother would take it back to him for repairs. He would fix it and replace a working part with a faulty again. This he did every time this brother took his car for repair. The Lord exposed this wicked mechanic when he began to tithe. His car broke down and he decided to use another mechanic. From that day, he observed that his car stopped developing faults. Tithing drives away devourer from one’s life.

NOTE: To put an end to some devourers, you need to go beyond tithing: Discipline and wisdom need to be applied. For instance, you may need to start disciplining your children when they act like devourers; i.e., when they destroy their textbooks or home appliances. You may need to apply wisdom when certain people e.g. those who borrow and don’t pay back, come to borrow money from you.

PRAYER: Father, please open my eyes to recognize devourers in my life and give me the wisdom to deal with them.

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THE PATH OF THE UNWISE

MEMORY VERSE: The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Proverbs 3:35

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 26-30

Wisdom addresses three (3) kinds of people; namely, the simple, the scorner, and the fool. The simple believe everything. Proverbs 14:15 says: “The simple believes every word: but the prudent man looks well where he is going.” The Word of God says: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonian 5:21).” It is not rude to ask questions especially when you are in doubt. Remember, how you ask questions matter. The simple have no understanding. Proverbs 7:7 says: “And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding.” Also, the simple cannot see the road ahead. Proverbs 22:3 says: “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.”

Scorners think they know everything. Proverbs 21:24 says: “Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.” Scorners are your typical Mr or Ms. “Know It-All”, hence, they never attain wisdom. Proverbs 14:6 says: “A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.” Also, they never profit from rebuke because they get offended when they are rebuked. Proverbs 15:12 says: “A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.” Scorners are great trouble-makers. Proverbs 22:10 says: “Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.” A scorner that comes to mind is Ishmael. Genesis 21:9 says: “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.” Scorners will not go unpunished. Proverbs 21:11 says: “When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.” The Bible says “when” the scorner is punished not “if” the scorner is punished.

Fools are over-confident. Proverbs 12:15 says: “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” Proverbs 28:26 says: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” Fools hate instruction. Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:22 says: “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Proverbs 23:9 says: “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.” Fools speak proudly. Proverbs 14:3 says: “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.” Fools love to fight. Proverbs 18:6-7 says: “A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” Fools meddle into matters that don’t concern them. Proverbs 20:3 says: “A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. Proverbs 20:3 says: “It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.” They speak without thinking. Proverbs 18:13 says: “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Fools are not helped by discipline. Proverbs 17:10 says: “A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.” Fools always fall. Proverbs 10:8 says: “The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.”

NOTE: The simple, scorner and fool will perish (and God does not want any of His children to perish). The path to take is the path of wisdom. The wise fear the Lord (Job 28:28) and depart from iniquity (Proverbs 16:6). Proverbs 3:35 says:" the wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools."

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“OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES”

MEMORY VERSE: And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? Matthew 21:16

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 23-25

It is impossible for God to be stranded. How can the Creator of the heavens and the earth be stranded? He can create something out of nothing. For instance, He created light out of darkness. Genesis 1:2 says: "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Out of this darkness, God called out light. Verse 3 says: " And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." He called land out of the water. Verse 9 says: “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so." He can make a way where there is no way. For instance, He made a way in the Red Sea (Exodus 14). Verse 21 says: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided." I pray that God will make a way for you where you least expect in Jesus name, amen. In 1 Kings 17, God employed ravens to feed Elijah. Anyone who knows about birds will tell you that ravens are the stingiest of God's creation – they are even stingy with their children. Job 38:41 says: "Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat." Yet, God used ravens to feed Elijah.

The Lord will never run out of options (to help you). Why? Isaiah 55:9 says: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The Lord will never run out of people to use for His glory; He always has substitutes. Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, tried to brag about his love and commitment to God. "I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away," he said. The Lord responded and said, "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him (1 Kings 19:18)." He can create substitutes where there are none. Jesus, after resurrection, tasked His disciples with taking the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth . What did they do? They remained in Jerusalem because to them, gentiles are unclean. God had to literally use Saul- through persecution - to get them out of Jerusalem. Saul later became Paul, the Apostle, and was sent to the gentiles.

NOTE: Some of us are, now, too big to praise God. We are too big to dance before God or even clap our hands. Matthew 21:16 says: "And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?" If the adults refuse to praise Him little boys like us will praise Him.

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THE GOD OF ORDER

MEMORY VERSE: How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. 1 Corinthians 14:26

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 21-22

READ: 1 Corinthians 14:26 -36

God is a God of order. By the special grace of God, I have met one or two people who have been to heaven. These are matured Christians who are sold out to Christ and His purposes on earth, not those who claim that they went to heaven and saw baby angels. There are no baby angels in heaven. Firstly, angels are genderless and secondly, they don't reproduce. Those little creatures are demons, not angels. In addition, I have read several accounts of people who went to heaven. They all said that heaven is beautiful. This chimes with John’s revelation of heaven. Revelations 21:21 says: “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

Also, they said that heaven is a place of order. Several portions of the Scripture allude to this. For instance, Ezekiel described the four living creatures he saw in a vision (Ezekiel 1). These creatures moved in an orderly manner. Verse 21 says: “When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.” John described the twenty-four elders he saw worshipping God in a vision (Revelations 4). Verse 10-11 says: “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 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.” Everything they did oozed of order. They knelt, took off their crowns, laid it before God and spoke at the same time. He also spoke about some angels in Revelations 15-16. These angels spoke in an orderly manner - they spoke in turns. The second angel spoke after the first angel, the third angel spoke after the second angel and so on.

God loves order. Wherever there is order, there you will find peace, love, growth, progress, happiness, fruitfulness, prosperity, spiritual growth, etc. Hence, Paul encourages orderliness during worship in the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 14). Verse 26 says: "How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying." Disorderliness appals Him. No wonder He cast out Satan from paradise when he tried to break the order in heaven. Wherever there is disorderliness, there you will find hatred, rebellion, animosity, stagnancy, anger, bitterness, even at times - death.

NOTE: If you are going to enjoy a walk with God, then you must be an orderly person.

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GUARD YOUR HEART

MEMORY VERSE: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 11-20

According to Dictionary.com, the word “guard” means to keep safe from harm or danger; protect or watch over. We guard things that are precious or of value to us. For instance, wise women guard their marriages jealously. Unfortunately, some go to extreme length to guard their marriages. They go through their husbands’ mobiles when they are sleeping or check their computers/I-pads to see what they have been up to. Some foolishly employ diabolical means; i.e., charms, love portion, etc., to guard their marriages. Using diabolical means is like seeking help from your enemy. You dare not ask a lion to watch over a goat except you want to lose the goat. Women do these funny things; i.e., spy on their husbands or employ diabolical means because their marriages are precious to them. I pray that the Lord will give such women peace in Jesus name, amen. One of the reasons why I advocate looking to God for a life partner is because He takes responsibility for keeping the man and the marriage. The sister also has to submit to her head, her husband (Colossians 3:18). The primary way to guard your marriage is to pray. Many business owners employ beautiful ladies and ask them to dress in a sexy way; i.e., wear short skirts and tight blouses to keep existing male customers and attract new ones. I don’t subscribe to such practices. Only God through the power of prayer can keep your customers. Besides, your customers will be loyal to you if you render quality service to them.

Proverbs 4:23 says: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We have to keep/guard our hearts with all diligence because it is the most important part of us. Our hearts literally control our lives. Our hearts inform our confessions. Luke 6:45 says: "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Our confessions inform the quality of our lives. What you confess is what you are going to have. Numbers 14:28 says: "Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you." A brother confessed to me that he falls sick whenever he pulls a sickie. (To pull a sickie means to take a day off work saying that you are ill when, in fact, you are not.) Our hearts are so important that God asked for it. Proverbs 23:26 says: "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways." God has us once He has our hearts. The human heart is like a soil. Anything you plant on it will germinate. If you plant the wrong seeds it will grow and bring forth the wrong fruits. However, if you plant the right seeds it will bring forth the right fruits. Hence, watch what you plant on it. You can guard what you listen to or read.

REMEMBER: Your eyes and ears are the windows to your hearts.

NOTE: Watch the type of books you read. Ungodly books; viz, novels with erotic contents, will pollute your heart.

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DIVINE GUIDANCE

MEMORY VERSE: I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 32:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 26-30

It is God’s will to guide His children. The Bible is littered with several promises concerning divine guidance;e.g., Proverbs 3:6 says: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”, Isaiah 30:21 says: “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left”, Psalm 32:8 says: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

How does God instruct? One of the ways He instructs is through Scriptures. 2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” God’s general will for all people in all places in all circumstances is revealed in Scriptures. He has told us what He thinks about a whole range of issues. From the Bible, we know that certain things are wrong. Therefore, we can be quite sure that He will not guide us to do these things. He will not guide any man to marry a second wife. Sometimes a single person says, “I have fallen in love with this man/woman who is not a Christian. We love each other so much. I feel God leading me to start a relationship with him/her." But God has already made His will clear. He has said, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14)?” We can be quite sure that God will not guide any Christian to marry an unbeliever. In this particular case and many other cases, God has revealed His general will. We do not need to ask for His guidance because He has already given it. If we are not sure, we may need to ask someone who knows the Bible better than we whether there is anything on that issue. Although God’s general will is revealed in Scriptures, we cannot always find His particular will for our lives there. The Lord also instructs through sermons and books written by anointed men and women of God.

NOTE: If the Lord tarries we will discuss the four ways in which God reveals His will to us. In the meantime, I want you to know that the voice may be many, the message can be but one. If God tells me in one voice to do or to leave undone anything, He cannot possibly tell me the opposite in another voice. If there is a contradiction in the voices, the speakers cannot be the same. Therefore, the rule for distinguishing the voice of God would be to bring it to the test of harmony. Always check whatever you heard with Scriptures first. If it does not agree with Scriptures, I appeal to you to pray again and ask others to pray along with you.

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