Hunger & Thirst

Proverbs 16:26: The person who labors,labors for himself,for his hungry mouth drives him on.

Hunger and thirst are mechanisms God has put inside every living creature to ensure their survival.Hunger is a sign that the body needs food and thirst is a signal that we are running short of water in our system. Hunger and thirst do not only act as mechanism for survival but to achieve God given goals for our lives.According to Proverbs 16:26 , hunger is a mechanism that drives a man towards his destiny. Hunger determines our action .Solomon was so hungry for the attention of God that he offered a thousand burnt offerings ,2 Chronicles 1:6-12. Hunger determines our priorities. The hunger for the Holy Spirit led the disciples to gather in the upper room waiting for the Day of Pentecost- Acts 2:1-4.While others prioritized enjoying themselves they prioritized been filled with the Holy Ghost.Hunger determines our efforts. The more hungry one is for success the more effort one is willing to put into  life. The man at the pool of Bethesda was so hungry for healing that he remained at the pool for 38 years ,John 5:1-18.

The level of a man’s hunger will determine the level of his achievement i.e. the bigger the hunger ,the bigger the effort and the bigger the achievement.Most of the achievement we see today are results of hunger to succeed. Our hunger determines the no of our sleeping hours.One point to note is this , hunger is visible. It is easy to tell when a man is hungry for food, you see the eyes turning red ,such men do not smile at all so also it is easy to tell when an individual is hungry for success.You see them always studying at night, working very hard, you can tell because they are the first to get to work and the last to leave.

The Most High expect His children to be hungry for peace.1 Peter 3:11 says Let him turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it.Our hunger for peace should drive us to pursue peace at all cost.Also according to Matthew 5:6 we should hunger and thirst for righteousness. But the most important form hunger is the hunger the kingdom of God and His righteousness according to Matthew 6:33 . Anyone who has this form of hunger will be satisfied in all endeavor. This brings us to the question , how hungry are we to reach the top ?what form of hunger do we have ? is our hunger for the things of God visible to our family and friends ?

ACTION POINT:Our hunger to please God should be visible to all.

Divine Advocate

1 John 2:1 says My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Many who are yet to give their lives to Christ do not know what are they are missing.Asides from the fact that the only way to the Father in heaven is Jesus -John 14:6,only the friends of Jesus will be allowed in Heaven.Who are His friends? According to John 15:14 ,His friends are those who does what He commands. What are His commands? Isaiah 60:1 says Arise and shine! ;Mark 16:15 says Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature;Mark 12:30-31 says love the Lord your God ,with all your heart,soul and mind and also love your neighbor as yourself.

Aside from all these , Jesus is also an advocate before the Most High God.An advocate is the one who speaks,plead or argue in one’s favor.From time to time the enemy gathers evidences and prepares a case against us before the Father in heaven.Revelations 12:10 calls him the accuser of the brethren.The Father either throws away the case like He did in the case of Moses in Jude 1:9. He brought an accusation against Moses and it was thrown out,no wonder Micheal the archangel told him the Lord rebuke you.The Father can also hear the case while Jesus acts as our advocate.

Jesus is not only our advocate before the Father alone, He is our advocate before men.In John 8:1-11 , He acted as an advocate for a woman caught in adultery and she was set free. Jesus is present to advocate for you today. While the enemies are presenting a strong case why you should not be promoted in that place of work, why the decision should not go in your favor,why you should not receive mercy  , why you should not be favored Jesus is also present advocating for you. One thing we need to note is this , He is not only an advocate but the Judge too according to 2 Timothy 4:1. Give your life to Jesus today and all decisions will go in your favor because your advocate is the Judge.Remember His services are free.

PRAYER POINT: Call on Jesus to speak for you before the Father concerning your heart desires.

God's favorite Part 2

Proverbs 14:31 says He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

If only world leaders know how much God loves the poor and the needy ,they would do all in their powers to formulate policies that cater for the poor and needy in our societies today.War will be the last option because those who suffer from war most are the poor who can not protect themselves.

God loves the poor and needy. Proverbs 19:17 says He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,and  He will pay back what he has given.According to Ezekiel 16:48-49 , one of the reasons why God destroyed Sodom was because of how they treated the poor and needy in their midst.Psalm 72:12 says For He will deliver the needy when He cries,the poor also and him who has no helper.

Everything we have came from God.John 3:27 says everything we have is a gift from God.According to Ephesians 2:8, the gifts we receive from God are a function of grace. Everything we have came as a result of grace and mercy.

Why do we have to give to the poor ? According to Deuteronomy 15:11 ,it is a command from God.Secondly , so that when we cry to God He will hear us-Proverbs 21:13.Thirdly,it brings happiness -Proverbs 14:21.Fourthly ,those who give to the poor will lack nothing-Proverbs 28:27.To crown it up God has promised to bless the work of all those cater for the poor -Deuteronomy 24:19

ACTION POINT: Look for someone in need today and bless them.

identifying the wise part 1

Proverbs 24:5 says a wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;

Job 28:28 defines wisdom as the fear of the Lord.

There are four ways to identify the wise.

Firstly, by who they walk with .Proverbs 13:20 says He that walks with wise men shall be wise.Proverbs 27:17 says Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.We are who walk with . Any one who keeps friends that do not fear God, do not fear God themselves.The elders have a saying ,they say show me your friend and i will tell you who are. One way to measure how much a man fears God is by looking at his circles of friends .1 Corinthians 15:33 says Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Our friends influences us and even if they can not lead us to sin the day they will reap the reward of their foolishness, we may partake in it because Proverbs 13:20 says the companion of the fools shall be destroyed.

Secondly by their words.Luke 6:45 says A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil.Matthew 12:34 says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.Our words reveal the content of our heart. James 3:12 says Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.Also it is impossible for wise to say foolish things. The wise utter wise words and the foolish say foolish things. The wise do not make dirty sexual jokes,abuse or curse only fools do this.

ACTION POINT: Take necessary steps to be in the camp of the wise.

Promotion and Demotion

Daniel 2:21 says And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

When the Most High is involved in an individual’s life, He takes them from rock bottom and sets them at the very top.1 Samuel 2:8 says He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the rubbish, 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 has set the world upon them.In 1 Samuel 10:1, He took Saul- an unknown farm boy and made him the king of Israel.Within 24hrs , He turned Joseph- a prisoner to a prime minister.

When He is involved ,age does not matter. Uzziah was only sixteen years when He made him king over Jerusalem.Moses was around eighty years when the Lord met him. Gender means nothing when He is involved.The Most High lifted Deborah so high to the extent warriors begged her to go to war with them- Judges 4:8.Also status ,creed means nothing. Daniel was a slave in a foreign land ,yet the Lord made him one of the three generals in the empire. He took David from the back of the forest and made him king.Because He was involved in the life of Mordecai, death sentence turned into promotion. Haman went to the king to request for the head of Mordecai, he came back pulling the horse Mordecai was riding screaming “thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”

One thing we need to remember is when He is involved, sky is the limit but when He withdraws His support such a man will fall to the mud. It does not matter how high an individual has risen when He withdraws His support that’s the end.He lifted Uzziah very high at a very tender age.No king could look into the eyes of Uzziah but pride set in and he became a leper - 2 Chronicles 26:1-end. Immediately Saul became a king , no one could talk to him again , he could now decide what part of God’s instruction to obey . God left him and demons began to torment him on the throne. Miriam the prophetess suddenly began to disrespect the man of God because she had the gift of prophecy , well the one who gave her that gift took back the gift and she never prophesied again until she died.

PRAYER POINT: Father , help me not offend you .

How valuable is our word

Matthew 24:35 says Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
According to Psalms 33:8-9 ,one reason why we should fear God is because of His words- once He speaks ,it is done.Jeremiah 23:29 compares His word to a hammer that breaks rocks and a fire that consumes.Hebrew 4:12 says His word is sharper than two edged sword.Psalm 107:20 says His words has the ability to heal.
One of the reason why God’s word is so powerful and efficient is because of how God takes His words. Psalm 138:2 says He has exalted His word above Himself, no wonder Isaiah 55:11 says his words will not return to Him void but it shall accomplish  what pleases Him and prosper in the thing He has send it.God will go to any length to keep His words -why?  because He values them.
The value we put on our words is the value the world,challenges,situations will put on our words.Those who value their words will go to any length to keep their word.God went out of His way to use the dry bones of Elisha to perform the 14th miracle for Him in 2 Kings 13:20-21 since he carried double portion of anointing of his predecessor.
To what extent are prepared to go to keep our words?if we want mountains to move at our commands ,we must treasure our words! If we do not value our words no one will even mountains.Another reason why we need to value our word is because only those who value their words can walk with God.Psalm 15:4 says only those who swears to their hurt and does not change can abide in the tabernacle of God.
Have you said “I DO” to anyone on the altar and you are considering changing that? or have you giving your word to God that you will serve Him all your life with all your strength or have promised to do a thing or the other if He helps you ? God expects all His children to value their words.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:if we do not value our words ,no one will even mountains.
PRAYER POINT: Father, from now onward help to keep my word at all cost.

God of reciprocity

1 Samuel 2:30b says Far be it from  Me;for those who honor Me I will honor,and those despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

The word Reciprocity looks big but it simply means  do a good deed for another and the favor will be returned.This is what happens between countries ,if you allow us to build our embassy in your country ,we will allow you to build your embassy in ours.

The Most High God is a God of reciprocity. According to 1 Samuel 2:30 , if we honor Him , He will honor us too.Proverbs 8:17 says if we love Him , He will love us. If we give to Him , He will give to us .Solomon gave a thousand burnt offerings , God have him a blank cheque in return , He said ask, what shall i give thee ,1 Chronicles 1:7. The scriptures says in Luke 6:38 ,Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your lap. For with the same measure that you measure it shall be measured to you again.

If we spend time with Him in prayers , He will spend time with us.If we are zealous for the things of God, He will be zealous for things concerning us.According to Isaiah 9:7 , the zeal of God performs everything He purposes in His heart.

Someone one’s said He who kneels before God can stand before anyone!This means if we bow before God , God will ensure that everything under the sun bows before us .

ACTION POINT: Do something good for God today and i can assure you He will return the  favor before the end of the day.