SMALL HINGES SWING BIG DOORS

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 25, Matt 24, Esth 1, Acts 24

Genesis 40:7 and he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his Lord’s house, saying, wherefore look ye so sadly today?

The little things make big difference.Little act of kindness opens mighty doors. Many miss big opportunities because it comes disguised in ordinary moments. In Genesis 40:1-15 a big opportunity came to Joseph disguised in ordinary moments. He saw two fellow prisoners – the king’s butler and baker, looking sad and he decided to check if all was well. That simple act of care ushered him to the presence of Pharaoh. In Genesis 18:1-16, Abraham saw three men passing by and instead of doing what everyone does which is to act as if they are busy or pretend as if they did not see them, he decided to offer them water to wash their feet .This men agreed to stay at his place, later he found out that he was hosting the King of kings. That little gesture opened the door to his long awaited miracle. The little gifts we give can open doors during famine. A brother in church had a message like these and decided to give his manager a gift during Easter Celebration. He gave him a box of shaving set . Few months later he left the contract for another contract with better job prospects. The contract ended on the 24th of December so he was home during Christmas without a job. On the 26th of December, he called his former manager just to wish him a merry Christmas and that one asked about the contract and how he was getting on. He told him the contract had ended and will be applying for jobs in the New Year. Right on the spot, the manager offered him a job and by 2nd of January he was already employed. The little box of shaving stick he gave during Easter got him his job back. Just this last Christmas, I went into a shop to take shelter from rain and I noticed this stack of Christmas cards. I am not a card person but for some reason the Holy Spirit ministered to me to buy it and share it. Since the weekend was our Christmas Carol service I bought it and shared it to all the families present. After the Christmas service at church, one of the women I gave the Christmas card called me and gave me a very heavy bag. She said that was my Christmas gift, I thanked her and left. On my way home, I noticed I was the only one carrying a Christmas gift home out of the whole congregation. People told me it was favor but I said little hinges open big doors. My Christmas card brought a big bag of rice.

What am I trying to say? The small favors we do, the little helping hand we give, those small gifts, the little things we do for Jesus can open mighty doors for us. A young driver witnessed to his madam and she gave her life to Jesus. Because this woman was so rich, she gave the church one of her houses to be used as parish. That parish gave birth to over a thousand parishes .Redeemed Christian Churches of God (RCCG) has over a thousand parishes in Port Harcourt all because this young driver witnessed to this madam. A single soul witnessed to brought about the birth of over a thousand churches in a big city in Nigeria. That person you think is so bad that even Christ cannot save could be the next mighty evangelist. You might have been doing things for people –both small and big and they do not appreciate it or nothing seems to happen. Continue doing what you are doing because the reward is coming very soon.

KEY WORD: A single soul witnessed to brought about the birth of over a thousand churches in a city; you could be the next person to witness to a soul that will bring nations to Christ.

JESUS OUR RESTORER

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 24, Matt 23, Neh 13, Acts 23

Psalm 126:1 when the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream

Overcoming a strong man is not a child's play . Luke 11:21-22 says when a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. The fellow who will overpower a strong man must be far stronger than the strong man. Those that robbed Zion and took them captive were far stronger them. The resident of Zion was taken captive not because they were lazy but because a stronger nation came and overpowered them.

The fellow who will restore what the thief has stolen must be far stronger than the thief.
Not only that, the fellow must be willing to help. Who is the thief? The devil . According to John 10:10, he steals, he kills and destroys. But thank God we have a restorer who is Jesus. He is far stronger than the thief – devil. He is so strong He can shake the heaven and the earth will come out of its place, Isaiah 13:13. Matthew 28:18 says all power in heaven and in earth is His. He is not only strong but He is willing to restore everything the thief or the enemy has stolen from you. Jeremiah 29:11 says His thoughts towards you are thoughts of peace and to give you an expected end. In Mark 5:1-13 is the story of the mad man of Gadara. This man was full of potentials. Actually he was born to be a great evangelist but one way or the other demons that were far stronger than him took him, bound him and robbed him of his glorious destiny. Immediately this man saw Jesus, he ran to Him and worshiped Him. Jesus delivered him and restored his potential back to him. Jesus left the city and by the time He came back this man had already won the city of Decapolis for Jesus, Mark 5:19-21.The bodies of Sarah and Abraham robbed them the opportunity of having a child – Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Sarah was eighty –nine years old. The bible records in Romans 4:19 that Abraham’s body was dead while Sarah’s womb was dead. In Genesis 18:1-16, the Lord visited them and restored life to their body. Nine months later, Sarah gave birth to a bouncing baby boy at the age of ninety. The question is how can I get the Lord to restore what the enemy has stolen from me? By worshiping and serving God. Paul and Silas delivered a young girl possessed by demons and the owner of the girl put them in prison; they robbed them of their freedom. As Paul and Silas began to worship there was an earthquake and the Lord restored their freedom, Acts 16:25. Peter fished all night and caught nothing. While he was washing his net, Jesus requested for his services and he agreed. After Jesus had finished preaching on his boat, he restored all the opportunities Peter had lost all through the night. Peter caught so much fish that two boats began to sink. Luke 5:1-8.

ACTION POINT: To recover all the enemies have stolen from you , worship and serve God this year with all your heart.

ACCEPTABLE SERVICES

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 23, Matt 22, Neh 12, Acts 22

Isaiah 40:31 but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint

To wait on God means to serve at God’s table. After waiting on Him to His satisfaction, He gives a tip. The tip is He renews the strength of those that wait on Him. Not only that, He ensures that they mount up with wings as eagles; He also ensures that tiredness or weariness would be a strange word to them. When strength is renewed prospering – spiritually, mentally, financially e.t.c becomes easy. Mounting up with wings as eagle simply means achieving or making progress without stress. The tip He gives to those who wait at His table is basically He helps them prosper without stress. Proverbs 10:22 says the blessings of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

There are things expected of waiters in a restaurant. They are expected to be well groomed .The cutlery used to serve is expected to be clean. They are expected to be courteous and polite when carrying out their duties. When a well groomed waiter serves you to your satisfaction, on your way out you give him a tip. But if you walk in and you notice that the waiter is in dirty uniforms or there is a cut on his hands or his nails are unkempt, you will request for another waiter or walk out of the restaurant. If the waiter brings your food in a dirty dish or you notice dirty cutlery on table, you will request for a cleaner cutlery or leave. If while serving you, he is everywhere or impatient or look uninterested, after eating you will pay for the meal and he gets no tip. The same thing happens when we wait at God’s table. The first thing He checks is if we are well groomed i.e. are we saved? Have we been washed clean in the blood of Jesus? Without salvation, all our righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6. No one wants a waiter in filthy rags, definitely not God. He checks the hands of those waiting on Him if they are unkempt i.e. their ways. He checks if they are righteous or not. Psalm 11:7 says the Lord’s countenance beholdeth the upright. The next thing He looks at is the cutlery used to serve Him i.e. the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 says for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. According to Jeremiah 17:10 the Lord searches the heart. He searches the heart to check if the service is eyeservice or not. He searches the heart to check if the fellow is serving him grudgingly.2Corinthians 9:7 says every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly , or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. The next thing God looks at is how the waiter serves him i.e. work ethics. One thing God disapproves of is laziness. Jesus said in John 5:17, my father work hitherto. God loves diligence in service. Hebrews 11:6 says God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. God is more interested in the giver of the gifts than the gifts. When He is satisfied on all grounds, He then gives a tip. A single tip from God is enough for a lifetime. If you don't believe me ask Solomon. This king took his time to offer a thousand burnt offerings to God. He was not in a haste . His heart was right with God. His ways were commendable before God . When he had finished waiting on God,his tip was to ask for anything he wanted, 2 Chronicles 1:6-12.

PRAYER POINT; Father I am making up mind to serve you please give a tip.

CHRIST’S DOVES

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 22, Matt 21, Neh 11, Acts 21

Song of Solomon 6:9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, they praised her.

Songs of Solomon is a love song that allegorically pictures the church as the bride of Christ. The Shullamite is the church and the Beloved is Christ. As brides of Christ, we are His doves. We are expected to exhibit the characteristics of doves. What are the characteristics of doves? Doves are docile birds i.e. very submissive. As His doves, we are expected to be submissive to Him.James 4:7 says submit yourself to God. Not only to Him but to authorities also. 1 Peter 2:13 says submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme. According to Matthew 10:16 doves are harmless. As His doves we are expected to be harmless. Philippians 2:15 says that ye may be blameless and harmless, sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as light in the world. Another characteristic of doves is that they are humble. Been gentle is not humility. There are many gentle people with proud heart. Humility is a thing of the heart. As Christ's doves, He expects us to be humble. Psalm 138:6 says though the Lord is high, yet He respects the humble: the proud He knows from far. Doves by behavior are monogamous. While every other birds mate with any bird they see, doves sticks to only a partner all the days of their lives. According to Proverbs 6:32 anyone committing adultery or fornication lacks understanding , he may think he is having fun but he is actually destroying his soul . While dogs go around pleasing everyone, His doves are interested in pleasing Him alone. According to Jeremiah 48:28 doves make their nest in the sides of the hole’s mouth .For fear of birds of prey, she makes her nest in the side of a hole or cleft of a rock , that she and her young may be safe from them. His doves make their nest way from danger– pride, haughtiness, arrogance, self exaltation, fury and futility. Proverbs 16:18 says pride goeth before destruction, and haughty spirit before a fall.

The dove is a symbol of peace. Brides of Christ are expected to be symbols of peace not contentions or discord. 1 Corinthians 7:15 says God has called us to live in peace. Romans 14:19 says follow after the things which make for peace. We are expected to not to only seek peace but to pursue it, Psalm 34:14. The dove is also a symbol of purity. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 says for God hath not called us unto uncleanness but holiness. Whiles pigs dwell in uncleanness - dirty environment, doves stay far away from anything that can stain their white feathers. His doves are expected not to only run from sin but everything that appears as sin, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 . When you look at the fruit of the spirit , love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness e.t.c you will notice that this are all character traits of the dove. His doves are expected to bear the fruit of the Spirit

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

THE KEYS OF DAVID

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 21, Matt 20, Neh 10, Acts 20

Revelations 3:7 and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; these things saith he that is holy, he that is true , he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.

Keys are used to lock and unlock doors. When a door is locked, those that are in are prevented from coming out and those that are out are prevented from going in. Specific keys open specific doors. One of the biggest mistake we make today is we try the wrong keys on the right door expecting it work. You cannot try your car keys on the door to your house and expect it to work. The key to receiving a thing is asking for it. Matthew 7:8 says for everyone that asketh recieveth. The key to success is diligence. Proverbs 22:29 says the diligent shall stand before kings. Proverbs 12:24 says the hands of the diligent shall bear rule. The key to seeing God in action in our life is Holiness. Hebrews 12:14 says follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Also specific keys shut specific doors. The key to shutting the door on devourers is tithing, Malachi 3:9-11. The key to shutting the door on Satanic activities in our life is submitting to God and then resisting the devil,James 4:7. From studying Revelations 3:7, we see the possibility of a door been shut or opened regardless of what we do. Jabez was a diligent man but the curse on his life shut the door of success on him regardless, 1 Chronicles 4:9-11. The reason for the poverty in the life of the woman with the issue of blood was not because she loved sleep, Mark 5:25-34. This woman started life as a wealthy lady, but she spent all trying to get a cure for her illness. The mad man of Gadara was not sick as a result of sin, Mark 5:1-16. The reason for his mental illness was because he was possessed by wicked demons.

There is a key that opens all doors and shuts all doors. Not only that, when this key is used to open any door, the door remains permanently opened and when it is used to lock any door, the door remains permanently locked.This key is called the keys of David. The keys of David symbolizes power and authority. The possessor of the keys of David is Jesus Christ. Jabez ran to Him and the door of success was opened unto him. The woman with the issue of blood touched the carrier of the keys of David and received her healing. As mad as the demonic man of Gadara was, he recognized the carrier of the keys of David and worshiped him. I remembered when I was writing my final year project. Despite every effort I missed the dead line as my project authenticator was not around to sign off my project.The project deadline was Friday at 5pm. I got it signed off few minutes past five which meant i had to wait till the next semester. I ran to the One who possessed the keys of David and He opened the door of mercy to me.The next Monday morning I went to the submissions office and told them i wanted to submit my project. Without asking any question , the lady took it off me and gave me a receipt. If there is any door before you today, run to the Jesus and He will open it.

PRAYER POINT: Father , please open every door before me .

BY ASSOCIATION

 BIBLE IN ONE YEAR Gen 20, Matt 19, Neh 9, Acts 19

Proverbs 13:20 he that walked with wise man shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

Those we associate with can either move us closer to God or farther from God. They can either help our faith or the destroy our faith. Romans 10:17 says faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If we surround ourselves with people who have faith, our faith will definitely grow. To make a mark in life, one needs to associate with people who want to make a mark in life not time wasters or people without goals. Our association informs our perspective of life.It influences our confession, how we react to issues, even our commitment to God. Through association one can either become wise or foolish. There are two types of wisdom. There is the earthly wisdom and divine wisdom. It is the earthly wisdom that advocates sex before marriage or ensuring that the lady gets pregnant before taking her to the altar. The end of such wisdom is confusion and every evil thing, James 3:16. There is also divine wisdom. Divine wisdom comes from the fear of the Lord, Psalm 111:10. Divine wisdom is to fear God, Job 28:28. If you come across any professor or philosopher or genius who says there is no God, know for sure that such fellow is totally void of wisdom –earthly or divine. Psalm 53:1 says the fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’. Proverbs 8:13 says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil .According to Proverbs 16:6; it is by the fear of the Lord that men depart from evil. Those that are in possession of this divine wisdom do not play with evangelism. Proverbs 11:30 says he who wins souls is wise. Soul winning is not a choice. It is not negotiable. Proverbs 4:7 says wisdom i.e. soul winning is the principal thing. The question is why do I need to win souls for Jesus? Proverbs 3:35 says soul winners i.e. the wise shall Inherit glory. Not only that, they shall shine like the brightness of the firmament and those who turn many to righteousness e.g. those who invite people to church , like the stars forever and ever. This form of wisdom brings peace, James 3:17.

I want to become wise, what can I do? I am struggling in the area of soul winning what do you advise? I know it is right to fear God but for some reason I struggle when it comes to fearing God, please what can I do? The first step is to ask God who is the giver of wisdom. James 1:5 says if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not; and it shall be given him. The second step is to change one’s association. Proverbs 27:17 says it is only Iron that can sharpen Iron. Proverbs 13:20 admonishes that anyone who wants wisdom should associate with the wise. It is possible for a wise man to become foolish. How? By associating with fools. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says be not deceived, ‘evil communications corrupt good manners’. The greatest deception in the world today is the belief that we can change people. It is the Holy Spirit that changes people not men. If you are keeping unwise friends with an intention to change them later or you are in a relationship with an unwise person hoping to change them after marriage you are only deceiving yourself. People can change and people do change but it is advisable to go into marriage with the brother or sister who God has changed not who He is in the process of changing or planning to change.

ACTION POINT: Examine your present associations and check their effect on your walk with Christ. If they are taking you away from Christ , it is a sign that those association are not the best for you.

THE POWER OF DIALOGUE

 Gen 19, Matt 18, Neh 8, Acts 18

Isaiah 1:18 come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

BIBLE STUDIES: Genesis 13:6-10

Dialogue is the most effective way of solving or dealing with human relationship problems. The absence of dialogue breeds many problems. When you study the relationship between Lot and Abram , one thing you will notice is the absence of dialogue .From the moment Abram decided to take Lot with him in Genesis 12:5 to Genesis 13:7 where fight broke out between their herdsmen , the bible did not record any dialogue between them. The absence of dialogue between Abram and Lot led to strife between their herdsmen. Both parties were aware that the land was not able to support them because of their possessions, instead of talking about it they kept quiet. Because they kept quiet the relationship between the two began to suffer. One of the causes of problems in relationship is that people shy away from issues; before you know it the relationship begins to suffer. The absence of dialogue hinders the realization of the potentials in a relationship. The relationship between Abram and his cousin – Lot had a lot of potentials. In Genesis 14:1-6, we see one of the potentials when Lot got into trouble and Abram mobilized kings to come to the rescue of his cousin. Both parties would not have been able to realize this potential if they had not dialogued when there was strife between the herdsmen. The absence of dialogue also gives room to unhealthy assumption. Before any strife, there would always be give away signs that all is not well. Before fight broke out between Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen, there must have been give way signs that all is not well. Because there was no dialogue, they just assumed all was well between the herdsmen. The fact that people are quiet in a relationship does not mean they are happy in the relationship. Lastly, dialogue creates an atmosphere for providing lasting solutions to the problems at hand. The dialogue between Abram and Lot provided solutions to the problems between the herdsmen. Not only that, it also birthed a way forward. During the dialogue, a suggestion came up that the land should be divided into two: Lot will pick a portion and Abram will pick the other.

Humans are in existence today as a result of the dialogue between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:26. In Isaiah 1:18, we see the Almighty God encouraging a dialogue between Himself and man. He said ‘come now, and let us reason together’. Why would God want to dialogue with man? Because He understood the power of dialogue. From the day Abram and Lot sat down to dialogue, their relationship took a positive turn. From that moment onward, there was no record of any contention between them again; the bond between them grew stronger. In that relationship with your spouse encourage dialogue so as to ensure that everyone is happy. In that relationship with your children, encourage dialogue so as to know what they are going through and provide the necessary assistance. In that business relationship encourage dialogues to avoid assumptions.

ACTION POINT: In relationships, encourage dialogue.