WHAT YOU LOOSE WHEN YOU FORNICATE OR COMMIT ADULTERY

MEMORIZE: And he said, what pledge shall i give thee? And she said, Thy Signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. Genesis 38:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Thessalonians 5 – 2 Thessalonians 3, Proverbs 28

BIBLE STUDY: Genesis 38:14-23

In our message titled: “price of adultery and fornication,” I shared six things that happens when a man or woman falls into the sin of adultery or fornication. The first thing that happens when a believer falls into the sin of adultery or fornication is that the hedge around him or her i.e. God's protection is broken. Secondly, he or she loses his organ of vision – am talking of spiritual eyes now. Dreaming dreams and seeing vision becomes almost impossible. Thirdly, the fellow goes down spiritually. Praying becomes difficult, fasting becomes difficult, bible studies become boring, winning souls becomes a hard task, etc. Fourthly, the enemy grabs the fellow and takes him or her to the headquarters of demons to torture him or her spiritually. Fifthly, the fellow loses his freedom. Finally, life becomes a struggle.

From studying Genesis 38:14-23, we observed that Judah parted away with three ‘valuable’ things when he fornicated with that prostitute. The prostitute took his Signet, his bracelets and his staff. Each of these items stood for something and we will briefly look at that. Firstly, she took his Signet. Ancient kings use signet rings to designate authority or honour. A signet contained an emblem unique to the king. Official documents or sensitive documents are sealed with a dollop of soft wax impressed with the king’s signet, usually kept on a ring of his finger. Such a seal certified the document as genuine, much like a notary public’s stamp today. Signets stands for a man’s honour and integrity. The first thing you lose when you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery is your honour, integrity, dignity and respect. The fellow you sinned with may still treat you with respect because of other things they want to get from you but deep within them, they see you as a fellow who cannot be trusted. What many ladies especially the youths do not know is that, the moment a man knows you carnally, he will tell his friends and all the respect you have earned disappears. You will become a subject of discussion when he is with his friends. Secondly, she took his bracelets. The bracelets stood for his jewels or priced possessions. The second thing you lose when you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery is your priced possessions - tangible and intangible. One loses spiritually gifts, anointing, glorious future, to mention a few. Lastly, she took his staff. Staffs represent authority or power. The third thing you lose when you fall into this terrible sin is your authority – authority over demons, circumstances, people, and so on. Matthew 8:18 says, “verily i say unto you, whatever you bound on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth shall be lose in heaven.” The moment you fall into the sin of fornication or adultery, you lose your authority to bind and lose. Some brothers went to deliver a particular sister who was possessed by a demon. Whilst trying to cast the demon out, the demon spoke through the lady and said, pointing at a particular brother, “you are not fit to bind me because you are a fornicator.” The brother was disgraced in public by a demoniac. Judah entered the prostitute’s house full and left empty. When you study the chapter closely, you will observe that he lost these things permanently not temporarily. Because, by the time his friend, Hirah, returned to redeem his pledge and take back what he had given to the prostitute, she was gone. Even when Tamar, the prostitute, presented his signet, bracelets and staff as the belongings of the man who got her pregnant, he could not reclaim it. All he did was acknowledge that they were his and kept quiet.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: Have you wondered why that wicked girl did not ask for his signet alone or his staff alone? She asked for those three items to finish him. She did that to empty him of whatever is good in his life.

NOTE: God is able to restore anyone who has fallen into the fornication and adultery. You may have lost your respect, dignity, possession, authority but at least, you will not end up in hell if you repent. God is merciful, if you really repent and cry to Him you may get your authority over demons back. He may even restore some of your spiritual gifts but your respect and dignity is gone. The stain will always be there. This is the main reason why you should run from anything that appears as sin.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me never to fall into the sin of adultery or fornication.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

HELP OF THE HELPLESS

MEMORIZE: But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him. Mark 5:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Thessalonians 3 -4, Proverbs 27

BIBLE STUDY: Mark 5:1-19

It is a terrible thing to be alone. It is so bad, even God – Creator of Heaven and Earth, said, “it is not good that the man should be alone (Genesis 2:18).” There is a very big difference between being alone and being lonely. Do you know that one can be in the midst of people and still be alone? It is possible for one to be married and still be alone. There are a lot of married people who are alone. It is possible to live under the same roof with your partner, sleep in the same room, on the same bed, with your partner by your side and still be alone. To be alone is bad, but worse than being alone is being helpless. To be helpless according to Merriam-Webster dictionary means not being able to defend one’s self or being unable to make a situation better/ easier.

The moment we hear the word ‘helpless’, what comes to mind is ‘impotence’, ‘stagnancy’, ‘being stuck’, ‘regression’, ‘weak’, ‘sorrow’, and so on. In our bible study, we read about a man who was totally helpless. A legion demon – over 6,000 demons, decided to turn his body into their residence. They seized him and began to do what they pleased with him. These evil forces drove him out his home to live among tombs. When friends and families caught him and tied him up to help him, he broke the chains and ran away. In broad day light, these forces made him to take off his clothes and walk around naked. (This they did to disgrace him in public). At times, they made him pick up sharp objects and cut himself with it. When there was no sharp object around, he would use stones to cut himself. Imagine the pains he was going through.  These forces, far more powerful and stronger than him, were causing him to destroy his body. The forces inside him were making him to do things he would not normally do. There are many like this man today who are helpless in one area or the other. They have terrible bad habits they want to stop but they can't because they powerless. There are many who do a lot of shameful things – things they do in the secret, they have tried to stop but they can’t. It is as if something is pushing them to do these things. The moment that thing pushes them, that is it. They have tried everything possible – been to doctors, tried to use will power, psyche themselves and nothing seems to be working. For some it is anger, once they become angry they turn into another thing. They lose control of themselves, do and say terrible things – things they would later regret when they calm down. For some it is a habit like smoking and drinking. They can’t do without smoking marijuana daily. They know the side effects of these habits and want to stop but they just can't. For some it is looking at nude pictures. This man knew within himself that except God comes to his rescue, these demons would destroy him. Actually he was on the path to destruction. For some it is their body. They don’t have control over it at all. The moment the urge to sin comes, that is it. Some of what they do when the urges come, they cannot share it with a living soul even their pastor. They have battled these urges unsuccessfully. Helpless as this mad man was, he saw Jesus and he did something i want you to do if you find yourself in a position where you are helpless. Mark 5:6 says, “But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.” Friend, run to Jesus today before that urge destroys you. He is ready save you.

THOUGHTS OF THE DAY: This man did not pretend when he saw Jesus. He did not act as if all is well when actually all is not well. He did not try to cover his weakness from Jesus. He ran to Him and worshipped Him.  

ACTION: The Help of the helpless is still very much alive. What He did thousands of years ago, He is still doing them today and He will do it for you too. Start by worshipping Him before asking Him to help. Run to Him now!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

GET IT THROUGH THE RIGHT MEANS

MEMORIZE: As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatchet them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. Jeremiah 17:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Thessalonians 1-2, Proverbs 26

God wants us, His children, to prosper. I marvel when people say, "No rich man will make heaven." Does that mean Father Abraham did not make heaven? According to Genesis 13:2, he was rich in cattle, silver and gold. If rich people will not make heaven that means Isaac, Jacob, David and other men who were mightily blessed by God- especially in the area of finance - did not make heaven. That is a lie from the pit of hell! Abraham was rich and he made heaven. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” God is delighted when His children prosper. Psalm 35:27 says this: “let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” Can you see that? God has pleasure in the prosperity of His children. God does not want you to prosper alone; He wants you to have good health with it. 3 John 2 says, “beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

However, how you get your wealth is very important. Some got their wealth from selling drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Some got it by importing and selling fake drugs. Some got it by rebranding expired drugs and selling them. Some got it through money rituals. Some got it through internet fraud and sending fake emails and all sorts. Some got it through prostitution and keeping sugar dad or sugar mummy also known as friends with benefits. Some got it through stealing from the government also known as embezzlement. Some got it by selling their babies – what a wicked world! Some got it genuinely, by being diligent in their business or in their calling – profession or ministry. How one gets wealth is important because of the repercussion of getting wealth through illegal or ungodly means. Jeremiah 17:4 says, “As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatchet them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.”

It is unfortunate that we live in a world where how you get wealth does not really matter. How you get your wealth may not matter to man but it matters to God. The Lord said this in Jeremiah 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” How you get wealth is very important. You do not need to do anything funny to get rich. According to Deuteronomy 8:18, the power to get wealth comes from God. As far as you are diligent and faithful in the payment of your tithes, you will prosper. Do not cut your life short all because you want to drive a Range Rover or BMW X6.  Whatever it is you are doing, maintain your integrity. Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no’. Do not put your hands into a dirty business all because you want to make fast bucks. Short cuts they say cut the life of those who use it short! Avoid selling fake insurance premiums. Avoid illegal business dealings. Avoid anything that will cause people to say, "And you call yourself a Christian."

QUESTION: What is the point of getting all that wealth and when the time to enjoy it comes; one is nowhere to be found?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please empower me financially so i can sponsor crusades and revivals.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

REMEMBER NOW THY CREATOR

MEMORIZE: remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Ecclesiastes 12:1

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 3-4, Proverbs 23

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says this: “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” The word ‘remember’ implies that there is a tendency to forget. “Remember now thy creator,” implies there is a tendency to forget one’s Creator. As of today, many have forgotten their Creator. When they were looking for the fruit of the womb, they never missed any church service. Now that God has answered their prayer, they only come on Sundays. When some brothers were looking for employment, they never missed Monday bible studies. Now that they are gainfully employed, they no longer attend bible studies. Bro So and So, we did not see you on Monday, hope nothing? “Oh, I finished late from work these days,” is the response you will get. When some were processing their visa to relocate to another country, they never missed Friday prayer meetings. They could pray for an hour nonstop, but now in the country they relocated to, they do not even attend church. They work Monday to Sunday – looking for earthly things that will perish one day. When some single sisters were looking up to God for a marriage partner, they never missed choir practice. They were the first to get to church and the last to leave, but now that God has brought the brother the story has changed. Sister So and So, we did not see you at choir practice. "You know I am now married, I have to iron, clean and cook," is the response you will get.

When are you to remember your Creator? The bible says, "Now!" There are three seasons in a man’s life. There is the past, the present and the future. We have no control over the past because it is gone. There is nothing any man can do to bring back the past. The past is gone and gone for good. You cannot remember your Creator in the past. You cannot also remember your Creator in the future because you are not guaranteed of the future. Jesus Christ could return at anytime. However, one thing you have control over is the present. This is why the bible says, “Remember ‘now’ thy Creator…” Why the word ‘Creator’? Why not ‘remember now the Holy One of Israel,’ since your Creator is also the Holy One of Israel? Why not ‘remember now the Ancient of Days,’ since the Ancient of Days is your Creator? Why not ‘remember now the Lion of the Tribe of Judah or the I Am THAT I AM,’ since all these are God’s names? The author used the word ‘Creator’ for several reasons but I will tell you one today. The only One who can break you is the One who created you. The Lord said, “see now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is thy any that can deliver out of my hand” (Deuteronomy 32:39). Just as He has the power to make you, He also has the power to break you. He decided to make you, at any time if He so wish, He can break you and to make it worse, no one can question Him. If you forget Him and say, “I don’t care,” He will put you where you belong. If you do not believe me, ask Nebuchadnezzar - one of the greatest emperors that ever lived. God turned him into an animal because of his pride. I pray that will never be your portion in Jesus name. What do I do, I don't want to forget my Creator? Get closer to Him. The farther you are from Him, the higher the chances of you forgetting Him. Have a prayer altar where you meditate on His word and pray daily. Psalm 119:11 says, “thy word have I hid in mine, that I might not sin against thee.” His word reminds us of Him. Set out time, at least once a week, to spend quality time with Him. Praise Him regularly. It is impossible to forget someone you are always praising. Regularly reflect on His goodness and thank Him for that. Tell people about Him i.e. evangelise.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Your sole purpose on earth is to please your Creator. According to Revelations 4:11, He created you for His pleasure. Is He pleased with your life? When was the last time, you told someone about Jesus? When was the last time you sat down and reflected on His goodness?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me never to forget you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

HE MADE IT AGAIN ANOTHER VESSEL

MEMORIZE: Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:5-6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 1-2, Proverbs 22

BIBLE STUDIES: Jeremiah 18:3-6

Prophet Jeremiah, as instructed by the Lord, went to a potter’s house. When he got there, he saw the potter making a vessel and he sat down to watch the whole process. The potter sat by his potter’s wheel, working away, labouring hard with his hand, trying to create a useful and durable vessel. Unfortunately, the vessel did not turn out as he had hoped. I thought the potter was going to discard that vessel, get new clay, knead it properly and make another vessel from the new clay but he did not. The bible says, “And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it” (Jeremiah 18:4). Instead of discarding the vessel, the potter worked again on the clay and made a new vessel. Just as the prophet was admiring the patience of this potter, the Lord spoke. Jeremiah 18:5-6 says this: “Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

The potter in this story is Jesus and we, you and i, are the clay. The Lord is working tirelessly, pouring His resources – time, energy, love, etc - on us to make us vessel unto honour but in the process, some have become marred in His hand. I do not know how you have become marred in the hands of the Lord. Maybe you used to be fervent, you loved the Lord and things of God, you used to evangelize but when you got into the university, you fell into the sin of fornication and everything died in you. Maybe you used to be a youth leader, God was using you mightily in the ministry, anytime you preached people will become convicted and begin to cry, but you got pregnant out of wedlock and it all ended. Maybe you have made a mistake in marriage and it has not only affected your music ministry, it is gradually destroying your spiritual life to the extent you cannot even pray. Maybe when you were in the university, you had the gifts of dreams, God used to show you things before they happen. You used to see visions and hear the voice of God regularly but ever since, you went for work placement all that stopped partly because you have now started to drink and smoke. Maybe before you lost your virginity, whenever you lead praise and worship, healing takes place. Back then praying was something you loved because you always felt His presence but ever since you lost it, it is as if there is a gap between you and God. It is true that you have repented, but you know deep within yourself that you are not where you used to be. You became marred when you committed adultery or when the pressures of life made you to run to a herbalist. Whatever it is that has made you marred in the hands of Christ, He is saying to you today, “cannot I do with you as this potter?” Just as the potter did not cast away the clay, Christ has not cast you away. It is true that you are marred in His hands but He wants to build you into another vessel. You have suffered enough. It is not over for you. Christ is not finished with you yet, regardless of whatever you ever done, even if you have had an abortion, He will forgive if you return to Him today. Regardless of your situation, God can still make something glorious out of your life.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Abram became marred in His hands when he had Ishmael. Yet, the Lord did not cast him away but he restored him.

PRAYER POINT: Father, we ask for restoration.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SPREAD IT BEFORE THE LORD

MEMORIZE: And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. Isaiah 37:14 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 16-22, Proverbs 21 

BIBLE STUDIES: Isaiah 37:10-14 

King Hezekiah received a letter that troubled him greatly, one morning.  I do not know what letter you have received. You may have received a letter from your lawyer; your wife of over fifteen years is filing for divorce. You may have received an email informing you that you were unsuccessful at a job interview. It could be that your exam results arrived and you performed poorly. Maybe you received a letter from your son’s school; they want to have a meeting with you to discuss something terrible your son did. You may have received a letter from your bank informing you that your loan application was refused. Yours could be a letter informing you that your permit application, to go and live with your husband abroad, has been rejected. Probably your letter has nothing to do with visa application or loan application; what happened was you received a notice of foreclosure on your mortgage. You may have received a letter from your doctor inviting you for a meeting; from the tone of the letter, you know all is not well. I remember a time in my life when i dreaded letters. I was out of job for few months so i could not keep up with my direct debits. Every letter i received reminded me of missed direct debits, failed standing orders, charges, bailiff, etc. I knew i was in debt and that really made me sad but the tone of the letters i was receiving, especially court orders, was as if someone was hitting the face of a wound. 

On reading the letter, heaviness of heart fell on the king. It was as if someone zapped life out of him. He must have looked up to heaven and tears began to flow down his cheeks - utterly confused, not knowing whether to cry or scream or keep quiet. The contents of the letter made it look as if the Lord had forgotten him. King Hezekiah was a righteous man. He loved the Lord just like many of us and yet he received such a letter. After reading the letter, he did something wise. Isaiah 37:14 says, “And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.” The ‘spreading of letter before the Lord’ means utter surrender. The king was saying, "Lord, i know what Your word says. The content of this letter are not in consonance with Your Word. Please oh Lord; turn things around. This letter was meant to bring me sadness but Oh Lord, arise and give me joy.” He spread the letter before God in faith and prayed. Before he finished praying, the Lord spoke and fought for Hezekiah. Friend, spread that letter, you received, before the Lord in faith and pray to Him. Start by praising Him, (the devil wants to make you sad but disappoint him by praising Jesus – the Helper of the helpless). Thank Him for the things He has done for you in the past and pour out your heart to Him. Every time i received a letter of this sort, as i have received them in times past, i spread them before God and cry to Him. One way or the other, He would move people, situation, circumstances, and laws of the land, in my favour. The same God who did it for Hezekiah is still alive. He is still in the business of helping people and He will help you. 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Someone out there has gone through what you are going through now or gone through something worse and the Lord delivered him. If He has done it before He will do it again. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, as many as are down, please lift up their heads. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus. 

THEY DID THE RIGHT THING AT THE WRONG TIME

MEMORIZE: But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Numbers 14:44 

BIBLE STUDIES: Numbers 14:40-45  

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Revelations 11-15, Proverbs 20 

It is possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. For instance, that big minister - lord on whose hand the king leaned (2 Kings 7:1-19) - did the wrong thing at the wrong time. There was terrible famine in the Land and Elisha, as directed by the Holy Spirit, prophesied of abundance. Of all responses, he replied and said, “behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this things be?”  Firstly, what he said was wrong. How can a mere mortal challenge the words of the Immortal God? Secondly, the timing was not appropriate. There was chronic famine; the people were low in spirit and needed words of encouragement not words that will depress them. Because he doubted the Word from the Lord, he saw the fulfillment of the Word but did not partake in it. It is also possible for a man to do the wrong thing at the right time. An example of a fellow who did the wrong thing at the right time was King Saul in 1 Samuel 13.8-9. Samuel told the king to wait at a place for seven days, after that he would return and offer sacrifices on his behalf.  On the seventh day, Samuel did not return as promised so King Saul decided to offer the sacrifices himself. This singular act cost him his throne. Although, the timing for the sacrifice was right, it was wrong for Saul to offer sacrifice because that was the job of a priest not a king. 

It is possible for a man to do the right thing at the wrong time. This is exactly what the children of Israel did in Numbers 14:40-45. There is nothing wrong in going to posses the promise land. In other words, it was the right thing to do, after all God had promised to give them the land. The problem was the timing, which was obviously wrong. Their leader and servant of the Lord, Moses, told them not to go because God will not go with them but they refused.  Numbers 14:44 says, “But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.” They went and regretted it. Friend, if God says do not do something, please do not do it. Even if that thing is the right thing to do, please do not do it. The time you have chosen to do it may not be appropriate. We all know that entertaining visitors is good. Hebrew 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” If whilst praying, the Spirit of God warns you against allowing a particular fellow to pass the night at your place, please look for an alternative place for the fellow to pass the night. In addition, please do not take the fellow to be an evil person. The fellow may not be a witch; it could be that God wanted you to be at that hotel, where you probably would have lodged him, at 2 pm the next day and the only way to get you there was to have someone you know pass the night there. Whatever the reason maybe, if God says do not do something, please do not do it.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Whenever God says do not do something; He is either protecting you from something and that thing could be sudden death or trying to show you something. 

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a hearing heart.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus