NOW IS THE ACCEPTED TIME

MEMORY VERSE: (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 2 Corinthians 6:2

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:2 Kings 6-10

There are seasons to life. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” We have two seasons in the part of the world where i was born: raining season and dry season. In UK, there are four seasons: autumn, spring, summer and winter. Everything in life is time bound. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” There is a time to be single, and there is a time to be married. When you are in High school preparing for your O’ levels, or in the university studying to get a degree, is a time to be single not a time to run after ladies or keep boyfriends. It is not the time to invest in expensive shoes, bags, accessories and enjoy yourself. No, it is the time to study hard and graduate with a good grade. Many of our youths think that the university is a place to enjoy but unfortunately it is not. The university is not designed for you to enjoy but to mold you and prepare you for your chosen discipline. Sir/ma, your children don't need expensive cars in the university. Once they graduate with good grades, you can buy them any car of their choice.

Young man and woman, there is a time God wants you to be single, and there is a time God wants you to be married. The Lord did not give Adam a wife the first day He created him (Genesis 2:8). The first thing God gave to Adam was work, after that He gave him a wife (Genesis 2:16-25). Single brother, now that you are looking for a job is a time to be single. No matter how small, get a job first. Instead of marrying and then expecting God to miraculously provide for you and your wife, why not use that faith to get a job first and then settle down for marriage. There is a time to train a child and that is when he or she is young. Once that time passes, it becomes extremely difficult to train that child. All you can do then is wake up every night and pray asking the Lord to touch his or her heart. Why not safe yourself that stress in the future by doing everything you can to train that child now. Although, everything is time bound in life, there are one or two things that are not time bound. For example, salvation is not time bound. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation).” According to Hebrew 3:15, if you hear His voice today don’t harden your hearts. Don’t postpone the day of your salvation because you don’t know tomorrow. Not too long ago, i heard the story of a man who complained of stomach ache at 8 pm and by 3 am he was gone. According to Ecclesiastes 12:1,now is the time to remember God and serve Him with everything you have because a time is coming when you will not be able to do that. Now is the time to deal with that habit of lateness and procrastination. Now is the time to deal with anger. Now is the time to make peace with your family members. If you are not in talking terms with your parents or siblings, call them and make peace. Now is the time to call your pastor and apologize to him or her. Now is the time to deal with that pornography habit. Now is the time to end that relationship with that man who you are not married to. Now is the time to win souls. Now is the time to pay attention to your wife and love her. Now is the time to be a real father to your children. Now is the time to work hard. Now is the time to take your spiritual life serious.The time is now!

PRAYER POINT: Father, i have heard your Word please help me.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

CONTAINER AND CONTENT

MEMORY VERSE: And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. Matthew 8:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 13-15

READ: Matthew 8:24-27

Just of recent, i read the story of an extravagant city trader who spent 125, 000 pounds on a 99L bottle of champagne. (I think he could have helped the poor and needy with the money – although it is his money and i don’t have a say on how he spends his money.) What was this flamboyant trader after, the container (the crystal bottle) or its contents (champagne)? He was after the content i.e. champagne in the bottle. When a Christian brother walks into a departmental store or supermarket and buys a bottle of non alcoholic fruit wine, what is the brother actually after, the container (the bottle) or the content (the fruit wine)? The content i.e. fruit wine. People are after the content not the container. Do you know the enemy is also after our contents (the precious gifts that God has deposited in our lives, his great plans for our lives, our visions and dreams)? In the bible passage that we read, Matthew 8:24-27, we see that the enemy was after what the ship carried not the ship. What did the ship carry? Jesus.

No matter how expensive a bottle of non alcoholic fruit wine is, after consuming its content we throw away the bottle i.e. the container. It is the content that gives the container its value. Years ago, I and an older housemate went to buy provisions. When we got to the milk section, we saw two types of milk. One was 25 pence and the other was 45 pence. Whilst my housemate went for the 45 pence milk, i settled for the 25 pence milk. As we were about to leave, he asked me a question. "Sam", he said, "do you think the ‘white man’ – referring to the manufacturing company – is foolish? The ‘white man’ who created both milk decided to sell one at 45 pence and the other at 25 pence for a reason. Don’t you know that the 45 pence milk is more healthier than the 25 pence milk?" It is the content that determines the price. Why is it that in the same country, one man is paid 1.5 million pounds with 500,000 worth of company shares as salary and the other man is paid 25,000 pounds only. It is their content ( what they know ) that determines their salary. The content determines the worth of the container. It is unfortunate that i see a lot of single men chasing after container (a lady's physical appearance); they ignore the contents (a ladies character –her inner beauty). Many of them later discovered that they made a big mistake and by this time it is too late. Women do the same, they run after looks. No matter how good a container looks, if the content is bad it is useless. The container may fool a lot of people but once they see its content, they will move away. People will see what you carry and automatically draw towards you. They may even put you in a position of authority. Be humble. That good thing inside you was put there by God. Without that good thing in you, you are just an empty container.

NOTE: Do everything possible so that the owner of the content don’t take it away and you become empty and people begin to treat you as an empty can of drink.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

WISDOM AND SEEING

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. 1 Samuel 3:8

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 19:20

A spiritually blind man or woman will inevitably end up in a pit. Luke 6:39 says, “And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?” A fellow who cannot see will ultimately end up in a ditch. The reason why a lot fall into the hands of fraudsters is because, although they have eyes, they can’t see. I will never forget the story of a greedy lady who lost her house rent to fraudsters. The husband gave her the house rent, 500 pounds, to give to the Landlord. On her way back from work, some men approached her to sell a Mac laptop, a Camcorder, and a phone (all worth around 1800 pounds) for only 700 pounds. After checking the items, she priced it down to 500 pounds and paid them. They gave her the bag containing the items and left. She could not believe her luck so she checked the bag again only to find onions in it . At this point, she began to cry! This lady fell into the hands of fraudsters because she was blind. Why will a man sell items worth close to 2000 pounds to anyone for only 500 pounds if not that he is up to something? Unfortunately, she was blinded by her greed.

What an individual sees or what an individual will be able to see will be determined by a lot of factors for example it will be determined by the level of maturity of the individual. Maturity does not come with age but with experience and exposure. There is a Yoruba adage which says: “What the elder sees sitting, the young can never see it, even from on top of the tree!” In other words maturity brings wisdom. To see, one needs to be matured. At times, there are some things one cannot see even with anointing. Samuel was anointed and he could hear the voice of God, but he could not tell the difference between the voice of God and the voice of man. Whenever God called him, he will run to Eli. It happened coupled of times and the old man, out of experience, perceived that God must be the one calling the young boy. 1 Samuel 3:8 says, “And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child." There are certain things one sees with experience and exposure not with anointing. Moses was highly anointed. He speaks to God face to face but it was Jethro an elderly man with experience who saw that he needed to change the way he was running his ministry ( Exodus 18). It is possible for a man to be heavily anointed and still be blind at the same time. This is why no matter how anointed you are, befriend older ministers of God. They may not be able to raise the dead, but they can counsel you on how to manage ministry and marriage together.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me the spirit of wisdom..

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

BE HUMBLE TO SEE

MEMORY VERSE: Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! Psalm 113:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Philippians 3-4

What an individual sees or what an individual will see when he or she looks at a thing or in a direction, will be determined by a lot of things. For example, what an individual will see will be determined by what he or she chooses to focus on. In Number 13, Moses sent twelve men to Jericho to spy out the nation and bring back reports. When they got there, ten out of the twelve chose to focus on the stature of the inhabitants of the land. Numbers 13:33 says, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” The other two chose to focus on the Word of God. The Lord told them before leaving that He had already given the land of Canaan to them. Numbers 13:2 says, “Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.” Ten chose to focus on impossibilities. Numbers 13:28 says, “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.” They didn’t stop there, they said, “we be not able to go against the people; for they are stronger than we” (Numbers 13:31). They chose to focus on why it can’t be done. But, two chose to focus on possibilities. Numbers 13:30 says, “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

Why is it important that an individual sees? It is important because whatever one sees is what one will get. If you can see it, either with your physical eyes or with the eyes of your heart, then you can have it. The Lord told Abram, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever” (Genesis 13:15). To see one must be humble. Psalm 113:6 says, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” What is hindering many of us from seeing is nothing but pride. A proud person thinks he or she knows it all. Sir/ ma, no one knows it all. No one has the monopoly of knowledge. Many of us cannot see because we are not teachable. God has put people around us, young and old, literate and illiterate, men and women , to teach us a thing or two, but we don’t give them the opportunity because we are not teachable. Few select those they can learn from. ‘I cannot learn anything from that brother because he is just an ordinary usher’, they’ll say. When a man or woman is teachable, people will point out things to him or her. They will give him or her ideas. Many of us need to be taught how to see. “You mean there is way to see”, someone asked? Yes, there is a way to see.

QUESTION: How teachable are you?

PRAYER POINT: Father, please give me a teachable spirit.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE THREE RELATIONS THAT GOD SUSTAINS TOWARDS US

MEMORY VERSE: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 14:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ezekiel 9-4

The bible teaches that God sustains three relations with His us (Christians). The first one is God is for us. Romans 8:31 says, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”The answer is no one can be against us if God be for us. Isaiah 54:15 says, “Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake." He went on further to say, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 54:17)". He didn’t stop there, He said, “Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life” (Isaiah 43:4). If God before you, there is nothing anyone in the world can do to harm you. I will never forget an incident that happened to a brother in his place of work. He was suspended for something He knew nothing about. The manager was so sure that she was going to get rid of him that she replaced him weeks after he was suspended. Because God was with this brother, she did not succeed and the brother returned to work. Few months later, she applied for her job (because she had been acting in that role for two years) and was not even shortlisted for interview. She had to leave out of shame.

The second one is God is with us. John 14:17 says, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” This should give us confidence and hope. In any situation we find ourselves we must always remember that God is there with us. Matthew 28:20 says, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”Things may not be going as planned at the moment, business may not be doing well, you may be struggling in ministry but i want you to know that God is with you. And because He is with you, you will succeed. That is a guarantee. It does not matter what you are going through now, as far as you a Christian God is with you. The third one is God is in us. This is where each and every one of us needs to be very careful. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” Your body is not yours but the Lord. That is why you can’t use your body anyhow. This is why you can’t draw tattoos on your body. This is why you can’t bleach your skin. This is why most importantly one must run from all forms sexual immorality. How can one carry God inside him or her and go about fornicating or committing adultery?

NOTE: God is the best friend any man can have and the worst enemy any man can have.

QUESTION: Are you God’s friend? Do you do the things that please Him?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE PROMISE IS FOR ALL

MEMORY VERSE: For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:39

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 8-9

READ: Acts 2:38-39

There are many Christians who do not believe in tongues. Someone, not from the Pentecostal circle, once told me that the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially ' tongues' have been done away with. He assured me strongly that gift of tongues is not for this dispensation and he backed it up with a bible verse. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” Do you know people mis-quote and mis- apply the scripture? Some years back, a colleague at work sat me down and began to lecture me on God’s will on marriage. Since i am always willing to learn i gave him my rapt attention. “Do you know that Christians must only marry from their tribes”, he said. Yoruba Christians (Christians from Yoruba tribe in Nigeria) must only marry Yoruba Christians; Zulu Christians (Christians from Zulu tribe in South Africa) must only marry Zulu Christians; Oromo Christians (Christians from Oromo tribe in Somalia) must only marry Oromo Christians; Bihar Christians (Christians from a Bihar tribe in India) must only marry Bihar Christians. “Oh great theologian and prophet, where did you get this heresy from?” i asked. He said the bible says, “to your tent oh Israel” (1 Kings 12:16). In other words, if you want to marry go to your tent i.e. your tribe. This is a wrong application of the scriptures. The only thing the bible says is Christians must only marry Christians. It does not matter where the fellow comes from, as far as he or she is a Christian you can marry them- provided you are led by the Spirit of God.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit especially tongues have not been done away it. It is still relevant in this dispensation. Acts 2:39 says, “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” What promise is that? The gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 says, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Peter was referring to the infilling of the Holy Spirit which is also known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. At new birth, the believer receives a measure of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-8, Romans 8:16). But there is also a work of the Holy Spirit that God desires to perform in the life of every believer subsequent or following the new-birth experience, and that is called the infilling of the Holy Spirit or the baptism in the Holy Spirit ( Luke 24:49 , Acts 1:8). You say, “yes I believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit but i don't believe in tongues”? Acts 2:4 says, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Speaking in tongues is an evidence of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. According to Acts 10:45-46, speaking in tongues goes hand in hand with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

NOTE: Since the day God gave the gift of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, He never took back that gift.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE NEED FOR VISION

MEMORY VERSE: Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Leviticus 10-12

Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” The reason why some do terrible things is because they have no vision. Why will a (single young) woman send her naked pictures to a man in the name of love? First of all, she needs Jesus in her life. Secondly, she lacks vision. What if the relationship turns sour and the man dumps her for another woman? Or, what if she becomes a respectable woman in the society and the man starts blackmailing her with the pictures? Why will a man tattoo a woman’s name on his body all in the name of love? Firstly, God categorically speaks against tattoos and body piercing (Leviticus19:28). I am always in shock when i see so-called prophet and prophetess flaunting their tattoos and body arts. That aside, what if the lady dumps him for another man? I think it is high time we intensify our prayers for the youths because some of them do things without thinking. Why on God’s green earth will a lady lend her school fees – money her parents suffered to get - to another man because she is in a relationship with him? Apart from the fact that she is a wicked child, she is unserious. A brother once said, “i will die if i don’t marry that girl.” Brother, you are unserious! You are naive. Why end your precious life because someone does not want to be with you? I see you don’t study your bible regularly and you don’t have a vision. That’s why you are coming up with such jargons!

When i see young boys joining gangs and the occult, i know they don’t have vision. When i see people hopping from one party to another, i wonder if they have vision. Or, when i see people going from one relationship to another, i know they don’t know what they want. As a sister, you don’t have to give your contact details to every man who asks for it. As a brother, you don’t have to give your time to everyone who demands for it. Time is one resource you don’t have much of so don’t squander it in the name of being humble. When i hear of couples who fight daily, i know they don’t have vision. Or when i meet couples who have different visions ( the husband is going towards the north and the wife is heading southwards), i know they won’t go far because they have not married their vision. The bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agree?” (Amos 3:3).

A lot of us put effort into our appearance which is good. We buy expensive suits, shoes, bags, perfumes, etc, which are not bad if you have the means but we don’t invest in our mind. You may dress nice but without a good character you are going nowhere. Expensive perfume cannot make up for bad character. When i see young men running after women because of their looks, i feel sorry for them because they don’t know what they are doing. Don’t marry a lady because of how she looks today or because of her figure. That beauty and figure you are looking at will fade away, either when she gives birth or when she grows old. A man or woman with vision marries for the future. That brother or sister may be able to bear burdens with you today, but will they be able to bear burdens with you in the next 30 years?

QUESTION: What is your vision for marriage? What is your vision for your life? What informs your decisions?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world