DON’T BE UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH UNBELIEVERS.

MEMORY VERSE: 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

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Micah

We make important decisions every day. Majority of them affect others and the impact can last for a lifetime and on through eternity. The most important decision you will ever make is salvation. Why is it the most important decision? That decision will determine your future. The word of the Lord clearly says: “Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him” (Isaiah 3:10-11). Not only that, it will determine what your expectation will be. According to Colossians 1:27, Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Most High God will see to it that none of His children is put to shame. Most importantly, that decision to give your life to Christ will determine where you will spend your eternity. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The second most important decision is who you marry (if you are yet to marry). Asides the obvious fact that marrying the wrong person can make one’s life hell on earth, marrying the wrong person drastically reduces one’s chances of making it to heaven. According to Mark 10:8, you are one flesh with whoever you are married to. It will be difficult for one to make heaven without the other.

2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” To those who have been asking how to know God’s will in marriage, your answer is right there in 2 Corinthians 6:14. There is the general will and specific will in marriage. The general will is highlighted in our memory verse – "be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers". As a single Christian brother or sister, you must not marry an unbeliever. God will never lead any of His children into courtship with an unbeliever. No! Some have deluded themselves into thinking that they can marry the fellow and change him or her later. You are making a big mistake. Don’t do it. The first question i will expect any child of God to ask a brother who proposes is are you born again. If a sister is not born again, she is not God’s will for you. No matter how well mannered and how well behaved she maybe. It does not matter how caring a brother is, if he is not saved he is not God’s will for you. There is no need asking God if you can marry an unbeliever because the answer is already no even before you pray. Someone asked how about the so-called brothers and sisters who claim they are born again but indeed they are not. The bible says “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles” (Matthew 7:16). The bible did not say you will know them by their Facebook posts or bible quotation. The devil knows the bible and he quotes them regularly. It is not even by parent’s position in the church. Hophni and Phinehas were sons of the prophet, yet they were sleeping with women in the church. One important thing, make sure you carry your pastors along in the process as they will be praying for you. Also, let your pastors know what is happening especially when you enter into any relationship.

NOTE: Anyone who marries an unbeliever will have the devil as an in-law.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

MEMORY VERSE: For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:8

 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 29-30

It is important that you know about spiritual gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:1 says, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” Today, we will look at the “word of knowledge”. There are four basic types of knowledge in the world today. Firstly, there is the "natural human knowledge". This type of knowledge is on the increase today. Daniel 12:4 says, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” There is so much knowledge out there that supercomputers are being  employed to store and process the tremendous stock-pile of facts, since it has gone beyond the human mind to do so in any reasonable length of time. As important as the natural human knowledge is, it often creates so much pride – it has even led many scientists and think tanks to believe there is no God. According to 1 Corinthians 8:1, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Not only that, it has kept a lot of people from entering into the knowledge of our God.  1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Secondly, there is the “fallen world’s supernatural knowledge”. This is the natural mind’s attempt to gain information by supernatural means either through the occult, psychic or metaphysical investigations which Satan is using to ensnare an increasing number of people today. Please note, the fact that something is supernatural does not mean it is from God. Fortunetelling, clairvoyance, mind reading, astrology, witchcraft, spiritism, etc, all come under the fallen world’s supernatural knowledge. 

Thirdly, there is the true intellectual knowledge. This comes from knowing God personally through Jesus Christ ( John 17:3, Philippians 3:10), being filled with the Holy Spirit, and through studying the Word of God, which brings the knowledge of God’s will and His ways, for which there is no substitute ( Psalms 103:17; Exodus 33:13). Just as the natural human knowledge is growing, the true intellectual knowledge is also growing. Isaiah 11:9 says, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Whilst man’s knowledge will one day pass away, the knowledge of God is permanent and will last through eternity. The fourth is the “word of knowledge”. It is the supernatural revelation of facts past, present, or future which are not learned through the efforts of the natural mind. It maybe described as the Mind of Christ being manifested to the mind of the believer, and is given when needed in a flash of time (1 Corinthians 2:16).  This gift is used to protect the Christian, to show him how to pray more effectively, or to show him how to help others. This spiritual gift is not a human “ability” at all, but sheer gift of God. It is manifested as a result of staying close to the Lord. If a believer suddenly became aware, without receiving the knowledge through any natural channels that a friend was in trouble, and needed his prayers and help, that would not be “extrasensory perception, but rather God manifesting the gift of the “word of knowledge” The gifts of the Holy Spirit come from and through the Holy Spirit to our spirit, and not from or through the soul or physical senses. 1 Corinthians 12:8 says,” For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit.” The “word of knowledge” was used to expose Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27).  It was used to recover lost persons or property, as in the case of Saul and the lost donkeys (1 Samuel 9:15-20; 10:21-23).  The “word of knowledge” can give information in seemingly very prosaic matters. God is concerned about every human need.

NOTE: These gifts are given to profit and benefit one another. They must not be misused. When God chooses to share His knowledge with us, it is for a purpose. It is not given just to make us feel “spiritual” or clever!

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“TO ANOTHER DISCERNING OF SPIRITS”

MEMORY VERSE: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:10

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 119

There are several types of discernment. There is what we may call “natural discernment”. This is the judgment that we pass on people, circumstances, and on our own behavior. It is derived from the teaching we received in our homes, and the effect of our environment and culture. Our natural “consciences” are composed of this kind of material, and therefore they are unreliable. Christian and non-Christian alike have this. There is the true intellectual discernment which comes from the mind that is being renewed in Christ. This discernment grows as we meet and receive Christ and get to know Him better, through fellowship and through the study of the Word of God. As we grow in the Christian life, the Holy Spirit sorts through our minds and consciences, discarding the wrong, and adding what is right. If God has been permitted to work in this way, as times goes on, our minds and consciences will become more and more in agreement with the scriptures and with the Holy Spirit living in us. It is important for believers to develop in this kind of discernment as it is a strong defense against false doctrine. The moment we hear a strange new teaching that is not keeping with the truth, we should be able to say that God doesn’t act that way! There is the “false supernatural discernment” possessed by people who have been serving Satan, or people who are oppressed or possessed by enemy power and influence. They are repelled by the presence of anyone who is walking in the Spirit.

The “discerning of spirits” is quite different from all we have talked about. Firstly, it is a spiritual gift. 1 Corinthians 12:10 says, "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues." Like all the gifts of the spirit, it does not come through training but is given in a moment when and as it is needed. Any Christian may manifest this gift, but like others, and it is intensified after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. By the gift of discerning of spirits, the believer is enabled to know immediately what is motivating a person or situation. Also, the gift of discerning of spirits enables the believer to discern the kind of spirit that is operating in an environment. Whilst the sense of presence of the Holy Spirit brings joy and love and peace; the discerning of wrong spirits brings a sense of heaviness and unrest. The discerning of spirits is a kind of “police” gift, to keep the enemy’s influence from causing serious problems in the fellowship. In Acts 16:16-18, a girl with a wrong spirit, spirit of divination, met Paul and the brethren and followed them wherever they went announcing to everyone that they were men of God. This she did for many days. Thank God for the discerning of spirits; Paul cast the spirit out of her. When Peter made this great confession about Jesus: “thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Jesus commended him. When Jesus began to tell his followers, however, that He was to die, Peter would not accept His words. He began to rebuke Jesus, saying, “be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee!” Jesus discerned that Peter was speaking in a wrong spirit, and said: “Get thee behind me, Satan: you are an offence to me: for you savour not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:15-23). When Jesus was not received in the village of the Samaritans, James and John were so angry that they asked Jesus whether should command fire from heaven to consume the people. But Jesus said: “You know not what manner of spirit you are of” (Luke 9:54-55).

NOTE: An important use of the gift of discerning of spirits is in bringing deliverance. One is able to know what spirit is in operation and cast it out

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“THY FATHER WHICH SEETH IN SECRET”

MEMORY VERSE: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 5-6

Every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord must be taken seriously. There are several reasons why you must not take His words for granted.For instance, He is the Truth. John 14:6 says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” And when the Truth speaks, He speaks the truth. Another reason why His words must be taken seriously is because they are spirit and life. John 6:63 says, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus only spoke to the corpse of the widow’s son and the boy came back to life (Luke 7:11-17). All He said was: “Young man i say unto thee, Arise.” Another reason why His words must be taken seriously is because His words carry power. According to Ecclesiastes 8:4, where the word of a king is, there is power. Because He is the King of kings, His words carry power. No wonder the bible says:”He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20).

One important reason why you must take His words seriously is because His words will never pass away. Mark 13:31 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.” Take His words seriously. If for any reason He repeats Himself, it means there are some eternal truths in what He is saying. For instance, in Matthew 6, Jesus kept on saying “and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly”. He must have repeated that statement at least three times. What can we learn from this statement? Firstly, God is a father. Matthew 6:4 says, “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” The moment we hear the word “Father” several things come to mind for example family, children, etc. God is a father and He has children. His children are believers. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” This brings us to the next point, God is your Father. Jesus told His disciples “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). Because God is your father, you must treat Him as a father. Many of us respect our earthly fathers but we don’t respect our heavenly father. Many of us dare not disobey our father’s instruction but we flout God’s instruction at will. We give our earthly fathers our full attention when they are addressing us, but when our heavenly father is addressing us through a man of God we are busy playing with our phones. We are either on Facebook, BBM or sending messages on WhatsApp. God is your Father not your headmaster or principal. He is not always looking for opportunities to punish you or scream at you. He is not a task master. He is a loving Father. He is a caring Father. He is a merciful Father. He is a Father not a boss. He is patient. He gives second chances. He understands that you are weak. He wants you to prosper. He wants you to have the good things of life. He wants you to be happy. The idea that God does not like it when we are happy is from the pit of hell. Just as a father loves to hear the voice of his children, Jesus loves to hear your voice.

PRAYER: Father, thanks for being a father to me.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

“HIS FATHER SAW HIM, AND HAD COMPASSION, AND RAN, AND FELL ON HIS NECK”

MEMORY VERSE: And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Hebrew 5-7

BIBLE READING: Luke 15:11-32

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus spoke about the parable of the prodigal son. One morning, he walked up to his wealthy father and asked for his inheritance – his share of the old man’s estate. Disappointed, deflated, dejected, the old man called for his estate agent. When he arrived, the old man divided his property into two – since he had only two sons – and gave the younger his share. Few days later, the boy travelled to a far country and began to live big. He began to pop champagne and follow after strange women. Within a short while his wealth was spent, and he began to starve. In order to survive, he got a job on a pig farm as an attendant and fed on the pigs' leftover. His situation got worse and worse, so he decided to return home and work for his father as a servant since he was not qualified to be called his son anymore. Luke 15:20 says: “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

 Jesus often taught truths in the form of stories or parables. The way that old man behaved toward his prodigal son is literally the same way our Father in heaven behaves towards backsliders when they return home. He welcomes them back with open arms. Have you backslidded back into the world? The Lord is waiting to receive you back with open arms – not as a slave but as a son. Although, He is not happy that you backslidded, He is not crossed with you. Just as the prodigal son was restored, restoration awaits any backslidden Christian. The fact that you committed abortion when you backslidded does not mean the Lord will not receive you back. There are many who think the Lord will not receive them back because of the terrible things they did when they backslidded; friend it is not so. There is restoration for anyone who returns to the Lord regardless of how terrible they have been.  

Yesterday we spoke about the correct response to sin. After you must have confessed your sins to God, there is also a need to confess your sins to man. You see, even after God forgives our sins and forgets them forever, our past isn’t magically erased. Hurt and angry people still lie along the way behind us. With God’s help we must go back to each one we can find and ask for his or her forgiveness. It’s not an easy thing to do but it must be done. After i gave my life to Christ i had to call a lady i offended back in my high school days and apologised to her. She didn’t even remember the incident again but she was amazed that i would do such a thing. 

ACTION: Can i suggest a project that will help you settle the things of the past? Make a list of people you have hurt and things you need to set right.  After you have made your list, lay it down before the Lord. (No one else needs to see it, so destroy it as soon as you can). Confess your sins to Him. Then determine how you will contact each person on your list to ask for his or her forgiveness and make restitution, if necessary. The bible says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other that you may be healed” (James 5:16).  

NOTE: Confession is the healing balm of our soul. 

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

SIN AS A WOUND

MEMORY VERSE: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 18:13


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jonah
One of the names of our Lord is Merciful. Exodus 34:6 says: “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” We are all standing today simply because of His mercy. Psalm 130:3-4 says: “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” We are all alive because of His mercies. Lamentations 3:22 says: “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” God’s mercy attracts human mercy. Jeremiah 42:12 says, “And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.”

However, there are certain criteria you must satisfy before you can receive God’s mercy. Firstly, you must be born again. You must accept Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour. Anyone who does not accept Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior is against Him. Matthew 12:30 says, “He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Secondly, you must be merciful. Psalm 18:25 says, “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.” Not only will the merciful obtain mercy from God, he will also receive blessings from Him (Matthew 5:7). Thirdly, you must be God-fearing. Psalm 103:11 says: “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.” God’s mercy is not for the wicked. To fear God simply means to depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6). A child who fears God will not steal from his or her parents. Also, a government official who fears God will not steal from government coffers. Lastly, you must confess your sins and forsake them. Proverbs 28: 13 says: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

A sin is like a bleeding wound on the leg of an athlete. If the athlete does nothing about the wound and continues to run, he may fall and faint. If he covers it up without treating it properly, the wound will fester and decay. The leg will start to hurt and he won’t be able to run as fast as he could. If he continues like that for several days, the leg will become swollen and the doctors may have to amputate the leg to save his life. The right thing to do is treat the bleeding wound. The only way to treat sin which is also a wound is confess /expose it. Let the fresh air of the Holy Spirit blow on the affected area and healing will start. Go to God humbly and tell Him what you have done. Don’t say God forgive me for my sins. Confess each sin to Him and ask Him to forgive you. After confessing to God, you may need to confess to man in some instances. This is very important if you really want to deal with the sin and silence the accuser. (However, going about this requires godly wisdom and as such, seek counsel from an anointed man of God to guide you on how to go about this). After exposing it to fresh air which is confessing it, commence treatment in other words, forsake it. Investigate what led to the sin and put measures in place to avoid falling into the same sin again. Ask God to keep you standing and also watch!

NOTE: One of the advantages of exposing sin is that you won't want to sin at all because of the embarrassment of confessing it especially when it is against people. Where needed, make restitutions.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

HE GAVE THEM UP

MEMORY VERSE: But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels. Psalm 81:11-12

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Proverbs 28

BIBLE READING: Psalm 81:8-12

One way God demonstrates His love to us (His children) is by chastening us when we do something wrong or go off the line. Proverbs 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” So if the Lord has ever rebuked you over a matter maybe through a sermon or a post you read on internet, don’t get angry at the pastor or the author of the post. Rejoice because He only rebukes those He loves. He did that because He does not want you to perish. You must not take the Lord’s rebuke for granted. As such, repent immediately He rebukes you. Revelations 3:19 says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” One of the ways God rebukes us, His children, is through our conscience. For instance, if you record your time of arrival at work as 07:20am when you actually arrived at 07:52am, your conscience will prick you. Saul had been chasing David, to kill him, for ages unsuccessfully. One day, God put Saul in his hand to test him – to see whether he would touch the Lord’s anointed. David found King Saul fast asleep in a cave (1 Samuel 24:1-8). He walked to him as gently as possible and cut off the tip of King Saul’s robe just to show the king later that he had the opportunity to kill him but he didn’t. Immediately, the Lord rebuked him for that. 1 Samuel 24:5 says, “And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.”

If your conscience convicts you when you do something wrong, it is a sign of God’s love. Remember to thank Him for that love. However, if you lie and you don’t feel anything – your conscience does not prick you – it could be a sign that you are no longer His child. Worse is if you suddenly begin to feel like fornicating or committing adultery, friend if i were you I will run to God and ask why He hates me that much? The reason being that the bible says “the mouth of a strange women is a deep pit and only those God hates will fall into it (Proverbs 22:14)". In other words, when a man’s cup is full before God and He wants to finish such men off, He will allow them to commit adultery or fornication so that they can perish completely. When God begins to rebuke a man over certain things and the fellow refuses to repent and change, the Lord will leave the fellow alone to continue doing what will destroy him. In other words, the Lord will give up on the fellow and say “do as you please”. After several warnings, the people of Ephraim refused to change so the Lord gave up on them. Hosea 4:17 says, “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” God literally said “I give up on Ephraim; i will no longer send any prophets to warn them again.” This is why you can no longer delay the day of your salvation if you have not given your life to Christ. This is why you can no longer delay the day you of your repentance if you are yet to repent of certain things. Several times the Lord warned the people of Israel but they refused to repent and change.  Psalm 81:11-12 says, “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.” At the end they entered into captivity. Proverbs 29:1 says, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Friend, as the Lord being urging you to repent and you are postponing it? This may be your last warning. Have you been stealing from the offering basket? This may be your last warning. Have you been fornicating secretly and going up to minister on the altar of God? Repent because this may be your last warning.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please open my eyes to see areas where you want me to repent today.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world