HONESTY STILL PAYS

MEMORY VERSE: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

BIBLE READING: Number 24-26

Noah Webster Dictionary 1828 edition defines honesty as “an upright disposition; moral rectitude of heart; a disposition to conform to justice and correct moral principles, in all social transactions. In fact, upright conduct: an actual conformity to justice and moral rectitude.” If you look around today, you will observe dishonesty being celebrated and encouraged; meanwhile, honesty is frowned upon. Actually, honesty is not rewarded in some organisations. In such organisations, you will be bullied, mistreated, denied promotion, and ultimately sacked if you are honest. Today, a dishonest man is seen as a sharp man or a fast man. To celebrate dishonesty, we even categorise lies; viz., white lies, black lies, etc. The Lord’s definition of a lie has not changed, neither has His attitude towards lying changed.

Aside the obvious fact that God abhors dishonesty, honesty pays. Firstly, honesty brings peace. Proverbs 28:1 says: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Knowing that you have no skeleton in your cupboard brings peace. Lying about your age to your fiance will not bring you peace. Also, not coming out clean to your fiancee will not bring you peace, either. Secondly, honesty breeds an atmosphere of trust. People will trust you with things if you are honest. Thirdly, honesty brings influence. You cannot exercise influence when you dishonest. Fourthly, honesty brings authority. Fifthly, honesty commands respect. Most importantly, God personally rewards honesty. Several years ago, a Christian brother was sent on an errand to another part of town with a token for his transport fare. When he returned, he gave his boss what was left of the transport fare. The boss was shocked! None of his staff had ever done that. The brother’s colleague called him a stupid boy. Months later, the boss set up a branch in another part of the country. He needed someone trustworthy to manage the new branch. One day, whilst thinking of what to do he suddenly remembered the honest brother and offered him the job as the branch manager.

NOTE: Honesty will bring you in favour with God and man. It will unlock doors for you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

FIGHT FROM BOTH SIDES

MEMORY VERSE: And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. Exodus 17:9

BIBLE READING: Number 24-27

There are two sides to any battle. There is the physical side, and there is the spiritual side. To win a battle, one must fight physically and spiritually. Jesus alluded to this when He encouraged His disciples to watch and pray. Luke 21:36 says: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” In Exodus 17:8-13, the Amalekites attacked the children of Israel. The children of Israel fought them spiritually and physically. Exodus 17:9-11 says, “And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy, and they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

To win any battle, you must watch/ fight and pray. To pass an exam, you must read, and you must pray. To apply for a visa to travel abroad or regularize your status in the country you currently reside, you must make an application and pray. To marry, as a brother, you must pray and then propose to the sister. The sister too must pray and also accept the proposal. The children of Israel prevailed when Moses held up his hands, and the Amalekites prevailed when Moses let down his hands. The spiritual controls the physical. 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.” The power you need to win the battles of life will be released when you spend quality time in prayer. These two sides – physical side and spiritual side – are important. Prayer alone will not solve the problem. You need to pray and take decisive steps. In addition, you need to play your part for God to play His part. You need to report the matter to Him for Him to deal with it.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please rise against all those who have risen against me.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

HONESTY STILL PAYS

MEMORY VERSE: The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

BIBLE READING: Number 24-26

Noah Webster Dictionary 1828 edition defines honesty as “an upright disposition; moral rectitude of heart; a disposition to conform to justice and correct moral principles, in all social transactions. In fact, upright conduct: an actual conformity to justice and moral rectitude.” If you look around today, you will observe dishonesty being celebrated and encouraged; meanwhile, honesty is frowned upon. Actually, honesty is not rewarded in some organisations. In such organisations, you will be bullied, mistreated, denied promotion, and ultimately sacked if you are honest. Today, a dishonest man is seen as a sharp man or a fast man. To celebrate dishonesty, we even categorise lies; viz., white lies, black lies, etc. The Lord’s definition of a lie has not changed, neither has His attitude towards lying changed.

Aside the obvious fact that God abhors dishonesty, honesty pays. Firstly, honesty brings peace. Proverbs 28:1 says: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” Knowing that you have no skeleton in your cupboard brings peace. Lying about your age to your fiance will not bring you peace. Also, not coming out clean to your fiancee will not bring you peace, either. Secondly, honesty breeds an atmosphere of trust. People will trust you with things if you are honest. Thirdly, honesty brings influence. You cannot exercise influence when you dishonest. Fourthly, honesty brings authority. Fifthly, honesty commands respect. Most importantly, God personally rewards honesty. Several years ago, a Christian brother was sent on an errand to another part of town with a token for his transport fare. When he returned, he gave his boss what was left of the transport fare. The boss was shocked! None of his staff had ever done that. The brother’s colleague called him a stupid boy. Months later, the boss set up a branch in another part of the country. He needed someone trustworthy to manage the new branch. One day, whilst thinking of what to do he suddenly remembered the honest brother and offered him the job as the branch manager.

NOTE: Honesty will bring you in favour with God and man. It will unlock doors for you.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

SHARE THE GOOD NEWS

MEMORY VERSE: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 2 Corinthians 4:4

BIBLE READING: Number 21-23

The gospel of Christ is nothing to be ashamed of. Romans 1:16 says: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The gospel is good news. It is one of the best news you will ever get. It is news which makes people happy and excited. If what you have heard about Jesus Christ does not make you happy and excited, then you have not yet truly heard and understood the gospel as it is meant to be understood. The basic outline of the gospel is Jesus Christ took your place in judgement, paid the penalty for all your sins, and gave you the blessing He deserved because of His perfect sinless life. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The news that Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, loves you enough to die for you is good news! Not only that, He took what you deserved and gave you what He deserved. This is not limited to you alone, He died for all mankind. The deliverance from sin, its effects, and penalty is available to anyone who will accept Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. The news that God is for you, not against you, is good news. The news that Jesus has overcome the world for you is good news. John 16:33 says: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The news that you are more than a conqueror is good news. The gospel is good news because it is news of hope. Colossians 1:27 says: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” The news that you have a glorious future is good news. The fact that Christ rose is a proof that you and I are going to rise. However, the enemy has an agenda to keep many from hearing the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” This is where you and I come in. We must share the gospel, the good news, with everyone.

QUESTION: How many people have you shared the gospel with this year? How many souls have you won for Christ this year?

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

THE BLESSINGS OF WALKING WITH GOD

MEMORY VERSE: And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. Exodus 11:3

BIBLE READING: Number 17-20

Contrary to what some believe, the Christain life is not a miserable life. I used to think that my life will become miserable, boring, and dry when I give my life to Christ. Today, I can confidently tell you that my life is the opposite of these.

Let us take a brief look at the life of Moses – before and after he began to walk with God. Pharaoh was his god before he met the Lord. Pharaoh decided what he could do and what he couldn’t do. Pharaoh decided how high he could rise in life. Pharaoh decided what he could have and what he couldn’t have. Pharaoh restricted where he could go and where he couldn’t go. His life was in the hands of Pharaoh. No wonder, he ran away when he fell out of favour with Pharaoh because he knew that death was imminent ( Exodus 2:10-15). However, everything changed after Moses met the Lord. For instance, he became a god to Pharoah. Exodus 7:1 says: “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” Moses now decided whether Pharaoh will have peace or not. God will make you a god to your enemies when you begin to walk with Him. Several years ago, I was invited to a gross misconduct interview. One of my team members made a false allegation against me.He was confident that I was going to get sacked so he began to blank me. God fought for me and I returned to work. He began to avoid me at work. To make matters worse for him, he was applying to become permanent and my recommendation will go a long way in determining his fate. I don’t need to tell you the state this person was in. I assisted him with his application, gave a good recommendation and he was made permanent. You become a god to your enemy when you walk with God.

Moses had one goal in life and the goal was to deliver his people from oppression. Before he met the Lord, he tried to deliver his people from oppression and everything went pear-shaped. Actually, he had to run away because Pharaoh wanted to kill him. After he met the Lord, without leading a rebellion, he delivered his people from oppression. Moses succeeded where he had failed forty years prior. When you walk with Lord, you succeed where you have failed in the past. Many years ago, a brother (before he met the Lord) did everything possible to become a professor but somehow it didn’t happen. Today, he owns a university after many years of walking with the Lord. When you walk with the Lord, He turns all the evil prophecies over your life to good prophecies. Someone, before I travelled abroad, said, “if Dayo (my African name) travels abroad, he will smoke weed, draw tattoos, joined a bad gang and pierce his ears.” By the special grace of God I did not do any of that. Not only that, today when I pray this person says a big amen. Why? I met the Lord and He changed everything.

NOTE: If you are yet to give your life to Christ please do so. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world

HE UNDERSTANDS

MEMORY VERSE: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

BIBLE READING: Number 12-16

Jesus is a priest. The role of a priest is to offer sacrifices. Hebrews 8:3 says: “For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.” What kind of priest is He? He is a priest after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 5:6 says: “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” He was not a levitical priest i.e. a descendant of Aaron. What kind of sacrifices does He offer? He offers prayers and supplications. Hebrews 5:7 says: “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.” The three successive sacrifices of Jesus in His priestly role are: First, on earth, He offered prayers and supplications; Second, on the cross, he offered Himself; and, third, in heaven, he offers the continuing priestly ministry of intercession.

Jesus is also a high priest. A high priest is an individual who holds the office of the ruler-priest. According to Revelation 1:5-6, through the forgiveness of our sins and the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, we have become kings and priests. As such, Jesus is our high priest. High priests are taken among men to represent them to God (Hebrews 5:1). The best person to represent you to God is one who knows what you are going through. What makes Jesus the perfect high priest is that He understands what you are going through. Hebrews 4:15 says: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He knows what it is like to be hungry, tired, lonely, hurt, hated, beaten, persecuted, misunderstood, mistreated, mocked, laughed at, betrayed by a friend, tempted to sin, responsible for employees, etc. He knows what it is like to feel forsaken or hopeless. He knows what it feels like to have no spouse or earthly father (there) to help. He knows what it feels like to loose a loved one. He knows what it feels like to pay taxes; have money stolen from you; have the responsibility to provide for a family; live under an oppressive government or experience extreme pain. This is why the author of Hebrew says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need ( Hebrews 4:16).” Friend, don’t be afraid to talk to Jesus about any thing. Not only does He understand, He knows how to help you overcome and have victory. Remember, Jesus died for you because He loves you and He lives to intercede for you.

Father, please lead me to victory.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.

A SOLUTION TO THE WORLD

MEMORY VERSE: And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? Genesis 41:38

BIBLE READING: Number 9-11

Pharaoh had two disturbing dreams (Genesis 41). He saw seven (7) gaunt cows and seven (7) fat cows standing by River Nile. The gaunt cows ate up the fat cows. In the second dream, he saw seven (7) thin ears (of grain) and seven (7) plump ears (of grain). The thin ears devoured the plump ears. The next morning, he invited his wise men (astrologers,magicians,etc.) to interpret these dreams. Genesis 41:8 says: “And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream, but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.” On that day, everything failed - philosophy failed, astrology failed, astrophysics failed, even metaphysics failed. Human knowledge is limited.

I perceive in my spirit that the world is edging close to a time when the wisdom of men would fail. Already, economic policies, G8 arrangements, NATO arrangements are beginning to fail. God is going to humble man very soon because of his pride. Unless man repents and turns back to God, God is going to bring man to his knee using hunger. Deuteronomy 8:3 says: “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Some countries have already begun to clone cows and sheep to meet their food demands.
On that day when everything failed, the Lord sent Joseph to solve the problem. As believers, we are called to be a solution to the problem of the world. Unfortunately, some of us are part of the problem. Pharaoh said after Joseph interpreted his dreams, “ Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is ( Genesis 41:38)?” Pharaoh recognised that Joseph had something no other man had. Although Joseph was not a graduate, the professors of economics at that time could not argue with his policies because they were divine. This is the level God wants His children to operate at. Pharoah handed his government to Joseph because of the wisdom God gave to him. A day is coming when organisations, banks, and governments will pass the running of their economies and businesses to children of God. At that time, Head of States will say, “according to thy word shall Great Britain, USA, Pakistan, etc., be ruled.” What will happen is that God will humble the world and put the solution in the hands of His children.

NOTE: Father, please make me a solution to this generation.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world.