RUN, DON'T REST

Memorise:

For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.
Hebrews 13:14
Read: 1 Kings 13:7-14
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
Message
In today's Bible reading, we have a very sad story of a young prophet sent by God to the city of Bethel with strict instructions. After he delivered the message, he took a different route homewards as instructed by God. But along the way, he felt danger had passed and so he decided to take a rest. While taking his rest, an old prophet came by, lied to him and convinced him to return with him. He obeyed this old prophet and eventually met his death. If only he had delayed his rest, the false prophet would have come looking for him without finding him. Just as it happened to this young prophet, resting too soon has terminated the Christian race of so many believers. In some races, we sometimes see a contestant that is running so fast, leaving other contestants far behind. For the contestant ahead, there is always the temptation to relax, reduce speed and to take the rest of the journey easy, due to a false sense of having won the race already. Many a contestant has yielded to such temptations and got the shock of a lifetime. You will do yourself a lot of good to know that on earth, while on our way to Heaven, we have no resting place. For this reason, Hebrews 4:9 says:
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God."
What the devil or your flesh is suggesting to you as a rest is actually meant to activate your spiritual death warrant. Our rest in Heaven is eternal, and this is partly to compensate us for the no-rest race we have to run on earth. If you want rest, wait until you get to Heaven.
Sometime ago, I visited Australia. While there, a brother shared a testimony that made me weep inside. This old man testified that some time ago, a particular man of God who was highly anointed came to Australia. People brought their dead and they were raised back to life. Within one week, there were ambulances bringing in dead people to the crusade. I could recall this particular man of God. He started very well and was mightily used of God, but along the line, he began to bring in some strange doctrines. He said all that was needed now was only faith; there was no more need for fasting, holiness, etc. He did not end up very well. Beloved, since you have started the race, focus on it and continue to run. Receive all the grace that you can muster from the Lord and continue running the race. Refuse any proposal to slow down or rest, as this is meant to terminate your race.

Prayer Point:
Father, let me never encounter the rest that would terminate my race to Heaven, in Jesus' Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LEVITICUS 17:10-19:18 and 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-12:11

CHILDREN ARE YOUR TOMORROW.

MEMORISE : Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. PROVERBS 22 : 6.

READ : GENESIS 18 : 17 - 19.
17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from
Abraham that thing which I do;
18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LEVITICUS 14 : 33 - 15 : 33 AND 1 CORINTHIANS 9 : 24 - 10 : 22.
It is great to experience deliverance from demons, but it is better to never be repossessed by them after being delivered. A better option than these is not to have being possessed by demons at all. If you have never been possessed by demons all your life, you do not know what God has done for you. These two things are common to all those who have been possessed before: they suffered great losses and went through hell. Take for instance the Gadarene demoniac in our Bible reading: what he would never do to himself in his right senses, he did while demons were inside him. He cut his body with sharp stones, bled and felt the pain, and yet he compulsively repeated this often. In other words, the demons in him told him to hurt his own body as if it was the body of an enemy, and he obeyed even though he felt the pain. The demons tried to use him to destroy himself. Do you know that even today, demonic spirits still compel their victims to destroy themselves? We should not be surprised of this, as Jesus in John 10 : 10a already revealed their mission to us :
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:"
All over the world today, demons of addiction gradually lure people into taking degenerative substances such as cocaine, heroin, Indian hemp, cigarettes, tobacco powder (snuff), etc. After a while, such people discover that they are unable to break away from these substances. The aim of these demonic spirits of addiction is to destroy their bodies. In the same manner, these spirits get people into drinking alcohol, and before long, they become alcoholics. The operations of the demons of lust follow the same pattern. They get their victims into immorality, sodomy, lesbianism, and other sexual sins, so as to make them destroy themselves. 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?"
The objective of these demons is to make their victims destroy their bodies to the extent that the Holy Spirit will not come near it, not to talk of entering in. Unfortunately, do you know that some people are happy to harbour demons because of certain benefits they derive from them; for example, practitioners of witchcraft? The pigs that were at the receiving end of the demons cast out of the Gadarene demoniac were more sensible than such people. They preferred to drown rather than to allow demons inhabit them. Are you as wise as these pigs? If you have any spirit other than the Holy Spirit inside you, you need help through deliverance.

ACTION POINT :
Ask God to deliver anyone under the manipulative influence of demons in your local church

BEWARE OF MANIPULATORS

Memorise: A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Proverbs 22:3

Read: Proverbs 22:1-5, 22 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord
is the maker of them all.

3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.

5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

Bible in one year: Leviticus 13:45-14:32; 1stCorinthians 9:8-23

MESSAGE

When you are popular and celebrated on account of your position or service in the kingdom of God, beware and avoid every temptation to use what you have received against the will of God. If you are not careful, you may fall into a trap and become another example, like the 250 princes who were destroyed in Numbers 16. That shall not be your portion in Jesus’ Name! However, you need to know that if you are in a position of power or you are very famous and highly respected by people, you will be a target of manipulators. If you are not extremely careful, you will fall into traps you never thought could ensnare you. After Korah, Dathan and Abiram orchestrated an evil plan and they wanted the children of Israel to buy into it, who did they contact? They deliberately chose the most popular 250 princes in the assembly of God’s people and carefully sold the idea to them (Numbers 16:2). Once that was done, convincing the people under these princes was a walk in the park.

Believe it or not, just as these princes were tempted, you too will be tempted. People who have goods and services for sale will come to you because they want to reach your members or those under your sphere of influence. Some of these may be beneficial to your people and some may not. Some people may even ask you to come and support a cause that is contrary to scriptures. Be very careful! Be watchful and prayerful. When they come to make such proposals, place them side-by-side with the word. Any proposition that violates the word of God must be rejected without fear or favour. Those borderline issues which are not out-rightly wrong or sinful should be presented to God, asking for His direction. Never allow yourself to be used by manipulators! If you lead the people under you astray, not only will their blood be upon your head, you may lose your integrity, position, power and honour. Also, carefully watch out for sycophants who will sing your praise so high that you will not know when they begin to lead you astray. Sycophants are “loyal” to you for very wrong reasons – reasons they may never tell you. They will always want you to see what they do, because they do their service to impress the leader and not God. Ask God to weed off from you anyone who appears close to you but want to mislead you.

Action Point

Pray that God will weed off sycophants and those with a wrong motive hanging around leaders in the Body of Christ, your family, place of work and the government.

INSTRUCTION RESCUES

Memorise: He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:20

Read: Proverbs 19:20-21, 20 Hear counsel, and receive
instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

Bible in one year: Leviticus 12:1-13:44, 1stCorinthians 8:1-9:7

MESSAGE

If you experience a loss at any point in life, know that it’s a time to stay calm and not a time to lose heart. If you can wait to receive specific instructions from the Lord, it will expedite the recovery of your loss. The reason why many losses of God’s children have not been recovered is because they have not found time to seek the face of God on the matter. As you seek God’s face concerning those good things you have lost, the Lord will give you a word that will lead to their recovery.

Many years ago, while we were building the first big auditorium at the Redemption Camp, we needed a lot of wood. We paid the government board in charge of sawmills in Edo state, Nigeria, to have this wood supplied to us. A few weeks to our convention, this government board decided to shut down all sawmills in the state. While pacing up and down asking God what to do, the Lord asked me what I knew about theKingdom of God. To me, this question was irrelevant and I wanted to say so, but I cautioned myself and began to say that I knew about the Kingdom of God”. He concurred. Then I said “The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” He agreed. This continued until I exhausted all I could remember on the subject matter. Eventually, I said “Since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God suffereth violence, and the violent taketh it by force.” Then He replied, “That is where we are going. Do you want your wood? Give me a violent offering.” That was on a Saturday; on Sunday, I shared this with my children and we gave a violent offering. On Monday, the governor of Edostate dissolved this government Board and reconstituted another one, which immediately reopened all sawmills. On Tuesday, someone who had no money to give brought his trailer for us to use as long as we wanted. On Wednesday, someone came to give us bags of nails. Several other people also brought materials for the building. Within two weeks, the auditorium was ready; all because I received an instruction from the Lord. The instruction that will lead to a full recovery of your losses shall be given to you this season. When you seek God’s face and He tell you what to do, don’t argue with Him; go ahead and obey the Lord and you will recover your losses. It is your recovery period this season!

Key Point

For every loss, there is a recovery strategy which can be found with the Great Restorer – Jesus Christ

WHEN PIGS ARE WISER

Memorise:

And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
Mark 5:5
Read: Mark 5:1-13
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
Message
It is great to experience deliverance from demons, but it is better to never be repossessed by them after being delivered. A better option than these is not to have being possessed by demons at all. If you have never been possessed by demons all your life, you do not know what God has done for you. These two things are common to all those who have been possessed before: they suffered great losses and went through hell. Take for instance the Gadarene demoniac in our Bible reading: what he would never do to himself in his right senses, he did while demons were inside him. He cut his body with sharp stones, bled and felt the pain, and yet he compulsively repeated this often. In other words, the demons in him told him to hurt his own body as if it was the body of an enemy, and he obeyed even though he felt the pain. The demons tried to use him to destroy himself. Do you know that even today, demonic spirits still compel their victims to destroy themselves? We should not be surprised of this, as Jesus in John 10:10a already revealed their mission to us:
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:"
All over the world today, demons of addiction gradually lure people into taking degenerative substances such as cocaine, heroin, Indian hemp, cigarettes, tobacco powder (snuff), etc. After a while, such people discover that they are unable to break away from these substances. The aim of these demonic spirits of addiction is to destroy their bodies. In the same manner, these spirits get people into drinking alcohol, and before long, they become alcoholics. The operations of the demons of lust follow the same pattern. They get their victims into immorality, sodomy, lesbianism, and other sexual sins, so as to make them destroy themselves. 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?"
The objective of these demons is to make their victims destroy their bodies to the extent that the Holy Spirit will not come near it, not to talk of entering in. Unfortunately, do you know that some people are happy to harbour demons because of certain benefits they derive from them; for example, practitioners of witchcraft? The pigs that were at the receiving end of the demons cast out of the Gadarene demoniac were more sensible than such people. They preferred to drown rather than to allow demons inhabit them. Are you as wise as these pigs? If you have any spirit other than the Holy Spirit inside you, you need help through deliverance.

Action Point:
Ask God to deliver anyone under the manipulative influence of demons in your local church.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LEVITICUS 8-9

THE REAL FIX YOU NEED!

Memorise:

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22

Read: Isaiah 45:20-25
20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
24 Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
25 In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
MESSAGE
In an attempt to fill the void created by the absence of God in some people’s lives, they find themselves using mind-bending substances. This is very rampant in societies that have replaced God with government. In admission of their failure to achieve this folly in the lives of men, some of them now allow the free use of these substances. What they fail to realise is that without Jesus Christ, you can never be complete (Colossians 2:10). Nothing else can take His place. The effects of mind-bending drugs such as marijuana or cocaine can never fill His space in the heart. If you take any of these, it will only take you “high” into a world of hallucination: an unreal world that Satan creates for you while the effects of these drugs last, but afterwards, he drops you far below where he took you from, leaving you feeling deeply depressed, dissatisfied, empty and naked.
Any person who uses mind-bending substances will always want to experience the “high” feeling again and again in a vicious cycle. It is ironic that there is never a feeling of satisfaction derived from the use of these substances. Rather, one wrap becomes too small and the fellow moves on to two, three, four or even five in order to experience the effect that used to be derived from just a single wrap or shot. It gets to a stage where they now live for hard drugs. At this point, nothing else matters to them but another wrap or shot All along, each use of those substances lead the user into madness.
No hard drug satisfies, but Jesus Christ does. He is the “hard drug” that can fix your life once and for all. Take one shot of Jesus Christ and He will take you truly high and keep you there. One wrap of Jesus will give you a bit of the heavenly experience that will increase every passing day as you fellowship with Him. Have you received Jesus into your life? Are you a drug addict? Do you need a fix every now and then? All you need is Jesus! He satisfies. He will quench your thirst for inordinate things. Receive Him into your heart and it shall be well with you. Your life will receive the transformation you need. Are you addicted to drugs and other mind-bending substances? Have you made effort to stop their use but could not stop? In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you are set free today! That habit holding you bound is broken now! I command every demon of addiction to release you now! You are liberated from their grip in Jesus’ Name. Submit yourself to the environment of accountability in a church to strengthen your resolve never to go back.

Action point
Reach out to drug addicts for Christ or lend a helping hand to ministers dedicated to their salvation and rehabilitation.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 35-36 and ROMANS 16

RECEIVE DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS

Memorise:

Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
Job 22:22

Read: Job 22:21-24
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.

Message
Due to the advent of sin and the activities of our adversary, we are faced with different challenges of life from day to day. The loss of assets and of persons dear to us is one of those challenges which our adversary, the devil, throws at us to destabilise us and ultimately make us lose our faith. But thank God that provision has been made in the package of salvation for the recovery of those things which we may have lost. Do you desire to recover what you have lost? Stop crying about it and encourage yourself in the Lord.
A time of loss is a time to seek the face of God in prayer. After David and his men suffered a major loss, he wept, but he didn't stop there. He encouraged himself in the Lord and sought God's face in prayer (1 Samuel 29:3-8). Although God is a very present help in the time of trouble, it is only those who seek Him that will find Him (Proverbs 8:17). Based on his life experiences, the Psalmist confirms this in Psalm 34:10:
"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing."
Have you lost any good thing? Seek God's face from today. Separate yourself to spend time with God alone. For the duration of that period, let God be your only focus. Pour out your heart to Him and meditate on His word. Praise and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Be quiet in His presence to hear what He has to say to you. Have you been seeking God's face after suffering a loss?
It is important to receive instructions from God after suffering a loss. He alone can fully tell how a loss occurred, where what was lost can be found and how best to recover it. Unfortunately, people seldom follow God's instructions. Many people adhere to traffic rules, especially in developed countries, because they do not want sanctions. Similarly, most people follow the instructions in the user's manual of their gadgets; but when it comes to God's instructions, people take what appeals to them and discard the rest.
Beloved, receive ALL of God's instructions because they will lead you to the path of success, victory and joy. Instructions from God can come to you through a variety of ways. God can instruct you by directly speaking to you. He can also do so through His servants, especially through the word of knowledge in programmes such as our monthly Holy Ghost Service. God can send you instructions while you fellowship with other brethren in church. It could be during praise and worship, the choir ministration, prayer time or through the sermon. This is why it is important not to neglect fellowshipping with the brethren. How attentive are you to receive instructions from God while in His presence?

Prayer Point:
Father, my heart is open to receive Your instructions that will turn my life around for good.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 37-38 and 1 CORINTHIANS 1

POPULARITY CAN EBB

Memorise: There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD. Proverbs 21:30

Read: Numbers 16:1-3, 16 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:

2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?

Bible in one year: Exodus 39-40, 1st Corinthians 2

MESSAGE

Every race has its rules. Crossing the finish line without following the rules will bring you no reward. Service to God in His vineyard also fellows this principle. Some leaders who have gone ahead of us in the service of God messed up and ended up where they did not bargain for. This is why to avoid ending up like they did, we must learn from their experience. Korah, Dathan and Abiram were powerful leaders under Pastor Moses in the wilderness, but they erred and met with terrible judgment. That shall not be your portion in Jesus’ Name! From the narrative about them in Numbers 16, we learn that we should focus on the assignment God has given to everyone of us. 1st Corinthians 7:20 makes it clear that everyone should mind their calling.

“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.”

Adding to what God has given you might actually be a distraction to your original calling. If you want God to increase the scope of your assignment, or if you desire to be promoted in the things of the Kingdom, the right approach is to draw closer to the Holy Spirit, tell Him about your godly desires, satisfy God’s laid down conditions for experiencing an uplift and wait to hear from the Lord. Using the methods of the flesh to gain ascendancy can only uplift the flesh. It takes the Spirit to lift you up in spiritual things. It is important to note that not everyone occupying a top ecclesiastical leadership position got there by the Spirit. Allow God to judge and reward them accordingly, but do not repeat their mistakes.

Moreover, another lesson from the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is that using your growing popularity to work against the will of God can totally erode it. The 250 princes involved in this sad story were very popular in the wilderness, having been selected out of the general populace into the position of leadership. They were honoured and famous for as long as they played their roles within the scope of their divine assignment. But the moment they decided to partner with rebellious folks, honour gave way to shame, and their popularity turned to disfavour. Are you a leader in the church or in any enterprise? Praise God! Are you becoming very popular by virtue of your position and the opportunities you have access to as a leader? Praise God! However, be very careful! Never use your popularity against God’s people or God’s Word. If you do, it will surely backfire and you will not be proud of what you will get in return.

Key Point

The essence and power of any influence, resource, ability or endowment you use against God will be eroded, and such acts will backfire on you.

DESTINIES CAN CHANGE

Memorise: Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. Hebrews 4:1

Read: Hebrews 3:15-19, 15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Bible in one year: Leviticus 1:1-4:12, 1st Corinthians 3

MESSAGE

One of the privileges that being in Christ grants to you is that your present situation and your past life cannot hinder your God-given destiny. God has decided your destination even before you were born. Because you are a child of destiny, you will get to your destination in Jesus’ Name. Nevertheless, you need to know that your destiny can be changed by God or by your attitude. God had to change His plan for eternal priestly succession, which He has earlier promised Eli and his household. Ponder on what God said to Eli in 1st Samuel 2:30:

“Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.”

May God never change His plan for your life, family and ministry in Jesus’ Name!

Just as God can change His mind concerning a promise He made to an individual or family, He can also change His mind concerning a promise He made to a nation. In Numbers 14:26-32, God changed His mind concerning a generation of the children ofIsrael. God had brought them to the borders of the Promised Land, in readiness to completely fulfil the promise He had made to their fathers over 400 years before they were born. But amazingly, they refused to enter in. they did not believe that God could complete the process He had started. God therefore changed His mind concerning them because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). God told them that they would not enter into their destiny; rather, they would die in the wilderness, their children, whom they thought would never enter the Promised Land, were the same ones God now said He would take into the land. May God never change His good plans concerning your nation in Jesus’ Name! Unbelief is a terrible thing! Every time you fail to believe that God can do what He has promised to do, you tie God’s hands and push Him to dump the promise He made to you. Unbelief is a slap on God’s face. It is understandable why they cannot believe God in their current state. However, the moment you receive Jesus, you are supposed to become a believer. God is not happy when believers who have experienced His ability over time, demonstrate unbelief in Him. In any way you are in unbelief, repent fast and pull out of it!

Prayer Point

Father, in any way my deeds have affected Your plan for my life, have mercy on me, and let Your original plan for my life be fulfilled.

AFRAID OF YOUR MIRROR IMAGE?

Memorise: For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a door, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: James 1:23

Read: James 1:22-25, 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Bible in one year: Exodus 33:34, Romans 15:14-33

MESSAGE

The word of God is very central to our life as believers. In the very last admonition of Moses to the children of Israel, He said the word of God is their very life (Deuteronomy 32:46-47). For believers in Christ today, the word of God is also our life, because it is through it that we are born-again, as revealed in1st Peter 1:23:

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

After we are born-again, the word of God performs several functions in our life. One aspect of these functions which is rather interesting is that it works as our mirror. A mirror shows the reflection of the one using it. A man may hold an opinion of himself for a long period, but when he has the opportunity to look in a mirror, he will see himself as he is. In this age of flattery and political correctness, you may be shocked by the time you compare what you see in a mirror before you, to people’s assessment for your person. Why is this so? We live in a time when it has become very difficult for people to call a shade a shade. They prefer to tell you what you want to hear. They are prepared to flatter you and say those things that can keep them in your good books, particularly if they hope to curry your favour. If the friends you surround yourself with cannot point out your faults when you go wrong, change them. If you don’t, they will lead you astray.

Unlike men who will flatter you, the word of God tells you who or what you are without fear or favour. When you stand before the perfect law of liberty, you will see yourself exactly how God sees you. The word of God will reveal the stains in your garment of salvation and show you the wrinkles on your robe of righteousness. One reason why people avoid hearing, reading or studying the Bible is because they are afraid of seeing their true picture. They want to continue to live under self-deception. Some other people look at the mirror of God’s word, see their stains, dents and imperfections, and yet they refuse to do anything about it. This is the height of foolishness! If God’s word cannot correct you, what else can? The Bible in James 1:21 says:

“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”

Receive God’s verdict about you in His word today, and stop trying to justify yourself.

Action Point:

Every time you look into the Bible and you see something amiss in your robe of righteousness, immediately correct it.

THE RIGHT ROOT

Memorise: And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. Mark 4:17

Read: Mark 4:16-17, 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Bible in one year: Exodus 30:22-32:35, Romans 14:13-15:13

MESSAGE

In a marathon, not everyone who starts the race reaches the finish line. Several people drop out of the race due to one reason or the other. In the same way, several people are dropping out of the race to meet Christ the Redeemer on the last day. The parable of the sower reveals some of the reasons why people will not get to the finish line of the Christian race. One of such reasons is not being rooted and grounded in the word of God. Jesus gives further insight into this in Mark 4:17

“And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.”

The root of a tree is very important to its survival. If you cut down every part of most trees and leave the roots, the tree will spring up again. All the nourishment that sustains the fruits, leaves and branches of a tree are received through its roots. Also, it is the roots that hold the tree when the wind comes against it. If the roots are few or tiny, the tree will also be limited in its ability to feed and stay fixed; but if the roots are many, big and strong, the tree will feed well and endue. Note that every tree has roots whose size is directly proportional to the size of the tree. It is therefore the size of your root in Christ that will determine how big you will grow in His kingdom. A heavy wind blew one rainy day and it caused a big tree located by the roadside to fall. People marvelled that such a huge tree could be brought down by the wind, but after they looked closely, they discovered that the roots of this tree did not go deep enough into the ground, and so the bottom of the tree appeared flat. No wonder it fell!

In the Christian faith, the root refers to the foundation on which one’s faith in Jesus is established. If the foundation is bad, it will definitely affect the growth and stability of the tree. Any fruit produced will have problems if the root is not the right size or does not go deep enough. Many believers who bungled their trip to Heaven had a bad foundation in Christ. Either their roots were developed wrongly, or their roots did not go deep enough. This is why care should be taken to groom young converts very well through the teaching of the word. They should be exposed to the sincere, undiluted milk of the word (1st Peter 2:2). What is the state of your foundation in Christ? Do you have big, Strong roots that can give you stability until the race ends?

Prayer Point

Father, give me the right roots that will make me grow into a gigantic tree in your kingdom.

YOUR DESTINY IS UNSTOPPABLE

Memorise:
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Romans 9:19
Read: Jeremiah 1:4-7
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Message
If God has a destination for you, your present situation cannot stop Him. The circumstances of life surrounding young Esther as a slave girl did not stop her from becoming queen of a very powerful kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ, your present circumstances shall not stop you from arriving at your God-appointed destiny! Similarly, concerning where God is taking you, your past does not matter. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says if you are in Christ, old things are passed away and everything has become new. For this reason, God commands you thus in Isaiah 43:18:
"Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old."
If you are sure of your salvation in Christ, whatever was in your past that the enemy wants to use in hindering your destiny will receive a divine touch. Everything in your past that can destroy your present and future, especially as relates to your destiny, shall be completely arrested by God today. From today, the mercy of God will go ahead of you, and your past shall no longer hinder you. Every accusing finger pointing at you shall stop in Jesus' Name. The Lord says this to you in Romans 8:1:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Moreover, another vital information you should have is that God is the One who decides destinies. He told Jeremiah: "I have determined what you would be, long before I formed you and put you in your mother's womb. While you were still in your mother's womb, I ordained you to be a prophet to nations." Long before you were born, God had already decided what you will be. He did not consult with your parents before taking His decision about your destiny. If He did, they could have disqualified you. "Witches and wizards from your village" did not know what was going on at that time. They were not there when God was planning your life, hence they can't stop you. In His mind, God has decided the following concerning you: it shall be well with you, you shall live to glorify His Name, you shall not die prematurely, you shall fulfil your destiny, and many more. Every good thing that the Lord has decided concerning you shall be established! Every destiny destroyer sent to hinder you shall fail and fall. Your tomorrow shall be far greater than your today. Every force that tries to hinder you shall be destroyed by the fire of the Holy Ghost in Jesus' Name.
Prayer Point:
Father, paralyse every gang-up of the enemy that wants to stop the good things You have started in my life.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 27-28 and ROMANS 12:9-13:7

SCHEMING: NOT ALLOWED

Friday September 11 2015
Memorise: 
But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. 
1Corinthians 12:11
Read: 
Numbers 16:8-14 
8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi:
9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?
10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?
11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up:
13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?
14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
Message:
In Numbers 16, we read of a highly explosive rebellion that rocked God's people in the wilderness. Some leaders were not satisfied with the level of assignment God had apportioned to them. Instead of going through Moses to God to ask if there could be an expansion of their job description, they began to eye the priesthood. They wondered how God could give them so little an assignment considering their zeal to serve Him. How could some other people be chosen as the priests when they were there? At some point, they succeeded in convincing 250 popular leaders, who were princes, to favour their cause. What started like a joke had become a great revolt. In the end, the Lord Himself stepped in and delivered judgement to all concerned.
From this story, we should learn to be content with whatever God gives to us. God gives talents to every person according to their abilities. The Holy Spirit is in charge of assigning job descriptions to the children of God. 1Corinthians 12:11 says:
"But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will!'
He is in charge of God's vineyard, and so He is the One to give you the portion you should work on. Also, He will give you the required ability and the spiritual stamina to perform the assignment. Someone may say, "I am still an ordinary altar minister, whereas by now I should have become a zonal pastor."The Holy Spirit knows why you are where you are. You can be sure that when you need to occupy a higher office than where you are now, He will take you there. However, to move up the ladder in God's Kingdom is not by acts of the flesh but by the will of the Spirit. You are not permitted to seek higher office by scheming out your leader in order to take his place. Some people do this and succeed in replacing their leader, but they are completely outside of God's plan and out of their divine assignment. They are no longer in God's employment; they now serve their own bellies at best or the devil at worst. Any work done by such ecclesiastical rogues will never attract any reward from Heaven, because the foundation of that service is not the Holy Spirit. If they ever make it to Heaven, they wiII be told "You worked for yourself and not for God, so go and reward yourself."
Key point: 
Many leaders are operating in God's permissive will, outside of His perfect will. That God has not stopped you from following your inordinate ambitions does not mean He approves or supports your actions.
Bible in one 'year: 
Exodus 25-26 
Romans 11:25-12:8

KNOW YOUR PLACE

Memorise:

But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1 Corinthians 2:15

Read: Numbers 12:1-10
1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.
3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.
5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.
8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.
10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
Bible in a year
Exodus 10-11; Romans 7
Message
Although Miriam was Moses' elder sister and leader of the women of Israel, she was a casualty of God's judgement in the wilderness. It is instructive to note that an individual occupying such a sensitive position could not escape God's judgment when she goofed. For speaking against Moses, God struck her with leprosy. It took the intercession of Moses to reduce her sentence to one week; otherwise she might have died a leper (Numbers 12:13-15). From this example, every man should know their place and learn never to speak against God's servants. The more anointed they are, the more dangerous it is to offend them. If Psalm105:14-15 is anything to go by, God does not permit anyone to harm His anointed.
If God's anointed offends you, apart from telling the fellow directly, you can report the fellow to God who anointed him or her, and God surely knows how to deal with His anointed. Never take it upon yourself to speak evil of God's anointed, and never attempt to cause such a fellow harm. If you do, God may have to defend His anointed against you. Anyone fighting God's anointed is fighting the God who anointed him or her, and with God, this can get very personal.
Our God is a God of structure, order and government. From the example of Miriam in the wilderness, we understand that God follows the spiritual order of authority when judging His anointed servants. To this end, God expects his younger ministers to be submissive to higher spiritual authority. We should also learn that our God is a God of justice who will judge any highly anointed person who tries to take advantage of those under him or her. Are you highly anointed of God? God has placed you as a role model to those under you; you should therefore not misbehave because you are occupying a high ecclesiastical office. Don't abuse your spiritual authority by cruelly lording yourself over your subordinates and making unreasonable demands. If your subordinate is right in a matter, God will judge you, the superior who has done wrong.
This can be inferred from the case of David and Uriah (2 Samuel 11&12). Today, many believers are suffering in several ways for fighting, opposing, obstructing and gossiping about God's anointed. It is unfortunate that most people affected by this are not even aware of it. It's time to deal with your problems at their root. Consider your attitude to God's anointed today.

Action Point:
Examine yourself to see if you are suffering in any way as a result of your attitude towards God's anointed. If you are, repent and restitute your ways.

SHINE IN PROSPERITY

Memorise: Cry yet, saying, thus saith the LORD of hosts; my cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the LORD shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:17

Read: Deuteronomy 28:9-13, Bible in one year: Exodus 12:1-13:16, Romans 8:1-17

While it is true that the Lord expects us to shine in the areas of our character and soul-winning, He also expects us to shine in the area of prosperity. No wonder He gave us great promises on prosperity, such as these found in Deuteronomy 28:12:

“The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.”

Poverty is one of the repercussions of sin; hence there is so much poverty across the globe. God is not happy with the level of poverty in the world, this is why He has chosen to make His children prosper and set them as lights that will wipe out the darkness of poverty from nations (Psalm 35:27). If you have been blessed by God but have not yet reached the level where you can lend to nations, it shows that you have not yet arrived at the level of prosperity God is taking you to. Because of your current lowly situation, you may find it hard to believe that God can truly increase you to this level, but the truth about God’s integrity is that if He has promised to do it, He will definitely keep His promises, provided you do your part.

Concerning where God is taking you to, you would be wise to always remember that your present situation does not matter. God’s destination for you is quite different from where you are now. Your present location cannot stop God from taking you to the destination He has for you. He is the God who can relocate a beggar from the dunghill to sit with princes and nobles (1st Samuel 2:8). David was just a shepherd boy attending to his father’s little flock, but when God decided to move him into greatness, his humble circumstances did not stop God. The young shepherd boy became king according to God’s promise (2nd Samuel 7:8). God did the same for Joseph. Joseph had a dream, but he also had very determined dream-killers as brothers. They sold him into slavery, and at a point he was a prisoner. In spite of all these, he rose from prison to become prime minister of Egypt (Psalm 105:17-22). You too are destined to be great! Your present challenges or limitations cannot stop you from becoming what God has ordained you to be. You shall be great! Nothing will stop you. No one can stop you. It is well with your tomorrow.

Prayer Point

Father, make a statement on prosperity to the world with my life and family.

HE CONTROLS TIME AND SEASONS

Memorise:

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Daniel 2:21

Read: Daniel 2:19-21
19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Message
Do you know that God still reverses the irreversible? He can go into your past to affect your today, and He can also go into your past to affect your today, and He can also go into your future and make it glorious. He can even change your appointment with death to a future date, just as He extended King Hezekiah’s life by 15 years (2nd Kings 20:6). This shall be your portion in Jesus’ Name! Some years ago, a woman came from America to a Holy Ghost service we organised in London. She was advanced in age, had attained menopause and she was barren. During the course of the programme, a word of knowledge came that there was a woman in the congregation for whom God had just removed 10 years from her current age. She said “Amen! That must be me.” Thereafter, she told her younger sisters whom she accompanied to the programme that “Don’t call me ‘Aunty’ (a matured woman) anymore; I am now ‘Sisi’ (a young lady)! A few minutes later, another word of knowledge came saying that the woman who had just been made 10 years younger would return with her baby same time next year. Convinced the word from God was for her, she said “O God, You must have seen me today.” A year later, she had her baby.
Be assured that God who did it for this woman will also do it for you; Hebrew 13:8 says:
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
God will turn the times and the seasons of your life around in your favour in Jesus’ Name. Have people written you off and said you will die childless? The Lord God will go into your future and say “I know you were supposed to die childless, but I am changing that so that on the day you will die and be buried, you will have at least four of your own children at your funeral.” If people write you off, God can write you in. Has somebody looked at you and told you to your face that you can never be rich, because poverty is a perfect fit for you? The Lord will reverse this pronouncement. Has your teacher told you that you are so dull mentally that you can never amount to anything academically or professionally? The Lord will change that. Has anyone in your extended family told you that you can never amount to anything in life? The Lord will also change that. God has the power to change anything, but the problem is that some of us have accepted the negative pronouncements that have been passed on to us by others. That is very wrong. As long as you believe their lie and accept it, God will not be able to change anything concerning you, no matter how much He wants to.

Prayer Point
Father, those who have said I can’t become what You created me to be, turn them into liars.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 13:17-15:21 and ROMANS 8:18-39

THE LONG WAIT

Memorise: And saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 2nd Peter 3:4

Read: Matthew 25:1-13, Bible in one year: Exodus 15:22-17:16, Romans 9:1-18

Imagine that while running a marathon, with all your focus on the finish line, you suddenly run out of energy; would it be easy for you to complete the race? Definitely not! Most likely, you would have to pull out of the race. We see this scenario repeatedly playing out itself in the Christian race. Many people who started the Christian race, who were expected to run the race to the end, have suddenly run out of steam and are falling by the wayside. When the 10 virgins in our Bible reading started their race, they all hoped to finish it. One lesson this parable teaches us is that the race may be longer than expected. If anything, you must plan to run for as long as it takes until you reach the finish line. Only five of the virgins realised the need to sustain their resolve, and so they were careful to carry some extra oil. Beyond what every other person is doing, what additional preparations are you making and what extra precautions are you taking with respect to the race set before you? If you truly want to reach the end of this Heaven-bound journey, you will need more steam in your reserves. You will need more of the anointing, because it’s not by power nor by might that victory is secured. The anointing that works miracles, signs and wonders is different from the anointing that gives grace to hold the baton till the very end. Your zeal gives grace to hold the baton till the very end. Your zeal to continue needs to be renewed daily. May you never lack the will or the power to run the race!

We are in a marathon: the course of which can sometimes be longer than expected. It can also be more stressful and more demanding that we ever thought. When I got saved, most of us who were saved at that time believed that Jesus would most likely come back within 10 years of our salvation. I was a lecturer then, and on several occasion, some students would come to me asking “Since the Lord is coming very soon, why are we studying?” I told them that since Jesus asked us to occupy until He comes, they needed to continue their studies and do other legitimate things, especially since we were not told the exact time or day of His coming. A colleague of mine who was supposed to pursue a PhD programme even cancelled it. He believed that Jesus would come really soon, and so acquiring a PhD would be useless. Over 30 years down the line, we are still waiting for the Lord. Don’t be tired of waiting for the Lord’s return. Occupy yourself with the things He gave you to do, and keep being focused. You shall surely reach the end of the race, and you will finish strong in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point

In expectation of the Lord Jesus, live each day as if it were your last, but do not neglect to do all that is expected of you.

DEMONS HINDER DESTINIES

Memorise:

But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Mathew 15:13

Read: Luke 8:1-3
1 AND it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

Message
As a believer in Christ, one of the traits that should differentiate you from an ordinary fellow is the ability to cast out demons (Mark 16:17). However, if demons are tormenting you and you fail to do something about them, don’t expect God to do anything either. He has already done what He should do by giving you authority over them. He expects you to exercise this authority before He takes the next step of enforcement. The ball is now in your court; if you fail to pass it to Him, He will leave you with the ball. In 2nd Kings 4:1-7, we read of a window whose husband was a prophet. The man died and left her with two boys and a lot of debt. Initially, when the creditor came calling, she was not bothered. She would gave thought within herself after all, she was not the only one owing money. She might have said to herself like some people in Nigeria would say: “Even Nigeria as a nation is indebted, and so in America for that matter; so what is the big deal if I owe people money”? Although the Almighty God was there on His throne with all His power, might, zeal and resources, He could not do anything to help her for as long as she tolerated poverty, lack and debt. But one day, tired of repeated fruitless visits, her creditor came and threatened to sell her sons into slavery if she was unable to pay the debt. Pushed to the wall, she cried out for help, and help came. She was delivered from the threat that would have hindered her boys from fulfilling their destinies. When will you be tired of managing or condoning your unpleasant situation?
Let us note a few things about deliverance. It is a great thing to be delivered. Mary Magdalene was delivered of seven powerful demons and she eventually became a divine treasurer. Her destiny was to be a divine treasurer ministering to the needs of Jesus, but for as long as the demons were in her, she could not fulfil this. This simply tells us that one way the devil tries to hinder a person from fulfilling his or her destiny is by sending one or more demons to possess him or her. When such demons come into that individual, they will give the fellow some other assignment to distract their victim from the original purpose of God. When an evil spirit took over the position of the Holy Spirit in the heart of King Saul, he became tormented. Demons torment their victims tremendously. If you have been delivered from the hands of demons, you will appreciate your freedom. Are you still allowing demons to hinder your destiny? It’s time to confront them today! Jesus wants to set you free. You just need to cooperate with Him.

Prayer Point
Father, send Your fire to chase out the presence and manipulating effect of demons in my life, family and ministry
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 18:1-20:21 and ROMANS 9:19-10:4

GOD: AN ENCOURAGER

Memorise:

I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Psalm 85:8

Read: Psalm 85:7-9
7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

Message
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."
Psalm 27:14
After you have suffered a major loss, or when everything around you appears gloomy and bleak, turn your focus on the Lord. When those you look up to fail you, look up to God. He is the only One who will never fail you. Have your friends in the Christian race turned their backs on God? Are you becoming discouraged and wondering whether to continue with Christ or to join your backslidden friends? Focus on Christ and He will sustain you. Has your pastor done something so painful to you, to the extent that you are thinking of either leaving the church or going back into the world? Look up to Jesus! Remember, the Christian race accommodates everyone who has repented, but it is still a very personal race. If your friend or pastor chooses to go to Hell, must you go with them? No! Never be discouraged from doing the work that God has assigned to you, irrespective of contrary pressures from human and demonic forces.
Several years ago, just after I became a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, there was a misunderstanding among the ministers of the church. Some people I highly respected disappointed me, so much so that I became depressed and discouraged. As I returned from the headquarters of the church at Ebute Metta, to the University of Lagos where I was lecturing, a traffic warden stopped my car at St. Agnes junction. While I was waiting, I said to myself, "If this is what they call the gospel, and it is not taking me forward, then I will go back to where I am coming from." Almost immediately, the Lord spoke to me saying "Son, why are you so sad?" My reply was "Lord, You know all things. You saw all that happened." Then He said "True, this fellow disappointed you, but have I ever disappointed you?" With that word, courage, hope and joy flooded my heart, and I moved from the valley to the mountain top. I went my way, singing "I have a God who never fails". God is your greatest antidote to discouragement. Look up to Him and He will send you the right words that will terminate sorrow and discouragement in you. Are you disheartened? Feed on God's word, remember His promises and recall how He has answered your prayers in the past. After doing all these, place your hope and trust in Him.

Action Point:
When God encourages you, no discouragement can hold you back. Ask for His encouragement today.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EXODUS 22:16-24:18 and ROMANS 11:1-24

TRUE SATISFACTION

Memorise: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: Colossians 2:10

Read: John 7:37-39, Bible in one year: Exodus 20:22-22:15, Romans 10:5-21

Our Lord Jesus Christ is so awesome; not only does He provide peace, joy, promotion, victory and rest, He also gives satisfaction. The Bible in John 7:37 says:

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”

Jesus Christ is the true thirst-quencher. He knows what you need and has it in abundance. He is willing to quench that thirst of yours if only you would take it to Him. Today, many people realise that they need something in their lives. They can feel unexplainable hunger pangs within their souls and are gripped with a strong thirst for something inside of them. But because they do not really know what can quench their thirst and satisfy their hunger, they use just about anything to try to fill this void. No human, material or spiritual substitute can fill the vacuum that God has reserved for Himself inside of you. When God created you; no one but Him is to occupy this space. Unfortunately, many people have allowed other things to enter into that space. This amount to putting a square peg in a round hole: it can never fit!

That thirst to serve God was put inside you by God. He alone can quench it. Becoming religious cannot satisfy that thirst. All you have to do is to repent of your sins, ask for God’s forgiveness and invite Jesus Christ to live inside you, and He will completely fill that space like a round peg in a round hole! If you understand John 1:9, you will realise that Jesus Christ has a role to play in the life of every human being He created. Until He lights you up, you will remain in darkness. No religion can light you up! This is why Colossians 2:10 says:

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

This scripture reveals that without Jesus Christ, no human being is complete. It was the need for completion that necessitated the removal of a rib from Adam to form Eve. Every human being was created incomplete, and it is only by receiving Jesus that they become complete and whole. Living without Jesus is like trying to drive a car without the control of steering wheel. Such a car would be out of control. It will eventually crash and become a wreck! Why not allow the Controller of the universe to take over your “tiny” life today?

Action point

Entrust your life into the same hands that control the universe today.