THE ALMIGHTY

 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke 1:37

Read: Genesis 17:1-2

17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

Message:

In Genesis 17:1, for the first time, God revealed Himself as El-Shaddai: the Almighty God. Here, He was reiterating His wonderful promises to Abraham at the age of ninety-nine, particularly that he would bear a son, despite him and Sarah being very advanced in age. Prior to this revelation, God had been identified as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and He had also made Himself known as the God who knows all things. However, this time, He wanted to introduce Himself as the God who has the power to do all things. The eternal power of the Almighty is evident in the work of creation, and at a more personal level, the exceeding greatness of His power is expressed in all believers by the regeneration of our spirit man, through the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 1:20, Ephesians 1:19-20).

Several accounts in the Bible teach us that the unlimited power of the Almighty is always at work in any given situation to make all things go according to His original plan and purpose. For example, in the book of Ruth, Naomi was the only survivor of a tragic family decision to sojourn in the land of Moab. After a ten-year absence, the Lord brought her back to Bethlehem in His character as Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God. Later on, in His capacity as the Almighty, He exercised His power to implement His purpose in the life of Ruth and Naomi, so much so that the same circumstances that Naomi found to be bitter in Ruth 1:20 went on to bring about great joy and celebration at the end of the day. What a mighty God we serve! I therefore decree into your life, no matter what you are passing through at the moment, the original purpose of God for your life shall be established in the mighty Name of Jesus.

The almightiness of God can be translated to mean that with God, nothing shall be impossible. The Almighty God has proved Himself beyond any reasonable doubt in this regard. The book of Genesis reveals the power of God to bring everything we see in creation today into reality from virtually nothing. Exodus showcases among others things the execution of the ten plagues and the final deliverance of Israel from the hand of pharaoh in such a miraculous way. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy highlight the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness with great miracles and wonders attending to them daily. Joshua records how a feeble, worn-out and ill-equipped nation of Israel was assisted by the Almighty God to destroy and inherit the lands of nations consisting of giants. The list is inexhaustible! I therefore decree, that the power of the Almighty God will work in your life today to do the impossible, in the mighty Name of Jesus.

Prayer Point:

Father, You are the Almighty, please do a mighty thing in my life today in Jesus’ Name.

TOUCH NOT MY ANNOINTED.

Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Psalm 105:15

Read: 2 Kings 1:1-15

1:1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.

1:3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

1:4 Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

1:5 And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?

1:6 And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

1:7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?

1:8 And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.

1:10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

1:11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

1:12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

1:13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.

1:14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.

1:15 And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

Message:

Although the anointing in the life of the anointed can have positive impact on people’s lives , it can also take actions which have adverse effects against those who abuse the anointed or treat him or her spitefully. The Holy Spirit therefore gave us the warning in today’s memory verse to avoid being on the receiving end of such grave actions. This reminds me of the sad story of a pastor who tried to humiliate my father-in-the-Lord, Pastor Josiah Akindayomi, during his lifetime. Sadly, this fellow became leprous and died. This is similar to the tragic story in today’s Bible reading. Ahaziah, the king of Samaria, tried to lay hands on Elijah, God’s anointed prophet. What was the prophet’s crime? God sent Elijah to point out to him that it was wrong for him to have sent emissaries to consult a strange god for his healing, in defiance of God’s law (Deuteronomy 18:10-11). God’s warning, if heeded, normally brings forgiveness and restoration, as demonstrated in Jonah 3:10, when the people of Nineveh repented of their sins. Unfortunately, instead of crying to the merciful God of Israel, the king ordered the prophet’s arrest. Is this the right response to a message of warning from God? Before you respond to this, think of how you also feel whenever your pastor hands down a strong sermon to you in an effort to make you repent and be delivered from both present and eternal damnation. The story of King Ahaziah’s foolish actions ends in tragedy, not only for him but also for the soldiers he sent to arrest the anointed of God.

There are many lessons to learn and pray about from this story. First and foremost, we must pray for our bad leaders, because when God’s judgment comes, even the innocent may not escape the outcome. Secondly, children of God must always know whether any assignment they are given is of God or of the devil, and they should ask God for wisdom to go about it. I remember some policemen who wanted to extort money from my entourage some years ago. The moment I told their leader, “There is always a last assignment for every individual on earth”, he understood and let us go. If he had not repented, that would have been his last outing, because it was not I who spoke but the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, ministers of God should always live above board so that God’s anointing can fight on their behalf. Elijah said, “if I be a man of God...”. As a pastor, evangelist or prophet, can you confidently say you are a man of God? Have you burnt your spiritual fingers in the fire of sin and covered it up as if nothing happened? If you are in such a situation, repent today so that the anointing can resume its defense of your life. For those fond of ridiculing the anointed man of God, be careful, so that you don’t experience the adverse effects of the anointing. May the peace of God be with you.

Action Point:
If you’ve spitefully treated the anointed of God, repent and pray for forgiveness and healing.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Timothy 1-4
Daniel 12

NO SKIPPING DETAILS

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10

Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7

4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Message:

To avoid financial storm, you need to be careful note all the elements of a divine instruction. God is a God of details. When He gives you a recipe to solve a particular problem, He expects you to leave no details out. In today’s Bible reading, to solve the serious debt problem of the widow of the prophet, Elisha asked her to borrow vessels from all her neighbors, shut the door behind her and pour out her remaining pot of oil into all available vessels. If she had altered the any element of this instruction, it would definitely have affected the result she got. Some people received certain divine instructions and thereafter determine which to obey and which to discard. No! all the details must be observe! Do you know that if the widow had borrowed the vessels but refused to shut her door, the oil would not have flowed?

Beloved, always pay close attention to whatever instructions you receive from God. When it comes to sowing for instance, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says,

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

From the details of this scripture, it is not just sowing that will get you your expected returns, but rather sowing bountifully and cheerfully. Today, many people have chosen to forget these details on sowing, and this accounts for the financial storms in their lives. On tithing, it is not enough to tithe, but to bring in all the tithes. After completing my PhD research, I recalled I still had part of my research grant with the university. So I went to my Head of department (HoD) adding to draw out of it to bind my thesis. He refused to release it to me, and when I insisted, he sent me out of his office. With no other funds available, I wondered how to get the money is needed. A little past midnight, someone came knocking on my door. He said he could not sleep, and so he came to return the money I had loaned him five years earlier. Although I had forgotten this money, God had not. He paid me the exact amount I needed. After binding the thesis, I was scared, wondering if my HoD would accept it and give me a good score. So on the following Sunday, I paid my tithe, and on Monday, when I submitted my thesis to him, he was impressed and offered to personally take it to the external examiner. He also waited on the examiner until he finished his job in three days instead of six months. After this, my PhD grant was paid, and it became useful pocket money for me. You cannot tell the extent God will go to satisfy those who are totally obedient.

Action Point:

Ask God to lead our youths aright in their choice of life partner.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Nehemiah 10-11 and Exodus 46:13-24

ENJOYING THE SERVICES OF ANGELS

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Psalm 104:4

Read: Psalm 91:9-13

91:9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Message:

There are several misconceptions about the existence of angels. Some people don’t believe that angels exist. Some other people who believe in the existence of angels don’t know their purpose. It is important for us to know the truth of what God’s word says about angels, so that we don’t miss out on the ministry of angels in our lives. Today’s memory verse confirms that angels exist, and gives a hint on why they were created. From this scripture, we understand that angels are ministering spirits. We have two categories of angels: holy angels of God and fallen angels. The term “fallen angels” refers to Satan and the group of angels that rebelled along with him against God. These angels, now called the devil and demons, were cast out of heaven and are awaiting the day of God’s final judgment against them, when they will be sent into the place of eternal punishment (Isaiah 14:12-16, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Revelation 12:9, Matthew 8:29, Revelation 20:10). On the other hand, the holy angels of God are those angels that have remained loyal to God as their sovereign Lord. Concerning these angels, Psalm 103:20 says,

“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”

As a child of God, the angels of God are meant to minister to you and for you in the hour of great need, especially in situations beyond human control and power. Hebrews 1:14 says,

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

For example, angels ministered to Jesus after His temptation and before He went to the cross (Matthew 4:11, Luke 22:43). Psalm 91:11-12 mentions some specific assignments of the angels of God saying,

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Years ago, when some of the brethren came to me suggesting that I begin to carry bodyguards around, because they would not want to lose me to hoodlums or hired assassins, I declined because, based on the above scripture, the One who called me has more than enough angelic bodyguards to take care of my security, and they are more effective than a billion human bodyguards could ever be. Note however that the angels of God should never be worshipped or prayed to. Often times, because of their awesome nature, those who encountered them attempted to do this, but every time, these angels themselves forbade them from doing so (Revelation 22:8-9). Are you enjoying the ministry of angels?

Action Point:
Thank God for His ministering spirits that have been assigned to take care of you.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Galatians 4-6
Ephesians 1
Daniel 8:15-9:2

BE OF GOOD CHEER

A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. Proverbs 15:13

Read: Matthew 14:23-27

14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

14:24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

14:26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

14:27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Message:

The message in today’s memory verse is food for thought for those children of God who think that being sorrowful or morose is a Christian virtue. A glooming spirit is of the devil, who wants us to be in sorrow continually. In contrast to this, God wants all His children to be happy. The Holy Spirit in Isaiah 61:3 said that God gives joy to the sorrowful:

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”

The Lord Jesus Christ, who came to demonstrate the nature and character of God, read the above scripture in a synagogue on a certain day, and He declared:

“This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:21b

By this declaration, as a child of God, you should not live in sorrow anymore.

All through the course of Jesus’ earthly ministry, one statement that was common with Him was, “Be of good cheer”. In other words, “Have a merry heart”. He continually said this because He knew that a merry heart results in a smiling face and is like medicine to the body and soul (Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 17:22). For example, in John 16:33, Jesus told the disciples to be of good cheer because He had overcome the world. This means that, as children of God, we should not go about in life wearing a sorrowful face in self-pity - not even when we are confronted with the challenges of life. In the story of the man afflicted with the palsy, Jesus told him to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2). In other words, "Son, although your sins brought this sickness to your life, you are now forgiven, and you are made whole." I prophesy to you today, irrespective of the agonising condition your past life has brought into your present, the Lord will redeem you today. You are forgiven by the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and you will be happy again in Jesus’ Name. In today’s Bible reading, the disciples were in the midst of the sea and its waves tossed them here and there. In the midst of palpable fear and despair, Jesus came to them and rebuked their faithlessness, before rebuking the destructive wind. He then encouraged them to be of good cheer. In like manner, the Lord is speaking to you today that you will not drown in that situation. Be cheerful because Emmanuel is with you. Your joy shall come, and it shall come in full measure in Jesus' Name.

Prayer Point:
Father, flood my heart with unspeakable joy today and for ever more.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
1 Corinthians 15-16
Daniel 5:13-28

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

NO SKIPPING DETAILS

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: Isaiah 28:10

Read: 2 Kings 4:1-7

4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

4:2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4:4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Message:

To avoid financial storm, you need to be careful note all the elements of a divine instruction. God is a God of details. When He gives you a recipe to solve a particular problem, He expects you to leave no details out. In today’s Bible reading, to solve the serious debt problem of the widow of the prophet, Elisha asked her to borrow vessels from all her neighbors, shut the door behind her and pour out her remaining pot of oil into all available vessels. If she had altered the any element of this instruction, it would definitely have affected the result she got. Some people received certain divine instructions and thereafter determine which to obey and which to discard. No! all the details must be observe! Do you know that if the widow had borrowed the vessels but refused to shut her door, the oil would not have flowed?

Beloved, always pay close attention to whatever instructions you receive from God. When it comes to sowing for instance, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says,

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

From the details of this scripture, it is not just sowing that will get you your expected returns, but rather sowing bountifully and cheerfully. Today, many people have chosen to forget these details on sowing, and this accounts for the financial storms in their lives. On tithing, it is not enough to tithe, but to bring in all the tithes. After completing my PhD research, I recalled I still had part of my research grant with the university. So I went to my Head of department (HoD) adding to draw out of it to bind my thesis. He refused to release it to me, and when I insisted, he sent me out of his office. With no other funds available, I wondered how to get the money is needed. A little past midnight, someone came knocking on my door. He said he could not sleep, and so he came to return the money I had loaned him five years earlier. Although I had forgotten this money, God had not. He paid me the exact amount I needed. After binding the thesis, I was scared, wondering if my HoD would accept it and give me a good score. So on the following Sunday, I paid my tithe, and on Monday, when I submitted my thesis to him, he was impressed and offered to personally take it to the external examiner. He also waited on the examiner until he finished his job in three days instead of six months. After this, my PhD grant was paid, and it became useful pocket money for me. You cannot tell the extent God will go to satisfy those who are totally obedient.

Action Point:

Ask God to lead our youths aright in their choice of life partner.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:

Nehemiah 10-11 and Exodus 46:13-24

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

YOU CAN AVOID WASTAGE

 For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 24:6

Read: Luke 15:11-16

15:11 And he said, A certain man had two sons:

15:12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Message:

In life, some people experience provision before they ever need it, while some get provision just in the nick of time. Some others only get the provision they need after the time the need is past. One Bible character who experienced provision before need is the prodigal son in today’s Bible reading. All he would ever need was already provided for and safely kept by his father. Nevertheless, what was his response to his father’s wisdom and grace? He foolishly asked for all that was his, and he wastefully spent it all. Luke 15:13 says,

“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.”

May you never waste God’s provision for your life! There are so many people who engage in wasteful spending. There are some people God has blessed with the funds to buy a piece of land, which they can develop as God enables them, but they use the provision to acquire a flashy car or attempt to live “big” while they are still in rented apartment. This amounts to foolishness. There are some youths who get some big money from legitimate ventures, but because they had no financial intelligence and never sought counsel, they wasted it and struggled thereafter.

“If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. Ecclesiastes 10:10

To manage financial provision, you need wisdom. In fact, the Scripture above says that you can get results from a cutlass whether it is sharp or blunt; the difference is that wisdom helps you make the best decisions to obtain the best results. If you have financial wisdom, you would avoid wasteful spending and increase whatever you have. Do you have financial resources beyond what you need for the moment? Ask God for wisdom to manage it. Also, ask for guidance. Follow the counsel in today’s memory verse: ask those who know better. Ask from experienced fund managers and people skilled in financial investments. More importantly, find out from God, the Provider of that provision, what the purpose of the provision is. If you can diligently ask Him, He will guide you on how to spend it in such a way as to guarantee repeated provision. You do not need to spend on every item you see or like. Humbly surrender your desires to God and let Him reign over them.

Key Point:
You can completely avoid wastage when you submit your finances to Jesus asking Him for direction and approval of your budget.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 35-36
Ezekiel 41:12-26

GIVING DETERMINES PROMOTION

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee. Deuteronomy 16:17

Read: Deuteronomy 16:16-17

16:16 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:

16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

Message:

When God commanded all males in Israel to appear before Him in today’s Bible reading, he specifically instructed that they should not come before Him empty-handed. He also instructed that whatever they brought to Him must be a reflection of the level of blessings they had received from Him. Based on these two parameters, can you say you have followed the divine pattern when you appear before God? Today, when God’s people assemble before Him, many of them do not care about what they bring as an offering, as long as they bring something. Do you know that God cares about this? For this reason, 2Corinthians 8:12 says,

“For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”

One year, during our annual thanksgiving service for pastors and ministers of our church, I told them that God expects them to bring an offering that reflects how much He has blessed them individually. Then I asked them this question: “Brethren, do you know that many of us demote ourselves by the offering we give?” They appeared surprised to hear this. So I further explained that God knows us individually, and He knows the level to which He has blessed each one of us. He knows those whom He has taken to a level that can conveniently give Him N1000 at each offering. He also knows those who can afford to give N500 and those who are unable to give more than N100. If you are in the category of N1000 but give N500 per offering, you are indirectly saying to God, “Dear Lord, you made a mistake placing me in the category of givers of N1000. You should have left me in the category of givers of N500”. Then the Lord will reply, “I thought I promoted you, but if you want to demote yourself, no problem.”This is why some people are experiencing financial dryness. You are the one who told God that the level He placed you at is too high and that he should take you lower. I shared with my children that at the beginning of every year, I draw up a budget stating what I want to earn as my income for the year. Then I tell God that this is where I was last year but this is where I want to be by the year's end. Thereafter, I start giving to reflect my expectations based on my target. I promote myself by giving beyond my present level, and I can tell you in unmistaken terms that God has never failed me, not even once. Before the end of the year, I would have already surpassed the limit I set for myself. How has it been with your life of giving? Make necessary adjustments today and key into your joy.

Key Point:
Giving at a level that matches the financial status of your expectations is a way to compel God to supernaturally upgrade you to that expected level.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 29-30
Ezekiel 40:20-34

LITTLE REQUESTS LIMIT GOD

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 1 John 3:22

Read: James 1:5-6 (KJV)
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

MESSAGE:
The Lord Jesus Christ instructed us to ask until our joy is full (John 16:24) . Due to a lack of faith in God’s ability to meet our needs, many of us ask for crumbs, and by doing so, we insult or dishonour God. Are you one of such people?

During one of our special programmes sometime ago, while in my prayer room, God took me up on this issue. He reminded me of an incident that happened several years before then, when I went to London to prepare our Sunday School manual. After finishing it, I still had three days to go before my flight was due but I had completely run out of money. The kind of ticket l paid for on that trip was a cheap one and so it did not allow for rescheduling of dates.

I felt I could go without food for three days but could not avoid buying certain materials, books and tapes that I needed. These would cost me 50 pounds and I had no money. So I said, “Daddy, it would be good if I could get 50 pounds.”

Shortly after, my phone rang and I picked it up. The fellow on the line said, “Biyi”. I told him there was nobody with that name there. He asked, “Is that not so and so number?” As we talked, he got to know who I was and he screamed. He called out to his brother with excitement, telling him that he was speaking with me. Obviously, they had been discussing how they could see me and now was on the phone with them.

Eventually, they came over, we talked, and as they were leaving, they gave me 50 Pounds. As soon as they left, I said, “Daddy if knew it would be this easy, l would have asked for 100 Pounds!”

As I went upstairs in the apartment l was staying at, I rejoiced over the 50 Pounds l had just received. Just then, the door bell rang, and then it rang a second time. By this time, it was night already. Before l got to the door, the fellow at the door had slipped an envelope through the door into the room and left.

I picked it up, opened it and realised it had come from a man l had known for a long time. He was a very wealthy man who was also very stingy. He had never given me a dime before. In the envelope was 50 Pounds and a note saying, “I just felt like giving you some money.

As I went towards the bedroom, I told God that if I had known this second 50 Pounds would come I would have asked for another 50 Pounds! That night, before l slept, another 50 Pounds came. Then I became afraid and told God l was joking and did not want to offend Him.

In my prayer room, the Lord told me I had been a foolish boy.

“If you asked me for 50 Pounds and l could provide it, why didn’t you ask for 5,000 Pounds?”

Are you trying to help God conserve His resources when you ask? He doesn’t need your help! Ask, and ask big! Don’t limit Him.

Key Point: If the over seven billion inhabitants of the earth were to ask their best from God, they still could not exhaust a drop of His resources.

Bible in One Year:
2 Chronicles 26-28 Ezekiel 40:5-19 ,

Hymn: 3 How Great Thou Art