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.

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

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.

GODS GOODNESS IS COMING.

MEMORISE : I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 
PSALM 27 :13.
READ : PSALM 27 : 12 - 14.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 8 : 16 - 9 : 35 AND ROMANS 6.
Despondency is a tool the devil uses to steal people’s vision. He injects this poison into a man’s heart through the
experience of loss and suffering. That today is bad and the future looks bleak does not mean that your tomorrow will be terrible. As long as you are in Christ, you can rest assured that your tomorrow will be alright. Don’t give up on your
vision! Even if the devil stole a particular blessing from you, don’t give him your vision. Dry up your tears because you
need clear eyes to see new opportunities that God is giving to you. In fact, the avenue to your recovery can be around you as we speak, but as long as your eyes are flooded with tears, you will see only the situation and not the opportunities. Has the enemy taken everything from you like he did to job? That could just mean that like Job, you too are going through a trial of your faith. Don’t give up on God! Don’t let the devil take your joy, because the joy of the Lord is your strength. The knowledge that God is with you in that particular situation, and that the devil has clear boundaries with regards to the extent and timing of your trial should comfort your heart ( Job 1 : 12 & 2 : 6 ). Make sure that like Job, after your trial, you emerge as gold. In addition to putting an end to tears, you also need to encourage yourself in the Lord (1Samuel 30 : 6 ). To succeed in life and in the Christian race set before you, don’t be surprised that in the midst of certain situations, the things or people you thought you would draw great motivation from could end up becoming the source of great discouragement.
In 1 Samuel 30 : 4 - 6, after David had wept over his losses,he encouraged himself in the Lord. This shows that he remembered God’s unlimited ability after he had lost all hope in his own ability. Hope and strength came to him after this. 
No wonder he confessed in Psalms 27 : 13 that : “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” David went through situations that swallowed his hope and made him despair even of life, but when he remembered who God is, what He had done and what He could do, his hope came alive again. He therefore declared that in spite of his current unpleasant situation, he would still experience the goodness of the Lord while alive, and it was so. Take courage, believe and confess that the negative situation you are currently experiencing will not kill you. Don’t allow it rob you of your tomorrow. You shall see God’s goodness in the land of the living in Jesus’ Name.
KEY POINT :
What you focus on in the time of trial will determine its effect on you. If you focus on your loss, you will lose strength, but if
you focus on God, you will gain strength and hope.

THE MAJESTY OF HIS PERSON.

MEMORISE : And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angles of God worship
him. HEBREWS 1 : 6.
READ : HEBREWS 1 : 1 - 9.
1 GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made
the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of
his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to
him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy
kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 6 : 1 - 8 : 15 AND ROMANS 5.
The majesty of a king is seen in the power and influence his name commands. In the whole universe, there is no king greater than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who can
open both willing and unwilling doors ( Revelation 3 : 7 ). By His Name, you have access to all doors in Heaven, on earth
and in any part of the spirit realm. I pray that His Name will work for you whenever you call on Him from today in Jesus’
Name. Apart from opening doors, His Name can secure and sustain your deliverance from forces of darkness, because it is the only name that has the authority to chase out demons
( Mark 16 : 17 ).
His Name secures and sustains your healing, because it is the only name sickness and diseases will hear and have no choice but to obey ( Mark 16 : 18 ). Do you want joy to replace the sorrow you have been going through? The Name
of Jesus can also deliver that to you ( John 16 : 24 ). The majesty of the person of our Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in today’s Bible reading. Furthermore, Isaiah 9 : 6 says this about Him.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
If you desire to have all-round peace, all you need to do is to make peace with the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and He will give you peace in any area of life where you are currently facing a storm. No wonder a songwriter wrote these lyrics: “Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe, it will joy and comfort give you, take it wherever you go.” Furthermore, do you know that Jesus elevates anyone
who bears His Name? He lifts them up from the dunghill or miry clay and sets their feet on solid rock to keep them stable and secure. Do you need to move up to your next level? John 12 : 32 says if you give Jesus His rightful place in your life by lifting Him up, He will surely lift you and those around you higher. Jesus can give you victory in any battle you are
facing; He can also give you rest (Matthew 11 : 28 - 30 ).
Have you been struggling for so long to enter your rest in a particular area without success? Jesus will give you rest today. Your fruitless struggle ceases from today! Put your trust in His person, and it shall be well with you.
PRAYER POINT :
Father, let the majesty of Jesus be manifested in every area of my life from today onwards.

TOLERATING DEMONS?

MEMORISE : Neither give place to the devil. EPHESIANS 4 : 27.

READ : ACTS 16 : 16 - 18.
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 4 - 5 AND ROMANS 4.
One of the signs affirming that you have received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour is the ability to cast out demons. This grace is not the exclusive preserve of a few Christians who are branded “deliverance ministers”; rather, it should be commonplace among all Christians ( Mark 16 : 17 - 18 ). However, you need to know that you cannot cast out demons while living in sin; they will expose your secret deeds. There is the story of a minister who attempted to cast out a demon from a fellow, and the demon spoke out saying: “Are you the one commanding me to go? You who committed fornication with so and so yesterday?” That was the end of that deliverance session. In practice, we don’t see a lot of believers in Christ casting out demons today. Why is this so? Are you afraid, or living in secret sin? This should no be so. You should cast out demons whenever you perceive any operating around you. From today, you shall be a demon-chaser in Jesus’ Name. Wherever you go and find demons in operation, you should stamp your feet down in the Name of Jesus Christ and command them to take their leave. They will have no choice but to obey. If you need to support your faith, you can team up with one or two more believers and go out to preach the gospel, casting out the demons you find along the way, and they will obey you.
In our Bible reading, there was this young lady with the spirit of divination who appointed herself as the Public Relations Officer of Paul and his team, while at the same time working for her evil masters. She did this for a while, until Paul was grieved in the spirit and commanded the evil spirit to come out of her, and it did. From this account, you should learn that as long as you are ready to tolerate demons, they will continue to harass you. The trouble you allow to stay with you may take you along with it. In some churches, spirits of divination are in operation and they are tolerated. In fact, some pastors don’t know the difference between a spirit of divination and the spirit of prophecy that comes from God. In such churches, the devil reigns, and he manipulates people freely. Many believers today are far from the place where God wants them to be, because the forces of darkness are fighting to hinder their joy, they throw up their hands in resignation to fate, expecting God to do something about it, but God expects them to command those forces working against them to loose their grip and take their leave in the Name of Jesus. Are you doing this today?

ACTION POINT :
If you notice demonic manipulation in any area of your life, command the spirits responsible to loose their grip and take their leave in Jesus Name.