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

END TIME according to the BIBLE.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

Mark 13:32 - But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Matthew 24:7 - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Luke 21:11 - And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Matthew 24:1-51 - And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to [him] for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 

Joel 2:28-32 - And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 

1 Timothy 4:1 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Matthew 24:6 - And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

Revelation 13:16-17 - And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:   (Read More...)

2 Timothy 3:1-4 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

Luke 21:25 - And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luke 21:36 - Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Revelation 3:3 - Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Daniel 12:4 - But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

2 Timothy 3:1-17 - This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

Matthew 24:21-22 - For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 

Matthew 24:36 - But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

2 Peter 3:3-4 - Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21

Read: Matthew 6:19-21

6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

MESSAGE

Treasures are highly valued objects or accumulated riches. Physical treasure has at best only short-term benefits and is capable of opening up the owner to various physical and spiritual dangers. However, spiritual treasure is of eternal value and comes from knowing and serving God. The Bible encourages Christians to save for the future and expects good parents to keep an inheritance for their children. It is also desirable to invest wisely. By the special grace of God, these processes could lead to a huge accumulation of wealth. The focus however is not the wealth but the mindset and attitude of the owner. Matthew 6:20 says,
“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

The problem is that wealthy people are familiar with how to make earthly investment and acquire earthly treasures, but only a few of them have the understanding of what it means to layup treasures in Heaven or how to go about it. The Bible recorded an encounter between Jesus and a very rich ruler with a similar challenge in Luke 18:15-25. Luke 18:22 says,
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven….”

The solution that Jesus offered is simple, if you want to have treasures in Heaven and you have earthly wealth, sow a bulk of it into the lives of the poor. If you go the extra mile to enrich the poor, you will have treasures in Heaven. Your wealth or possessions on their own are worth nothing to God, except they are converted into something of value that promotes the work of God, or affects the lives of others for good. If you use your wealth to promote the gospel or you meet needs with it, you will reap the harvests in Heaven because the principle of sowing and reaping applies there. Way to be rich in Heaven is to be rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:16). Use your wealth to better other people’s life, no rich Christian Brother or Sister has a reason to be poor in Heaven. No poor believer should also be poor in Heaven. You are the one to take the decision that will positively impact your eternity. Invest in the work of God by promoting the Gospel and sow bountifully into the lives of the poor.

Prayer Point:

Father, please help me lay up heavenly treasure more than earthly treasure.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Leviticus 20:1-22:16
Psalms 131-132

THE ANOINTING MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ACTS 10 : 38.

READ : MATTHEW 17 : 14 - 21:

14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,

15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.

16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

MESSAGE :

The word ‘anointing’ is often used in the Old Testament in recognition of the Lord’s divine calling upon the lives of individuals. In addition, the anointing was a physical recognition of the particular role or office of people such as kings, prophets, or priests.

However, the anointing in the New Testament is not limited to prophets and priests, it is birthright of every born again child of God. In Mark 6 : 7, Jesus gave power over unclean spirits to His disciples. In Luke 9 : 1, He gave them power to cure diseases, and in Luke 10:19, He gave them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. I once told my spiritual children that the new anointing is so powerful, that it can repeat whatever it has done for your spiritual fathers. It can re-open closed doors and turn the mocked into a celebrity. In 1 Samuel 16 : 11 - 13, when Samuel came to the house of Jesse while shopping for a kingly candidate, nobody presented David. It was until Samuel specifically asked for him that he was summoned. But after David was anointed in 1 Samuel 22 : 1 - 2, the same brothers who saw nothing good in him came to submit themselves under his authority. Have people written you off as a nobody? Do they deny you your rights and consider you unfit for any meaningful position? The anointing of God will reverse that situation in your life this season in Jesus’ name. You will be sought after. You will be transformed into a very important personality by the anointing.

Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 12 : 7 says :

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

The above verse shows that God’s anointing is not for flamboyance, globetrotting, or to be made merchandise of. On the contrary, the anointing is for making a difference in this evil world by living in holiness and righteousness, healing the sick, setting the captives free, making the barren fruitful, replacing sorrow with the joy and moving the impoverished into prosperity so that the Name of the Lord may be glorified. To what extent does the anointing on you impact those in need of it? To what extent are you making a difference in your community?

PRAYER POINT : Father, wake me up to my responsibility of making a real difference in this world.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : LEVITICUS 15 - 16 AND PSALMS 127 - 128.