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.

WHEN HE BECKONS TO YOU

Memorise:

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.
John 7:37

Read: Exodus 3:3-4
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Message
When a king beckons to you, it means you have caught his attention. In Esther 5:1-3, when King Ahasuerus saw Esther standing in the inner courts of the palace, he immediately raised his sceptre towards her. By so doing, he was inviting her to come nearer. When God beckons to you, you can be assured that things are definitely taking a new turn from that moment. This was the experience of Moses. For 40 years, Moses was at the back side of the desert looking after his father-in-law's sheep; but one day, this well-read and once very promising heir to the throne of Egypt (now turned shepherd boy) encountered the burning bush which was not consumed. He heard God beckon to Him saying "Moses, Moses". From that very moment, his story was never the same.
God beckons to you when the day of your favour dawns. There is a user of this devotional: you have invested so much time and money in acquiring several degrees but you have not been able to use them. It appears God has forgotten you for some years, and you have been wondering when the opportunity will ever come for your certificates to work for you. Rejoice! Your time of favour has just dawned. God has just remembered you and is presently beckoning to you. Within the next three months, your life will go through a transformation, to the extent that it will be difficult for you to believe this is happening to you. When the Lord does this for you, do not forget to appreciate Him and testify of it.
In 1969, while doing my postgraduate programme in Mathematics, a friend of mine was doing his research on the coastlines of Lagos, and so he needed to visit all the coastlines and take samples from them. He decided to go to Ebute Metta, Lagos, for some samples. Because we were friends and I was available, I accompanied him. At Ebute Metta, we saw a very large signboard which read "The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)". Looking to see what the big signboard was referring to, we only saw a very little church. I turned to my friend and said "The big name killed a small dog!" We laughed and left. Four years later, somebody invited me to the same RCCG for the first time, saying "There is a small church at Ebute Metta where God is performing miracles." I told him I had seen that church before - the small church with the big signboard. Imagine what God is doing today after beckoning to me. May you heed God's beckoning in Jesus' Name.

Action Point:
What you look down on today may be your saving grace tomorrow. Ask for divine guidance in all you do.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: GENESIS 47-48 and Romans 1:18-2:11

THE BIBLICAL MODEL FOR COURTSHIP

We will construct some basic guidelines for courtship from our Lord's doctrinal statement on marriage.
"For this cause shall a man leave Father and mother, and shall cleave to a wife..." ~Matt. 19:5)
"A MAN..," OR MATURITY
Why did God wait to create Eve? Why did not God create Eve at the same time He created Adam? A wise Bible teacher said the delay was for Adam to prove himself in the garden by dressing it and naming the animals. Adam had both a proven vocation and an education before God gave him a wife. Adam and Eve were full-grown adults when God joined them husband and wife. Dating is almost always too much too young. It is a "man" who is to leave his father and mother for a wife and not a boy going out with a girl. Think with me for a moment.
Today, we often see children going out with each other on dates. It is not uncommon for 12 to 14 year olds to be pushed into some kind of a dating situation by public schools or parents. Dating is almost always too much too young. When children start to date in the early teens, innocence is exhausted too soon. Dating is intimacy and soon creates familiarity and sexual pressure. When children start kissing and petting at 13 or 14, what are they going to do at 18 or 19? When pediatricians start diagnosing pregnancy, dating was started too young. Society has reached the point where elementary children are experimenting with sex. Sexual pressure has moved down from the colleges to the high schools, to the middle schools and is now entering the elementary grades. Some have said that innocence is dead!
At what age should young people be allowed to go out with each other on dates? I guess the age many conservative people set is 16. However, 1 do not think that I have ever met a 16 year old that was ready for marriage and parenthood. I know what some people think, but they are wrong and the figures on teen morality prove that they are wrong, Where did dating come from? I think it came about as a result of the industrial revolution which pushed the age of adolescence up from 16-18 to 21-25. Adolescence is the period of a child's life that he spends in an adult body without having adult maturity or responsibilities. Adolescence ends when a child is able to support himself independently of his parents, family or society. As this age increased with the complexity of society, pressure for some kind of sexual stimulation and satisfaction outside of marriage became a way to provide teens with some sexual cutlet. Dating is sexual. I do not see how that truth can be successfully argued against. Just take almost any dating teens and try to restrict them to dating situations where there is no possibility of any kind of sexual intimacy and see what you run in to.
When young people ask, "When will I be grown up enough to be treated like an adult?" I answer that there are some reliable indicators. Young people start to show some real maturity, not when they can operate an automobile, earn spending money or look down and see the top of mom's head, but when:
7. When you are ready to accept the responsibility for someone else's life, like a wife or child, you are an adult.
If you see some wisdom and logic in these seven guidelines, I think you can also see that there is no set age to consider a young person to be an adult. Some young people would begin to demonstrate these attributes at the end of the teen years, and others do not until the end of the twenties. Mental, emotional and spiritual maturity is a very personal thing. Usually it is like holiness. When you think you have it you do not!
Because dating is almost always too much too young, It is a serious mistake for churches and Christian Schools to have dating activities like "Sweetheart" banquets and hay rides where dating is required or encouraged. Church will not sanctify a worldly activity. Churches and Christian Schools should stick to group activities for their teens and refuse any worldly compromise with dating.
When children and young people are loved and appreciated at home, at school and at church, and when they are away from the peer pressures of public school, they are not as eager to date as their worldly counterparts, who do not have these blessings. Children and young people from a loving, Christian environment that meet their needs are almost always older than their counterparts in the world when they do get serious about the opposite sex.