FEARLESS MESSENGER

Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the Lord.

Read : Jeremiah 1:4-10

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Message

There are different ways by which God can send His word to His people. The Word Of the Lord came unto Jeremiah telling him to fear not the faces of the people He was sending him to bless the message He has given him would not be pleasant message for them. Same was the account of Jonah when he was given a message to the people of Nineveh. The message of God to his children is always in various form. It contains doctrine, reproof,correction and instruction on righteousness ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ). It is always difficult for man to be confronted with his errors and wicked ways, and this was the assignment that God gave prophet Jeremiah.

How I wish there are many prophet Jeremiahs in our land, there would be more revival in our land. Prophets like Jeremiah who will call a spade a spade and not water down the Word of God because of the faces of the people. You cannot entangle yourself with the affairs of this world and still deliver the message of God without bias. There are many men of God who are afraid of the people God is sending them to. The God we serve has not given us the spirit of fear but of boldness and soundness of mind. You have to be fearless in preaching the Word of God. You must be instant in season and out of season.

We live in a time when people do not listen to absolute truth of Gods Word. People are very selective about the kind of messages they listen to. Do you receive the Word with gladness each time the Word points you to the cross? 2 Timothy 4:3 says : For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; God wanted Jeremiah to warn the people about the punishment to come if they would not repent from their ways of wickedness. God told Jeremiah to inform those who were proud and wicked, that the rod of affliction was coming on them.

The essence of this message to the people was for them to purge themselves from unrighteousness. Each time the Word of God comes to you, it is an opportunity to amend your ways before it is too late. God wants you to be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for His use so that you can be prepared for every good work. Whatever assignment God has given to you,do not be afraid. You will meet oppositions and enemies but you can be sure God is by your side. They may look big, but they are not bigger than the One who sent you. God will always deliver you out of the hand of persecutors. He will not only stand by you as you deliver the Word, He will deliver you from every trouble in the course of the assignment. When God sends you a message, He also backs you with His power. They may not like your face, but you can be sure that once you have declared the counsel of God to them, at the point of judgement; you will not be responsible for their blood. He that covereth his sins shall not proposer: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Another factor that can earn you mercy in the place or judgment is your Love for God. This love you have for God will prevent you from continuing in sin against Him. Exodus 20:5-6 says : for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Our Lord Jesus Christ corroborates what His Father says in the scripture above when He demands love and practical demonstration of it from his followers. He said in John 14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall love my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Beloved, if indeed, you prefer mercy to judgement, you will choose to love God. To love God requires keeping his commandments.

Finally, if you want mercy in the place of judgment, you need to humble yourself before God, acknowledging the fact that you are nothing without Him.

Key Point :

If God be for you who can be against you?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Exodus 6:14-8:32 and Psalms 110-111

MERCY OR JUDGMENT?

 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. PSALMS 32 : 1.

READ : JOHN 8 : 10 - 11 :

10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

MESSAGE :

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery is typical of the mercy of God and it was in direct contradiction with the judgement of the old era which did not give remedy to the spiritual problem of the people. Psalms 130 : 3 - 4 says :

“If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.”

This passage is a pointer to the fact that mercy is the preferred alternative to judgment. No matter how perfect you may think you are, you do not need to be asked whether you want to give consideration to judgment when there is room for mercy. However, mercy does not come on a platter of gold. The number one thing you must do to obtain mercy is to repent. Proverbs 28 : 13 says :

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Another factor that can earn you mercy in the place of judgment is your love for God. This love you have for God will prevent you from continuing in sin against Him. Exodus 20 : 5 - 6 says :

“….for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto them third and fourth generation of the that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ corroborates what His Father says in the scripture above when He demands love and practical demonstration of it from his followers. He said in John 14 : 21 :

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, land will manifest myself to him.”

Beloved, if indeed, you prefer mercy to judgment, you will choose to love God. To love God requires keeping His commandments. Finally, if you want mercy in the place of judgment, you need to humble yourself before God, acknowledging the fact that you are nothing without Him.

PRAYER POINT : Father, please show me mercy in the place of judgment. Help me to love you with all my heart.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : EXODUS 9 : 1 - 10 : 20 AND PSALMS 112.

HIS EARS ARE NOT DULL

Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. Job 14:15

Read: Isaiah 59:1-3

1:1 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:

2:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

3:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.

MESSAGE

Alienation or banishment is a form of punishment in which a guilty person is expelled from a region and forbidden to return. Alienation is commonly used by God in the Bible to cut off sinners from His presence. A good example is the banishment of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as a result of their disobedience to God. I pray that you will never do anything that will cause God to cut you off from His Presence in Jesus’ name. Isaiah 59:1-2 says:
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

Christians today are daily challenging God by constantly indulging in acts that are clearly recorded as reasons for alienation in the Bible. For example, some people intentionally dress scantily on the street. Can you imagine somebody purchasing a nice pair of trousers, and deliberately using a blade to rip it to shreds before certifying it ‘fit’ to wear? If you cannot clearly spell out what passes as decent Christian dressing for yourself and your household, then you are the one to be held responsible for the loose behaviour and excesses of your family members. This is tantamount to an open invitation to alienation or banishment from the Presence of God, which explains why some Christians suffer unexplained attacks from the devil. The Presence of God departs from such Christians, making them an easy target in the hands of the devil and his agents. May the Lord deliver every child of God in this category today in the Name of Jesus.

Indeed, the Lord’s Hands are not shortened, neither are His ears heavy that He cannot hear our cry for help. Sin is always responsible for alienation from God. In what ways has your weakness, carelessness, and nonchalant attitude contributed to sin and immorality in your family or the Church of God? Repent and make amends today before it is too late.

FOR HIS OWN PLEASURE

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Revelation 4:11

Read: 1st Peter 2:9-11 (KJV)

9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light;

10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

MESSAGE

Bible records shows that God is not passive about His creation; He is dynamically involved in everything that happens in the universe. His interest and involvement can be seen in the history of Israel and in the ministry of Jesus Christ. In the present age, God’s activities and operations can be seen in the lives of believers and the Church.

The Bible projected this in Colossians 1:16;

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

Revelation 4:11 further states that all things were created for God’s pleasure. In Moses’ story, God divinely chose the burning bush, after looking through all the available bushes around, He found pleasure in that particular one and decided to use it, just as He decided to locate the Redemption Camp on its present site. If I had been given the privilege to determine the location of our camp ground, it would never have been in its present location. I would have preferred a location much closer to Lagos. For those believers who obtained their spouses from God, if asked to make that choice personally, they most likely would have chosen someone else and would have missed God’s divine direction. Has the Lord chosen for you on any matter? Appreciate Him for His choice and go with that choice.

God is very much in the business of directing human affairs, and your choice in any matter can never produce a better result than His. God’s choice may not look like the best when human reasoning is applied. Whenever God chooses somebody for an assignment, it does not necessarily mean the fellow is the most qualified. In fact, usually, God chooses the least qualified so that flesh will not rob Him of His glory. However, when it pleases God to choose someone for a purpose, several activities begin to follow in quick succession, just as the choice of the burning bush culminated in the death of many Egyptians and the release of the children of Israel from slavery. Because the Lord has chosen you to be an heir to His heritage, He will cause all things to work in your favour to the fulfilment of your destiny in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point:

A FAITHFUL STEWARD?

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 

1st Corinthians 4:2

Read: Luke 16:1-8 (KJV)

1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.

2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

MESSAGE

Faithfulness is another obligation that God requires of us as human beings and particularly as His children. God is faithful and He wants us to resemble Him with this attribute of faithfulness. In our text today, we read about a steward who was found unfaithful and the master was about to sack him, this unfaithful servant then went about from one debtor to another to falsify records in order to please his master. The efforts this steward put up to regain his master’s approval did nothing for the expansion of his master’s business, but the master still commended him. If the unfaithful servant could go to the extent he went in order to remain in service, why can’t the children of light go a greater extent to please our Father in heaven? The conclusion of our Bible reading says:

“And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.”

Another lesson we can learn from this story is that your upward movement to the next level is predicated upon how well you perform in your present level of operation. Luke 16:11-12 says:

“If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteousness mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s who shall give you that which is your own?”

Beloved, the Lord is interested in promoting you. As a matter of fact, your promotion is long overdue. I am happy to announce to you that this is your time, however, what are you doing with your present level of position? Are you productive or you are hoarding your ideas so that you can have something to use when you come to a leadership position? You are just destroying and delaying your progress if this is your attitude. To be faithful simply means to be full of faith. Do you have faith in the organisation you are working with? You will not be at your best if you don’t have faith in that organisation you work with? Proverbs 22:29 says:

“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings he shall not stand before mean men.”

Daniel was a typical faithful steward. This is how he survived four generations of rulers – Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Cyrus and Belshazzar. The faithfulness of Mordecai saved the entire Jewish race during the reign of Ahasuerus. My prayer is that you will be highly favoured by the virtue of your faithfulness in Jesus’ name.

Prayer Point :

Father, I want to be faithful, please take away from me the spirit of unfaithfulness in Jesus’ name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Exodus 4:1-6:13 and Psalms 109:21-31

HEARING FROM GOD

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Hebrews 3:8

Read: Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV)

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:

MESSAGE

One of the illustrations of the Trinity says; God is the Father in Majesty, Jesus is the son in suffering while the Holy Spirit is the Spirit in Striving. Jesus is the Word of God that became flesh among men. He is the one that the Father appointed over all the things He created. In time past, there were different ways that God used to reveal Himself to humanity. He spoke through dreams, or through supernatural happenings. In the present age, the Father communicates to us through His son Jesus Christ. Everyone that seeks for the Father will find Him only through the Son.

Hearing from God. Jesus is the only way through which men can be saved. Everything that God has can be inherited only through the Son. There is no way we can deeply understand the character and nature of God if not revealed through the Son. Through the son, we know how powerful the Father is. Through the son, we know how more than enough the Father is. Through the son we understand how loving and faithful the Father is. The Glory of the Father is radiated to the world through the Son. It is through the omnipotent Word that the universe is being held together. It is through the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross that our sins are purged away.

We have stories of people in the Bible who refused to acknowledge the supremacy of God in their lives. They refused to retain God in their hearts even though they daily enjoyed His works. Because they refused to put God in their hearts, they suffered a lot in the hands of their enemies. They were warned from time to time by prophets of God until they were condemned to captivity. This will never be your portion in Jesus’ name. This is why you must make up your mind for Jesus.

There are people who do not want to hear anything about Jesus. Such people in the times of trouble will have nowhere to hide. If you don’t honour His Word in your life, He will never bring you to the place of honour. The moment someone refuses to open up his or her heart to Jesus, the devil will take over such a life. The children of Israel refused to hearken to the will of God and the Lord chastised them by allowing their enemies to take them to captivity. When you allow the Word of God in your life, it will transform you into the image of God.
2nd Timothy 3:16 says:

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

One of the ways to harden ones heart is to refuse to accept and obey the will of God, when one’s emotions and intellect isn’t under the control of the Almighty God. Those who do not accept the Word of God in their lives will always provoke God to rise in judgment against them.

If the judgment of God comes upon an individual, he may be left to wander in the wilderness of life. Accepting Jesus is accepting the Word of God into your life. It is finding rest for your soul.

Prayer Point:

Father, help me not to harden my heart to your Word.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Genesis 48-50 and Psalms 108

GOD'S KIND OF LOVE

 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Read: John 15:7-13

15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

MESSAGE

God is love; He dwells in love; He acts in love; He judges in love. Everything around God is love. In our text for the day, we are confronted with God's kind of love demonstrated through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ affirms the quality of God's kind of love that He represents when he said:
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" John 15:13

Now, as beneficiaries of this great love, we are obliged to show this kind of love to our Maker and most importantly to our neighbours.

It is wisdom for us to love the One who loves us at least for two reasons. One; when we love someone that loves us, he keeps on loving us the more. Secondly, the love that is not reciprocated will grow sour. Even God stops loving those who do not return His love. Proverbs 8:17 says:
"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."

How can we love a God that we do not see? We can, by loving our neighbours, Matthew 25:35, 37, 40 says:
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in... Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

John the beloved apostle went further to teach us how to love our God in practical terms 1 John 4:19-21:
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"

May the good Lord give us the grace to show our love to Him through our neighbours.

Prayer Point:

Father, give me your own kind of love. I want to live for you and Your Church.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Genesis 46-47
Psalms 107:33-43