NONE SHALL BE BARREN

 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 113:9

Read: Exodus 23:24-26

23:24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.

23:25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

23:26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

MESSAGE:

Contrary to what the world would have you believe, you are a creation of the Almighty God. You were put here on earth to fulfil a divine purpose, and part of that purpose is multiplication. When God created you, He gave you a mandate, and He equally endowed you to fulfil this mandate (Genesis 1:28). You need to therefore understand that no demon, power, principality or even medical practitioner can say that there is no solution to the challenges you are facing. The only person permitted to have the final say over your situation is the Almighty God, and this is what He says about you in Exodus 23:26:
"There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil."

Have you been tagged barren by this world? I want to assure you that your situation is not hopeless. The same God who remembered Rachael will surely remember you and remove every reproach in your life in Jesus’ Name (Genesis 30:22). While Rachael trusted God for the fruit of the womb, the world despised her, her sister disdained her and her husband gave up on her; but by the time the Lord decided to repay her for the many years she had been under ridicule, her testimony exceeded that of those who had written her off.

I pity those who consult diviners in their search for children. God’s stance on this is very clear:
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer." Deuteronomy 18:10-11

Every child that is gotten through the help of diviners will not give you joy. Submit to what God only can give. Do not run faster than your shadow. At God’s appointed time and season, your song will change. As the Lord remembered Rachael He will surely remember you. Every reproach, sorrow, humiliation and secret cry of yours shall be brought to an end this month in Jesus’ Name. All you need to do is to worship the One who can do what doctors’ say is impossible. Every husband who has been praying silently for his wife shall rejoice this season in Jesus’ Name. Every family needs to unite together in prayer to wage war against those things that are not part of God’s promise for your destiny. Have you lost so many years while waiting in expectation? Know that there is a God of redemption, and that the lost years of your life can be redeemed. The promises of God’s restoration will come to pass in your life in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point:

Father, I command that every seed of barrenness in me withers away now in Jesus’ Name.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 23-24
Isaiah 32:9-33:9

THE SURE SOURCE OF PROMOTION

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. Psalm 75:6

Read: Psalm 113:1-9

113:1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

113:2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

113:3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

113:4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

113:5 Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

113:6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

113:7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

113:8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

113:9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

MESSAGE:

The promotion that comes from God is worth waiting for; never settle for the promotion of men. Man can promote you today and demote you the next day. When man promotes you, they will expect something in return, but when God promotes you, all your sorrows will turn to joy and you will have absolute peace even in the midst of trouble. God’s promotion usually shuts the mouth of detractors. Your detractors are those who boasted that you would never rise in their presence, and those who threatened that they would use the power of their position to destroy you, because you have refused to bow to their gods. They are those who, because of your uncompromising conviction, have said they will never recommend you for promotion as long as they are on the seat of power. I have good news for you: by this time tomorrow, their promotion will be at your mercy in Jesus’ Name. They will never be able to carry out their mischievous plans against you in Jesus’ Name. Concerning such people, the word of God in Psalm 21:11 says,
"For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform."

When God promotes you, you will go from success to success. This is why you need to make Him your ally. You need to come to Him, and let Him take over your life. The Lord’s decision is always final. If He decides to promote you, no man can demote you. If He says this is your season, no accuser can deny you access. If He decides to bless you, no curse can prevail over you. All you need to do is to ensure His presence never departs from your life. There is someone reading this Devotional: by the time God starts with you, the whole world will be amazed. God promoted Joshua from being a messenger to the position of a commander. When God told him to take over the mantle of leadership from Moses and lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land, Joshua thought God was joking. God had to reassure him repeatedly that as He was with Moses, He would be with Him (Joshua 1:5-9, Joshua 3:7). Irrespective of how forceful the opposition confronting you is, when God is promoting you, He will cause you to experience certain blessings that will make all your enemies crumble. You will be able to do things you never thought you could do. However, God will not promote a person who is just folding his hands doing nothing. It is the soul of the diligent that will be made fat (Proverbs 13:4). If you are a hardworking person, God will reward you. God does not bless the lazy. What you sow is what you reap. If you want to soar, you have to go the extra mile and be a benchmark in the lifestyle of holiness and excellence.

Prayer Point:

Father, let Your presence command blessings into my life.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 22
Isaiah 31:1-32:8

GREAT FAITH

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.- Mark 11:22

Read: Luk 7:1-9

7:1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

7:2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

7:3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

7:4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

7:5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
7:6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

7:7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

7:8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

7:9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

MESSAGE :

Great faith is a kind of faith that works wonders in the life of an individual. It brings into manifestation the miracle-working power of God and makes one see His glory. Jesus referred to this kind of faith when He said to Martha,
"Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" John 11:38b

The power of God is beyond human understanding. For this reason, you need to believe what God says, even when you don't know how He will do it. This is where faith comes in. There will always be a reason to doubt, but we must continue to suppress all doubts with great faith in God. Are there mountains in your life that you want removed? Are there steps you want to take that will lead to your breakthrough but you are having doubts about? Are there promises you received from God for which fulfilment seems impossible now? All will be well, and my God will remove every mountain before you. He will bring you to your desired destination in Jesus’ Name.

Unbelief is very dangerous because it displeases God. When the Almighty speaks to you and says what He will do, don’t begin to scratch your head for a rationalization of its possibility. Like the children of Israel, contemporary believers are afraid of stepping into their glorious destinies because of unbelief (Hebrew 3:18-19). In Mark 3:1-5, Jesus went into a synagogue and there was a man there with a withered hand. Jesus told him to stretch out his hand, even though he knew his hand was withered. If that man had refused to act in great faith, he would have missed his miracle. As a child of God, when you say you believe God, your next action must show that you truly do. Today’s devotional message. Exhibition of great faith produces the supernatural. This will lead to events that contravene the laws of nature taking place in your life.

One of my daughters was told that her womb was too small to nurture a child to the point of delivery. This was the doctor’s report, and the doctor was right because that was his field of speciality. However, God wanted to show to the doctor and to my daughter that He is the Doctor of all doctors and that He can overrule any report. By His awesome power, the same womb that the doctor said could not nurture a child carried and gave birth to four children at once. It is only in God that such compelling events can happen, but it takes great faith in Him to reverse the irreversible in your life. This is why you need to come to Him and make Him your all in all.

What is the physical challenge you are having in your body? By the power of God, an end has come to it today in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :
Take stock of anything you have given up hope on, and exercise great faith on it.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR :
Luke 20-21;
Isaiah 30:23-33

SECRETS OF FRUITFULNESS

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

Read: Galatians 5:22-26

5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

MESSAGE:

One of the utmost desires of every human being is to be fruitful. We derive our drive for fruitfulness from the command that God gave to our spirit after creation in Genesis 1:28:
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

To be fruitful means to have outstanding results in one’s assignment or chosen career. Fruitfulness is having excellent results where others are failing. It is to be highly favoured where others are struggling, and making progress where others are either retrogressing or remaining stagnant. Fruitfulness means being a vessel of honour while some are vessels unto dishonour. My prayer is that the Lord will reveal to you the secrets of good fruitfulness in Jesus’ Name.

The first secret of good fruitfulness is absolute dependence on the One who infused our spirit with the drive to be fruitful: God. God plays a prominent role in the fruitfulness of His children. This is why you need to settle it in your mind that there is nothing you can achieve without the help of the Almighty God. Those who understand this secret never attempt to run ahead of God. Jesus in John 15:5 said,
“I am the vine, ye are the branches; He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

No amount of human labour would suffice if God is not involved. This is why you need to run your endeavours in partnership with Jesus. If you partner with Jesus, you can never suffer loss because He is committed to giving you what money cannot buy. Money cannot buy you a good name; neither can money buy you peace of mind or guaranteed protection.

Another secret of good fruitfulness is avoiding strife and division. These manifest carnality and they will hinder you from bearing good fruit in life. Any family where envy and provocation of one another persist cannot be fruitful. Any organisation where people are committed to breaking ranks cannot be fruitful. Any church where people are always pulling down one another through their actions and words cannot be fruitful. This is why the Bible admonishes us to always walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Let us always create an atmosphere of peace, love, joy and goodness, without undermining the importance of discipline. You will be amazed at how good our fruits would be under the leading of God.

Prayer Point:

Father, destroy every agent of strife and division in our families.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Luke 14-15
Isaiah 29:1-14,

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE

HYMN 10: THERE SHALL BE SHOWER OF BLESSING

1. There shall be showers of blessing:
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.

[Chorus]
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need:
Mercy drops ‘round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.

2. There shall be showers of blessing--
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.

[Chorus]

3. There shall be showers of blessing:
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honor Thy Word.

[Chorus]

4. There shall be showers of blessing:
Oh, that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!

FREE INDEED

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. John 8:36

Read: John 8:31-36 (KJV)

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

MESSAGE:

A lot of people go to unbelievable an unimaginable places seeking for solutions to their numerous problems and challenges, but all to no avail. Some people even go to the devil to find freedom. How can you seek freedom from an entity in bondage? Today, I pray for you that every wrong avenue from which you have been seeking freedom will be shut in Jesus’ Name. The Almighty God will show you solutions to the challenges confronting you in Jesus’ Name. It is often said that you cannot give what you don’t have. This is very true, and that is why you need to run to Jesus for all of your needs. There is no question in your life that He does not have an answer to. There is no problem He cannot solve, no sickness He cannot heal and no negative report that Jesus cannot overturn. There is no pit dug for you that He cannot close, neither is there any weapon fashioned against you that He cannot raise a standard against.

Beloved, it’s only in Jesus that you can have true freedom. If you really want to be free, you need to become a disciple of His. A disciple of Jesus is a follower of His person and principles.

There are many people who go to church and deliverance meetings who are not disciples of Jesus. They are just among the multitudes who are interested in His miracles and blessing, and yet have no interest in making Him their personal Lord and Saviour. Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a personal decision wherein an individual has to make up his mind to respond to the love of God. It is accepting to be on the Lord’s side. It is a deliberate intention to pay close attention to the word of God and allowing your life to be guided by it. This is the only way your freedom can be guaranteed. Over and over again you hear in adverts that tobacco smoking is dangerous to health, yet some people have remained under its bondage. Even some medical doctors, who know the serious negative effects of smoking, cannot help themselves from the bondage of this habit. Today, there shall be an end to every habit that is injurious to your life in Jesus’ Name. Come to Jesus and surrender to Him absolutely. Only after doing this will you enjoy total freedom from all bondage of strange voices, satanic oppression, obsession, suppression and depression. He is the only Truth that can set you free. Once you are set free in Jesus and you continue to abide in Him, no one can put you back in bondage again. An end has come to all the works of the devil in your life. Now is the dawn of a new beginning. No matter how much you have been afflicted by the agents of hell, your freedom has finally come in Jesus’ Name. I release the power of God to deliver you from all demonic attacks right now, in Jesus’ Name.

Prayer Point:

Thank you Father for the victory You have given me through Christ Jesus.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Luke 12-13 and Isaiah 28:14-29,

UNDER A DIVINE CURSE?

And Cain said unto the LORD, my punishment is greater than I can bear. Genesis 4:13

Read: Genesis 4:1-15 (KJV)

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;

12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

MESSAGE:

Do you know that besides physical death there is also material death? One of the most dreaded and avoided passages in the Bible is Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Ironically, one of the best loved and most read passages of Scriptures come from the first 14 verses of that same chapter. People want to read about God’s blessings but they never want to be told about the curses. However, it is very instructive to read the passages that talk about the curses too, so that you can discern if your life is manifesting any of the curses and to seek spiritual help if that is the case. These passages also help us to know what the God who blesses His obedient children can do to those who disobey Him. It is also good to take a careful study of those who were placed under a divine curse in the Bible, so that you can steadfastly avoid their errors.

One repercussion for disobeying God is material death brought about by several agents of death. According to Deuteronomy 28:15-68, for the act of disobedience, the disobedient fellow shall be cursed everywhere he or she goes. That means, spiritually, such a fellow is wearing the garment of curses! When a person is cursed by God, wherever he or she goes, people will just find themselves opposing him or her, even without real provocation. Divine curses attract other types of curses to the fellow who is cursed. Also, when an individual is under a divine curse, the curses that men placed on him will require no demonic power to make them work; they will just ride on the existing cursed climate surrounding the fellow. It is a terrible thing to come under a divine curse! If you are under a divine curse, do everything possible today to come out of it! For a fellow under a divine curse, everything God has made will begin to fight against that fellow. Friends will turn against him or her. Opportunity will shut its door. Good health will take its flight. Promotion will be on vocation. Success will run away. The life of that individual will attract all kinds of evils: disappointments, unending struggles, frustrations, sorrow, losses, wasted efforts, and every unpleasant experience. When Cain was cursed by God in Genesis 4:11-12, he understood the spiritual implication of this and he immediately began to pray for divine mercy. If he did not do this, everything and everyone would have worked against him. Does it appear like everyone and everything is fighting against you? Find out if you are under a divine curse and immediately go to God in repentance and ask for His mercy.

Action Point:

Are you under a divine curse and you desire to be free? You have placed under a curse and ask for God’s mercy.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Luke 10-11 and Isaiah 28:1-13

HARVESTING BEYOND BREAD

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1st Corinthians 3:6

Read: 2nd Kings 4:8-17 (KJV)

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt

embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

Bible in one year: Luke 9, Isaiah 26:20-27:13, Hymn: Sing hymn 10

MESSAGE:

To be a successful farmer, there are several activities you must carry out in the right order. You have to get a suitable farmland, cut the grass and fell the trees, make the ridges and therefore sow your seeds. After sowing, you have to watch out for weeds that come to destroy your harvest, and when they show up, you have to take them out of the way. You have to also water your seed always. If you do all these, you will get a bountiful harvest. All these are reflection of what you need to do in order to get a bountiful harvest in the Kingdom of God. One important point you need to take to heart is that after you have done your part, God is the One who gives the increase (1st Corinthians 3:6). Every increase that comes to your seed comes from God and not necessarily from the soil. The season, the Lord will give you increase in every good area you are sowing in Jesus’ Name.

However, what you reap will be determined by what you have sown. For instance, the young boy in John 6:5-13 did not only give bread, he also gave fish to Jesus. If you give Him bread, He will multiply it back to you. If you give Him more than bread, you will also get more than multiplied bread. The boy gave the Lord and fish, and at the end of the day, he got 12 baskets full of bread and fish. One lesson here is that sowing and reaping is not the exclusive preserve of adults. Teach your children to sow into the Kingdom of God. Teach them to pay tithes on the gifts they receive from their uncles, aunties and friends of their parents. They can even tithe their pocket money as they go to boarding school or university. The earlier they imbibe such Kingdom principles, the better for them.

Indeed, if you give the Lord more than bread, you will get more than bread in your harvest. In our Bible reading, rich woman of Shunem started by providing food for Elisha. She then moved beyond providing bread to providing accommodation.

When her harvest came, God went beyond bread and took care of a long standing need in her life that she had already given up hope on: her desire for a child. The seed she sowed into Elisha’s life defied all scientific and diabolical reasons for her barrenness and gave her a baby boy. God knows your needs – even your deep, unvoiced needs. What are you giving to Him? If you are not yet giving Him anything, start giving something today! Are you giving only what you can easily part with? Take a step further today and sow sacrificially. Your seed will carve out a path into the fullness of your joy.

Prayer Point:

Thank God for the body of Christ, the leadership and all that God is doing through His Church.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : Luke 9 and Isaiah 26:20-27:13