WHAT’S IN A NAME?

MEMORISE : And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in

his name among nations, beginning at Jerusalem. LUKE 24 : 47.

READ : LUKE 1 : 30 – 35.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour
with God.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that
holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR : 1 SAMUEL 10 : 11 AND MARK 5 : 1 – 20.

God attaches great significance to names. It is unfortunate that many people
don’t pay attention to the importance of the names they bear or the names
they give to their children. Africans, like the Jews, consider the meaning of a
name before they give it to their children or to someone else.
The Name that the Almighty God chose to give to His only begotten Son is very
significant. It is a wonder-working Name. In Matthew 1 : 21, we are told the
reason why the miracle child Mary would give birth to should bear the Name
Jesus :
“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall
save his people from their sins.”
Salvation from sin is the greatest wonder in the history of mankind because
the Bible expressly declares sin as a plague affecting all men. Romans 3 : 23
says that :
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
The Name Jesus therefore proclaims to the world thus: “Behold the Man who
came to achieve the greatest wonder the world needs.”
This is where practitioners of some other religions get confused. They wonder
how the Name of one Man can save another man; not to talk of the claim that
this same Name can save all who believe in it. They wonder silently and loudly;
they try to rationalise the workability of this declaration which God Almighty
Himself made concerning His only begotten Son. Beloved, I encourage you not
to bother about how it works.

Evidence abounds as to how on the merit of this Name, souls have received and
are receiving the forgiveness of sin. Not only that, the positive
transformation that occurs in those who believe in this Name is indisputable
proof of the wonders the Name of Jesus performs from generation to
generation.
One of my sons testified that when he believed in the Name of Jesus, not only
was he forgiven, he was also miraculous transformed. He experienced the
disappearance of curses and abusive words from his vocabulary. He testified
that “The curse words could just not come out anymore even when I tried”. To
have this same experience, I encourage you to surrender your life totally to
Him today. You need to identify with the Owner of this Name before it can work
for you. God bless you as you do so today in Jesus’ Name.

ACTION POINT :
Make sure you know and belong to the Owner of the Name, JESUS. By this, you
will experience transformational wonders, not only in your spiritual life but
also in your family and business.

AUTHOR : Pst. E . A ADEBOYE

POWER IN THE SPOKEN WORD

Memorise: The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Matthew 8:8

Read: Matthew 8:8-13, Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 8-9, Mark 4:21-41

There is power in the spoken Word of God, and this power produces unspeakable wonders. In fact, the entire universe was formed by the spoken Word of God (2nd Peter 3:5). Hence, we must give more earnest heed to the spoken Word of God emanating from genuine men of God. Many people have missed their miracles because they mistook the Word of God for the words of a pastor. They fail to realise that God will not come down to speak His word, but He speaks through His genuine servants. The onus is now on whoever wants God’s Word to perform wonders in his or her life to identify genuine ministers of God through whom God speaks. The Bible in 2nd Chronicles 20:20b says:

“Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”

How then do you identify a word as being genuinely spoken by God through His servants? The written word, which is the Bible, authenticates and must align with the spoken word (John 16:13, Galatians 1:8). After you have ascertained that the source of a spoken word is clean, and that the word is directly from God, it is your responsibility to believe it. Only then will you receive the miracle you so much desire from God, as it is written in Psalm 107:20:

“He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

Without controversy, there is power in the word of God as spoken by His genuine ministers. However, this power can have a positive or negative effect. We must therefore comport ourselves with wisdom so that the spoken word does not affect us negatively. The spoken word of God which came to the widow of Zarephath through Elijah in 1st Kings 17:14 is a case in point; it says:

“For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.”

We see the power in this spoken word, working positively in 1st King 17:16:

“And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”

Elijah also spoke concerning the shameful death of the wicked King Ahab in 1st King 21:19 and the wonder-working power of the spoken word produced the negative effect of Ahab’s death in 1st Kings 22:38.

Prayer Point

Father, grant me grace to live my life in such a way that it will attract the positive wonders of Your spoken Word.

TRANSFORMED BY THE NEW CREATION

Memorise: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1st Corinthians 6:11

Read: Luke 8:1-3, Bible in one year: 1stSamuel 5:7, Mark 3:31-4:20

One of the most profound wonders you will find anywhere in the world is the wonder of a transformed life. When a person who was demon-possessed suddenly becomes a vessel unto honour, what wonder can be greater than this? Such a person remains a wonder throughout his or her lifetime. This was the testimony of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2). It is wonderful for a demoniac to become a financial backer of God’s kingdom. Another example of a transformed life that become a wonder is the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:28-30). From being a promiscuous person, she became a lady evangelist. The Bible in John 4:39n says this about her impact:

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.”

Apostle Paul in today’s memory verse, after listing the evil characteristics of the old creation, testified to the transforming wonder of the new creation experience as seen in some members of the Church of Corinth. After I received the grace of God for the salvation of my soul, and I became a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a woman came to the church with her child who had a problem that only a miracle could solve. She requested to see the pastor and to her surprise, it was her ex-boyfriend! On discovering that I was the pastor who would pray for the healing of her child, she said, “You? It cannot be!” However, I told her that what she was seeing was nothing but the transforming wonder of the new creation. I told her of how God saved me, and that the same God could save her also. She believed me, I prayed a simple prayer of faith, and the child got healed. This is the transforming wonder of the new creation. Have you experienced this wonder? If not, today is the day of salvation for you. The Bible in 2ndCorinthians 6:2 says:

“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Let today be the day you experience the transforming wonder of the new creation, and all things, including your worn-out hope, will be renewed.

Action Point

Take a bold step of faith by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and saviour indeed, and you will experience the transforming wonders of the new creation.

THE MIND OF JESUS

Memorise: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:5

Read: Matthew 11:28-30, Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 2:27-4:22, Mark 3:1-30

The Lord Jesus Christ invites us into His rest in today’s Bible text. However, before we can obtain His rest, we must have the same mind as His. To have the same mind as Jesus, we must learn of Him. Many would-be Christians fail realise that what makes Christ unique is not His complexion or stature, but the life that He lived while on the His complexion or stature, but the life that He lived while on the earth – a sanctified life of love, compassion, holiness and perfect obedience of His Father. He said in John 17:19 that:

“And for their sake I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”

This statement reveals His mind, and the guiding principle of His lifestyle.

Some people desire to know God without first knowing about Him. How can one have the mind of Jesus and get to know him without first learning about Him? Jesus in John 7:17 says,

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

We are called to learn of Jesus Christ. We should allow Him to teach us through His human agents under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. This is why Bible Study services and Sunday School classes are very necessary. Daily study of God’s word in devotionals like this will enhance your knowledge of Jesus Christ in order to know and have His mind.

What then is the mind of Christ? The mind of Christ is the mind of humility (Philippians 3:5-8). This is an all-encompassing Christian virtue that takes root from the very first day of your conversation. As a matter of fact, the acceptance of the gospel lays the foundation of humility, because you cannot accept that you are a sinner without a humble heart. The natural man tends to either rationalise his evil deeds or assume that sin is not so bad because “everyone else is doing it”. However, when the Spirit of Christ comes upon an individual, He convicts him of his sins (John 16:8-11). This leads to repentance and sets the stage for the process that brings about the formation of the mind of Christ in that individual, even as he or she continues to learn of Christ. Learning of Christ entails imbibing His deals, which many so-called brilliant theologians and churchmen think are no longer valid for the 21st century Church. My prayer for you is that any knowledge which will invalidate the ideals of Christ as contained in the Bible will not come your way in Jesus’ Name. For you to find rest for your soul, you must have the mind of Jesus Christ.

Prayer Point

Father, give me the same mind You gave to Your Son Jesus, and help me, in this evil and perverse generation, to live by the ideals He brought to this world.

The Agony of a Backslider

Memorise: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. -Revelation 2:5

Read: Judges 16:18-21(KJV)

18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand.

19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.

Bible in one Year: l Samuel 1:1-2:36, Mark 2:13-28

MESSAGE:

In today’s Bible reading, we see the agony of a backslider manifested in the loss of Samson’s eyes. To lose one’s physical, intellectual or spiritual vision is very agonising. Samson, a Nezarite of God from the womb. Broke the covenant of his calling first as an Israelite and then as a Nazarite. With reference to the inhabitants of the land of Canaan such as the Philistines, God in Deuteronomy 7:3 had thus commanded the children of Israel:

“Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.”

Contrary to this instruction, Samson went to seek the hand of a Philistine woman in marriage. When his parents tried to guide him back to the right path, he in Judges 14:3said:

“….. Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”

Also, concerning Nazarites such as Samson, God in Numbers 6:6 had thus commanded:

“All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.”

But the devil ensnared Samson with honey in the carcass of a dead lion he had killed. In the process of collecting honey to eat, he ended up defiling himself (Judges 14:8-9).

Many children of God are, like Samson, erring in the choice of a marriage partner. Some have been destroyed by their appetite, because they could not resist the devil when he asked them to turn stone to bread by sleeping with a personnel manger to secure a job. To such people, the end justifies the means, but the question is: can this temporary “respite” be worth the agony of backsliding? One lesson we must quickly learn is that, the moment a Christians begins to slide backward into his or her old way of life or into things that God frowns at, he or she loses the power of spiritual vision. Such a fellow beings to wallow in darkness of untold agony. After the last straw that broke the back of Samson’s spiritual camel was engaged, the Bible in Judges 16:20 says:

“…. And awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”

Alas, the process of Samson’s downfall was complete and his eyes were put out. The worst thing that happened to Samson was that he died with his enemies; hence, he could not be considered a victor. My prayer for you is that you will not backslide in Jesus’ Name.

Action Point: Search your life to see if there are ways you have been backsliding unnoticed. Make amends and ask God to restore you back to your first love for Him.

FROM GRASS TO GRACE

Memorise: The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools. Proverbs 3:35

Read: Esther 8:15-17, Bible in one year: Ruth 3-4, Mark 1:29-2:12

When a man’s way pleases the Lord, He will make his enemies to be at peace with him. After this, God moves him from grass to grace. This was the experience of Mordecai in our Bible reading today. There is one condition which anyone who desires to move from grass to grace must fulfil: such a person must be wise. The Bible says the wise shall inherit glory (Proverbs 3;35). Who are the wise? The wise are those who fear the Lord rather than man. In Esther 3:1-2, we read of how a man was trying to play God by having all men bow before him. Contrary to his expectation, Mordecai would rather worship God than man, hence, Human hated him. Even as Human planned the downfall of Mordecai, the Almighty God was arranging how this God-fearing man would move from grass to grace. It is wisdom to fear the One you know has the capability to promote or demote you. This was the wisdom that eluded King Nebuchadnezzar and he fell from grace to the level of eating grass (Daniel 4:30-33). Not until after he had learnt not only to reverence God but also to fear Him did he had learnt not only to reverence God but also to fear Him did he rise again. It is indeed true that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus Christ taught His disciples the principle in Matthew 10:28, saying:

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Those who allow the fear of men to push them against the will of God are in danger of moving from grace to grass. When you learn to fear the Lord, He takes up any challenge that may be facing you, and beyond your wildest imagination, He will lift you up. Daniel was another person who feared the Lord, and God raised him from grass to grace. After being lifted from the den of lions unhurt, Daniel was promoted in the reign of Darius (Daniel 6:23-28). Nowadays, Christians hardly exhibit the type of fear that is expected of a servant to the master. God Himself demanded this type of fear from us who are His royal priests (1st Peter 2:9) in Malachi 1:6

“A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father , where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? Saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?”

Beloved, if you want accelerated promotion that will move you from grass to grace, the secret lies in the fear of God.

Prayer Point

Father, please move me from grass to grace today and let the world see Your glory in my life.

A NEW BEGINNING OF PROSPERITY

Memorise: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Exodus 12:2

Read: Exodus 12:33-36, Bible in one year: Ruth 1-2, Mark 1:1-28

When the Almighty God grants a new beginning to an individual or a nation, it could be a new beginning of prosperity. Imagine the Hebrew nation which for over four hundred years had been at the mercy of their Egyptian rulers, coming out of Egypt as millionaires simply because the Almighty God decided to grant them a new beginning. I pray for you that this month shall be to you as the first month of the year in astonishing prosperity in Jesus’ Name. How did the Lord do this for the Israelites? The Bible says that He gave them favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that the Egyptians gave them whatever they asked for. The treasures of the Egyptians were transferred to them without them having to shoot an arrow. The Bible in Proverbs 16:7 says:

“When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

This scripture sums up the experience of the Israelites. Whenever God makes a pronouncement, we shall learn to take Him at His word. Sometimes, this is easier read about than practiced. Imagine how difficult it would have been for the Israelites to believe that before daybreak after the night of the Password. They would cross over from poverty to prosperity.

“Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Joel 2:23

For this beautiful prophecy to come to pass in your life, some spiritual conditions must be met. Prior to this prophecy, the Lord demanded that his people turn to Him with all their hearts: with fasting, weeping and mourning (Joel 2:12-13). He asked them to rend their hearts and not their garments, and return to Him. We can deduce from this narrative that the poor condition that a lot of people find themselves in today is caused by their spiritual poverty. Some people live in abject poverty because their lifestyle has turned God, who should bless them, into their enemy. Here is the good news: when this great God turns a life around onto godliness, he also changes the physical condition of the fellow concerned. Settling the issue of poverty was one of the reasons why Christ came (2ndCorinthians 8:9). In the Name of Jesus Christ, I welcome you to your new beginning of prosperity. Only believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of your sins.

Prayer Point

Father, in your infinite mercy, banishes poverty from every area of my life in Jesus’ Name.