LOOK BEYOND THE BUS STOP

Memorise: For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Hebrews 12:3

Read: Hebrews 12:1-3, Bible in one year: Genesis 11-13, John 12:9-26

From Hebrews 12:1, we understand that a race has been set before us as Christians. We did not initiate the race, but our decision to fellow Jesus Christ automatically signed us in as partakers. Moreover, this race is an unusual marathon. If you lack patience, you cannot run the race. If you want to run it like a sprint, you would only be wasting your time, because God will not redesign the race for you; rather, you are the one who needs to adjust to His programme.

The Christian life is a process and not a single event. As a process, you are expected to move from one stage to another. You must be like a traveller who goes from one bus stop to another, continuing his journey until he reaches his final destination. In the course of the journey, you may be required to stop over at the bus stop of lack. This is meant to test your faith and ability to trust God for provision. No matter how long you stay there, never turn that bus stop into your destination. God may allow you to stop over at the bus stop of ridicule, to test whether you will continue the race in spite of belittlement. Those with over inflated egos and those who hold themselves in high esteem may have problems here. Do you know that some people have called off their trip to Heaven just because they were mocked, ridiculed and laughed to scorn? Never truncate your journey to Heaven because of any unpleasant experience encountered at any bus stop. The very Author and Finisher of this race also want through this bus stop. People mocked Him and seriously ridiculed Him, but He overcame it all with the weapons of prayer, patience and quietness, and he finally reached the finish line. He got to the end because He focused on the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). How you see the race that is set before you will definitely affect your attitude to it. While many people see what is before them as a worrisome race, Jesus saw the same as a joyous event. Therefore, one way you can run this race victoriously is by ignoring the challenges on the way and focusing on the rewards that await you on the other side. If your heart is on what you will receive in Heaven, you will not turn your bus stop into a destination by building a tent there. How are you handling this race? After the present unpleasant experiences comes the glorious, eternal experience of joy, awaiting you on the other side. Don’t miss out on it!

Key Point

If you do not focus on the silver lining at the end of the marathon race to Heaven, you will grow weary along the way.

FAVOUR BRINGS DIVINE FOCUS

Memorise: And as Jesus passed by he saw a man which was blind from his birth. John 9:1; Read John 9:1-7, Bible in one year: Genesis 1-2, John 10:22-42

John 9:1 talks about a man who was born blind. He had been blind for over 40 years, but when his day of favour came, Jesus saw him. This was not an accidental glance; rather, God directed the attention He gives to the whole universe to this blind man. The favour of God brought this blind man under divine focus. Through this same favour, Esther also came under special focus (Esther 5:1-8). King Ahasuerus did not just see Esther; he focused his attention on her. This was not ordinary king; he was a very busy king overseeing 120 nations. As busy as he was, when he looked at Esther, it was not just a passing glance but a life-changing glance of favour.

Similarly, in John 5:2-6, in the midst of a multitude of sick but expectant folks, there was a man who had been there for 38 years without help. Jesus saw him and singled him out of the crowd. Among all the multitude of people having your particular type of problem, favour will locate you today and you will be singled out for a miracle in Jesus’ Name. There was a particular man who had two PhDs but still could not get a job for more than six years. By the time he was brought for prayers, he looked like a mad man. He looked like someone who never stepped into a school, because he has gone through a lot. We introduced him to Jesus and he willingly accepted Him into his life. Not long after, the people in his local government, who had been looking for someone to employ, suddenly took interest in him. What several application letters could not do became settled when God focused his attention on him, and his long pressing need was met. For so long it might appear you have been going unnoticed. You have called out to God, fasted, praised and worshipped Him sincerely from your heart, but it appears as if God has either turned a deaf ear or your prayers have never passed the ceiling of your house. You are becoming discouraged as a result of this, and you are wondering if your prayer efforts are of any use. Do not be discouraged! God is not only looking towards your direction right now, He is also paying proper attention to you. Your situation is about to turn around for good. Hold on to the Lord in faith. Give Him more thanks, praise, worship and adoration. Wait on God until your change comes!

“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days on my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

Action Point

Ask God to remember all innocent people who are unjustly awaiting trial in prisons. Ask Him to grant them favour and set them free.

HELP FROM SUBORDINATES

Memorise: And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. Isaiah 61:5

Read: 2nd Kings 5:1-4, 10-14; Bible in one year: Esther 8-10, John 9:35-10:21

God had His agenda already set out before the foundation of the world. When the right time comes for Him to unfold a specific plan in His agenda, He looks out for those He can use to achieve His purpose. For example, when the time came for God to accomplish an earlier plan to turn a Syrian army general into a worshipper of Jehovah, God sought the vessel to use, and He found a young captive girl who was serving as a maid in the house of Naaman. She cooperated with God and told Naaman’s wife of a highly anointed prophet of God in Israel who could cure the incurable leprosy that was a blemish upon Naaman’s life.

Some other vessels that God used in achieving His purpose concerning Naaman were Naaman’s personal assistants. When they arrived at the front of Elisha’s house, Elisha simply sent his servant to tell Naaman to go and dip seven times in River Jordan and he would be healed. Naaman took offence that the prophet could not even honour him by coming out to talk personally to him. How could the prophet send a servant to him? Besides, he did not like River Jordan at all. Why did the prophet not choose any of the prestigious rivers around? He was angry, and he decided to leave. Had it not been that some of his servants decided to talk frankly with him, making him see the folly of his decision to return home empty-handed, he would have become a victim of his anger. He listened to them, went and dipped in the river and came out whole. When he returned to the prophet, he offered him a gift which he refused. He then requested to carry some of the soil from Israel to his native land to raise an altar to Jehovah there, and he promised to serve the Almighty God going forward. God can use you. Are you a housemaid or a houseboy? God can use anyone. Are you a servant? God can use you. God also use Prophet Elisha. Are you a servant of God? God can use you. One lesson from the maid and the servant is that if you can deal with the problems of fear and intimidation, you can be used by God to help your superiors. Never look down on yourself. Do not say that because you are uneducated, you cannot speak to the educated about Jesus. Use the Pidgin English or vernacular you know to pass across the message of the love of Jesus to others. The help that will move some superiors to their next level lies in the hands of their subordinates. You can be used to assist your superiors. The greatest assistance you can give to those above you is to link them up with Jesus.

Prayer Point

Father, let my ears be open to your voice coming through my subordinates.

VARIOUS WEAPONS AT YOUR DISPOSAL

Memorise: O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1-3

Bible in one year: Esther 4-7, John 9:13-34

One of the spiritual weapons at the disposal of God’s children is shouting. All that the children of Israel did to pull down the formidable walls of Jericho was to shout.
The Bible in Joshua 6:20 says: “So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”

Do you know that you can utilise the weapon of shouting to receive your miracle or breakthrough? Some years ago, a woman was brought to us at the headquarters of our church. She complained that for years, whenever she ate, she vomited. The doctors had tried all they could to help her retain the food she ate, but nothing worked. It was so bad that even when she drank water, she would vomit it. When she was brought in, I told everyone to shout Hallelujah! As she did, she vomited a worm, and that was the end of her sickness. As you shout Hallelujah this season, you shall receive your miracle in Jesus’ Name.

Furthermore, another weapon available to believers in Christ is the Name of Jesus. That Name is so highly exalted that everything, everyone and every power everywhere must blow to it (Philippians 2:9-11). It is amazing to know that when some Christians go through a serious situation that needs divine intervention, they call on the names of their father or mother but not on the Name of Jesus, the only One who can help them. In Acts 16:16-18, a demon possessed girl who followed Paul and Silas around, was immediately delivered after they commanded the demon to leave her in the Name of Jesus. Recently, I was about to enter my car while going to minister to my children after a Holy Communion service, when a particular girl ran towards me screaming. I asked my personal assistant to allow her come near. The fellow who brought her said while she was at her station of primary assignment to national youth service, something happened to her which made her lose her voice. Her voice was completely cut out. On a piece of paper, she wrote that the demon said that the only person who could send him out was Pastor Adeboye. So I prayed a simple prayer in the Name of Jesus, and before I ended the prayer, she voiced out “Amen”. As I turned to enter my car, she was audibly shouting “Daddy, daddy”. My son said to me “Daddy, she is already speaking.” I just smiled. Use the Name of Jesus more often. Apply His Name in all that you do. When you do so, do it in faith and ensure you are not living in sin.

Action Point

If you really believe in the power in the Name of Jesus, use it to confront your mountain

ASK DON’T TAKE

Memorise: Whoso robbeth his father or his mother, and saith, it is no transgression; the same is the companion of a destroyer. Proverb 28:24

Read: Matthew 7:7-12, Bible in one year: Esther 1-3, John 8:48-9:12

It is common for people to re-brand a particular evil act by giving it a more tolerable name. They do this so that the fall weight of that evil act is not felt by their conscience. However, re-branding prostitutes as commercial sex workers or calling sexually transmitted diseases “gentleman’s disease” does not change them from being what they are before God. In the same vein, describing stealing as “taking” does not stop it from being an evil act. Anything you take without the permission of its rightful owner, especially with the intent of keeping it, is stealing, irrespective of who you took it from. If you take something with the consent of the owner under a mutual understanding not to return it, you can call it a gift. If there is a mutual agreement that the item is to be returned, that is borrowing. Do you know that many items have moved from being borrowed to being stolen, because the one who borrowed the item has failed to return it? If you have treated any item like that, you are a thief. Return the item to its owner today.

It is a pity that some people do not know the difference between gifts and borrowed items on the one hand and stolen items on the other hand. One area where people commonly flout such rules is in family relationships. Some children take it for granted that because something belongs to their parents, they are free to take it without their permission. Also, spouses take advantage of each other in this area. The wife may say since the money belongs to her husband, and what is his is also hers, she can take his things whenever she likes with his consent and without feeling guilty. If you have not deliberately discussed this and jointly agreed that it should be so, your action can amount to stealing. God expects you to liven with a sense of accountability, responsibility and honesty. The reason some people steal from their spouses, parents or children is because they know that if they ask for the item, their request would be turned down. If you want something that belongs to your spouse or family member, simply ask. If the fellow turns down the request, pray to God to touch his or her heart, then go and ask again and again. Never take something unless you have the approval of the owner to do so. Otherwise, you are a thief, and no thief will enter Heaven.

Action Point

Cultivate the habit of seeking permission before taking or using whatever belongs to others.

RETARDED PROGRESS

Memorise: For when for the time you ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. Hebrew 5:12

Read: Genesis 49:1-4, Bible in one year: Nehemiah 10:1-12:26, John 8:12-30

A state of progress in which forward or upward movement is so slow, sluggish or negligible, to the point of becoming an embarrassment, can be referred to as retarded progress. When a 13-year old teenager is still being fed with a feeding bottle or is behaving like a two-year old child, growth in such a case is referred to as retarded. Sometimes, it is better not to make any progress at all then to make the type of progress that brings embarrassment. Retarded progress can also be seen as a trapped destiny. When Jacob was about to die, he called all his children together and began to make certain pronouncements over each of them depending on how they had lived their lives. When he was the one supposed to receive the double portion generational blessing, it would be denied him. Jacob categorically stated that he would not excel. From that day, the future of Reuben that looked so bright and promising became bleak. His destiny was trapped.

I met a particular man of God sometime ago. We had last seen each other some five years before. I asked him, “How are things?” “All is well” he replied. “How is your church?” I asked. “Oh, the church is good”, he said l, and so I asked, “What is your attendance like presently?” desiring to know how the church was actually doing. “We are now about 105”, he replied. Surprised, I said “I thought the last time we met some five years ago; you said your attendance was about 100? So five years later, it has only grown by 5 people? Even if you were winning a soul per month that period, you should have added at least 60 members.” Then he replied, “Please pray for me; I think I am suffering from the spirit of retardation.

One unfortunate thing about retardation is that in some cases, because of the negligible growth or improvement that has been recorded, the victim may be considered to have made some progress. As a result of this false progress, consideration will not be given to putting on the type of effort that would have been required to salvage the situation if there was no progress at all. Is your progress being impeded? Is your destiny boxed? Is the sight progress you have recorded becoming an embarrassment to you? Call on the Lord today for help. Every power that has retarded your progress or destiny is destroyed today in the mighty Name of Jesus.

Prayer point

Father, fast-forward my progress that has been slowed down by the enemy today.

HOLD ON TO THE TRUTH

Memorise: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. John 17:17

Read: John 17:13-17

13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

MESSAGE
Hosea 4:6 reveals that that knowledge is an indispensable commodity if one is to become relevant in God’s scheme of things. It also tells us that contrary to what some people believe, what is responsible for the destruction of God’s people is not the devil; rather, it is their ignorance. This means that the enemy capitalizes on what you do not know to plunder you. If you fail to recognize and act on your kingdom rights for instance, the devil will definitely take advantage of you. If you do not recognize that good health is your right, Satan will definitely shove sickness down your throat. The devil loves those who rob themselves of their rights through a false sense of humility, because they are helping him to do his dirty work. If you believe that poverty is part of godliness, or that you do not need to fight or resist the evil plans of the enemy, or that being sick is part of the cross you are to bear in the Christian faith, Satan will definitely celebrate your ignorance. To this end, the devil will do everything to keep such a fellow in the dark concerning the truth.

Do you know that there is a difference between stating the facts and knowing the truth? The facts are what can be physically perceived in a given situation. Facts are a product of the natural human senses. Satan tries to control his victims using the prevailing circumstances. Most times, he controls manipulates and distorts the things we can see. As long as you choose to believe what you can see, you may likely end up as a victim of sight and a prisoner of the devil. This is why 2nd Corinthians 5:7 says:
“(For we walk by faith, not by sight)”

On the other hand, the word of God is truth (John 17:17). Facts can easily change, hence, it is wrong to base your victory or joy on them. Rather, base it on God’s word which is settled in Heaven forever. For instance, when you have prayed for healing and you are standing in faith to receive it, you must be prepared to discountenance the facts that sight brings to you. You must be ready to ignore or resist the pains, discomfort and weakness you can still feel. You must confess the healing and good health which the word of God has promised you, even if you are yet to experience it. As you keep on insisting on what God’s word says, eventually the truth will swallow up the facts.

Key Point
Every situation that confronts you introduces a conflict between facts and truth; what prevails is a function of your choice.

Bible in one year: Nehemiah 12:27-13:31, John 8:31-47